My Domain Runs on KPIs

Chapter 008

After returning to the Domain, Garrick led Luke into the mud-brick house.

At the very back was the largest room in the building.

Garrick stopped at the entrance.

“This is the Lord’s Chamber.”

He sounded a little embarrassed.

Luke looked around.

There was nothing inside.

Nothing except a bed made of packed mud.

A layer of straw had been spread across it as a mattress.

But none of that mattered right now.

Luke had something much more important to ask.

“Garrick.”

He hesitated, trying to figure out how to phrase it.

“Have you ever seen someone who can, you know... point a hand and shoot out fireballs? Ice? Stuff like that?”

Before Luke could finish explaining, Garrick answered immediately.

“A Mage?”

Luke’s eyes lit up.

“Yes!”

“A Mage.”

“You’ve seen one?”

“Sure.”

Garrick fell into thought.

“That was when I was young.”

“I was still serving in the army back then.”

“We had a few Mage lords with us.”

He shuddered at the memory.

“Terrifying people.”

“They could summon fireballs out of thin air.”

Luke stared at him.

He should have realized this earlier.

This was a world with Orcs.

Why wouldn’t it have Mages?

“Then how do they cast spells?”

Luke asked eagerly.

“Spell slots?”

“Mana?”

He was trying to figure out what kind of magic system this world used.

Garrick simply stared at him blankly.

Luke understood immediately.

Right.

Garrick was a retired soldier.

Not an actual Mage.

Someone like him would never have had access to the inner workings of magic.

Makes sense.

Luke sighed.

“Fine.”

“I get it.”

“You’ve worked hard today. Go get some rest.”

“Then I’ll be going, My Lord.”

Garrick turned to leave.

Then Luke suddenly remembered something.

“Wait.”

Garrick stopped.

Luke frowned at him.

“You really have absolutely no financial awareness, do you?”

Garrick looked completely lost.

“What?”

“The leaf I gave you earlier.”

“Give it back.”

Luke held out his hand.

“There’s a reimbursement deadline, you know.”

“If you miss it, that expense becomes your own responsibility.”

Garrick blinked several times.

Then obediently pulled the leaf out of his pocket and handed it over.

Luke inspected it.

Then nodded in satisfaction.

“Good.”

“That’s how it’s supposed to work.”

“Come on.”

“I’ll take you to the storage area and issue your replacement ration.”

Luke took Garrick to retrieve the food he was owed.

After that, Luke returned to the Lord’s Chamber and went to sleep.

Garrick remained standing outside alone.

He stared down at the food in his hands in disbelief.

“He...”

“He really gave it back.”

“My Lord actually...”

“Kept his promise.”

Garrick stood there for a long time.

Only when the moon had climbed high overhead did he finally recover.

He looked deeply at the closed door to Luke’s room.

Then quietly turned and left.

【Current Cohesion: 10/100】

* * *

The next morning.

Luke returned to the swamp with Garrick and Beanpole.

The mysterious young man was still there.

Same position.

Same unsettling atmosphere.

Crouched on the mound.

Staring into the swamp.

Luke took a deep breath.

There was no helping it.

He had to go.

Ashenvale was simply too short on manpower.

Especially high-end combat power.

If he could convince this mysterious third employee to join his team, it would be a massive boost to the Domain’s future development.

Luke gritted his teeth.

Fine.

Let’s do this.

He had just started forward when Garrick suddenly stopped him.

“My Lord.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Luke looked at the distant figure.

Then back at Garrick.

He shook his head.

“I’ll go alone.”

“My Lord-”

Garrick clearly wanted to insist.

Luke smiled.

“It’s fine.”

“I’m the lord, remember?”

Then he slowly approached the figure.

Beanpole crouched in the grass some distance away.

Garrick stayed where he was, gripping his worn short sword tightly.

To show his sincerity, Luke had left both of them behind.

He carried no weapon either.

He approached empty-handed.

“Hello.”

No response.

Expected.

“I’m the new lord of this Domain.”

Silence.

Still nothing.

Luke walked around and crouched beside him so they were at eye level.

Only then did Luke get a proper look at his face.

He was young.

Much younger than Luke had expected.

Fifteen or sixteen, at most.

His face was unnaturally pale.

His eyes were deeply sunken, as though he hadn’t slept properly in weeks.

The robe he wore was badly torn.

There was some kind of emblem stitched onto it.

Luke didn’t recognize the symbol.

But someone had slashed straight through it, cutting the emblem in half.

“I’m Luke Crowe.”

Luke extended a hand.

The young man glanced at it.

Then at Luke.

He ignored the handshake completely and turned his eyes back toward the swamp.

“Go.”

His lips barely moved.

His voice was so hoarse it sounded as though he hadn’t spoken in months.

Luke didn’t leave.

Instead, his attention shifted toward the staff in the young man’s hands.

It was cracked almost all the way through.

Strips of cloth had been tightly wrapped around it just to keep it from falling apart.

“You’re a Mage?”

Silence.

Luke tried again.

“A Necromancer?”

The young man’s shoulders twitched.

His head snapped slightly toward Luke.

“Who told you?”

His voice suddenly sharpened.

Defensive.

Almost hostile.

Luke had clearly hit a pressure point.

“I guessed.”

Luke pointed toward the neatly arranged animal bones behind him.

“The way you arranged those isn’t exactly normal.”

Luke spoke as if he knew what he was talking about.

In reality, he was guessing everything.

After all-

what other kind of Mage would spend half a year sitting beside a godforsaken swamp surrounded by skeletons?

The young man remained silent for a long time.

Then-

“I used to be.”

Luke immediately caught onto the wording.

“Used to be?”

“I was expelled.”

The young man said it calmly.

As if he were talking about someone else’s life.

But Luke noticed the hand gripping the broken staff.

His fingers had gone white.

Luke didn’t ask why.

Instead, he changed the subject.

“What are you doing here now?”

“Waiting.”

“For what?”

The young man gave no answer.

His gaze returned to the swamp.

Then-

the mound beside him suddenly cracked open.

Luke froze.

A pale skeletal hand pushed through the soil.

Then came a skull.

Then an entire skeleton.

It slowly pulled itself out of the earth.

It was only around five feet tall.

Its bones had yellowed with age.

Several ribs were broken.

With a series of dry clacks, the skeleton shuffled toward Luke.

It stopped directly in front of him.

Then tilted its head.

Luke didn’t even dare breathe too loudly.

The skeleton kept tilting its head.

A little farther.

A little farther-

Clack.

Its lower jaw fell off.

Luke stared.

The young Necromancer sighed.

He reached down, picked up the jawbone, and calmly fitted it back into place.

Luke:

“...”

This is a Necromancer’s summon?

He stared at the skeleton for a moment.

“What’s his name?”

The young man was silent briefly.

Then said,

“Sky.”

Luke looked at Sky.

Yellowed bones.

Several broken ribs.

A jaw that apparently had trouble staying attached.

He fell into deep thought.

Sky seemed to notice Luke staring.

The skeleton quietly shrank behind the young Necromancer.

Luke suddenly asked,

“Is this the only one you can summon?”

He had not expected the reaction.

The young man’s pale face immediately turned bright red.

Then, for the first time all day, he raised his voice.

“What’s it to you?!”