Of course, protection from the Beastmen meant protection from external invasions. As for bandits and mountain robbers...
In the early days after arriving in a new territory, it was all too easy for nobles to go bankrupt for some inexplicable reason, their lands then annexed by a more powerful lord.
"This is an excellent proposal. I'm in!" Just as everyone was still buzzing with discussion, Earl Uman was the first to take the lead and announce his decision.
Earl Uman genuinely thought it was a good idea.
To put it bluntly, Earl Uman was so poor that all he had left was money.
After the battle at Wisley Path, Earl Uman's Family Knight Order had been cut in half—and this was the man in charge of a Count's Domain!
And most critically, the Gauss Count's Domain and the Affleck Domain were quite close.
Upon hearing this, it wasn't just the southern nobles of Ehrlichland who were stunned—even Robson's own people were dumbfounded.
