Anton thought of several things as he waited for all the people that Ronia, Mr. Jenkins, and Ms. Almida had hired to tend and guard the manor to gather in the living room so he could talk to everyone. The first thing that he thought was that he had made a mistake in creating another root in this kingdom.
Every time their little family made a home, they had to run away after a while because the kingdom or city would be conquered. Every time they left, they could only allow a few people to come with them, and it was breaking their hearts.
Anton didn’t know if he, his father, and his sister had it in them to experience another heartbreak if the divines forbid, they had to leave this manor again to run.
The fact was, before his family decided to settle in Ormunda, they researched a little on what kingdom in this new continent was the most powerful, and Ormunda topped the list. Since Anton, his father, Anders, and his sister Anna were too tired to run, they thought that this kingdom would have the power to defend itself from any conquerors.
Anton actually had not seen the kingdom’s power because ever since they arrived in Ormunda, they remained on the fringes of the main city, away from the center of power and its politics. Even the magic academy that Anna was currently attending was considered one of the lowly magic schools that littered Ormunda, since it was located near the border.
The most powerful wizards and magic schools that governed the kingdom were located in the center of Ormunda, which was hours or even days from where they were currently located. Anton intentionally chose to settle near the border because the dungeons were near there.
Besides, even if, again, the divines forbid, that conquerors attack the kingdom, Anton and his family would just travel inland. Anton just needed to stay near the dungeons because it was his and his father's intention to delve into the dungeon for battle experience. The riches that his family could gain delving the dungeons also helped him reach the decision to stay near the border.
That was also the reason why Anton purchased the Rose Manor. He was earning a lot of coins from his dungeon delving, and to be honest, there was no other use for the gold that he was receiving. Also, if this kingdom were truly stable and would not succumb to any disaster, then it was fine for him to invest in something like the manor. Besides, he, his father, and Anna needed a place where they could rest, so he might as well use the gold coins that he earned from the dungeons to buy a comfortable manor.
After around 40 people gathered, which included all the guards that Torbin hired, Anton started speaking while standing on top of a stairwell so everybody could see him.
“My name is Anton Sunders. I’m an archmage who bought this place. Yes, I gathered the funds to purchase this manor from diving the Corridors of Amuneta dungeon alone. What that means is that I’m very powerful. I’m not a noble, and I’m very young, so you can call me by my name, which is Anton. Or if you’re truly uncomfortable with that, you can call me Mr. Sunders.”
Anton paused a little and looked at every person who was looking at him, then he continued speaking.
“In a few weeks, my father, whose name is Anders Sunders, will be coming together with some of our relatives. They might be accompanied by a company of men and women that consisted of the Adventurer Group that my father formed. My father is still the head of the family, and I would require that all of you give him the utmost respect. My sister, Anna, is currently studying at the Magical Academy of Elemental Evocation and will come here once the semester ends. That’s the end of my announcement. If any of you needs anything, please speak with Ronia, Torbin, Mr. Jenkins, or Ms. Noria. You can go ahead and return to whatever you’re all doing. Ronia, Torbin, Mr. Jenkins, and Ms. Noria, can we go to an office so we can speak first? Ms. Orwell, can you give me several minutes before you introduce the manor to me?”
Felicity Orwell nodded and stayed in the living room while Ronia led him to an office together with Torbin, Mr. Jenkins, and Ms. Noria. The office was Mr. Jenkins’s, and all of them sat on the chairs that were in the room.
“What do you need, Anton?” Torbin asked once everyone was settled.
Mr. Jenkins frowned and spoke.
“Mr. Sunders, it’s unseemly to allow your employee to keep calling you by your first name. I was informed that before you left the continent of Rendindura, the city of Zalnothel awarded you the noble title of a baron. With your wizardly rank, adventurer rank, and the fact that your sister is currently studying under an Ormundan’s Supreme Wizard, that means that you can apply to have your title reinstated in Ormunda.”
“How do you know all of that? Regardless, I don’t want to worry about that right now. Since I mentioned earlier that the true head of the family is my father, let everyone call him Mr. Sunders. In the meantime, probably due to my age, I still preferred to be called Anton. Besides, with the power that I have and the ability to dive to the 50th floor and below of the Corridors of Amuneta dungeon alone, it means that there is probably no one who knows me that would disrespect me.”
Torbin smirked at Mr. Jenkins, who only gave a small sniff.
“I called you here because I need to know some details first. I will not be staying in the manor since I still plan to dive the dungeon. First, Ronia, I gave you 30,000 gold coins. How much is left, and how much more is needed to complete the furnishing of the manor? Mr. Jenkins, Ms. Noria, I will also need the monthly budget that the manor would need to function normally.”
“There are still 20,000 gold coins left. According to Ms. Orwell, we will probably need to spend another 10,000 gold coins to complete the furnishing of the manor,” Ronia said.
Mr. Jenkins sighed and answered his questions.
“Anton, Ms. Noria, and I started creating the monthly budget for the Rose Manor for a hundred people, not including you, your sister, your father, and your relatives. The budget included everyone’s monthly pay, the monthly food budget, and all other extra and unexpected expenses that might occur, and it would be around 8,000 to 10,000 gold coins.”
“A hundred people?! Is there even enough space for that many people in the manor?!” Anton exclaimed.
“Yes. That’s the total number of people, including guards, that would allow the manor to function normally. And yes, the Rose manor can hold up to 300 people.”
“How many rooms does the manor have?!” Anton gasped.
Mr. Jenkins and Ms. Noria’s eyebrows both went up.
“You bought the manor without knowing the details? There are about 200 rooms in the manor, including the rooms for the family. Some of the rooms are dormitory rooms that can hold up to ten people.”
“I don’t know much about the manor yet, since when we purchased it, we only gave it a cursory view. Regarding your employment status, I’m sorry to say that it will still be decided by my father, but from what I know about my father, he would probably not bother with replacing you or anything like that, but still, I don’t want to set anything in stone.”