Chapter 145: Getting My Money's Worth

"Is the prepared evidence sufficient?"

"Just as you ordered, we have perfectly prepared the writeup on the illegal transactions and tax evasion of magic tower branch stores."

"Then the confiscation of all buildings and goods owned by the magic tower branches begins now. Arrest the mages at the same time!"

"As you command!"

The magic tower branches had looked down on me the entire time. They disregarded my one warning by sending out entire flocks of lumikar to leak information about Nerman to the outside. And now, it was time to clamp down on them.

"In addition, close off all the borders and do not allow anyone, including mercenaries, to come into the territory without permission."

"As you command!"

Not just the magic towers, but the passage of mercenaries and merchants would also be restricted. We could maintain public order and carry out monster eradications just fine even without the help of mercenaries, and the territory could be run without the help of merchants.

'I'll seize the initiative to close the door on their faces before they get restricted.'

I gave Rosiathe a justification to refuse the Emperor's invitation—a border dispute between Nerman and the Havis Kingdom. I was planning on making a fuss at the border while releasing the prisoner soldiers of the Laviter Empire tomorrow. Of course, Poltviran wouldn't believe it, but for now, buying time was good enough.

"Finish the job swiftly. And have the supervisor of the Rubis Merchants come up."

"As you command!"

Derval and the other admins shouted their acquiescence in the office.

'Go and suck 'em dry.'

All this time, I'd been bribing people to make orders for various goods in the magic tower branch stores in Nerman. When the orders poured in, the branches went and acquired the goods from the magic tower in secret, completely unaware that I was behind the orders. Those goods were useless by my standards, but I'd received a report that magic-related items that could net a pretty penny if they were sold elsewhere were piled up high in the branch stores. They had so much stuff squirreled away that we could certainly temporarily replenish the low-grade magic ingredients the territory needed.

"Sir Derval," I called, stopping Derval, who was on his way out the door.

"I am at your service, my liege."

"Move the fully dried salt to the city gate."

"Understood, my liege."

It was so common for me to request strange things that Derval didn't even ask. He dipped his head and left.

Knock knock.

And a short while later, a knock came from outside my door.

"Come in."

Creaak.

I was still using the office at Weyn Covert, since the mansion wasn't complete yet. The worn-down door creaked as it was opened and a person came in.

'Hm? That person is—!'

Jamir, an executive, wasn't someone with a lot of time on his hands, so I heard that the convoy this time was led by a supervisor. However, I was surprised to see that the supervisor who came into the room was someone I was very familiar with.

"I offer my humble greetings to Count Kyre de Nerman."

"Haha, when did you go from branch manager to supervisor?"

"It is all thanks to you, Count Kyre. Heheh."

Indeed, the person who came in was Lenkis, the former branch manager of Nerman, a region previously treated by the Rubis Merchants as a remote backwoods.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you, Count Kyre. I will remember this great favor for the rest of my life."

Nerman had risen to a very important position in the Rubis Merchants, so it wasn't unusual that they had promoted the person who had connections to me.

'Yep, a person needs to have big dreams.'

It helped that he had a lucky encounter with me, but I was sure that Lenkis' willingness to trust me, his skills, and his foresight had also played a role. How could a company like the Rubis Merchants appoint a supervisor position to a person without skills?

"I trust that there is no error with the goods?"

"Of course, sir. I brought the best quality goods there are. By order of Executive Jamir, I even prepared cows from the Indesse Kingdom, which are rumored to be hardy and good at producing babies."

The Rubis Merchants had prepared the best, knowing my personality. I felt satisfied.

"You've done well."

"Not at all, I am completely undeserving of the praise."

This was a fair trade made by giving them my money, but I ended up praising Lenkis. Without the Rubis Merchants, the development of this outcast territory would have been significantly slower.

"I've said this to Executive Jamir as well, but for the time being, there will be no further trade between us, besides the salt tomorrow."

"I am aware, sir. Actually, the Executive asked me to relay his wishes for your safety. He wishes for your good health until he comes and sees you again."

"Haha. Relay the same message to Executive Jamir for me."

Jamir knew that the upcoming situation would be like strapping dynamite to your body and charging into flames. We were doing our best to make thorough preparations, but the strength of the enemies around us was unimaginable.

One misstep was all it would take for the tower we had built up with all our efforts would come crashing down.

* * *

Crash!

The Gauss Magic Tower Branch in the city of Denfors had been enjoying a happy time from the sale of various low-circle magic items and the sudden increase of people selling monster blood and hides in the last month. The door of that branch store splintered into pieces.

"W-Who is it!"

The mages who had been organizing the products inside shouted in alarm at the destroyed door. They had been warned by the Lord of Nerman, but no sanctions had been made afterwards, so they had assumed that the lord was tacitly recognizing the authority of the magic towers. And because the mages assumed no one in Denfors would dare to mess with them, they glared at the broken door with fury.

Cl-cl-cl-cl-clank.

"Ahh!!"

However, their furious gazes were short-lived. An entire platoon of heavily armed, armored knights and soldiers barged in. The mages blanched.

"Arrest all of the mages who disobeyed the Lord's orders and conducted illegal trade and tax evasion! Confiscate all of the goods, including the funds! Execute any who resist!"

"As you command!" shouted the soldiers with fierce voices.

"W-What do you mean by that? What illegal trade and tax evasion? Our magic tower branch has the right of immunity and tax exemption in all territories of the Bajran Empire. So what do you mean by such ridiculous nonsense..."

The mage in charge of the Gauss Magic Tower Branch listed the rights they had like a parrot.

A knight approached the mage. "The lord of this place is Count Kyre de Nerman. His orders take precedence over all imperial laws. In Nerman, the lord is tantamount to God!"

With a frosty expression on his face, the knight brought out his fighting spirit.

Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

His fierce remark was punctuated by the energetic cry of a wyvern outside.

"Proceed with the execution!"

The knights had grown deathly pale at the knight's choice of words.

The soldiers thundered over to the mages with mana bracelets in their hands. However, not a single one of the mages resisted.

Like the knight said, in Nerman, the lord they had briefly forgotten about was no different from a god.

* * *

"You've all worked hard."

From the city gate of Denfors, I looked out at the Laviter soldiers that had been captured as prisoners and had worked hard the past month. They were lined up in rank and file on the enormous plains, and quietly looking at me.

'You're probably the only people who can go back fatter than when you first became prisoners.'

I couldn't see an end to the orderly ranks. 180,000 was easy enough to say, but I had to marvel once again at the skills of Derval and the other admins who directed this many people to various Nerman construction sites in perfect order. No matter how many centurions and lieutenants we picked out and knights we assigned to keep watch, if the admins hadn't been able to arrange the soldiers so meticulously, it would have ended with chaos in a bottle. However, the admins had followed my orders and completed the job perfectly. These days, they were independently selecting new administrative personnel and maximizing their efficiency.

"Just as I promised on my name, you will be turned over to the empire according to the results of the prisoner negotiations with the Laviter Empire. You will begin moving today onwards and leave Nerman in two days."

"......"

'Well whaddya know? They aren't happy? What's wrong with their expressions?'

I expected that the prisoners would be happy upon hearing that they could return to their homeland. No matter how well I treated them, it couldn't be as good as their homes. But contrary to my expectations, the prisoner soldiers didn't have very bright expressions on their faces—instead, they almost looked like they were reluctant to leave Nerman.

"Also, as promised, I will now distribute the reward you have earned by working hard for a little over a month. Every person should receive at least 3 Golds from the soldiers before getting on the carriages."

"......"

'Wut? Not happy about the money, either?'

I just stated that they would be given more money than I originally promised, but the soldiers didn't rejoice at all.

"Also, I have a final request to make of you. I hope that none of you will come back to my territory, Nerman. I wish to earnestly plead that you do not bring destruction to various places in Nerman, a territory built up through your very own sweat and tears."

Assuming the Laviter Empire wasn't idiotic, they wouldn't reuse soldiers defeated once. Moreover, the soldiers had received warm treatment here and had basically become assimilated into Nerman. It was unlikely that they had any will to fight Nerman left in them.

"May the benediction of the Goddess of Mercy, Neran, bless your future days..."

Standing on the watchtower, I drew a cross and offered a small prayer that would serve as my final farewell. We had met as enemies, but these men bore no crime. They were simply pawns that moved according to the orders of nobles. I sincerely hoped for their safe return.

Thud.

'Hm?'

Thud thud.

Just then, some of the lined up soldiers began to kneel.

'W-What's going on?'

It didn't stop at just a few soldiers. Once one or two began to kneel, that number soon swelled to hundreds, no, thousands.

"We wish to stay in Nerman. Please accept us, Your Lordship!"

"Please accept us, Your Lordship!"

The soldiers took up someone's lead and began to chorus in unison.

'!!'

I was so shocked that my head felt empty all of a sudden. I expected that a few thousand soldiers would stay behind at most, but over ten thousand soldiers appeared at a single glance to be surrendering. They surely had loving family members in the Laviter Empire, but the soldiers were abandoning them, kneeling to surrender.

And that wasn't all. The rest of the prisoner soldiers weren't kneeling, but they were looking on with envious gazes. It looked like their feelings were too far off from the ones kneeling.

'Huhuhu. Hello, you unexpected jackpot, you!'

My good treatment of the prisoners was calculated. Even so, it wasn't like I treated them particularly well—I merely treated them the same as regular Nerman soldiers. But my "kindness" came back to me as a jackpot in the form of what was approximately over 10,000 elite soldiers. With them, we could easily use Nerman's advantages and block 100,000 enemy soldiers.

"My liege..." said Derval next to me with a trembling voice.

He had also expected that a few would defect, but there was no way he could have expected so many would do so.

"Thank you... I will, without fail, return the sincerity you have shown me and Nerman today one day. My soldiers!"

"YEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

"Long live Nerman!"

"Long live the Lord!"

When I accepted them, the prisoner soldiers sprang to their feet and raised a deafening cheer.

'Long live! Long live!'

I also cheered inside my heart. This was a bonus from the heavens granted to me for living so kindly. All I had to do was happily accept.

* * *

"Sir Shailt, I temporarily entrust you with my role."

".....!!"

Having come to my office on an abrupt summons from me, Sir Shailt's eyes grew as wide as saucers at my words.

"W-What does th—"

"A situation has developed where I must urgently leave the territory. If it takes a long time, I will be gone for one month, and if it ends quickly, half a month. It should suffice to paint a wyvern like Bebeto and fly around the skies of Denfors once a day."

We had shut down the magic tower branches that were blatantly spying on us, but there were still plenty of enemy sentries around. The only way to deceive them, if only for a brief time, was to create a body double for me and Bebeto.

"Sir Derval, keep in mind that this matter is something only you and the important knights must know."

"Understood, my liege."

I had revealed the gist of the situation to my right arm, Derval—he now knew that if I did not make an appearance before the Tsarina of the Haildrian Empire, the world's foremost producer of magic crystals, the magic crystal distribution would end.

"As a reference, you'll have to deceive the eyes of the people for at least half a month."

"Yes, sir!"

The loyal Sir Shailt did not ask much.

"For now, have the naturalized soldiers run patrols around Orakk Castle and the eastern region."

"By your will, my liege."

Their feelings had led them to defect, but there was no knowing how their feelings might change if the empire threatened them. They were still only half citizens of Nerman. Until Nerman could grow her roots, the naturalized soldiers had to be managed with great care.

"Once all of the prisoners have returned, thoroughly close off the borders. Increase the patrols and capture any and all trespassers. You may kill those who resist," I said, continuing to give out instructions.

We had to thoroughly protect the territory from now on. As long as we could stay self-sufficient, there was no need to keep our borders open. I couldn't keep watching hyena-like mercenaries and merchants blinded by profit continue to come in and out to their heart's content.

"Derval."

"At your service."

"How goes the selection of the territory's foothold city?"

"As you ordered, we are completing the planning for a foothold city and the small towns affiliated to it. We should have a basic outline in about half a month."

I wanted to organize Nerman like South Korea, where each province would have a central city, and administrative divisions like township and neighborhood. I had zero desire to manage the territory in the same loose manner as the rest of the continent.

'I'm the biggest worry of all.'

A lumikar had just flown in from Chrisia, saying that she would meet me in the skies above the harbor today at around sundown.

"Has the prisoner transport been completed?"

"I just received word from Sir Ryker. He said the prisoners have arrived at the border."

"I'm relieved it ended without a hitch."

Excluding the 10,000 soldiers who defected, 170,000 soldiers left Nerman. They had left swiftly using carriages on the perfect road constructed from Denfors all the way to the Havis border.

"I've asked the elves and dwarves, so increase the pace of the construction of the border fort. It only has to be sturdy, so it shouldn't take much time."

"As you command!"

With the road complete, we couldn't leave the borders as they were. We had to build a fort on the border, like we previously planned, and make that place the first line of defense. In one, two years from now, villages would be created around the Kyre Road, and if that happened, we couldn't allow the enemies to come even one step into the territory.

'Sigh, I can't be sure if I can trust them and go.'

Derval and Sir Shailt were responding with vigor, but I still felt anxious. It was easy to say Nerman would be fine without me for a few days, but I was curious as to whether the empires would sit still if they found out I wasn't around. It was a given that even if they didn't mobilize any ground troops and just sent in Skyknights to attack, the territory would be razed down. Nerman was still about as strong as an elementary school student right now. There was nothing quite like the feeling of a parent leaving behind their children.

'It's about time to go...'

I could already see the beginnings of dusk from the window, telling me that it was time to leave.

'Haildrian... just you wait. I'll get my money's worth from you!'

My movements were linked to the safety and development of the entirety of Nerman. The Tsarina of Haildrian had demanded such a person to come at her beck and call.

Well, she messed with the wrong person.

I made up my mind to use this opportunity to make it very, very clear that I wasn't such an easy person to control.

* * *

"Kukukukukuku..."

Just one year ago, the Imperial Palace of the Bajran Empire rang all day long with the laughter of maids captivated by the flowers that sprang up everywhere in the palace come spring. But now, despite the blossoming flowers, there were no longer any giggling maids to be found. Such a phenomenon could be attributed solely to Emperor Poltviran, who was publicly called the Rabid Dog in Heat. As if wanting to show off his vicious temperament, if a maid or attendant made any mistake, he unsheathed his sword and sliced off their necks on the spot. In particular, he was busy assaulting and raping the comely maids at all times of the day.

Such a man was laughing. His birthday was in a few day's time, an event where not just every noble in the empire would come, but also ambassadors from the neighboring kingdoms. However, there was one person who refused his order.

"Rosiathe... to think you would insult me so... Kukuku."

A single letter had flown in from the Havis royal family, saying that Princess Rosiathe really could not participate because their borders were so chaotic due to the prisoner exchange between the Laviter Empire and Nerman. Princess Rosiathe's polite letter stated that she would send an ambassador in her place and asked that the Emperor not get offended.

A thoughtful person would believe her words. It was common knowledge that Havis had suffered a crisis from the weakening of their national power due to an ill-fated expedition by the nobles, the Roen Principality's attack, and wide-spread revolt. On top of that, because of the battle between Nerman and the Laviter Empire, they were walking on eggshells, unable to breathe out of trepidation.

But there was one person who didn't give a whit about Havis' situation, and that was Emperor Poltviran. He was actively striving to sate the lustful nature that had grown even more twisted since his ascension to the throne. Rage slowly began to simmer in his eyes, which were writhing with madness and perverted desire. It was hatred, hatred towards the person who dared to defy his order. In mere moments, his anger billowed into a raging flame.

"Silveron."

"I am at your service, Your Majesty."

Thanks to the Emperor, Viscount Silveron was enjoying the height of authority these days. Recently, despite not having made any contribution, he had been raised to counthood in an unprecedented move. And as of late, he was wielding so much military power that he no longer had to fear anyone, even dukes.

"Rosiathe, that bitch, defied my order. What should be done now?"

Poltviran casually called a princess of a nation a bitch.

"Naturally, she must be punished to uphold Your Majesty's dignity. If Your Majesty gives me the order, I will fly out right this instant and capture the bitch," Silveron shouted in a voice of such loyalty that it seemed he would even deign to lick the Emperor's shoe.

"Why do you think those Havis Kingdom bastards defied my order when they cannot muster as much military power as a single army of mine?"

He was half-mad, but the studying he had done from a young age had not disappeared into thin air. Despite his rage, Poltviran aimed to figure out the situation like he had learned.

"I believe it must be because she is relying on him."

"By him, you mean..."

Silveron was no idiot either. It would make no sense if the person who had seized power by assisting the crazy bastard since his days as a crown prince was an idiot.

"From what I have discerned, it does not seem as if Rosiathe and the Lord of Nerman, Kyre, are regular acquaintances. According to my sources, it is said that Kyre personally went and resolved the issue with the Roen Principality army for her."

"K-Kyre."

It was like pouring oil onto the flames. The madness in Poltviran's eyes grew as he spat out the name Kyre.

"Kukukuku... Kyre, Kyre, KYYYREEE!!!!"

Poltviran repeated the name over and over as his hands curled into fists. The mere thought of him made his heart feel as if it would explode. The bastard had disobeyed him, the Crown Prince of the Empire, as a mere cadet... Poltviran had never forgotten. He had never forgotten the arrogant black eyes that had looked down at him as if looking at a bug.

"Argh..." Poltviran gnashed his teeth. "Call in Duke Ormere."

And then, he had the thought that he had endured longer than expected. It surprised him that he had gone so long without killing Kyre and the nuisances who were staying with him, the Princess and Prince.