Chapter 8: Wolf (2)

The Harlancia territory, located just a bit north, was a territory developed around a very prosperous agricultural industry compared to the territory Kim Hyunwoo was cultivating.

Thick walls surrounded the territory, and within it was fertile land grown with numerous crops.

Additionally, no one dared to meddle with the Harlancia territory, which received protection from the Sertoa territory, part of the Calan Kingdom, under the condition of handing over 30% of the resources harvested each year.

Thanks to this, the Harlancia territory had maintained steady growth from the past to the present, but the current Lord, the son of the former Lord who suddenly died a few years ago, was dissatisfied with this arrangement.

He had ambition.

He was far more interested in the mercenary or magic industries, which could attract more money and better manpower than agriculture.

He also wanted to develop labyrinths, which he couldn't do due to the guise of protection from the Sertoa territory.

However, the reason the Lord couldn't do so was that, thanks to his father, the previous Lord, the Harlancia territory had already become dependent on the Sertoa territory for many of its problems.

Thus, for the Lord, who had been pondering how to gain independence from the Sertoa territory since his inauguration, the territory of Lartania was a very good solution.

The Lartania territory, once acquired, would soon yield Territory Stone Fragments, which could bring in an enormous amount of wealth.

Therefore, the Lord of Harlancia considered it very fortunate that the Lartania territory was nearby.

To his knowledge, there weren't many abandoned territories like Lartania on this continent to begin with.

In fact, there were only a few such places throughout the entire Southern Continent.

Initially, Territory Stones don't just disappear when a lord dies without passing the territory on to someone else; they immediately designate the next person to become the lord and continue the lordship.

Thus, since territories hardly ever get abandoned even if a lord dies or disappears, opportunities to obtain Territory Stone Fragments like this were rare.

Therefore, from the Lord of Harlancia's perspective, it was fortunate that the Lartania territory was right nearby.

Due to the geographical advantage of being very close to the Lartania territory, the Harlancia Lord was able to possess all the Territory Stone Fragments alone.

Of course, the Fragments obtained after the Lartania territory was partially destroyed could not be monopolized by the Harlancia territory.

The reason Harlancia could initially possess the Territory Stone Fragments alone after the territory was destroyed was because of a promise made.

The promise to hand over 80% of the obtained Territory Stones to the Sertoa territory.

Thanks to this, those who aimed for the Territory Stones resulting from Lartania in this area, which could essentially be considered part of the Calan Kingdom, disappeared under the protection of Sertoa.

Harlancia was put in a situation where it could safely devour the Territory Stones.

However, naturally, the Lord of Harlancia had no intention whatsoever of offering the devoured Territory Stones to the Sertoa territory.

Instead, he planned to offer all the Territory Stones directly to the Calan Royal Family, changing the head of the Harlancia territory from the Sertoa territory to the Calan Royal Family.

Of course, from someone else's perspective, one might wonder what the difference was.

After all, the Sertoa territory was part of the Calan Kingdom.

But that was distinctly different.

Unlike the Sertoa territory, which did not want the Harlancia territory to expand the Calan royal family would not impose such restrictions on the Harlancia domain.

Is that all?

If there were disputes with the Sertoa domain over offering the domain stones, the royal family could mediate adequately if they stepped in.

Thus, the Harlancia domain, under the protection of the Calan Kingdom, would gain complete freedom to grow without restrictions, and he was hopeful for this.

He had no intention of helping when the owner of the territory, neglected for ten years, suddenly returned and sent a letter requesting reinforcements.

No, on the contrary, the Lord smiled upon receiving the letter.

He didn't know why the Lord of Lartania had returned, but ultimately, the request for reinforcements meant there was no force to stop the Labyrinth Break.

Upon reflection, that was obvious.

The prosperity of Lartania was ten years ago, and the Round Table of Lartania, once called the strongest in this vicinity, naturally dissolved as the Lord disappeared.

Therefore, the Lord of Harlancia was waiting for Alto, who had gone to fetch the Territory Stone, to return as soon as possible.

Until he knew that Alto had died.

"......"

The Lord's of Harlancia looked out at the landscape outside the castle with a vacant expression.

What he saw was a completely destroyed wall.

Beneath that wall, there was a path lined straight to the castle, decorated with the blood and bodies of soldiers.

In front of him,

"How did you, by all means...?"

She was standing there.

No, terror stood there.

One of the Round Table of Lartania, who had killed the hero most cherished by the former Lord of Harlancia in just five moves,

"You ordered it?"

-Now, a member of the Langin tribe, called 'Red Eyes,' stood in front of her.

"Watch the master die and bring back the Territory Stone."

The Lord of Harlancia could not understand why Red Eyes was in front of him.

No, in fact, it was somewhat deducible.

Red Eyes was a hero who belonged to Lartania in the past.

However, the reason the Lord could not fully comprehend the situation was because she had belonged to Lartania ten years ago.

Thus, she should have no connection to Lartania now.

Even if the Lord had returned, the Lord of Lartania, who now had nothing, could not possibly recruit her.

Therefore,

"Now, calm down, Red Eyes-! Why are you doing this? After all, you are no longer affiliated with Lartania-"

The Lord opened his mouth to persuade her, but the moment he spoke,

Crack-!

The lord could no longer speak.

"Grrrugh!!!"

His face was grasped and lifted by Merilda's hand.

The Lord struggled to escape from her grip, blood flowing between Merilda's fingers, possibly with a broken jaw, his eyes bloodshot.

However, Merilda spoke with clear signs of anger,

"Who said I'm not affiliated?"

"Ugh-! Eugh-!"

The lord writhed in midair, caught in her grasp.

She then threw the Lord's body down.

Bang! Crack!

The Lord, flung against the antique wooden furniture, screamed, holding his mouth, but Merilda, seemingly unconcerned with his screams, approached him again.

"Whether in the past or now, every single one coming from your territory always speaks infuriatingly."

Crack!

She then stomped on the Lord of Harlancia's head, crushing it.

The Lord trembled and then went limp.

Merilda, looking at the Lord,

"......"

Suddenly, she recalled a memory from the past.

The one who spoke to her, sitting in the castle wearing the Harlancia territory's insignia, waiting for her master-

"Let's go together, Beast King. All the other heroes have left, and you're not even originally from Lartania. Why are you still here? It's been three weeks of persuasion; how about you at least listen to what I have to say?"

"Ha! If you can't accept it, I'll tell you directly!! Your master has abandoned you. They won't even look for you! You're forsaken, a-"

The hero whom they had killed, bearing the mark of Harlancia.

And then.

"No... No."

"I am, I am-"

"I am still affiliated."

Merilda stared as if she would kill the dead lord.

"Not yet-"

Her hands trembled, which did not even when killing hundreds of soldiers.

"...I just... can't return."

She clenched the gift box she held in her arms tightly.

Trembling-

...Her trembling hands only calmed down long after she had left the territory of Harlancia.

Kim Hyunwoo, who was amazed to see Lartania's territory influx rate suddenly reach 292% yesterday, didn't feel any particular change that day.

After all, just because the territory influx rate suddenly increased didn't mean that residents would suddenly show up that day.

Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo wondered what had happened outside for the territory influx rate, which had been -25%, to rise this much, but naturally, he couldn't find out anything.

After all, the only thing he could find out through the notification window was the fact that the territory influx rate increased due to an event.

Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, having spent a day immersed in curiosity,

"...What's this?"

As the next day began, he found himself with a bewildered expression at the enormous number of people who had come into the nearby abandoned village.

[Territory Influx Rate: 310%]

[※Due to the event caused by the incident, the correction for the decreased influx rate due to development disappears!]

After confirming that the territory influx rate, which had been 292%, had improved to 310%, he unwittingly opened his mouth wide and hurried to check the territory window.

Territory Lartania

Territory Development: -14

Territory Residents:

[Humans: 288]

Owned Buildings:

[Lord's Castle]

Owned Forces:

-None-

Heroes in the Territory:

Kim Hyunwoo (Lord)

"This is crazy."

Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly cursed, his eyes widening.

He had never seen so many residents come into a territory at once, no matter how much the territory influx rate increased.

'Even if the influx rate is high, the average would be 1020 people coming in steadily.'

With over 200 people increasing in just one day, Kim Hyunwoo couldn't hide his unwittingly formed smile despite being dumbfounded.

Kim Hyunwoo, who was seriously pondering where these territory residents had come from,

'Thinking about it, I could just ask, right?'

Recalling that this wasn't a game, he immediately called for a representative among the refugees who had come to settle in this territory last night to hear their story.

And then.

"So, all of you came here because the Harlancia territory was destroyed, right?"

"Yes, the soldiers said that 'Red Eyes' attacked the territory."

"...Red Eyes?"

"......"

As Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly tilted his head at the refugee's words...

The Lord of Sertoa territory, which is a certain distance east from Harlancia and under the protection of the Calan Kingdom.

"...Say that again."

The former 'Hero' Roadmalis.

"What?"

Listening to the servant's report that the Harlancia territory was half-destroyed and that Lartania was not destroyed during the Labyrinth Break incident, he wore a very intrigued expression.