137 – Didn’t Even Lift a Finger? (2)
＜p class=”a”＞From Noble mtl dot comWhat the hell is this crazy guy Girall babbling about? With a expression of disbelief, he looked at Ryu, but she spoke with utmost seriousness.
“Listen well, Girall, this is quite an important matter.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“I’m serious.”
“…Nonsense.”
Girall looked very displeased at Ryu’s words.
However, her eyes felt so sincere.
“…Go ahead, tell me.”
Although still holding a displeased expression, Girall asked Ryu to continue.
With a hmm, Ryu cleared her throat and spoke.
“I think you are well aware of this issue, Girall.”
“What issue?”
“Interference from others.”
“Interference?”
“Yes, in fact, you were interfered with last time, right? The time before that too, and the time before that. Well, the leader was the one causing interference last time, but anyway.”
“…That’s true.”
Girall nodded at Ryu’s words.
Certainly, Merilda had been somewhat unscrupulous in the past, but in various ways, she had made efforts to appeal to the Lord of Lartania.
The only problem was that every time she tried to appeal in various ways, interferers would always show up.
Aware of this fact, Girall nodded, and Ryu continued.
“In my opinion, if the leader wants to change the relationship with the Lord of Lartania, whether to kill or to befriend, avoiding interference is more crucial.”
“Hmm…”
As Girall nodded in agreement, Ryu went on.
“And surprisingly, avoiding interference isn’t that difficult. For instance, in the case of the dragon attached to the top of Tynus, you can simply proceed when that top part is missing.”
“Are there no heroes in Lartania?”
“Even those heroes can be manipulated to align with our plans. For the Matop sect, next week is the Matop Council meeting, so Lartania will be temporarily vacant. The blacksmith hardly emerges from the guild’s underground these days. Even if he does, he might try some tricks of his own.”
“…What about the guy who was glued to the lord like gum?”
“I plan to stir up a bit of trouble near Lartania for the subordinates. Of course, unnecessary casualties must be avoided. There might be concerns the leader has, so it’s best to plan carefully.”
Giral looked at Riyu with renewed admiration.
“Fascinating.”
“What do you mean?”
“…Were you always this clever?”
In Giral’s mind, Riyu was just a male or female subordinate, so he gazed at her with a puzzled expression.
“I have to be smart in these matters. Whose love story is it anyway?”
“…Isn’t your love life more important than the leader’s love life?”
“I still haven’t found a male I fancy. Hmm… Anyway, getting back to the point, if we continue with our plans, we can thwart all hindrances when executing the operation. The only issue is… that woman’s subordinates.”
“Lorelle…”
“Yes, that woman.”
Riyu continued, “Of course, that woman hasn’t shown any signs of defense so far. I’ve been observing strictly as an observer. However…”
“Her loyalty to the woman competing with the leader is remarkable, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. So far, I’ve only been observing from a distance, but if our leader is truly aiming for victory… I might have to get directly involved.”
“…But isn’t that still uncertain?”
“That’s true. But it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility, right?”
“…”
Giral fell silent at Riyu’s words.
Upon reflection, Riyu’s words made sense.
At least Giral, who had been conversing quite frequently with Lorelle lately, was well aware of the affection the woman had for her mentor.
“That’s… true, but…”
“So, in order to completely eliminate any potential hindrances here, Giral will need to show some strength.”
“…Just fighting might be easier.”
“Fighting would be odd, wouldn’t it? Plus, there might be noise, and if something happens around Lartania at that time, the entire operation could be jeopardized.”
“Then…”
“It’s just mating.”
“…Can’t we talk somewhere else?”
“You’re so considerate. Mating is cleaner, isn’t it?”
“Isn’t that too barbaric?”
Riyu’s expression turned cold at Giral’s words.
“You’re really talking nonsense.”
Riyu, with a slightly pitiful expression, suddenly seemed to realize something was amiss, tilting her head as if puzzled, then her face transformed into a look of shock as she exclaimed.
“…Could it be that just a few words exchanged with that person made you like them?”
“No, absolutely not!”
“Wow… Is this for real?”
“I said no!”
Kiral quickly denied.
Ryu’s expression seemed a bit suspicious, but he soon shrugged as if he understood.
“Anyway, please think about this part. How can that woman successfully execute the plan perfectly without any interference at the most opportune moment? Then I will talk to the leader.”
With those words, he left his seat.
“Hmm…”
Kiral’s heavy sigh continued as Shya watched.
####
“Alright, I’ll be back!”
“Come back safely.”
“Yeah! Oh, and about Penril’s tooth, right? You can count on it; it’s in Matop.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Why not?”
With a confident smile, Sharda, who tightly embraced Kim Hyunwoo from behind, had a somewhat secretive expression that anyone would find.
“It’s a request from Dad; how can I not push myself.”
She whispered in his ear.
“It’s a bit overwhelming to talk about it like this.”
“Really? Then next time, I’ll grant you one more wish.”
“I haven’t even made the wish I asked for last time, and now I need another wish?”
“Of course!”
“Well then, I will grant whatever I can within my limits.”
“Really?!”
After hearing that, Sharda turned back to Kim Hyunwoo, bouncing with excitement, and then ran towards the study room door.
“I’ll definitely bring it back! Take care while I’m gone!”
“Come back safely.”
“Yeah!”
With those words, she simply opened the study room door and disappeared.
And then.
“Phew-“
Kim Hyunwoo let out a light sigh and got lost in his thoughts.
‘…Lately, it feels like everyone is giving me the cold shoulder.’
In fact, if he said he had never felt that way before, it would be a lie, but Kim Hyunwoo had never actually thought about it.
In reality, he only became conscious of the fact that they might be giving him the cold shoulder after realizing that his mind had a limit.
However, even though he was aware that they might be giving him the cold shoulder, he didn’t feel any particular emotions, and Kim Hyunwoo found that fascinating.
‘…If I had known this earlier, I should have happily bragged about it everywhere.’
Of course, given Kim Hyunwoo’s personality, he probably wouldn’t have bragged, but he should have at least felt good and excited.
He was a loner after all.
However, unlike the typical loner, even if the girls were giving him the cold shoulder, he was seeking perfect composure, which made him feel intrigued.
Although it didn’t seem particularly strange, it felt alien to him.
But even that thought was fleeting.
‘This part is ultimately a problem to be considered after releasing the limit.’
With that thought in mind, Kim Hyun-woo closed the military strength window.
—-
Current Military Strength
– Regular Soldiers: 1000
– Inspectors: 500
– Guards: 700
– Trainee Knights: 200
—-
By establishing the Mado Engineering Institute and recruiting new soldiers, the total number of soldiers in Lartania had reached 2400. While it seemed like a suitable amount when considering the territory’s population, the presence of mercenaries within Lartania made the number somewhat unsettling.
Nonetheless, increasing the number of soldiers further was not an immediate priority for Kim Hyun-woo. Right now, he needed to invest most of the money he had accumulated into the development of his territory.
“…We need to construct a second building centered around the Mado Engineering Institute.”
Moreover, with the Mado Engineering Institute being established, there was an unexpected need for additional funds that might also aid in missile development, so saving on expenses was crucial at the moment.
From Kim Hyun-woo’s perspective, the current number of soldiers was quite reasonable.
“Well, in reality, it’s a time to think about how to earn more money rather than focusing on increasing the number of soldiers.”
Indeed, the current Lartania territory was generating a significant amount of revenue. If it were any other lord, they could comfortably live without doing anything more.
＜p class=”a”＞From Noble mtl dot comHowever, from Kim Hyun-woo’s perspective, who had an idea of what might happen in this world through the Blue Merchant and the Red Merchant, much more money was needed than what was currently available.
The Lartania territory had not yet fully developed.
“…With demons being demons, and to prevent future threats like the Celestials or any other individual, further growth is necessary.”
Hence, Kim Hyun-woo was brainstorming business ideas to earn additional money.
Several days passed, and it was around the time when Tyinus, the top of the Tionus, arrived in Lartania once again.
“…What? So-“
Kim Hyun-woo could hear a peculiar rumor from Adria.
“The demons, they’ve self-destructed?”
Rumors of the demons self-destructing in the middle realm.