Episode 16
“Are you interested in this item?”
“Can you make it in bulk?”
“Anyone can make this if they can carve this magic circle exactly. If they carve it into wood or stone, they can use it semi-permanently.”
“That, that kind of… … .”
Serpens stood there for a moment, as if his thoughts had stopped. He soon came to his senses and calculated the pros and cons in his head.
“If you plan on making a lot of them and selling them, you’ll have to figure out how to hide this magic circle. I can use a few tricks to disrupt the magic circle, but one day, wizards will discover the secrets of this magic.”
Serpens nodded. It was a reaction of confidence in something like that.
I figured that the amount of money I could make with this magic tool would be around 3,000 gold. It would depend on my business acumen, but that was the price I expected to pay when I was at Duke Breyo’s.
“You can carve a magic circle inside to let only the wind out. If you lower the price, commoners can spend the harsh summers cool, and if you raise the price, servants can carry it around to cool the sweat of nobles. You can also carve it on the gates like Hebron to let in cool wind. You figure out how to use it yourself.”
“Are you saying that you will entrust this magic circle to me?”
“I’ll take the deposit instead.”
“Will that be enough?”
“I think I said it. It was a deposit.”
“ah……!”
Serpens smacked his lips in regret. No matter how much he calculated the profits, it would be impossible to make an accurate prediction. So it was clear that he would be filled with vain expectations that he could make more profits.
“Send a skilled craftsman and a wizard from the upper ranks.”
“Does it have to be a top-tier wizard?”
“Why, isn’t there any?”
“There are two of them… …both are third-class wizards.”
“Let’s take this opportunity to bring in a 4th class wizard. If possible, someone who is familiar with magic circles. Isn’t that worth the investment?”
The 3,000 gold profit I expected was net profit.
Of course, this required a lot of investment capital.
“I’ll find out right away. But what about the other magic circles…?”
“None. There will probably never be anyone who uses this type of magic circle again. It’s been a long time since the pulse was cut off.”
The serpent’s head nodded, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. He seemed certain that there was more to be missed.
‘Yes, expect from me. I will show you more than what you expect. But you will definitely have to pay the price.’
“For the time being, keep my name hidden. It’s a hammer that hits hard. If anyone tries to bribe me with a lot of money or threatens to kill me, you can tell me. In return, we’ll split the profits.”
I had no intention of hiding forever. I was simply taking the bare minimum to avoid unnecessary conflict.
“Yes, your highness.”
“Could you send a carriage to Hebron every month?”
“There’s something I’d like to ask you first.”
“It would be nice if the upper carriage could be stationed there.”
A strange light appeared in Baron Serpens’s eyes.
Before the decline of Hebron, Nurha was a territory of Hebron, and Nurha’s ancestors were vassals of Hebron.
Geographically, Hebron was more advantageous to commerce than Nurha, provided the eastern forest road and the western cloud bridge remained intact.
Before the construction of the Cloud Bridge, Hebron was nothing more than a rural village next to Nurha.
“But there is a condition.”
“say.”
“Please sign an exclusive contract with the top of Suspense.”
“Can you handle it?”
“I will give it my all.”
I liked Serpens. His abilities may not be as good as the target, but his eye for people is not lacking. He predicted a bright future for me.
“Bring me the contract. If you do anything even a little suspicious with the contract… …you know?”
“Don’t worry, my lord. I have staked my reputation on this matter.”
“Okay. I trust you.”
Serpens got busy.
His secretary and the upper-level merchants put their heads together to write a contract.
I gave orders to the servants of the lord.
“Wash them and feed them.”
The slaves looked good. They seemed to be eating and living better than the people of Hebron. They were fat.
“Distribute flour and beef jerky to the people of Yeongji. Give double the amount to the soldiers. Give flour to the tenant farmers who lost their farmland in this incident to last until next spring.”
The wagons on top of the serpentine were also loaded with flour, bread, and beef jerky.
If the upper chariot were to reside in Hebron, life thereafter would be much more comfortable.
This means that we will have to say goodbye to the past when we were barely self-sufficient.
* * *
That night, serpentine came to me.
“I couldn’t tell you during the day because I was out of my mind, but there were more rumors about that tattoo.”
“What is the rumor?”
“They say that the monsters that are branded are not just orcs.”
“Of course. I have the proof.”
The Trickster’s Mark appeared on two animals, an orc and a goblin.
Race was determined to be irrelevant, but the area where the orcs and goblins appeared was only about ten kilometers away, because the Jayleson Estates were located beyond the cliffs west of Hebron.
“About two months ago, powerful monsters began to appear all over the continent, and some people said they saw marks on the monsters’ foreheads. It’s not confirmed whether they’re the same shape… … .”
“Did those guys with the brand on their foreheads go crazy?”
“Yes, your highness.”
“Then it must be certain.”
Those who were branded turned into monsters. Just as the goblin had threatened my life, the branded monsters would have awakened into beings beyond common sense.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“Do you have any guesses?”
“No. If I find out anything, I’ll tell you.”
“Yes, your highness.”
‘The world is becoming more dangerous. Is this an opportunity or a test?’
Unfortunately, the chaos had already begun, and Hebron was completely unprepared.
‘Slavery is just the beginning.’
The Braio Dukes’ assessment was that slaves were worthless, had limited growth, and had no loyalty. That’s why the Dukes, despite possessing all sorts of secrets, did not raise slave soldiers. Even without them, there were talented people waiting in line outside the Braio Dukes’ castle gates to be promoted.
‘We must gather the abandoned.’
I knew of those who were chosen by the Duke’s family but were soon abandoned. There were those who lived like losers after returning to the countryside, but there were also many who were treated well in other territories simply because they worked for the Duke of Braio.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Please speak comfortably.”
“I need to bring in some talented people.”
“Talent… … are you talking about that?”
I was a young man who was stuck in Hebron.
At best, he probably knew someone from around here.
But I pointed out people living all over the kingdom of Zeno and wrote down their identities on a piece of paper and handed it to them.
“No matter how much it costs, just recruit as many people as possible and bring them in. And this guy.”
“Amy de Ludwig. The daughter of Baron Ludwig.”
“You must bring that woman. I will write a letter for you, so please deliver it.”
There was no place for women in high positions in the kingdom of Zeno.
At best, a few high priestesses were women, and even if they were talented, it was best for a woman to become someone’s wife.
Among them, the one who stood out the most was Amy de Ludwig. If she had been born a boy, she would have been loved by the Duke of Brayau long ago.
There were several theories in my head. I pulled out one of them and wrote it down in a letter. It was the introduction to my
Others were likewise cajoled, telling me that I possessed the knowledge they longed for, and suggesting that only the human beings who were mine could have access to perfect knowledge.
There was a limit to the number of talents that could be recruited in this manner. Since ancient times, talents were defined as those who had reached the highest level in their respective fields.
I pointed to one more person at last.
“If you get the chance… … .”
I added one more cautiously.
He was in his early fifties. He had no magic or swordsmanship, but he had served House Braio for over thirty years. He might still be in the Braio duchy, but he was at an age where he was beginning to prepare for retirement.
Dante.
He was the only person in the ruthless Duke of Braiot who treated me like a human being.
“This person must be treated with the utmost respect.”
“How do you know these people?”
Serpens’ curiosity grew more and more piqued.
As recorded in history books, many heroes have succeeded because of curiosity, and many more have died because of curiosity.
I recited the truth of history to Serpens.
“Will you live with curiosity, or will you die with your curiosity satiated?”
“… … I was on the same boat as you, my lord.”
“Then you know my answer well.”
Serpens handed me an exclusive contract.
No matter how many times I looked at it, it was content that was extremely favorable to the Baron Hebron family, and there was no trick to it. It seemed to have been written assuming that the opponent was a high-ranking noble of a Viscount or higher.
“I’ll tell you another secret. There’s going to be a civil war soon.”
“Is it war? Who is fighting?”
Serpens’s eyes lit up.
The war was a factor in the rapid growth of the upper class.
“Hebron and Nurha.”
“……yes?”
“Baron Nurha’s army will invade Hebron. If they are earthworms that don’t even squirm when you poke them, I will have to step on them myself.”
“Huh?”
* * *
“I am Louis de Hebron, the master you will serve.”
The neatly dressed slave soldiers gathered again in the training ground.
They lined up in their casual clothes.
“Use this dagger to cut the tip of his finger. Not too deep. I just need a few drops of blood.”
This time it was time to test the spirit affinity.
Those bound by contract could not refuse my orders.
Again, again.
A drop of blood fell on the spirit summoning circle. I didn’t really expect it. Spirit affinity was a valuable ability. Even the lowest level slaves who could summon spirits were worth more than 100 gold.
“harp?”
“I heard that Grandma is an elf.”
The woman had pointed ears. She didn’t have the straight or fair hair that is characteristic of elves. Her curly brown hair and freckles gave her an ordinary appearance.
‘I was lucky.’
The slaves brought by Serpens were all of mixed race. To be exact, they were half-orcs and orcs with elven or orc blood. Even orcs did not have the strength of knights in the novels. Such people were classified separately and sold to the arena.
Even if one had elven blood, it was extremely rare for one to be born with an affinity for spirits.
Wheww.
The woman made a contract with a low-level wind spirit.
It was thanks to Brayo’s secret recipe.
Like me, she didn’t have enough magical power to command spirits. Unlike me, she had awakened her spirit power, and it is said that spirit power can naturally increase while living with spirits, or can be expanded to some extent through mana cultivation.
Even spirit masters with high-level abilities usually summoned and used spirits from the lowest level up. This was to expand their spirit power.
“name.”
“It’s Elle.”
“El, go to the roof of the mansion and take off your clothes and stand there.”
“Yes, your highness.”
Elle followed my orders without hesitation. If she had been a fire elementalist, she would have been sent to the forge, and if she had been a water elementalist, she would have been drowned.
The first thing that came to mind for the Wind Elementalist was to become familiar with the wind. In the first place, they had no fear of catching a cold, since they were protected by the Wind Elemental.
“Mariam, give Elle some dried shiitake mushroom powder. Elle, chew on the shiitake mushroom powder and hold on. It will keep you warm so you don’t catch a cold.”
