Episode 69
I wasn’t trying to determine which side was more intense. I thought such a comparison was meaningless.
Canaan pulled me away. He whispered to me, away from the eyes and ears of the mercenaries who trusted him.
“What should I do?”
“I told you one thing, and now you want me to feed you. Is it my fault that you stopped growing? I tormented my body and ruined the Aura Road… … .”
Canaan was a man of little sociability. He was incapable of flattering or currying favor with nobles.
The idea was to solve at least one more request at a time.
The reason I was able to win that man’s heart was because I not only saw through Canaan’s condition, but also came up with a solution.
Canaan’s training method had a fatal flaw. He picked up the Aura training method of a fallen baron, and when he tried to awaken it by force, his body was ruined. But that was a great feat. If it had not been for Canaan’s talent and effort, his Aura Road would have collapsed long ago.
“This can’t be fixed. I think we can slow down the rate of deterioration. Do you believe me?”
Despite what he had said, Canaan did not give up hope.
“please.”
Canaan’s knees were light to the point of being almost too light. He knelt before me. His slumped shoulders caught my eye, and I guessed at the weight of the Canaan mercenary corps on those shoulders.
As I carried Hebron, Canaan would also be burdened.
‘It’s not that there is no way.’
When I gave advice to Canaan before, I hadn’t awakened my magic eye. Now, I could just focus my mind and thoroughly scan the aura that had gathered within Canaan’s body. Thanks to that, his problems were clearly revealed.
“Do you know Sir Ambrose?”
“Yes, my lord. I heard that he was the captain of the Knights of the Order of Zailson, but after being badly injured, he became a knight of the House of Hebron.”
“He has recovered about 80% of his former skills.”
It was only a matter of time before Ambrod regained his former skills. Thanks to the Eye of the Sun, he could now examine his body in detail, and it was now possible to complete the
“I heard that Sir Ambrose lost his leg.”
Canaan looked at me with a dubious expression. Common sense dictated that a knight who had lost neither an arm nor a leg could be active on the battlefield.
“If you roll under me for just one month, even a cat will become a tiger.”
Canaan trusted my words.
Thanks to my advice, the ‘collapse of the Aura Road’ that was taking place inside his body stopped.
‘I guess this is fate.’
Hebron needed to grow its military. Mercenaries were unreliable, but if you could win the heart of a god-like mercenary leader, you could swallow up a huge mercenary band. I was not the humble type to swallow my saliva and refuse, even though I was begging to be eaten by sticking my head out.
Several hypotheses came to mind. I chose one of them and weaved it into a story.
It was the script that was created.
“I will train all of the Canaan mercenaries.”
Canaan’s eyes changed. Mercenaries were entangled in contracts. In their language, they called it a ‘request’. If they received something from a request, they had to repay it with something commensurate.
If I were to grant Canaan’s request, there was a good chance that it would end with him and me. I was thinking of a bigger picture. I was going to take not only Canaan, but also his authority and everything he carried.
“I demand three things. First, the Canaan mercenary group cannot oppose Hebron.”
“I will accept it.”
“Second, the Canaan Mercenaries must handle the request of Viscount Louis de Hebron as a top priority.”
“I will accept it.”
“Third, move the headquarters of the Canaan Mercenary Corps to Hebron.”
“great.”
Canaan raised his head. There was nothing in what I had presented that would be a problem for the Canaan Mercenaries.
However, by accepting those conditions, the Canaan Mercenaries are tied to a strong contract with Hebron.
“As soon as things are sorted out, lead the mercenary group to Hebron. Don’t forget to take the contract.”
Canaan nodded instead of answering.
Just by placing a large mercenary group headquarters in your territory, public security is improved. In an emergency, you can hire all members of the Canaan mercenary group and use them as defensive forces.
‘Is this the one thing that puts your mind at ease?’
* * *
Newspapers and personnel were placed not only in Hebron but also in Nurha, Delgain, and Biskin.
Jeffrey’s new novel, Living with the Wind, was featured on the front page of the double-page newsletter. It was the first serial novel in the Kingdom of Zenon, planned to be a total of 100 stories.
“As expected, Amy is resourceful. How did you get Jeffrey?”
I read the newsletter on my desk in my office. I was more curious about Jeffrey’s new novel than any other news. Anyway, the other stuff was either written by me or reviewed by me.
I read the novel in one sitting. When I read it, I realized that it was not a novel. It was the beginning and the punctuation of a grand story, and it was a deadly drug that I could not get out of once I got addicted.
I have read twenty-three of Jeffrey’s novels so far, but none of them has left me so heartbroken.
I jumped up from my seat and stormed into Amy’s office. She greeted me with a face more sallow than ever.
“Are you still busy these days?”
“You call that talking?”
Amy looked back at the pile of papers on her desk and slumped her shoulders.
“We need to increase our manpower.”
“I increased it to the maximum, but… … I can’t do any more.”
This was because Amy had no sense of humor. She was too picky about talent and didn’t trust people easily.
So he would have been preventing his subordinates from handling Hebron’s secrets.
“Get someone from the Royal Academy. Set the wages at twice the level of other fiefdoms.”
“Thank you, my lord!”
If she was from the Royal Academy, she would have been a good fit for Amy.
It was uncertain whether those chosen in this way would be trusted.
Amy looked at me blankly. Her expression seemed to ask, “What brings me here?”
I handed Amy the newsletter and said,
“Give me the next episode of
“no.”
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“The next newsletter comes out in a week. But you still haven’t received the manuscript?”
“yes.”
It was a reaction that seemed natural. I didn’t even know how Amy had cooked Jeffrey into writing a serial novel.
“Get the next installment in advance. Get at least three weeks’ worth. That way, we can distribute the newsletter every week.”
Of course it was an excuse.
As long as the newsletter could be published on time, I didn’t care when the manuscript arrived. But I wanted to know the next scene of
In the serial novel, Charles of the Tara family and O’Hara of the Skellet family begin a life-or-death duel, and I am so curious about the outcome that I cannot think of anything else.
“How about a biweekly serialization?”
Amy glanced at me, and I frowned and asked back.
“Why? Did Jeffrey tell you to do that?”
“Huh? Oh, well, that’s what they said.”
“no.”
“I guess so… … right?”
“I can’t wait.”
“……yes?”
“Of all the novels of Jeffrey’s I have read, this one is the best. So tell him to write it while cutting back on his nights’ sleep. If it is because he is short on money, tell him that he will increase his royalties. And this is a potion I made myself. It is good for your stamina. It is good for your vitality. Tell him to chew it thoroughly in the morning and evening.”
“Yes, my lord.”
I said, handing Amy another cloth bag containing the potions.
“This is something that women can eat.”
“yes?”
“I brought yours too.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
Amy was also disappointed to learn that there would be no sequel to Gone with the Wind. I wanted to order Jeffrey to summarize the plot of Gone with the Wind, but I knew that it would be rude.
All I could do was urge the manuscript to be submitted.
“I’ll get three weeks’ worth in advance. I’ll have the manuscript on my desk as soon as it arrives.”
“yes…….”
“Tell them I’ll pay you more if you send me the manuscript in advance.”
“I will do so, my lord.”
Amy kept her head down the whole time.
She seemed lost in thought. I asked her casually as I left her office.
“Zephyr, Franz, and Liseia, how are you?”
“Hippy! Oh, my brothers and sister are doing well, Hippy!”
Amy seemed shocked when he correctly named her eldest son Zephyr, second son Franz, and eldest daughter Liseia.
“Take it easy. You’ll get sick. Ride a horse sometimes.”
‘And among the many names, Jeffrey.’
I guess Jeffrey is a name derived from Zephyr, Franz, and Lysea. I checked Jeffrey’s and the maid’s description of the exclusive contract at the top of Prom, and she looked very similar to Amy.
‘It would be one of the three. The most likely candidate would be Licea de Fernan, who married into the Baron Fernan family.’
The hallmarks of Jeffrey’s novels were their delicate emotional expressions and extraordinary developments. At first, I thought that Amy and Jeffrey might be the same person.
‘But that can’t be. Amy’s perspective and judgment are more realistic. I should catch her and invite Amy’s brother to Hebron. No, before that, should I send him the copy of ‘The Iron Knight of Death’ that I wrote?’
* * *
“… … I will accept it.”
Perhaps he thought it was a humiliating situation. Baron Ludwig met me alone with a sullen expression.
Usually, the ceremony of becoming a member of the upper nobility was held with the utmost splendidness. This was to save face for the upper nobility and avoid the misunderstanding that they had forced other nobles into submission.
I granted everything Baron Ludwig requested. I tolerated it out of consideration for Amy’s face, and also because I liked the strategy she had adopted after taking over the Baron Ludwig estate she had established.
“Is it humiliating?”
“no.”
Ludwig’s face didn’t brighten easily.
I thought that even if my relationship with him became strained, it couldn’t be helped. All I needed was Amy, and as long as the environment surrounding her was ‘not ruined’, it didn’t matter.
“Still, there’s nothing we can do. If things continue as they are now, Baron Ludwig’s family will inevitably perish.”
The situation in Baron Ludwig’s territory that I personally observed was even more dire than what I had seen in the written report.
There was only one knight left, and after entrusting the mercenary group with the task of subjugating the branded monsters, he failed to pay the commission fee on time and lost tens of gold in interest. If it weren’t for Amy’s support, he would have sold the territory.
Although he barely escaped a dangerous situation, the revival of his family was out of the question. However, Baron Ludwig could not wake up from his dream.
“That much… … .”
“You’re holding on thanks to Amy’s support. If you plan on continuing like that, you should give up early. If you’re really in a hurry, reach out to Viscount Srein.”
“sorry.”
Baron Ludwig had caught me off guard. He didn’t say anything to Amy or me until Srein’s forces had penetrated the barony and reached the wasteland.
Other baronies associated with the affair were high on Hebron’s ‘invasion list’.
It was strange for someone from Hebron, a place where grass was eaten, to have someone as talented as Amy born into the Baron Ludwig family.
“I’ll take Amy de Ludwig with me.”
