119
‘I guess I should take this opportunity to inspect the city.’
Whether it’s to find land to build a tower or to develop a city.?
It was absolutely necessary to take a look around the entire city of Prines.
Leonhard and Seron.
I went out of the inner city with soldiers and knights. The first thing that came into view was a desolate street.
This was because the influx of tourists had completely stopped, perhaps because of the Yeongjijeon.
After looking around the empty stores.
We headed to the farmland on the outskirts of the city.
‘This is miserable.’
The situation here was no better.
The farmland, which should have been filled with plump wheat, was now filled with dry wheat, perhaps because of the famine.
Leonhard, who was following behind, spoke with a stern face.
“… … The situation is not so good, perhaps because of the famine. It’s only a month until harvest time, and yet this is the sight… … .”
“That means the previous lord made a mess of things.”
“Your Majesty. Do you have any food stored within your territory?”
“There is. The problem is that there isn’t enough to supply the people of the territory. At best, it would be fortunate if we could supply for about two weeks.”
“… … .”
A greedy lord hoarded food for his famine-stricken subjects?
That was as unrealistic as the sun rising in the west.
The silence lasted for a moment, and then Se-ron, who was sitting next to him, asked a question.
“If you are buying food… … .”
“That’s self-inflicted damage. You can get through this year, right? What about next year? If you spend your reserves like that, you won’t even be able to dream of the city’s development.”
Although he had been extorting money here and there, his reserves were not infinite.
After covering the skyrocketing food prices caused by the famine, it would become difficult to meet the conditions set by the imperial government.
The faces of both of them darkened as if no more sharp ideas came to mind at that remark.
‘But these guys.’
Do you really think I’ll just give up on the people of Yeongji like this?
Young Jimin is the city’s worker.
Of course, I had no intention of losing the city’s workers in vain.
“You don’t have to be so depressed. There is a way.”
“If there is a method… … .”
“You just need to supply water. Think about what my job is.”
Leonhard tilted his head at those words.
“… … Are you talking about magic?”
“Similar.”
“Even though you are a great magician, it is impossible to supply water to a vast farmland. That would require at least a great magician… … .”
“That’s right. It’s impossible with normal magic. However, it’s definitely possible if you use a magic circle. You can just make up for the mana you’re missing with mana stones.”
The shape of the truth, the mana stone, and finally the wizard’s mana.
These three things were needed to activate the magic circle.
The most important thing here was the shape of the magic circle.
Even if it was a jinn that activated the same magic, its effectiveness varied greatly depending on how it was drawn.
Of course, an efficient magic circle makes money.
That’s a huge amount too.
And I was the wizard who knew the most magic circles in the central continent.
‘I needed money to build the tower… … This is a good opportunity.’
Top of the mana stone.
I thought I should try to contact them.
As soon as I returned to my room, I took out the direct correction ball.
Wait a moment, Abel’s face began to appear in the crystal ball.
“Big brother.”
-Okay. What brought you here?
“I would like to ask you to connect with the top of the Mana Stone.”
Top of the mana stone.
There were about ten merchants in the empire that handled mana stones.
All of these companies were under the control of the empire.
Among the ten Mana Stone Merchants, the Merchants that trade with the Marquis were the largest.
The large size meant, in other words, that there were a lot of properties for sale.
Naturally, the price of selling mana stones was a bit cheaper than at the top with fewer items.
Then you might say, why don’t we just trade here?
‘Either you do well or you get introduced.’
Without these two, it would have been impossible to open a deal with the biggest names.
Abel nodded at my words.
– Are you asking Elwin to give you a leg up?
“yes.”
-Good. Now that you’re a lord, you’re qualified enough. I’ll do that for you.
“thank you.”
– Just an introduction. I’m sure you’d be very happy about it.
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I guess so.
Twelve years old.
At this age, he was given the title of Baron, albeit temporarily, following the title of Reserve Lord.
I could say that I am a very savvy customer now.
-Is the public crystal ball that was there still there?
“yes.”
-Maybe I’ll contact that crystal ball?
“All right.”
After finishing contact with Abel, I immediately picked up the public crystal ball within the territory.
Sujeong-gu.
These were like the telephones placed in homes, each with a designated number. The crystal ball here was the same.
Please wait a moment and we will contact you.
As expected.
Soon after, a middle-aged man began to appear in the mirror.
-Hello, Baron Kyle. My name is Himon, the head of the Elwynn Upper Division.
It’s Himon.
He was a person I knew too.
The position is that of a semi-noble and a talented person who is concentrated in the upper class.
“Good to meet you. I am Kyle Celtarion. Did you know that I have been granted the title of Baron?”
Himon nodded at those words.
―I heard that the imperial envoy has left. It will be soon enough for you to receive the title. I heard from Lord Abel. He wants to make a deal with our Elwin Group… … .
“That’s right. I need mana stones. And a lot of them.”
-What level do you want?
“It’s low-level. I would like to purchase three hundred platinum coins. Three days. Can you deliver the mana stones within that time?”
There were mana stones stored within the city, but they were not enough.
So, I was thinking of buying a lot of mana stones while I was at it.
Himon’s eyes sparkled at my words.
He seemed to be wondering where he could possibly use that many mana stones.
Of course, I never asked him directly.
Because that would have been rude to the customer.
―Three days… … It’s possible. However, if we are to deliver it that quickly, there will be a considerable additional cost.
It didn’t matter.
If I could draw the magic circle faster by paying extra, that would be more profitable.
The condition of the farmland was not that good.
“Let’s do that.”
―Yes. Thank you for your business. If you have any further inquiries, please contact me through this form.
After finishing contact with the injured party leader, I looked at the report lying on the table.
There were listed the names of the vassals and knights who had served the Count.
The corruption they committed was also included.
‘Only one or two out of ten people are normal.’
This is what I found out after researching them for several days.
Since their least crime was embezzlement, they could be said to be a group of people with bright yellow faces from the start.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t deal with them.
When I entered the castle, I had already declared that I would only deal with those involved in the assassination. If I went back on my word here, my reputation could have been shaken.
The viscount handled the matter secretly, and none of his vassals were involved in it.
So I never thought of taking his life.
‘It would be difficult to leave it alone in the territory.’
Since it was obvious that they would become a constant nuisance if left alone, they were planning to banish them all from the territory.
There was no hesitation as there was sufficient evidence of the crimes they had committed.
I immediately called Leonhard and handed him the report I had been researching for several days.
“The vassals and knights listed here are to be expelled from the territory.”
“Okay, but each name has a different color. Does that mean something?”
There was.
Those whose names are marked in red will have up to 90% of their assets confiscated.
Blue is 70%.
Yellow is 50%.
Before expelling them in this manner, it was written down how much property would be confiscated.
When I explained the contents, Leonhard nodded.
“Expulsion is not difficult, but there may be backlash.”
“If you feel wronged, let’s do it according to the law. It’s all clearly stated in the Imperial Law. If you commit a crime, you should be punished. Oh, right. And among the soldiers, all those on this list should be expelled.”
The total number of prisoners remaining was 2,500.
Now it was time to decide what to do with them.
‘First of all, 1,000 is unconditional expulsion.’
Even if these guys were rehabilitated, they were too rotten to become human.
Of course, I was thinking of sending him out of the territory.
However, there was one difference from when he sent out the vassals and knights.
“Give me five gold coins each as written on the envelope.”?
Instead of just confiscating the money, they just gave it to him instead?
The reason was simple.
This is because it is easier to work on public opinion.
In modern terms, the vassals and knights could be seen as being similar to politicians.
They are people who are doing well.
Originally, even if these types of people were punished severely, they would be met with cheers instead of sympathy.
‘Soldiers are a little different.’
They were no different from the residents who lived here.
Although it was a matter of kicking out the bad guys, if we punished them too harshly, we could have easily lost the public’s support.
The picture that started to creak from the beginning was not the one I wanted.
Five gold coins per person.
Even if you sprinkle it on a thousand people, it’s only about fifty platinum coins.
It was a very cheap amount to win over the public’s hearts.
If the property of the exiles were confiscated, that amount of money would easily be covered.
Leonhard tilted his head as he looked at the list of soldiers.
“Could you tell me what criteria you used to select the soldiers to be expelled?”
“These are people who give me a bad feeling. Most of them are probably guilty.”
“… … I will trust your intuition, Master.”
Seeing his slightly hesitant response, I added something slyly.
“It seems like you don’t believe me. When you hand over the gold coin, try poking it once. If you pretend to know something and ask questions, you’ll end up confessing your sins.”
Since their characteristics are close to that of the end of humanity, there will definitely be something that hurts.
Originally, those who committed crimes were supposed to be punished on their own.
“Then tell them to quietly leave the territory.”
Then all you had to do was spread the word. What if you heard that even the soldiers who had committed crimes were sent away after being paid a considerable amount of money?
‘You will praise me as you please.’
You will also come to know that the lord who has only given strict punishments up until now has a warm side to the weak.
A stern, yet compassionate lord.
‘The picture is nice.’
To that extent, it was a pretty good title.
Prisoners locked in an underground prison.
The knights, including Leonhard, began to move towards them.
While I was working, Erciel opened the door and came in and approached me.
“master.”
“huh?”
“A person from the royal family has arrived. He is Baron Colton… … .”
Are you here already?
It seemed like he had arrived at a nearby city using a teleportation gate and then rushed straight here.
That’s really fast.
As I stepped out of the castle, I saw Baron Colton.
‘He was a noble who remained politically neutral. Perhaps.’
As I made eye contact with him, the Count, who had been looking at me with a curious expression, spoke.
“… … Are you Sir Kyle?”
“yes.”
“Are you by any chance… … old?”
“There are twelve.”
“Heh heh… … .”
“Why are you doing that?”
“Ah. Excuse me. This is the first time this has happened. Ahem. His Majesty has sent a letter.”
Originally, one had to enter the palace to be granted a formal title, but now there was no need to do that.
Because it was only a temporary position with a set period of time.
That’s probably why I sent the letter.
Let’s wait a moment, said the Baron.
“I will have His Majesty’s letter read out loud.”
He immediately got down on one knee.
Let’s make a plausible pose, he said, unfolding the document and continuing to speak loudly.
“Kyle Celtarion. I will grant him the authority to rule Prinus for three years. However, there is a condition. The first condition is… … .”
So the messenger recited the three conditions he had heard from Abel.
“From now on, a delegation will visit every year to confirm the achievement of the conditions… … Also, the title of Baron will be granted to him who assumes the position of lord. However, since this position is also temporary and will last for three years, no surname will be granted.”
Well, whether you get the last name or not.
It didn’t matter.
Because my name already had the brilliant word Celtarion attached to it.
Rather than being given a new surname in a clumsy way.
‘It’s better to just use the existing one.’
It’s better now.
“… … I hope you will develop your territory well over the next three years. That’s all.”
“I would like you to convey my thanks to His Majesty.”
“I will do so.”
Receiving the title happened sooner than I thought.
