Repenhardt laughed, thinking dark thoughts in his heart. The nobles may have allowed self-government because of the immediate benefits, but their thoughts will change over time.
At that time, a human servant entered the room and bowed his head politely.
“Count, the dwarves have gathered in the conference room.”
All members of Viscount Gelfane’s family who originally lived here were accused of treason and were beheaded or sold into slavery. Reppenhardt allowed all the servants and maids owned by Viscount Gelfein to live in the castle if he wished. The butler and some servants who were very loyal left in confusion at the fact that the owner had changed, but most of them remained in the castle. That servant was also one of those people.
“Let’s go, Russ.”
“Yes, brother.”
Leppenhardt left the room, accompanied by Russ.
In the conference room, a group of dwarves were already bending their knees. They all had white hair, and were among the oldest living dwarves. As Reppenhardt entered the conference room, the old dwarf in front bowed his head.
“I come to see the White King.”
Reppenhardt greeted them with a soft smile.
“Please come quickly.”
These dwarves were slaves of Viscount Gelfane. What Leffenhardt wanted was ownership of everything the Viscount owned, beyond just the Gelfane fiefdom, and these were also his to collect.
The old dwarf looked up at Reppenhardt and continued.
“I’ve already heard from the warriors at Grand Forge. The White King is our savior… … .”
“They said so.”
“Everyone who met the family is grateful for the grace of the savior.”
Dwarves who can hear the truth are weak to the concept of flattery. Now this old dwarf was truly grateful to Reppenhardt.
The first thing Repenhardt did as soon as he arrived in this land was to send the male dwarves from the mine back to their families. In order to properly manage dwarf slaves, it is common sense among those in the mining industry to separate their residences by holding their families hostage. Viscount Gelfane also managed the dwarves by having the men in the mines and their families live separately and only allowing them to meet occasionally.
How happy were the dwarves when they found out that they could now always be with their families? Already in the basement of this castle, the dwarves who had met their families were jumping for joy, feeling the joy of reunion.
“however… … “What happens to us now?”
The old dwarf suddenly looked perplexed and asked. Reunification of separated families was not the only thing that Reppenhardt did for these dwarves. He proudly burned all of their slave documents in front of everyone and declared that they were now free.
Because they were dwarves who maintained their ancestors’ culture and society to some extent, they were not embarrassed by not even understanding the concept of freedom like elf or orc slaves. However, in reality, there are some areas of concern.
“By any chance, should we leave here now?”
Leffenhardt shook his head.
“You are free people, you can leave whenever you want. Of course, you can stay here if you want.”
The dwarves breathed a sigh of relief.
These are people who have lived here as slaves their entire lives. There is no place to go even if you gain freedom. Of course, there is a Grand Forge, but it is still too barren for dwarves, who have lived safely under humans.
And Reppenhardt had no intention of letting go of these dwarves either.
‘These noblemen are the only source of money in this land, so if they leave, it will be a big problem.’
The main source of income for this territory is the dwarves’ mining industry. If the mine closes, the first County of Antares will also close. I have no intention of treating them like slaves and forcing them to dig, but I also have no intention of making fun of innocent fanatics.
“You are free, but that mine is clearly mine.”
“Then you still have to leave the mine?”
“no. They are saying that they will give you the mining rights to the mine. Should I say, more accurately, that we are leasing the mine?”
It’s good to give freedom to the dwarves, but that doesn’t mean you can give them everything for free. This was a principle I followed even in my past life. If you are truly free, you must achieve everything with your own strength.
Reppenhardt began to calmly explain to the old dwarf.
Work in the mine as always. However, from now on, the management of the mine will be left entirely to the dwarves. It doesn’t matter where you live or who you live with. Dwarves mine ore, make weapons and armor, and use the money they sell to pay taxes and rent.
“If you can afford it, save up the money and buy the entire mine ownership from me. If you want, I will share it with you. What, about 360 monthly installments?”
Repenhardt encouraged dwarves to freely engage in economic activities like humans. The dwarves blinked and nodded in unison. It wasn’t a bad condition at all. No, the conditions are unimaginably generous. 360 months, or 30 years, would be a huge period of time for humans that would change the situation three times, but for long-living dwarves, it is just an appropriate amount of time.
“The White King treats us very generously. “Is there anything you want?”
“If I wanted wealth, I wouldn’t have started this in the first place.”
“But it doesn’t seem like there is any benefit to the White King at all…” … .”
“Not necessarily. What I have is the exclusive right to all the weapons you make.”
Simply put, everything these dwarves make can only be converted into cash through Repenhardt. The dwarves looked convinced.
Under those conditions, Leppenhardt would also be able to gain great benefits through them. As slaves anyway, they roughly made and supplied only the bare minimum minerals and weapons that humans wanted. From now on, they will do their best to dig and make weapons for themselves. This means that Viscount Gelfane can make several times more profit than if he had used them as slaves.
“In times like these, the only person who wants to do business with us is the White King, so the monopoly is just a justification. “Thank you again to our Savior.”
The dwarves left the conference room, expressing their gratitude again and again. Looking at the back, Reppenhardt smiled happily. He felt once again that he had a place to express his will. Through the conference room window, he looked out at the barren territory of Gelfane, now the land of Antares.
“Compared to the past, it is a very shabby land, but… … .”
Still, this was the beginning.
“Well, the Antares Empire also started like this.”
The truth was much worse than this. At that time, I had no intention of establishing a country, so I just started by building a village in the wasteland.
Suddenly, Reppenhardt asked without looking back.
“How was your trip, Marceline?”
An old dwarf was already standing on one side of the conference room. The man proudly stroking his snow-white beard was Al Port’s High Priest, Markelin. When the Kingdom of Antares was established, he was contacted and came here secretly through Taoban Trading Company.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought, Mr. Reppenhardt. Everyone said I was Master Reppenhardt’s slave, so he didn’t bother me at all.”
With a bitter smile, Reppenhardt offered words of apology.
“I’m sorry for putting you in such a dishonorable position. “I will never let something like that happen again.”
“We have already waited long enough. There is no need to rush. “For us, time is not a very precious resource.”
Marceline smiled and comforted Reppenhardt. Reppenhardt shook his head.
“But I am human, and time is extremely precious to humans. “The sad thing is that most people don’t know that.”
☆ ☆ ☆
Representatives of various races gathered in the conference hall surrounded by gray stone walls.
Marceline and three Auror users representing the dwarves of Grand Forge.
Three mentors representing the orcs of the Blue Bear tribe: Kalken, Stala, and Gralta.
Relhad and his lieutenant, Dame, representing the elves of the Danheim clan.
Looking at them, Reppenhardt spread out a map on the table. It was a complete map depicting the territory of the County of Antares.
Kalken looked at the map and said with a happy smile.
“We fought and won, so now it’s time to give the land, brother?”
“That’s right. Now, from here to here is the territory of the Blue Bear Tribe.”
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Reppenhardt pointed as he drew a line on the map. The area he selected covered the western part of the County of Antares and most of the Glotene Mountains beyond the border. Relhard asked, puzzled.
“hmm? “Isn’t this the territory of the County of Antares?”
Currently, most of the areas that Reppenhardt pointed out were mountainous areas outside the borders of the Kingdom of Crovence. Even though it is not their land, they are giving it to them as they please. Then Reppenhardt shrugged his shoulders.
“But it’s not even the territory of the Kingdom of Crovence. Officially, the Glotten Mountains do not belong to any country on the continent.”
Territory is not something that can be defined by drawing a line on a map. Only when people live there and are under its management can the land be claimed as one’s own.
The rugged Glotten Mountains were a very difficult place for humans to live in, and as such, they were not worth managing as territory. Fortunately, the Gelfane territory also had mines, so it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Crovence, and most of the Gloten Mountains were unoccupied. Because it takes several times more effort to manage it than what you get from the mountain range.
“So from now on, the land where the Blue Bear Tribe roams will become the territory of the County of Antares.”
Reppenhardt smiled as he finished his explanation. However, Kalken, Starla, and Graltar looked perplexed. After looking at each other, Gralta cautiously opened his mouth.
“But Brother Leffenhardt, it’s not like no one lives in these mountains, is it?”
Although the Gloten Mountains are figuratively called Mujugong Mountain, that does not mean that no human beings live in those vast mountain ranges. It just means that there is no national power.
Various mountain peoples are scattered here and there in villages throughout the mountain range, and their range extends all the way to Petland, the grasslands in the eastern part of the mountain range. Although each individual was weak, their numbers combined were not something that could be ignored.
“If you touch humans carelessly, they come together and attack. And humans outnumber us. Isn’t that why our ancestors never came here? “We must protect our tribe, but our warriors are too few.”
Kalken looked at Reppenhardt with suspicious eyes. It wasn’t a suspicion that Reppenhardt had defrauded them. Once they passed Hotu’s ritual, they never harbored such suspicions because they completely trusted Reppenhardt. The only question was whether Leffenhardt had not thought this far.
Of course, there is no way that Repenhardt, the archmage, could not think of something that even an orc could think of. He smiled and pointed to the land of the Blue Bear tribe, especially the area within the Kingdom of Antares.
“Then shouldn’t we just return to our base?”
“Oh, I see!”
Relhard muttered as if he realized something. The three orcs, who still didn’t understand, looked at him, rolling their eyes.
“What does that mean?”
Relhard opened his mouth with a bitter smile.
“The inside of this border is clearly the territory of the Kingdom of Crovence. Legally, we are citizens of the country of Antares. When the mountain peoples of the Glotten Mountains gather their forces and come, the border will be invaded, and an invasion on such a large scale requires a great deal of determination. On the other hand, we can now confidently cross the mountain range with the Antares nation on our backs.”
Still, the orcs did not understand and showed a blank expression. Relhard thought for a moment. How can I explain this to these simple writers to make them understand?
“So what I’m saying is that there are now a lot of people to protect the kids. You are not the only ones living on this land, right? Elves and dwarves will live, and the humans under Repenhardt will also live.”
“so?”
“I’m saying there’s no need to worry about our base being raided.”
Only then did the orcs nod their heads and exclaim.
“Oh oh! Right!”
“Now there are more people to look after the kids, right?”
“Then the warriors can leave the village with peace of mind!”
Looking at their favorite orcs – Marceline, Relhard, and Reppenhardt – those who understood the more complex political situation laughed. Although I explained it this way to make it easier for the Orcs to understand, the meaning of the existence of the County of Antares is more complicated than that.
In fact, the reason humans band together when different races appear is not just because their territory has been invaded. Orcs, as well as elves and dwarves, are of great value as slave races. In short, if wild different races are discovered, even if you raise an army to subdue them, the benefits you gain will be greater than the budget you spend. Because you’ll end up with a lot of slaves without masters. Therefore, not only those who encounter different races, but also completely unrelated people try to join forces out of greed.
However, the story is different when you carry Antares on your back. The different races of this land are, externally, Leppenhardt’s property. Since they have received autonomy, the laws of the Kingdom of Crovence recognize and protect these races as Leffenhardt’s people.
In other words, if the Blue Bear tribe clashes with the mountain people of the Glotten Mountains from here, it will not be the appearance of wild orcs, but a war in which Repenhardt of the County of Antares expands his territory.
“There may be friction with the natives, but at least those who join the war out of greed will have no choice but to consider political issues. Of course, I don’t know what will happen over time.”
Marceline nodded at Relhard’s words.
“If our numbers grow in the future, humans’ reactions will also change. However, there will be no problems in the beginning.”
That problem applies equally to dwarves and elves as well as orcs. They too can safely advance into the Glotene Mountains with the Antares County on their backs.
“The elf territory will be from here to here.”
Reppenhardt drew a circle in the center of the mountain range connected to the county, a long forest area along the ridge. It was an area adjacent to the Orcs’ territory, but at a reasonable distance from it.
While the orcs had a wide range of activities because they lived through gathering and hunting, the elves were mostly focused on farming and cultivation in the forest, so their territory did not need to be that wide. A forest this size was large enough for over a thousand elves to live in a village.
“If the number of elves increases in the future, other forests will be needed, but this will be enough for the time being.”
Relhad shook his head.
“It’s not enough, it’s too wide. The only question is whether our entire clan should move here… … .”
The Blue Bear tribe and the Danheim clan, who were planning to move their entire clan, were in different situations. Their hometown, once called the Land of Lamenting, was now called the Land of Grace and had turned into a green land. It was thanks to the power of the world tree, Elvenheim, revived by Repenhardt.
Relhad crossed his fingers as if he were embarrassed.
“Leaving the World Tree is a bit… … .”
Of course, Repenhardt also did not want the Danheim family to leave the world tree that they had brought back to life.
“There are many elves still living as slaves on the continent. This forest is for them. And besides the Danheim clan, aren’t there quite a few elves still living in remote areas? What I want is for some of the Danheim clan to live in this forest and be ready to welcome them.”
“That would certainly be necessary. Okay. “Let’s select the young people of the clan and send them here.”
Relhad nodded in understanding. And he let out a slightly regretful voice.
“But in this case, it would have been better to plant the World Tree here.”
Currently, the World Tree is not fully grown, so its influence on the elves is also weak. The Danheim clan’s hometown was the remotest of remote areas, and even beyond the desert, the power of the World Tree was nowhere near as great. So, don’t the current Relhard and Elven warriors also each have a branch of Elvenheim in their arms?
Then Reppenhardt spoke calmly.
“Oh, I’m going to plant it here too.”
Then Relhad was astonished and asked back.
“… … “The World Tree is not some kind of bonsai, so you can just plant it anywhere?”
