3. A Strange Territory>
“Greetings. I am Pareon, the lord of the Kulan Barony.”
“Pleased to meet you. I am Kariman of Garan-Tia, here for the administrative inspection.”
“I am Sian. Pleased to meet you.”
When they reached the office in the inner castle, a young man who had been attending to his duties came out to greet them.
Kariman found the young lord extremely impressive at first sight.
A keen light shone from his eyes, and he overflowed with confidence. Though there was still a trace of youth about him, when combined with those two qualities it instead gave the strong impression of a man at an age brimming with passion.
Sian, too, was looking at the lord before him with curious eyes.
‘What the… He’s got a lot of interesting things on him.’
Ever since Sian had seen the Karmata with the Fifth Elder, he had remembered the peculiar flow of the magic formation applied to it.
Of course, he remembered it only by feel. He did not remember it with his head at all. It had been truly, absurdly complicated.
From every corner of that man’s body, Sian could sense objects that carried that same distinctive flow.
Perhaps it was the aftereffect of releasing his power, but Sian had grown much more curious about things that looked interesting, and as he was studying Pareon closely, Pareon opened his mouth.
“Mm… I have a great deal of work to attend to, so I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to guide you personally. However, I’ve informed all the relevant personnel, so they will cooperate with you. And Miss Roina, whom you met earlier, will be your guide.”
Leaving Pareon, who answered with a smile, behind them, Kariman and Sian followed Roina out to begin their work.
Administrative inspection work was fundamentally based on looking over everything in the territory. Today they would only be taking a brief tour, so there would not be much work, but starting tomorrow they would become quite busy. That meant they had to familiarize themselves with all the basics today.
Kariman, who first stopped by the Finance Department and the City Administration Department, was quite surprised.
It was not because he was surprised that the finances and administration were more solid than he had expected. In his many years handling inspection work for Garan-Tia, he had visited countless noble territories. Among them, there were more territories larger than the Kulan Barony than he could count.
What surprised Kariman was the explosive rate of growth that had occurred in such a short period of time.
He skimmed through the financial records from the past eight years, and from four years ago onward, the territory had begun growing at a rapid pace obvious even at a glance.
Kariman had never seen a territory grow this much in only four years. (Sian looked as though he was bored to death and was suppressing a yawn, but Kariman himself examined the records with great interest.)
The administration was solid as well. Finding useful talent for a territory like this should have been as difficult as plucking stars from the sky, yet somehow, highly competent people had been placed in every corner and were carrying out their duties. (Strangely enough, most of those talented people were beauties.)
“This is the training ground. The person in charge here is Dame Rianna. Dame Rianna, these are Sir Kariman and Sir Sian, who have come from Garan-Tia for administrative work.”
“Greetings. I am Rianna. If you have any questions, please ask.”
‘Another beauty here too…….’
He could not shake the thought that this was a truly peculiar territory, but it did not seem as though the lord was fond of women and had ignored ability in favor of assigning only beauties.
In reality, Dame Rianna before him was emitting the strongest presence within the training ground, and the talented people in the other sections were all faithfully carrying out their duties as well.
Looking over the soldiers, he saw that they were full of passion to work hard. Though it was only a small amount, seeing them cloak their bodies in Vander, form ranks, and conduct tactical training made him feel that Lord Pareon was capable.
‘…
Wait… Vander?’
It was such a familiar sight near the capital that he had nearly passed it by, but he had never seen such a thing in the borderlands.
Normally, nobles in remote regions like this never passed Vander-Roa down to the soldiers below them.
Since they had usually done so much wrong, they feared that if they gave their soldiers power, the soldiers would use that power to cut off their own heads.
If they acted like that around the capital or in the core regions, they would immediately be devoured by neighboring lords. But in underdeveloped areas like this, the surrounding lords also did not pass down Vander training methods, so not having their soldiers train in Vander did not make them any more endangered.
“…
The soldiers are training in Vander-Roa, I see? Their vigor is excellent.”
“That’s right. Starting three years ago, the lord modified the family’s secret Vander-Roa and bestowed it upon us. Thanks to that, our territory grows stronger day by day.”
Dame Rianna spoke with a face full of pride.
‘So there was a reason the territory was growing. Just what happened four years ago… It’s too different from when I saw it before…….’
Kariman decided he would have to look into this part a little more, then followed Miss Roina’s guidance to the next location.
After being introduced to Dame Rianna, they went a little farther into the territory and found the armory.
Armories were usually located deep within the inner castle, near the training ground. It was convenient for supplying weapons in an emergency, and soldiers undergoing training had to be nearby so they could rush over quickly to guard the armory if something happened.
When Kariman went inside, he was startled.
‘…
The Dkon race?’
Up until now, everything had been at the level of “Oh! Not bad,” but when Kariman saw the Dkon, he was genuinely shocked. That was because Dkon artisans were not people one could easily see.
Demi-human races often possessed one ability superior to that of humans. To be precise, the demi-human races that did not possess such an ability had all been weeded out, unable to blend with humans over the thousand years since the Great Emperor unified the continent.
The demi-human races that still coexisted with humans had proven their worth to humanity, and thus received treatment equal to, or even superior to, humans.
The Dkon race was one of them. As astonishing artisans, they had the ability to see things beyond this world, and they displayed tremendous skill in producing items related to beopdo studies. The final weapon Artagon, the essence of beopdo magic used in wars between nations or in the Traz region of the Great Northern Wall, was also made by their hands.
They were beings one could only occasionally see in the capital’s workshops, the Great Beopdo Society, or in marquis houses and above… To think he would see a Dkon in a barony in such a remote region!
“Kekeke… Everyone who sees me seems surprised. I am Ra-Kadum, son of the Thirteenth Tribe, and the one in charge of this armory.”
“Astonishing. I never expected to meet a son of Dkon here… Pleased to meet you.”
“Well… I have some business with the lord here. In any case, I am pleased to meet you as well.”
Sian also stared with curious eyes at the Dkon, whom he had only ever seen in novels.
“The brat next to you isn’t greeting me… Ah, I just remembered I had urgent business. Get the explanation from that fellow over there. I only make weapons; that fellow handles the other administrative matters. Ah, and Roina, you come over here for a moment too.”
“…
Mr. Ra-Kadum? Why is he acting like that… Sir Kariman, this is Mr. Kron, the administrator in charge of the armory. Mr. Kron, would you guide them through the armory for a while? I’m sorry, but I’ll be back shortly.”
“I am Kron. If you come this way, I will guide you.”
Ra-Kadum looked at Sian, who was standing there blankly, intending to scold him, but after staring at his face, he suddenly said he had urgent business and hurriedly disappeared toward the back of the armory. Roina, who saw this, temporarily handed Kariman and Sian over to Kron and followed Ra-Kadum with a puzzled expression.
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“What are you people? Where did you drag in something that vicious?”
“…
What are you talking about, Uncle Ra-Kadum? Do you mean Sir Kariman?”
Ra-Kadum, who had dragged Roina behind the armory, asked as if interrogating her. Roina, not understanding, spoke to Ra-Kadum comfortably as usual since there was no one around.
“No, not that squid-looking fellow. The young-looking one behind him.”
“Ah… You mean Sir Sian. I’m not sure. I only heard that he came from Garan-Tia. Why? Is something wrong with him?”
Since no particular details had been revealed, Roina only knew the two as administrative inspectors from Garan-Tia. Unable to understand Ra-Kadum’s reaction, she asked back.
“Ugh… Forget it. This is why humans are……. You’re all practically blind. Anyway, they’re not here to harm the territory or anything, are they?”
“Of course not. They’ll leave again as soon as the administrative inspection is over.”
“Then that’s fine. Saying any more will only wear out my mouth. Just be careful of one thing. That Sian fellow beside him—don’t ever provoke him while he’s here. And give him whatever he asks for, then send him away as quickly as possible.”
Only then did Roina’s expression turn serious. Ra-Kadum was of the Dkon race; he saw things humans could not.
He had clearly seen something unusual in the person named Sian.
“…
Is there something about him?”
“Ah, enough. Saying it will only wear out my mouth. It’s a pain to explain, and you won’t believe me anyway. Just keep in mind the one thing I told you. Tell that brat of a lord to be careful too.”
With those words, Ra-Kadum shut his mouth and disappeared. Roina watched him go with a grave expression.
After thinking it over, Roina decided she should finish guiding them first and returned to Sir Kariman and Sir Sian in the armory.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Senior, this territory really is fascinating.”
“It is indeed. To develop this much in such a short time…….”
“To think there are so many capable beauties here. Haha! I thought I was in paradise. It must be worth working here.”
“…….”
After finishing the day touring the territory, Kariman and Sian were resting in the lodgings Roina had guided them to and talking about the day.
Because Sian had been of no help at all, Kariman was paying even more attention to him instead. (While Kariman had spent the entire day carrying out the administrative inspection, Sian had only looked around everywhere behind him.)
If Sian had at least looked extraordinary, Kariman might have understood Viscount Tallin’s order to separate him from the capital. But because he showed a somewhat loose-screwed side, Kariman’s wariness rose even more. His instincts were strongly warning him that there was definitely something there.
‘Surely he isn’t doing it on purpose……? Trying to make me lower my guard so he can do something…….’
Even when he observed him closely, every action was so full of sincerity that it did not seem to be the case. Still, Viscount Tallin would not have given him such an order without reason, so Kariman decided to pay more attention for the time being.
While Kariman was thinking about Sian like this, Sian was thinking about what he had seen today.
‘Mm… This place is like a treasure vault.’
Roina had pretended to guide them through every nook and cranny, but she had shown them only what she wanted them to see. Only the things administrative officers would like and be satisfied with.
While Sir Kariman had been absorbed in digging through those things, Sian himself had been absorbed in looking at the things hidden all around.
The beauties were fascinating, but more than that, underground, in the forest, beneath the lake… there was no place that did not have some hidden space. They were located in places that could never be seen with sight, but it had been a long time since Sian had begun sensing the world with senses other than his eyes, so he was able to discover those spaces as he passed by.
In the hidden spaces, it seemed they were diligently carrying things, making things, and researching things… but in truth, he was illiterate, so while he could see things like Exar flowing here and there, he could not possibly tell what they were doing.
After seeing what was happening underground, Sian pondered.
1. Say they should inspect it, tell Sir Kariman about the secret spaces, and turn the territory upside down.
2. Just let it slide. Conveniently, Sir Kariman did not seem to have noticed anything.
If he were to be faithful to his duties, 1 would be correct. But there had to be a reason they had hidden things like that.
If he mentioned this for no reason and they attacked, saying they would kill them to keep the secret, it would become terribly troublesome.
The things hidden in the forest or under the lake did not seem as though they would pose much of a problem.
The problem was whatever lay near the cliff far away from the barony.
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—The elements of success, according to the legendary magnate
☆ ☆ ☆
Sian kept feeling something bothering him from beyond there, from the direction of the cliff.
It was far away, and there was something interfering with his senses, so he could not confirm it properly.
But judging by what he could faintly sense, if he had to deal with the things over there, it seemed he would have to release his own power as well.
If this Baron Pareon attacked him in the barony in order to keep his secret, and because of that, Sian released his power?
Then another barony would be blown away.
While pondering what a man called Baron Pareon might do with this, Sian arrived at an important conclusion.
If Baron Pareon wanted to do something with what belonged to him, why should Sian involve himself in it?
From the look of things, it did not seem to have been stolen either—he had never seen a noble domain said to possess such a thing—and whether he hid it or not was his own business. Sian had come here to conduct an administrative inspection, and he would be leaving in a few days.
He had no desire to stir things up for no reason and put on a massacre show.
Having reached that point, Sian felt at ease, and before long he fell into a peaceful sleep.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Were the guests who came here properly guided, Roina?”
“Yes, Lord Pareon. They are resting in their lodgings. Um… however……”
Seeing Roina trail off, Pareon looked puzzled.
“Is there a problem?”
“Uncle Raka-Dum said that you must absolutely not touch that young man named Sian, and that you should get him out of the domain as quickly as possible.”
“Lord Raka-Dum did? Hm……”
Pareon’s expression turned grave.
The Drcon tribe, to which Raka-Dum belonged, saw something that humans could not. It was difficult to express what that was in human language, but if one had to choose the closest term… essence? Something within the being itself? It was something along those lines.
When Raka-Dum saw one of the “Legacies” Pareon had sold on the black market to raise funds for his domain, he recognized the astonishing power within it and came to find him. With that remarkable ability, he had been of great help in developing the territory and researching the Legacy. Raka-Dum himself also had great interest in the “Legacy,” so they had been able to maintain a good cooperative relationship.
In truth, Raka-Dum had always given him advice that proved useful, and this time, too, he must have issued that warning because he had seen something.
‘Yes… In any case, the inspection won’t last long… I’ll show them only what needs to be shown and send them away quickly.’
He had never intended to let them stay long anyway. If they stayed too long and happened to discover what he was hiding, silencing them would become troublesome.
The things he had hidden in this domain were not yet ready to be revealed to the outside world.
His territory still lacked the ability to properly protect the “Legacy.” Even though he had used only a portion of it, the domain had developed this rapidly. He could not even imagine what kind of might it would display once he unlocked the parts still sealed behind it.
He needed to buy time. Until he could release the seals beyond, until his territory grew stronger. Until he could protect what was his.
And when that time came… the things he was forced to hide now would become wings upon his back.
Fortunately, the things he had discovered were proving immensely helpful in growing the domain.
This Rogadis region had no end of flaws, but its advantage was that the central authorities’ surveillance and power barely reached it. For Baron Pareon, who needed to build up a certain degree of strength before drawing attention, that was extremely fortunate.
The timing was good as well. The noble faction and the royalist faction, caught in an intensifying civil war, were unable to pay much attention to neutral regions. He had to grow while the greatest competitors were tearing at each other. From what he had heard, the civil war seemed to have strangely stalled for a time, but gradually the noble faction was gaining the upper hand and the balance was tilting.
One year. According to his plan, within a year at the latest, he would be able to integrate all the surrounding domains and also unlock the next stage of the “Legacy’s” seal.
That would be the moment he took flight.
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“Viscount Tereun, why have you summoned us?”
Viscount Raidan, who governed one of the thirteen noble domains in the Rogadis region, asked Viscount Tereun.
“I have called you all because of the Kullan Barony. As you all know, that fellow’s tyranny has gone beyond the pale these days. Until now, we all lived together well enough, mingling as we pleased, but he has begun to run wild on his own and pressure the rest of us. I understand that your domains have also become quite strained recently.”
“Ahem… hem.”
“Hm……”
At Viscount Tereun’s words, which struck a sore spot, everyone let out awkward coughs.
To survive in Rogadis, this backward border region, one had to reduce extravagance and refrain from competition. Competition was something one engaged in when there was something worth stealing from the other side. If they exhausted themselves fighting in a place like this, both sides would be ruined.
Therefore, the thirteen noble domains had maintained balance without provoking one another too harshly, only occasionally pressuring domains weaker than their own.
The abnormality in the Rogadis region had begun four years ago. The young brat of the Kullan Barony had suddenly vanished, and when he returned, as if someone had clubbed him over the head, he started acting up.
They thought he would tire himself out and collapse on his own, but his power grew at a rapid pace, and the surrounding domains were driven into a corner. The nobles, who were on the verge of falling behind in the competition and collapsing, could not launch an all-out war—what meaning would there be in destroying the other side through all-out war if they themselves collapsed afterward!—so they had been attacking the Kullan domain locally. But even that was gradually reaching its limit.
“Do you have some good plan, Viscount Tereun? Since you have gathered us all, it seems you have something to say.”
“I would not go so far as to call it a good plan… only that we can delay no longer.”
“……?”
Viscount Tereun told those around him the information he had obtained about the Kullan Barony as a result of interrogating a man named Crane, whom Sir Naruan had recently captured.
“Hmm… You mean to say his power has already expanded that far?”
“That is right. They say it has grown even more terrifyingly over the past year. On top of that, he has been steadily arming his troops.”
There was only one reason they had not engaged in all-out war until now.
The losses would be too great.
They should have crushed him when he was weak, but while they were being careless, he had suddenly surged up far too much.
The neighboring nobles, belatedly regretting it, had applied pressure, but his response had been formidable, leaving them unable to move one way or another. He had already grown too large for any one of them to face alone.
Until now, they had barely managed to hold on because there was a difference in the level of armament—after all, Banders were not troops one could train in a short period—but even that gap was being filled by the Kullan domain’s hiring of mercenaries, and since the difference in the level of ordinary soldiers was so severe, they were gradually being caught up to.
Moreover, he showed no intention whatsoever of maintaining a proper balance. That meant he intended to break the balance of Rogadis and devour them all.
If so, they could not remain still either.
Until now, their pride had kept them from joining hands, but this was no longer the time to be choosy.
No matter how much a domain war might be a gamble, if more than ten domains joined forces and struck, it would become a very happy gamble—small risk, great reward.
Looking at the information Viscount Tereun had investigated all this time, their chances of victory were sufficient.
In any case, this was a border region no one cared about. There was nothing strange about a single barony falling to ruin.
Thinking that this chaotic time, when the nation was unsettled by the transfer of royal authority, was their chance, the viscounts and barons put their heads together and discussed their future plans.
Once this matter was over, peace would return to the Rogadis region, balanced once more as before.
‘Heh heh… The first stage is a success, then.’
And as he watched them, Viscount Tereun laughed quietly to himself.
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“The escort unit was attacked? Survivors? What happened to Captain Crane?”
“Yes… When they did not return after some time had passed… we sent an investigation team… but there were no survivors.”
“…
Do we know who the culprit is?”
“There is more than enough circumstantial suspicion… but no physical evidence remained.”
Listening to Sir Rianna’s report, Pareon ground his teeth. This was a time when he had to concentrate, and it would be troublesome if they kept interfering with him like this.
While Pareon was pondering what to do, Roina suddenly rushed into his office.
“My lord! Terrible news!”
“……? What is it now?”
“The other side has declared a domain war.”
It was as if the other side had slapped his cheek just when he felt like crying. For such an incident to occur when he had still been uncertain.
“I see. Which domain provoked us?”
“That is… the eleven noble domains of the Rogadis region, excluding the Rotfell domain closest to the capital.”
Pareon paused at the unexpected situation.
He had thought they would eventually unite and attack, but this was too soon. He had thought those old men who feared change would not move for at least a few more months… What factor had stimulated them……?
After thinking carefully, Pareon realized that was not important for the moment. First came war.
And Pareon was not afraid in the slightest. He had wanted to focus on growth for the time being and strengthen his internal foundations, so he had avoided an exhausting domain war, but if the other side had picked a fight first, there was no reason to endure it.
No, rather, he resolved to use this opportunity as a stepping stone to expand his power in an instant.
Though there would be some depletion of his forces through war, if he unified the Rogadis region and used his abilities to grow his power, he would be able to recover quickly and be recognized with dignity as one of the central powers.
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“Hmm? A domain war, you say?”
“Yes. The surrounding domains have declared a domain war. An unfortunate incident has occurred while you are staying in our domain. It would be best for you to leave as quickly as possible before full-scale fighting breaks out.”
Roina, who had come on Pareon’s orders, spoke to Kariman. Because there had also been Raka-Dum’s warning, and because nothing good would come of a war revealing their forces to Garan-Tia, Roina cautiously advised them to leave.
Kariman was flustered by the unexpected situation.
The danger was a problem, but if things became like this, he would not be able to carry out the mission Viscount Tallin had given him.
If the surrounding domains had all entered a war together, he could not perform administrative inspection duties.
Naturally, they would have to halt the tour of the domains they had planned to inspect and return. If that happened, far from the two months Viscount Tallin had requested, they would not even fill a single month.
Having thought that far, Kariman decided to remain here. In any case, judging from what he had felt while conducting this administrative inspection, one or two surrounding domains would not be a match for this place. Kariman did not know that they were fighting the entire Rogadis alliance. If so, there should be no danger reaching all the way here.
If he returned after the domain war ended, two months would have passed easily, so it would be killing two birds with one stone.
Having finished his calculations in an instant, Kariman opened his mouth and spoke.
“No. In any case, moving during a domain war seems more dangerous. Since the administrative work is finished, we will go to an inn and stay there. We cannot impose on you during a war. Sian, is that all right?”
“Ah, I’m fine with it. This city has a lot of interesting things, so I like it.”
He had only been helping with administrative work every day, so what interesting things were there?
Kariman found it strange for a moment, but decided to think that perhaps the work suited Sian’s temperament.
Listening to the conversation between Kariman and Sian, Roina frowned inwardly, but since she had no grounds to refuse, she said she understood and decided to go report this to Pareon.