Chapter 82. Viscount Wolfskrig (1)

The imperial territory is long from top to bottom.

To put it simply, it’s like taking the Korean peninsula and scaling it up tenfold, both horizontally and vertically.

To briefly describe the geography, the west borders the Great Sea, and the east is adjacent to the wastelands where orcs, dwarves, beastmen, and nomads live.

To the north, after passing through an archduchy that takes up about 20% of the total territory, lies the Frost Plains.

The south is a cluster of city-states, the Theocracy, and the Vampire Duchy.

If one were to split the Empire in half like the divided Korean peninsula, the Imperial Capital, the heart of the Empire, would be located somewhere around Seoul.

In other words, it's inland, slightly below the center, and somewhat biased to the west.

This means that the pioneer city of Wolfskrig, located at the southeastern tip, is quite a distance from the Imperial Capital.

That’s why, no matter how well-paved the imperial roads were, it took over a month on foot.

Since the army had to stay in cities for supplies and rest along the way, we had to allow for a generous two months.

‘*Nom nom nom*. Master. Aren’t you bored?’

For two months, I reorganized my plans.

It was a necessary period.

I had been running breathlessly all this time.

It has already been well over a year since I fell into this world.

There was almost no time to look back as incidents never ceased to occur.

The Siege of Burken, Tribus' dungeon clearing, the vampire subjugation, the beastmen invasion of Gunterburk, and even the civil war.

‘You don’t seem bored. Tick-Tocky. Hurry and predict the future to tell me when I can taste cotton candy again.’

‘Tick-tock…?’

‘What do you mean, I ate it all already? If I ate it for a month, isn’t that saving it enough?’

First, let’s look at the overall situation.

Based on the period up to World Scenario 3.0, the early phase of the Empire faction feels like it has definitely passed.

We’ve also had one subjugation of a Vampire Duke.

And one of the Empire's biggest events, the civil war, has also passed.

Personally, I've gone from being in a mercenary band to gaining a noble title and even a fief.

Gaining a fief means that a foundation for seriously cultivating a force has been established.

In the feudal Empire, a fief is the private property of a noble.

If I had previously focused only on the growth of my troops, heroes, and myself, it meant that I now had about two more things to do.

First, managing the fief that will be the foundation of my power.

Second, strengthening relationships with other nobles who have fiefs.

‘What do you think of my granddaughter?’

In that context, the words Viscount Pewin threw at me just before leaving the Imperial Capital were a topic sufficient to cause a headache.

Simply put, Viscount Pewin’s proposal was a political marriage.

A marriage symbolizing the alliance between our families, with Alina Pewin marrying me to become Alina Wolfskrig.

Since the doting old man wouldn’t force his granddaughter into marriage, it meant he had subtly confirmed Alina’s feelings beforehand.

“……”

I’m not an idiot.

I’m not that dense.

I had known for a while that Alina had feelings for me.

Whether it was admiration, love, or some other kind of affection, I didn't know.

‘You’re no longer a wandering mercenary. Now that you’ve made a foundation to settle down, wouldn’t it be good to consider marriage?’

‘I’m not sure.’

‘Just trust me on this one. Having someone to protect can also be a driving force in life.’

I wonder.

I think I have enough driving force.

My driving force is survival.

Ever since I fell into this world, I have been struggling to survive.

Of course, I agree to some extent with the Viscount's words.

I am a healthy adult male.

Psychologically and physically, it's not that I don't have the desire to meet a partner and start a family.

I'm also not unaware of the fact that a family can provide new motivation.

But how should I put it?

It may sound strange to say this, but it feels like creating one more weakness.

Lovers and subordinates are one thing, but family is the easiest weakness to target.

There's a reason why family is a staple in hostage situations, both in movies and in reality.

“…I don’t know.”

“About what, sir?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It seems you have a lot on your mind lately.”

Olif said.

The middle-aged knight, with eyes fiercer than those of a man in his prime, looked at me with a concerned gaze.

I told him a summarized version.

He was the most tight-lipped among the officers.

“Indeed… it is certainly something to be concerned about.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. A political marriage doesn't just create an alliance. Especially a marriage with a powerful family like Viscount Pewin’s is a decision that determines your faction.”

“A faction, you say.”

“Yes, it means you could make enemies from other factions.”

I had forgotten for a moment.

Even within the pro-Emperor faction, there were divisions.

It was indeed a sharp perspective.

The kind only someone born and raised in a noble family could have.

Although he was born illegitimate, Olif is a proper noble who overcame it and has his own fief.

He is so humble about it that even I forget sometimes.

That humility is probably one of Olif’s strengths.

“I understand that Viscount Pewin is at the center of a faction centered around the Imperial Church.”

“That’s probably right.”

“Your Lordship is somewhat… special. Moreover, you are a newly risen noble who doesn't belong anywhere yet, so it would be good to decide carefully.”

“You mean, since I don’t belong anywhere and have made a name for myself, my value is at its highest right now?”

“That is correct.”

I nodded.

Olif was right.

It was better to be cautious when choosing a faction.

I intended to maintain a positive relationship with the Imperial Church, but actually joining their faction, well, I wasn’t so sure.

People are like that, aren't they?

When you get closer than a certain point, there's an instinct to verify and dig into the other person.

They say it's for the sake of ‘trust,’ but for me, it's fatal.

It would become difficult to act as a Necromancer, my second identity.

[Achievement unlocked! You have collected two or more sacred relics of the church.]

[[Warrior’s Insight] regains its original power.]

[You can now explore the origin of skills acquired through [Warrior’s Insight].]

I cannot give up the identity of Tribus.

At the end of the civil war, I learned a new fact about the church's sacred relics.

I still don't know.

What it means to ‘explore the origin.’

But I think I have a slight idea.

I got a little hint from my spar with Randal.

“Even if the decision is delayed, Viscount Pewin will understand.”

Anyway, as Olif said, Viscount Pewin understood my decision.

Seeing how he backed down, leaving only a hint by saying, ‘I just wanted to form a slightly stronger bond,’ at my evasive attitude.

Since I had become a noble, I could no longer remain in an employer-employee relationship, so I suppose he was trying to find a different kind of connection.

Olif, who had a title and a fief yet belonged to someone's mercenary band, was a truly unusual case.

“By the way, Olif.”

“Yes, Your Lordship.”

“Did something happen with your fief? Was it resolved well?”

“My fief, you say? There were no particular problems.”

“Really?”

Didn't he look for a fief manager in the Imperial Capital because there was a problem?

He was gone for nearly a week during the festival, so I thought some major issue had erupted.

“Ah, you mean that.”

Olif’s following words completely shattered my assumption that he might have just had a lot of backlogged work.

“I exchanged the fief. It would be more accurate to say I made a trade. I returned my original fief, the Barony of Tuhar, to the Imperial family and received the Barony of Burken and some financial support.”

Olif had become Baron Burken.

***

There’s a saying that a rich family, even if it goes bankrupt, will have enough to live on for three generations.

Simply put, it’s probably because they have accumulated that much wealth.

However, since it starts with the premise of bankruptcy, it can also be seen that there is something special besides accumulated assets that allows them to live on.

In my opinion, it’s education.

Among the friends I played with as a child, there was one who was the son of a rich family.

I later found out that his grandfather had explosively accumulated wealth during South Korea's miraculous economic growth, and his father managed it well to become a quasi-chaebol.

Anyway, at the time, I was at an age where I couldn't even perceive things like the wealth gap, but the subtle differences in my friend's speech and habits from his peers left a deep impression among my childhood memories.

“Are you asking why I purchased the Barony of Burken?”

Olif asked back.

He is the illegitimate son of the Count Calvenia family.

The first Count Calvenia is known to have been the second master of the Blue Magic Tower.

Perhaps due to that influence, it is said that in its heyday, the family was a powerful house of mages, so much so that they were mentioned as a candidate for an Imperial Elector.

Although it is now fragmented and in decline, the influence of its once-lofty fame would not have completely disappeared.

I surmise that a part of that influence has been passed down through generations in the form of education.

“I am confident that Your Lordship will greatly develop Wolfskrig. And the Barony of Burken is the bridge connecting the Empire and Wolfskrig.”

One of those might be real estate education.

A memory from near Elcanto Forest suddenly came to mind.

Even then, he had added various explanations, saying that this place was suitable for a fortress site.

“Burken Fortress is a strategically important key location. It is because it is the only gateway connecting Wolfskrig and the Empire's mainland. If Your Lordship wishes, I can give you all the authority…”

“No, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

With Olif, I wouldn't have to worry.

The him I knew and experienced was a more loyal subordinate than anyone else.

Anyway, a fortnight after getting to know an unexpected neighboring noble.

I encountered one more welcome guest.

It was when we were about ten days from Wolfskrig and about four days from Burken Fortress.

“Your Lordship, there are people on our route. They are heading towards Burken Fortress. About five hundred of them.”

“Five hundred?”

“They look like merchants, sir.”

A number like five hundred is a headcount you can’t let your guard down against, even if they are merchants.

As we slowly approached with our army, they immediately raised a white flag.

Soon, having identified our flag, the merchants sent a messenger.

“Are you Viscount Ash?”

It turned out they were a merchant caravan that had departed from Maenenwood, the largest trading city in the south-central region of the Empire.

To be precise, it was a long procession consisting of two caravans and about three hundred personnel, with countless carts loaded with materials.

But this caravan.

Its purpose was unexpected.

They hadn't come to Wolfskrig simply to trade.

The materials, livestock, and food they were carrying on their carts were all sent by Count Maenenwood.

The accompanying merchants, carpenters, stonemasons, farmers, and professional administrative personnel were also all human resources hired by Count Maenenwood.

The task they were given upon being hired was one thing.

To assist Viscount Wolfskrig and strive to develop the city.

“Count Maenenwood said this is a small token of his gratitude to Viscount Ash Wolfskrig.”

“…A token of gratitude, you say.”

I think he said something similar when he provided a set of armor for the centurions before.

For a small token of gratitude, the scale is too overwhelming.

With this amount of supplies, wouldn't it be possible to run a decent fief for about a year without taxes?

“He asked you to accept it as a congratulation on becoming a noble, and not to feel burdened.”

It seems the count of the largest trading city in the south-central region is indeed on a different level.

Of course, it’s understandable since I saved him when he was possessed by Chincharina.

It was more than a fortnight later that we reached Wolfskrig.

This was because our schedule was slightly delayed by traveling with the caravan.

I did exchange brief greetings with Alina at Burken village along the way, but that's a story to save for later.

Anyway, Wolfskrig, which I returned to after well over half a year… had a strange sense of nostalgia, I guess.

“Brother! You’ve been through a lot! Welcome!”

“What are you saying, calling him brother! He's a Viscount!”

“Ah, Your Lordship! Hahaha! My apologies. I'm not used to it yet!”

Old man Poodle and his wife welcomed us.

While showing us the cleanly repaired and expanded mercenary band headquarters, which would now become the barracks.

“Brother! Have you been well?”

“Brol! Of course, I've been well. Oh, Lady Karen. Sir Olif. I see some new faces?”

“It’s been a while.”

“Nice to meet you. I'm Randal.”

The barracks, which had been empty for months, became noisy.

As the boisterous atmosphere ripened, and when the drinks and food came out and everyone started to get drunk, I headed to the lord's castle alone.

“…It’s been a while.”

The place where I first met the Emperor.

I looked down at the city from the window of the office on the 6th floor of the lord's castle.

It wasn't just the barracks that was noisy.

People were busily moving about on the streets and in the squares.

Carrying baskets on their heads, pulling carts, shouldering packs or holding money pouches, eating food, haggling, clapping behind stalls, or entering taverns with their arms around each other's shoulders.

The dreary ruin, which had been deserted for three hundred years, was gradually changing into a small city with the scent of people.

I stood there for a while, staring blankly at the scene.

Over a year after falling into this world, I had finally obtained my own land.

It was time to develop the fief.