Chapter 223: No Proposal


    The royal road of Bagran, Rozelon, had fallen into a slump recently due to the war with Elvrande and the closure of the silver mine.


    Unemployed people crowded the streets and fought for a single free bread distributed by the royal family.


    This crisis was also experienced by several countries, including Zaium, who had spent too much on the war with Elvrande.


    The amount of money that the Bagran royal family spent to support Zaium’s war easily exceeded ten million.


    If Leobold had not lent them money, they would have been in serious trouble.


    It was a relief that Bagran was not rted to the famine that some countries bordering Elvrande’s territory were suffering from.


    The elves nted branches of Yggdrasil on thend they acquired this time, and the branches began to suck up the surrounding energy as if they had promised.


    Considering that there was no such effect on the branches of Yggdrasil originally, it was possible to assume that the elves had yed some trick.


    Several countries that suffered from crops drying up before harvest protested, but it seemed meaningless.


    Zaium should have stepped in on this issue, but as always, they were busy with strife and civil war and could not provide proper support.


    In the midst of this, Baron Vandus, who finally appeared on the royal road, became a minor issue.


    The nobles on the royal road looked at the tall man who got off the airship with interest.


    “I’m seeing him for the first time in person, but he looks quite manly.”


    “He’s a lucky guy. He was pressured by the silver mine, but Ohmel, that idiot, messed up by himself.”


    “Well, I don’t know if you can call it luck. He loaded Goliath on an airship and stormed into his territory in one breath. Of course, he must have used various traps and magic…”


    “Anyway, there was no proper battle. I can’t ept that.”


    As always, rumors were inted and distorted.


    Leobold’s reputation was very bad because of his malice towards Leobold in the Sagris silver mine.


    But not everyone hated him, and there were some favorable eyes as well.


    They were mostly youngdies from noble families.


    “Is there anyone else in his family who has the surname Vandus? Then there will be no one to nag him.”


    “He’s a bit old, but he has a great physique and looks like a good husband material.”


    “His appearance is not bad either, and most importantly, he has a lot of money…”


    “I wonder if he has any ns to move up to the royal road and live there instead of being stuck in his rural territory.”


    Some of the great nobles had arranged marriages, but most of the youngdies went to marry suitable nobles around them.


    It was good forworking as well.


    The opinion of the youngdies was nothing but irrelevant, but if the other party was Baron Vandus, their families would not oppose it much.


    Of course, that was assuming that he would live on the royal road.


    The youngdies who were ustomed to Rozelon on the royal road hated going to rural territories where transportation was inconvenient and there were no amenities.


    Recently, airships were popr, but they were not a means of transportation that anyone could use.


    Even ordinary youngdies were shocked by the maintenance cost of airships.


    ‘How rich is Baron Vandus who rides an airship like a horned carriage?’


    ‘He has an amethyst mine, a floating continent, a silver mine… He may have a low rank, but he has a lot of money. I’ll catch him for sure this time.’


    But their attempts to make contact with him failed.


    It was not because an official from the pce took him away right away.


    There was a maid next to him.


    She had a dazzling appearance even in in clothes that made other youngdies feel inferior.


    Moreover, she was very tall and matched well with the baron.


    The youngdies muttered that she was just a maid, but they could not deny her shining beauty.


    Baron Vandus’s appearance was followed by Count Lantis and his knights, but they did not be much of an issue.


    He had a political alliance with Princess Eolin and often visited the pce while neglecting his territory because of internal strife and civil war. There was no reason for him to be an issue.


    But when Duke Prozhan from Zaium appeared, the whole royal road stirred up.


    “Duke Prozhan is one of the great lords in Zaium, right? Why did hee here in person?”


    “ording to rumors, his beloved knight was captured in this war and he came to get him back.”


    “Oh no. Did Granden Count capture him?”


    “Granden Count was in the pce until recently…”


    “Then did Baron Vandus capture him himself?”


    “He had Goliath in his barony, but he fought against a Bephar-ss. That’s amazing. Of course, he must have used various traps and magic…”


    “He’s not only rich, but also good at fighting…”


    The youngdies regretted that they should have caused an ident with a horned carriage and tried to catch him, but Leobold had already entered the pce.


    A meeting hosted by Prince Ruad was held in the pce.


    ***


    Duke Prozhan narrowed his eyes and looked at Baron Vandus who was sitting across from him.


    His ether sensitivity was not as impressive as he expected.


    It was not ordinary, but it was not enough to capture Emil.


    ‘Did Emil make a mistake, or was the baron well prepared?’


    He thought he could easily crush a mere baron of Bagran and sent Emil, but he never expected him to be captured.


    Whatever the reason, Emil’s capture was an undeniable fact and he had to prepare for the next step.


    Duke Prozhan considered getting Emil back as a settled matter.


    There were not many nobles who could oppose him at this point.


    However, he did not see the need to cooperate with Count Lantis afterwards.


    ‘Eolin is fine, but he was surprisingly ipetent. He left the war to Ohmel, that fool.’


    He thought he would take action himself, but he was too timid because of Prince Ruad’s opposition.


    He probably did not expect him to load Goliath on an airship.


    Anyway, he lost and lost Ohmel Viscount.


    Duke Prozhan quietly listened to the fight disguised as a negotiation between them.


    “…I admit your victory. But I cannot ept you upying the viscounty. I will give you a reasonablepensation, so withdraw immediately.”


    “I can’t do that. The viscount is dead and I have already secured the administrative rights. It’s a territory with a lot of potential for development, but it’s a pity that it has been under ipetent rule until now. I have to change that.”


    “Are you saying that I abandoned a territory with high potential!”


    “I just said that Ohmel Viscount was ipetent.”


    “I appointed him! Ohmel was not my favorite guy, but he was still my knight! You killed my knight and not only that, you annihted his family!”


    “By the way, let me tell you that I didn’t kill them all.”


    Count Lantis, who had been spewing out his anger like a volcano, paused for the first time.


    “What did you say?”


    “As you seem to care so much about Ohmel Viscount. You don’t have to worry. His rtives are alive. There were about thirty of them. I can return them to you anytime you want.”


    As Leobold said this, Count Lantis had nothing to say.


    He had assumed that Ohmel’s family had been annihted and nned to pressure him with his cruel tactics, but now he had to take care of them.


    Prince Ruad knew this would happen and quietly opened his mouth.


    “It is your duty as a lord to take care of your knight’s family. I will mediate this matter, so Count Lantis, be prepared to ept Ohmel Viscount’s rtives. They will be happy too.”


    The Duke Prozhan looked amusedly at the face of the Count Lantis, who was on the verge of exploding with rage.


    ‘He provoked him to draw out his statement? While hiding their very existence?’


    If it were Zaium, he would have executed or enved them all.


    But the method of the Baron Vandus was not bad either.


    The Count Lantis was speechless at the moment.


    He must have hated to hear that he was a lord who abandoned his vassal’s loyalty.


    ‘But this is not enough to make him back down.’


    The Ohmel Viscounty, which bordered the Obgong River, was a ce that anyone would covet, with its vastnd and rtively abundant resources.


    It would not be strange if the Count Lantis annexed it directly.


    But everyone was stunned by what Leobold said.


    “If you still do not agree, my lord, I will attack two other territories. The Ohmel Viscounty was not the only one that participated in this war.”


    The Count Lantis, who barely regained his senses, suppressed his anger and opened his mouth.


    “You want to attack the Barony of Pindor and another territory…? Do you really want to fight me?”


    “I have the justification. The two territories are directly involved in this war. Please do not forget that.”


    The Count’s fist clenched and trembled.


    ‘It’s over. I didn’t expect him to threaten me like this.’


    What was surprising was that the threat worked.


    From the Count’s perspective, losing the Barony of Pindor as well would mean facing the Baron Vandus directly.


    He had no choice but to keep a buffer zone between them.


    ‘He is not bluffing about continuing the war. He barely suffered any damage.’


    Rather, it would be more urate to say that his territory’s power increased with the addition of the knight Grunden.


    It seemed that he had also joined forces with the mercenaries who were stationed nearby.


    He took advantage of the Count’s distraction while he appealed to Bagran III.


    The Duke Prozhan looked at the Baron Vandus with interest.


    ‘He is more of a ckmailer than a negotiator.’


    He created the situation and then dragged his opponent into an irresistible offer.


    He looked like a cunning beast.


    The Count Lantis had been confident that he could deal with him until before this meeting, but the situation was not so.


    His voice lost its strength and Prince Ruad had already set the tone for concluding the negotiation.


    “Baron Vandus is right. He has both justification and power. But the Count cannot just retreat like this, can he?”


    As a great lord who ruled over the eastern part of Bagran, he had to at least maintain his dignity.


    Leobold had no intention of doing so, but he decided topromise considering Prince Ruad’s position.


    “I will give you ten Goliaths that I acquired this time. And I will give you a thousand gold from the Barcy. As a gesture of gratitude for taking care of Ohmel’s vassal.”


    It was almost like a threat, telling him not to think otherwise and take it as living expenses.


    The Count red at him, but his eyes were drained.


    “Is that how you n to shut me up?”


    “The choice is yours. I don’t care either way.”


    His words implied that he would resume the war if he refused, and the Count closed his eyes.


    The situation was chaotic and both domestic and foreign affairs were not good.


    He could not afford to continue the war.


    More than anything, he was afraid that the Duke Prozhan would not say a word.


    Prince Ruad nodded his head.


    “It seems that the Count has epted it, so let’s end this war here. I will prepare the documents, so please stamp them yourself.”


    As officials entered, the atmosphere in the meeting room became somewhat uneasy.


    The Duke Prozhan finally asked Leobold quietly.


    “What happened to Emil?”


    “He is fine. He doesn’t skip meals or anything. I guess you could say he is okay.”


    “That’s not what I’m asking. How did you capture him? You didn’t fight with that flimsy Raom-ss Goliath or whatever it is.”


    “It’s actually Jagan-ss. And as for the battle, why don’t you ask him yourself?”


    “You’re telling me to back off from this matter. Do you think I’ll ept it easily?”


    “I think you’ll make a good judgment on who will benefit you more.”


    Benefit…


    The Duke Prozhan pondered and Leobold muttered as if talking to himself while stamping.


    “I’ll return your knight, but I’ll keep your Goliath.”


    “You want to swallow up a Bepar-ss Goliath? You have a big appetite.”


    “Isn’t the most important thing talent, not wealth?”


    “Talent… You’re not wrong.”


    He looked much better than the Count Lantis, who was a big bluffer.


    The agreement was finally over and the Duke Prozhan reached out to him.


    “Leobold Vandus, was it? You impressed me in many ways. I’d like to invite you to my territory sometime.”


    “I’d appreciate it if there was such an opportunity. I’ll return your High Knight soon.”


    “Thank you.”


    The negotiation was concluded with that.


    Leobold went to the reception room to have tea with Prince Ruad, but he met Princess Eolin, who suddenly appeared.


    She moved her arm before Prince Ruad could say anything.


    She seemed to intend to p him, but Leobold caught her hand.


    “Nice to meet you, Princess Eolin. The royal family of bagran is very bold these days. You greet a lowly country noble like me first.”


    “Le… Let go of me?”


    Eolin clenched her teeth and tried to pull her arm out, but she was no match for his strength.


    Leobold smiled slyly and kissed her hand lightly.


    “I hope to see you again at the Duke Prozhan’s territory. I’ll give you a splendid dress that suits you as a gift. Well…”


    Leobold let go of her hand and passed by, and Eolin felt her breath quicken, but she couldn’t say anything.


    She heard that he had made some kind of promise with the Duke Prozhan.


    And he even offered to give her a dress.


    She couldn’t just push him away.


    Prince Ruad, who was watching from behind, clicked his tongue at his skillfulness.


    ‘He ys with people on his palm.’


    It was possible because the situation favored him, but he was the one who created the situation in the first ce.


    Prince Ruad realized through this meeting that he needed to pull Baron Vandus to his side.


    He didn’t know what kind of ability he had, but he was much better than the average nobles from what he had shown so far.


    ‘Maybe there was a reason why the saintess chose him as the hero.’


    He might be the real hero, but he didn’t care much.


    ‘The problem is whether his goal matches mine… I’ll have to ask him today.’


    He might as well get his oath of loyalty while he was at it.


    The title of Viscount would be enough as a reward.


    Prince Ruad quickened his pace as he felt a pressure on his neck.


    ***


    The territorial war that started with the pretext of Sagris silver mine finally ended.


    The actual battle was very short, but the preparation and aftermath were quite long.


    The joy and sorrow of both sides werepletely reversed.


    The Count Lantis had to settle for getting ten Goliaths and a thousand gold at best.


    He had achieved the feat of bringing the vassal of the Viscounty of Ohmel, but to others, he was nothing but a headache.


    What would they do with a noble who had no proper title or territory?


    He had to maintain his dignity, but he was likely to be a parasite who only ate up living expenses.


    And the Count Lantis had to take care of dozens of such parasites.


    On the other hand, the Bar of Leobold had gained a huge profit.


    He swallowed the whole Ohmel Viscounty and secured six Goliaths.


    ording to the rumors from the royal pce, he also made friends with the Duke Prozhan from Zaium, which was not a small benefit.


    And the most important thing was his reputation.


    Through this war, he earned a name that he was a match for the Count Lantis.


    His name was so big in the eastern part of Bagran that even the Baron of Pindor hurriedly sent his greetings.


    Compared to that, the title of Bar was trivial.


    And Bultoren, a dwarf who had worked in the Ohmel Viscounty for almost 20 years, did not think much of Leobold Vandus either.


    “I don’t care what you say. I made a contract with Ohmel’s father, not with you.”


    It was not known why he, who should have been in Imir Republic, was in a territory of Bagran.


    He was close to 150 years old, and he insisted on going back to his homnd despite the persuasion of other officials.


    Leobold agreed to let him go without hesitation.


    “I won’t stop you. You’ve worked hard, so I’ll pay you until this month.”


    Leobold handed him a pouch full of silver coins.


    “Thanks for that.”


    Bultoren wrinkled his dirt-stained face and grabbed the pouch.


    He would have ended his rtionship with him if he had left as it was, but he did not.


    Instead, he lingered around the newly built Goliath hangar and dockyard.


    He was curious because he heard rumors that there were new technologies that he couldn’t see even in Imir Republic.


    Leobold did not pay attention to him and was busy talking with Elwin and others.


    “It’s called living metal. I imported it through Denova, but it originally came from Elvrande.”


    “The elves allowed you to export it?”


    “Denova must have used some influence. It’s a pity that they got smashed by the dragon this time.”


    “It’s amazing to see it change shape. You’ll be caught off guard if you don’t know.”


    “The real important thing is the property of this metal. It’s hard to destroy by any means that exist in Astera.”


    “Wow. I’ve never heard of that before.”


    “I tested it Countier and it doesn’t melt no matter how high I raise the furnace temperature. It’s an amazing metal.”


    “Isn’t that enough without arge magic circle?”


    “I’ll have to test it with Stephinater.”


    Dwarves were known as a race with keen ears after elves.


    They said that dwarves grabbed a hammer before they cried when they were born.


    It was amon prejudice in Astera, but it was not far from the truth.


    In Imir Republic, one could hear the sound of hammers hitting anvils anywhere and anytime.


    They even said that if one couldn’t handle all the metals in Astera, one was not a dwarf cksmith.


    Bultoren couldn’t stand it anymore and interrupted their conversation.


    “Sorry. What did you say about living metal? It doesn’t melt no matter how high you raise the furnace temperature? Where is there such a metal in the world?”


    Leobold looked at the short dwarf and turned his head.


    “Elwin, let’s go over there and talk.”


    “Ah, yes.”


    Bultoren’s stomach boiled at his dismissive attitude.


    They were talking about metal in front of a dwarf. It was intolerable.


    He grabbed Leobold’s back and said,


    “Hey! Wait a minute! Talk to me!”


    “What is it?”


    “You said something about living metal! Let me see it!”


    “I don’t want to entrust it to an outsider…”


    His sly attitude made Bultoren explode.


    “Damn! Can’t I just stay here? Make a new contract with me! Will that do?”


    Leobold finally nodded slowly.


    “Thene this way and sign the contract.”


    “Can’t you show me that living metal first?”


    “I’ll show you as much as you wantter. By the way, I also improved the ether engine of the airship a little bit…”


    “What? You improved it without the help of those pointy-eared bastards?”


    They talked loudly and walked away, and Elwin finally understood the situation.


    It seemed that the word ‘offer’ did not exist in the lord’s head.