novelraw Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Chapter 55
“Let’s get to the main point now.”
“Ah, right. I got too carried away, didn’t I?”
“No, I understand your feelings. But we’ll have plenty of time to talk later. For now, let’s solve the pressing issues first.”
“That’s true.”
After calming her down first, I asked the question I had been curious about.
For me, and for our Johnson Territory, this was an extremely important matter.
“I heard that not only the Crimson Comet and Sir Irene are coming over here.”
“Yes, that’s right. Quite a lot of people are heading this way. Some even plan to settle here permanently.”
“Does that include you as well, Sir Irene?”
“Yes, me too. That’s why I brought along everyone I had ties with.”
So she really intended to settle in Johnson Territory.
This was no small matter at all.
“But it seems like the Lord of Haken thinks a little differently.”
“Ah, Father? Well, yes. But my thoughts haven’t changed.”
“I understand what you mean. But you also need to consider our position.”
First of all, the situation in Haken Territory itself was a problem.
If we accepted her, we’d end up in an awkward relationship with the Lord of Haken’s second wife’s side, the one that desperately coveted her.
And if they never gave up their claim to the position of Lord of Haken, I too would inevitably be troubled.
If things went according to order and the Lord of Haken’s first son became the lord, there’d be no issue. But life never flows in such a straightforward way.
Especially now, when the Lord of Haken himself couldn’t firmly put down his second son.
But even more important than that was the Lord of Haken himself.
At a glance, it was obvious he wanted Irene back, wasn’t it?
He had basically asked me to look after Irene for a while.
But this woman clearly had no intention of that, which meant only I, stuck in the middle, would be the one in trouble.
“Of course, this won’t be for free. I came prepared.”
When I hesitated without giving her a definite answer, Irene pulled out her trump card.
“Prepared?”
“Yes, the second wave is being led by Sister Selin. They should arrive in Johnson Territory in about four to five days.”
“The second wave? How many are we talking?”
“Hmm, about a thousand?”
“So that was true.”
“Thirty from the Crimson Comet, forty from the Horn Assault, and twenty-two Builders skilled in enchantment. On top of that, twelve knights and about fifty soldiers who were dissatisfied with the territory’s policies. Including their families, the total comes to that number.”
“Wait, did you say Horn Assault? And twenty-two Builders?”
Among the medium-class monsters that appeared in the Monster Mountains, the most representative ones were Ogres and Trolls. But in the regions near Haken Territory, the monster that represented the medium-class was the Minota.
Named after the Minotaurus, the Minota was a bipedal monster resembling a cow with two pairs of large horns.
It was slightly weaker than an Ogre, but its numbers were much higher, which constantly caused headaches for Haken Territory.
The large horns of the Minota were the best material for making horn bows.
Horn bows made from Minota horns were smaller and easier to carry compared to the longbows used in other territories, and their performance was overwhelming. Since Minota only lived around Haken, they were treated almost like a specialty of Haken Territory.
The archers of Haken, armed with those Minota horn bows, were the ‘Horn Assault.’ They were a different breed compared to the Rangers of Johnson Territory, but they were still a formidable force to be proud of.
And Irene had managed to bring as many as forty of them out of the territory.
That wasn’t all.
Twenty-two Builders—that was practically an entire school she had brought along.
And dragging along their entire families meant they truly intended to settle in Johnson Territory.
Irene had made up her mind completely.
Even I couldn’t help but waver at this point.
“That’s not all. Johnson Territory doesn’t seem very large, and things feel a bit haphazard. So, I also brought a legal officer, five legal assistants, and even an internal administrator. They too have cut ties with Haken Territory and will be settling here in Johnson Territory.”
This was another issue I had been struggling with.
Butler Harold was certainly a capable administrator, but the workload placed on him was far too much.
There simply weren’t enough people who could handle the administrative work of the territory.
For example, hadn’t it even been troublesome to find someone who could go to Haken Territory for contracts?
But now, with both an administrator and a legal officer, this would be a massive help.
And since these were people who had completely abandoned Haken Territory and even brought along their families, there was no reason to worry about betrayal either.
“And one more thing.”
“There’s more?”
“I also brought about a hundred Minota horn bows.”
“A hundred? Weren’t Minota horn bows strictly managed as strategic resources even in Haken?”
“Who cares? They were just gathering dust in storage anyway.”
“Huh…”
“And as a bonus, ten pairs of Mana Communicators. This is practically a clearance sale.”
Irene slammed down the horn bows and Mana Communicators, nailing the deal shut.
I was in the middle of training the Rabbit Tribe soldiers into Rangers, and if I armed them with horn bows, it would paint quite the picture.
Even the Rangers themselves would be able to equip superior bows.
Rangers armed with horn bows.
Now that I thought about it, that was extraordinary.
Lightweight, compact, and powerful—the Minota horn bow was the perfect match for Rangers.
And as for the Mana Communicators.
Not only would we be able to maintain real-time communication with Rangers sent out on reconnaissance missions, but it would also make coordination with the Lion Tribe much easier.
Especially since I had already requested military cooperation from them, we could even use this as a trump card when the territory was in danger.
“So? If I join Johnson Territory, all of this will be yours!”
“…Welcome, Sir Irene.”
This was a deal I had no choice but to accept.
Now I understood the Lord of Haken’s strange reaction.
He must have predicted this situation and realized I’d have no choice but to accept her.
‘So then, there’s only one real problem?’
If Irene refused the Lord of Haken’s request to return to Haken.
As long as we could resolve the friction between Johnson and Haken Territory that would arise from that, there was no reason to turn Irene away.
And Irene had already thought ahead about this matter.
“There’s just one condition to settle.”
“What is it?”
“The Northern Trade Route.”
“Ah, the one you mentioned briefly before?”
“Yes. For Haken Territory, this is a critical matter. If we can just open the Northern Trade Route, then Johnson Territory can’t be underestimated.”
“Well, sure, but… is that really possible?”
“I do have a plan. Of course, it won’t be easy right away.”
This woman was serious. Could this really be possible?
‘Besides, opening the Northern Trade Route isn’t the only issue, is it?’
Wouldn’t it be even more dangerous if Johnson Territory’s value skyrocketed too much?
“Military unification?”
“Of course, I trust Lord Uldea’s character. But when it comes to matters of a territory, personal feelings shouldn’t interfere. I’m sure that kind of talk will arise inside Haken.”
“Then let them talk.”
“What?”
“Is Johnson Territory some pushover? If Haken tries to pull something, they’ll have to rip out at least one or two of their pillars. And do you think the other great territories will just stand by and watch? I don’t think so.”
“The other great territories, huh.”
“And if it comes to that, I won’t sit still either. I already told you, didn’t I? I brought all my acquaintances here.”
Irene was serious.
She was even prepared to clash with her family.
Of course, only if Haken actually attempted a military provocation.
-Not wrong, is it?
‘True. Not a single word of it is wrong.’
No matter how different the scale, they couldn’t ignore our strength.
We had the power to cut off at least one limb of Haken Territory.
Considering the power dynamics of the great southern territories, Haken had little reason to act rashly.
Chances were high that we wouldn’t even need to clash with Haken.
“But Sir Irene, why Johnson Territory of all places? This isn’t exactly a grand territory.”
“I like it here. The people seem decent, the potential for growth is sufficient. And most importantly…”
“Most importantly?”
“Isn’t this the best place to become a Master? Just like Sister Leisha, this is a place with constant real battles.”
“That’s true.”
“I’m going to become a Master. So those worthless people can’t target me. And besides…”
“Besides?”
“Ah, no, never mind. Still, isn’t this more than enough reason for me to join Johnson Territory?”
A Master, huh.
Well, if her goal was to become a Master, there were few places better than Johnson Territory.
If she became a Master, not even the Lord of Haken could force anything upon her.
Especially, he could never tell her to quit being a knight.
‘In this case, I too have no choice but to accept Irene and the people from Haken Territory.’
-The result had already been decided. Only the master hadn’t admitted it yet.
Should I just accept this as the will of Lord Bestia?
Somehow it all felt maddening.
“I’ve decided to accept Sir Irene and her companions as members of our territory.”
“Told you, there was no other way.”
“In terms of both resources and manpower, it seems Sir Irene has truly made up her mind.”
“It was an offer impossible to refuse.”
I informed the people of the territory of the outcome.
That Irene and the people from Haken Territory were joining us.
In truth, if not for the issues tangled up with Irene, there was no reason to refuse the increase in population.
We had always been lacking in people.
Especially now, when the Beastman population had suddenly surged, we needed to increase the human numbers proportionately.
It wasn’t that I disliked Beastmen, but I had to remember I was the lord of humans.
If the population balance shifted too much toward the Beastmen, the existing residents might feel a sense of alienation.
‘Truly, bringing in manpower was impressive. To pull people out of Haken Territory without facing interference from the Lord of Haken.’
On this point, Irene had made a clever decision.
She had said so herself.
Everyone crossing over here were people dissatisfied with Haken Territory.
In other words, they were discontented elements. Because it was about offloading discontented elements, the Lord of Haken couldn’t stop it.
If they were normal members, soldiers, administrators, or legal officers, they would never have been allowed to leave so easily.
But in this case, maybe even the vested interests of Haken Territory had quietly supported it.
If they were discontented elements—awkward to execute yet troublesome to keep—then sending them out was the best choice.
-It means, despite appearances, she’s a shrewd female.
‘Her upright character is clear, but she’s not just a naïve woman.’
In that sense, Rudick wasn’t wrong in saying Irene was perfect as a lord’s wife.
Her character, her judgment, her perspective, even her looks.
And if she had a solid development plan like opening the Northern Trade Route, she’d govern the territory well.
-She’s different from that fierce lioness.
‘Why are you comparing Leisha and Irene too now?’
Had even this rabbit been brainwashed by the “sister-in-law supremacy” theory?
-But both females’ appearances are close to master’s tastes. Alluring physiques too.
‘What nonsense is this perverted rabbit spouting?’
-That’s a very important matter though?
‘Ugh, forget it.’
Now that Irene’s settlement in Johnson Territory was decided, what I had to pay attention to were the Builders she brought.
She said they were also skilled in enchantment, but Builders basically referred to construction-specialized mages.
That meant they were somewhat different from the Enchanters I wanted.
Of course, they were still indispensable professionals from our perspective, but how skilled they were in enchantments remained uncertain.
‘They need to be able to use all the magic circles we require.’
I’d have to meet the Builders directly to confirm this.