Episode 60
“Proper rest is a waste of time. After all, people have to squeeze in.”
“Huh? Why are you suddenly saying such scary things?”
Dwayne, who was gathering the approved documents, asked with a cold expression.
“Oh no. Something absurd happened.”
The more Logan pondered over his betrayal, the more difficult the daily life of a dwarf in the workshop became.
Although minor variables arose in the production of the crossbow, there were no major problems overall.
No, on the contrary, development has become faster.
Hamar, whose entire eyelids had turned dark due to the darkening of the shadows under his eyes, had made crossbows for all the soldiers in a matter of weeks.
Thanks to this, the soldiers’ training began to gain more momentum.
Above all, the biggest achievement was that residents of both provinces were able to move into McLane Town, where residential facilities for 10,000 households were completed, as planned.
“Wow! Mom! Is this our house?!”
“Wow! It’s big! Do we really live here?”
“Yes, I guess so. How could this be…”
A woman with a nursing baby on her back and forth shed tears as she heard the children’s words.
A two-story wooden house.
The small size of each floor (maybe 20 pyeong or not) and the awkward layout of being right next to the surrounding houses were not important.
Compared to the holey thatched hut I had lived in all my life, it was like a palace.
“I was wondering how we would survive this winter. I’m really, really fortunate.”
The tears that flowed down her face were tears of relief shed by someone who had been pushed to the edge of a cliff and was greeted by a ray of light.
“But mom…”
“Huh. Huh? Why baby?”
“Can dad come to my house?”
“…Okay. If Anna listens to her mother, eats well, and grows well, her father will come home safely.”
“Really? Really?”
“okay.”
A conversation between my four-year-old sister and her mother.
My eldest 12-year-old son, who now knew a little about death, looked up at the sky and covered his eyes.
After seeing that, the child’s mother clutched her cold heart again.
Until a few months ago, all I could think about was whether I should follow my dead husband and die.
‘We give them food and a house like this. They gave me land to cultivate….’
Now I have hope for survival.
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
She repeatedly bowed her head to the nobles far away who could neither see nor hear.
The feelings of resentment towards the nobles who started the unnecessary war seemed to be diluted a little.
Since most of those who had migrated had relatively difficult lives in the two existing provinces, everyone cheered and was satisfied with the new settlement.
Although not every single voice was heard, those small voices resonated throughout the town, creating an overall bright atmosphere.
The person they were so thankful for was also clearly feeling that atmosphere.
“It seems to be getting more lively with more people. It’s nice to see.”
Logan nodded at Clayton’s words.
“But it needs to be bigger. I still see more space to build a house.”
McLane Town will become the center of a territory that will continue to grow.
Logan smiled brightly as he looked down on the town from the top of the magic tower.
* * *
“The construction of the village is now complete, and the promised quantity of crossbows will be completed by the end of this month.”
“Okay. Good job.”
“….”
“Why aren’t you going out?”
“That’s me…”
“Oh, that’s right. I have to give you this.”
thud.
In front of Hamar, who hesitated, Logan put down a huge silver metal block.
“What is all this?”
“Well, it’s mithril. Make some weapons for the knights.”
“….”
“Why? Isn’t handling rare metals romantic for dwarves?”
“Mmm… romantic….”
“Why not?”
“Oh no. Phew… it’s romantic, right?”
“Right? Of course! Then, enjoy your vacation to the fullest. Six months will do, right?”
“Huh? Vacation? Plus six months?!”
“I gave it to you for a really long time, but you don’t like it?”
“How can you not like poetry? Absolutely not! Thank you!”
“Yes. Have fun processing mithril and enjoy a true romance. I’m looking forward to seeing how great the weapon will be.”
“…Yes? A weapon…?”
“That would be great. A romantic vacation with mithril. 80 in six months would be enough, right?”
“Ha… Mr. Lee….”
“What?”
“Oh no.”
The dwarf, who lowered his head, was unable to say anything even though his fists were shaking.
Spring is coming.
Preparations for the leap were proceeding step by step.
* * *
“The reclamation process is progressing smoothly. If anything, the downside is that there is a lack of manpower compared to the land area.”
“That doesn’t matter, does it?”
“That’s right. I think we can really look forward to this year’s production.”
The bald head of food officer Rugel Heiss sparkled with a bright smile in the spring sunlight.
His smile clearly spoke of the current atmosphere in McLane.
“Rumors about our plains and town are spreading to other regions.”
“what?”
When Logan showed more interest than expected in the casual conversation, Rugel looked a little puzzled and added an explanation.
“…Yesterday, a dozen refugees came to town. Looking at them, they looked like they were slash-and-burn farmers, but I heard a rumor from the merchant who supplies us with food.”
“Hmm. That’s faster than I thought.”
“Yes. Since they are refugees, I think I just came here out of curiosity.”
Most of the commoners of this era belonged to countries and fiefdoms and lived by paying taxes with the income they earned through their work.
However, just as every ruler could not be wise, not every territory was a place worth living in.
In places where there was a tyrannical lord or a war broke out, the people of the territory often left the territory and hid in the mountains when life became difficult.
Even though they lived in the mountains by slash-and-burn, if they reached a limit or were caught by another ruler, they became nomads who wandered around indefinitely in search of a place to make a living.
It hasn’t been announced to the outside world yet, but if they come here just because they heard a rumor that a large plain has been created, they must be in a particularly serious situation.
And if those people gradually increase….
“Huh….”
“Why are you laughing so scary?”
Dwayne, who was standing next to Logan, asked, shaking with inexplicable anxiety.
“Nothing.”
“I guess it’s nothing?”
“Don’t worry. Anyway, you accepted all the refugees, right?”
“…yes.”
As long as there was surplus land, accepting refugees was not a problem.
“What should I pay attention to?”
“We have made everyone aware of the simple territorial laws and have made it clear that anyone who causes trouble will be expelled. We plan to deal with refugees who come in the same way in the future.”
“Good. Good job.”
“Something makes me uneasy…”
Logan just smiled, ignoring Dwayne’s muttering.
Rumors that McLane would also accept refugees quickly began to spread among the slash-and-burn farmers and peasants in the southwestern region of the kingdom.
A few more months later, when early summer arrived, the number of refugees who had already settled in the town had reached nearly 5,000.
As a result, the surrounding territories had no choice but to react sensitively to this trend.
* * *
“McLane Estate?”
“Yes. They say they have cleared the wasteland west of McLane Castle.”
“Huh. That rough land?”
Upon hearing his subordinate’s report, Viscount Max Ferretta could not hide his bewildered expression.
Last year, I was a little surprised when Tethron started a war for no reason, but was defeated by McLane and was eaten, but I thought it could be possible.
Because, if nothing else, Padrick McLane was a strong man who could not be ignored in terms of military power.
In addition, he was an insane person who managed over fifty knights in the barren Castle Macline.
At that time, it was thought that Haman Tethron had taken unreasonable measures in a territory that had nothing to eat.
But this time I couldn’t help but be surprised.
“Was that land that could be cultivated?”
“I was curious about that too, so I looked into it and it turned out that they drilled a hole in the mountain and brought in the water from the Luther River.”
“…Drilled a hole in the mountain? Haha. Did something crazy like that and reclaimed the wasteland?”
“Yes. I sent someone to investigate and it was confirmed to be true.”
“Hehehe. Regardless of how you came up with the idea to do such a thing, did you have the money to do such a project? In McLane?”
“There are rumors that there was a lot of extra money in Tethron, and there are rumors that the archduke there made money by engaging in some kind of business. There are also rumors that a gold mine exploded and that a thunderbolt of money fell from the sky…”
Max Perret Ta held out his hand to stop his subordinate.
“It doesn’t matter what these rumors are. Let’s just look at the revealed facts. The reclamation of the wasteland is certain, right?”
“Yes that’s right.”
“Then how much land do you think has been cleared? Compared to ours.”
“…I expect it to be at least three times more.”
“Hmm. Even considering that the base is a wasteland and the yield is somewhat low, it will be twice as much as us.”
“That’s right.”
If it was twice as much as the production of the Viscounty of Ferretta, which had a plain twice as wide as Tethron, it was an unbelievable level of production.
“That’s amazing…”
The neighboring estate suddenly became rich overnight.
If you only applaud and cheer after seeing this, you cannot be considered a true noble.
At least that was according to his common sense.
“Hmm. I guess I can’t just leave it like that… Can you come up with a justification?”
“There is no need to come up with a justification. Coincidentally, there are local residents who have run away to the pioneer village they are building. I think we can go in under the pretext of catching them.”
His subordinate Richard answered Viscount Ferrata’s question as if he had been waiting.
“Oh, our Yeongjimin? My property? Then I can confidently ask for it. What should I ask for in return?”
“As you wish, that land or the adjacent plains of Tethron would be nice, but the problem is…”
Richalt trailed off, but the Baron understood his words perfectly.
“Tsk. Okay. It could be dangerous to eat alone, right?”
Max Ferretta clicked his tongue but didn’t look too worried.
Viscount Peretta’s army was nothing compared to Tethron, which had been trampled by McLane.
The number of knights was over 120 and the number of regular soldiers was close to 2,000.
Additionally, there were two castles with a permanent population of close to 40,000.
In the plains adjacent to Tethron Castle, we could confidently say that we were the best in every aspect, including food and other matters.
but.
“Soto Sylvan. He’s caught.”
“That’s right. If you get hit in the back of the head, it’s going to hurt.”
“I’m glad the pain is over.”
Max Perretta clicked his tongue and thought of his rival to the north.
There was only one castle with the same title, but the troops gathered in that castle were not much different from the combined troops stationed in his two castles.
It was even similar to the fact that it was adjacent to Tethron, which has now become McLane’s territory.
It was an enemy whose mere existence was a nuisance.
“Damn, I’m in trouble. No matter how much I become a high-ranking knight, it’s still hard to beat Padric, right?”
“Ugh!”
Richalt’s complexion turned pale at the Viscount’s sudden energy, but he nodded.
“Yes. Padrick McLane became a senior knight 20 years ago. It would be difficult for the Viscount to stop it himself. If you’re going to hit the McLine alone, you’re going to have to lose a lot of blood. In the meantime, if Sylvan targets the back…”
“Yes, I think the same thing. “I definitely like you.”
“Your Majesty.”
At first glance, you might think he was ignoring the monarch, but Max Ferretta was not only greedy, but also cautious.
No matter how much McLane’s last name increased, one year was already enough. Although I believed that it would not be enough to make up for the damage done, I also wanted to prepare for one possibility.
“Contact Viscount Sylvan. The tax rate there is just as high as ours. I’m sure he ran away quite a bit there too. Isn’t that right?”
“Of course. It’s obvious what these idiots think.”
Both Ferretta and Sylvan were fiefdoms that levied the highest tax rates among the kingdom’s fiefdoms amounting to 70%.
If they were to attract them, they could easily swallow up McLane.
‘It is a union of two Viscounties. McLane will have to choose between losing all of it or losing most of it.’
Max Ferretta felt like he had already taken over a land flowing with honey.
“If you try to claim that the tax rate is low right now, it’s obvious that it will eventually go up after the land is cleared.” Tsk tsk, you pathetic worms. “I can only see one inch ahead.”
“Isn’t that the limit of commoners?”
“Yes. So we are the rulers. Well, I like it. Do it.”
“Yes!”
“It’s a waste to share, but there’s nothing we can do.”
“It’s a wise choice.”
Even if McLane is fine, or even if he’s stronger than before, the union of the two territories can never be prevented. No.
McLane’s rapid revival was nothing more than a meal prepared to be eaten.
At least that’s what everyone here thought.
