Episode 9: Even though the Kingdom of Grandia is not a large country, it would take three or four days to travel from McLane Territory in the southwestern corner to Kyle Territory in the western end, Logan’s primary destination, even if you ride a course horse without stopping.
So, it could be said that staying on the street for a few days was a must.
Tick.
The force that moved according to Logan’s hand gesture instantly emitted heat and ignited the bonfire.
Even though he couldn’t transform into various attributes like a wizard, he was able to manage instantaneous heat.
Of course, this was also a feat that became possible after the creation of the Force Core.
‘okay. Like this, the future has already changed. So you can do it.’
Crackling.
Logan used the sound of the bonfire as a lullaby and lay down on a makeshift bed made of grass blades with the starlight covering the night sky as a blanket.
Although it was my first time experiencing homelessness in this life, it was a familiar experience that I had repeated countless times in my previous life.
Moreover, compared to my previous life, the current situation was very comfortable.
‘If you think about it, the kingdom during this period also has some good points. At least in terms of security…’
Even in the neighboring country, the Empire, robber gangs including Force users were common, but such incidents were rare in this country.
It was the result of a combination of traditional culture with excessive fantasies about knights and the sense of authority of nobles who wanted strong control over them.
If Logan was already above the level of an ordinary low-level knight, at least he didn’t have to worry about his safety when moving along the Guandu.
Clumsy robbers would not even approach Logan just by looking at the noble symbol engraved on his armor.
However, even if your body is comfortable, your mind should not be that way either.
‘This is not the time to get lost in unnecessary sentimentality. Come to your senses. First of all, the issue of the territory….’
The McLane family was more than 70% financially dependent on the Kairos family, the family head’s in-laws.
Even if he invested all of the 3 million gold he obtained through the breakup of the engagement into repaying his debt, he could not maintain his territory without the support of Kairos.
The problem was that it was difficult to come up with a fundamental solution due to the current circumstances of the McLane territory.
‘In this situation, we need to achieve financial independence and increase the territory’s troops, right? ‘Damn it.’
Until about 200 years ago, the McLane family was an earldom family that encompassed a vast territory extending to the neighboring Viscounty of Thethron, the Viscounty of Sylvan to the northwest of Thethron, the Viscounty of Ferretta to the south, and the Plains of Bypros beyond.
He was revered as the conqueror and Lord of the southwestern region of the Kingdom of Grandia.
However, due to the large, beautiful and vicious actions of the ancestors for three generations, from the time of the great-uncle four generations ago to the current head of the family, Patrick McLane, the title was demoted and the size of the territory was reduced to an indescribable level.
Those who were vassals divided their fiefdoms, became independent, and rose to the same or higher status.
In the end, there was even talk about confiscation of the title, and if the current head of the family, Padric McLane, had not become a senior knight at the time, the title would have been forfeited.
But even that was already quite late.
The most important granary in the kingdom, called McLane Plain, fell into the hands of its most powerful vassal.
The other usable land was also shared by other vassals, and the place they flocked to as if they were driven out was the rough and dry land near the southern mountain range.
It was originally the starting point of a family with a long history, but after it became the family of Count McLane, it was nothing more than a fortress to block monsters coming down the southern mountains.
There were no special products, and there were no copper mines, which were generally common in territories adjacent to high mountain ranges.
Therefore, there were only a few agricultural products produced on its own, and the finances were strained just to maintain troops to block the monsters that occasionally came down the mountain range.
To be precise, the current state of the McLane family was such that it was difficult to maintain without the support of the Kairos family.
‘If things continue like this, even if we win the territory war, we will have to reach out to Kairos again.’
In order to break that fundamental vicious cycle, a large amount of money was first needed no matter what.
The amount of money that Logan has now is so much that it feels ridiculous.
So, Logan was planning to increase the money he had now.
Of course, he didn’t have any special talents, but if he wasn’t good at it, he could just leave it to someone who was good at it.
Logan knew someone whose ability and credibility would be tested in the future.
‘We must ensure that it is a continuous income for the family.’
A talent who can increase the amount of money they currently have and manage that money on an ongoing basis to further inflate their profits.
Both of them were in Kyle, the largest trading city in the kingdom where they were going now.
‘And the items that need to be prepared for the territory battle.’
In many ways, going to Kyle was a necessity at this point, and he was thinking of investing more than half of his money there.
‘The money needed to scout Philip and the cost of purchasing them. Even more than 1.5 million is worth investing in.’
It was an idea that would have made Dwayne laugh if he had known.
* * *
“Welcome to Kyle, the largest trading city!”
The guard, who saw the flame symbol on the palm-sized silver identification card, took a step back and saluted.
As I passed the guards and entered the gate, the loud sounds of the city disturbed my ears from the moment I entered.
‘This is it…’
“Here, underwear made from imperial silk costs only 10 gold~!”
“It’s a famous leather in the North. It’s currently very popular in Grand…”
“Fresh fruit from the South…”
Logan was slightly impressed by the bustling streetscape, which made him feel that the McLane estate was a rural corner of the southwest. shed.
In McLane, the castle was where engineers and special people stayed, and most of the territory’s residents lived in pioneer villages outside the castle.
It had been a long time since Logan had seen such a complex castle landscape. Or should I say it was my first time?
Logan had also been to the imperial trading city called Night City, but that was a story from his past life.
‘Well, anyway, now is not the time to be sentimental.’
Without even having time to admire the scenery of a big city he had never seen before in his life, Logan quickly walked away.
‘The third alley from the government office. Kyle’s night.’
I was fortunate that it was no different from my memories from my previous life.
‘Kyle’s Night’, which is both a tavern and an inn, is located in a little corner away from the noisy central street.
However, in terms of scale, it was a five-story mansion larger than any inn on Central Street.
The huge building, which could easily be considered a nobleman’s salon, had a nameplate on it that read ‘Kyle’s Night – Inn’.
Logan went inside without hesitation.
It rattled.
“Owner! Here’s another beer!”
“Here’s half a wild boar!”
As soon as I opened the door, a loud noise rang out.
The first floor of the inn and tavern was lined with various groups of drunk people from broad daylight.
‘It’s still the same here.’
This was an inn where rough mercenaries stayed together as a group, and it was a much louder and noisier lodging than a typical inn.
“Hey, sister, what time is it today? Is it very expensive?”
match!
“Do these two bastards want to die!”
“No, this bitch…!”
Shout out loud.
“Hahaha! Yes. Fight, fight!”
“The person who loses is asking for money! If you don’t like it, don’t fight!”
“Wow! I’m betting on the hairy guy!”
The first floor of a hectic and noisy inn.
Logan went straight to the counter, breaking through the smell of savory meat, the cool smell of alcohol, and the musty smell hidden by those good smells.
At the counter, which doubles as a bar, a pot-bellied middle-aged man with a friendly appearance smiled and welcomed new customers.
“Welcome! How can I help you? Accommodation? Alcohol? Or food?”
“First of all, three days’ worth of accommodation. It also includes breakfast.”
“5 gold per night. Meal costs separately. Is that okay?”
“Good. And…”
There was another reason why Logan bothered to come to this noisy and noisy inn.
‘As the owner of an inn used by mercenaries, I am very familiar with news from the territory.’
The owner had some connection to every guild or group that existed in Kyle.
“I have a small favor to ask.”
“Huh? Well, if it’s something I can do.”
The owner’s answer was rough.
widely.
The moment a 5-gold coin was raised, his attitude changed completely.
“Tell me anything. I will help you in any way I can.”
“It’s my first time here, and there’s someone I’m looking for.”
“Ah. Yes, that’s what I specialize in.”
The main purpose of coming to Kyle’s territory was to find one person and make one request.
Since requests can be made at any time, I thought it would be better to find someone first.
And the fastest way to find someone in this city was to find them here.
* * * Ares Empire, the most powerful nation on the continent.
A country with a strong centralization system and a country based on merit supremacy.
It was a country where anyone, regardless of age or gender, could become an official as long as they had the skills and could enjoy power and wealth.
The qualification was even given to foreigners who were not from the empire.
A representative example was Philippe Claude from the Kingdom of Grandia, who was considered one of the ten greatest merchants of the empire and was nicknamed ‘The Golden Beetle’.
He was one of the great merchants who ran the empire and the largest war merchant on the continent, called a traitor by the refugees of the Kingdom of Grandia.
He was called a gold merchant in front of his face, and a golden bug when he was out of sight.
Even though he was criticized, he supported the refugees of his hometown and was the hero of a miracle that eventually created the autonomous territory of Grandia by mobilizing gold and power.
‘And we also secretly provided funds to our independence army.’
Logan knew that his hometown and the place where he spent his youth was the Kyle Territory of the Kingdom of Grandia.
In addition, I clearly remembered that regardless of his political actions, he was a perfect merchant whose skills and credibility were known to all continents.
‘Is that… really that guy?’
Logan tilted his head and walked towards the young man.
“Dirty bastards… what are you going to do… damn it?”
Philip raised his head because he felt like if he continued to keep his head down, tears would come out again.
The sky outside the window was clear, but that only made it more gloomy.
Stories of merchants who were scammed and lost money overnight were common in the world, but they never imagined that they would be the main characters.
I felt like I was alone in another world.
‘Should I just die…’
Philip laughed and lowered his head again, remembering the countless worries he had had over the past month.
If I wanted to die, I would have died already.
He was a coward who did not even have the courage to die.
Out of frustration, I thought about just wandering around, but I had no strength in my legs due to the feeling of despair.
“Hmm hmm. Excuse me. Are you Philippe Claude?”
An unfamiliar voice came to Philip’s ears.
I raised my head and looked at the other person, and a young man with red hair and red eyes with a very unusual appearance caught my eye.
The red eyes watching him were burning with some kind of earnest desire.
The gaze was so intense that I didn’t even care about the dust on the old half-plate armor and gaiters.
“Yes, that’s right, but… who are you…?”
As I nodded and answered, that intense gaze became even stronger.
“Oh, you’re right. You have wonderful eyes, just like I heard.”
The young man, who smiled brightly while praising his unique gray eyes that could not be called handsome at all, came closer.
Philip instinctively took a step back.
The deep emotions on his face were that of Philip, a merchant. It was an emotion I had seen countless times.
It was greed.
That emotion, rarely seen in people who were new to it, fueled sinister imagination.
It was clear to Philip that even if he sold the only small commercial building he had left, he would not be able to repay his debt.
In the end, the slaves I expected it to happen, but…
– Gray eyes are unique. The price must be higher. Why are they there?…
The moment the words of the loan sharks I overheard passed through my mind, I got goosebumps all over my body.
The timing of their appearance was also good. Just like that, now that I look at his old equipment, he looks just like a mercenary gangster.
‘No way…?’
Philip prayed in his heart that it would not be just that.
He had an ominous feeling as if his last dignity as a human being would be damaged.
Philip unconsciously adjusted his torn collar and flinched. It felt as if bright red eyes were groping his whole body,
giving him goosebumps. “What’s going on ?
The repayment date hasn’t arrived yet? The money from the sale of the shopping mall will not be received until three days later, so please come back then.”
“Oh, I didn’t come to collect a debt…”
“Even if I become a slave, I will never, ever do anything like that.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t want to write. I know how to read and write. There is also knowledge of the commercial world. Even if you become a slave, you will still be useful to the ‘other side’. I will never do ‘that’ job.”
“What can I say now…”
“Ah anyway, the sale price hasn’t even arrived yet! Please go back!”
Philip was waving his hands wildly and yelling, and the young man in front of him chuckled and shook his head.
“I’m not here to take money, but to invest money.”
“Yes?”
Philip . was embarrassed in a different way than before.
“…Are you talking to me?”
“Yes.”
“…This is a ruined top?”
“Yes. So, it will be easier to invest.”
A confident attitude and a confident smile.
The youthful heat in the red eyes gave a completely different feeling than before.
Only then was Philip able to properly understand the situation.
‘You’re just a crazy bastard… .’
