13 (82)

The mining complex appeared before Louis. Simple tents stretched endlessly in rows. The central road, clearly marked by the traces of carts passing over it countless times, connected deep into the interior. To the side, perhaps because the trees had been cleared, stumps with only their bases remaining were lined up in rows, and carts carrying something were placed here and there among them. Sitting on one cart, a middle-aged man was playing with his young son and daughter. The little girl slipped out of her father’s arms, chasing a butterfly, and trotted into the street. As she tried to catch the butterfly, perhaps hearing the sound of horse hooves, the girl froze. The butterfly disappeared over the girl’s head as if teasing her.

“A horse….”

The little girl pointed at Louis’s horse with her finger, as if trying to say something. The middle-aged man finally understood who had come, blinked, and then quickly ran toward the girl. Louis dismounted and picked up the little girl. At Louis’s action, the eyes of all the cavalrymen accompanying him widened. Louis looked at the little girl’s face. Though dirt was smeared on it, her round eyes and rosy cheeks were cute. Her eyes were watery, and she looked startled. Louis said to the knight beside him,

“Do I look frightening?”

“N-not at all. I will personally educate the child thoroughly, Your Majesty.”

Louis chuckled and took the little girl’s cheek, fiddling with it. Then he placed her on the horse. The horse snorted and stamped its foot once. It meant it disliked carrying anyone other than its master. However, when Louis immediately climbed onto the saddle, it became quiet. Before long, the middle-aged man who had approached knelt.

“I-I am sorry, Your Majesty. Please forgive me.”

“What are you referring to?”

“I beg for mercy for blocking your path.”

“Very well. I should punish you.”

He squeezed his eyes shut. Louis drove the horse forward.

“I will borrow your daughter until the center of the village.”

Louis carried the little girl and leisurely rode forward. The child, who had been frightened at first, soon seemed to realize that being on the horse was fun and began looking around while clinging closely to the horse’s mane.

“His Majesty!”

“His Majesty has come!”

A young man carrying a lump of metal on a back-frame saw Louis and shouted so. He immediately lowered his body and bowed his head. Even the soldiers awkwardly keeping watch by the fence saluted Louis. When dozens lowered themselves, it soon became hundreds, and before long, the entire village’s movements stopped. Louis looked around. The simple tents Louis had provided were of good quality and sturdy, so there were still no visible flaws in them. Farther inside, dozens of building sites had appeared, as if proper buildings were now being constructed in earnest. They were just beginning to rise.

Even farther inside, brick buildings had been completed and raised. Beside them, people gathered noisily, all bowing their heads. Perhaps even those who had been working were returning to the village, as people could be seen running swiftly from a distance. Around the huge fountain zone where water flowed out in the center, countless back-frames, soil, and piles of stones were heaped up. Women were there. Perhaps they had been in the middle of working, since several basket-like things used for sorting were lined up beside them. To the side, sorted gemstones were piled high. There were quite a few large ones as well. These were gemstones that were certain to be of tremendous help to Louis’s nation.

‘The two mines have begun operating properly. The amount of money that can be obtained is truly astronomical. Until they are depleted, this is a place capable of supporting the country.’

Christina appeared, having hurried over at some point. She was wearing simple clothing suited to this place. Even so, her fair skin and clear eyes resembled the bright weather here.

“You have come. I planned to visit you tomorrow morning.”

“I wanted to see with my own eyes how things were going.”

“It is embarrassing that this is all we have so far.”

“No. It is excellent.”

Her face visibly grew red. She took something out and presented it to Louis. Louis, who had dismounted, accepted it. It was a huge gemstone. A flawless, perfect lump of diamond. It was truly like a sun shining purely, and the little girl riding on the horse gasped in admiration. Christina glanced at the little girl.

“………?”

“It is an impressive gemstone.”

When Louis spoke, Christina, who had been looking at the little girl, looked at Louis and said,

“It is the most valuable gemstone among the harvest obtained this time. I prepared it separately because I thought it would please you.”

Louis placed the gemstone in the little girl’s hands. The little girl’s eyes widened.

“I like it. More than anything, I like the fact that this mine is forming well.”

When Louis said that, the people grew heated. Louis’s praise carried a weight on a different level from that of others. Telling a cavalryman to return the child to the middle-aged man she originally belonged to, Louis said,

“Let us go inside. There is something I need to discuss separately. Before that, this much courtesy is more than enough. I would like everyone to show me their natural state.”

The cavalryman looking at the little girl spoke.

“What should be done with the gemstone?”

“Sell it and reinvest it here.”

“I understand the rough plan. In short, you absolutely wish to end the war within three months while minimizing troop losses.”

Louis nodded. She looked as if she had fallen into thought for a moment.

“I will show you a new weapon, so visit Roswaf as planned. And you may take your hands off this place now. I will send another suitable person.”

“About… that suitable person, I have a request.”

“Speak.”

“Would you be able to place someone I recommend here? He is trustworthy.”

The value of this place would now become enormous. Naturally, among the nobles under Louis, there was no one who would not covet this place. However, Louis readily accepted.

“Thank you.”

“………”

“…….Thank you… truly….”

She suddenly choked up and began to shed tears. Of course, Louis was grateful as well. In the eyes of others, the crisis had seemed quite large, but by Louis’s standards, the country was rapidly expanding without any particular losses.

“You are welcome.”

Gradually, every house of the Duchy of Eron was gathering around Roswaf.

‘For now, I have to summon them one by one, but as the country gradually expands, a complete army of my own will be created.’

Currently, what Louis could call his own army was only the northern forces of the Duchy of Eron that he had absorbed during the House Pontina period. Summoning someone one by one was also inconvenient. Having to distribute merits if he won the war was also something of a problem. Did he want to resolve this inconvenience…? Then it was simple. He could invest points intensively into troop recruitment. He could build special recruitment centers and training centers and create troop types. Then it would become simple. But he did not do that. Those points had gone into developing siege weapons.

“Marquis Phillipeu James requests an audience.”

“Tell him to enter.”

Phillipeu James of House Phillipeu. The head of House Phillipeu, one of the two houses that had once manipulated the former king Orpendius. Vesk had been personally sent across the River Jordan by Louis, and Louis had borrowed troops from Phillipeu James to fight the war against Nestor. This was not a debt. It was originally a house that had harmed the country. If Louis wanted to rough him up, he could do so as much as he pleased. Lending the army and pretending his past actions had never happened was the contract they had implicitly made.

He had not said it directly. However, if one was perceptive, one could know. If he did not know? Then it could be carved into his bones. That man was not that much of a fool. He was a man who had once manipulated a huge board. That was why what he had demanded from Louis so far had been only one thing: the return of his army. Louis had granted only half of it. He must have had complaints, but he remained silent. The door opened crookedly. Phillipeu James walked in carefully.

Perhaps because he had not slept, his eyes looked haggard, and his cheeks were thin. The fact that he had shaved his beard cleanly as well made it seem as though he had gone through many things internally. Louis could roughly guess. The nobles under him must have split fiercely into the Phillipeu James faction and his own faction. Though Louis had not separately planted eyes and ears, he could roughly guess. In fact, because of that matter, there had been a couple of nobles who had secretly sent letters saying that they would no longer follow Phillipeu James and would offer loyalty and honor only to him. James carefully looked at Louis and barely opened his mouth.

“House Phillipeu has arrived here to carry out the king’s command. Infinite glory to the king’s war.”

Louis nodded. When Louis said nothing, Phillipeu James, who had been watching his mood severely, barely began speaking.

“Y-Your Majesty. I have a request.”

“Speak.”

“I heard that you recently obtained a mine, and that there is still no person in charge there.”

“There is not. The mine contains a large amount of gold and gemstones. I personally found it.”

At the words large amount of gold and gemstones, he swallowed.

“If… there is no person in charge….”

“There is. One has just appeared.”

Phillipeu James’s face brightened. He spoke to Louis in a trembling voice.

“It is an honor. I will manage that place with all my passion and sincerity.”

“Everyone except Phillipeu James, leave for a moment.”

Soon, only James remained inside the hall. A very long silence flowed between the two. Before long, Louis broke the silence.

“Why should I give that position to you?”

“That is….”

“Tell me. If you can. And speak well. Your future will be decided there.”

Louis released killing intent. Phillipeu James’s face rapidly stiffened. He staggered backward. Soon, cold sweat poured over his face like a shower. He looked like a jackal just before being devoured by a predator. He moved his eyes here and there, looking around, and soon realized there was no one to help him. The body was honest, so his legs soon began trembling. Louis rose from his seat.

“Speak. Why should I give that position to you?”

“T-that is… that is….”

When Louis approached closer, he stepped farther back. The surrounding objects shook. A statue tilted and fell, its head smashing with a crack. That was decisive.

“I-I am sorry. I did not want that position. I made a mistake. I will s-serve the king with all my strength and sincerity and cooperate so that my actions until now may be atoned for. I will distinguish myself in the war. Please forgive me.”

As if a blizzard had suddenly stopped, the surroundings abruptly fell quiet. The energy surging around Louis also decreased to a quarter of what it had been.

“Is that so? I thought that would be the case, and indeed, that was your answer.”

Louis sat down again. Phillipeu James let out a sigh of relief and wiped his forehead three or four times. Louis continued.

“Establish merit on the battlefield. Trust can be recovered little by little. If you show loyalty and ability, I will give you an appropriate reward for it. Understood?”

“I… I will keep it in mind.”

He withdrew. When he went outside as if escaping, maids and ministers entered. Their eyes widened. A maid who hurriedly picked up the fallen objects, especially the broken head of the marble statue, glanced at Louis.

“Remove the marble. If something collapses, fill it with something sturdy.”

“Understood.”

This method he had learned from the inquisitor was extremely useful. Soon after, a dependable soldier entered and said to Louis,

“Your Majesty. Outside, two lunatics are making a fuss, saying they must see Your Majesty. It seems they possess skills that may certainly be of help. Since Your Majesty had said something about this not long ago, I brought them just in case. If they are disloyal, I will personally punish them severely and make sure they cannot even come near you again.”

‘Ah. I had forgotten. And they came.’

Louis smiled deeply. It was the random event he had been waiting for. One would be the road engineer brought by Treasure of the Warmonger, and the other would be the siege weapon developer forcibly opened with a high number of points. When Louis said nothing, the soldier hurriedly bowed his head.

“I am sorry. I will drive them out immediately.”

“No. Bring them in.”

“Ah? Yes. Come in.”

The ones who entered next were one young man and one middle-aged man. The young man was slender, and the middle-aged man had a limp. Wrapped in beggar-like cloth, they pressed their heads to the floor as soon as they saw Louis. The two spoke at the same time.

“I-it is an honor beyond words.”

“I am not an emperor. Raise your faces.”

The two slightly lifted their faces, then saw Louis, squeezed their eyes shut, and bowed their heads again. Their heartbeats could be heard all the way here. Louis, still smiling, spoke to the two.

“There is no time, so I will speak directly. Which one of you is the road engineer?”

“I am, Your Majesty.”

The younger one was the road engineer. Then the limping one must be the siege weapon engineer.

“Both of you, stand up.”

As if not understanding what was going on, the two stood up. That was only natural, since the two had not yet said a single word.

“I will appoint both of you as supervisors respectively. Work is busy, so you must begin immediately. Of course, I will provide food, a place to live, and wages befitting the position. Do you understand?”

“…..Yes. Yes?”

The two answered in unison. The soldier who had brought them widened his eyes.