The Meaning Of Ing And Rad (3)

The continent was buzzing with rumors about the death of the three Heroes.

The culprit was revealed to be the act of the Corrupted Hero, and the fact that the battlefield where the four fought was almost in ruins with almost no survivors resulted in the rumors growing even more lush.

“Have you heard the news?”

“Ah, do you mean the death of the Three Heroes?”

“That’s right. They were said to be the oldest Heroes and the strongest… yet even the three of them couldn’t do anything against a single Demon King…”

“Still, it seems they fought quite a grand battle. Besides, isn’t she a Hero-turned-Demon King?”

“Tsk, so it means she really is the most powerful Demon King in history…?”

Historians said that the Corrupted Hero surpassed the existing Demon Kings, who were called the strongest among those who had ever existed in history.

Having been summoned as a ‘Hero’ with no limits on growth, she could even obtain the power of the Demon Tribe by falling; thus, the Demon King, about whom only wild speculations abounded regarding how great she would be, finally began to unveil herself.

However, this was also a result close to despair for humans. Concerns deepened, prices rose, and the closer a fief was to the battlefield, the more serious the outflow of free citizens became.

In the midst of that, the two powerful empires began to squeeze the blood and sweat of their people through the expansion of war expenses, but separate from this situation, there was a place that was relatively peaceful…

It was a fief with a unique name that combined a rune meaning earth and fertility with a rune meaning travel and moving.

“Hey, get in line, I said in line!”

“I want to settle down inside the fortress; how much is the tax?”

“I’m heading toward ‘Rad’ Harbor.”

“I heard Ing City is becoming so transformed?”

A fief that began to grow rapidly as numerous people, each with their own stories and tales, began to flock there—that was precisely the ‘Ing-Rad’ Domain.

“Linda, why on earth is the population flowing in like this?”

I was suffering from a headache due to the free citizens who migrated by the thousands every day. Although we were building houses after receiving a certain amount of donations, even that was being pushed back day after day due to the recent increase in work.

So I was relaying words close to a complaint, when Linda delivered some unexpected news.

“They say three Heroes died at the hands of the Demon King.”

“….Was the Demon King that strong?”

“Of course. She is one of the three pillars of power for the Demon God, the greatest enemy of humanity.”

My head throbbed for no reason at the mention of the Demon God. It was because I had never seen a case where things ended well when associated with a god.

Furthermore, I received word that the Imperial Court would send a final notification within a few days. Seeing that they were still acting gentlemanly, I wondered if we had avoided the worst, but I couldn’t rest easy.

In addition, thanks to the large amount of iron ore and various minerals that came in recently, the workshop that had begun full-scale production of beastkin armor was spewing smoke without rest, which was returning as a civil complaint.

‘No, I warned them so sternly not to settle down near there…’

It was a frustrating situation, but there was nothing to be done. It was due to the many people trying to settle down near the Lord’s castle, now named ‘Ing City’, under the pretext of ‘safety’.

However, I had no intention of stopping the workshop, and in the case of such complaints, I was resolving them by taking a hard line. Literally, I was adhering to the method of ‘if the monk dislikes the temple, the monk should leave’.

Thanks to that, ‘Rad Harbor’ was a place receiving new attention, and I viewed it positively that food was gradually being released into the fief as people settling in the city established on the cliff and those who made fishing their trade increased.

“That’s all well and good, but is this report real?”

What I saw while flipping through several pages of the report was news about the ‘Demon King’.

Linda also looked at it briefly and nodded.

“They say she vanished from the battlefield. People say the Demon King died along with the Heroes, but… the general consensus is that it lacks credibility.”

“Hmm… certainly, that possibility… but why is this one like this again?”

It was the content of another report. It stated that the Ishtain Domain and the Imperial elite forces had occupied the capital of Atoon, but they failed to capture Jillien alive.

“Is it true that we can’t even find out where that fellow fled to?”

“They say he fled somewhere via teleportation immediately after the defeat, but it seems he broke the magic circle so that the coordinates couldn’t be tracked. Because of that, they seem to be wandering, having lost the clue for tracking.”

“Still, it seems they were able to restore the Royal Family?”

“A royal from a collateral branch remained, and they plan to seat him on the throne. Although the Ishtain Domain couldn’t complete their revenge, they say they are satisfied with dragging Jillien down from the throne and are returning to their fief.”

“Certainly, there are many good points to bringing in the Information Guilds.”

Linda’s efforts bore fruit, and we were able to bring in several Information Guilds. Thus, there was the advantage of being able to hear the latest information without being too late, but I was always concerned that our information was also being sucked out because of that.

“Finally… let’s see…”

It was a report that identified the process of normalizing the Atoon Kingdom and the movement lines of the Terakan Empire’s military, but there was a part I was a bit worried about.

“Sir Agnes and part of the Knight Orders are heading toward us… Is that true?”

“Amu-raedo the ultimatum sent by the Imperial Court will be delivered through the hands of Sir Agnes.”

Linda also seemed worried about that part. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the likes of Wijel and Demina, but I couldn’t help but worry about Agnes’s skill, which must have grown stronger while confronting a person called a Sword Saint for a long time. Bluntly speaking, Demina had said that she would only be able to resolve things to the extent of wounding a Master if she underwent beastkin transformation.

If Agnes was likewise someone who could defeat such a Master, and if such a woman had built up her skill through constant sparring with a person of one level higher called a Sword Saint?

One could say that a truly dangerous person was coming.

It was to the point of being fortunate that Marquis Giltian, who possessed similar skill, had headed to the final front against the Demon Tribe.

“We’ll have to face her… it’ll be very dangerous, won’t it?”

Linda showed an awkward smile. After that, Matilda’s report followed.

“The metal armor sets currently supplied to the beastkin are about 5,000 sets. There are about two months left until the 20,000 sets we previously decided to make are completed, but I believe we can shorten the time further if we increase the operation hours of the workshop slightly.”

“No, let’s not touch that. They are people too. It will be better for increasing efficiency if they work while taking breaks. There is a saying that when in a hurry, go the long way around. Let’s not be impatient.”

“Understood.”

The report that followed next was about purchasing food, but the problem was the timing.

“It is a point in time when the sowing has finished. Furthermore, since a situation where the war will surely expand is certain, food supply is difficult and expensive. What shall we do?”

“How about asking the Lilith Trading Company to buy from the Northern Continent?”

“I think that too will be difficult. Since that place is more barren, food supply will be even more difficult.”

“Hmm… isn’t there some innovative way?”

At my words, Matilda, who contemplated for a moment, cautiously came forward with a proposal.

“I heard that the Forest of the Demon Dragon is an environment where plants can grow quickly. How about planting a few fruit-bearing trees that can serve as food substitutes there?”

“Fruit-bearing trees… are there any that could be suitable as food substitutes?”

“If you look through history books, I know that there are plants that humans of the East Continent long ago improved for the purpose of food.”

“Isn’t the East Continent a den of demons?”

“Before the Gates of the Demon Realm were opened, it was a continent where humans lived.”

“What kind of plant is it?”

“It is said to taste like bread when cooked. The fruit bears at about the size of an adult’s head, and it is said to be high in nutritional value and can be stored for a long time.”

After hearing Matilda’s explanation, what came to mind was breadfruit, so-called bread tree fruit, and I didn’t expect that it would exist here too.

“Is it not in other continents?”

“For some reason, it is said that it cannot grow well outside the East Continent. Many researchers brought in that fruit to find out why, but all failed, and I know that now only seeds are being kept by the Farming Guild.”

That meant we should buy them from the Farming Guild and plant them in the Forest of the Demon Dragon. It was tempting.

I was the one who obtained the right to use the Forest of the Demon Dragon from the Demon Dragon. So I thought it was worth trying.

“The Farming Guild is that place in the capital, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“That means someone has to go… the leadership of our fief is very likely to have fallen out of the Empire’s favor, literally. Is there anyone we can ask?”

Matilda recommended several merchants at my words. However, I thought the Empire wouldn’t just leave them alone if they knew they were merchants related to us.

But it was then.

There was a person entering along with a knock, and it was Lucia, who was Richard’s older sister and now in charge of assisting Matilda and Linda.

“What’s the matter?”

“An urgent report has arrived.”

“An urgent report?”

I took the document with a puzzled mind, and I had to rub my eyes as I looked at the content written there.

“Is there some… mistake?”

Lucia showed an awkward smile at my words. Linda and Matilda were glancing at the document as if puzzled by such a situation, so I handed it to the two and asked.

“Do you think it’s for real?”

“….”

“….”

The two remained silent as if they were speechless; they had no choice. It was because what was written on the document was a report detailing the profits of the Black Gold Merchant Company.

“Just how much should I believe this…”

“20 million large gold coins… I didn’t see it wrong, did I?”

“Could it be they wrote 2 million by mistake?”

I thought that might be the case as well, but I thought I just needed to check, so I immediately called for a carriage and was able to head to Rad Harbor with everyone in it.

And as I saw the whale beastkin moving without rest at that place prepared as a vault and money storage warehouse, my heart began to race at the fact that it might be the truth, and the moment I entered the interior of the vault, I was surprised by the fact that the pungent smell of metal stung my nose and I was able to take in the spectacular sight that unfolded.

“This is driving me crazy…”

It was a moment when everyone empathized with my single sentence.

Furthermore, ships that were still on standby were visible, and at that time, a whale beastkin who could be called the protagonist of this business trip approached and lowered his head.

“Bolbe greets the great divine messenger.”

He was the whale beastkin who strongly pushed for the trade trip to the Demon Tribe territory, namely the East Continent. He greeted me with a full smile, and since this was a great talent who went beyond the level of a lucky charm, I barely suppressed my mouth that was twitching on its own as I received his greeting and asked.

“Just what happened?”

Bolbe’s story that began at my question was more than mysterious and profound.

He was able to trade with a Duke of the Demon Realm, and I could only marvel at the fact that he inflated the initial price of 10 times to 20 times to make the trade.

That wasn’t all. He said the Demon Realm Duke requested even more inventory, saying he looked forward to the next trade. So, Bolbe was asserting that this time they would have to lead even more inventory and all the strongest warriors of the whale beastkin.

“Why is that?”

“It’s because we could be plundered. We can trade with the Demon Tribe, but we must not trust them. So, I hope you would build or purchase a combat ship composed of the clan’s warriors.”

It was an unexpected proposal, and at those words of Bolbe, I contemplated for a moment and thought about trying something I had been considering for a long time.

As I envisioned several things in my mind and laughed brightly, Bolbe laughed along with me. I wondered what he knew to be laughing.

‘What a lucky charm you are…’