Lord (2)
Hyun-soo smiled as he gazed at the small crack in the wolf egg.
'It'll hatch within four days, right?'
He hadn't met it yet, but he already felt affection for the creature inside the wolf egg.
The thought of seeing it not as an egg, but in its pet form, filled Hyun-soo with a strange sense of anticipation.
'What if a legendary wolf is born?'
His expectations were soaring higher by the minute.
Suddenly, a fleeting image crossed his mind: himself as king, with a Fenrir-level wolf sitting loyally at his side.
Just imagining it brought a smile to his face.
'I can't wait to meet it.'
And now that he had become a viscount, there was one place he absolutely had to visit.
'I ended up with a much higher title than expected...'
He planned to stop there before heading to Ballus Territory.
Arham Territory, the soldier training ground of the Goyad Kingdom.
Soldier Ken had to listen to the sighs of the other soldiers yet again today.
"Ken, how long are you planning to stay stuck in Arham Territory? They say it's the first time anyone's lingered here this long like you and the others."
"I told you, I made a promise with him, and he said he'd come fetch us soon."
"...How long are you gonna keep believing that, Ken?"
The soldiers clicked their tongues in disapproval.
"Just yesterday, Viscount Purum came and took over a hundred soldiers. He's a great lord of a fine territory—you blew a golden opportunity."
What was the best option for soldiers like them?
To serve under a noble with a high title and exemplary character, of course.
The greater a noble's influence, the better the treatment soldiers could expect.
And if that noble held a high rank but commanded few soldiers, it was perfect.
Soldiers who hitched their wagons to a rising noble early on were guaranteed respect and security in their old age.
Viscount Purum yesterday had fit the bill perfectly.
His family was wealthy too, which made it baffling to others why Ken and the rest hadn't left.
"You don't get it. He might've only been a knight at the time, but he was different from the other nobles."
The soldiers looked at the pensive Ken with exasperated expressions.
"That look in his eyes—you know, the one where he genuinely cared about our lives and was determined to protect us. I can't forget it."
"No noble like that exists in this world, Ken."
"We're just tools to them, means to an end."
"Even if he does show up, he'll probably just be a regular baron at best. And knights advancing to baron is rare—one in a hundred, if that."
A knight was barely a noble; in noble society, they weren't even treated as such.
Becoming a full baron from there was next to impossible.
At that moment—
"Ken, the commander wants to see you."
Ken shuddered at the summons.
Those who, like him, had stuck it out in Arham without leaving were constantly warned by Commander Philip.
He could understand the commander's position—trained soldiers refusing to depart wasn't ideal.
But then Ken's face twisted in confusion.
Tens of thousands of training soldiers.
And in front of them, a cluster of nobles.
These were the arrogant nobles rumored to be scouting for soldiers in Arham.
Yet they were fidgeting restlessly.
'What's going on?'
Ken hurried over. Beyond the massive crowd stood six men and women.
"...?"
On the backs of the six, who had turned away, was the emblem of a hammer and anvil.
The one in the center was clearly their lord, flanked by his knights.
'A high noble?'
Only viscounts and above could bear such emblems.
There were fewer than fifty viscounts in the entire Goyad Kingdom.
Ken's eyes widened as he caught sight of the man's face upon turning.
Just then, the other 49 soldiers who had been waiting for Hyun-soo spotted him too.
"I am Viscount Hyun-soo, here to take you with me. Will you serve under me?"
Under the blue sky, the fifty soldiers placed hands over their left breasts and responded in unison.
"Yes, my lord!"
50 soldiers pledge eternal loyalty.
This was the moment their wait bore fruit.
Baron Ronso.
He ruled the largest territory among those in the northern reaches.
Owning the biggest domain in the region made him a major power broker up north.
One day, Baron Ronso began closely watching a certain small territory that was suddenly booming.
That territory was Ballus.
Ballus's growth was phenomenal.
Its revenues now rivaled those of Ronso's domain, which was five times its size.
Greed took hold of Baron Ronso.
"Brelin, I've watched over you since you were a child. Your father, Baron Bensoh, begged me on his deathbed to protect you."
Ronso, pot-bellied with a long, drooping mustache, stroked it thoughtfully.
Brelin, confined to the lord's audience chamber for far too long, bit her lip.
"Lies. Father warned me to always beware of you."
Ronso's face hardened briefly before relaxing.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Flashing a sly grin, he continued in a cold tone.
"Now write the letter I told you about, Brelin."
She shuddered at his words.
What Ronso was scheming was utterly chilling.
No matter how prosperous Ballus had become, it was still a tiny border territory.
As the self-proclaimed king of these backwater domains, Ronso was forging letters.
"Write it. If you don't, one of your subjects dies for every letter you refuse."
"...!"
Brelin's face contorted.
He wasn't bluffing.
Just days ago, when she refused, he slaughtered dozens of her people right before her eyes.
Her hands trembled violently. Ronso cleared his throat and dictated.
"'Your Highness, I am inadequate and await his return. My subjects cannot forget the one who passed through. I long for him to become this territory's new lord without delay. Ruling this ever-growing domain grows ever harder for me.'"
Brelin transcribed his words.
She gritted her teeth, fighting back tears.
Flutter—
A pigeon soared toward the king.
"Well done. A few more days, and it'll be over."
The purpose of these letters was to emphasize Brelin's incompetence.
Eventually, they would pivot to her supposedly begging Ronso to take the territory.
"His Highness knows too. That you're overwhelmed ruling this place."
He had hammered that point home repeatedly.
But one thing baffled Ronso.
"Was it sincere? That promise from the blacksmith Hyun-soo or whatever. To share the territory if he returned as a noble."
He'd learned this from his spy planted in Ballus.
That intel had enabled this plot.
Brelin bit her lip.
The obvious reason stood right before her.
She knew predators eyed her territory.
And Hyun-soo, the blacksmith who had visited.
She knew he led something called the Gwangmyeong Guild.
Back then, he owned a tiny, shabby forge.
But Brelin had seen potential in him.
"Better than handing it to someone like you."
Realizing her sincerity, Ronso was dumbfounded.
"You were even willing to give up the lordship."
Her readiness to share equity proved it.
She'd likely planned to hand over full control only after he claimed shares and rose higher.
"That won't happen. Not for a while."
It couldn't.
Ronso knew well how rare title promotions were.
Ninety-nine percent died at their starting rank.
And the man had left as a commoner?
"A commoner returning as noble and lord? Laughable."
In a continent dominated by pure noble bloodlines, it was absurd.
'Especially for some blacksmith.'
Tsk. Ronso clicked his tongue inwardly.
"Next time, we'll write the final letter. And by now, my knights should have the blacksmiths finishing the manual."
What was this manual?
Hyun-soo hadn't used some special power to elevate the blacksmiths.
The simplest, yet hardest thing in the world.
He'd passed on his skills and experience, raising them through true growth.
The blacksmiths would produce the manual, which would spread to Ronso's territory.
He'd also poach Ballus's top smiths to teach there.
A hedge against the worst-case scenario.
"...Don't lay a finger on my people!"
Before stepping out, Ronso feigned magnanimity.
"Worry not. I am merciful; I won't touch them."
Then came his sinister smile.
"But my subordinates? Who knows."
As he departed, Brelin wept hot tears.
Ger could never forget that day.
With dead-fish eyes, he'd mechanically hammered out gear, convinced the territory was doomed.
Master craftsmanship? Artisan spirit?
All useless now, he'd thought.
Then Hyun-soo the blacksmith arrived, and everything changed.
He taught them for days on end, reawakening their blacksmith souls.
His creations reminded them of their true goal: forging wonders like that.
Even the departed smiths returned.
Watching him leave had been bittersweet.
But inevitable, he'd thought.
All they could do was ensure tales of Ballus's thriving blacksmiths reached him, repaying his grace.
For the day they'd meet again, Ger hammered on.
And completed it.
Unique grade.
The closest to legend.
Having reached true mastery, Ger rejoiced.
This sword, to be presented to him.
Its name: Lord's Sword.
A thought unfit for a subject of Lady Brelin.
Yet she understood.
And now.
Countless knights and soldiers had seized Ballus. Hundreds, by rough count.
The knights herded the blacksmiths into one spot.
"Is the manual done?"
Knight Phon demanded.
Wielding clubs, they'd beaten the smiths mercilessly to force its creation.
They'd half-finished it under duress, but handing it over? No.
It held his precious teachings.
"Almost complete."
They'd pushed it to near 90% anyway.
Phon inspected and returned it.
"Insufficient as a manual. Now, as their representative, swear fealty to the new lord."
Ger refused.
Instantly, knights doused the blacksmiths in oil.
Splash—
"H-heek!"
"Eek!"
"Will you swear?"
Ger trembled at their savagery as they produced matches.
A knight thrust a written oath at him.
Ger read it aloud, voice shaking.
"...Thus, I shall relocate my territory and live solely for it henceforth. Moreover."
His voice quavered.
"I shall for life..."
Reading the final line, Ger glanced at the smiths.
"No!"
"How can we abandon Lady Brelin for scum like these?!"
But Ger knew there was no choice.
As he hesitated, a knight dragged out one smith.
"Argh...!"
Ger’s eyes shook violently.
The victim: the territory's youngest, a 16-year-old boy.
"U-uaaa..."
His body convulsed in spasms.
The knight sighed at Ger's stalling.
"Guess we need an example."
Fssst—
The match ignited.
"I'll show you what defiance brings."
The flame hurtled toward the boy.
Then Ger's eyes bulged.
Spotting something, he declared resolutely.
"I shall for life..."
He looked skyward.
"...serve only Lord Brelin and Hyun-soo."
The knight witnessed something uncanny.
The match plummeting toward the boy halted midair, and a voice echoed from above.
"...I'll kill you all."
The knights whipped their heads around.
⊳ Dragon Knight Riesel Lv.338
⊳ Growing One Bak Lv.331
⊳ Divine Archer Ian Lv.341
⊳ Saint's Child Bellia Lv.241
They stood poised on a rooftop, awaiting one man's command.
Atop a forge.
The commoner who left and returned a noble was seething with genuine fury.