Wyvern Auction (2)
Wyvern Auction (2)
I received reports from my watchmen planted in the Upper House (the Lower House nobles call them proxies).
-Deputy Speaker, the Empire's Count Yunes asked if imperial citizens could also participate in the auction. So I told him that anyone with gold coins could join.
"Well done. However, make it clear once more that delivery is only possible as far as south of the Dwein River."
-Understood.
I finished the wireless communication and turned back to the three female generals.
They were each devouring a gallon tub of their favorite ice cream after having wolfed down a pile of Marshall Burgers.
"The Elven rear invasion is nearly upon us, and the imperial envoy has only just now reached the capital."
Luna replied indifferently.
"The Empire's always like that. Slow and frustrating. But once they move, they see it through to the very end."
Must be because of their pride as rulers of the continent.
'The Empire actually has a lot hidden from view.'
If you spread out the continental map, the Elven Forest lies at the very northernmost part.
And the entire southernmost part is occupied by the Empire.
How far the Empire's southern border stretches is not on the map. That's because, aside from imperials, no one has ever ventured further south than that.
Between the Elves and the imperial territories lie our Leodis Kingdom and countless other minor kingdoms.
'Foreigners aren't allowed to venture further south than the imperial capital. So the exact size, and what lies south of the capital, remains unknown.'
Could it possibly be larger than the Elven Forest?
Rebecca swallowed a spoonful of ice cream and offered her opinion.
"If imperial nobles attend, the scale's going to get huge. Nobles from other kingdoms might come flooding in once they hear the rumors."
"Colonel-nim, royalty might even show up in person. A stuffed Wyvern Lord is just that special."
"Really? What do you think the minimum winning bid will be?"
"Predicting it is meaningless, but still, wouldn't it be over 100 million gold?"
"A, 100 million gold...!"
Hildea, who had been hugging her ice cream tub, dropped her spoon with a clatter.
Even I felt dizzy at that amount for a moment.
"Luna, don't you think that's going a bit too far? 100 million gold, no matter how you think about it...."
"The Empire has a tremendous amount of gold. And a stuffed Wyvern Lord doesn't exist anywhere in the world."
"Huh? It doesn't exist?"
"No, it doesn't. In an auction like this, bidding dozens to hundreds of times the realistic winning price is the Empire's style. So that no one else could even dream of trying."
Luna continued, a bit of mint choco ice cream smeared at the corner of her mouth.
"It's also a warning. If we hunt another Wyvern Lord, we're to offer it to the Empire."
"They won't tolerate any nation other than the Empire possessing a stuffed Wyvern Lord? Are they stamping their mark that firmly?"
"Yes, that's the Empire's style."
I can feel the aura of a super collector.
The kind that smirks knowingly and thinks, 'No one but me can have it.'
Rebecca smiled and praised her.
"As expected of Luna. Still, you know imperial customs well, being a Duke and all."
I almost did a double take.
What did Rebecca just say?
"Luna, you were a Duke... you were a Duke?"
"Only the title remains now. What kind of Duke is a Duke without a single piece of territory?"
"Where is your territory...?"
"They say it used to be north of your territory, Colonel-nim."
North of my territory meant the open ground between the Ainshvan 1st and 2nd Army zones and the Elven Forest.
That wasteland was Luna's territory?
"Wait, what do you mean 'used to be north'?"
"It was completely swept away by the Elves before I was born."
"...."
"After that, it was quiet for a little over ten years, then they started invading again a few years ago. And Colonel-nim, you're my superior, so just speak comfortably to me. I prefer that."
"...But you're still a Duke."
"What kind of Duke is a Duke without territory, let alone a single retainer?"
"...Alright. Then I'll treat you casually."
"Yes, because I'm your subordinate, Colonel-nim. Bound by oath and samgyeopsal."
I steered the conversation back to the auction.
"I intend to properly display Ainshvan's might this time."
Imperial knights or mages aren't overwhelmingly stronger as individuals.
The Empire's strength lies solely in its national weight class difference.
Rebecca, armed with a heavy machine gun and an anti-materiel sniper rifle, can defeat any Bow Master of the Empire.
Hildea, armed with a machete and glucose combat biscuits, won't lose to any Sword Master of the Empire even without mandrake root.
Luna, armed with an anti-materiel sniper rifle and incendiary bombs, is also stronger than any mage of the Empire.
"To be honest, I am confident we could win even if we waged an all-out war against the Empire."
Hildea nodded in agreement.
"This officer thinks so as well. Who could possibly stop an army of 100,000 machetes?"
"The Empire's mana soldiers and knights fall far behind in combat sustainment. Because we have glucose combat biscuits. If we even use mandrake root, the war is over."
"If we drop an incendiary bomb package via aerial bombardment, they'll all scatter in panic and surrender, won't they?"
At my words, everyone chimed in without dissent.
This is the current status of the North.
Both military power and supply capability are the strongest in the world.
"The stories of the mortars and the incendiary bomb package that burned the Hubscorten Elf Forest must have already spread as far as they can. This time, we'll let them see our combat capabilities with their own eyes."
I planned to give them a proper 'inspection reception' in front of the imperial emperor's envoy.
"We'll show them everything: the Machete Knight Order, the Mortar Knight Order, the power of Hildea-nim's 105mm Magical Cannon, the power of Rebecca-nim's heavy machine gun and anti-materiel sniper rifle, and Luna's aerial bombardment."
"You mean you're going to show them everything?"
"I like it."
"Kyaaak, I'm already excited!"
I smiled and shook my head.
"We're not showing them everything. Because the true power of the Marshall family lies not in weapons, but in food supplies."
At my words, the three women burst out laughing, kkalkkal.
"Your words are correct. The Marshall family's true strength is indeed food supplies."
"If the imperial envoy eats samgyeopsal lettuce wraps, he might just faint. Because the imperial emperor himself probably hasn't tasted meat that delicious."
"I think nobles and royalty alike will all be cut off at Marshall Stew. If we feed them samgyeopsal, they might even beg us to make them our vassal state?"
I had also considered setting up a buffet.
Because I thought it'd be entertaining for a long, long time if we thoroughly wreaked havoc on the mouths and tongues of those high and mighty southern folks and sent them back.
Even if I composed a buffet solely of white flour bread, Marshall Burgers, canned meat stew, snack bars, grilled samgyeopsal, coffee, and ice cream, they'd all lose their minds.
As Luna said, maybe not to the point of begging to be accepted as a vassal state, but at the very least, they'd plead desperately to set up a villa in the North and be allowed to visit often.
'Imagining it is fun, but let's just not.'
I feel that making people fall into a back house prison with food is something a human really shouldn't do.
It's not just for the purpose of hiding the North's food supply situation.
'Just the combat power inspection alone will already flip them over, but if we also show them our abundant food situation, they might judge Ainshvan as an uncontrollable region.'
Anyway, that's why I decided to hide the food supply situation.
"We will emphasize that although Ainshvan possesses extremely powerful military force, its food situation remains structured to depend on the outside world."
"Then the machete army must not use mana and only show off the pure performance of the weapons."
"Yes, that's correct."
Rebecca smacked her lips.
"Piel, but it's a bit of a shame. If we fed them samgyeopsal just once and sent them back, those nobles would live out the rest of their lives in agony."
I wasn't the only one who thought so.
Making people fall into a back house prison with food.
"While you were down at your homeland, Piel, I was so miserable, you know? Because I couldn't eat samgyeopsal, I kept having withdrawal symptoms and felt terrible."
That statement suddenly came to mind.
That there are people who have never eaten meat, but there is no one who has eaten it only once.
"Maybe not up to samgyeopsal, but I believe that if they taste a Marshall Burger even once, they'll feel misery every time they sit at the dining table from then on."
At Hildea's words, Luna's eyes lit up as she responded.
"Colonel-nim, there's no need to even go as far as a Marshall Burger. If we just serve them hamburg steak and Marshall Stew, those esteemed southern folks will be dripping tears every time they sit at the dining table in the future, you know?"
"Hmm, to that extent...."
"That extent is correct."
"Luna is right."
"I'm certain of it."
The three women chimed in as if singing in unison.
"If we serve exactly one or two meals of hamburg steak and Marshall Stew, we can also claim we barely managed to obtain them and have no more, securing goodwill. We can sufficiently hide the food situation."
"Still, I think becoming a famous restaurant that nobles and royalty obsess over could generate a massive amount of unnecessary diplomatic variables."
"What a shame."
Luna, looking genuinely regretful, resumed scooping up her mint choco ice cream.
***
In this world, the speed of information transmission is slow.
Carrier pigeons and carrier hawks are the fastest means.
I set the date allowing enough time for news of the auction to spread across the entire continent.
The auction was decided to be held in Rebecca's territory.
That was the only place with enough accommodations for the nobles and royalty flocking in from various countries.
It was also appropriate for maintaining security over the supply situation.
A few days before the auction was held, a continuous stream of luxurious carriage processions began arriving.
Each one brought dozens of knights, bodyguards, and carts loaded with supplies.
"Strange. Why aren't they traveling by palanquin?"
Would your butt survive a long-distance journey in a carriages without suspension?
Rebecca tapped my shoulder and laughed.
"To travel long distances by palanquin, knights have to carry it. Because they need mana muscles."
"But our soldiers do it, don't they?"
"You know, right? Southern folks don't cultivate mana soldiers. Because it takes too much food."
"Still, I thought imperial nobles would always be accompanied by palanquin mana soldiers...."
Those imperial nobles, they're more underwhelming than I thought?
Ugh, the urge to show them my super-sized palanquin official residence is suddenly surging up intensely. I must hold back.
With Count Yunes as the last arrival, all auction participants had gathered.
The lowest rank was a Count, and figures ranging from Marquises and Dukes to royalty participated.
I used my rank as Colonel to discreetly observe the honored guests' stay situation.
And I discovered something strange.
"Head Butler, why are the honored guests all cooking for themselves?"
Had they suddenly started a cooking battle among themselves?
But that wasn't it.
The head butler, looking very troubled, glanced around cautiously before speaking.
"From the very first day they arrived, they've all been doing that as if they made a pact. They politely refused our hospitality, saying they couldn't deplete the barren North's food supplies."
"Are you sure it was truly polite? Please be honest."
"How can one exploit a beggar's begging bowl, here they even pick up and eat rotten food, seeing as they don't look pale, they must be tearing into wyvern meat, it's hard to stomach the sight of them wanting to show off after shaking down the Noble Council for a score."
After the Marquisate's head butler rapidly poured that out, he steadied his breath and spoke stiffly.
"I clearly heard them whispering such things amongst themselves with my own ears. Even more wretched content, I simply couldn't bear to...."
"Speak."
"That the North has cannibalistic customs, so if we carelessly eat whatever they give us, we might end up eating human flesh, let's be careful...."
These bastards, they see us as some kind of barbarians.
Then I'll treat them like barbarians.
"Luna, prepare the glucose combat biscuits and mandrake roots. We'll show them an all-out war inspection of an army composed of mana soldiers."
-Suddenly? Understood.
"And Head Butler, we will distribute Marshall Stew."
"Excuse me? You mean you'll serve that delicious Marshall Stew to those wretches?"
"Of course not. Absolutely not."
I barely suppressed a leaking laugh.
"Please ensure that from royalty to their bodyguards, they will witness every single Marquisate employee they encounter eating Marshall Stew at every meal. You must absolutely never share a single spoonful, and only let them smell the aroma."
I admit it's an immature reaction, but I decided to gladly let myself be provoked.