Secretly, Greatly

In the original story, Count Coulomb loses this territory war. The protagonist, Jin, fights in the Count's camp, but he has yet to come into his own, and his contribution amounts to little. Jin becomes a wandering mercenary and drifts across the continent, and Coulon County falls into Count Ernest's hands.

In a sense, Coulon is nothing more than one of Jin's early stepping stones. In the game, the place only appears during Jin's initial growth period. It gets mentioned now and then later on, but it never takes center stage in the story. The most you hear is that Coulon County, now caught in Count Ernest's grip, has become a worse place to live than it used to be.

The game's setting compendium describes Coulon County in considerably more detail — probably because it's the region where the early game is spent. Thanks to that, I had a thorough grasp of the county's present circumstances.

To place Coulon County on a map, you first have to find the Myles Kingdom. The Myles Kingdom sits at the western edge of the continent; pinch the center of that kingdom between your fingers and slide southwest, and you run into Ernest County. Push farther west from there, and Coulon County appears.

Coulon County and Ernest County are nearly the same size, and compared to the other counties of the Myles Kingdom, they run a touch on the large side. The land isn't especially fertile, but it's decent enough that the serfs ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't starve.

In particular, a vast range called the Ermeres Mountain Range cuts through the territory. No small number of monsters nest along it, so monster-related industries have developed considerably, and forestry and mining have done reasonably well besides.

That said, Coulon County and Ernest County have been so busy watching each other and running an arms race that industry itself has never truly flourished. Money that might have gone to paving roads and opening mines went instead to watchtowers, walls, and the training of territorial soldiers. Of course, this wasn't merely an arms race. In a territory crawling with monsters, it was also an indispensable investment.

What do I stand to gain by joining this territory war?

I tapped away at the calculator in my head. In the original, Jin travels not only the Myles Kingdom but the length of the continent, gathering companions and honing his craft. I had no need to do any of that. I already knew where every talent I required was waiting, and I had the Demon King's designs fully mapped. There was not the slightest reason to live as a wanderer just to collect people and information. Putting down roots in one place and growing my strength there would be far more advantageous.

To put down roots and build power in a region, you need a foundation. I turned it over, weighing which side to make the base of my growth. Coulon Territory, or Ernest Fief? According to the original, the winner of the territory war is Count Ernest. Which would make Count Coulomb a rotten lifeline, of course — but.

With my knowledge of the original, couldn't I win this war?

Count Coulomb's earnest voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He had come to ask for my help in a war on which the fate of his territory hung. Naturally, talk of compensation was not going to be left out.

"Sir Walker. Should you lend me your strength in this territory war, I shall see that you are not left wanting."

"A reward, you say. How intriguing. And just how far, Count, had you in mind?"

I didn't bother hiding my interest. I didn't throw myself at it, either. I answered just enough to keep him on tenterhooks. Who held the initiative at this negotiating table was perfectly clear. It was a curious thing, holding that kind of advantage over the master of this land — but then, this sort of thing happens all the time in the real world too.

Count Coulomb had an enemy far too large for him. And to beat that enemy, he would have to give up a great deal. He had no luxury of holding the initiative at the table.

"If you drive off Count Ernest's wicked army in this territory war, I shall grant you the right to trade slaves freely in my territory, exempt from all tax."

It was the strongest card he could play on the spot. He likely had no cash to hand, not with a territory war to prepare for. What he could give, then, was land, or a right.

A tax exemption is an enormous privilege for a merchant. A merchant's greatest enemy is tax. A right like this was something you couldn't buy for dozens of platinum on a normal day.

He's that desperate, then.

"A fine price, I'll grant you. All the same, I find myself drawn to cash. This particular affair looks especially dangerous. A purse I can hold in my hand seems preferable to a future right I can't yet grasp."

I decided to show a little nerve. Count Coulomb might have been honest and humble for a noble, but he didn't appear to have much talent for negotiation. His qualifications as a ruling lord were slightly in doubt. Not that I was complaining — I'd landed myself a mark.

Has ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my recently acquired business skill improved my negotiating?

Without any deep thought on my part, both my circumstances and his arranged themselves automatically in my head. So this was the power of a skill?

"I shall be frank. I have no cash at present. Nearly the whole of my house's fortune has been mobilized to prepare for war. Sir Walker. With your help, driving off Count Ernest's wicked army would be no great stretch. I beg you — lend me your strength!"

Laying out every last one of your weaknesses is the worst move you can make in front of a merchant. At first I'd wondered if it was a strategy of sincerity. He simply had no technique. If I'd felt like it, I could have refused him here and climbed to still higher ground — but I didn't.

Because my objective had just changed. My eyes were no longer on Count Coulomb. They were fixed on the quest window that had newly appeared in front of me. Of course, the Count couldn't see it. He would assume I was looking at him.

An abrupt quest. And yet I felt I already understood why it had appeared. I needed to grow a power base in this region, and the most suitable foundation for that power was a territory. What if I became the master of Coulon County? Wouldn't this game get a whole lot easier?

Count Coulomb's eyes held me without a tremor. I slowly opened my own. The calculation was finished. First, save Coulon County by whatever means necessary. With knowledge of the original, it ought to be possible. Knowing the future is a power great enough to change the outcome of a war. Save the county — then take it. If I killed every heir and assassinated the Count himself…

With the power of the Unix Cube… it shouldn't be impossible.

The risk was large. So was the return. A gamble worth taking.

"Ohh! You have my gratitude, Sir Walker! I shall never forget this loyalty of yours!"

I watched the delighted Count and turned over how I would deal with him. Dealing with him, of course, would come after the territory war was finished.

On account of the territory war, I postponed my dungeon-exploration schedule. The war between Coulon County and Ernest County would begin in exactly three days. Count Ernest had declared it, and his army was already advancing on Coulon County.

A war begun by Count Ernest's first strike. In the original, it ends in Count Ernest's victory after roughly three months of hard fighting. The key to that victory is the War Mage unit he poured his heart and soul into training.

"Luna. Get ready. Tomorrow we head to the lord's castle."

"Is this perhaps regarding the territory war?"

Sharp as ever, Luna had grasped the situation before I'd said a word. That was why Luna was so convenient.

"It is. I worked out the particulars with Count Coulomb earlier. His side will provide us lodging. Once the war begins, of course, we'll be camping as we follow the territorial army."

What Count Coulomb had originally wanted from me was funding for his army. I had offered not only to fund them, but to follow the territorial army and fight in person. From the Count's position, it was a proposal with no reason to refuse. He had even shown me tears of gratitude. If he knew why I was joining his army, those tears would have dried up on the spot. I was going to war to kill his two sons.

The stupid bastard sent both his boys to the front.

"According to the rumors going around, Count Ernest's forces are formidable."

The rumors were already circulating. Rumors, as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠always, have no feet and yet outrun everything else — and rumors of this kind run faster than the rest.

"War, huh. My tribe's been through a few wars ourselves. Closer to disputes than wars, though."

That was Sera. In the beastfolk world, large and small conflicts between tribes were apparently common. They were a different dimension from a proper human war, of course. This war, in fact, was not a war between nations but a war between territories. For the people actually fighting it, though, scale didn't matter. It was all a terrible disaster.

"Looks fucking dangerous, Master. We gonna win this?"

Arme said it with a sour look. A thief, she didn't suit a war. Arme was closer to dungeons.

"Of course we are. We'll win."

"Did you see a future where we win with the Solar Medal?"

"Not that far. But I already know a good portion of how this war unfolds. Use that information, and winning is a piece of cake."

"A Hero through and through, huh. Ahh~ that's just broken."

We each prepared our arms. I put on a leather armor thicker than what I usually wore. Plate was a nuisance to move in, and cloth wouldn't stop a stray arrow. This armor, made from monster hide, was reasonably light and would still turn a blind shot.

Luna wore plate alloyed with mithril and carried the Pharaoh's Dual Scimitars I had given her. She seemed thoroughly taken with them. She used the pair as freely as if they had always been her own. The scimitars, I suspected, would be happier in Luna's hands than sitting as ornaments in the tomb of a pharaoh who had died a very long time ago.

Sera wore the same light leather as I did and carried Iron Claws — gauntlets fitted with five sharp blades. Her own nails were plenty sharp, but with the Iron Claws mounted she was armed sharper still. She herself hated them, complaining they were uncomfortable. Last came Arme, in a skin-tight full-body suit with a black mask over her face. Her weapon was a dagger no longer than a handspan. A thief's class couldn't shine in a frontal battle, but it would be invaluable in special operations. I had fitted her gear to the highest grade as well.

"Preparations are complete."

We gave the house a last cleaning, packed our things, and left. We headed for the lord's castle.

Count Coulomb's castle stood at the heart of the great city of Coulon. We arrived in a splendid carriage drawn by two white horses the Count had sent. The mood in the streets from my mansion to the castle was restless. The people of the territory seemed to feel the coming war on their skin.

Soldiers in neat uniforms, spears in hand, prowled the streets and fanned the anxious atmosphere. There were plenty of mercenaries carrying weapons as well — men the Count had hired, or men who had come to this city to eat the crumbs that fell from a territory war. War is a catastrophe for some and a springboard of opportunity for others. And I, of course, belonged to the latter.

The old castle of House Coulomb was upright and elegant. It had been raised on a plot large enough to hold some twenty of my mansions; packed tight, you could have fitted about three football fields inside it.

That enormous castle, occupying the choicest land in the great city of Coulon, seemed like Count Coulomb himself given form. The architecture pursued practicality, yet here and there a refined structure showed the architect's care, and the whole sat in easy harmony with the city. It was well enough made that you could vaguely believe a lord who lived in such a place must be a sage king.

Unless circumstances are special, the castle of a city's ruling lord stands at its center. There is a symbolic meaning to that, but the larger reason is simpler: the center of a city is the place safest from enemies without.

"Halt."

Two soldiers in gleaming silver armor were guarding the gate. They crossed their spears in an X and barred the way. There was discipline in the way they stopped us; their training level looked decent. The guard on the left checked my face and withdrew his spear.

"Would you happen to be Sir Derick Walker?"

"I am."

"His Lordship has ordered that Sir Walker be admitted without inspection. Carry on!"

The two soldiers struck a solemn salute almost in the same breath. Our party went in.

The interior of the castle had a bleak air about it. The gardens were in good order and the buildings were all magnificent and beautiful, but those aesthetic virtues didn't catch the eye. The soldiers bustling through the grounds saw to that.

On the drill ground in the distance, a body of soldiers was running tactical drills. Training this hastily, they wouldn't learn a thing — it had the feel of an exercise meant to keep unrest in the ranks under control. Judging by the gate guards, though, the territorial army's overall training didn't seem poor.

"Welcome. I am Grace, butler in service to Count Coulomb."

An elderly butler approached and greeted us. He was a thoroughly courteous, warm-looking old man. I had no memory of him from the original. Jin had fought rubbing shoulders with the soldiers training on that drill ground, and he'd rarely had occasion to meet anyone this highly placed.

"I shall show you to your rooms."

Our room was a spacious, comfortable four-person chamber. We would only be staying the one night, though — departure was planned for tomorrow. I decided to treat it as a hotel suite and enjoy the day properly.

"Hello. I'm Priscilla, the maid assigned to attend you, Sir Walker."

The maid assigned to me was a cute girl with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a striking head of brilliant blonde hair. The moment I saw her, my cock sprang up at once. We had a major campaign ahead. No one could blame me for packing a little snack, could they?

"Buhihit! Derick Walker. Treat me well."

She wasn't a perfect maid the way Luna was, but she was serviceable enough. The moment the sun went down I shoved her onto the bed and fucked her. She didn't seem particularly flustered — clearly this was not an uncommon experience for her. That also meant her tightness left something to be desired. Then again, I may only have thought so because I'd been spoiled by cheat-tier pussy.

"Hngh~♥ Nnngh~♥ Sir Walker~♥ You're amazing~!"

"Hmm. Serviceable enough, but if I'm grading it, call it a D-minus. You barely scraped by without a failing pussy."

"That's so mean~! Everyone else said I was the best. Nnngh~!"

"How many have you slept with so far?"

"Including the young pages in the castle, only about thirty~! Ahn! I'm practically still a virgin~!"

"You little witch. Shake it harder."

Luna slapped Priscilla's ass in my place. Priscilla's hips jerked, and her soaked walls clamped around my cock.

"If I do it this way, she will tighten further."

Luna went ahead and put her hands around Priscilla's throat. Priscilla gagged and pounded at my chest.

"Hiiieh~! Ghhk...! Khk...! W-wait...! Can't... breathe...!"

"Oho. That's a decent squeeze."

Luna regulated Priscilla's breathing right to the brink, assisting her service. I spent that luxurious night in just such a fashion.