The Sky Fortress Self-Destruction! Shocking Briefing from the Lawrence Principality!
[Sky Fortress Self-Destruction!? Shockwave Briefing from the Lawrence Principality!]
[Raven Marquis has secretly dispatched one Sky Fortress and two hundred Vanguard units!]
[They were reduced to ashes in an instant!]
[During the war with the Croisen Empire, one hundred and sixty-two Vanguards were lost!]
[Yet another two hundred were wiped out because of a dispute between royal nobles!]
[The Marquis’s losses signal a weakening of the kingdom’s power!]
[This incident cannot simply be dismissed as a squabble between two territories.]
[Some even accused the Lawrence family of imitating unethical attacks that caused massive losses to the royal forces in the Croisen War.]
[Most opinions demanded that the response had crossed the line of Prince Adrian Lawrence’s authority and that the matter should be debated at the Royal Nobles’ Council or the Auditor General.]
The Raven incident has stirred up a storm of controversy both inside and outside the kingdom.
I found it grating that many media outlets bombarded me with critical articles, even though the Raven family’s influence is so strong.
But that wasn’t the whole story—supporting public opinion far outweighed the criticism, and the neutral media began to change their tune.
[This is nothing more than the result of exceptional foresight and victory in information warfare!]
[One must never forget that the surprise attack was launched by the Raven Marquis!]
[Had the Raven Marquis not conducted that cowardly surprise operation, none of this would have happened. Prince Adrian simply made a bold choice to protect his territory.]
[The Raven Marquis’s proud stronghold has collapsed!]
[The Marquis survived but suffered heavy losses in an unexpected counterattack!]
[A truly humiliating defeat!]
[The rising young sun who turned the mighty Raven Marquis into the setting sun—Adrian Lawrence!]
Summarizing public reaction in a few words:
“He launched a cowardly sneak attack, and you predicted every move?”
“Impressive move, Marquis.”
“Kya! God’s move!”
“Truly amazing. Giving up an entire Sky Fortress like that.”
“One Sky Fortress swallowed the firepower of five!”
“Of course—twenty years old and already a 9-Circle mage. Brilliant head on his shoulders.”
“A new wind is blowing through the Lheinhatz Kingdom.”
“Still, it’s just nobles fighting among themselves.”
If the entire kingdom thinks I’m on their side, I can’t complain.
Even though nobles in this world treat commoners like disposable slaves, I believe the support of the people can become a powerful force.
From now on, I plan to prove to the nobles that I am different by communicating steadily with the commoners.
[Thank you for your support. I will never forget your faith.]
The easiest way to communicate with commoners is through online diaries, similar to SNS.
I’ll keep replying to their comments, posting daily-life photos and videos, and steadily build a friendly image.
[I lit up a fireworks display and had a glass of wine as a gift from the Raven Marquis.]
#30-trillion-won fireworks #Best value-for-money wine recommendation
[I fired ten volleys of 9-Circle destruction magic at the Raven Marquis’s stronghold.]
#Grand mage rampage #Shoddy construction?
[I’ll sell the scrap from the destroyed Raven Sky Fortress.]
#This is the creative economy #Sky Fortresses are expensive scrap too
[The Raven Marquis is still puffing up his image.]
#Boring #Lame
This is exactly how the SNS-savvy Korean online combat nation would do it.
“The impact is bone-crushing. Whoa, the hit feels real lol”
“Prince Adrian, please stop teasing the Marquis lol lol lol”
“Totally different from a normal noble. A 9-Circle mage who seems so approachable lol”
My words struck home instantly.
“In one day my followers exceeded a million. Looks like I’ve become an influencer after all.”
The nobles probably won’t understand this behavior.
In this world, nobles are terrifying hybrids of Korea’s chaebols combined, and they alone monopolize Sky Fortresses, Vanguards, knights, and mages—true military rulers.
So commoners can never challenge the authority of nobles.
What do you think the nobles’ view of commoners must be? Disposable slaves to be exploited, or mere numbers to be counted.
Therefore, my actions can only look like a noble’s eccentric behavior to them.
“I’m afraid they’ll say I’ve lowered the prestige of the nobility.”
“William, look at other people’s reactions. I’m done watching my words from now on.”
The nobles’ contempt for commoners is a structural problem of this world, not because commoners are inferior.
In fact, most of the talented people I recruited and educated with my monocle were not commoners.
Examining and educating the talents of commoners is something only I, who possesses the monocle, can do. It is a crucial factor that will greatly expand my future.
I cannot belittle the commoners.
“Adrian.”
How long had I been lost in online communication?
In the lord’s office of the principality I now own, my father sat in a chair and called me over.
In the office stood not only my father and William, but also my mother and the family’s key figures.
“Is there a plan going forward?”
“Of course.”
Reading the worry on everyone’s faces, I handed my father the document in his hand without changing my expression.
[Summoning Order]
Adrian Lawrence, Prince of the Marquisate, Arsia Claire, Knight.
You are ordered to appear before the Royal Nobles’ Auditor.
—Sender: Douglas Hamilton, Duke and Auditor General
The document was short but carried an unmistakably coercive tone.
The possible intentions behind this summons are three.
1. The Raven Marquis is playing a joke.
2. High nobles are plotting to tame me and Arsia.
3. The royal family has a scheme to tame me and Arsia.
Why only negative opinions? If they truly wanted to invite us with good intentions, they wouldn’t have sent a summons order first.
I therefore had no choice but to assume the worst.
“Father, what do nobles love most?”
My calm expression puzzled my father, who answered his own question.
“Money, of course.”
“Exactly. That’s what I think too.”
The vassals in the office exchanged glances, as if to ask what the speaker was delaying for.
Arsia, sitting beside me and sipping iced tea, poked me without caring. I pulled out a premium cookie from my spatial pocket and gave it to her to satisfy their curiosity.
“I plan to turn the topic to money. Many nobles will show interest, including even the royal family.”
“It would be nice if you explained it in more detail.”
My reply was simple.
“I have some money from investments. If I pay the tax on that amount all at once, the atmosphere will change.”
“You mean you’ll overshadow the topic with another topic?”
“Exactly.”
Just like how celebrity scandals flood the news every time politics erupts on Earth.
But the problem was no one sympathized with my plan.
“Hmm……”
“It seems you’ve earned quite a fortune through investments.”
Instead of explaining in words, I decided to show them directly. I summoned a holographic account for money laundering.
[Deposit Balance: 60,000,000,000,000 Lutes]
“Eh?”
Everyone’s eyes widened at the sight.
But William’s next words made me want to laugh bitterly.
“Ooh, impressive! As expected, a 9-Circle mage isn’t just anyone! Six hundred billion Lutes!”
“William, look closely. The commas under the number are four, not three.”
“What?”
“Four commas…”
I corrected his misunderstanding, and only then did they count on their fingers and confirm the exact figure.
“S-Six…?”
“Sixty trillion.”
Anyone would find that amount unbelievable.
Their expressions went from shock to disbelief.
“Well, that’s a natural reaction.”
“Here are the transaction records. Seeing the investments directly is better than listening to explanations.”
I unfolded the investment history created by the game manager Chester to steal their attention.
“What is this divine investment?”
The list included cases where tens or hundreds of billions were lost in failed investments.
Yet when annual returns were low, the money multiplied three times; in the best cases, twenty times over.
Looking at the list, one might think I was a venture capitalist, not a mage.
I summarized the situation simply without extra explanations.
“I was just lucky.”
“Young Master, can you see the future? Or are you a regressed person?”
“What a fun joke.”
The group shook their heads, having run out of shock.
They all anticipated the waves this list would cause.
“Chaos will erupt.”
“The nobles’ offensive toward the young master will finally die down. No, more people will try to curry favor. With this level of investment, even being a world-class capitalist isn’t enough.”
I asked my father one last worry.
“How much tax will I have to pay?”
“Even with maximum tax reduction, at least twenty percent will be lost.”
“So almost twelve trillion Lutes?”
“Yes.”
I have to give my money to the country.
That’s how taxes work, but I feel stingy about it.
In our country, nobles who pay high taxes receive certain benefits to discourage evasion.
I plan to use that system, so the loss won’t be too great.
“I heard that when a noble pays high taxes, the royal trade union grants tax-exempt benefits.”
“Correct. Using a royal trade union gives half the paid tax as exemption.”
“Half of the tax exempt on purchases.”
That’s a substantial benefit, but my father pointed out a hidden catch.
“Actually, it’s not full exemption. Profit is already built into production costs and distribution. The nobles are seduced into buying twice—once to create demand and again to claim the benefit.”
A well-thought-out system devised by the royal family.
It looks sly, but I don’t mind.
Since I plan to spend huge sums anyway, the actual tax will be roughly one-tenth of my sixty-trillion Lutes.
“Is there anything else you want to buy?”
“Yes.”
I smiled meaningfully at my father’s question.
“I need to increase the number of Sky Fortresses and Vanguards.”
* * *
The major city of Creft in the Otis Marquisate.
“Haha! This guy is hilarious! He has the talent to surprise people!”
Margrave Otis watched the news with no special thought and burst into hearty laughter.
His wife and his daughter Michelle Otis, the apple of his eye, exchanged glances of admiration.
Margrave Otis shared the news video with them.
[Economic News. Prince Adrian Lawrence of the Marquisate has filed taxes on investment income. However, the amount—sixty trillion Lutes—has shocked the noble society.]
[The National Tax Service and Financial Supervisory Commission confirmed that the investment records submitted by Prince Lawrence are all accurate with no signs of fraud.]
[The young prodigy who was called a genius from childhood.]
[At twenty years old, he has already reached the 9-Circle level, yet his talent seems far broader than just magic.]
His wife and daughter’s eyes widened in amazement.
“No way. Is this the capable subordinate you mentioned?”
“Yes. He’s earned a marquisate title as a 9-Circle mage. He can’t be called just a subordinate anymore. I wanted to connect him with Michelle, but he’s become a giant too quickly.”
“Can’t we do something? He’s a perfect son-in-law candidate.”
Michelle Otis, the daughter, clicked her tongue and protested.
“His face is decent, but I don’t want to be a woman who only looks at her husband’s gains. I plan to become a power myself.”
“How?”
“With Manuel Lucas’s game in my hands, that problem will be neatly solved.”
“She’s still talking like that. When will she grow up?”
“Ah, it’s possible!”
Margrave Otis’s wife looked exasperated, but her husband suddenly fell into thought.
“Why?”
The wife and daughter’s gazes turned to the margrave, who shrugged and smiled.
“I was just thinking that if Prince Adrian obtained the game, his current extraordinariness would make more sense.”
Michelle’s expression soured at her father’s reasoning.
“You already recognized him as the same sect from the Riverdale Duchy.”
“Given his unstable position, the Riverdale sect is the most suitable shelter. Moreover, Prince Adrian has been extremely meticulous in hiding his power until he became a 9-Circle mage.”
“But his wealth was transparently built through investments, which the royal institutions officially recognized.”
“Could there have been a transaction between the Riverdale family and the Lheinhatz royal family?”
“Father, do you like conspiracy novels?”
Michelle clicked her tongue, calling her father’s words exaggerated.
“Are you mocking your dad?”
“I’m not mocking. I’m just laughing because it’s funny.”
The married couple continued their lukewarm argument when the holographic news suddenly updated.
[Urgent Alert. A moment ago, the President of the Prius Republic announced the acquisition of Manuel Lucas’s game…]
“Eh?”
“What?!”
The news flipped both their expressions 180 degrees.