Chapter 13
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Mercenary Territory
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Territory
Odobaekryeong.
The hundred cities that wander the Labyrinth.
It was the last sanctuary where sentient races could live in peace after the fall of the ancient kingdom.
The Baekdaesega, who ruled each city, were the masters of Odobaekryeong and, it was no exaggeration to say, the pinnacle of all nobility.
But just as there were nobles other than the Baekdaesega, the homes of the sentient races were not limited to the cities.
There were capital cities attached to the main ones.
Satellite cities orbiting them.
And great walls connecting multiple territories.
Though smaller than the cities, these upper-tier territories, connected by gates, were home to thousands.
The lords who ruled such territories were called high nobles, and some wielded enough influence to sway even the Baekdaesega.
But where there were high nobles, there were also low nobles; where there were upper-tier territories, there were also small and medium-sized ones.
Small territories ruled by low nobles, who made up the majority of the aristocracy.
These were the manors.
No gates.
A maximum population of a few hundred.
Liable to fall overnight.
Yet, they were the smallest and most common territories in Odobaekryeong, capable of at least minimal self-sufficiency.
“Waryong Manor, was it?”
“That is correct.”
“Hmm, it’s a better territory than I expected.”
“My first adoptive father was rather dedicated to developing the manor.”
In that respect.
Waryong Manor, with its four buildings arranged in a square around a garden with a small spring, was certainly a fine territory.
Though located in the furthest corner of Nakrang City, it was large and clean enough to house several hundred people.
The only problem was…
“For all its merits, it’s a territory without a single resident.”
“That's what makes it even better. I can shape it exactly as I please, from top to bottom.”
The ominous beauty with an eyepatch over her eye.
At the words of Pandora, the Calamity Princess, Dion smiled faintly and added another comment.
“—Because from now on, this is my territory.”
Just getting a territory like this for free was a huge win.
Dion said with sincerity.
A territory was a territory, no matter its flaws.
It was the foundation of a family, a source of power that everyone would pay a fortune to obtain.
Just getting such a place for free was enough to make other nobles die of envy.
“Besides, the most important thing about a territory isn't its people or buildings, but the purified water created by a Divine Beast.”
The purified water, which washed away magical contamination, was the very reason sentient races could survive in this Labyrinth.
The abundance of purified water alone made Waryong Manor a good territory.
*Swoosh*.
Scooping up the clear water from the spring with one hand, Dion glanced at Pandora with a meaningful look.
“It's a shame this became a contract fee instead of a dowry, though.”
“You went through the trouble of passing the contest, only for me to make such an unreasonable demand. I can only apologize.”
“Apologize? I'm the one who should be sorry for getting a territory for free.”
Dion chuckled.
*I'll give you the territory. But the marriage is on hold.*
That was the compromise Nakrang's lord, Urk Cortell, had proposed to Dion, the winner of the contest.
More precisely, he said he would leave the choice of marriage to Pandora.
In the end, it was as if he had simply handed over a territory, a gesture so bold that the entire audience had been stunned by Urk's audacity.
So Dion asked casually.
“What on earth did you say to that old orc?”
Urk, who had clearly been enraged at the time.
What was the secret to calming the old orc down so quickly and even making him offer a favor?
To the curious Dion, Pandora answered calmly.
“I simply reminded him of the status your fiancée must hold, a status he could not afford to ignore.”
“That alone wouldn't have been enough for him to jump to the Baekdaesega, would it?”
“Which is why I also mentioned your mask, Young Master.”
“The mask?”
“—The one that Baekmyeon, the former Lord of Comedy, presented to the Baekdaesega.”
About a hundred years ago.
A mask gifted to the Baekdaesega by Baekmyeon, a 4-star assassin, to commemorate his becoming the Lord of Comedy.
An item that made one's face unrecognizable despite only covering the eyes…
But that was all.
Since wearing a mask immediately made one look suspicious, it was a white elephant, useful only for masquerade balls.
For that reason, it was treated as a mere toy or kept in storage by the Baekdaesega, an object so insignificant that no one would even notice if it went missing.
But on the other hand, it also meant it was something difficult to possess unless one was a member of the Baekdaesega.
Dion chuckled.
“So, 1+1 equals Baekdaesega, is that it?”
“More accurately, it was 1+1+1.”
“What was the third one?”
“Your ability to pass all five gates in one go, Young Master.”
“There are plenty of people outside the Baekdaesega who can do that.”
“The very fact that you can say that is something only a direct descendant of the Baekdaesega could say.”
Those capable of passing the five gates were mostly individuals who had no need to seek marriage for a single small-to-medium territory.
In other words, direct descendants of the Baekdaesega or those with comparable power.
At Pandora's calm observation.
Dion nodded.
“Well, when you put it like that, it's no wonder the old orc changed his tune.”
A fiancée of a status that couldn't be ignored.
A mask that should only be in the possession of the Baekdaesega.
An abnormally outstanding ability.
Putting it all together, it was natural for anyone to arrive at one suspicion.
—That Dion might be a direct descendant of the Baekdaesega.
“To jump on the bandwagon that quickly, that old orc is certainly shrewd.”
“My father merely left himself with many options.”
“That's what makes him impressive.”
“…”
“There are many ambitious men with great desires, but cunning heroes who can make a decision and act on it are rare.”
At first, he demanded I take off my mask and reveal my identity, but later, he didn't even ask for my name.
He gave me the territory, leaving only the opportunity to marry Pandora, while positioning himself as a magnanimous benefactor who had bestowed a great favor.
As ambitious as an orc.
But as cunning as they come, unlike most orcs.
Whether a cunning hero or a treacherous one.
Admiring the craftiness of the old orc, who was undoubtedly a remarkable figure.
Dion smiled knowingly.
“And that's why you prepared this contest, isn't it, Pandora?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I'm not trying to interrogate you. I have no intention of meddling in your family's internal affairs.”
“…”
“Well, that might change if you become my wife.”
“…”
“So, until then, I look forward to being good neighbors.”
“…I as well look forward to our future relations.”
As if wanting to know whether his words were sincere, she gazed at the boy from behind her eyepatch for a long moment.
In the end, Pandora bowed politely and quietly turned away.
He watched as she headed toward the forest adjacent to Waryong Manor.
No, to be precise, he watched her make her way to another manor hidden in the forest's shadow.
Dion chuckled and spoke to the dark elf maid who had approached from behind.
“She really is an interesting one.”
“What's so interesting?”
“Well. For example, the fact that she arranged this suitor contest to avoid marriage?”
“…Are you saying she deliberately prepared gates that no one could pass?”
“At least, that must have been Pandora's intention. That's why she prepared that kind of box for the final gate.”
“What was in the final box to make you say that?”
“—Nothing.”
“…”
“It was empty, that box.”
Perhaps because the answer was so unexpected, Parsha raised an eyebrow slightly, but Dion didn't bother to explain further.
An ambitious and cunning adoptive father.
A wealthy and talented adoptive daughter.
How complicated their relationship was, and how much more complicated it would become.
And…
—Why Urk would die in a few months, and why the Cortell family would be destroyed.
That wasn't something to explain now, nor was it a problem he could do anything about at the moment.
Therefore, Dion focused on the problems that needed immediate attention.
“So, how is it?”
“We're short on some supplies, including food, but if we can replenish those, there's no problem with moving in right away.”
“Hmm, then we can move immediately.”
“…Are you really planning to make our clan the people of this territory?”
“Is there a problem?”
The boy asked nonchalantly, as if wondering what the issue could be.
The dark elf maid, who had been staring at Dion with cold eyes, spoke as if sighing.
“Unless you're a fool, you must have noticed that the lord of Nakrang is still suspicious of you, Young Master.”
“I know. That's why he placed Pandora next to me.”
“So what do you think will happen if you suddenly accept a clan of elves as your people at a time like this?”
“Well, things might get a little noisy?”
“It won't end with just being ‘noisy.’”
Despite Parsha's cold point, Dion replied with composure.
“It's fine. If a problem arises, I'll just solve it.”
“Do you have no intention of preventing problems from arising in the first place?”
“How you prevent a problem isn't important. How you solve it is what matters.”
Even if you knew the future and prepared thoroughly, you couldn't prevent every problem that was bound to happen.
It was better to operate on the premise that problems would occur, he said.
Dion smiled faintly.
“Besides, some things can't be achieved without being reckless.”
“…”
Simply avoiding problems only gets you past the immediate crisis.
It would never let you reach the final act.
Having learned this through his second-life experience with the Voice, Dion spoke with conviction.
“So, for now, hurry up with the move.”
“That sounds plausible, but we need funds to move.”
“We can use our client's money. He must have multiplied it quite a bit by betting on my contest.”
“Even so, it's just a windfall. It might be fine for now, but in a few months, we'll be short on funds and supplies.”
In Odobaekryeong, elves were paupers.
The move itself was easy since they only had to bring themselves, but that also meant they had no assets to speak of.
Supporting hundreds of people with Dion's wealth alone would drain it in no time.
This was especially true since this empty territory had no proper jobs or sources of income.
“Don't worry. I've already figured out a way to secure funds.”
“…Which noble family's young lady are you planning to seduce this time?”
“Hmm, when you put it like that, I sound like some gigolo who goes around committing marriage fraud.”
“Weren't you?”
“Ahaha, unfortunately, I'm not planning to borrow from anyone this time. I intend to take it fair and square.”
He chuckled for a moment as if he'd just heard the funniest joke.
Dion casually asked Parsha.
“Parsha, do you know what the most profitable business in the world is?”
“Being a noble, of course.”
“Hmm, close. That's number three.”
“Then what's number one?”
“—War.”
“…”
“In the end, the strong take all the money. And that's only going to become more true in the future.”
“But you don't have that strength, Young Master.”
“That's why I need to build it, starting now.”
To protect the territory.
To fight my brothers and sisters.
And above all, to prepare for the Calamity War.
The best way to build a faction based on this territory, and most importantly, to increase his own power.
Dion said leisurely.
“By swinging a sword for others and picking up easy money.”
“Don't tell me you're planning to act as a wandering mercenary?”
“No, I'm going to create a mercenary company.”
“…”
“—More precisely, a Mercenary Territory.”
“You can level up while developing the territory and getting paid for it. What could be better?”