Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Translator: Penny
Chapter 59
Having shed their vagrant status, the beggars now followed the knights' orders without question.
They turned the soil with shovels and broke up clumps of earth with hoes.
The land had been neglected for so long that the soil had become impossibly hard.
"Hngh... Hngh!"
"Hngh... Hah! Hngh!"
The beggars toiled in the frigid air, sweat dripping heavily from their brows as they cultivated the fields.
Their backs ached as if they were about to break, and their shoulders felt weighed down by lead, yet they didn't pause for a moment, their arms moving tirelessly.
This wasn't because they were improving their stamina or washing away their mental laziness with the sweet taste of labor. It was simply because the knights stood beside them, swords drawn, glaring menacingly.
"Arms! I see arms moving!"
"Straighten your back only after a hundred shovel strokes!"
"Third Owl, are you not digging properly?!"
The knights barked orders at the beggars, their stern voices driving them to work harder.
Of course, to the beggars, this wasn't encouragement but outright intimidation. But who would dare argue?
"Aish, fuck!"
Suddenly, one of the digging beggars slammed his hoe into the dirt pile, his anger erupting.
All eyes turned to him.
It was Dalkun, a notorious criminal and former mercenary leader.
"Damn it! Does being a lord mean you can treat your fief's people like dogs?!"
"H-hey, Dalkun, what's wrong...?"
The beggar working beside him, his face pale with fear, grabbed Dalkun's sleeve, trying to restrain him.
"Shut up, you bastard! I almost became a knight myself back in the day! Follow the Nobility Law!"
He brandished his hoe at the approaching knights, threatening them.
"...Move aside."
At that moment, someone pushed through the crowd and stood opposite the commotion-causing beggar.
"Oho—you're the infamous Knight Commander, aren't you? Tell the Lord to come out! Tell him to come out now!"
"...Why would the Lord meet with someone like you?"
"Is this knight out of his mind?! Fine, let's see if you can still talk big after I've stamped some metal into your bare skin!"
Just as Dalkun swung his hoe, Wolf's body snapped forward like a taut bowstring, hurtling toward the man.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Whoosh—!
Dalkun's hoe sliced through the air and slammed into the empty ground.
Wolf sprinted forward, leaped into the air, executed a full rotation, and slammed his heel into Dalkun's face.
CRACK!
"Gah...!"
Dalkun collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his face.
Wolf landed smoothly and immediately advanced on his opponent.
He grabbed Dalkun by the hair and hauled him upright with one hand.
"Ugh..."
"You filthy wretch! How dare you insult the Lord?"
"Z-Zamohe..." Dalkun stammered through his shattered jaw, his words slurred and garbled.
"Repay your crimes with death."
Without hesitation, Wolf twisted Dalkun's neck until it snapped.
"Dispose of him," he ordered.
Other knights approached and removed the corpse.
An eerie silence settled over the field.
"You are criminals who have disrupted the peace of the city," a voice boomed from behind Wolf's helmet.
Wolf continued, meeting the gazes of the beggars.
"As punishment for your crimes, you've been sentenced to hard labor. Anyone who desires a different punishment, step forward now. I'll have you transferred to the prison."
"..."
"..."
At his words, the beggars exchanged wary glances and clamped their mouths shut.
Even rolling in dog shit is better than the afterlife, they thought. Sweating and toiling under the sun was far preferable to staring blankly at prison walls in perpetual darkness.
"I'll take that as a no."
"..."
"And let me make this clear: anyone caught cursing the Lord will be beaten to death. I swear it."
Wolf's voice, as sharp as frost, carried a warning that made the beggars swallow hard and lower their eyes.
The beggar he had just killed with his bare hands had been one of the stronger ones among them. Yet he hadn't been able to land a single blow against the unarmed Wolf.
"Plow the fields with gratitude. Those who slack off will face my fist."
At this icy command, the beggars' shovels and hoes moved with renewed urgency.
"Hngh... hngh... ugh!"
"Huff... huff... sob!"
The beggars continued to work, their backs aching so badly they wept, but their hands never stopped. A few days of back pain was a far better fate than having their jaw broken by Wolf's fist.
"We should teach the children how to dry medicinal herbs and blend them properly. If blending proves too difficult, we can teach them how to make distilled water and ferment ingredients instead."
Baek Woon shared his carefully considered plan with Agron.
"Do as you see fit, Elder. I agree."
"The real problem lies in handling the Mana Stones. That... can't be taught."
Magic is about glimpsing and coveting the secrets of the world.
It's not simply a matter of willpower; it requires a perfect balance of innate talent and specific aptitudes.
Moreover, since Baek Woon's Daoist Arts and Magic Arts will be involved, we can't allow too many people to observe, lest the information leak.
"Is this too much for you to handle alone, Elder?"
"Of course it is! Do you think I'm still in my twenties?"
"You're even younger than that, kid."
Elena scoffed and answered for him.
"Maybe if he were five or six years old."
"I've had my fill of eating too... Of course, if Duke Elena insists on handling it, I wouldn't mind..."
"I must remain by Master's side. Besides, such tasks are best left to Potion Brewers."
"Hmph. Did you hear that, Agron? This is why we need people. We can't do everything ourselves."
"Indeed. Since it's not urgent, let's start looking for someone right away."
"Exactly. We have some time before we need to cultivate the fields, sow the seeds, and harvest medicinal herbs of the desired quality. Let's take our time and investigate thoroughly."
Baek Woon patted his lower back and sank deeper into his chair.
Just then, Majordomo Alfred entered the study.
"Your Excellency, I've narrowed down the candidates for the new Lord of the Sachsen Fief."
He placed a stack of documents on Agron's desk.
"How did you select the candidates?"
"First, I identified Veilain family branches without fiefs. Then, based on rumors, I included second or third sons in the candidate pool if the eldest son's character was deemed immoral, ranking them accordingly."
"Excellent. So, have you identified the warriors?"
"Yes... Warriors?" Alfred blinked, confused.
Lawrence, who had been silent until now, interjected, "Hey, how are we supposed to recognize warriors? We're just ordinary people!"
"It's simple. Just grab their forearm and twist it up and down—"
"You lunatic! We call that torture around here!" Lawrence shot to his feet, yelling.
The man who had been so sharp when pressuring Duran or uncovering his crimes was now spouting absurd nonsense in this situation.
Lawrence couldn't make heads or tails of Agron.
Is this kid smart or just pretending to be dumb?
As Lawrence glared at him, Agron nodded as if he understood.
"You want dessert, then? Go ahead and eat it."
"Hey! Do you think I'm a glutton? Always asking for dessert?"
"Then you don't want it. Alfred, tell the chef we don't need dessert."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Ah, no! I-I'll eat it!"
Lawrence quickly stopped him. He had a sinking feeling that whether Agron was smart or dumb, he would always be the one at a disadvantage.
"Then you stay here and eat your dessert. Elder, let's visit the orphanage for a bit."
"Agreed. We can start the education early."
As Agron led the group outside, Lawrence, who had been momentarily stunned, hurriedly chased after them.
"What? I'm coming too!"
The orphanage was nearing completion.
With only minor finishing touches, interior decorating, and the delivery of essential supplies remaining, it seemed ready for occupancy by the end of the week.
"Greetings, Count!"
Just then, a large carriage arrived, accompanied by a familiar face.
"It's been a while, Luna."
It was Luna, the branch manager of the Deiron Merchant Guild's Kotaru Branch.
She leaped nimbly from the carriage and exchanged greetings with Agron's group before suddenly turning to Agron with a question, as if struck by a sudden thought.
"Excuse me, Count. Is it true that House Kopellus hunted a Serpent Demonic Beast?"
"It's true. I didn't hunt it; I merely asked if it was a warrior when it appeared before me."
"...? But I heard it was over 50 meters long. That must be a lie, right?"
These days, tales of Agron's exploits at the noble hunting competition were circulating like legends.
Stories abounded, claiming he had captured a flying boar or slain a Serpent Demonic Beast over 50 meters long with a single axe blow.
"That's a lie."
"I knew it... I thought the exaggeration was too much. How could a human possibly kill such a massive Demonic Beast—"
"It was just over 40 meters."
"...Huh?"
"It must have been around 45 meters, Count," Jacob murmured from a step behind.
Luna blinked, struggling to discern whether the story was true or not.
"Did you really slay it with that legendary axe—the relic of a hero?"
"What nonsense is this now?"
"Right? You didn't kill it alone, did you? You must have ganged up on it with others."
It was clear they had hunted the monster like a military campaign, with knights and soldiers leading the charge.
They must have used cannons, with mages providing support from the rear, and archers and spearmen forming the vanguard.
"No, I killed it with my bare hands. And why would I need help to kill a serpent?"
"The Count slew the Demonic Beast single-handedly, Branch Manager Luna."
"..."
Luna fell silent, Agron and Jacob's words leaving her no room for doubt.
Usually, rumors failed to live up to reality, but in this case, reality far surpassed the rumors.
"It's a shame, Master. It would have made a magnificent display in the mansion."
Elena spoke with a hint of regret, "I wish I could have seen the hunt myself."
"They said it was too big to transport," Agron replied.
"But Count Kopellus is going to display it in his fief and erect a monument beside it with Agron's name on it, right? Your Grace Belmond and I fought alongside him too—will our names be included?"
"When did you fight, Lawrence? Weren't you just hugging Duke Belmond and crying?"
"I-I wasn't crying! I was protecting Your Grace Belmond!" Lawrence retorted, his face flushing crimson and his words stumbling.
Agron ignored him, his gaze sweeping across the orphanage interior.
"Luna, please arrange for furniture for the bedrooms and tableware for the kitchen. It would be even better if you could stock the pantry with food supplies as well."
"Understood, Count. We'll stock the orphanage with high-quality goods under the Deiron Merchant Guild's name."
"It would be good if you could visit regularly and replenish supplies as needed."
"An excellent idea. We'll do that."
"Bill the expenses to Prelate Bishop Blanc."
"Huh? Bishop Blanc?"
"Just mention the orphanage and my name. He'll pay."
Luna tilted her head in confusion but made a note of it.
"Do you also handle medicinal herbs?"
"Medicinal herbs?"
"Ugh, Agron. You can't just blurt things out like that."
Baek Woon, who had been listening nearby, shook his head and pulled a scroll from his robes, handing it to Luna.
The scroll listed various medicinal herbs by name, each accompanied by a drawing of its seeds.
"We need all of these. If we can't get seeds, we'll have to find seedlings."
"All of this... you mean all of it?"
"We might need these regularly too."
"Are you planning to open a pharmacy or something?"
In response to Luna's question, Agron and Baek Woon continued their explanation.
Luna's eyes widened as she listened.
"You're planning to create specialty products from the Veilain Fief, aren't you?!"
"That's right. We'll manufacture potions using my techniques and supply them."
"Luna, I want you to register the trademarks."
"Th-then you're planning to sell them through the Kotaru Branch?!" Luna asked, her hands trembling with excitement.
"That's the plan."
"Kyaaaah! Th-thank you! Branch Manager Luna of Kotaru will take full responsibility for supplying all the necessary materials!"
Luna, overjoyed, hopped up and down before dashing out of the orphanage.
"Hmm, she's definitely not the warrior type," Agron mused, deciding there was no need to test Luna's combat skills.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny