Chapter 60
Chapter 60
Translator: Penny
Chapter 60
Fiefdom's Special Products 3
Not long after Luna left, the children who had been out cleaning the streets returned.
According to the workers, they often visited the orphanage construction site during their breaks, spending long stretches admiring the building before leaving.
When the children spotted Agron's group, they shouted with delight:
"Wow! It's the big brothers!"
"There's a pretty big sister too!"
"He's handsome, but he's so weak!"
"Hey! Who's calling me weak?!" Lawrence roared, pointing angrily at the children.
Despite his furious outburst, the children only giggled, circling around him and spinning in circles.
Agron nodded approvingly at the sight.
"These children have remarkable spirit."
"Daring to tease a prince of the realm? That's beyond mere spirit!"
"Is that so? Then perhaps we should conduct a warrior test—"
"Don't you dare, you lunatic!"
Lawrence recoiled in horror and dragged the children outside.
"Ah, hello."
Ritz approached, his face awkward as he greeted Agron.
"How have you been?"
"Yes, I've been doing well, thanks to you."
"Are there any needs or discomforts?"
"Uh, no... You've provided us with a home, food, and work... My siblings and I have been living happily these days. Thank you."
He hesitated for a moment, looking embarrassed, before bowing deeply to Agron.
"Hmm, as I've said before, we're not helping you out of pity."
"Ah, I understand. It's an investment..."
"Exactly, an investment."
Agron placed a hand on Ritz's shoulder.
"Now that the orphanage is complete, I'll visit and teach you all as promised."
"But... are we even allowed to take classes?"
School and education weren't universal institutions.
Look at the children of serfs, blacksmiths, fruit vendors, and millers.
None of them attended school.
They all lived by helping with their parents' family businesses from a young age, never even considering the possibility of attending school.
Learning was the exclusive domain of nobles and the wealthy.
Yet orphans like them were supposed to receive lessons?
If this became known, the surrounding community would undoubtedly make their lives miserable.
Driven by envy, they might drive the orphans out of the village or, worse, set fire to the orphanage.
"Of course you are."
"H-but... that's only for nobles..."
"This is the Lord's command," Agron said, offering Ritz the simplest and most reassuring answer to his anxiety.
This was the foundation that would silence anyone who dared question Ritz and the other children of the Orphanage, asking, "What right do you have to receive an education?"
The Lord's command.
Neither the local residents nor the Council citizens would dare challenge it.
Of course, they could voice their grievances.
But anyone who wished to do so would have to visit the Lord's Mansion in person and shout before Agron, "I oppose educating those orphans!"
"Though we call them 'classes,' these aren't formal teachers. Think of them as people who will teach you what you need to know."
"W-what do you need me to know?"
"Ritz, do you want to help me someday?"
"Yes, I would very much like to serve you at your side later, Lord."
"That's precisely what these lessons are for."
At first glance, this might seem like preferential treatment.
Some might even complain, asking why their own children aren't receiving the same opportunity.
But this was merely the first sketch in Agron's grand plan.
"Learn well. You will become teachers yourselves later."
"Yes...? We'll be teachers?"
Agron simply smiled faintly at Ritz's words, offering no further explanation.
He planned to establish an Academy.
However, unlike the current institutions that required exorbitant tuition fees, he envisioned a place where anyone who wished to learn could do so, regardless of their background.
Of course, achieving such goals would require navigating countless bureaucratic hurdles.
The City Council would never approve it, and the nobility and other elites would undoubtedly raise endless objections.
But overcoming such obstacles would make the victory all the more rewarding, wouldn't it?
"There's so much to do," Agron murmured, surveying the nearly completed orphanage with a faint smile.
He had come to check on the project, fearing Bishop Blanc might have halted construction. Fortunately, progress was proceeding smoothly.
"Once this is finished, what should I have them build next?"
Agron resolved to maintain his close relationship with Bishop Blanc as he left the orphanage.
A guest arrived at Count Kopellus's residence.
"Welcome, Sir Wolfgang."
"Thank you for inviting me, Your Excellency Kopellus."
Wolfgang von Ulfert, the Kingdom's strongest fighter, greeted him, his massive frame filling the doorway.
"It seems your muscles have grown even larger. I heard you haven't been competing much lately. What have you been up to?" Kopellus asked, gazing in admiration at Wolfgang's bulging chest.
"I've been focusing on special training lately."
"Special training...? Does someone like you, the Kingdom's top fighter, really need that?"
Wolfgang was the most decorated champion in unregulated combat. No fighter in the Kingdom could match him, and his reputation had spread beyond the Kingdom to the Empire.
"When I encountered a wall higher than myself, I naturally began training."
"Heh heh... A wall higher than you? That's hard to imagine—wait, could you be talking about Count Agron?" Kopellus asked, a sudden realization dawning on him.
He recalled the banquet where Viscount Fabia, once one of his closest confidants, had been expelled, and the extraordinary incident that had unfolded there.
"Since Fabia was expelled by Your Highness Lawrence, none of my inner circle witnessed the scene firsthand. But rumors suggest you and Count Agron engaged in a duel?"
"That's correct. In fact, my sole reason for attending the banquet was to meet Count Agron."
Wolfgang meticulously described the events of the banquet to Kopellus.
Kopellus listened with rapt attention to the details of their duel until Wolfgang revealed that he had lost consciousness at the end. Kopellus's jaw dropped.
"Wolfgang—you fainted? From just a few punches?"
"To be precise, it was one serious punch. The earlier ones were just probing attacks."
"..."
Kopellus struggled to comprehend.
He had personally witnessed Wolfgang's martial prowess in the arena countless times.
When Wolfgang engaged in combat, he was nothing short of a demon incarnate.
For Kopellus, who valued honor and martial prowess above all else, Wolfgang was a nobleman worthy of his utmost respect and admiration.
To think that Wolfgang had been knocked unconscious with a single punch...
It wasn't that Kopellus found it unbelievable or difficult to accept; he simply couldn't visualize it happening in his mind.
"Your Excellency, didn't you witness Count Agron's martial prowess firsthand?"
"Hmm... I didn't see it myself. I only saw the aftermath of the incident."
Of course, with numerous eyewitness accounts and irrefutable evidence, proving the truth hadn't been difficult.
But without witnessing it firsthand, Kopellus couldn't truly grasp the sheer force of Agron's power.
"You wouldn't have come here... just to see that, would you?"
"That's right. I came to witness firsthand the legend that the esteemed warrior has forged."
"Hahaha! Well, it's understandable that you'd be curious! Follow me!"
Kopellus led Wolfgang to a massive temporary structure erected at the center of the hunting grounds.
As they opened the entrance, a chilling aura enveloped Wolfgang.
"I summoned mages and alchemists to 'freeze' it. We can't let a national cultural treasure rot, can we?"
"This is..."
Wolfgang couldn't find the words to describe the colossal spectacle before him.
A serpent of unimaginable size, large enough to encircle the entire building, lay with its jaws agape, its expression venomous.
"Is this... truly a creature that once lived?"
"You probably don't believe it either, do you? I don't either. But according to witnesses, he killed this monster with a single punch and a chokehold."
"I'm not sure who the real monster is here," Wolfgang murmured, fingering the necklace around his neck.
It was a necklace he'd made by stringing Agron's tooth onto a cord.
Ever since parting ways with Agron, Wolfgang had been pushing himself to the limit, training relentlessly. He yearned to one day serve under Agron's banner, becoming his sword.
But at this rate, I'm not sure who's the sword anymore. I need to train even harder.
Looking at the stuffed Serpent Demonic Beast, Wolfgang felt he had made the right decision to come.
Just then, someone stepped beside him and spoke.
"This is incredible! Even the Kingdom's Gold Lions couldn't have done this."
"Who could possibly—"
Kopellus frowned and turned to the speaker.
Despite his orders to admit no one, a woman's voice had broken through the silence.
"It's been a while, Count Kopellus."
A beautiful woman with long, golden hair tied back smiled brightly at him.
"H-Her Highness Princess Shinon?!" Kopellus exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock.
It was Shinon Edelrin von Crowngard, the Kingdom's First Princess.
"W-what brings you here without prior notice?!"
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Kopellus and Wolfgang hastily straightened their postures and bowed respectfully.
"Relax, please. I only came to see this myself," Shinon said, waving her hand dismissively.
"No... If you had at least informed us, we would have sent someone to greet you..."
"If the First Princess were to announce her movements to the nobility, the Count Palatine would mobilize, and the Knights Order would cause a commotion. Besides, who would welcome such fanfare amidst the factional infighting among the nobles?"
"But..."
"Enough already. Do we really need official documents and a parade of knights just to see a dead Demonic Beast?"
"Understood... Then we'll keep it secret."
"Now you're talking sense."
Shinon smirked and clapped Kopellus heartily on the back.
Kopellus winced slightly but didn't show his discomfort.
His back was stinging.
Her gaze returned to the Serpent Demonic Beast.
"By the way, it's truly remarkable. How long is it?"
"They say it's 45 meters long," Kopellus replied. "Its jaws can open up to 5 meters wide."
"Wow—that's colossal! Just seeing it in person would be overwhelming. Count Agron must have nerves of steel, right?"
"...Indeed."
Kopellus hesitated briefly before answering.
Though he was supporting Agron, he was wary of boasting about it in front of the Princess and Prince, especially given the fierce power struggles for the next royal succession currently raging within the Royal Palace.
Noticing his hesitation, Shinon chuckled and waved her hand dismissively.
"You needn't worry, Count Kopellus. I'm not asking to sway you to my side. I'm asking as a knight."
Shinon tapped the sword at her hip as she spoke.
To anyone unfamiliar with her, she would never be mistaken for a princess.
The eccentric princess always wore silver armor, even in casual settings, not just for official occasions.
Shinon, the current commander of the Royal Cavalry Corps.
"...Count Agron is a formidable man. Beyond his courage, his physical strength is truly extraordinary."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Yes, he could even defeat Wolfgang here with a single blow."
Shinon turned to look at Wolfgang.
"I heard rumors that the Kingdom's strongest martial artist had fallen. Is it true?"
"It is, Your Highness."
"Hee-yah! Impressive, truly impressive. Does Count Agron wield weapons skillfully as well? How did he defeat that Demonic Beast?" Shinon asked with a cheerful grin.
"With his bare hands."
"...What?"
"He strangled it to death... with his bare hands."
"...Why?"
Her eyes reflected utter incomprehension.
"That... I don't know either."
"...Does begging actually make it happen?"
"That's what I've heard..."
"..."
Shinon narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the taxidermied Serpent Demonic Beast from every angle.
"Hmm─ I can't figure this out. It would be faster to meet him and ask directly."
"Who? Count Agron?"
"Yes. Please tell him I'll be visiting soon."
With a flash of her perfect teeth, she vanished like the wind.
📝 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