The Landlord's Dream
A sword imbued with a blue aura sliced horizontally through the air. "Kishiiit!" "Kyaaak!" In the wake of the sharp azure flash, no monsters remained standing unscathed. Ice Goblins' necks were severed raggedly like bundles of harvested barley, while packs of Dire Wolves tumbled across the snowfield, howling their death throes. Any monster even grazed by the blade froze solid, unable to walk properly. What was called a monster wave—a disaster—looked like a casual stroll to Swordmaster Kailan Wintervalt. It was pure asymmetric warfare.
"Hoo." Kailan exhaled lightly and glanced back. A procession of butchers carrying saws, hooks, and tools followed in the adventurers' wake. Fearless, even with monsters still prowling about. Some even hunted and butchered the beasts single-handedly.
My people sure have guts.
Among those who endured Knight Walter's hellish training, some had given up frontline combat to join the guild's dedicated butchering team, scraping by that way. Even skilled fighters with families had to prioritize survival over glory.
Kailan swung his sword diligently too, all to build his retirement fund.
"Magnificent as always, Your Highness!" Knight Captain Cedric approached with an expression of rapture. "Please leave a little glory for this old knight! I understand Your Highness's boundless love for your people, but you must give us knights a chance to warm up."
Cedric stroked his beard and chuckled heartily.
"Haha. Don't push yourself too hard either."
Kailan smiled benevolently, playing the gracious lord on the surface, but inside, he was busy fending off rivals!
Leave some? Hell no—I've gotta bag 'em myself for the incentive pay!
Indeed. Kailan had recently introduced a performance bonus system for the knights. Magic Stones they recovered would factor into year-end evaluations, with hefty bonuses attached. Officially, it was to motivate fixed-salary knights and eradicate monsters. In truth, it was Kailan's scheme to hoard retirement cash.
The grand duchy castle had been bleeding red every month—no nest egg in sight!
"Outta my way! That's mine!"
"My daughter's wedding fund—come here, you!"
"Wooooaaah!"
As Kailan led the charge to sweep up the loot, adventurers and regular knights alike went berserk, charging the monsters with bloodshot eyes.
Damn ruthless bastards! You love money that much? Yeah, me too!
In the North, monster waves were no longer wars or disasters. They were frenzied gold-rush brawls between the grand duke and adventurers. Bloodthirsty beasts that had battered the walls now recoiled in terror.
"Humans...! Dangerous! Humans crazy lately!"
Nearly seven hundred monsters fled or fell in under an hour.
Once the battle fully ended.
Kiiing. The heavy iron gates creaked open, and wagons and carts streamed out in a line. A woman with platinum blonde hair cascading in the wind stepped down from a carriage. Even in the North's biting gale, Princess Eleanor never lost her smile.
"Brave heroes of Wintervalt! I offer my deepest gratitude for safeguarding our peace once more."
As the princess dismounted, knights and adventurers knelt in unison.
Behind her, burly servants—not unlike the adventurers—grunted as they unloaded massive cauldrons from the carts.
"Nothing revives a weary body like hot meat stew. I've prepared plenty for Wintervalt's guardians—eat your fill!"
Servants lifted the lids, and steam rose over the snowfield, carrying the rich aroma of broth.
"Long live the princess!!"
"This is why I live... sob...!"
Men who'd been feral over Magic Stones moments ago turned meek as lambs at the scent, lining up obediently. Kailan, preserving ducal dignity, joined the knights in line with a wooden bowl. A Swordmaster grand duke queuing like a common soldier looked odd, but it was becoming everyday scenery in Wintervalt.
"Well done, Eleanor."
Kailan held out his bowl and whispered affectionately. "You're captivating with paperwork, but serving out here like this? Utterly beautiful."
"Oh my..."
Eleanor's pale cheeks flushed crimson. Heat poured from the ladle in her grip, setting the cauldron bubbling anew.
"I-I'm embarrassed, Your Highness. H-here, plenty of meat for you."
She piled thick chunks mountain-high in his bowl. Onlookers envied it, but none dared complain about the duke getting more.
Kailan scanned the scene sidelong, bowl in hand. Even adventurers empty-handed on stones grinned ear-to-ear, savoring stew and barley bread.
He slurped heartily with the knights.
"Heavenly... My wife's the best."
Hot broth thawed his frozen body, melting away battle fatigue like snow in spring. A miracle only solar mana-infused food could grant.
Southern adventurers drawn by guild rumors sat in clusters, savoring reverently.
"Uwaaa... to die for."
"Glad I'm alive."
Then, Hans—the gold-rank adventurer riding high—spoke up amid them with exaggerated flair.
"Hey, you lot. Why the sour faces?"
Startled by the sudden provocation, the southerners waved it off.
"N-no, not sour... just, same old slop every training day..."
In short, hooked already.
Hans clutched his forehead in lament.
"Tch! Ungrateful fools! You can't grasp what this stew means to us Northerners who survived on frozen potatoes and moldy rye!"
He raised his bowl high. "Live here long enough, and you'll get it—the princess's grace in every bite!"
"Okay, calm down..."
"Long live the princess! Long live Grand Duke! I'll serve the North forever!!"
Hans's cry sparked over a hundred adventurers to hoist bowls and pledge loyalty. Their roar shook the snowfield. Overwhelmed southerners chorused "Long live the princess!" reflexively.
Watching, Kailan chuckled warmly.
Our Northern guys are the best. No hazing, just blend right in.
All thanks to Eleanor personally brewing and serving stew. My wife's unmatched.
Knights around him rolled eyes at the gushing but nodded in agreement.
Wintervalt's spring was fading.
The central continent sweltered in early summer mugginess, but Wintervalt—empire's northernmost—stayed perennially chill. Yet the grand duchy castle's conference hall was toasty enough to shed coats.
"Ever grateful, Eleanor. Your magic lets my retainers focus without shivering."
"Heehee... I don't know where to put myself with Your Highness's praise."
Even under retainers' sharp gazes, the ducal couple exchanged syrupy looks. Retainers, inured to the goosebump-inducing affection, just smiled fondly.
All seated, Walter stood to report.
"Your Highness. Guild profits rise steadily each month. Adventurers from across the continent now exceed one hundred."
Proof that tales of lavish benefits and reliable wave defense were spreading.
"Ooh."
Exclamations rippled through the room. A hundred trained adventurers rivaled a small fief's standing army.
Kailan nodded approvingly. Count Rian rose next, flushed with excitement. He'd shuttled tirelessly between south and center, handling trade.
"Your Highness! As adventurers flock north, peddlers from merchant caravans are wagoning in to profit off them!"
Good news. Tax windfalls from merchants, who must spend locally to survive. Domestic markets booming.
Kailan smiled leisurely. The North entered unprecedented prosperity.
"However, Your Highness! It's fine now, but sustained influx will strain housing and security soon! Your order for guild branches at outposts was spot-on."
Count Rian ranted passionately.
"Soon, hundreds, thousands incoming—no inns or eateries enough. Unchecked growth means street sleepers."
"...Street sleepers?"
Kailan swallowed hard. Summer might grace the continent, but this was the North. Sleeping outdoors meant frostbite or worse—not just numb lips. Corpses or severe cases en masse.
No way! Injured adventurers drain guild insurance funds! That's my hard-earned surplus!
Black ink barely in sight, now doomed.
As Kailan grimaced, Eleanor rose promptly, as if waiting.
Ooh, you're always my savior!
"Worry not, Your Highness. I came prepared."
She beamed confidently, thick parchment bundle in arms.
Thud! Eleanor unfurled the blueprints.
"What's... this?"
"Wintervalt urban development plan."
Blueprints sprawled from castle center: vast commercial districts, lodging, neat roads.
Eleanor sparkled. "Rent shops to southern merchants—fat monthly taxes flow in. Passive revenue doubling, just breathing."
Kailan's blue eyes quivered. Build now, collect rent forever? Landlording—the pinnacle of unearned income he'd dreamed of as a Korean salaryman.
Retainers, briefed fully, nodded assent.
"As expected of the princess!"
"This makes Wintervalt the North's trade hub!"
Kailan's chest swelled. But joy was fleeting.
Wait. Building all that... where's construction cash? Site management? Design review? Material approvals?
Those buildings wouldn't magic up overnight. Someone must bleed over paperwork mountains again.
"Your Highness! We start budget drafts and site selection today!"
Eleanor clenched a cute fist, brimming zeal. Cedric and Walter dabbed tears, nodding.
"Selfless for the North's future—no rest! This old bone's yours to the end!"
Kailan stared vacantly at the ashen sky outside.
Overtime hell confirmed again.
Wintervalt's coffers turned black, but the grand duke's punctual clock-out seemed distant still.