You're Giving Me All This? Thanks
The high-ranking officials of Romanie Territory had gathered in the conference room. A heavy tension hung in the air among them. It wasn't just because of the devastating Gate outbreak that had caused massive damage, killing even the lord and several retainers. It was the man about to enter for "negotiations."
"Ah, Lord Armeyna is here!"
A servant rushed in, shouting. The doors swung open, and the lord entered side by side with two women.
Thud. Thud.
Striding confidently with beauties on either arm—that tall stature, handsome face, and bold gait painted the picture of a perfect ruler. The blood soaking his clothes contrasted sharply with the officials' pristine uniforms, amplifying the impact. It was as if he were declaring, While you fled, I fought head-on and protected your people—people who mean nothing to me.
Damn, this is sticky. Too much cleanup to change clothes. ...Of course, the real story was a bit different.
"Thank you for coming despite the chaos from the orcs."
"No, no. We're the ones grateful. You stepped up and minimized the damage."
"Right? I did pretty well, didn't I?"
The lord's brazen response sealed the officials' lips. Normally, you'd expect humility or deflection here. But his feats were so extraordinary they couldn't argue.
"Haha. Armeyna has long been renowned for good governance. I didn't realize your martial prowess ran this deep."
"I'm just that good."
The lord replied indifferently. With each word, beads of sweat multiplied on the officials' brows. Facing territory heavyweights usually made people tense—even Romanie's own lord had treaded carefully. But this young lord? He acted like he'd done this a thousand times, utterly at ease. No joy or embarrassment at the praise, just an attitude of Why state the obvious?
His caliber... is on another level. Not someone to underestimate.
Everyone here knew about Armeyna's new lord—mostly the bad rumors. The tyrant who executed corrupt officials overnight! Whispers even claimed he killed his own father, the previous lord. Yet the territory's people hailed him as a hero who saved their lives. A genius in both combat and politics, an ambitious powerhouse. And now, right after monsters ravaged the neighboring territory, he shows up at the perfect time and pulls off the same miracle?
No one here was dumb enough to call it coincidence.
His own territory's sorted, so he came here to expand.
Especially with Manila standing behind Ian. The famed magic engineer tipped the scales toward suspicion.
That woman behind him was researching mana detectors, right? Them together means they planned this from the start.
He anticipated this crisis and was waiting. His ambitions are beyond measure.
Romanie's lord died to orcs, but who knows the truth? Armeyna fought with an orc axe himself, they say.
He executed decades-long retainers overnight. If we're next...
Misunderstandings piled up, fueling fear. Ian's overwhelming display of force had seared itself into their minds.
Ian, who had been eyeing them coolly, rose slightly from his seat.
"Well then..."
"Hiiiik!"
One official, spooked preemptively, slipped off his chair and fell.
"I was just gonna talk. You okay?"
"Y-yes, of course."
"Haha. Still so tense? Someone might mistake me for an orc."
"N-no way! Ha... haha..."
The official stood, sweating profusely with an awkward laugh. Ian's tone and demeanor ratcheted the tension higher. What did that mean? A threat that he could slaughter them all like orcs anytime?
"Anyway, territory management isn't my business, so no lectures. Let's talk something productive."
"Productive...?"
"There are a ton of dead orcs from this, right?"
The raid's scale meant heaps of orc corpses. Collected, the volume was surprisingly massive.
"I want to negotiate over the mana stones and byproducts."
"O-of course! You should take them, Lord Armeyna!"
Heads nodded in agreement.
"You contributed the most. You deserve it."
"...All of them?"
"W-well, we'd separate the mana stones for you. Hauling whole bodies would be such a hassle and waste."
"Hmm?"
"Ahaha. Of course, compensation too. It's the least for saving our people."
Ian just stared. Was he demanding more? But they'd just suffered huge losses from the orcs. More bleeding before stability? They'd collapse.
"...Fine. I'll gratefully accept."
"Phew! Thank you for understanding."
Thankfully, he had some conscience. The officials sighed in relief. At least he wasn't swallowing the lordless territory whole. Losing some coin was bearable.
"The officials must've been super grateful. They just handed over cash like candy."
I'd planned to demand 80% of the mana stones and byproducts. Even that might've been rejected—the local orcs and knights/soldiers' efforts weren't nothing. Start high, haggle down. But they offered it all upfront. Even tossed in extra compensation!
"Our territory had tons of trash underlings. This place is different?"
"...Politicians follow the 'trash preservation law.' If the head's rotten, the underlings are decent. Vice versa too."
"Don't they usually all rot?"
"Then the whole organization crumbles—no exceptions."
Tavi added thoughtfully,
"In this case, they were probably scared of you, my lord."
"Scared of me? I saved their asses."
"You're the lord who massacred orcs with a single axe. Plus public support. They figured you'd boot them and swallow the territory."
"Why would I bother with that hassle..."
Did they think I'd puppet a figurehead and rule from the shadows? One rural territory was headache enough. No desire to manage this mess too. As long as I made bank and lived easy, that was plenty.
"Ah, but this room's nice. Furniture and decor are top-notch."
"They said it's the best in the territory. Hero treatment for saving it."
They'd hooked us up with rooms, new clothes—everything. Hero perks felt damn good.
"Um, excuse me..."
Manila, sitting opposite, timidly raised her hand.
"Why am I here? What did you want to discuss...?"
"Ah, sorry. Took too long on our stuff."
"No! It's fine. Got to see the conference room."
After the crisis, I'd fetched Manila immediately, keeping her close to prevent any escapes or mishaps.
"Straight to the point: I want to scout you."
"Scout me?"
"Unlimited dev funding. Exclusive contract on your future magic tools and gear."
Magic tool R&D costs a fortune, but worth every coin. Hell, it'd be a jackpot beyond that. Manila's inventions revolutionized everything. Later, famed knights lined up for one of her swords.
The Sage's Milestone proves it. Hell, even beyond the original story's value.
Searching for the optimal evolution path... Search complete.
Solution: Manila is currently developing a magic tool capable of detecting Gates. Due to insufficient development time, its accuracy and range are limited, but her invention is already yielding results. Invest generously in her, and she will produce superb equipment.
TL;DR: Her inventions are a goldmine—invest low now. Even the Sage's Milestone, which charts growth paths, gave the simple fix: Throw money at her.
And it's a Gate detector? Already working? This isn't just profitable—it's priceless.
The kingdom would battle Gates endlessly. Key was knowing when and where they'd spawn. A detector's value defied coin measure. Cities, territories, merchants—everyone would buy one.
Not earning money—raking it in with a harrow.
That's why I'd bring Manila to my territory. Bonus: Let her meet Iana like in the original.
"What do you say? Best terms possible."
"Ah, it's just... so sudden..."
"Anything not to your liking? I'll match whatever."
"N-no! Far from it! I'm thrilled. You recognize my research's value—and you're my lifesaver..."
Manila fidgeted, bowing deeply.
"So this was the talk..."
"Huh? What?"
"N-nothing! Yes... I accept! With investment, I couldn't ask for more."
"Great. Contract later?"
"Ehehe. Yes..."
Her innocent nod brought a smile. This was a massive cash cow...
"Ow!"
Pain stabbed my side. Tavi had pinched it from behind.
"What?"
"...Nothing."
She turned away with a sassy look. Odd, but Tavi pulled this subtly sometimes, so I shrugged it off.
Anyway, from a no-show caravan detour, I'd scouted a kingdom-shaking inventor. Plus goblin/orc mana stones and byproducts. My territory's growth was insane. No doubt.