Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: EP.42 True Intent (2)
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About four days had passed since Loriell suddenly visited the Lartania territory.
As time went on, the festive mood in the territory gradually died down, returning things to their usual state. On the surface, nothing seemed to have changed, but from Kim Hyunwoo's perspective, two distinct differences had emerged.
The first was the reaction of the territory's residents.
Truth be told, the relationship between Kim Hyunwoo and the residents wasn't bad to begin with.
He wasn't even collecting taxes right now, all to boost immigration rates, and he'd personally dealt with bandits raiding the village when no heroes were around.
Of course, it wasn't the bandit-slaying itself that improved things so much as the rumors that spread afterward—"God's Emissary," "King of Logs," and the like—which naturally earned him respect. Strictly speaking, their bond was still just that of "lord" and "residents," as defined by the title.
But after Kim Hyunwoo defended Lartania from the disaster, the residents' attitudes shifted dramatically.
People who used to offer only a curt nod before going back to their work now bowed their heads whenever he stepped outside. Children gazed at him with eyes full of admiration.
Even the guards, who had always maintained a proper discipline, now bellowed their responses and looked at him with reverence whenever he approached.
Just like right now.
"Call Elena for me."
"Yes, sir!"
Unlike the crisp "Yes, sir" and prompt departure of old, the guard now shouted with full force, eyes brimming with respect. Kim Hyunwoo wore an odd expression.
'Feels good, but...'
Of course, high loyalty from soldiers and residents was a good thing.
The higher it was, the fewer penalties they faced, and the lower the defection rate.
Kim Hyunwoo was thrilled about the loyalty boost itself, but the reverent stares every time he gave an order were honestly a bit overwhelming.
And the second change was...
"You called for me?"
"Yeah."
It was Elena.
Kim Hyunwoo looked at her.
Her expression was calm.
Up to this point, nothing seemed different about Elena.
She'd always been one to show little emotional fluctuation after he first recruited her, and she wasn't the type to wear her feelings on her sleeve anyway.
But even so, the reason Kim Hyunwoo felt she'd changed was...
"The soldiers have had some rest now, so how about we tackle the third floor soon?"
"Sounds good. Should we head down right now?"
"Uh, no, that's not necessary."
"Just say the word, and I'll move out immediately."
After the disaster, she'd started showing a somewhat blindly obedient streak toward his words.
Of course, Elena had always been obedient before.
In fact, back when he played Arteil ten years ago, she'd been more compliant than the other heroes he'd raised.
But the reason he thought this now was that pre-disaster Elena would always provide feedback on missions.
Whatever her opinion, it showed she had her own thoughts.
Now, though, she nodded along immediately to whatever he said, as if she had no opinions of her own.
'Did the disaster hit her that hard?'
Kim Hyunwoo eyed her thoughtfully but soon shrugged it off.
Blind obedience felt a little strange, but seeing it as trust in him made it not so bad after all.
And so, some time later...
"Then let's hit the third floor in three days."
"Got it. I'll get ready."
Confirming Elena bow her head and leave the office, Kim Hyunwoo let out a thoughtful hum.
'Truthfully, I'd love to gear her up properly before sending her out, but...'
The reason he hadn't equipped Elena yet was the blacksmithy's level.
'Need at least level 3 to do it right...'
Kim Hyunwoo pulled up the info window.
Territory:Lartania
Territory Development:298
Residents
[Humans: 2,259]
Buildings
[Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 99%]
[Walls LV2]
[Residential District LV2]
[Blacksmithy LV2 >>> Upgrading 59%]
[Barracks LV2 >>> Upgrading 0%]
[Tavern LV2]
[Market LV1]
[Lumber Mill LV1] [Under Repair]
[Restaurant LV1]
[Leather Workshop LV1]
[Stone Workshop LV1] [Under Repair]
[Trading Post LV1]
Troops
- Regular Soldiers: 200 [Soldiers eligible for upgrade available!]
The resident count had now fully surpassed 2,000, reaching 2,259.
Unfortunately, aside from the trading post, no other buildings could be upgraded anymore.
The reason? Resources.
He'd already burned through all the resources summoned with blue stones, halting further building upgrades.
'I was planning to handle resources via the trading post...'
As Kim Hyunwoo recalled, the trading post in Arteil allowed trading various resources with other territories in real-time, as long as you had gold—no matter the distance.
Of course, "real-time" still meant 2-3 days' delivery via the game's lore of "swift dwarf couriers," depending on distance.
Anyway, he'd thought building a trading post would let him link up with Loria and use the system somehow. But in-game, you needed trade agreements with neighboring territories to use it.
In short, Kim Hyunwoo had no way to acquire resources despite his overflowing gold.
'Wasn't in the plan, but do I need to build relations with nearby territories?'
As he sighed with a headache brewing...
"...Huh?"
He tilted his head at the familiar alert.
A short while after the alert, Adria—whose caravan looked even more prosperous than last time—set up in the bustling street, greeted Kim Hyunwoo, and plunked down massive sacks of gold on the office desk.
"...What's this?"
"The sales revenue you mentioned last time. A total of 200,000 gold."
"200,000... gold?"
"Yes."
Kim Hyunwoo gaped unwittingly at her words, staring at the gold before asking with a puzzled look.
"But why bring it to me? I said the advance payment covered this deal."
"Of course, I deducted that amount. What I'm handing over is just around 20,000 gold. Per the contract, I could've paid on the next deal, but—"
Adria smiled.
"I want to keep good relations with you, Lord. Consider it building some goodwill."
"Well, in that case, I'll gladly accept."
Money was always better in abundance, so Kim Hyunwoo nodded, accepted the gold, and began chatting with Adria.
"Still, you sold it faster than expected."
"Rare item like that—easy to offload at a premium. Speaking of, I heard something intriguing on my way here."
"What rumor?"
"That a disaster struck Lartania, and you stopped it. True?"
Adria's question.
"Yes, that's right."
"Could you tell me more? The rumors are out there, but details are scarce."
He nodded and explained, and she reacted with wide-eyed shock, peppering him with questions. Kim Hyunwoo recounted the disaster from start to finish.
Finally, when he described how he'd taken down Magdaora...
"My god..."
Adria's eyes went round as saucers, her surprise genuine.
"You really took it down like that?"
"Yeah."
"...Incredible."
Pure admiration, devoid of any ulterior motive.
"Nah, anyone could've tried it with a bit of creative thinking."
"But no one else did, except you."
"Well, true."
Kim Hyunwoo felt a touch embarrassed by Adria's praise, which gilded his achievements.
He did think he'd accomplished something big, but her outsider's admiring gaze was more embarrassing than expected.
Averting his eyes subtly, he let out an "Ah" and changed the subject.
"Come to think of it, I have something I'd like to entrust to you."
"An item to sell?"
"Yeah. Something I need to offload."
Kim Hyunwoo stood, fetched the execution sword from behind the storage cabinet, and drew it out.
"!"
Adria's eyes widened the instant she saw it.
"That's...!"
"You know it?"
"Isn't that the Execution Sword?"
"Spot on."
He placed it before her.
"Thinking of selling it. Possible?"
She stared blankly between the sword and him, lips moving as if to ask something.
"Ahem—"
Clearing her throat as if collecting herself, Adria said,
"Auction house would be best. There's one starting in about a week anyway."
"...Auction?"
"Yes. A big one in Rapengan, the commercial hub at the continent's heart."
She explained to Kim Hyunwoo.
At that very moment...
At the entrance to the Kalan Kingdom's underground cavern...
"Master! I met Lartania's lord...!"
Loriell, who'd practically flown back from Lartania, shouted.
The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, unseen for weeks...
"W-what!?"
...appeared in a flurry.