Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Side Effects (1)
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The ordinary soldiers stationed in Lartania territory all had varying personalities, but what they shared in common was their deep respect for the territory's lord.
It was impossible for any soldier serving in Lartania not to hold such reverence for their lord.
After all, every single one of the soldiers currently working there had witnessed Kim Hyunwoo slay a disaster with their own eyes.
On top of that, Lartania's lord had never once delayed their pay. In fact, recently he'd even started giving them extra wages to match the increased workload.
Of course, from Kim Hyunwoo's perspective, it was just a pragmatic move to boost efficiency and improve the city's security rating however he could. But naturally, the soldiers were deeply moved.
To them, it felt like this great lord—who handled disasters that casually claimed thousands of lives through clever schemes in a way that demanded respect—was always showing personal concern for them.
That was why the soldiers always harbored gratitude toward Kim Hyunwoo, sending him their unwavering respect and loyalty. At this point, their feelings were set in stone, never to change.
And in that context, Kim Hyunwoo had reassigned the soldiers to "recruits." Every one of them was utterly shocked by it.
The soldiers gathered in Lartania to work had never dreamed they could advance to recruits.
From Kim Hyunwoo's standpoint, it was simply because he could afford the gold cost. But to the soldiers, it hit entirely differently.
They knew that the moment they became recruits—even if not quite on a hero's level—they could break free from their "fixed limits," if only by a little.
That was why most lords—actually, pretty much all of them—never turned soldiers into recruits unless they were elite picks.
Not only were the growth costs for recruits enormous, but lords also had personal limits on how many they could create, varying by individual.
So while the soldiers had figured becoming guards was a realistic future, becoming recruits—a true life-changer—was beyond their wildest dreams.
They were just ordinary territory folk, not handpicked talents. Even among the regular soldiers, there were men in their thirties who might be considered too old to start martial training.
That was why, the instant Kim Hyunwoo reassigned them to recruits, they stared blankly at the popup windows that appeared. Soon enough, tears streamed down their faces one after another.
Essentially, becoming recruits meant the lord had selected them—worthless as they were—as elites he'd nurture all the way.
And so...
"Sob—! I swear, I'll work so hard for you, my lord—!!!"
Kim Hyunwoo could see Malon—whom he knew to be over thirty-five this year—prostrating himself before the lord's office, tears pouring down his face.
"I swear! I'll repay your grace! No matter what—!"
Thud! Thud!
"No need to kowtow like that—"
"Thank you! Thank you!!"
Thud! Thud!
"I said stop, seriously. Get up first so we can talk—"
After coaxing and soothing the leader of the regular soldiers—no, now the recruits' leader, Malon—who was banging his head in apparent ecstasy, Kim Hyunwoo finally sent him off. He let out a weary sigh, piecing together the situation from what Malon and Loria had told him before opening his mouth.
"Hmm... So, recruits can turn ordinary folks into something a bit like heroes... something like that?"
[Yes, my lord.]
"And the soldiers get popup notifications too?"
[Popups appear only for recruits and other advanced unit types. Regular units just get stat changes—no notifications.]
"...I had no idea that was the mechanic."
Kim Hyunwoo muttered to himself, nodding as if it made sense on reflection.
'Swordmasters from advanced units are super strong, and there's even a system to promote them to heroes... Yeah, it fits. Plus, advanced units do have creation limits.'
He'd just forgotten because, back ten years ago, Lartania could produce so many advanced units that limits didn't matter.
"Loria, by the way—how many advanced units can I make right now?"
At his pointed question, Loria replied.
[The level and development are lower than ten years ago, but you can still raise about 300 more.]
'Now that I've bumped them to recruits, I'll need heroes to train them properly. Time to scout around. The tavern still hasn't posted any relevant heroes.'
Shrugging, Kim Hyunwoo watched Malon sniffling his way back to the barracks, lost in those thoughts. At the same time...
"Oh, right—and you said the resources are pretty much tapped out already... Guess I should buy some more."
Realizing the materials he'd bought last time for the walls had vanished in a flash, he opened the trading post and put in a resource request to Tesnoka territory.
Lania Tesnoka—the lord of Tesnoka territory and duke of Norba Kingdom—was receiving a report on external intel from Roman.
"That concludes the report on Lartania territory."
As Roman finished, Lania murmured with genuine regret.
"Ah~ I knew it. That was the bottom price."
She pulled a deeply depressed face.
"...It wasn't something you could've bought anyway, even without the Evil Eye block."
"True, the Evil Eye didn't work so I couldn't snag it... but still, what a missed opportunity."
Grumbling, Lania sighed in resignation before getting down to business.
"Anyway, summing it up separately: endless magic stones pouring out of Lartania, right?"
"Yes."
"And the lord's tied to the Mage Tower somehow, since every soldier's packing magic scrolls?"
"The labyrinth stones are probably—"
"Something the Lartania lord did, high chance... right?"
"Yes, very likely."
She fell silent, pondering Roman's words, then spoke with an odd expression.
"Not your average player, huh."
"I agree."
"...At first glance, it was just some backwater speck of a territory. But the moment I left, they kick off serious business via the labyrinth and flash that Mage Tower connection to keep neighbors at bay..."
"Smart move."
"Yeah. Even without real ties, just showing it off makes folks wary of the tower think twice... unless it's the Empire."
"It won't last forever, but for a simple play, it neatly pruned unnecessary diplomacy."
"Exactly."
Kim Hyunwoo hadn't even known the Mage Tower's clout, so it wasn't intentional—but Lania and Roman were impressed.
"So, what are you planning to do?"
"Huh? About what?"
"Lartania. This pretty much derails your plans, doesn't it?"
But Lania just smiled instead.
"Doesn't mean we cut ties. If anything, we double down. The goods are out in the open now... but they won't sell elsewhere easily. Plus—"
She grinned.
"—I've got a little spark of interest now."
Roman nodded at her words. After hashing out Lartania talk for a while longer...
"That's Lartania covered. Now for the additional report."
"More? Wasn't Lartania the end?"
"It's about Duke Landaron."
"...Tch."
Lania openly scowled at the name.
Landaron.
One of Norba Kingdom's three dukes, and the wielder of its rawest power.
Under him weren't quite grand heroes, but three right below that tier.
His forces alone made him militarily untouchable in Norba—no one could match him solo.
Especially after his absurd growth spurt two years ago.
At this point, no territory in Norba boasted stronger military might than Landaron.
Yet Lania—well aware diplomacy with such powerhouses mattered, even domestically—despised Duke Landaron for his personality and conduct.
The previous duke was different, but this second-gen one? Total scumbag.
Beyond scumbag—arrogant to the point of self-destruction.
He'd spat vulgarities at her—a fellow duke—in formal meetings, multiple times.
And post-growth two years back, his arrogance had morphed into ruinous hubris. Grimacing, she asked...
"...What about that guy?"
"Seems Duke Landaron's taken an interest in Lartania. He sent an envoy."
Lania's face darkened.
She knew exactly what that "interest" implied.
And right then...
"Are you Lartania's lord?"
"??"
Kim Hyunwoo found himself facing Duke Landaron's envoy, who eyed him with extreme haughtiness.
A short while ago, Onel—the diplomat and light researcher who'd visited Lartania as the Mage Tower's envoy—was now facing the Blue Tower Master.
The reason? A single favor she'd asked before he left for Lartania.
"Here you go, Tower Master."
Thus, the light researcher handed over the item she'd requested.
"Oh, thank you so much."
The Blue Tower Master beamed, activating the storage artifact Onel had brought without delay.
And...
Bzzz— As pure blue mana—the hallmark of the Blue Tower Master—poured in, the artifact whirred to life, displaying a man's face.
It was the photo of Lartania's lord that Onel had taken at her request.
And...
"Just as I thought—"
Onel shot her a puzzled look as she gazed at the photo with strange delight, her face lit up in a massive smile.
She always smiled brightly, but as someone constantly dealing with other tower masters in his diplomatic role, even he'd never seen her this radiant.
So...
"Tower Master, I took the photo as requested, but... do you have some connection to Lartania's lord?"
Onel asked the beaming tower master.
She nodded matter-of-factly at his question.
"How to put it..."
Onel watched her ponder with gleaming eyes.
She prided herself on snap judgments in all things.
If something had her this hesitant—especially with peers her age—it had to be a pretty "intriguing" kind of relationship.
'She is at that age, after all.'
Onel smiled inwardly as he observed her.
"Kinda like a daddy vibe."
"Knew it—"
Wait. What?
"Pardon?"
"Daddy. Daddy."
Onel barely suppressed a throbbing headache as he stared at the tower master—her eyes glazing over with a giggle.
Who in the world looked at a "daddy" like they wanted him...?
"This time, I can really see him."
Ignoring Onel's weird look from across the way, the tower master murmured softly.
"Just wait a bit longer♡"
With those ecstatic words, she planted a light kiss on the photo.