Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Diplomacy (2)
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A few days later.
While the city walls' completion rate was climbing dramatically by the day,
"Lord! It's lunchtime!"
"Oh, thank you as always, Lani."
"Ehehe, you're welcome."
The moment lunchtime arrived, Kim Hyunwoo thanked Lani, who brought the food as if she'd been waiting, and shared the meal with her, a satisfied smile on his face.
Meat Curry A diced curry loaded with thick chunks of meat.
[Buff Effects]
Random Stat +7 (8 hours) Defense +5
[Permanent Effect]
Consume food 40+ times on an empty stomach: Strength permanently +2 [Once only]
※ A dish infused with Lani's sincere feelings for Kim Hyunwoo! If 'Kim Hyunwoo' eats it, the 40-consumption requirement vanishes, and Strength +1 immediately. [Once only] [Completed]
As Kim Hyunwoo set the food in front of him, an alert window popped up, and he shoveled some curry into his mouth. On a whim, he pulled up his status screen.
-Traits-
Immovable Mind: Quickly regain mental composure whenever you desire, no matter the situation.
'My stats have really shot up.'
Compared to before, the absurd gains left Kim Hyunwoo quietly amazed.
His repertoire was starting to repeat lately, so the steady climbs had slowed, but racking up stats like this just from eating meals was downright ridiculous.
With a pleased expression, Kim Hyunwoo watched Lani—who now joined him for lunch and dinner—happily stuffing curry into her mouth.
"Ah, is it not tasting right?"
She caught him staring and, though her face was brighter than before, a flicker of anxiety crossed it. Waving it off, he replied,
"No, no. I'm just grateful you keep making food like this for me."
"He... hehe, it's my job, after all~"
Lani blushed.
"If it's okay, let me cook for you sometime."
"Really?!"
"Yeah. I'm not great, but as thanks, I can manage once."
Chatting with her over lunch, Kim Hyunwoo then dove back into work as usual. Soon, while receiving Elena's routine report,
'Once the walls are done, I should upgrade the Lord's Castle to the next level.'
He mulled over his status screen.
"Um—"
"Yes?"
Elena spoke up.
"Oh, this isn't in the report. Just something I'm curious about. Mind if I ask?"
"Go ahead. I'll answer anything I can."
"W-Well, after Duke Randaron's envoy left last time, you wrote a letter, right? I was wondering what it was about..."
She glanced at him cautiously.
"Ah."
She wasn't obvious about it, but her worry was plain. Smiling, Kim Hyunwoo reassured her.
"If you're worried, don't be. The Norba Kingdom's king will handle it just fine."
"P-Pardon...?"
He said.
The territory of Lanmaier, held by Duke Randaron—one of the three dukes who ranked just below the king in Norba Kingdom—boasted a massive expanse befitting its power.
True to its reputation as the strongest militarily among the three, countless soldiers trained relentlessly in numerous barracks across the land.
"Hmm—"
From the colossal Lord's Castle in Lanmaier Territory—dwarfing anything in Lartania—the duke gazed at the drilling soldiers for a long while.
"—How's the wyvern air corps?"
His secretary bowed deeply, terrified of offending him.
"All operations wrap up within the week, sir."
"Good?"
"Yes."
The duke smiled approvingly at the groveling man.
Crack—!
"Gahk—!"
Then he kicked the skull of the man cowering at his feet.
Blood sprayed from the shattered head, splattering the ground in an instant.
With that final death rattle, the man went still. The duke clicked his tongue, and servants on either side swiftly dragged the corpse away.
All that remained were bloodstains on the carpet.
The maids scrubbed with heads bowed, but the dark red marks—evidence of repeated incidents—refused to fade.
The secretary swallowed hard as he watched.
His predecessor had just been crushed like an insect.
It was the senior secretary's own fault, really.
To curry more favor, he'd tried offering the duke a pretty young lady from Antalya Territory—linked vassal to Lanmaier—along with Mala Territory. Things went south, and here he was.
In short, he'd twisted himself into knots performing early, despite not yet delivering the lady.
Even so, such a pathetic end seemed excessive. But no one dared say it to the duke's face.
His brutal temper aside, he'd expanded Lanmaier far beyond his father's days.
To avoid crossing him, the secretary kept his head low.
"What of Lartania?"
He answered instantly.
"We've sent an envoy. By timing, they should be meeting or returning now...!"
The duke nodded in satisfaction, pondering Lartania.
Once infamous a decade ago, now just ruins.
Yet in mere months, word of its meteoric rise had reached even him.
...That alone might have sparked mild curiosity, but not an envoy.
No matter how it grew, Lartania was still a minor territory.
Plus, it was absurdly distant from Lanmaier, with no prime resources or specialties nearby.
If anything, rebuilding to this degree from nothing deserved applause.
Even he, who'd outgrown his father, doubted he could do it so fast from scratch.
...Even with 'him' helping.
"..."
In short, Lartania was just a curiosity to the duke.
Or so it had been.
'But magic stones change everything.'
Magic stones were rare resources.
A territory mining them endlessly? It stirred insatiable greed in him—and every lord.
Securing one would smooth his grand plans immensely.
Unlike other territories scrambling for intel, Lanmaier had sent an envoy to force a choice.
Martial diplomacy wasn't clean, but for Lartania, annexation was the tidiest path.
Interest would only grow with time, strong or weak.
The duke smiled, already considering Lartania his.
Whatever the lord chose now, it would end up in his grasp.
'...With Lartania, my plans advance by a year.'
So he thought, smiling.
The next day.
As the envoy's return neared, the duke waited.
"D-Duke!"
"What is it?"
"A message from the king...!"
"...The king?"
"Y-Yes...!"
He scowled.
The Norba king—ever pressuring him since his ascension, curbing his military growth—came to mind. Irritated, he rose anyway.
No duke ignored the king, no matter how powerful.
"Norba's sword greets its master."
Heading to the comms room, he bowed upon seeing the king's face.
"P-Pardon...? What do you—"
As he looked up, he sensed something was wrong.
[Now! Get to the kingdom!!]
The king's furious shout filled the screen.
"..."
The duke grimaced inwardly.
One of Red Eyes' Four Heavenly Kings, Riu, sat on a hill, tail swishing as she watched Merrillda gaze toward the Lord's Castle. Curiosity struck.
"Boss."
"Yeah?"
"Why watch from so far?"
"...We'll get spotted up close."
"Ah."
Riu nodded. Lords could detect powerhouses in their territory, after all.
Then, an idea hit her.
"Ah! Boss, want to borrow something good?"
She removed a brooch from her hair and handed it over.
"...What's this?"
Merrillda blinked at it. Grinning, Riu explained,
"Artifact. Lets you slip into a territory undetected. Means you can get closer to the lord, right?"
A trinket she'd gotten long ago, used only as jewelry till now. She smiled as she passed it.
"...!"
Merrillda's eyes widened like saucers.