Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Territory Development (1)
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"Hmm—"
Lord Malis, the lord of Sertova territory, fiddled with his formal attire while listening to his servant's report with an intensely intrigued expression on his face.
"So, to sum it up, the lord of Lartania has suddenly returned, and Harancia territory was utterly demolished by Red Eyes all on her own. That's the gist of it?"
"Hard to believe, but yes, my lord."
"...Hard to believe, huh?"
Lord Malis echoed his servant's words under his breath, then let out a snicker.
"Well, that tracks."
"You mean it's possible?"
"Someone like Red Eyes could smash a place like Harancia single-handedly, no sweat."
The lord of Sertova territory—and formerly a 4-star hero known as Lord Malis—knew full well how strong Red Eyes was.
Or more precisely, he still vividly remembered the power she'd displayed ten years ago, back when she was still going by "King of Beasts" in Lartania.
But at the same time, a sly smirk crept across his face as he added,
"That place wasn't even properly fortified to begin with."
Lord Malis knew exactly how Harancia territory operated.
Or rather, it would have been weirder if he didn't.
In truth, he was the one effectively managing Harancia, and it was his decision that kept the territory locked into the agrarian economy its lord had desperately wanted to escape.
"Five hundred guards posted just to handle the odd monster leaking out from the labyrinth? Fat chance they'd stop a monster like her. And those so-called heroes? Total amateurs."
"Walls that low, built with cheap materials? No way Red Eyes couldn't smash right through 'em or hop over."
Muttering off the reasons Harancia had crumbled in an instant one by one, Lord Malis turned to his servant.
"So, what's the territory's status now?"
"From what we've hastily gathered, one of Baron Harlan's administrative officers was chosen by the Territory Stone and became the new lord. He's scrambling to stabilize things. However—"
"However?"
"Red Eyes left the place in such ruins that quite a few residents have already fled."
Lord Malis fell silent, lost in thought at the servant's words.
Not pondering the fate of Harancia's fleeing residents, of course.
No, what occupied his mind was why Red Eyes had attacked Harancia in the first place.
Naturally, a rough picture was already forming in his head.
'Harancia's lord must've sent knights after the Territory Stone. Red Eyes defended Lartania during the Labyrinth Break, then took his head... Yeah, that lines up.'
Even with most of the puzzle pieces in place, one thing still nagged at Lord Malis.
'So why's she helping Lartania's lord?'
As far as he knew, Red Eyes no longer belonged to Lartania.
And Lartania's lord sure as hell didn't have the cash or pull to recruit her.
So why help at all?
After mulling it over for a while, Lord Malis shrugged.
Truth be told, from his perspective, it didn't matter one bit.
What mattered was that Lartania's lord had returned, handing him the perfect pretext.
A pretext to maybe snag another colony or two.
'Gotta be careful with Red Eyes, though—'
If things went according to his original plan, Lartania's colonization would happen so smoothly and subtly that no one would notice.
Not even if Red Eyes was glued to the lord's side.
And so, trading his usual casual smile for one laced with greed, Lord Malis said,
"Send someone to Lartania with gifts."
Five days after residents began properly flooding into Lartania territory.
📊 Territory Development:5
👥 Residents
🏗️ Buildings
⚔ Troops
⭐ Heroes in Territory
Lartania territory's resident count had hit 518 in just five days.
Sure, the influx had slowed back down to 5% after dipping below 450 yesterday, but Kim Hyunwoo was still pretty satisfied.
Just five days ago, he'd been racking his brain over how to even attract people.
But even with 518 residents now on board—and over 300 more laborers available for immediate hire—Kim Hyunwoo was deep in thought.
Or, to be more precise, not so much thoughtful as mildly pissed off.
'These guys...'
The residents were slacking off.
They were half-assing their work.
Of course, Kim Hyunwoo wasn't forcing unpaid labor on them.
He was paying them decently in resources for their work and had even provided housing (ruined shacks for now, but still).
And yet, they were still phoning it in.
"..."
Kim Hyunwoo knew exactly why the labor efficiency was stuck in the low 50s.
While various territory factors influenced baseline efficiency, hitting 80%+ reliably required either high territory development, a dedicated administrative hero to manage labor, or high lord loyalty from the residents.
He had none of those.
And the reason he was getting pissed right now?
"How many?"
On top of the already crappy labor efficiency—which was bad enough—this was dragging it down further, to the point of potentially forcing residents to bail entirely.
And all this without a single basic soldier to defend the place.
"Hoo—"
Of course, it wasn't exactly a surprise.
Most of these events were the standard headaches you hit when first starting Arteil.
The problem was that Lartania's situation was even worse than a fresh game's.
And on top of that.
"Thirty?"
"..."
Territory development was in the gutter, but the territory level was high, jacking up the inherent difficulty sky-high.
But throwing a tantrum over hell-mode difficulty wouldn't help when there was no one around to bail him out.
After pondering Loria's report for a while, Kim Hyunwoo...
"Ah."
Let out a little "aha!" like a lightbulb had gone off, then stood up from his seat.
Roz, the girl who had fled Harancia with her parents to Lartania territory, wasn't all that thrilled with the place.
That said, she was already sharp enough for her age—often praised as clever and bright by those around her—and she understood why her family had come here.
Truth be told, they had no other options besides Lartania.
Sertova, the closest territory to Harancia, was still a good trek away, and jobs there were a pipe dream anyway.
Plus, Sertova didn't just take in any random refugees.
Getting rejected meant rotting away in the shantytowns outside the walls.
That's why Roz and the other Harancia refugees had headed for Lartania, drawn by rumors that its lord had returned and the place was finally functioning as a proper territory again.
'This is a territory?'
Lartania was a total wasteland.
The only shelter was a bunch of dilapidated shacks, there weren't even walls, and honestly, could you even call this a territory?
True to form for a place without proper soldiers or defenses, Lartania was wide open to bandit raids.
The residents, their eyes wide with fear, could only watch helplessly from the edges of their newly settled shack village as the bandits ransacked their stuff.
"Whoa, jackpot! So much stuff here—food supplies galore!"
"Big score, grab it all!"
"Never dreamed we'd hit the mother lode like this...!"
The bandits, buzzing with excitement, rummaged through the shacks, hauling out belongings. The residents ground their teeth in frustration but didn't dare step up—not with those weapons at the bandits' belts.
Just silence.
But then.
"...?"
Roz looked up at the sudden murmurs rippling through the crowd.
And there, standing before the bandits who had piled their loot in the center, was a man.
No.
"Isn't that the lord?"
"The lord?"
It was Lartania's lord.
"...Ah."
Someone let out a sigh of dismay, and soon sighs echoed from all around.
The faint hope that had flickered amid the murmurs snuffed out in low, disappointed groans.
And Roz felt the same.
She was seeing him for the first time, but he looked utterly average—nothing more, nothing less.
He hadn't even brought soldiers, so the residents' groans carried raw pity and letdown.
Yet strangely, the lord's face was serene.
Or rather, brimming with confidence.
And then.
"You guys know that?"
Kim Hyunwoo eyed the bandits, whose faces screamed "life's been rough"—like they'd been dragged across asphalt.
Obviously refugees or slash-and-burn folk turned bandit; their clothes were a mismatched mess.
The real issue was the weapons on their belts.
Kim Hyunwoo wasn't a hero—he couldn't take them by force.
But that was why he stood there so boldly.
He had a way to deal with them without lifting a finger.
"Huh? What'd you say, punk?"
The moment a thug-faced bandit glared at the lord...
"People die if they're crushed under logs."
Kim Hyunwoo's finger unhesitatingly tapped Y.
"Wha—what the—?!"
"Gah! Gaaaahhh!"
Exactly as specified, massive logs materialized above the bandits and plummeted down.
Boom! Crash! Kraaaang!
Squashing them flat.
And as the bandits got obliterated...
"..."
The residents, who had looked so disappointed moments ago, stood there slack-jawed, unable to process the sight.