The line was long; 600 persons was hardly a large number for a city.However, seeing them all in one area made me realize how difficult it would be to manage a city with tens of thousands of people.It's no surprise that a king or an emperor would struggle to understand everyone's difficulties and issues, forcing them to dismiss little issues while focusing on major ones.So, I don't want to be king.Just a person in charge of a limited territory.I'm content with just these two cities. It would only cause me headaches if it became larger.But I'm forced to continue attacking cities.The demons are too powerful. Only I understand how powerful a demon can be.A demon of A-rank could easily defeat five humans of A-rank.Anyway, I'll put off dealing with this problem until later."Brother, hurry up and get in line!" Lily muttered softly. She emptied the bowl and displayed to Jaeger what was inside."See, they've also included wheat and rice."Jaeger couldn't help but drool. His stomach b
Knock! Knock!"Come on in."Jacob entered the room as the door squeaked open, handed me a stack of documents, and stood silently."These are the files and records for White River City and the City of Ethan, young master," Jacob explained.He was looking at the young lord with interest. He had never imagined that the Young Master would be interested in actually managing the city. And, to his surprise, the Young Master had completed a feat that the Baron had been unable to accomplish in a single day.Taking over the nearby city of White River!To Jacob's amazement, the Young Master instructed him to gather all documentation pertaining to both cities. It was as if the Young Master had accomplished all of this without conducting adequate research.I take a glance at the tall stack of papers that took up half of my table. Any scholar would ordinarily need at least a week to assimilate the information contained inside. I only skimmed through them. My eyes darted across each document, readin
Jacob was taken aback. "However, young master! That is ridiculous! We can't afford to have so many servants!""Don't worry, we've got a thousand gold coins in the treasury!" I smiled."What?!! The Young Master may have miscalculated, it was just ten! I double-checked the reports several times!""Butler You must have overlooked something. After all, there's not much of a difference between ten and a thousand gold!"Jacob's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.Who would dare to claim that there was no difference between 10 gold coins and a thousand gold coins?No matter how old or how stupid they were, they would never mistake a thousand gold coins for ten!"If I say a thousand, it must be a thousand."The Butler could only grimace.'You can pretend it's a thousand, but the treasury only has ten. Your words can't change ten gold coins into a thousand, can they?'I chose to ignore the butler. My aim was to withdraw some of my funds and begin investing in people. After all, I won't incu
A young boy, perhaps five or six years old, sat on the ground. His hands were covered in blood, and his clothes were blood-soaked. In front of him was a dead wolf cub, battered to a pulp.Its legs were severed, its head was ripped open, and its eyes were crushed. Even a grownup would not engage in such behaviour. But it was the boy who was doing it."How dare you mess with me, wolf? I am #########..."His words were hazy.I sensed an outside interference as if someone was interfering with my ability to hear his remarks.Soon after, a woman dashed towards him. The woman took the youngster by the collar and lifted him up."Ethan! Why are you doing that?"Mother?" The youngster cocked his head. " I was only fooling around with the wolf. "Can't you see how delighted the wolf"Can't you see how delighted the wolf"Fuck!"I got up.I simply would have woken up earlier if I had known the dream would be unpleasant.I was aware that this was the result of using another person's memories, but E
"We're also taking part in the training?." One of the guards inquired, stunned.The guard was ultimately convinced that the Young Master was serious after seeing his demeanour. He had initially assumed that the Young Master was making a joke.He was completely astounded. How was it possible for him, a top C-rank knight, to practice alongside so many townspeople who had not even attained D-rank?"That's correct," I said this without looking at the guard. I was irritated that they even asked me about it.They only possessed a C-rank power, yet they regarded themselves as superior to the locals. I had no idea a C-rank knight could have so much face or pride.The guards could notice the young master's irritated expression. They experienced an unexplainable chill up their spine."I must be hallucinating," one of the guards reasoned as he shook his head."That is a command. Go."The guards hesitated for a short while before grabbing a spear and joining the others. Each of them has reasonabl
Gordon's gesture signalled the beginning of the training.Everyone began sprinting around the mansion with a spear in their hands.I approached Giru while everyone else was training.[Giru-Level 19]HP-400Def-56ATK-44[Skills - Beginner Intelligence, Skilled Leader]I couldn't help but think back to when I initially arrived in this world. I had far lower numbers than the 14-year-old boy in front of me.Wait a minute..."Giru...Are you a girl?"Giru was terrified as if she'd been discovered doing something unlawful."Y-yes, it wasn't on purpose." Then she stared at me as if I were a demon. Her face turned pale, and her breathing became more rapid.I now understood what was going on."Did you dress and act like a girl because you were afraid of me?" I enquired helplessly.Oh, I should have picked a different body!Oh, the guilt.Giru shook her head and gestured with her hand as though she was afraid of me."No, no, no, I didn't.""It's okay, I won't eat you. I am not a demon, as you b
"It ought to be a dungeon break... How could a C-rank dungeon even have time for a dungeon break?""Has no one reported anything about the dungeon?"Wait... is it a dungeon untouched by humans?My interest was piqued.Everyone simply discounted the deaths of the victims as a natural result of entering the forest. But, after thoroughly reviewing the records, I discovered an oddity: they all died near the southern end of the Frost woods.I was seeking to expand to the city's southern edges at the time.I intended to clean out some portions of the Frost Woodland once it reached a certain size."According to Jacob, the deaths of the people last year had to be a coincidence.""However, the bodies are in an odd state. All of the wounds are exactly the same."I couldn't rest easy until I personally validated the veracity of the situation.Creak!I was surprised by the noise generated by the window.I hope that didn't startle anyone.[Stealth]My figure vanished into the darkness of the night
A thousand eggs seemed excessive to Jacob. Even if the young master's concern for the populace made him pleased, it would not be a good thing if it went too far and the house became bankrupt.If they followed through on this list, they would wind up purchasing a huge majority of the seeds in Green City.Furthermore, the number of ingots was sufficient to make armour for approximately 20 knights.The old butler believed that the young master was wasting his money."Young Master, please reconsider," Jacob requested."The quantity of seeds is excessive. The majority of the surrounding region is desolate. There is no blacksmith in town to work on the iron ingots. Even if we acquire them, they will be an unnecessary expense."My brow furrowed. This butler had no idea he was toying with fire. I had already advised him that he should simply obey and do what I say.When Jacob saw the Young Master's piercing look, he shuddered.'He's not going to... is he?' He reflected on himself. Will he be
"Hey! Why should we listen to a brat like you?" The interjection came from the back of the crowd, a young soldier, his face flushed with anger, his eyes blazing with defiance. The rest of the soldiers turned to stare, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.A genuine smile spread across my face. Finally, someone had the audacity to speak up. A flicker of satisfaction ignited within me. This was exactly what I had been hoping for, wasn't it? Didn't this feel like the natural order of things?I had anticipated this moment from the very beginning. There was no way these esteemed scions of nobility and battle-hardened knights would meekly submit to the commands of a mere child. The moment I was elected commander of one of the three mighty armies, I knew this tension would inevitably arise. After all, who among these talented warriors would willingly follow a teenager with little to boast of in terms of accomplishments? And let's not forget the shadow of my less-than-st
Ladia couldn't help but castigate herself for her lapse in judgment. How had she not seen it before? If the involvement of the magic towers would significantly aid the Empire, then the impact of the very person who had defeated the magicians of the tower participating would be monumental.The princess's heart thrummed with the realization, chiding herself for taking so long to come to this epiphany. Was Ethan's proposal the correct course of action or not? She no longer dwelled on the question.With a steely gaze, Ladia announced, "I have reached a verdict."The room fell silent as all eyes turned to the princess. The final decision lay in her hands, and she was ready to reveal it. The anticipation hung heavy in the air, and Ladia took a deep breath before continuing. "I have decided to accept Ethan's proposal."A murmur of surprise rippled through the room, but Ladia held up her hand for silence. "I believe that Ethan's plan, with a few modifications, is the best course of action for
My suggestion ignited a firestorm of debate among the upper echelons of the capital. The princess convened her officials in the grand throne room, where the air was thick with tension and uncertainty as they deliberated their next course of action. Ultimately, the march toward the City of Aran was postponed by a full day, a delay that weighed heavily on everyone present. The officials found themselves divided, caught between two stark choices: should they attempt to reclaim the nearby City of Aran from the Beast Kingdom, or should they focus their efforts on retaking the more strategically significant City of Northfall?"But, Your Majesty," one of the officials interjected, his voice rising above the murmurs of the assembly, "as we stand now, we cannot afford to risk an attack on the Northfall Fortress! I have heard reports that the beastmen have fortified their walls and laid even more traps to ensnare us! If we allow this farce to continue, we will be nothing more than lambs led to
A chill snaked down Ryle's spine. Ethan's suggestion hung in the air, heavy and suffocating, like a shroud woven from despair. To attack City of Aran, a fortress city now bristling with tens of thousands of Beast Kingdom soldiers, felt like a declaration of utter annihilation. Even Lance, their most valiant commander, had fallen captive within its walls.Ryle's brow creased into a deep furrow. He, too, was a commander of the Initiation Army, a man who had tasted the bitterness of defeat and the sting of loss. He couldn't fathom how Ethan, this newly appointed leader, could so blithely propose a course of action that reeked of self-destruction."I cannot, in good conscience, agree with your plan," Ryle stated, his voice laced with a mixture of disbelief and frustration. "As we stand now, attacking Northfall City is a fool's errand, a suicide mission. We are scattered, depleted, and outmatched. We must first rally our remaining forces, regroup along the borders, and then, and only then,
"Ryle Green, step forward!" the Royal advisor said, seeing Ryle was in a daze.Ryle coughed and stepped forward, his heart pounding with excitement as he knelt before the Princess."Ryle Green, you are hereby granted authority over fifty thousand soldiers," the Princess said, her voice like a melody that soothed the soul. "You shall be the commander of the Vanguard Army!"With a snap of her fingers, the Princess bestowed an insignia upon Ryle's shoulder, its glow of light like a beacon of hope in the face of the looming threat of the Beast Kingdom."I will crush those beastmen for you, Your Highness!" Ryle said, his voice filled with determination and resolve.The Princess smiled, her eyes filled with pride and hope. "We have faith in you, Ryle," she said. "Together, we will defeat the Beast Kingdom and restore peace to our lands."Princess Ladia nodded, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "I expect a lot from the younger generation, Ryle," she said, her voice laced with both encou
The Dwarven Kingdom, a land renowned for its glittering wealth, held its breath. The Brightwing Empire’s meager offer, a desperate plea for aid, was all they had to entice the notoriously hard-drinking mercenaries. Even if their weapons were outdated, their reputation for unmatched effectiveness in battle preceded them. Surely, that would be enough.“Your Majesty,” a guard murmured, his voice barely a tremor in the air. “They have arrived.”Princess Ladia, lost in a labyrinth of thought, startled slightly. She had wrestled with the decision for what felt like an eternity, but finally, a solution had emerged. All that remained was to face them, to meet their gaze and offer her hand in this desperate alliance.Viscount Lamiel, a man whose arrogance was only surpassed by his thirst for gold, strode into the royal garden, flanked by a legion of equally boisterous mercenaries. Princess Ladia recognized most of them – the nobles summoned by the crown, their faces etched with a mixture of g
The scene unfolded with brutal efficiency. Several soldiers, their faces grim and resolute, descended upon Drew and the other soldier, their movements swift and decisive. There was no struggle, no desperate pleas for mercy. They walked away with heads bowed, accepting their fate with a stoic silence that spoke volumes of their resignation.Ryle, his expression a mixture of weariness and amusement, ran a hand through his hair, a sigh escaping his lips. "What a waste of a perfectly good sleep," he muttered, his voice laced with a hint of exasperation. "Young men like myself need our rest, yet everyone seems determined to disrupt my slumber over such trivial matters."His gaze shifted to me, and a playful smile curved his lips. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said, extending a hand towards me. "Ryle Green, third son of Count Green, and as you might be able to tell, the future commander of this very army." He spoke with an air of unwavering confidence, his words carrying the weight of
Two soldiers from a rival camp, their boots crunching on the gravel path, happened upon the conversation. One soldier, his face contorting with barely suppressed mirth, clamped a hand over his mouth, desperately trying to stifle a chuckle. His companion, sensing the impending eruption, jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow, a silent plea for decorum. But the laughter, like a trapped spring, was too powerful to contain. Tears welled in the soldier's eyes, threatening to spill over as his shoulders shook with silent mirth. Finally, with a strangled cry, he burst into a full-blown guffaw. "Hahahaha! If it's the Young Master leading us! Hahaha! We'll be able to… Pft! Hahaha!"The sound of his uncontrolled laughter echoed through the camp, drawing curious glances from nearby soldiers. Gaston, his face a mask of confusion and irritation, turned to the source of the amusement. "Excuse me, but what's so funny?" he demanded, his voice laced with displeasure.The soldier, still gasping for br
The unyielding army of the Ice Demon City had been journeying for a considerable number of weeks, traversing a multitude of cities and towns along the way. During our sojourns, we would occasionally restock our supplies, find respite in taverns, and often in the great outdoors, before resuming our arduous trek.Given the unfortunate circumstances, we were informed that the Ice Demon City was the most distant of all cities from the capital. This reality meant that we were among the last to receive the urgent message, compelling us to join the ranks of the other nobles and their armies in the capital.It was in the fourth week of our relentless march that we finally arrived in the grand and magnificent Capital city. The journey had been long and arduous, but our determination never wavered, as we knew our presence was required in these critical times. I had already surmised that the majority of the other nobles and their forces would have already amassed in the capital, readying themse