Chapter 145
45ve“They say the Duke is returning to Asagrim.”sslGjjt
1EhHagen, the head of the Herta guild, muttered with a pale face.S4M3p
2JVZ3It was something he had anticipated, but actually facing the Duke made his legs tremble.ufWZTnK
4iLeAfter all, he was a powerful man capable of slitting his throat with a flick of his finger.5BJW
JTp2Ky“What do we do now?”CXDCr
aJi“…”1pfDVEW
Ucw6Kz“…”low4mMP
ecZpkThe other guild leaders gathered in the room kept their mouths shut and looked away.sbR
G6IMThey had no idea how to get out of the situation either. Growing more desperate, Hagen slammed the table hard.u68i
jBWMI3“Say something! If they’ve already put a knife to our throats, we have to at least try something, don’t we?!”Hldz
1otSdgjHe wasn’t wrong, but no matter how much he pressed, a solution wouldn’t appear out of thin air.KnZ7XF
KeA52mLAs the silence dragged on, Hagen turned his gaze to the man sitting in the center.pMHS
UGQuOV“Hey, Guild Leader Dominic. What do you plan to do about this?”H6D5T
JkuCm“…And why are you asking me?”TDV7w
E9NsHDominic, leader of the Dominic Guild, narrowed his cold eyes.zCyx
SoAqgleNormally, just a look like that would have made Hagen shrink back, but this time it didn’t work.VanpTep
fc64DMtAs terrifying as Dominic was, he was nothing compared to the Duke. On the contrary, Hagen spat his words bitterly, irritated by Dominic’s calmness.zhSXOu
uq3“You were the one who incited us! You were the one who gathered everyone, saying we’d strike a big deal and then run! And now you want to wash your hands of it?”qB5Ea7
3iijM“Wash my hands? Sounds more like you want to dump the blame on me.”fOXl5O
Dnf5ur“We can do that! If we all agree—”2c8
RbJ4“Agree? Do you really think you’ll walk away unharmed?”4Bp
qvgThe icy tone made Hagen flinch. Even though he was hunched over and covered in age spots, Dominic’s presence surpassed that of any brawny man.6hUFy
wiCTaking a step back, Hagen was hit with a growl-like warning from Dominic.xRpR
vv3Yv“Watch your words, brat. A wolf may not be able to beat a dragon, but killing a rabbit is easy. If you run your mouth without knowing your place, you won’t die at the Duke’s hands—but at mine.”qrufnqO
Ue1xKNot all guild leaders were equals. Compared to a tycoon like Dominic, a mid-level merchant like Hagen was nothing.sXiKgl
CWD7SAHiring an assassin to eliminate him would be easy. Remembering this too late, Hagen nodded frantically, face ghostly white.j6ob
iljGtHaving reestablished the hierarchy, Dominic clicked his tongue and looked around.qzFFwB
12e“Pathetic. Making such a fuss over something so small—have you really been doing business all this time? And you call yourselves guild leaders?”aSYdcZk
2hz4D7“…This time, it’s not something you can call small.”6Woyr1D
VizPMuttered another guild leader, his face grim.hae
hMoThe situation was too serious to treat as a veteran’s scolding.z2ksi8
BtGnk“Do you know who we messed with? The territory’s administrator, the man who served the Duke back when he was just the third son of House Valdeck. To the Duke, he’s practically family.”Ym0k9Ed
4Gdesd“And that’s why you say he won’t let us off easy? If you were so scared of retaliation, why didn’t you run from the start instead of sticking around and selling goods on credit?”Pft7L
VAF“If we had fled recklessly, the knights would’ve hunted us down and chopped our heads off. At least by leaving things on credit, we have an excuse.”0qf43ee
kBcPressuring the Duke’s most trusted man, just as common merchants, was already a deadly sin.uuAHL8
g3oqxvCAnd on top of that, fleeing and ignoring the deal the Duke himself had offered?Bhts
dFEEven before reaching the Duke, his nearby knights would’ve gone mad and torn them apart.eUlW
65ZqhDominic let out a deep sigh, disappointed.q5O87YA
t8c8Tp“In the end, all you care about is saving your own skins. How pathetic.”b8wMP
zWdCJtN“Instead of blaming us, tell us if there’s a way out. What are we supposed to do?”eJdvKr
Em2w“You really can’t see beyond your noses. Why do you think the Duke left us alone after we touched his administrator? If he wanted, he could’ve locked all of you in an underground cell and tortured you.”hrziBn
9ZYFo“That’s because…”GUv
jr4edThe guild leaders fell silent and glanced at each other.jvGYU8x
iMHThey had all wondered the same thing. It was too elaborate to be a simple scam, and too strange to be considered forgiveness, since everything was still being done on credit.f1x
PgiquDxDominic, seeing their confusion, explained with the tone of a teacher talking to children.KFnIIgj
MHAcls“The Duke is returning from the other side of the tundra, leading a huge number of outsiders. In other words, he needs massive amounts of food, clothing, and basic supplies. In that situation, what would happen if he killed all the nearby merchants?”9VN8W
ZNdex9“…!”0CnPdxG
hF4o“And more importantly, what the Duke needs now is a permanent army of his own, to replace the troops on loan from the Imperial Palace. After basic supplies, the next thing is military supply.”uX5dl
1YYwMilitary supply wasn’t something just anyone could handle.j1SyH
8WEYtBecause of its scale, only a major consortium like the Dominic Guild could manage it. For a mid-tier guild, it would be financial suicide.k51a5FJ
VEcDZZv“Sure, the Duke could look to other guilds. But he already has our weak spot. In this situation, do you think he’d go looking for those who owe him nothing?”m79XJRS
Fo5oEven nobles didn’t have unlimited funds, and if they could cut costs, they would. And this wasn’t just any expense—it was the massive cost of military supply.Zgwql
mU5f26HAny sensible noble would rather exploit a weakness than act out of anger.ot1t
Xa5TWith Dominic’s explanation, the previously dejected guild leaders were instantly encouraged.dz799
NFrIf everyone had committed the same offense, then they couldn’t punish some and forgive others arbitrarily.Jm3
Z3B5ykIf one was forgiven, the rest had a good chance of being forgiven too.Bsx9TF
nzEInp“But in that case, aren’t you the one who loses, sir? If you can’t provide military supply at a price the Duke finds acceptable, this time he really won’t let you go.”o8hie
7vhq“Don’t worry about me. There’s a way.”WH1Hd
fMVKjqmTo one of the leaders’ questions, Dominic left the sentence unfinished. In truth, he not only had a way to avoid losses—he could even make a huge profit.d0XeeGB
xYroN9nBut why share that method with them? It was enough for Dominic to be the sole beneficiary of this deal.yLN8W
Atn0I‘The Duke may think he has my weak spot, but no matter how this plays out, I’ll be the one who comes out on top.’eJNK5
xBtA cold smile formed on Dominic’s lips.7R8zb
kGTE9The Duke’s wrath had long since left his mind.LvW
k9rzZHe had lived through too much to be frightened by a crisis like this.yNaJpo
Vkw***v6dH7l
nSw“W-what is that…?”YRxN1bj
3NuJ“It’s beautiful…”4NjfDfD
HP7DWhen Lucian arrived at Asagrim leading the members of the tribe, exclamations of amazement erupted everywhere.MkCV
G9HpwWJust by seeing a real wall, the members of the tribe could no longer hide their surprise.WQ2GEOw
kJwmTo them, that white wall, flawless to an extreme degree, looked like a divine creation.5OfNYl
dJzwtT6“His Highness has arrived!”0bn
YyyIl“Open the gates!”EUUF6
2exGAtop the wall, upon confirming the return of the lord of Asagrim, they began to move in agitation.U2n
phZShortly after, the massive gates opened, and the vassals who had come out to receive him appeared.LMMym1
I3z218yAt the forefront stood Hans, whom Lucian had left as the territory’s administrator.0ni7G
USjfjz“Your Highness, I am glad to congratulate you on your safe return.”69j3pz
8bPcU“…Hans? Are you all right?”ibWBPjH
RKwdyLucian blinked in astonishment at the sight of him. He was so thin that it seemed as if simply touching him would make him collapse without strength.zftPylV
EpvYJ3mAt Lucian’s concern, Hans smiled weakly and nodded.3hYP
vGKW“I’m fine. With a bit of rest, I’ll recover. Now that Your Highness has returned, I can finally breathe easy as well.”3gx
03JcIBd“…I’m sorry. I left you the position thinking nothing would happen, and I never imagined such schemes would take place while I was gone.”fT9u
qdOM“There is nothing Your Highness needs to apologize for. Everything happened due to my lack of ability. The one who should apologize is me.”VVnS
HXEHans smiled bitterly, as if he had become fully aware of his own shortcomings.ItIx
R5To9GHowever, perhaps thanks to the hardships, he now exuded an experience and composure he had not had before.p8BbB
oChLIf the current Hans were to face the merchants’ demands again, it would not be so easy to push him back.7GoJ0z
cLA6nF“All right, go in already. The residential areas for the outsiders have all been decided, so leave it to the other administrators and get some rest.”xmAGK
6FAUit“You’ve already finished everything?”VMg
9hXt16Q“Yes. Would you like to check it?”mjt
qH4dWHans handed Lucian the documents he had organized.m0yM4jv
WqxzKsAfter quickly reviewing them, a brief exclamation of admiration escaped Lucian’s lips.Cc8Fux
htz8iGAlthough there were slight differences from his initial plan, in essence they matched, and those small differences even corrected points he himself had not taken into account.T9Fxp1R
mi8xLn“Well done. There’s nothing to add or remove.”VBYi
fBtF605“I’m glad you’re satisfied.”JZy
GB6“Good. I’ll leave this matter to you. Before that, I’ll do one more thing.”MPVWgs
54BmUMLucian returned the documents to him and turned around. As he did, the tense gazes of the tribe members focused on him.wi7R0F
dsp2Then he spoke the words they had longed to hear for so long.6NY8Iv
BkF2U“This is the land of salvation! The place where you will put down roots and live from now on!”B35apE
Pi1“…!”YPxLEvN
k0A4Kx“You will no longer have to tremble from the cold while waiting for death! Rejoice! You and your descendants will prosper in this land!”KDfq
o5N54— Uooooooh!ZWHy
ovotFYThe instant he finished speaking, a deafening roar shook the white walls.AUfF
055Some jumped with joy as if crazed; others embraced each other in tears.bwkmFtG
IhYkAt last, they truly understood that they would live in Asagrim.s3YF
pT7JiLucian decided to leave them until they calmed down and entered the interior of the castle.DSIist
2ePDBy the time the cheers ended, the administrators assigned by Hans would begin guiding them to their new dwellings.Le6
PKk6For now, it was better to let them fully enjoy the joy of having escaped a thousand years of cold.V91FQg
sII***WMa7
YP52Jm“It’s changed a lot.”f6WPlLF
vDIJA short sigh of admiration escaped Lucian’s lips as he headed toward the White Castle.ROTq4Ki
05r1VyAlthough not that much time had passed, Asagrim had advanced even further.d7r3Sm7
3beb4The increase in population was evident, and the convenience facilities had expanded considerably.8xv
YwDkplQEven the shops opened in densely populated areas seemed to have been placed after careful planning.Nt9
fh2a“Did you design all of this?”f6T
PfDbB“I only carried out the work following the advice of the other administrators. I recorded the minutes of the meetings where those opinions were presented, so please review them when you return to the castle. Surprisingly, there were many capable individuals.”nyjrba
D91At Hans’s calm response, Lucian’s eyes widened slightly.pVnMGfC
qFXReceiving advice was one thing, but knowing how to use it properly was also a skill.nBXv
hSWsThe incompetent often ruin everything by trying to impose their own ideas over those of others to claim the credit.2ccP
4WUNHowever, Hans not only accepted the advice, but even left detailed records of the meetings, exposing points that could potentially be used against him.K8E
dSH9QjIt was something impossible without great confidence in having acted correctly.w78Xl
lYdz9‘…This kid, if he goes through one or two more trials, won’t he grow tremendously?’E59GQy
9llBGJThe guilt he had felt moments earlier vanished, and Lucian began to look around with gleaming eyes, searching for new trials to impose on Hans.4Am0T5V
e1XgHE8As he continued explaining, Hans felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine and shuddered without knowing why.wMx
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