Chapter 220: War for Korin, their Son-in-Law (2)
ue5okNThe king of the El Rath kingdom, David Joseph El Rath, visited the palace of the 2nd Princess.cfDMgYB
qBJXN6jEver since the incident with Mound, the king had frequently come to visit Miruam, as it had given him a chance to look back at his daughter.pG5Q9e
WpgMJepThe princess of the kingdom had almost been assassinated by a group of unidentified beastmen and naturally, the royal court had to avenge it.vw8
Gpbut2Although the justification was valid, the king knew how it was all just an excuse for his daughter to pay back the price of the blood shed by the late queen.50vO
vM1HWQHe knew the vengefulness of his daughter, and also knew the sorrow she must have gone through, despite having turned away from it for national interest.nsKz
vGZe1“Next year, we will hold the execution of that werewolf.”IJCG1
mWxH0King David mentioned the werewolf, who shouldered all the responsibilities to head to the scaffold all by himself. He wanted to know if his daughter was sincerely satisfied by this result or not.HZ3XZ
yuw“Is that so?”y6aSct3
Aax“Are you content?”Zj5KfDa
wWLG“About what?”pXwY
v0RUgcMShe looked back at him with the same chilly gaze as always.6bZOq
qJ0MdThe king said to his daughter, whom he had neglected for a long time.pz0
LiH8qE“Are you going to stop now?”ScDMv
zLF3Miruam understood more than clearly how he was referring to both her revenge and her deep-rooted hatred.Qf0HYqi
fkhV“Even now, my anger is still here,” she replied.Vdt
QKyKnowing fully well how determined and spiteful she was, the king couldn’t help but feel surprised by her following statement.DEm
Srux“But… I noticed that someone completely different would become sad with my revenge.”nkm2zEI
lwv“…”gRm
rlDxKing David knew who she was referring to.U8CgVU
ZNb17qThe justification behind the attack on Mound was so valid that the king couldn’t do anything about it, but there was a hero who stood his ground to stop them.ukZD8
HcFUHe knew how that man had utilized everything in his arsenal to stop his daughter and therefore, he was greatly surprised by the fact that the feeling Miruam had for him wasn’t that of hatred.h8VqS
GTqDs0N“Right. I see.”YmmJ
BL30TThe king thought how he himself had no right to soothe his daughter. The moment he gave up on revenge for the late queen and chose to keep the Old Faith at bay; the moment he neglected his vengeful daughter to prioritize national interest and many other lives… he knew that he had failed her as a father.t2R86
bQ9“By the way,” the king said out of the blue. “There are a lot of girls that are after him.”FFHCc
JfBinig“…What is this about all of a sudden?”3xxWWGn
FreMB“What do you think of him?”C80pi
NS4I“What do you…”QY5
FYcFztHis daughter, who always had a cold and vicious smile, went through a small shift. King David received his answer from a glimpse of that small change.kjH
Yzk“What’s… with that smile?”zng6
I9N32v3“No. It’s nothing.”cGL8af6
2UYStoMiruam was taken aback by the king who suddenly had his lips pointing up in front of her, due to how rare of a sight it was.SKIE5y
BNYo“Estelle declared she would marry him.”xJe
L7hf“…”1vozXwT
JADgCZ“It’s hard to stop her because it seems to be a revelation from the lord. But… as bad of a father I am, I will look for a way.”IDddUaM
2IP4r“What?”M0q
KEQDpSMThe princess tilted her head in confusion.8OG0
PiM6KtA“Hmm… Right. Yeah. That sounds good.”UAP
k10“What are you…”vgiLch4
kNu“My dear daughter. I want you to find your happiness.”ih6bs0
V2roP“…”FEUt
Umxe“In regards to this matter at hand, I will give you my full support no matter what happens.”1RuTgQJ
HWVYKing David was willing to do whatever it meant, as the smallest remedy he could, as a failure of a father.3yfN2DN
zxb6****Fu2Acdx
K0zqlXUnlike King David and Sword Emperor Garrand, Duke Marde didn’t have a positive reception of Korin Lork.FwLuoob
VJfDOf course, he did feel a deep sense of gratitude. He did consider him as a lifelong benefactor for saving his daughter, but that was a different issue altogether.nYg
kNB5nN5Being a benefactor was very different from being a son-in-law.5yY8B
XnqLAlthough he had been chased out of the house due to the pestering duchess, the duke’s initial plan was to just give minimal effort before going back south.xyOB
LOggx‘Whose daughter do you think she is? Mari will be with her father all her life!’60Ve
qPjHFor Duke Marde, who deeply loved his wife and children, Marie was still a cute daughter whom he was unwilling to send off.vOqKK5c
1EdRb1“Dad!”qYaugFn
xGD128IA Hresvelgr, instilled with the emblem of the household, approached from the sky towards the duke’s group. It was Marie’s personal monster carrier.IGPXc
upzJCvD“Ohh! My beloved daughter! What is the matter?”5Aw3I8
eBAPMarie had recently become the president of the Southern Guardian Association. There were so many things she must be in charge of, so why did she come here?JWX
PnmT6L5The duke wondered, in the midst of their preparation to depart for the capital.QG8
zWrMD“D, dad… I, I saw the newspaper…”5mte
BLHM“Kuhum…”lviQf
XiNVHe was greatly distressed by the anxiety on her face.C0F
UfQKLSiWhat was so good about that damn playboy? If this was in the past, a man involved in such a scandalous rumor would have immediately fallen out of the list of the Dunareff’s son-in-law list.dldpy
LwC“Dad. I’m, trusting you…”eot5UCO
ctFRCMarie suddenly wrapped her hands around his, which she did not do as of late for being harsh to Korin.tSquM
Sfj“To me, Korin is… You have to help me, dad.”EswRVCn
R9rW“Mari…”FKKrBsN
YEPRoJWWhat was so good about that boy – that damn playboy – that his daughter had to go through such agony? He felt more and more hatred for Korin.CFTh9zt
LXHYDp“Mari… There are a lot of men out there. A list of great potential partners will fill up an entire potato field just for you.”TTz2hz
4M5AbphShe could pick any man she wanted so why…lJLM8a3
H9orUo“Dad. Just like how you’re my only dad, Korin is the only one for me. No-one… can replace Korin.”4H5Ih
1tv“Haa…”iRjPBUI
kvZEThe duke didn’t want to acknowledge the unfathomable love his daughter had for that man, but Marie pleaded while desperately gripping his hands.t9P
dVI3uY“Promise me. That you won’t… let anyone take Korin away.”wnZk
POA4Yx5“…”ZIE
BUDNHonestly, he wanted to just let someone take him away, but he knew how selfish it was for him to do so.oNBDEh
tMwHis daughter’s first love being crushed by an external force… was unacceptable. It was impossible for the Dunareff to have theirs taken away.AXr0njx
T8m7VNhOnly he could separate him from his daughter.EJX3CP
UW0qlu“Right. I will. Just trust me.”m9lsLya
Tw8“Really?”cYv6
eITLH“I pledge on the golden potato flower.”oOZZ0Q
NtCS“You’re the best! I love you dad!”mr9ZQcK
XeAhmMarie hugged the duke with a bright smile on her face, and even kissed him three times, which she had never done after turning 13.KLRO
MmmOeJG“M, Marie…!”WfaX
qnrmH9Duke Marde was so moved that his eyes turned wet from tears.axDp
35sX“Good luck, dad! I haven’t done everything Korin asked me to do yet, so I can’t go with you. I believe in you!”EMS
NsuhG1z“Yes…! Just trust your daddy!”4T5mR3Y
E29dJRmThe duke was fully invigorated in participating in this war.MCKz
1DNX2i1Only he and his potatoes knew how big of a trouble he was willing to bring to everyone involved.F4BG
Wr9wGzz****LwG
UNSUOThe sovereign of the south, Dunareff, was a force to be reckoned with even within the world of central politics.KIEN0A1
g2MTTMPCommonly referred to as the lifeline of the kingdom, they possessed a wide range of farmland, as well as abundant mines and a trade route to the east that allowed them to accumulate a large amount of wealth.RnWZ
2eWxIqCUsing that wealth, the south put up politicians that could represent their voice in the capital.biv
mu2fThe so-called Voices of the South were one of such examples.rK9RoI8
rmpvPThey were powerhouses within the central politics who were either from the south themselves, or reached their position thanks to the sponsor of the south.IlKKgK6
AURE13YDespite being a large faction within politics, the southern faction tended to voice out different opinions and carry out their own actions most of the time.AiH9
krPKIt was because the scope of their political common ground was quite narrow. The only things they represented from the south were as follows.sV0Zmr
4DkSPicking the minister of agriculture and maritime affairs.TUwtnc
zfpHSgFor bills and legislations around the production and distribution of grains.SyguF
trbjvbTax related to foreign goods and products.yTT
sk8jl7The ‘Voices of the South’ took whatever stance they wanted unless it was around a specific topic that correlated to the main business model of the south, including maritime and agriculture. Usually they did whatever they wanted, but regardless of the faction they were in, they always stood on the side of the south if such matters were to be addressed.Z8VW
IcPAt an extravagantly luxurious hotel in the CBD of the capital city, bigshots were walking into a secret suite room of the 5-star Dunareff Hotel one by one.OYt
xoxTWhen everyone arrived at the room, Wolpe Schacht, Secretary of Legislations, slowly opened his mouth.ebmvdi7
7Re“Everyone. Take your seats.”h8aH70
rJeoIOnly after he said that as the oldest politician and the family head of a collateral family line of the Dunareff, did everyone finally sit down.jyWxGa
mzsPoDeputy Minister of Administration, Gorgol, was deeply moved by the fact that he was able to join this meeting.m2JJKf
DdzzAlthough he had been on the elite course and eventually wanted to become the Minister of Administration, that was an impossible position to reach just by being competent.K5j43AV
dZChXHe needed connections and a faction.lDGqFHc
qQ8iEFor a long time, he tried his hardest to find a connection but the bigshots did not bother having a meeting with a deputy minister like him.II0gm0
p3zKVAnd yet where was he standing now? Who were these people that were with him?d890
2n1Secretary of Legislation, Wolpe Schacht.RhX
NdbbzESecretary of Maritime and Agriculture, Secretary Tocqueville.p12
FFOoMinister Lamartine of Diplomatic Services.ymz
LkpHvCAnd Director Darlan of Foreign Affairs.vDGT
fEJThey weren’t the only ones present. All the bigshots of each department were gathered in this suite room. Although his position was by no means a low one as the deputy minister, he was the lowest of the lowest in this room.oZL0p
LMitkZ8These people were the ‘Voices of the South’, the strong political faction controlling the kingdom.1Kdy
ex6IThe fact that he was able to join this club simply by passing the bill for demi-humans to be acknowledged as citizens… was a great fortune that Gorgol was sincerely grateful for.8J00vzv
F5i2Iw2Everyone was in the middle of having small-talk with the people nearby and remembering faces when someone quietly walked up and whispered in the ears of Secretary Wolpe Schacht.bXjLC
9FkSiTv“Mhmm… Is that so? I see.”AU1
1SZxpoHe turned to the crowd and pronounced with a solemn voice.8kd2
xKq8u“The family head will be personally joining this conference. Everyone, stand on your feet.”eant
2YzRU“The family head?”7JnF
gDk4UB“Is he here himself?”9tMR
49qO13Soon, the door was pushed open as a man with water-colored hair walked into the room.4zEI60Y
1Wij4hHe was the very man; the protector of 25 cities who possessed 7.6 million hectares of farmland, 47 mines and 67 ranches.5HEO
sF7pgThe emperor of the south, who was undisputedly the wealthiest man on the continent.r22Ps
D2HAMarie Dunareff. He was the family head of the Dunareff Family, who had always been the ruler of the Voices of the South.cwbAna
6BafGN“…”kyuP9B
PPnSsjQDuke Marde took a glance across the room, making sure everyone within the faction was present before sitting at the seat of honor.m5p
pera“Sit down, everyone.”3PFM56
3sNYAll the members of the faction nervously took their seats, evidently tense from the rare appearance of the family head himself.ixJDe
cp0“I am sure you are aware of the reason behind my visit here.”lhd
sXBM“Is this related to that matter at hand?” asked Secretary Schacht.hCsdH
iDul9The duke slowly gave a nod.Fa2oSqB
QryT8n0“Let me be frank. My wife wants him. So does my daughter and my vassals.”KdJwns
9HMG0T“I see…”jE837l
QpdrHis name value had recently seen a massive increase, but even before then, there was no-one within the world of politics who didn’t know how he was the official son-in-law of the Dunareff.a8WJUB
FAosKorin Lork.WymB
DEP9xhIt was a famous secret that the oldest daughter and future duchess, Marie Dunareff, had feelings for him.i4Xa4
MXUHHad he been a normal man, people might have secretly talked down on him for being a male Cinderella, but Korin Lork was certainly far from being a normal person.gsAzt
fDbhPjkUnique Grade Knight.32AwHs4
6ICKHe was a warrior representing the generation after Garrand Arden.yN5E6
YpW2lSaOf course, Marie Dunareff and Hua Ran had also recently been acknowledged as Unique Grade, but Korin Lork had displayed incredible achievements that put him far above the rest.nd6YC
aoxPThere was not a single citizen of the kingdom who didn’t know of the mythological scene he had created in the war against Mound.s7o
l58NBesides, he was always at the center of countless talents.dzAfAv
6lfHe had the support of the chairman of Merkarva Academy as well as Great Witch Josephine Clara; similar Unique Grades, Marie and Hua Ran were affiliated under him in his guardians guild, and he was a longtime comrade of the renowned Arden sisters of the east.64axw
izxOn top of that, he was also the full-fledged master of Claiomh Solais, the divine artifact of the Sun that the New Faith had recently acknowledged, and had also taken the post of a president of the Guardian Association.mts8Q
5v2psAlthough he was still just a baron, he was a contemporary hero that could even become a duke himself.LCThx
NuhaWhat was even more remarkable was how he had yet to even reach the age of 20. That was faster than even Garrand Arden himself.5OUc
Y3C“Sir Korin would certainly be a fitting consort to Lady Marie.”kBj7Ic
jxXj“I had a drink with that man once. He was an incredibly diligent and honest young man.”wLc
YYgIcWl“He has a great reception and evaluation even inside the Academy. I suppose his only downside anyone would ever find, is that he’s too good of a person.”TVDimI
FqRrODuke Marde frowned hearing all the positive words facing Korin Lork, but there was nothing he could do about it.uwB
gFVKbHis wife and his daughter wanted him so badly, that he had no choice. Although the duke didn’t want to send his daughter off to marriage at all, he could not deny the fact that Korin was, objectively speaking, a great son-in-law material.3U9EbW
hCm9“That sounds like an overstatement…”txePW
UC9But of course, acknowledging that as the father was… rather damaging to his pride.m1x
YZ0“Anyway…” He continued. “Both the royal family and the Ardens suggested marriage – is that correct?”QnkiMsS
HIAiWBo“Yes. The capital is in an uproar because of that.”2Mglyk
9Eu82“This is unacceptable! How can the royal family stab the Dunareff on the back like this?”TDbEH
rcvCU4B“Even though it was an established fact that Sir Korin was Lady Marie’s consort already!”7WboAy
8Fg2K“…”VvP
0EEeDuke Marde wanted to say something in rebuttal to all the oddly positive reception facing that playboy, but couldn’t due to the request of his daughter.2Vy8
5hYvHe too had to try his best to stop Korin Lork from being sent to the royal family.JwiU
nU95Zih“Tell me all the options.”2XyH0
ivsMzzwEveryone around the round table started giving their opinions.8iQp
Kv2iZ“There is a merchant group run directly by the royal court. They generally focus on exporting and importing luxury goods to and from the east. How about we pressure that group?”BgLnbV
jmU38DB“We can restrict the number of warhorses that can be on the market from the east. They are one of the few regional products for the Ardens, so it would have a big economical impact on them.”G5Q
Nuny6p“How about we chase out a part of the Arden dojos that are located in the south?”4mQj
Si9flCxSeveral options were suggested, and as expected, they all required a large number of gold coins. Some of their plans required millions of gold coins to enforce.0kQG1bu
b2jKOf course, putting a restriction on the market would have a negative impact on them, the Dunareff Dukedom, as well, because stopping the transaction would mean they would have to give up on the profit generated from the margin.KcZV4M
vEs“Too small.”0Zfobp
PIB“Sorry?”zdKo
XUKHis disapproving tone of voice earned the curious gazes of those around him. Any one of the options suggested just then were enough to greatly impact both the east and the royal family.uBIa
i11Yq8Even they themselves were shivering from the economical impact this would create, and those options wouldn’t have been even considered if not for the enormous financial power of the Dunareff.kDfTGU
GE2GMDHow could these be ‘small’?pLQjjv
bJZhG“Enforce everything you have just mentioned. And do everything else that is possible. As for the budget… The profit from the last quarter sounds good.”KCL
ucb5goProfit from the 3rd quarter? How much was that again?kJxpHrQ
R980Those within the industry quickly calculated the amount in their heads.r7f3
bmMrzPX– How much was the amount of magic stones gathered from the mines last quarter?he9f
PY9Qs– Do we include the amount gained from selling the trade routes?z6a
jBHZtbw– The crops sold were…dv1UOi
S5b2xGRoughly 1.4 billion gold.lnr
nX8NIVPApproximately 140 billion dollars.3TE8WIJ
eK2One of the officials almost fainted after finishing his calculations.Y0IyPx
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