Dealing with Count Kuhul was not a difficult task.
After all, he had come in first, picking a fight and declaring territorial war.
The justification was already solid.
There was no need to hold back.
I could simply start the battle right away.
So I immediately threw Hector Punisher, and it struck Count Kuhul squarely on the forehead.
Paaak! Thud!
“Hup? C-Count!”
The knights rushed forward as if they were about to charge at any moment.
However, they could not use cavalry tactics.
It was because I had stepped forward and revealed my identity while summoning Hector Punisher.
Shwoooosh! Thud!
“My name is Abel Carius. Think carefully before you act.”
The Kuhul Knight Order fell into silence.
The sound of eyeballs rolling around was almost audible.
After exchanging glances, the knights cautiously asked,
“A-Are you perhaps Duke Carius?”
“That is correct.”
“Are you the one known as the Northern Berserker?”
“Yes.”
“Then why on earth would someone like you……”
Come all the way to this rural area to cause trouble?
Was that not only natural?
Was there anyone who did not know that Baron Lelbrant was my loyal subordinate?
A lord should properly look after the difficulties of his subordinates.
To be honest, I did not know it would be this troublesome until I actually visited. Ahem!
My conscience pricked a little.
But what did it matter?
In the end, things had worked out smoothly, had they not?
That was all that mattered.
“Was the one called Knight Gosling under Count Kuhul? Did he not grab me by the collar without warning?”
“When I tried to address his rudeness at the time, he readily accepted the declaration of territorial war. In that case, I had no choice but to do my best as well.”
The knights collectively broke into cold sweats.
They must have realized that the situation had taken a very bad turn.
Moreover, the person responsible for resolving this incident, Count Kuhul, was currently unconscious.
Without a commanding officer, they had no choice but to feel anxious.
I smiled faintly and spoke.
“If you wish to fight, I will not stop you. However, I will inform you in advance that there is no mercy in my hammer.”
Rumble!
When I activated Beast’s Heart, crimson flames surged up from my body.
At the same time, an enormous pressure formed and pressed down on the surroundings.
It was not an actual force, but a sense of oppression created by sheer presence.
The knights’ faces turned pale in an instant.
Soon, the answer I wanted came out.
“W-What should we do?”
“First, hand over Count Kuhul. I will resolve things through conversation with him later.”
“Excuse me? We cannot commit such disloyalty.”
Handing over their unconscious lord just like that?
It was no different from abandoning a knight’s duty.
If they did something like that, they would face tremendous criticism.
But what could they do?
I was the one holding the sword, and even if I swung it carelessly, their heads would all fly off.
“If you truly cannot trust me, you may send escort troops as well. I really do intend to resolve this through dialogue.”
“Understood. Then we will accompany you.”
In the end, the knights had no choice but to lower their heads.
Soon after, the Kuhul domain’s army retreated, leaving only thirty people behind.
However, that number was too large to be called mere escorts.
Are they the final line of defense?
If thirty skilled knights entered Lelbrant Castle, it would be burdensome for the Lelbrant side as well.
If such experts ran wild inside the lord’s castle, it would inevitably become troublesome.
Nevertheless, I nodded without hesitation.
After all, as long as I was present, they would not be able to do anything reckless.
Moreover, only with this level of force could they maintain their dignity.
It was as if they had accepted the proposal in order to protect the unconscious Count Kuhul.
Thus, the territorial war between Lelbrant Barony and Count Kuhul’s domain ended in a completely anticlimactic manner.
“Ugh……”
Count Kuhul let out a groan with a distressed expression.
The place he had thought was an underground prison was actually a room inside Lelbrant Castle.
It only felt gloomy because there was hardly any furniture.
He had not been treated particularly poorly.
The reception room he was soon guided to was also extremely modest.
The only reason Count Kuhul’s mood was foul was because he had lost the territorial war in such an absurd manner.
I smiled faintly and offered him a teacup.
“Please try this. It was brewed with tea leaves brought from the capital.”
As the luxurious aroma spread, Count Kuhul’s expression seemed to relax slightly.
As expected, when dealing with people, one must use both the whip and the carrot appropriately.
Of course, this person was not my subordinate, but the principle was the same anyway.
I had beaten him plenty, so now it was time to soothe him with something sweet.
“Ahem! I will enjoy it.”
“Please do.”
There was a brief tea time.
Soon, I brought up the most sensitive issue.
“What should we focus on for the territorial war negotiations?”
“Well, that is……”
Count Kuhul trailed off.
From what I had roughly heard, a gold panner had attached himself to this man.
He had probably provided information that there was a gold mine near Marlow Lake.
It was a simple guess, but it was not wrong.
There really was a gold vein there.
“What Count Kuhul wants is the gold mine, is it not?”
“Ahem! Not necessarily.”
“If you respond properly to the negotiations, I will hand over the gold mine as it is.”
“I-Is that true?”
“In exchange, hand over all the land near the Kurin River.”
“You mean to trade the gold mine for the land.”
“That is correct.”
Count Kuhul narrowed his eyes.
He was trying to read my intentions.
But he would not be able to find anything.
My poker face was quite good.
Moreover, the current situation was extremely favorable for me, so there was no need to bluff.
The reception room fell silent.
Soon, Count Kuhul opened his mouth.
“That will be difficult.”
To be honest, if he had jumped at the offer right away, I would have been somewhat disappointed.
If someone of that level was ruling a count’s domain, the internal affairs would be obvious even without looking.
However, Count Kuhul immediately expressed his refusal.
The reason was something anyone could guess.
“It is probably because of appearances.”
“I cannot ignore the eyes of the public.”
“In that case, how about this? Sell the land near the Kurin River directly to me.”
“To you, Duke Carius?”
“Yes. Then the territorial war negotiations with Lelbrant Barony can proceed separately. That can be handled as usual.”
“It would be as if you made Macum Gosling pay for his own rudeness.”
“As expected, you are quick to understand. In exchange, I will also provide the location of the gold vein.”
“Oh?”
Count Kuhul showed an interested expression.
This way, he would be able to save himself a lot of trouble.
However, perhaps because he had ruled a count’s domain for a long time, he did not bite immediately.
“Would it be possible to go and see that gold vein?”
“Of course. It will not be too late to decide after that.”
“Very well.”
In the end, we proceeded with a direct inspection.
Coincidentally, the location of the gold vein was on the border between the two territories.
We moved to a place closer to Count Kuhul’s domain.
When gold ore became visible beneath a large rock, everyone’s eyes changed.
Even the knights who had followed Count Kuhul widened their eyes.
“Oh? It is quite impressive. Even without going through the refining process, the purity is fairly high.”
A person who appeared to be a gold panner hurriedly whispered.
He had tried to lower his voice as much as possible, but my hearing was superhuman, after all.
I heard everything they were muttering, but I pretended not to notice for now.
Soon after finishing their discussion, Count Kuhul approached with a bright smile.
“It is certain.”
“You may check the entire area around Marlow Lake if you wish.”
“Oh! Really?”
“Yes.”
In truth, this was an empty remark.
I thought he would not actually check that far, but Count Kuhul immediately took action.
He released all his gold panners and had them search for gold veins.
However, nothing would come out.
“It seems what Duke Carius said was true.”
“It is a fair transaction, is it not? Trust must be the foundation.”
“Haha! Of course. By the way, why do you wish to purchase the land near the Kurin River?”
“I like boats. I want to sail along the river a bit.”
“Aha!”
Count Kuhul’s eyes sparkled as if he understood.
There was no need to tell him about the plan to develop the waterway heading east.
That would only drive up the land price.
There was no reason to reveal such high-level information.
“A good hobby is an essential virtue for nobles. I also enjoy hunting large monsters.”
His bulky physique and flashy-looking armor.
I did not know what he had been like in his youth, but Count Kuhul was clearly someone far removed from outdoor activities.
If he actually had some skill, he might have been able to deflect Hector Punisher at least once.
But this person had not reacted at all and had simply taken the hit.
It was probably just empty bravado or a statement meant to boost his own ego.
Such trivial matters did not matter much.
After all, I would be satisfied as long as I received the land.
“Well then, shall we proceed with the contract soon?”
Perhaps because the gold mine was now within reach, Count Kuhul seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.
If he was this impatient, then I was grateful.
Soon, we finalized the contract.
Wait, but why was he making a deal over a gold vein located on someone else’s land?
The discussion had already concluded.
Since he would not be able to mine it properly anyway, Kazan had simply handed the mining rights over to me.
In exchange for lending business funds at zero interest.
Originally, I had not intended to receive anything, but since he was offering, what could I do?
“Well then, I wish you great success in mining.”
“This is the most novel and pleasant greeting I have heard recently. As you said, I will mine a great deal. Hahahaha!”
After sending Count Kuhul away, I immediately called for the person in charge of Dapan construction.
Now that there was nothing holding me back, I planned to tell them to work freely.
Soon, someone opened the door to the reception room and entered.
“Hello, Chairman.”
“Welcome. Vice President Bernard.”
Bernard had once been a lumberjack who guided Trevor around Midias.
After diligently attending night school and studying, he had finally achieved his dream.
Somehow, it feels satisfying.
The people I had hired back when Carius Duchy was just beginning to take shape were mostly holding important positions now.
However, most of them had ended up in middle management.
It was because they lacked both the ambition and ability to aim for higher positions.
But Bernard was different.
He could be called the most successful model of Dapan Group’s human resource management.
Dapan Group is the most cutting-edge company in this era.
There was no place that had built a more advanced system than our company.
So where would I find experienced personnel?
I had to hire and train them myself before they became useful.
Bernard was exactly that kind of talent.
“How much progress has been made on the dam sluice gate installation?”
“It is almost complete. We should be able to begin trial operation around the day after tomorrow.”
“I see. Once it succeeds, please move on to the next task immediately. We need to build the pier before the dock.”
“Yes, understood.”
Perhaps because he was competent, his answers came out smoothly.
I nodded with a satisfied expression.
There was still a lot of work to do, so the canal construction would have to be postponed for now.
Before that, I should stop by Gosling’s manor and other areas near the Kurin River to conduct a preliminary survey.
However, even after the conversation ended, Bernard did not leave.
And this was someone who possessed at least that level of tact.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Well…… It may be presumptuous of me, but the rumors circulating among the people are not very good.”