Chapter 32: Rising Strength

Fwoooosh.

I draw out mana. Once I shape it in my mind, it’s done.

“Dig. Dig.”

KWAANG!

Exactly as I pictured in my head. The ground collapses and is hollowed out in a perfect rectangle. This is the starting point for the foundational construction where the canal will be made.

“Move it quickly! We need to finish up here today!”

“Yes! Let’s move it fast!”

At that, the workers, as if waiting for the signal, rush in and begin shoveling out the remaining dirt. Once all the soil has been dug out, it will be time to move and harden the foundation.

It’s tough work, but the pay is far better than farming.

‘The reward for work must always be enough.’

Naturally, everyone was full of enthusiasm.

Everyone was working hard to dig the canal. It was a good sight.

As I watched the scene for a long while, Myuron approached.

He’d been taking charge of both the Field of Pirn and the canal expansion. His face was now tanned a healthy bronze—a far cry from before, looking visibly more robust.

“Third Young Lord, I believe you can head inside now.”

“Is that it for today?”

“Yes, for now. In fact, even without you here, the slaves are getting the job done. But of course, it can’t be as fast as when you help with your magic.”

With Father’s support, there were enough hands. Still, I sometimes came out to help with magic.

“I know. It’s good for me too. After repeatedly casting Dig, I can sense something.”

“Ooh. Have you reached a new level?”

“No, not yet.”

I’d been in charge of agriculture for just over three months now. The Pirn in the fields had grown large, almost ready for harvest.

‘The third circle is close now.’

Though it hadn’t been long since I’d reached this circle, my mana was already nearing the level of the third circle.

My inner strength, which had once barely filled half a vessel, had increased considerably. It was a remarkable growth, worthy of praise.

Others would be shocked at this rate of progress. But from my perspective, it still wasn’t enough to say I’d reached a true level.

“That’s unfortunate. But I’ve heard the clan has great expectations for you.”

“It’s thanks to you.”

“Ah, thank you for saying so… but really, it’s all thanks to you, Young Lord. Haha.”

“No, if it weren’t for you, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

It was true—without Myuron, I couldn’t have achieved these results.

Even when I wasn’t around, he poured his efforts into managing the Field of Pirn. At night, he calculated for the canal construction, and in his spare time, he had the slaves working to speed up the project.

I was the one who made all the plans, but without Myuron, reaching this level of achievement would have been impossible.

All those achievements were recognized by Father, the Master of the House.

“Look forward to the Harvest Festival in a month.”

I didn’t know what kind of reward he’d prepare. But from the look of things, it would surely be something significant.

Before giving me my reward, Father had also prepared separate rewards for Myuron, Benson, and the administrators.

Maybe because of that, Myuron looked happier than ever.

“By the way, I heard you’re going to be on the move soon, Young Lord?”

“Did Father mention that?”

“I happened to hear about it. My apologies if it was out of line.”

“No, it’s only natural you’d know. Father assigned you to assist me, after all.”

“Indeed.”

As Myuron said, a bountiful harvest was expected from the Field of Pirn. Although a big celebration was planned for the upcoming Harvest Festival, word had already spread throughout the entire territory.

Rumors were spreading that the Third Young Lord’s methods as the new agriculture official were extraordinary.

They say rumors travel a thousand miles. The serfs, whose rewards and punishments depended on the harvest, would occasionally come by to check out the new farming methods in the Field of Pirn.

‘By next year, they’ll do it on their own without being told.’

The anxieties I felt when I first arrived had long since vanished.

Starting next year, I expected they’d request to use the new methods on their own, even without my instruction. According to Benson, there’s even a shortage of manure now. After seeing how I used manure as fertilizer, everyone started hoarding it.

Some even spread it directly onto their fields and ended up rotting their crops instead. It was all due to ignorance.

‘Just as I expected.’

In the end, I had to step in myself.

I explained that it couldn’t simply be used as is—it required a special process.

I also added that when new fertilizer was made, it would be distributed fairly. Only then did the ‘hidden manure’ incident settle down.

Interesting times. That’s why I keep moving.

“Since this year’s farming is almost done, shouldn’t you be able to set aside your duties as agriculture official for a while?”

“That’s true. Shall I prepare for your departure?”

“Father already sent word that he’d dispatch people soon. I’ll leave the rest in your hands.”

“I’ll make sure everything is wrapped up perfectly.”

“Good.”

Not as the agriculture official, but under the other title Father gave me. I was going to act as an inspector.

But to be honest, there wasn’t really anything to inspect.

I didn’t intend to act as inspector just for the sake of it. My real goal was elsewhere.

That goal was clear.

‘I can’t hide myself forever.’

It was time to reveal my strength, and I needed a convincing way to do it.

Instead of just staying cooped up at home, I thought acting as an inspector and moving around would lead to an answer.

There were still a few days before the new aides Father was sending would arrive.

During those days, I entrusted the remaining tasks to Myuron and took some time to rest.

For someone ranked above even most nobles, my schedule had been grueling. Myuron knew this, so he was actually glad to see me take a break.

“I’ve definitely reached a new stage now.”

Including Father, my whole family was proud of what I’d accomplished as agriculture official.

Even my busy Master, who always had a hundred things to do, watched my use of Dig and said,

“Amazing. Your mana synchronization is already beyond the third circle. Hoho.”

“Is it really that much?”

“Yes. With this, I have no worries. It seems I’m lucky to have such a disciple in my twilight years.”

He smiled with satisfaction and departed.

His anger from when he first heard I’d become agriculture official—shouting that I should focus on training instead—had completely vanished.

“With this, you can move on to the next stage. Take this as well.”

“Thank you.”

He handed me a third-circle spellbook he’d prepared in advance. Its level was higher than the ones before. That was all. Instead,

“I should be there for you when it matters most, but… there’s nothing I can do in these circumstances. Sorry.”

“It’s all right. There’s nothing to be done.”

“Thank you for understanding. I’ll finish up my business and return soon. When I do, let’s do this properly.”

“…Haha. Yes, Master.”

He apologized sincerely and left again.

‘Sounds like things are really bad.’

The territory seemed peaceful—on the surface.

Though no one told me directly, I’d heard a lot while working as agriculture official.

Once the harvest and Harvest Festival were over, winter would come. The monsters had already been dealt with, but there was still the threat of northern monsters stirring.

By all expectations, it should have been a small threat, but apparently it was larger than anticipated. That’s why Master had to head north.

As for the Bandit Group that had been troubling the whole kingdom, they were still being pursued. With no leads yet, it seemed the Bandit Group was operating in complete secrecy.

‘I’m not even sure they really are bandits.’

Their chaos had complicated things outside the territory. One wrong move and the whole territory could be endangered.

That’s why Father was handling things both internally and externally. I’d heard that my older brother, the heir, was also acting on Father’s behalf.

With all that going on, Master couldn’t stay by my side just for my training.

‘That’s just as well for me.’

With Master away, it was the perfect time to reveal my power while traveling as inspector. If Master were here, it’d be harder to do so.

“I should prepare several ways to reveal my power. For example, a dungeon…”

A dungeon. A place formed where mages or mana-attracted monsters gathered.

Records showed that even in this territory, a few dungeons had been discovered in the past. In fact, a few still remained.

Even when exploration ended, monsters were still drawn to the dungeon’s mana.

There were mercenaries who hunted those monsters, and thanks to them, three or four villages in the territory flourished.

My first idea was to use these dungeons. My second idea—

“Creating one myself isn’t a good idea, though.”

Fabricating a plausible dungeon or orchestrating a place for a miraculous encounter.

“It’s always good to have plenty of methods.”

How could I reveal my strength naturally? I kept racking my brain.

And at the same time—

10000

“Huuuup.”

In the early morning, I focused on Hyeonwon Dan Shingong for my inner strength. Then, in the dark of night, when mana was thickest—

“…The time is drawing near.”

1000

I sat atop the training formation I’d set up at a temporary training ground and slipped into mana meditation.

‘I never expected this.’

Compared to my personal training hall in the inner castle, the performance here was hardly lacking.

Using an Intermediate Mana Stone I’d brought from the training hall was part of it. But the real reason was elsewhere.

‘I didn’t expect the earth’s qi here to be so strong.’

The qi of this world. The mana, close to the natural qi, was deeper and denser than in the martial world.

Because of that, even the commoners living in the outer city were robust and healthy, surviving despite poor sanitation. There was much to improve, but survival itself was what mattered.

Dense natural qi—what a blessing!

Naturally, this power applied not only to humans, but to nature itself.

The earth’s qi beneath the training formation was immensely deep. From the moment I set up the formation, the qi only grew stronger.

Training my mana atop it could only yield great results.

‘All the better.’

If someone specialized in earth mana came here, they’d surely say this was the best training spot.

Thanks to this, I’d been able to greatly increase my mana even while working as agriculture official. And now—

“Hooooo…”

It was time to use that power and step up again.