Chapter 170: The Hidden Treasury

The reason I mobilized the Rock Mountain Keeper to demolish the National Office was simple.

That’s where they kept all the funds they’d been embezzling this whole time.

Not only the former Senate but nearly every high-ranking noble was involved in this affair.

In fact, the secret stash in the lake had only been the tip of the iceberg.

Once the entire National Office building was cleared away, the hidden gold and treasures were finally exposed.

Countless golden beams of light burst forth.

There was so much that the whole basement was packed full.

I turned to the onlookers and shouted loudly.

“Can you all see this? The country isn’t short on money. There are just too many thieves!”

Cheers erupted immediately.

“Waaaaah! His Grace the Regent discovered a treasure hoard!”

“Whoa! How much is all that worth?”

“But whose was it originally?”

“They said thieves. It must be what the bureaucrats have been skimming all along.”

“Those rotten bastards!”

“Cursing them feels good, but aren’t we the ones getting screwed over?”

“Shut up! Is that what matters right now? The nation’s money belongs to His Highness the Duke. Stealing it deserves the harshest punishment!”

“They hid the royal treasures in the lake, and now the National Office basement too… What utterly despicable people.”

Not only the lower nobles but even the poor joined in cursing the bureaucrats.

Especially Bajiks Saltree, identified as the mastermind, was being torn to shreds in reputation.

But how did the people know he was the culprit?

—That’s the family funds and national taxes Bajiks Saltree embezzled.

—The accounting head could commit the crimes without anyone knowing!

It was all thanks to Shugly and Feltron playing their roles as trumpeters perfectly.

No matter how noisy the surroundings were, telepathy pierced straight into the mind.

The people of the Crawford Duchy were about to turn into an enraged mob.

“Let’s smash Bajiks Saltree’s head!”

“Tearing that bastard apart is exactly what His Highness the Duke wants!”

“Let’s gooooo!”

The effect of the instigation was better than expected.

I couldn’t let it go on like this, so I quickly had the Rock Mountain Keeper move.

“Hey, what are you doing? Threaten them a bit and make them back off.”

—D-do I really have to do that too?

“If you don’t want to, you can just die instead?”

—Ahem! Understood.

Was it okay to treat a spirit-like being this roughly?

He was the one who first talked about the law of the strong and showed off his power.

I was simply handling him according to that same principle of might makes right.

There was nothing wrong with it.

If he didn’t like this outcome, he should have acted like a gentleman from the start.

Of course, the Rock Mountain Keeper never dreamed he would lose.

He had reigned like a king around Berkal Mountain, so he had acted however he pleased.

You reap what you sow.

I crossed my arms and watched the situation leisurely.

—Kwaaaaaah! Back off, humans!

When the Rock Mountain Keeper roared, the people couldn’t rush forward recklessly.

No matter how blinded by vengeance they were, they had no choice but to falter before overwhelming power.

Besides, not all of them had gathered with purely righteous intentions.

About half probably planned to steal some gold and treasures amid the chaos.

There was so much that a little missing wouldn’t even be noticeable.

“I can’t let that happen.”

That money was going to benefit the Crawford Duchy.

Did they think I was digging in the ground for fun?

I had to recover at least the investment, didn’t I?

I tapped the Rock Mountain Keeper’s head.

Tap tap!

—What is it?

“I need you to move that now. Can you do it?”

It’ll be a bit hard to carry it all at once. My hands are like this.

He lifted his front paw as if to show.

It sounded reasonable, but the true meaning was easy to read.

In the end, he just didn’t want to work.

I pulled out the Hector Punisher and smiled wickedly.

“Cut the crap. You think I don’t know you can change your form?”

—H-how did you…?

“Look at you right now. You’re much bigger than before. Didn’t you grow on purpose because you were scared of getting beaten by me again?”

Groan!

Hit right in the sore spot, the Rock Mountain Keeper made a gloomy face.

Then he shaped his front paw like a basket.

Rumble rumble rumble!

He dug deep into the ground, lifting the entire National Office basement.

It looked like scooping a giant scoop of ice cream.

“You’re pretty good at this. Where did you learn to pull such tricks?”

I didn’t know you knew that much.

“Think carefully about why those two obey me.”

I pointed at Shugly and Feltron, who were still inciting the crowd.

They were in a similar position to the Rock Mountain Keeper.

Half-demons bound to me by the law of the strong.

There was no rule saying a spirit couldn’t be the same.

The Rock Mountain Keeper looked up at me with a pitiful face.

—I like freedom. So once this is over, let me go.

“I wasn’t planning to drag you around anyway. But I can’t just let you do whatever you want.”

—Why not?

“What if you hold a grudge and destroy everything I’ve built? I have to educate you properly so you can’t even think about it.”

—I-I wouldn’t do that. I just want to protect my domain and live quietly.

“Protect? Fine. How about this? You become the guardian spirit of the Crawford Duchy.”

It wasn’t unheard of for transcendent beings to involve themselves in human affairs.

In the western nation alliance, there were even countries with gold dragons as guardian dragons.

Deliat had something similar, didn’t it?

The guardian god Deliat that protected the flooded plains.

A spirit like the Rock Mountain Keeper could do the same.

—No, that’s a bit…

But his reaction was extremely reluctant.

His joy in life was reigning as king on the mountain by himself.

Taking on the role of guardian spirit would be bothersome.

But he had no choice.

“If you don’t like it, fine. I’ll just drag you to the empire and use you as a laborer.”

—No no no no no no no, wait! Give me some time to think.

When I presented a harsher condition, his mind changed immediately.

The Rock Mountain Keeper nodded weakly.

—Taking care of a few humans is much better than going far away.

“Good choice.”

—I won’t touch just anyone from now on.

“Am I just anyone?”

On the surface, no aura could be felt.

“That’s because I’m much stronger than you.”

The weak can never recognize the strong.

To avoid getting suppressed like this again, he had no choice but to be cautious in everything.

But the Rock Mountain Keeper’s strength was quite high.

He could crush most things, so how could he be humble?

He would only realize it after getting properly beaten once.

With this, the national defense issue is somewhat resolved, right?

In truth, the Crawford Duchy rarely suffered invasions from outside powers.

The rugged mountain terrain served as an excellent wall.

But that also made expansion difficult.

There were too many monsters like the Rock Mountain Keeper in the surrounding areas.

Now, however, they could absorb as much unclaimed land as they wanted.

Of course, only within the range of this guy’s influence.

Still, it was better than nothing.

The Daepan Group’s business would run smoothly even without me worrying about it.

Not only the spirit wood production sectors and processing factories but all other facilities would be safe.

The Crawford Duchy itself would become a foundation for growth.

My role here was gradually coming to an end.

“I just need to wrap up the loose ends and head back.”

Duke Palei III wore a regretful expression.

It was because I had told him I would be leaving.

“Sigh! The country has finally gotten back on track, and you’re already leaving? How truly unfortunate.”

“From now on, Your Highness can govern directly.”

I explained about the Daepan Group’s facilities and the newly built school.

There was little to say about the spirit wood production factory.

The Daepan Group employees would handle production and export to the empire themselves.

With the steady tariff revenue, the treasury would only grow richer.

Since I had ordered the Rock Mountain Keeper, the royal family’s prestige would also be maintained.

Only a bright future remained for the Crawford Duchy.

“I am truly grateful. Everything has changed thanks to you.”

It was only a few years ago that he had been full of vigor after eating the cordyceps pill.

But Palei III had now entered full old age.

No matter how much tonic he took, his vitality only decreased day by day.

He would probably pass the title to Duchess Yustia soon.

Once a grandson was born, that child would become the new duke.

It was a common succession method in royal families without sons.

“But what will the new school be used for?”

Palei III had ruled the nation for a long time.

He knew well that schools posed a threat to the nobility.

Revolutions always started with smart lower-class people.

But he had no need to fear that either.

“The school is for the lower nobles. Through the education program provided by the Daepan Group, we can nurture excellent bureaucrats.”

“Oh? I see.”

“If we educate them strictly to be loyal, there will be no repeat of the Saltree Marquis family incident.”

Factions had both pros and cons.

It was good to hear diverse perspectives and opinions, but there was also the risk of them forming power blocs.

In the empire, with its overwhelming authority, it didn’t matter, but in the Crawford Duchy it could endanger the country.

The noble factions’ influence had grown larger than the royal family’s.

However, if the bureaucratic academy operated properly, that would never happen.

“I will do my best with the remaining schedule.”

“Thank you so much.”

Palei III grabbed my hand tightly and shed hot tears.

This wasn’t his usual image, but he seemed deeply moved.

“To be honest, I was worried you might not do the job properly as temporary regent or have other ambitions.”

“No way. How deep is my friendship with His Imperial Majesty? I would never do such a thing.”

“That’s exactly why I chose you specifically. If you’re the emperor’s cousin, you wouldn’t covet the power of a tiny country like this.”

“It was an excellent choice.”

At first, the order hadn’t been very welcome.

But I hadn’t come away empty-handed.

No, I had made an enormous discovery.

The spirit wood production through Mosra had become the starting point of a fuel revolution.

From now on, there would be no need to light fireplaces or stoves.

One spirit wood cube would last a full week without worrying about environmental pollution.

Why had the duration increased when it only burned for a day before?

We don’t keep the fire on all the time.

If used sparingly, a single spirit wood cube could last nearly two weeks.

The flame was easy to control, so many things would change.

A true revolution would occur in kitchens.

“It has been an honor to work in the Crawford Duchy. Please stay healthy always, Your Highness the Duke.”

After delivering the closing remark, I stood to leave, but Palei III stopped me.

“Wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

“I’m just so reluctant to see you go. It feels like if not now, I won’t be able to forge a stronger bond with you.”

For a moment I didn’t understand.

This man only has one grown child, Duchess Yustia, right?

She was already married to Izka.

So what stronger bond was he talking about?

When I looked at him curiously, Palei III smiled meaningfully.

“I have a few more children. Are you interested in marriage?”

“I don’t quite follow.”

“Thanks to the cordyceps pill, the results were quite good. They’re young but very cute.”

“Huh? Then…?”

“You guessed correctly. They are children I had thanks to you. The oldest is about four years old.”

High nobles had the custom of early marriage.

It was a political choice to form alliances in advance.

But even so, a four-year-old wife?

I made a dumbfounded expression.

Yet Palei III seemed completely serious.

I would have to refuse clearly.

“No.”

“But she’s really pretty! Just wait ten years. She’ll grow up to rival Alice.”

Wait, what is this old man saying?

Is he talking about Lady Alice from the wangbamppang hell?

“Absolutely not.”

I left the palace in a hurry, leaving the clingy Palei III behind.

Setting aside the fact that she was only four, she resembled Lady Alice?

Who would want to ruin their life like that.

I said no to the wangbamppang hell!