It had been a long time since a hologram message appeared. I hadn’t dealt with any major villains recently. I was about to open the information window when I suddenly stopped.
“Ah, now’s not the time.”
The reason I had flown dozens of meters to split Baskan in half was because I couldn’t walk. So first, I needed to deal with the pressure coming from Igteine. I removed the sheath from Baskan’s waist.
Shhhk! Click!
The moment I sheathed Igteine, the dark-red flames instantly died down. As expected, the power to control this monstrous weapon lay in the sheath. After that, I tried to check the information window, but the expressions on the faces of the Mandus warriors caught my attention. Every single one of them had turned deathly pale.
They have every right to be shocked.
Not only had I wielded Igteine, but I had also cut Baskan in half. It must have felt like their own myth was being denied. I casually flicked the tip of the sword.
“If you’re confident, come at me.”
For a while, none of the Mandus warriors said a word. Then, after a moment, they dropped to their knees.
Thud! Thud!
Of course, they weren’t surrendering to me. When it came to being stubborn and narrow-minded, these guys weren’t far behind. They simply had no strength left to resist, so they had reached the point of giving up.
Soon after, a group appeared from the eastern plains.
Hidden reinforcements, huh.
The flashing red light and the successive explosions must have made it easy for them to realize something had gone wrong. However, the reinforcements also froze stiff, just like the other Mandus warriors.
“T-The Great Chieftain is dead?”
“How did things end up like this?”
While everyone wore bewildered expressions, I drew Igteine once more.
Shrrring! Zzzzzzt!
Dark-red flames soared dozens of meters into the air. Perhaps because Beast’s Heart had been added, the flames looked far larger than when Baskan had used it. Fear filled the eyes of the Mandus. They stood there with completely broken spirits. I smiled crookedly and shook Igteine.
Fwoosh!
“So, who’s the Great Chieftain now?”
“W-We surrender.”
Just like that, the final stronghold of the Mandus collapsed without resistance.
News that I had captured Baskan Magres spread quickly. With even their Great Chieftain defeated, the Mandus no longer had a future. Of course, a new force might eventually form someday. However, it would be impossible in the near future. They had suffered far too much damage in this war.
“This land is full of potential. I don’t understand why they didn’t do anything with such a good place.”
I spent an entire week roaming the eastern plains. Vast grasslands stretched endlessly. It seemed like I could harvest massive amounts of crops just by scattering seeds. The Mandus had probably been too terrifying for anyone to settle here. What was the point of growing crops if those demon-like bastards would come and take everything?
—Hey! I’m done with my work.
While I was resting briefly at the camp, a thick voice suddenly rang out. It was Adam, who had gone north to search for mineral veins.
“Any results?”
—Of course. I’ve got some very fresh news.
“How big is it?”
—It’s bigger than I expected, and mining should be easy. It’s an open-pit mine.
“Oh?”
Adam’s explanations had become surprisingly easy to understand. It seemed that increased contact with humans had naturally led to this change. He felt less detached than before. In any case, the existence of an open-pit mine was good news. However, there was one problem.
—To develop that area, we’ll have to deal with the natives first.
“People live there?”
—They don’t seem to know that there’s ore buried right beneath them.
“How many are there?”
—Roughly two thousand?
It was about the size of a fairly large barony. They were probably natives different from the Mandus. The demons of the plains didn’t settle in one place. Using Adam’s information, I roughly sketched a map. Although it was only fragmented information, a general outline was starting to form.
“It should be a decent distance from Yates Fortress, so the city should be built around here.”
I drew a rough plan with the river flowing down from the northeast as the focal point. Building a city from scratch felt daunting, but it wasn’t without advantages. If I planned everything in advance, I could prepare for problems that would arise later.
—So what are you going to do about the natives?
“Hmm…… I can’t just drive them out. I’ll have to try persuading them.”
—Persuading them?
“You could say I’m inviting them to a better world to live in.”
Would that even work?
“I don’t know. I’ll just have to try.”
Honestly, the odds were about fifty-fifty. I still didn’t fully understand the natives’ position. In the end, the Mandus and I weren’t that different. We were both trying to take what they had. Of course, I plan to offer fair compensation, but trust hasn’t been built yet.
Meeting them came first. I immediately returned to Yates Fortress. My destination was the Dapan Trading Company branch.
When I opened the door and entered, a rather welcome face greeted me.
“Chairman, it’s been a while.”
“Kishon?”
“Hehe! I’m honored that you remember me.”
“How could I forget someone I personally recruited?”
Kishon was the President of Dapan Construction. He had originally been a low-ranking member of a bandit group. He had high stats and even possessed a social skills ability. However, because I couldn’t fully trust him, I had delayed hiring him for a long time. After all, he came from a bandit background.
Even if he’s washed his hands of that life, there’s no telling when he might turn on us again.
But after observing him for a long time, Kishon no longer engaged in illegal activities. He worked diligently without complaining about menial tasks. So I gave him a few assignments, and as expected, the results were good. After that, his path was smooth. Through repeated promotions, he had risen all the way to the position of President of Dapan Construction. He was truly a success story.
“I thought you’d be busy pioneering new trade routes.”
“The work there is already finished. Ah! You haven’t received the report yet, have you?”
“No, I’ve been traveling quite a bit recently.”
“Then, would you like me to give you a briefing while I’m here?”
“I’d appreciate it.”
Kishon immediately brought out several documents and smoothly explained the situation. It covered the overall status of the Dapan Group and the results of the tasks I had assigned. If I went to Yates Fortress, I would be able to get more detailed information since all the reports were gathered there. However, Kishon’s explanation was quite good on its own. As expected of a briefing, he summarized everything as concisely as possible.
“So in the end, you decided to completely cut off those three territories.”
“Yes. They were essentially raiders no different from the Mandus, attacking with clear intent.”
“You still haven’t found any evidence?”
“They were so thorough that we could only focus on prevention.”
“You handled it well. By the way, what brings you here?”
Currently, Dapan Construction was receiving a flood of construction contracts. They had become famous for building sturdy and stylish buildings. Even in the capital region alone, there was probably more work than they could handle. What reason would the president of an affiliate have to come all the way to this remote place when they were so busy?
Kishon smiled and answered.
“The war is over, isn’t it? Since we’ve gained new territory, there will be enormous demand for construction.”
As expected, his instincts were second to none. On top of that, his execution was excellent. He had already grasped the situation in advance and was preparing for on-site surveys.
“You did well. This is a rough plan I drew for the new city. It should help you understand the scope of the work.”
“Thank you, Chairman.”
Kishon quickly scanned the map and nodded deeply. If they won this contract, they would be able to generate enormous revenue. However, I had no intention of handing over the project rights so easily.
“This information will be distributed evenly to all construction companies. I’ll award the contract to the one that presents the most reasonable price and vision.”
Honestly, there was a bit of mischief in my words. Dapan Construction was a monster among monsters in the industry. They built cheap, high-quality buildings quickly. On top of that, their after-sales service was solid, so they were practically a symbol of trust. Who would contract with anyone else when such a company existed?
However, Kishon’s reaction was completely calm.
“You are absolutely right. We cannot compromise the fairness that you value most just to chase small profits. I will prepare thoroughly.”
“Huhu. Good. Work hard.”
A laugh escaped me naturally. That was enough regarding President Kishon.
Now it was time to achieve my original goal. The reason I had stopped by the Dapan Trading Company branch was to negotiate properly with the natives living near the open-pit mine. I needed to organize a cultural exchange group and visit them officially.
“Hmm! So that’s what happened.”
The one who nodded after hearing the situation was Dion Monahan. He was the Eastern Branch Manager of the Dapan Trading Company, characterized by his reddish eyes and hair.
Although I used the grand name “cultural exchange group,” the task was ultimately simple.
“In simple terms, it’s a gift offensive.”
“I think it would be good to send products from the Dapan Group. There are many useful items, so we should be able to win their favor quickly.”
“Prepare only five sets of high-end products. I’ll order five hundred sets of daily necessities.”
“Uh…… Didn’t you say there were two thousand people?”
Branch Manager Monahan tilted his head. However, he soon figured out the answer on his own.
“Aha! If it’s slightly insufficient, they’ll be the ones who want to initiate contact first.”
“Exactly.”
“I’ll thoroughly inspect everything to make sure there are no defective products.”
“Yes, I’d appreciate that.”
In truth, the Dapan Group was famous for having no defects. Even if something was wrong, exchanges, refunds, and repairs were very easy. This was because they had branches in every major city and provided thorough after-sales service. However, that wouldn’t be possible on the eastern plains. That was why it was important to ensure there were no problems from the very beginning. I needed to show the best possible image from the first meeting.
After achieving my goal, I returned to Yates Fortress. Since I was also serving as the Commander of the Eastern Defense Force, there was an enormous amount of work here as well.
I can’t go anywhere.
The Dapan Group was structured so that it could run well even without me. But an army was different. It was originally a group filled with corruption, and if left alone, it would do whatever it wanted. You don’t understand what I mean? Just think of the typical military-style solution.
“They probably handled problems by pulling rank every time.”
It was obvious even without looking. I immediately opened the personnel management window for the Eastern Defense Force. However, an unexpected result appeared.
“No way…… Why is everything so clean?”
The Great Sage Jirobo once said that when five people gather, at least one of them is trash. An army was a gathering of all kinds of human scum. There were definitely idiots who rejected the system or couldn’t adapt to change. But over the past month, there hadn’t been any particularly problematic incidents. There had been no harsh treatment or conflicts, and all officers and soldiers were faithfully carrying out their duties.
This can’t be right.
I selected representatives from each unit and conducted a detailed investigation. After repeating this several times, I quickly found the reason.
“Ah, the national pride is properly inflated.”
Well, I had to admit it. For the time being, even if I left them alone, there probably wouldn’t be any major problems. I closed the information window with a small smile. But right at that moment—
Bang bang bang!
A rough knocking sound came from the door. I was slightly annoyed, but I didn’t show it. It could be something truly urgent.
“Come in……”
Creak!
Before I even finished speaking, someone burst in. It was Alvin O’Connor, the former 1st Knight Division Commander.
“Chairman! I’ve finished my homework!”
His attitude was so confident that it actually made me look forward to it.
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