At that time, a meeting between two leaders was taking place in the castle of the Mallorca fief. It was a conversation between Lord Horrgus of the Mallorca fief and Lord Bartman of the Ronella fief.
Recently, the two fiefs had been struggling as their income had significantly decreased, making it difficult to manage their territories. Many hunters left for the Crivia fief, and there were signs that even the Hunter Guild’s headquarters might relocate, which was shifting the balance of power. Especially since the Crivia fief started selling the Ronella disease cure exclusively, it was raking in money daily.
Horrgus was the first to speak during the conversation.
“Lord Bartman, despite our long-standing grudges and disputes, everything has been for the good of our territories, has it not?”
“To be honest, I can’t say there is no grudging feeling. But it’s not too deep, either. Speak freely.”
“You’ve received quite a number of gifts from the Crivia fief recently, haven’t you?”
“Yes, quite a lot. They sent various local specialties to maintain good relations, asking to keep up a friendly association. They must have plenty of money now, too; they sent a lot of gold.”
“Indeed… It seems that sly Jared is up to something. Think carefully, Lord Bartman. Why would Jared, who’s been so quiet all along, suddenly start wagging his tail?”
Even though they were all lords, they referred to Jared simply as ‘that guy’. From the way they addressed him, they clearly underestimated him.
“It must be because business is doing well in their fief these days. Twenty percent of our hunters have left. And it’s still ongoing. That guy Jared is trying to shake the foundation of our fief!”
Bang!
Bartman, his temper flaring, slammed the table.
The Ronella fief’s primary source of income came from taxes, tolls, and dungeon usage fees paid by hunters. The Ronella fief, like the Crivia fief, was located in the northern part of the continent and its agriculture was terribly underdeveloped. So, they had mostly depended on various industries targeting hunters to fill their coffers.
However, with Jared’s monopoly on medicine and aggressive hunter recruitment, the situation had drastically reversed.
Hunters had begun disappearing rapidly, even day by day, as permanent residents dwindled. They moved directly to the Crivia fief, settling in Nightmare Forest.
Nightmare Forest was a large enough dungeon that it could hold many hunters without issue.
“That guy is afraid. Their fief is developing, but they aren’t prepared for it. So, they probably thought to buy peace with money.”
“That’s what I think too.”
“We’ve sent many scouts to investigate the Crivia fief and they have around 300 soldiers, which is very few. If our two fiefs combine forces, we can take them down without much trouble. Really, it’d be like having them for a meal!”
“300? That’s so few?”
“So, isn’t he trying to buy peace with money? By offering a lot of money, he thinks we’ll be satisfied and won’t invade.”
“Is that so?”
“I’ve sent Archon, the chief magician, over there. We’ll express our intent to keep diplomatic relations on our side.”
“What on earth...?”
Bartman tilted his head in confusion. After speaking so much about hostility, the conclusion was about diplomacy, which puzzled him.
Horrgus laughed heartily and spoke in a booming voice.
“Starting today, we’ll prepare for war with the Crivia fief. A month should be enough. Then, we will launch a surprise attack on their territory. A declaration of war? Well, it could come later. Haha!”
“Pretend to want peace, wait for them to let their guard down, and then strike while they’re unprepared?”
“That’s right. Lord Bartman, let’s form an alliance! We must thoroughly conquer them. We must eradicate Jared and his lot to easily take over their land and dungeons.”
“Haha, they say a running man is caught by the flying man! Lord Horrgus, you really know how to fly! Rather than fall for Jared’s clumsy tricks, you’re planning a greater scheme!”
“When we combine our fief armies, won’t we easily have 3000 men? Even if we exclude the basic defense force.”
“That’s right. We can manage that. We just need to finish gathering troops and supplies.”
“Let’s attack together. Let’s crush Jared. And then let’s conquer the dungeon and make it ours! Once that’s done, we can reap the fruits of the rapidly developing Crivia fief.”
“Agreed. Let’s ally.”
Bartman and Horrgus shook hands firmly. On the surface, it looked like they had united with a common purpose, but in truth...
‘You’re next.’
‘When the rabbit hunt ends, the hound is eaten. I’ll take your fief as well!’
It was a meeting of foes who harbored different thoughts. But, hiding their true feelings, the two exchanged the most sincere handshake they could.
In a shabby reception room, I met Archon and his delegation from the Mallorca fief. If I were a king or emperor, I would have greeted them in a grand audience chamber, but as a lord of a small fief, such luxury was too much. Meeting in a humble place was intentional. It gave the impression of how meager and small this fief was, visually reminding them of its poverty.
“Greetings, Lord. I’m Archon from the Mallorca fief. I’ve come to deliver a personal letter from my lord.”
‘Archon... Apologies for the first meeting, but your face looks like it was abandoned halfway through its creation. Maybe the developers got lazy and just pasted it together?’
I couldn’t help but chuckle seeing Archon’s face. With each feature lined up for an ugly formula— a big face like a bread roll, tiny button eyes, a pronounced snub nose, and asymmetric lips—he certainly embodied it.
‘Looking at this, I’m really grateful the developers put effort into making the extras like Jared more presentable.’
I felt a bit smug. Although it was subjective, Haize always said my face was akin to a sculpture! Each time, she’d marvel and always say how thrilling and striking it was, affirming my opinion that being handsome is indeed the best.
Anyway, Archon’s appearance was less than expected. However, perhaps because of this, his menacing aura felt even stronger.
[Archon – Lv. 35]
[Strength: 19]
[Stamina: 14]
[Magic: 428]
[Wisdom: 66]
[Agility: 12]
[Charm: 3]
[Physical Defense: 3]
[Magic Defense: 13]
[Special Trait: Skirmish Induction B]
[General Trait: Experimentation, Greed]
‘Oh ho.’
I used my Insight to assess Archon’s state, and overall, his stats were lower than mine. There was a stark difference in magic defense and magic, with my respective stats being 60 and 600 higher. The effects of obtaining many artifacts from Deluc’s hideout surely paid off.
Consistent training with enhanced bug methods had increased my magic and magic defense stats as well! As for his special trait, it was only Skirmish Induction at a B level. It suggests he’s skilled in casting magic rapidly, but B level isn’t particularly high. Sometimes, it even means getting caught in one’s own scheme.
Just then, a quest activated.
[Quest ‘Dragon-Tiger Rivalry’ has been activated.]
[The opponent is a magician of the same 4th class as you. Defeating him will earn you 15 Wisdom.]
‘Now that I think of it, the conditions for Dragon-Tiger Rivalry are met. I hadn’t encountered any 4th class magicians until now, so it didn’t trigger.’
A fortuitous quest unfolded. The quest triggers when facing a worthy opponent. A 15-point increase in Wisdom, quantified as a 75 stat value, was not insignificant.
“Welcome. I’m glad you visited. Was Lord Horrgus satisfied with the gift I sent last time?”
“He was very pleased! He’s always wished for peace between the Mallorca fief and the Crivia fief, and he praised Lord Jared’s decision highly.”
‘Oh, now they’re openly declaring superiority in official expressions?’
‘Praise’ is a term that a superior uses to an inferior. The fact they used it so openly indicated how they viewed our fief.
I glanced around. Lakis, who was at my side, sent fierce glances, but kept his composure. I had anticipated such conversations and strongly instructed him not to reveal his emotions.
“I’m glad he was satisfied. May I see the letter?”
“Yes, here is a personal letter from Lord Horrgus himself.”
I received the letter through Lakis and immediately read its contents.
<Hello, Lord Jared.
Looking at our relationship now, I am terribly ashamed to think I once recklessly criticized the Crivia fief and Lord Jared. I am reflecting daily.
I earnestly wish for lasting and irreversible peace between our two fiefs.
Let us greatly increase our exchanges! The initiation of an eternal alliance is a great step!>
‘Crazy fool, bluffing again.’
Upon reading, I could feel the energy of concealed spears sharpened within the letter. Horrgus, this scoundrel. Does he take me for a fool? The stronger the tone wishing for peace within the letter, the more I could acutely sense the smell of imminent war.
From the moment this letter was sent, they must surely be preparing for war. I could confidently assert there was a 100% chance of forming an allied front with the Ronella fief. Dividing and conquering was a common tactic in today’s tumultuous era.
If I had been someone inexperienced, I might have believed this letter at face value—no, I would have been forced to believe it, if I wanted to avoid a forthcoming war upon the fief.
But having prepared for a long time already, this served as a reconfirmation and brought relief to my heart. I wore a much brighter and gentler smile than usual. Then, I extended both arms wide towards Archon and loudly proclaimed,
“I deeply wish for peace between us more than anyone. I’ll soon send the highest-grade refined Crivia magic stones as gifts, as a sincere token of friendship between our two fiefs.”
“Haha, there’s no doubt about it! Lord Horrgus will be exceedingly happy.”
“I’ll keep this letter safe and work hard to broadcast our friendship far and wide.”
“I too will visit personally whenever there’s good news like today.”
“You’re welcome anytime!”
Trying hard to play the role of a naive, pure—or rather, foolish—lord was quite a feat of concentration.
Watching Archon leave with a satisfied grin, I realized the impending war was really coming. The preliminary survey of the foe I’d soon face on the battlefield was now complete too.
After Archon and the delegation had departed, when enough time had passed and silence fell over the area, Lakis approached me meekly.
“Lord, why are you remaining so humble? Our fief's forces have grown significantly, enough to surpass theirs. We don’t need to keep playing up to them anymore.”
“Indeed, your words are right.”
“But why...?”
Could this be a difference in perspective?
On one hand, if I even managed to fool my own vassal like Lakis, I had confidence that those people would fall for it too.
Step. Step. Step.
I walked down from my seat and approached Lakis, who still carried an expression of unresolved anger. I quietly patted his shoulder.
Understanding Lakis’s hostility was easy—Mallorca fief was a haven for crime syndicates and corruption, with its lord leading the way in deceit.
“Lakis.”
“Yes.”
“Listen well. If we meet the enemy on the battlefield, naturally it’s right to draw our swords. But in formal settings, we must smile. Because the true weapon lies not in the hilt on your waist, but hidden within a foolishly laughing smile.”
“Ah...”
“The more goodwill we show, the more humble we appear, the more they will let their guard down. While they believe they’re preparing, they’ll think we’re doing nothing.”
“You mean to say that it’s about hiding our claws to lull them into carelessness?”
“That’s exactly it. The real strike needs only to be the final blow. Don’t put meaning into the humiliation or subservience.”
“Lord, I was foolish!”
“When the day comes that they reveal their fangs, let us be silently prepared. So much so, that we ourselves are completely fooled.”
Chapter 37