Chapter 54
Chapter 20: Strangely, the Domain Keeps Developing (2)
“Hmm.”
In the room used as both an office and a reception room, Jade blinked.
There was something in Alfredo’s report that Jade did not understand.
“Is there something you don’t like?”
“It’s a little strange. I heard that the number of mercenaries looking for the domain suddenly increased.”
“I believe they thought the marquisate was the safest place. It also became known that we recently stopped the werewolves’ attack without suffering much damage. The Great Forest is dangerous, but it also contains many rare things. So, as I understand it, mercenaries receive quite a lot of requests there.”
“In other words, it’s safer to use this place as a base than other domains.”
Jade nodded at Alfredo’s explanation.
Indeed, for mercenaries whose bodies were their livelihoods, nothing was more important than ensuring their safety.
Thinking of it that way, it was understandable that more mercenaries had begun visiting Baden Village.
“That’s right. And the more mercenaries come, the more active Baden Village’s economy becomes.”
“The more people there are, the more money flows through the place.”
“Exactly.”
“But the likelihood of trouble also increases. The more good people there are, the more idiots there are too. Sometimes, the idiots even make up a larger proportion.”
Considering Baden Village’s circumstances, there was no reason to dislike having more mercenaries around.
But there was certainly a downside as well.
The more money the mercenaries spent, the more likely they were to cause trouble.
Moreover, the Marquisate of Kang was currently suffering from a severe shortage of domain soldiers.
“There are beastfolk in Baden Village, aren’t there?”
“It’s a huge relief. If they weren’t there, it would probably be difficult to handle things with only the militia. I’m not always in Baden Village, after all.”
“The mercenaries know that you are staying at the villa in Baden Village, my lord. So they won’t cause any major trouble.”
“If they do, arrest every last one of them. If you ask Pent, he’ll be able to catch most mercenaries. Even S-rank mercenaries won’t be a problem for him.”
Jade said it with certainty.
Pent could handle most masters with ease.
Though small in numbers, the forces of the Marquisate of Kang were superior in quality to those of any other domain in the Polstein Kingdom.
For one thing, Jade, its lord, was a master-level spirit mage, and Arrelia was currently here as well. In terms of quality alone, this place possessed forces even more formidable than the House of Duke Caesars.
“Understood.”
“What about the sales?”
“We’re receiving many inquiries. Large werewolf hides are particularly popular.”
“People really do love showing off. I’m only human, but even I’m no different.”
Just as wealthy people on Earth collected tiger skins to show off, things were the same here.
Jade clicked his tongue at the behavior of nobles who were so well-versed in ostentation and extravagance.
Perhaps it was simply human nature.
“There aren’t as many inquiries as there are for the hides, but we’re also receiving quite a few for the teeth, nails, claws, and tendons. In particular, the magic towers and the Department of Magic at the Royal Academy have expressed interest in purchasing large quantities.”
“As long as the price is right, we can sell as much as they want. We have enough.”
“However, we’ve also received inquiries about the corpses of the other tribes.”
Alfredo cautiously spoke.
Alfredo couldn’t make a hasty decision about the other tribes besides the wolf tribe.
“They’re asking about the corpses of the elephant, lion, and tiger tribes, aren’t they?”
“That’s right.”
“Reject them. The fox and monkey tribes are off-limits too. We can’t sell the bodies of our comrades. Anyone who tries to sell them secretly will be severely punished.”
Jade said it firmly.
The wolf tribe had been their enemies, so they could use their bodies however they wished.
But the others had been their comrades.
Selling comrades who had fought alongside them was unthinkable, so Jade spoke as though it was not even worth considering.
“I’ll inform them.”
“Keep a close eye on the mercenaries. They may have come here intending to obtain the corpses of your tribesmen.”
“Yes. Ah, the royal family has contacted us. They said they had received the gifts you sent, my lord. Baron Stephen also sent a handwritten letter.”
“That’s good. I’m glad they arrived safely.”
“All four of them asked me to tell you that they were very satisfied.”
Jade nodded.
Fortunately, it seemed they had all liked the gifts.
Stephen, the court mage, had wanted one in the first place, after all.
Swish.
Jade opened his subspace and took out one of the Black Drake’s teeth.
It was not even a molar, just one of the dozens of teeth, but because the creature’s body had been so enormous, even an ordinary tooth was quite large.
“Take it.”
“Pardon?”
“As a token of my appreciation for all your hard work so far, and to ask you to continue doing well. It’s up to you as the butler how you use it.”
“Uh…”
Alfredo’s eyes wavered as he looked at the tooth, which was clearly anything but ordinary.
He had not expected Jade to suddenly give him such a gift.
As a result, he looked flustered and did not know what to do.
Since Lord Jade had bestowed it upon him, it was proper for him to accept it, but because it was no ordinary object, he found it difficult to take it without hesitation.
“It’s a Black Drake’s tooth. You could make a sword from it, or even a small shield. Or you could sell it. It’s yours now, so decide for yourself.”
“It seems far too generous for me to accept.”
Alfredo’s pupils widened greatly.
He was shocked because Jade had said it was a Black Drake’s tooth, not the tooth of some ordinary monster.
“It’s a bribe—to ask you to continue looking after things. And I have plenty, so it’s fine. Don’t feel burdened; just take it. You’ll regret it later if you don’t.”
Gulp!
The word regret struck deep into Alfredo’s mind.
Just as Jade had said, the Black Drake’s tooth was something he might never even get another chance to see if he did not take it now, so he seriously considered it.
“You really aren’t going to take it?”
“I’ll put it to good use, my lord.”
“You should’ve said that from the start.”
“I’ll work even harder from now on.”
“You’re doing well enough already, so that’s fine. If you do any better, it’ll make me feel burdened.”
Alfredo smiled faintly.
Jade pretended to be indifferent, but he had a surprisingly considerate nature.
That was something Alfredo liked very much about him.
Knock, knock.
“It’s Pent. May I come in?”
Just as a warm atmosphere had begun to fill the room, there was a knock at the door.
However, although only Pent had spoken, there were several other presences outside.
“Come in.”
At Jade’s permission, the door opened and Pent entered.
Behind him, Raul, Tyler, Fenil, and Moike appeared one after another.
“Am I interrupting?”
“No. I’m finished talking with Alfredo.”
“I’ll bring some tea.”
“Please do.”
With five people visiting, Alfredo picked up the Black Drake’s tooth and spoke.
He was tactfully stepping out so they could converse comfortably.
“I’ll bring it shortly.”
“All right. Everyone, sit down. Don’t just stand there.”
“Yes.”
As Alfredo left the room with measured steps, Jade invited the five men to sit.
For some reason, they all sat down awkwardly, looking hesitant.
“You all look like you have something to say.”
Jade slowly looked over the five men.
It was obvious from their expressions that they had something to say, so he brought it up first.
“I have a report to make, and these fellows said they had something they wanted to tell you separately, my lord, so we came together.”
“Let’s hear your report first.”
Jade gave Pent priority.
Although they had all been comrades-in-arms, Jade was naturally closer to Pent.
After all, Pent and the elephant tribe were under his command.
“The battlefield has been completely dealt with. The corpses of the other tribes were also given funerals according to each tribe’s customs. As for the wolf tribe, they returned to their original forms once the Wolf King died.”
“When you say they returned to their original forms, do you mean they scattered into separate tribes?”
“Yes. As far as we can tell, they are currently fighting among themselves for dominance. Everyone seems to covet the Wolf King’s position, despite none of them possessing anything close to his strength.”
“It can’t be helped. Wanting to become the leader is practically instinctive. Unifying even the wolf tribe would also give someone an enormous amount of power.”
Jade recalled the wolf tribe’s army, which had numbered more than twenty thousand.
With numbers like that and the Wolf King leading them, hunting a drake wouldn’t have been impossible.
“That’s right. They were all desperate to claim the throne. Thanks to that, it seems we won’t have to worry too much about them for the time being. They already suffered heavy losses, and now they’re too busy fighting among themselves to think about anything else.”
“So it worked out well in the end.”
“It’s all thanks to you, my lord.”
“Thank you very much.”
The moment Pent finished speaking, the other four repeated it in unison like parrots.
They spoke at the exact same moment and in the exact same tone, as though they had rehearsed it together.
“You don’t need to thank me so much. I was also fighting for my domain, after all. In a way, we helped each other.”
“Even so, we never could have won if you hadn’t been there, my lord.”
Raul said it with a firm expression.
The Wolf King had been a monster that even the lion tribe’s greatest warrior could not handle.
The same was true of Pent and Tyler.
That was why Jade had played the greatest role in this war.
“That’s true.”
Besides being outnumbered, the wolf tribe had an overwhelming advantage in the number of powerful fighters.
Considering all that, the beastfolk alliance would ultimately have lost if Jade had not been there.
As the Wolf King had said, the western forest of the Great Forest would have become his domain.
It was only hypothetical, but he might even have become the true king of the Western Forest.
‘And then he would have gone on to hunt higher-ranking races. He was ambitious.’
Jade muttered as he recalled the Wolf King’s final moments.
If that had happened, it would have become a problem for the kingdom, not just the marquisate.
There was no way someone with that much power would remain quiet.
‘It’s a good thing we eliminated him beforehand.’
If Pent and the elephant tribe had not come at exactly the right time, Jade would never have seen it coming.
For that reason, Jade privately thought it was an enormous stroke of luck.
If the Wolf King had unified the beastfolk, gathered the surrounding monsters, and come here after growing even stronger, they could not have stopped him so easily.
‘Though there’s no guarantee he would have targeted this place.’
The Great Forest was vast, and the Polstein Kingdom was not the only country bordering it.
He might have targeted somewhere else, but regardless, what mattered was that everything had been resolved without major losses.
Even if a war had broken out somewhere else, its repercussions would not have been negligible.
“Thank you very much, my lord.”
“Our tribespeople are grateful as well.”
“I know. They always stop me whenever I go outside.”
“I’ll tell them to show restraint.”
At Jade’s shrug, all five men instantly grew tense.
Judging by their reactions, they seemed to have been put through this far too often.
It was good to express gratitude, but it should not inconvenience the person receiving it.
Especially when that person was Jade.
“It’s not that bad. Now, shall we get to the main point? Pent seems to have said everything he had to say. Is there anything left?”
“No, my lord. That is all.”
Pent answered immediately when Jade looked at him.
Jade then looked at the other four.
“I’ll speak first.”
“All right.”
Since the chieftains had asked Jade to treat them casually after the battle, he did so.
Unlike Pent, Jade had assumed the others would return to the Great Forest, so he had not given it much thought.
“Could our tribe stay here with you as well?”
“Hmm?”