Chapter 147: Chapter 147

After the Pendian army conquered Yezor Island, the South Sea became an absolute crucible of chaos.

With the downfall of the Ruman royal family, the royalty and high nobles fleeing the capital were essentially walking treasure chests.

They brought at most dozens to around a hundred attendants, and their ships were filled with enough treasure to purchase a small fief.

In addition, the people loaded onto the ships to flee were also valuable resources.

Blacksmiths, shipwrights, carpenters, sailors, warriors…

At the very least, just being a young man was an immensely useful resource out on the sea.

Of course, the Goddess Order did not permit slavery, but on small islands, people had always surreptitiously used slaves.

This was due to the geographical environment, where news was hard to reach the outside world and escaping without stealing a boat was nearly impossible, unlike on the continent.

Moreover, down south in the Republic of Selim, slavery was officially maintained, so many people sold those kidnapped from here to the south.

Though people were scarce due to the harsh environment, trading with those who had gold in overwhelming abundance was always a profitable business.

“There’s another ship’s wreckage over there.”

“Oh…”

Thanks to that, on the way up to the northeast, the Pendian fleet saw broken ships and pirate vessels several times.

Naturally, mere pirates did not dare to target a fleet of over a dozen ships.

Everyone knew that targeting ships bearing the crests of the Hasra Royal Family and Duke Velakar on this sea was in itself a reckless act.

“You’ve arrived! The nightmare of the South Sea, the arsonist of Yezor! The king-slayer!”

The ones greeting Shan, who had arrived smoothly at Licharzo Island, were Roden and the Count of Meln, Gillian.

Shan shook his hand lightly and said,

“I didn’t kill the king. He committed suicide.”

“Isn’t driving him to suicide the same as killing him?”

Spouting nonsensical jokes, he boarded the battleship with a grinning face.

Sir Polk, who was aboard, bowed his head.

“My lord.”

“Right, you worked hard. Did my subordinate work hard, my friend?”

“He was magnificent.”

“That’s a relief. Though it’s only natural, since he’s the person I trust the most.”

At Shan’s response, Gillian grinned with satisfaction and patted Sir Polk on the back.

The prominent noble of Libert, who should have originally been in his own fief, had come here specifically to distribute the spoils of war.

Checking the vast amount of treasure and various supplies loaded on the ship, Gillian clapped his hands repeatedly.

“Oho, splendid. Splendid! I heard the stories, but you really brought back the entire Kingdom of Ruman!”

Even for someone as immensely wealthy as him, the treasure loaded on the ship seemed to be an astonishing amount.

Surprisingly, even this was small compared to the amount left behind in the capital and burned.

If there had been more transport ships and sailors to navigate them, they could likely have brought back an even greater quantity.

The only reason they had not done so was that turning it into an excessively prolonged operation would have caused the costs to outweigh the benefits.

Afterward, joining Roden, who had been managing Licharzo Island, they began earnestly matching the quantities of the treasure.

Meanwhile, Gillian pestered Roden, calling him ‘brother-in-law.’

“Give me a bit more of a cut, brother-in-law. Venoa keeps pestering me every day, asking when you’re coming back to marry her.”

“Umm.”

Roden wore a troubled expression, yet without giving in, he steadfastly distributed the harvest.

After saying so playfully a few times, when Roden did not fall for it, Gillian shook his head, thinking it couldn’t be helped, and stopped teasing.

In the first place, most of the yield from this expedition was tilted toward Pendia.

This was because, as contracted in advance, part of the profit the Libert army was to receive had been substituted with magic machinery.

After staying for about two days and completing the processing, Gillian brought up an unexpected topic on the day before he departed with his army.

“Savante decided to enter a truce with Count Balik instead of fighting him.”

“Duke of Morayen did?”

“Yeah. It seems our higher-ups had a lot to think about due to this war between Pendia and Ruman.”

While they were fighting a civil war among themselves, Pendia (which they had considered merely a desolate small nation in the east) had devastated the Kingdom of Ruman and wiped out its royal family, causing them great vigilance.

They had even summoned representatives from Ajun and Horais to discuss measures regarding this, which showed how much tension they felt.

“Is it to that extent?”

“It is. Well, even if the worst-case scenario unfolds, it would be difficult for them to breach Solod Castle, but the problem lies on my end.”

The area around his domain, Meln Port, was one of the most powerful territories in southern Libert, but even so, it was not to the degree that it could withstand a pincer attack from Libert’s other feudal lords.

Unlike Pendia, which could repel an attack even if the armies of three nations invaded simultaneously as long as they defended the natural fortress of Solod Castle.

Of course, nothing had been decided yet.

Since the ill feelings among the two great nobles vying for the regency, as well as the capital nobles mediating from the royal court, would not vanish in an instant.

Gillian also said he intended to prevent unfavorable outcomes as much as possible through nobles close to him.

“However, since one must always prepare for the worst-case scenario, I’d like to count on your help when that time comes.”

Gillian’s downfall was not something Pendia could welcome either.

He was one of the few pro-Pendia lords in Libert and an important trading partner in the South Sea.

If a new Count of Meln were to act hostilely toward them, it would pose a significant obstacle to maintaining the hegemony over the South Sea that they had secured by destroying the Kingdom of Ruman.

They conversed late into the night, assuming all kinds of situations.

*

Not long after Gillian left, an additional five hundred soldiers recruited from Beshalia landed.

They were not regular army veterans but freshly recruited recruits, intended to maintain public order on the island as the new governor’s limbs.

Leaving behind a few sailors and elite soldiers to train them, the Pendian legion, including Shan and Roden, departed Licharzo Island.

After sailing for several days through seas far more peaceful than those down below, Beshalia finally came into view.

“We’re back…”

How long had it been since they left Pendia?

Shan and everyone else stepped onto their homeland’s soil after a long time with joyful hearts.

Strictly speaking, it was not Shan’s homeland, though.

“They’re back!”

“It’s the army that conquered Ruman!”

The returning Pendian expeditionary force was soon greeted by a massive crowd.

This was because all the residents of Beshalia wanted to see the army that had returned after destroying an entire nation.

After leaving troublesome tasks (such as terminating contracts with mercenaries or returning ships) to Callion, the administrator of Beshalia, they immediately headed north.

From Beshalia to Hasra, everyone along the way spared no words talking about this expedition.

“Was the palace of the Ruman king made of gold?”

“I heard that man left a curse as he died…”

“Did Venon Robar really try to bury the Lord Protector alive with a despicable scheme?”

Shan had to answer the same questions several times from the administrators and lords who received him.

Of course, while it was somewhat tiring, he did not feel bad about it.

Fundamentally, he possessed an inclination to enjoy being praised and looked up to by others.

Since they were transporting such a vast quantity of treasure, it took much longer than their usual movement speed, so by the time they arrived in Hasra, summer was slowly coming to an end.

Entering the royal castle amid passionate cheers, Shan finally met Cheryn face-to-face, bowed to her respectfully, and officially declared the disbandment of the expeditionary legion.

“Having fulfilled the mission Your Majesty entrusted to me, I now intend to return these loyal soldiers to defending the kingdom.”

“Your will shall be my will, Lord Protector. Now that the enemy of our kingdom has been brought to their knees, I shall grant joy to all in celebration of this.”

With an arrogant and majestic demeanor, Cheryn held the staff Shan handed over and declared that she would hold a victory celebration.

Complete with alcohol and food, jesters and acrobats, theatrical actors, musicians, and even jousting tournaments.

People who were always starved for entertainment welcomed it with cheers.

Naturally, it was an endeavor that cost an immense sum of money, but compared to the profits gained from subjugating the Kingdom of Ruman, it was a mere speck of dust.

After things had been sorted out to a certain degree, Shan finally came to have a private audience with Cheryn.

The sight of her face (which had been as cold as ice and noble in the reception room where everyone had been) softening gently and changing into an affectionate gaze was truly sweet beyond measure.

“You returned safely.”

“Yes, just as I promised.”

“I can’t believe it. I feel like I have to check for myself.”

Before he could ask how she planned to check that, Cheryn reached out her hand and placed it on top of Shan’s head.

Fortunately, as she was not short for a woman, she did not have to stand on tiptoe.

Stroking his pitch-black hair, Cheryn caressed Shan’s facial features with her hand, then ran her hands down his neck, shoulders, arms, chest, waist, thighs, and calves.

“Wait…”

In doing so, the queen’s hands finally reached the black boots Shan was wearing.

Shan was flustered as the most noble woman in Pendia knelt in front of him, exposing the crown of her head while touching his feet.

He felt fortunate that he had washed beforehand, as it was an event to greet the queen.

Otherwise, he would have smelled considerably after the long march.

Having finally pressed and checked each and every toe to make sure they were intact, Cheryn stood up and grinned softly.

“What a relief, you’re definitely fine.”

“…I told you I was fine.”

“I couldn’t see it with my own eyes. Just hearing it from afar through letters and words wasn’t enough to make me certain.”

Perhaps it was an expression of how much she had worried, but judging by how she giggled while looking at Shan’s flustered face, it seemed she wasn’t entirely devoid of an intention to tease him either.

At this, Shan paused for a moment before stretching out his hand.

“Ah.”

“I’ll have to check for myself as well. To see if you were hurt anywhere while I was away.”

“W-Wait a minute! I’m sweating a lot right now! I’m fine! I said I’m fine!”

After a short while, the two of them sat down with blushed faces.

Cheryn said softly,

“I told you I was fine…”

“It seems so.”

Having exchanged a blow each, the two of them burst out laughing.

Afterward, they spent time talking about everything that had happened during the past expedition.

There was a distinct pleasure in talking face-to-face in person, different from communicating through the spiders.

Especially since conveying thoughts through hand gestures and intonation was impossible with the latter for now.

“I really learned a lot this time.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. What I can do and what I cannot, as well as what I am allowed to do and what I shouldn’t.”

As Shan spoke while recalling the past battle, Cheryn nodded and then began telling him what she had experienced in the meantime.

In truth, there had been nothing particularly special on her end.

The Spider Queen had already purged the opposition faction and completely seized control of the court, so her days were a continuation of duties to solidify that power and push forward her reforms.

“It seems wheat production will increase by thirty to forty percent this year already.”

“That much?”

“Of course. On top of that, the overall increase in tax revenue is tremendous as well. To the point where the currency in circulation can barely keep up with the goods produced. If we hadn’t secured gold and silver to mint currency on a large scale through this subjugation of Ruman, the value of currency might have risen excessively high.”

If the currency in circulation was excessively high compared to the goods released into the market, the value of currency fell, but conversely, if too many goods were released into the market while currency was insufficient, the value of currency rose to the point where trading became difficult.

It was a somewhat complex economic logic for Shan to understand, but having picked up bits and pieces in the meantime, he could grasp the context of the story to some extent.

In any case, it meant that thanks to this expedition, Pendia’s economy had improved.

And since ancient times, money equated to military power.

Gold coins could be used for high-quality weapons and armor, as well as salaries for well-trained soldiers.

Furthermore, the population reduced by the civil war was also being replenished quite rapidly, and amusingly enough, a significant portion of them were of Ruman descent.

“That’s why every single day is enjoyable. It’s truly the best!”

Explaining this, Cheryn smiled as if she were genuinely delighted.

Every time this kingdom grew wealthier and stronger, she could gain conviction that her life had not been wrong.

“That’s a relief. Speaking of which, I don’t know if you’ve heard the story about the Count of Meln…”

“Ah, that the three kingdoms are holding a meeting?”

“You heard.”

“Because I’ve already sent a communication device over to Meln Port as well.”

“Will you support them if a war breaks out?”

“If it happens, it seems we’ll have to.”

Cheryn let out a sigh with a serious expression.

“Still, it’s best not to fight if we can avoid it. Right now, we’re busy enough just circulating the gains from this expedition inside the country. If just a few years pass, we’ll be able to expand the army to twice its current size.”

Naturally, there was no nation that welcomed the rapid growth of a hostile neighboring country.

The only reason Libert was leaving Pendia alone right now was that the two great lords in the border region were fighting each other.

Their entering a truce was not a very good sign for this side.

Of course, Duke of Morayen, Savante, was an acquaintance of Cheryn and Shan, as well as a relative of the Count of Meln, but as the party involved had said, relative relationships among nobles were such that they could become enemies at any time if their interests conflicted.

“Even so, they’ll likely summon our envoy over there soon, so I’m pondering whom to send.”

“Shall I go?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Haha…”

Shan, who had brought it up as a joke, gave an awkward laugh at Cheryn’s stern attitude.

He himself had no intention of actually committing such a reckless act.

Falling into a trap during this expedition had made him realize how much his enemies feared him, and thus how great a loss they were willing to endure if they could kill him.

If he were to go as an envoy to Libert in person, they might try to kill him even if it meant suffering the worst dishonor.

No matter how mighty a warrior Shan was, coming out alive from the heart of Libert would be impossible unless he brought an army with him.

In any case, reaching a conclusion was still far off, so the topic soon returned to mundane daily life.

Among them, the story that surprised Shan quite a bit was that Arwin had recently become pregnant.

“Arwin?”

“Yeah. She was originally a proud one, so I didn’t manage her separately and just left her alone, but it seems she mated with Lipo.”

“Heh.”

Lipo was Roden’s warhorse, originally belonging to Kamad Entor, a knight of the royal family who had been killed by Shan.

Being a descendant of the Horais warhorses brought over long ago, he was also a distant relative of Arwin.

Even though they had been kept together for several years, they had seemed uninterested in each other, so when Shan gasped in surprise, Cheryn laughed and shook her head.

“Since it’s an offspring born between two of the few remaining Horais warhorses in Pendia, a fine warhorse will likely be born. Actually, if it had been born a bit earlier, I was thinking of discussing whether to offer it as the championship prize for this jousting tournament.”

“Come to think of it, that’s how I obtained Arwin as well.”

Of course, that fellow had been put up as a prize because he was such an unruly horse that no one could control him.

If he had been a useful warhorse, he would never have been put up as a championship prize.

“So speaking of which, are you going to participate in this jousting tournament?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if I didn’t?”

Originally, it was custom for high nobles not to participate because their lives were precious, and besides, if Shan entered, whoever would have won would end up in second place regardless of who they were.

Winning one more time wouldn’t immensely increase his glory anyway, so he didn’t want to needlessly rob others of their opportunity.

At Shan’s answer, Cheryn smiled and nodded.

“Then I’ll just have to give you the gift I prepared. If you said you were entering, I was thinking of putting it up as the prize for the jousting tournament winner.”

“A gift…”

“Ta-da.”

Perplexed because he couldn’t even guess what it was, Shan widened his eyes as Cheryn pulled out an item she had hidden under her chair.

What she held out was a gold-and-blue shield slightly larger than a palm.