Dictator From Outer Space

Chapter 203: There is No Free Lunch

Even if he was a rural baron, a noble was still a noble.

There was a big difference between him and a knight who had not inherited a formal title.

But even an average baron could not treat a royal guard knight lightly.

Being close to the power meant getting some crumbs, and even more so if he was a veteran among the royal guards.

That’s why their relationship was based on the baron being humble but respectful to the knight, and Leobold and Granden were similar.

“My name is Granden Olmus. I have a small duty in the royal family.”

“Welcome, Sir Olmus.”

As Leobold nodded his head, the information that Arma had investigated was transmitted to his sight.

「He is guarding Prince Ruad and has a four-year-old daughter under his command. His wife died a long time ago.」

‘He’s perfect for my domain.’

It was almost 100% certain that a man who had lost his wife would cherish his daughter terribly.

What if his daughter was sick as well?

「His daughter’s name is Eily and she is a lively child who likes to play with swords. She just suffers from asthma and gets out of breath and tired easily.」

‘If I cure her asthma, he’ll fall for me right away.’

「Lastly, his swordsmanship is good enough to be the teacher of Prince Ruad and the royal guards. He did not become the captain of the knights because he could not take care of his daughter if he had too much work.」

In summary, he was the ideal candidate to take charge of the security of the Vandus barony.

It was a bit awkward to appoint a royal guard knight as the captain of the security of a small barony, but he would beg for it later.

The important thing was how to make him stay in the domain.

‘The war will end soon, so I’ll make the royal family owe me.’

Most of the wars in Astera continent ended with Elvrande’s victory.

The kingdom of Bagran did not put all its strength into it, but it would have to make some concessions anyway.

It was obvious that they had invested a huge amount of money in the war, so they would groan in pain, and that’s when he would sneak in and help them. 

That was Leobold’s plan.

Arma evaluated his plan as brilliant.

「Based on the current situation, Bagran III, and Prince Ruad’s personality, I think it’s almost 100% probable.」

‘Then it’s decided.’

It took less than a minute to decide Granden’s fate.

He himself probably had not even thought about it.

Granden exchanged greetings and then expressed his impression.

“It’s a cozy and lively domain.”

“I can’t deny that it’s rustic. It was noisy because of the mercenaries who invaded. But it will change a lot soon.”

“I hope so too. And the airship owned by the royal family will arrive in a few days.”

“I’m looking forward to that. Here, Administrator Carson will show you where Sir Granden will stay. It’s my house, but I hope you’ll make yourself comfortable.”

In a small place like Vandus barony, there were often no inns, and the lord’s mansion was also the resting place for travelers.

“Then I’ll be indebted to you for a while.”

After a short conversation, Granden looked at the four Goliaths and the battlefield while accompanying Administrator Carson.

‘I thought they used traps at first, but that wasn’t it.’

Unless it was Zium’s High Knight class, there were limits to Goliath’s mobility.

Especially, the heavy weight of nearly 100 tons could easily damage the ground.

Therefore, one of the good ways to deal with Raom-class Goliaths was to dig deep traps.

Since their height was seven meters, digging four meters would greatly limit their movement.

But there was no trace of traps on the scene.

‘Did they beat them purely with their skills?’

The baron’s ether felt ordinary to him.

Granden was among the upper class of royal guards, so he could fairly accurately gauge the abilities of other knights.

His eyes went to the abdomen of Goliath who had fallen down.

Goliath’s abdomen was one of the thickest parts, but it was also one of the most difficult parts to repair because of all kinds of magic circles.

Without a mage or an ether engineer in this domain, they would have to call someone to fix it.

‘Do they have so much money that they can’t control themselves?’

They made quite a lot of money from Sardines, but it was only for a season, and there were plenty of places to spend it.

In summary, it was possible that they intercepted the mercenaries in the domain, but it was doubtful that they destroyed three Goliaths purely with their skills without using traps or anything.

He asked Administrator Carson who was explaining the domain.

“How exactly did the lord win the battle earlier?”

“Ah, that was really a spectacle. I don’t know much, but the mercenaries’ Goliaths were no match for him.”

“So, how did he do it exactly…”

He hoped to at least hear about the weapon that pierced the abdomen, but Carson proved that he was not old for nothing and hardly gave any explanation.

‘He wants me to find out while I’m staying here.’

There must have been more than one or two witnesses, so he would be able to find out soon.

About the identity of Vandus baron as well.

“This is the mansion where the lord lives. I hope you’ll get along well here.”

Granden was appalled to see the shabby mansion.

It was two stories high, but it looked very old as if it had not been renovated for years.

As Carson opened the door and told him to enter, there was a creaking sound and a burning smell from inside.

‘Do they even have an ether furnace?’

He had lived in a good mansion in the capital, so this environment was very unfamiliar to him.

He had to endure it as a training.

That evening, he received an invitation for dinner as a welcome party.

When the lord invited someone for dinner, it was usually a feast or at least a lavish menu.

The guests often judged the lord’s wealth and virtue by the menu.

But the menu on the table was nothing different from what the people of the domain ate: soup with cabbage, black bread, cheese, grilled Sardines, etc.

He looked at Vandus baron’s front just in case, but there was the same menu there as well.

“Let us praise Granber for giving us our daily bread. There’s not much to offer, but please eat a lot.”

Granber was one of the gods of Astera pantheon who symbolized earth and abundance.

The prayer was usually very long, but the baron’s prayer was unbelievably short.

Anyway, people started eating and Leobold asked Granden something.

“Sir Granden’s duty is to protect the airship, right?”

“That’s right for now…”

“I want to ask you one more thing. That is to train the soldiers of this domain.”

Granden frowned invisibly.

It was a principle that no one should ask anything of a knight sent by the royal family.

The knight did not represent the royal family, but many people perceived him as such.

He knew that very well, but he made such a request in front of everyone…

Administrator Carson was restless and Arma casually scooped up some cabbage soup and ate it.

Granden opened his mouth.

“Do you think I should take on that task, my lord?”

“Yes. You’re going to stay here anyway, so you have to pay for your food. I won’t charge you anything else, so just teach the soldiers well.”

He sounded like he was asking for something obvious.

Granden thought that the lord had not finished his speech before he could object, and he was right.

“I will teach you what you are curious about, Sir Granden, if you want.”

“Are you talking about the use of airships?”

“That will come naturally to you. Aren’t you curious about me? Your gaze at Goliath was not casual.”

As expected…

Granden had a hunch that he could not refuse this offer.

He felt like he had to pay for his food since he couldn’t waste his time here.

He nodded slightly.

“I will take charge of the soldiers’ training temporarily.”

“Just keep them in order while you stay here. It wouldn’t be bad to introduce the system of the guard corps.”

He felt uneasy that the conditions were adding up one by one, but Granden forced a smile.

And he stabbed a fork into the grilled bluefish and brought it to his mouth. 

It tasted quite good.

The outside was crispy and the flesh was moist, not inferior to the fish dishes he ate in the capital.

‘Hmm, not bad.’

The clam soup was also rich and creamy, as if he used a lot of butter.

He began to think that it wouldn’t be so bad to stay here.

‘He’s half convinced.’

Leobold squinted his eyes and watched him eat.

He would settle down in this domain as soon as he found a good excuse to cure his daughter.

There was no excuse for artificial intelligence in this world, so he needed a lot of talent.

‘Granden would be suitable for the security chief.’

He would ask him what that meant, but his opinion was not very important since he came here.

‘The important thing is to pay for your food.’

It might seem a bit excessive for food, but the side dishes were plentiful, so he wouldn’t complain.

Probably.

***

Lucia, who had left saying she had something on her mind, came back.

She sat on Leobold’s shoulder as usual and began to chatter.

―I finally found it, the ancient artifact!

“An ancient artifact? Is it something made by a god?”

―Exactly. That Goliath is an artifact from the Dragon War, that is, 200 years ago. Some say that the champion of a god rode it.

“The champion of a god rode it…”

The Dragon War 200 years ago was regrettable, but there was not much left to feed Arma, so he had trouble figuring it out.

It was clear that the gods of Pantheon and the dragon race fought each other and various races were involved in it.

But little was known about the cause, course, and outcome of the war.

Arma reported that he could find out if he broke into the Infinite Library in Elvrande.

“The elves are hiding a lot of things. They probably stored and sealed some unfavorable materials in the library.”

Medea, the capital of Elvrande.

There was a huge world tree in the center and the Infinite Library was located underground.

The defense was perfect and even microbots or nanounits couldn’t penetrate it.

It didn’t seem like magic could distinguish even those small units, but Arma said so, so he had to believe it.

Anyway, Lucia was excited about finding Goliath and gave him the exact location.

―It’s located 300 meters underground at the border between Bagran and Zaium. It seems that it’s not completely destroyed by the faint ether I feel.

“That’s a bit tricky to get out right away.”

The problem was that there was a Zaium barracks above it.

It wasn’t a temporary barracks, but a place where a large number of soldiers were stationed, so it seemed difficult to use a gravity crane.

Zaium or Elvrande wouldn’t miss such a large ether field.

“Astera’s civilization is amazing at ether tracking technology. If Settler spreads an ether field, they’ll notice right away.”

Lucia sniffed her nose slightly.

―The elves are totally obsessed with ether. They know that they need ether to do anything, so they have a wide range of tracking systems. They’ll notice right away if that huge spaceship moves.

That’s why when the pioneer fleet entered Astera continent, they lowered the output of ether fusion reactor as much as possible and used only nuclear fusion reactor and pulse thruster.

It would be easier if he could shoot a reactive bullet at Elvrande’s capital, but he wanted to avoid making noise since it was the hometown of the prophet.

“Let’s leave Goliath for later and make golems first.”

―Golems? You mean my children?

The metal dolls commonly called golems in Astera continent were used for various purposes such as large-scale construction.

But there were too many parts shared with Goliath, so they had been out of fashion for a long time.

They solved the work with surplus population, so it was more advantageous to mass-produce Goliath that could fight.

But Leobold needed those golems.

“I have to completely overhaul the domain, and it takes too much time with manpower. It would be much easier if I had golems.”

Lucia pretended to think with her finger on her chin.

―Hmm… I want to help you, but I need a price.

“What price? Think about how much minerals you’ve eaten so far. You have to pay for your food.”

―I didn’t eat that much, did I?

“Shall we check?”

She must have eaten almost a ton of gold alone on Settler.

Leobold got up and Lucia quickly tapped his shoulder.

―So how many do you need?

“Let’s see what a golem is first.”

Leobold had only seen the image of a golem, but he had never seen it in person.

He brought in a golem from the capital through Administrator Carson so he could refer to it and have Lucia make it.

To be precise, it would be the Plague Queen’s main body on Settler that would give birth to cocoons.

A little later, he received a report from Administrator Carson.

“I bought the golem you mentioned. It was hard to find because they all dismantled it and made it into Goliath.”

“Good job.”

Leobold headed to the training ground with Arma and Lucia.

This place, which would have been quiet normally, was completely transformed into a place where soldiers were undergoing high-intensity training under Granden’s cooperation.

“You goblins working in the capital can handle spears better than you!”

“Do you think the shadow elves will leave this domain alone? How can you resist them with those fat bodies?”

“Your future is to be captured as slaves by the shadow elves and tortured! Do you want that future? Do you want to become a plaything of the shadow elves and leave your lover and wife behind?”

Granden, who looked like a decent knight, drove the soldiers like a devil when the training started.

The soldiers gasped but followed his control.

The domain had undergone many changes recently, such as good food and regular payment of wages.

It was a great benefit to be able to eat and live in difficult times, so everyone tried desperately to settle down.

There was a golem in an old warehouse in the corner of the training ground.

“Did you bring something that was abandoned? It’s rusty here and there.”

“It’s hard to see a golem these days.”

It was inevitable because Goliath was more important than golem.

The core and drive system, which were the core components, and the rare metals that made up the magic circle were also used in Goliath, so they had to choose one of them.

In most cases, they chose Goliath, which was essential for war, but Leobold needed golems.

“It might not be as good as a walker, but it can be used for work that requires heavy equipment. Lucia, what do you think?”

―Hmm… I think I can make it as similar as possible. But I can’t lower its combat power.

“So you mean golems can fight too? Are they stronger than Goliath?”

―What do you think Plague Queen is?

“I thought it was an insectivore because it ate so much.”

―Hey!

Lucia bit Leobold’s earlobe and left a slight mark.

He caught her and threw her to the golem.

“What I want is a good worker who listens well. I’ll dispose of anyone who goes out of control and runs wild. Keep that in mind when you make them.

―How did our demon race get caught by this human…

“By the way, there are three Goliaths in the warehouse next to the mansion that need some work. The magic circle is damaged.”

―Aaah!

While Lucia was frustrated, Leobold talked with Arma.

“Did you take care of the mercenaries without any problem?”

“Yes. If they intervene any more, the royal family will intervene. It’s a bad look, after all.”

From the perspective of the Bagran royal family, they had drawn a picture of Leobold losing, but they were quite embarrassed by the result.

The prince of Ruad even sent an envoy to him.

“They’ll try to end it quietly with some gifts. I’d rather borrow some more airships.”

“It’s not a big deal anyway since they’re disposable. You can borrow them for a long time without any problem.”

The problem was the operating cost.

The airship itself was close to disposable, but the operating cost was very high because it involved high-level ether engineering.

It was enough to make the Bagran royal family struggle.

“But it won’t be a big problem. The biggest part of the operating cost is ether stones.”

Arma rummaged through his pockets and pulled out an ether crystal.

The fusion reactor boasted an unprecedented output, so he could produce as much as he wanted as long as he had raw materials.

Naturally, he could also use it as bait to lure magicians or ether engineers.

These days, the price of ether-related goods was skyrocketing because of the war.

“What percentage do labor and other materials account for?”

“About 30% including maintenance costs, but you can cover it enough if you mine resources from the floating continent.”

“Then it’s fine. When the envoy comes, tell them I want a document with the royal seal. The prince owes me a lot, so he’ll agree.”

The lord’s family died all at once, so even if the royal family didn’t care about minor nobles, they couldn’t ignore it.

It was a good deal to rent out disposable airships and bury everything.

He didn’t know if he would think so after he started mining resources.

Soon after, the airship and the envoy arrived at the domain.

“I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“A ship flying in the sky…”

The domain people murmured as the construction of a temporary mooring station was completed.

He would have made a nice mooring station if he had enough time, but he had to settle for this for now.

Leobold, Arma, and Administrator Carson looked around the airship named Altmaran and discussed their future plans.

And Ruad prince in the capital received a letter from Baron Vandus.

“He’ll give me as many airships as I want if I keep quiet. He’s an interesting guy.”

He would have coldly refused normally, but he had debts so he couldn’t do that.

He had to do something for him since his family died because of his father-in-law, and it was a good deal to rent out airships for that.

He also took care of Maki Revenge Squad by himself, so he couldn’t treat him harshly.

‘He must have thought I would compromise somehow. Who would have known he would kill them all.’

He couldn’t interfere with the domain anymore since the mercenaries acted out of line.

Ruad prince stamped the royal seal on the rental document after some hesitation.

“An indefinite rental… I might regret it later, but I’ll deal with it then.”

Actually, there was a bigger problem than Baron Vandus’ domain.

The Holy Kingdom of Palma officially started looking for a man.

He had brown hair and brown eyes, and a large physique. 

It was not an ordinary matter that they even mobilized the Holy Knights to find him.

‘Who is he that they mobilize the Holy Knights?’

According to the rumors, the saintess received a divine trust, but no one knew the details.

Anyway, Palma was restless, so Elvrande and Zaium were also watching carefully.

Ruad prince briefly thought of Baron Vandus and forgot about him.

‘His hair and eye color are different, so he’s not the man the saintess is looking for.’

He called a clerk and ordered him to bring the list of nobles in the country.

The war was slowly coming to an end, so it seemed to be noisy for a while with farming and commerce.