Chapter 32

After Oto started his physical training, a sinister rumor began to spread throughout the palace.

"Did you hear? Mayor Olive and His Highness are having an affair!"

"Really~?"

"It's said that they cause a commotion every morning and evening!"

"Oh my!"

"You know, His Highness has a rather unique taste."

"Well… His Highness was quite a mess with that witch too."

It wasn't the fault of the maids.

"Ah! Ahhhh! Ahhhh!"

"How is it? Do you like it?"

"Y-Yes! Ahhhh!"

"Good! I'll do it again!"

"Kweeeeeeeek!"

Every morning and evening, suspicious sounds came from Oto's bedroom, leading everyone to think the worst.

Unaware of the rumors, Oto attended the physical training held on the parade ground every morning.

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

"Recruit! Are you going to give up?"

"No way!"

"Then run! Hurry up!"

"Ahh!!!"

Even on days when it was snowing heavily.

Even in the bitter cold below minus 30 degrees.

Oto never missed a single day of physical training.

Even when he wasn't feeling well, he would drag himself to the parade ground and collapse.

Time passed, and the cold winter gave way to the blooming spring.

"Hmm! What a nice day! We're going on a picnic today! Everyone, gather at the parade ground in an hour with full gear!"

Of course, it wasn't a real picnic.

"Run from here to the parade ground! Start!"

The "picnic" that Instructor Spooner referred to was actually a hellish training session, running 15 kilometers of mountain trails in full gear.

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

"Ughhhh!"

No matter how fit the soldiers were, running 15 kilometers of mountain trails in full gear was no easy task.

"I can't run any further. Huff, huff…."

"My legs… my legs…."

Many soldiers fell behind.

"Uweeeeeeeek!"

"Uweeeek!"

Many soldiers even vomited while running.

The intensity of the 15-kilometer full-gear mountain run was that severe.

And Oto led the pack in this terrifying full-gear mountain run.

In this mountain run training, Oto recorded an overwhelming first place.

"Everyone's physical condition is a mess! A mess! Do the stragglers have no pride?"

He even had the nerve to taunt the lagging soldiers.

At first, Oto couldn't even run a 5-kilometer jog properly, but now he was overwhelming the soldiers with his physical strength.

It was all thanks to Olive.

Thanks to the daily treatments (physical therapy) and massages from Olive, he achieved an unbelievable level of improvement.

Drinking the <Lloyd Potion> for permanent doping (?) also helped to some extent.

"Huff… huff… You're really amazing. At first, you found it hard to run even 5 kilometers…."

"I can't keep up at all. Huff, huff."

Oto earned the full recognition of the soldiers.

By giving up his rank and status and training with the soldiers every day, he successfully won their hearts.

As a result, the soldiers' loyalty to Oto grew deeper and deeper.

'Now that my physical strength has improved enough, and my strength is sufficient. My level is 53 now… If I level up a bit more, I should head to the Sacred Realm.'

Oto checked his level and smiled.

Thanks to the physical training he conducted throughout the winter, his level had risen to 53.

The leveling system in the game <Feudal War> was very different from one-sided games.

Players in <Feudal War> didn't need to kill anyone to gain experience points.

Experience points could be obtained through almost any action the player took.

Whether it was exercise, study, swordsmanship, or anything else, if you worked hard and repeated it, you would naturally gain experience points and level up.

Up to level 200, players could level up based on the development of their managed fief or country, so there was no need to go out of their way to hunt monsters.

Of course, if you wanted to become a powerful ruler, you would need to fight strong enemies or perform well on the battlefield from level 200 onwards.

* * *

Oto's level increase also meant that the Kingdom of Iota was growing.

Thanks to the investment of 40 million ber (approximately 40 billion won in Korean currency) by the goblin merchant Ego, the Kingdom of Iota was growing rapidly.

While it would be an absurd story for a proper kingdom to develop a country with 40 million ber, the Kingdom of Iota was such a backward rural village that even a small amount of money could lead to rapid growth.

It wasn't just that.

"Send me 500 cattle."

"Your Grace… 500 cattle is a bit…."

"Damn it! I came here to make money at my age! Do you think you're going to send me back empty-handed?"

"N-No! How could I send you back empty-handed, Your Grace!"

"Then stop making excuses and give me 500 cattle. Why are you holding back?"

"Ah, I understand."

"I am deeply grateful."

The SSS-ranked hero Duke Wazir went to various rulers and secured various forms of support.

Since the Kingdom of Iota was extremely poor, he appealed to the richer countries for humanitarian aid.

Thanks to this, the Kingdom of Iota was rapidly growing, receiving free support in the form of food, iron, timber, livestock, and money from various countries.

"Damn it!"

Meanwhile, Wazir, furious, went to find Oto.

Bang!

Wazir kicked open the door to Oto's office and roared.

"Surprise!"

Oto, who had been sleeping on his desk, jumped in shock.

"Oh? You assigned me tasks and then played truant?"

"What…?"

"Why did you reject the documents I submitted?"

Wazir asked with a sinister smile.

"They said it was urgent and needed quick approval? You said there was no need to read them, just stamp them?"

"Oh, those?"

Oto finally realized why Wazir was angry and smiled.

"There was no reason to approve them."

"What? No reason to approve? Did you even read the documents?"

"Of course, I read them."

"Even after reading them, there was no need to approve them? You need to approve them to build infrastructure in this rural village…."

"I won't build it."

Oto said firmly.

"What? You won't build it? You, who claim to be preparing for a world war, won't build national infrastructure?"

"It's inefficient."

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

"It's a waste of money."

Oto shrugged.

"We're not going to stay here forever."

"…?"

"As we expand our territory, a new capital will emerge. Is there any need to spend money here? We can just use the infrastructure in the occupied territories."

Oto had never made a significant investment in this area when he played the game <Feudal War>.

Instead, he invested in military and technological power to prepare for expansion into the continent.

Oto was an extreme profit-seeker, so he always prioritized efficiency in his actions.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Wazir burst out laughing.

"Good! Very good!"

"What?"

"You're thinking ahead, aren't you?"

"Of course. Proper selection and focus can save time, money, and effort."

"Good. Then I'll invest in military power instead of building infrastructure."

"Now we're talking."

At that moment.

"Your Highness, a diplomat from the Seoden fief has arrived."

Camille reported to Oto.

"What? Already?"

"Already…?"

"Too soon…."

"Did you know about this?"

"I knew they would come, but it's a bit too early. I understand. I'll go see them."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Oh, and."

Oto instructed Camille.

"The other party will be very rude, so don't intervene. Just watch quietly. I'll handle it."

With that, Oto went to meet the diplomat from Seoden fief.

* * *

Seoden fief was a fairly large place located about 50 kilometers east of the Kingdom of Iota, boasting a considerable size.

It was one of the well-known and stable fiefs in the western border of the continent.

"My name is Yon. I come from the Seoden fief."

Yon did not show any respect to Oto.

"I am Oto von Scuderia. Thank you for your long journey."

"Yes, it was a long journey."

Yon smiled coldly.

"Who would have thought I would have to step into such a rural village?"

"Ah?"

"I'll be straightforward."

"Go ahead."

"Our Lord Ventura is very displeased with your actions."

Right then.

Shudder!

Camille's shoulders trembled slightly, angered by Yon's attitude towards Oto.

"Your arrogant behavior, declaring yourself a king, has greatly disappointed Lord Ventura."

"I am very sorry."

"Furthermore, you didn't even come to greet our Lord first. Shouldn't you have bowed to him before he sent you here?"

"I have committed a grave offense. I will do better. Please convey my apologies to Lord Ventura."

"Ahem!"

"I will do better in the future. Please believe me."

"Can you really expect to be forgiven for your rudeness? It's impossible. Lord Ventura is very angry. He might even raise an army to turn this rural village into ashes."

"Oh no!"

Oto prostrated himself on the ground, pleading.

"Sir! Please speak well of me to Lord Ventura! I beg you!"

"Tsk. If you beg like this, there might be a way. There is a way to calm Lord Ventura's anger…."

"What, what is it! I'll do anything! Anything!"

"Lord Ventura is a man of great magnanimity."

"Of course! I believe it!"

"If you promise to regularly show your respect, Lord Ventura will be lenient."

At that moment.

'I knew it. These scoundrels.'

Oto confirmed that his prediction was spot on and smiled coldly to himself.

The "regular respect" Yon mentioned was, in fact, "tribute."

Lord Ventura was trying to leech off the Kingdom of Iota and extort tribute.

Seeing the potential for the Kingdom of Iota to grow, he intended to make it a colony.

'But they came too soon. Is it because our development is too fast?'

Thanks to the SSS-ranked hero Wazir, the Kingdom of Iota's development was about 30% faster than Oto had expected.

The support Wazir received from various rulers—what he called "making money"—had accelerated the kingdom's growth.

'As I grow, it's natural for surrounding forces to react sensitively. Hmm. I need to deal with this issue before going to the Sacred Realm.'

Since his level was still a bit short for the Sacred Realm, Oto decided to resolve this issue while he was at it.

It would be troublesome if something happened while he was away.

"Very well."

Oto smiled at Yon.

"I will pay tribute from now on."

At that moment.

Shiver!

Camille, who was watching from the side, shuddered when she saw Oto's smiling face, which looked demonic.

'It's a lie.'

Camille didn't believe Oto.

After observing him for the past six months, she knew he wasn't the type to submit to paying tribute so easily.