Chapter 62

I posted at the wrong time

Let's go back a little in time.

The meeting to send an envoy to the Equus tribe went surprisingly smoothly.

The reason was that Rigar Diber did not oppose it that much.

To him, there was no point in trading with the barbarians, but there was also no point in obstructing it.

In short, he was not interested.

After it was decided to send the first envoy to the Equus tribe, Almus hurried back to his territory and began preparing for war.

For this war, he would gather eight hundred through recruitment and about twelve hundred through conscription.

A total of two thousand.

This amounts to six to seven percent of the population.

The plan is for the war to last no more than twenty days, but even so, the burden is significant.

The people of the As territory are aware that they live near the border with King Domorgal's country, and the current lord, Almus, is implementing good governance, so there is not much opposition.

The finances of the As territory are also stable, supported by both salt and paper.

The problem is the quality of the troops.

So as soon as Almus returned, he immediately made it mandatory for the people to participate in military training.

Once a week, the villagers gather in groups of ten to twenty for training.

That's all.

If it's only once a week, the fields won't be left fallow.

Additionally, one of the purposes is to instill a sense of crisis among the people.

Now, there are still many things to do besides gathering troops.

First, he ordered Ismea, Seo-myeong, and Lulu to further reinforce and inspect the fortifications.

To make the defenses as solid as possible.

In other words, to strengthen the barriers and make them even more robust.

Furthermore, Almus began developing new siege weapons with Tera.

Soyong will conduct a topographical survey of King Domorgal's country with a royal sorcerer of King Rosais.

Using owls at midnight, it won't be easy to be discovered.

Of course, King Rosais' country is likely doing the same thing.

Ron, Rozward, and Gram are training the troops.

Now, lastly, about Ial...

Ial was in the Diber territory, away from the As territory.

He was acting as a merchant with a few subordinates.

About ten years ago, when Ron and the others were children, coins were hardly in circulation.

But in the past ten years, the Adernia Peninsula has rapidly shifted to a monetary economy.

The increased activity of Kirisia merchants and the discovery of rock salt in various parts of the Adernia Peninsula.

The main reasons are that the kings, lords, and nobles of the Adernia Peninsula are seeking luxury goods from abroad and have started learning the Kirisia language, enchanted by Kirisia culture.

So merchants are not that rare.

Not even in the Diber territory.

Recently, most merchants are heading to the As territory, but some still go to the Diber territory.

First, Ial started doing business normally.

Then he focused on gathering information.

Gathering information as a merchant is not a suspicious act.

Ial collected information about the Diber territory bit by bit from other merchants and the Diber territory's farmers.

Thanks to his efforts, the power dynamics within the Diber family became clear.

As expected, the structure is relatives vs. non-relatives.

The leading relative is Gilbert, and the leading non-relative is Vermett.

It seems that Vermett has spent a long time gathering talented people.

The Diber family, despite the various issues, has been the most influential family in King Rosais' country (before the As family was restored).

Since King Rosais is ill, the Diber family has no future.

Many talented people have come to the Diber territory.

And Vermett has picked them up and given them jobs.

While the Diber family monopolizes important positions, there are still gaps to enter.

If Rigar Diber becomes king, there is a good chance that the bowl will come around.

There are not many relatives.

If Vermett wins the power struggle, he can get important positions in King Rosais' country or even become a lord.

However, there is no lack of dissatisfaction.

Not all the talented people feel a great sense of gratitude to Vermett.

If they are not evaluated at all, many would consider switching to another lord.

Ial targeted such individuals.

It was March.

Ial visited a man in the Diber territory.

"Ah, it's you, Ial. Come on in."

Joseph, a Diber territory soldier and a squad leader, invited the merchant Ial into his home.

Joseph lives on the wheat stipend provided by the Diber family.

Of course, humans cannot live on wheat alone.

So Joseph sells wheat and exchanges it for vegetables, meat, and alcohol.

But recently, for some reason, the price of wheat has been low.

The harvest should be the same as usual.

Joseph, however, does not know that the culprit is Almus.

The price of wheat in the Diber territory market has been lowered due to the wheat Almus is paying as compensation.

Let's get back to the story.

Due to the low price of wheat, Joseph's life has become difficult.

It was then that Ial appeared.

Ial sold vegetables and other items at very low prices.

Ial and Joseph quickly became friends.

"I can't take it anymore."

Joseph complained to Ial while drinking.

The content of his complaint was that his abilities were not being recognized.

Joseph's skills with the sword and spear are top-notch, and he has killed many enemies in King Ferm's battles.

Even in a situation where the overall battle was a defeat.

His skills caught Vermett's eye, and Joseph joined the military.

As a squad leader, he is very competent and is respected.

But he cannot become a company leader.

All the company leader positions are monopolized by Rigar Diber's relatives and connections.

Of course, Joseph is grateful to Vermett.

But gratitude does not put food on the table.

Why must a capable person like him struggle to make a living?

Seeing Joseph, Ial thought the time was right and made his move.

"Would you like to serve in the As territory? I can guarantee you a company leader position. Your salary will be ten times what you currently earn, and I'll provide a house."

"Haha, that sounds great... What?"

Joseph couldn't help but ask.

Ial smiled.

"My name is Ial, and I work for Lord Almus As. I'm a merchant now, but..."

"Haha, so you were just pretending."

"To understand your feelings, I had to do this. What do you say?"

Joseph's heart wavered greatly.

But...

"Rigar Diber is the first candidate for king. I can't get off the winning horse. Besides, I owe a lot to Lord Vermett..."

"Owe? Is there such a thing? You are now living in poverty. Isn't this partly due to Lord Vermett? Has he helped you with your living? I heard that if I wasn't here, you would have had to take out a loan. Besides, Rigar Diber's succession to the throne is not yet decided. And recently, things have been suspicious, haven't they?"

Ial pressed Joseph.

Currently, two rumors are being spread by King Rosais' relatives.

One is that the next king will be Raymond.

In terms of bloodline, he is the most suitable, so it's not a strange rumor.

The second is that Almus As will be chosen as the supreme commander in the war against King Domorgal.

This is actually true.

The Diber army's miserable defeat to the As army was recent.

This has a significant impact... and is very credible. In fact, it is the truth.

"My lord, Almus, is young and has a bright future. Besides, there are rumors that he will be the supreme commander in the next war. Almus is close to King Rosais. Moreover, Almus is struggling with a lack of talent. He has no family. You have plenty of opportunities to rise."

In reality, the As army was short of commanders on the battlefield.

The thirty tax collectors are versatile civil servants who can fight and do accounting, but they cannot all be taken to the battlefield.

The territory's management would suffer.

Some must be assigned as Almus' direct guards.

Considering this, he needs four or five company leaders.

After much deliberation, Joseph asked Ial.

"Can you wait for three days?"

"Sure. I'll be waiting at the As territory house."

Ial left with a smile.

Now, Ial visited the next house.

The owner welcomed him.

"Please, come in."

The owner's name is Dora.

She is a sorceress and is skilled with dogs.

"Here's the usual wine. And some herbs."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

Dora paid for Ial's goods with wheat.

After some conversation, Dora spoke to Ial.

"Actually, I have something I'd like to consult you about."

"What is it?"

"Actually, I've been proposed to by someone from the Diber family."

Of course, Ial knew about it. It was a well-known story among the sorcerers serving the Diber family.

In fact, that's why Ial approached her.

And he knew why she was troubled.

But he pretended not to know.

"That's great, isn't it? It's like a golden carriage."

"No, it's not at all!!"

Dora raised her voice.

"The man, his appearance is... well, you know. He's fifty years old... you know. At least he's not my type. Besides, he already has five wives and ten sex slaves."

Female sorcerers have high pride.

This is because, thanks to their unique power, they are treated much better than ordinary male vassals.

Their salaries are high, and they do not have to worry about their living.

Therefore, there is no need to desperately chase after rich men. A sex-crazed man with multiple wives is out of the question.

Generally, she cannot tolerate being treated as an equal to a non-sorceress wife.

This is the feeling Dora harbors.

If the man who proposed was a handsome or extremely high-ranking person, she might have considered it.

But the man who proposed is not of particularly high status.

The Diber family's name value only holds in the Diber faction's territory in King Rosais' country.

She is not so desperate for a man that she would marry a goldfish in a bowl.

"But in this Diber territory, if you go against the Diber family, you might lose your job... And Mr. Vermett is not reliable. Is there any good job opportunity? I thought you might know since you're a merchant."

"Yes, I do."

Ial visited the third house.

The owner of this house is a quarter Kirisian.

He can speak Kirisian, is good at calculations, and is a very capable person.

"Ial, I'm sorry, but can you wait another month? I will definitely pay you back."

Americo was living in very difficult circumstances.

There are many nobles who are enchanted by Kirisian culture and many who recognize the importance of writing.

But there are also many who do not recognize it.

In the Adernia Peninsula, where wars, including minor skirmishes, frequently occur and there is a risk of being attacked by dangerous bears and wolves, physical strength is what matters most.

Conversely, academic pursuits, which do not yield immediate results, tend to be undervalued.

The Diber family, in particular, has a strong tendency in this regard.

Americo got a job thanks to Vermett, who was the only one who recognized the importance of writing, but his life was still difficult.

His salary was not very high.

Of course, a major reason for his difficult life is that his family consists of nine people: a grandmother who is too old to work, a wife, and six children.

It is difficult to support eight people on Americo's salary.

The children are still young, so sending them out to work is risky.

One might think he could go to another territory, but there are no jobs outside the Diber territory.

In the first place, only the As territory is doing the tedious work of creating resident registration, conducting land surveys, and accurately collecting taxes.

The nobles who recognize the importance of writing think that having one or two people who can speak Kirisian is enough.

Moreover, there are few people who think about hiring someone from outside the Diber family.

They are afraid of incurring the Diber family's wrath.

"No, that's a problem. I'm not lending you out of kindness, you know."

Ial spoke in a troubled voice.

Americo, clinging to Ial, begged.

"Please!!"

"I would like to say no, but..."

Ial smiled and said.

"There is a big opportunity now where your debt will be forgiven and your salary will be several times higher. What do you say? Are you interested?"

In this way, Ial successfully poached three talented individuals.