Chapter 122
“What about the land we purchased this time?”
“It’s 300,000 pyeong. We spent a total of 9 platinum coins, with 3 silvers per pyeong.”
Recently, the Hamel Trading Company began making aggressive land acquisitions, based on the wealth they had accumulated.
The reason was simple.
‘The Empire’s movements are alarmingly aggressive. This clearly means... they are preparing for war with the continent.’
When a war begins, the first thing that fluctuates is the price of grain.
Although people weren’t feeling it just yet, in about five or six months, even ordinary citizens would sense it keenly.
“We need to hurry and hire the farmers. The season to plant wheat will come soon.”
“Understood.”
One of the people assisting Diel was Leviathan.
He was fully in charge of matters related to the upcoming farming season, which made his life incredibly busy and intense day by day.
At Leviathan’s response, Diel stood up.
“We all need to move quickly. This might be the event that completely changes the scale of our trading company.”
“...We’re growing so fast that it’s honestly frightening. The larger we become, the more crucial structure and systems become.”
Of course, Diel had already established that structure and system perfectly.
Thanks to this, the head of the trading company, Lord Yurck, was able to leave all such matters to Diel and busily move around without worry.
But Diel was still delicate.
Both physically and mentally, she was too young to handle such monumental tasks on her own.
‘She’s going to collapse at this rate...’
“I’m fine.”
“...?”
Leviathan was startled by Diel’s sudden comment and looked at her.
Was she reading his mind?
Diel gave a faint smile and said, “Honestly, every day lately has been full of things to be grateful for. Who would’ve expected our trading company to grow so quickly?”
It was a company known for its small size, even in the capital.
Despite this, they had been focused on volunteer work and helping others, which made it difficult to grow in scale.
But...
“I still haven’t forgotten the day I first met Lord Damian.”
The figure sitting beside his father.
Damian’s expression of surprise as he turned to look at her.
‘Why was he so surprised back then, though?’
Looking back on it now, it did seem a bit curious.
“Anyway, thanks to him, we’ve been able to grow this much. We should support him in any way we can.”
“...Yes.”
As Leviathan nodded, Diel clapped her hands together.
“Then let’s get moving quickly.”
“Yes!”
There were so many things to do these days.
* * *
Thud.
As soon as they entered the barracks, many of the soldiers collapsed, and Dianal looked at them with pity.
They were the assault troops, newly formed under Captain Kyle.
The assault troops had been undergoing different, specialized training, which was incredibly grueling.
Swiish.
Dianal glanced at the fallen soldiers and walked over to where Damian was.
Then...
“Lord Damian.”
“I know.”
“...”
Damian already knew what Dianal was about to say.
As Dianal looked at him, Damian spoke.
“The instructor must have his reasons. And it’s something that’s absolutely necessary for us.”
“Have you seen the training for the assault troops?”
“I have.”
The training the assault troops were undergoing wasn’t just about tactics or physical endurance.
It was about developing absurd levels of breakthrough power, including quick dashes, and even the strength to shatter solid rock with sheer force.
“Make sure you pay extra attention to their equipment. If there’s anything lacking, report it immediately. I’ll personally ensure they get the best replacements.”
“...I’m worried that someone might get seriously injured at this rate.”
“They might. Is there any easy training in our regiment?”
Damian lightly tapped Dianal’s arm.
He understood the concern.
“Dianal.”
“...Yes.”
After all, these soldiers were the ones who handled things most reliably in these chaotic times.
Edmund nodded, understanding Kiaran’s feelings.
“I feel the same.”
Though he wasn’t directly in charge of them, being under Kiaran’s command helped him understand.
The variables that arise when giving orders.
And when those variables lead to the failure of an operation, it’s a commander’s worst nightmare.
But the Caion Unit had smashed through every absurd variable, succeeding in seemingly impossible missions, and climbing to where they were now.
In fact, the Caion Unit had relieved Kiaran’s burdens many times.
That’s why Kiaran had met with Chancellor Mateurus recently to secure negotiations.
It was the most she could do for them.
“Well, let’s see what kind of reinforcements we’ve received.”
Were they capable soldiers?
Kiaran smiled slightly as she walked toward the barracks.
And when she arrived near the barracks—
“Glory to the Kingdom!”
Damian, who had already formed the soldiers in ranks outside, saluted loudly upon seeing Kiaran.
Kiaran returned a faint smile and placed her right fist lightly against her left chest.
“Glory to the Kingdom. How have you been?”
“I’ve been busy, thanks to your consideration, Commander.”
“Kuh kuh kuh, busy thanks to my consideration? Is that a compliment or an insult?”
“Of course, it’s a compliment. Thanks to you, the Caion Unit has grown in size and strength.”
Damian stepped aside and gestured toward the interior.
“Allow me to escort you to the reception room.”
“Sure, let’s go inside and talk.”
Kiaran followed Damian toward the reception room.
As they entered, they saw Leonhark rushing over.
“G-Glory to the Kingdom!”
Leonhark hurriedly saluted with a surprised expression.
“If you had given notice, we would have prepared for your arrival.”
“There’s no need to be surprised. I just came because I wanted to.”
Kiaran shook her head slightly.
After all, she had come without notice after leaving the royal palace.
It didn’t matter to her whether they were prepared to greet her or not.
“Whew.”
Kiaran sank into a chair in the reception room, letting out a long breath.
She looked unusually exhausted.
Damian soon returned, bringing a new tea that he had received from Diel.
“This tea is said to be good for relieving fatigue. The aroma is pleasant as well. Would you like to try it?”
“Hmmm... I was thinking of having some alcohol, but tea sounds good too.”
Kiaran lifted the tea Damian handed her and took a sniff.
A fresh, citrusy scent—like that of oranges—greeted her first, followed by a subtle floral fragrance.
“Not bad.”
After taking a light sip, Kiaran set down the cup and looked at Damian and Leonhark.
Leonhark was watching her with a worried expression.
Kiaran smiled faintly and said, “Don’t worry. I’m not exhausted just yet. How’s the unit doing these days?”
“We’ve been conducting intense training. Due to the current political situation, our schedule has been quite tight.”
At Damian’s straightforward response, Kiaran’s expression grew more serious.
It meant the situation was dire enough to be felt by all the units.
Kiaran asked, “Will you be ready for immediate deployment?”
“At the moment, no. We’ve expanded to 300 soldiers and created a special unit, but they’re still not working well together. If we must move, it would be better to deploy just the original 100 soldiers. That’s my current assessment.”
“Hmmm...”
Kiaran let out a small sigh.
Damian was a commander who could see the situation clearly and practically.
She then looked at Leonhark.
“I agree with Damian’s assessment.”
“I see.”
That meant the Caion Unit wasn’t ready to move just yet. But still—
“You’ll need to complete preparations within a month at the latest. After that, we won’t know when we’ll need to deploy.”
“We’ll be ready.”
“Understood.”
A month was a generous amount of time.
Both men nodded in response, and Kiaran smiled faintly.
But—
“By the way...”
As Kiaran continued, Damian looked at her with a somewhat complicated expression.