Chapter 97

Eastwood is also a lakeside city built on an artificial island in the lake.

Designed for boat travel, the city has canals and waterways crisscrossing it in all directions.

One day after the sacred year 515 began, an embassy from another country appeared in Eastwood.

This embassy came from a country called the Principality of Balm.

The embassy from the Principality of Balm had come to Eastwood, which had not even opened its port or disclosed any information, and requested direct trade.

In fact, two rivers connect to Lake Eastwood (which was unnamed before it was named). One of these rivers flows through the Great Forest and into the eastern sea.

Moreover, this river is wide and deep, allowing even large ocean-going ships to navigate it. The ships from the Principality of Balm had come up this river to reach Eastwood.

Why did they know about this water route, which had not yet been made public? Where did they get this information? There must have been some oversight.

Regarding trade, there would be no problem with private-level trade, but when an embassy from another country requests trade, it's not something that can be easily agreed to with a simple "yes, of course."

Therefore, the first step was to inform my father, the governor of the southern region, and he instructed the embassy to be escorted to Brünhild.

Honestly, if they had gone to Alsum, we wouldn't have had to send soldiers to escort them, which would have been much easier given our current shortage of personnel.

Alsum is a port city in the eastern part of the Holy Vandam Kingdom and was the only port city in the kingdom until Eastwood officially opened its port.

The Principality of Balm is a small country located in part of the Genbals Peninsula to the northeast of the Holy Kingdom of Vandam, which is one of the four major countries that oppose the Holy Kingdom of Vandam. It does not share a border with the Holy Kingdom of Vandam.

In other words, since the Principality of Balm is strongly influenced by the Holy Orion Kingdom and is an ally, if the Holy Kingdom of Vandam were to establish diplomatic relations, the Holy Orion Kingdom would not remain silent, and it would be disadvantageous for the Principality of Balm. Is it really okay for them to do this?

In any case, the Brüt Island and Eastwood's Baron family were assigned to escort the embassy to Brünhild, and from there, the Brützels Margrave family's knights would escort them to the capital.

Ideally, the Baron family's soldiers would escort them to the capital, but since Eastwood is still under development, it's not feasible to move a large number of soldiers for a long period. Therefore, they were only asked to escort them to Brünhild.

Nobles, who value honor and reputation even in times of personnel shortages, would likely insist on escorting them to the capital, but I have priorities that outweigh noble honor and reputation, so I don't need to worry about it.

Besides, the personnel shortage is due to the king's unreasonable demands, so I should be allowed to quietly manage my territory for a while.

The escort went smoothly, and the embassy was safely delivered to Brünhild.

However, during the escort, reports came in that several villages had been attacked by bandits, and Fédéla reported this to me.

My territory is vast, and with a shortage of personnel, the frequency of patrols in the surrounding villages had decreased, which the bandits had taken advantage of.

Fédéla would have increased the frequency of patrols if he had more personnel, but the reality is not that simple.

Regarding the embassy from the Principality of Balm and the bandits, how did I receive this information so quickly when I was not on-site?

It's simple: I had created communication magic items and distributed them to key members in Brüt Island, Eastwood, and the capital.

I had also given one to my father.

So, I immediately flew to Fort Felk to deal with the bandits.

Literally, I flew there in an instant.

I couldn't tolerate bandits acting so boldly in my territory, and I wanted them to face the consequences of their actions.

I'll show them hell!

"Do you really need to lead the expedition yourself, my lord?"

"Fédéla needs to return to Eastwood and command from there, and Wick can't be away from the fort for long, so it's my turn. Besides, a lord leading the charge against bandits is a good way to gain the trust of the people."

"Hmm, I didn't realize you were concerned about the people's trust, my lord."

Fédéla, is it so strange for me to care about the people?

I want to govern well and enrich the people.

Moreover, if this leads to the worship of the God of Magic, which I follow, it would be a win-win situation. Is it wrong to have such intentions?

A few hundred kilometers northwest of Eastwood, there should be a concentration of bandit activity in the surrounding villages, but there are no signs of bandits.

Have they gathered enough supplies to lay low?

No, that shouldn't prevent them from being detected by my search.

Perhaps they have moved to another area?

In any case, I have a plan.

Wait for me, bandits! I'll chase you to the ends of the earth!

So, I'm using千里眼 (千里眼 is a term for a magical ability to see great distances) to search in all directions.

I found them in a cave in the Rune Mountains, about 170 kilometers northeast of here.

Why didn't they show up in my search range, which is 170 kilometers?

Are they using a magic item to conceal their magic power?

Hmm, what is this... interesting, they're doing this in my territory.

"170 kilometers northeast."

"Understood. Let's move out!"

I took command of a squad of 10 men from the embassy escort team and led them, along with Félia, to the cave where the bandits are believed to be hiding.

The squad is led by Javan, who has been promoted to lieutenant.

Javan was a squire in my guard, skilled with a sword. When I received my title, he transferred to my service and was initially a sergeant, but his sword skills led to his quick promotion to lieutenant.

"There are monsters 500 meters ahead. About 30 kobolds."

"Understood! Everyone, prepare for battle! Form the arrowhead formation!"

Javan responded to my information and immediately gave orders to form the arrowhead formation.

The arrowhead formation is shaped like the tip of an arrow, with Javan at the point, three men on each side, and me behind Javan with two soldiers and Félia between Javan and me, and one soldier behind me.

Félia, a special major, outranks Javan, but as my guard, she does not interfere with the squad's command. Of course, if I am in danger, Félia will step in, but otherwise, she remains silent.

We are riding not ordinary horses but Battle Horses, a horse-like magical creature with six legs, which is a Rank D monster. They are faster, more durable, and have more endurance than ordinary warhorses.

The Brüt Island Baron family is breeding these Battle Horses, but they are still in short supply, so being given these horses indicates the quality of this squad.

"There they are, the kobolds."

Kobolds are a staple in fantasy, resembling humanoid creatures with dog-like faces. They are about 160 cm tall, taller and stronger than goblins but shorter and faster than orcs, making them well-balanced monsters.

Individually, they are Rank E monsters, but they travel in groups, use weapons and armor, and some can use magic.

They are more intelligent than goblins and work together in groups to hunt, sometimes even targeting higher-ranked monsters.

About 30 kobolds are blocking our path.

"Draw your swords! Don't let the monsters get close to my lord!"

‘Oooooo!’

It seems they are preparing to charge.

However, it's impressive how quickly Javan can form the formation.

The Brüt Island Baron family's soldiers, due to their shortage of personnel, are equipped with magic items to enhance their quality. A squad should be able to handle 30 kobolds, but the coordination and training required to execute such a maneuver are not easy.

Leading the charge, Javan and his squad cut down the kobolds or trampled them with their Battle Horses.

After breaking through the center, they ignored the remaining kobolds and continued forward.

The primary goal is to deal with the bandits, so Javan's decision to prioritize that over eliminating the kobolds is understandable.

Still, the kobolds suffered significant losses, which must have been a disaster for them.

The kobolds were killed by the leading soldiers, so I didn't engage them directly. However, Félia, who was in front of me, occasionally thrust her spear to crush the heads of kobolds several meters away with shockwaves.

Truly, Félia is the "Annihilator."

Félia's combat skills are among the best in the Brüt Island Baron family. Her grandfather praised her, saying, "Félia's annihilation power surpasses mine," which led to her nickname "Annihilator."

I find the nickname "Annihilator" unsuitable for Félia, who looks like a young girl, but she seems to be okay with it, which makes me worry about her future.