## Chapter 417 – 417. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
417. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated into the Baek Family
“I, Eugene, am disappointed in you all.”
I slowly turned my head, looking around. The dwarves who had gathered before me were tense as they looked at me.
I usually left the dwarves to their own devices. As long as they met a certain quota of work, I didn’t care what they did. They could drink, they could gamble, it didn’t matter.
With maids in the mansion who were within arm’s reach and would do anything I commanded, there was no reason for me to pay attention to the short, sweaty dwarves.
“Come forward. Fersus.”
“Yes!”
Fersus, who was covered in dirt from being kicked and stepped on by me, quickly ran over.
“Fersus. Do you know why I’m disappointed in you?”
Fersus swallowed hard. He was the chief of the Frost Hammer tribe and a slave manager, but he was nothing special. His position could be changed at any time according to my orders.
His eyes darted around. He sought help from the dwarf mage Malef, but Malef was also clueless.
“Could it be… you still don’t know why I’m disappointed?”
“Are… are the things we made not to your liking?”
Fersus spoke, glancing at me. He seemed to expect a kick, but I nodded.
“Yes. You’ve been making things carelessly lately.”
“No! We’ve been doing our best!”
“Don’t talk back.”
“Guh!”
I cracked his joint. Fersus knelt on the floor.
My temper wanted to kill them all, but finding replacements for the dwarves was difficult and annoying.
“I met another dwarf tribe before. The Iron Root Dwarf tribe. Unlike you, they were diligent and skilled dwarves.”
The dwarves’ gazes at me intensified. It’s always most annoying to be compared to others. Especially dwarves, who have immense pride as blacksmiths.
“I showed the Iron Root dwarves the swords you made. I had no doubt they would be impressed. But all I got was ridicule. I was ridiculed because of you!”
“……”
I wasn’t actually ridiculed, but it was still insulting.
“The Iron Root dwarves said that you could make better swords but didn’t try. They called you bugs without craftsmanship! The Iron Root dwarves said you were a disgrace to dwarves.”
“M-master…”
“What is it, Fersus?”
“Where are those Iron Root guys? We have our pride too. We can let other things slide, but we can’t let the ‘bugs without craftsmanship’ comment go!”
“What nonsense. They spoke the truth, and you can’t let it go? Are you ignoring me, Fersus!”
I cracked his joint again.
“Guh! I’m sorry! I was short-sighted!”
“The Iron Root dwarves are far away. Very far away, so you’d have to be determined to find them. But I have things made by the Iron Root dwarves. If you call yourselves craftsmen, you should be able to tell their level by looking at the swords.”
I took out a sword from my inventory.
“This is the sword you made. The sword that the Iron Root dwarves doubted could even kill a goblin!”
“……”
Fersus’s expression darkened as he examined the sword. As expected of a dwarf, he had an eye for it. He realized that this was a sword they had made carelessly.
“And this is the sword and armor made by the Iron Root dwarves!”
“……!! C-could we take a closer look?”
“Go ahead.”
Fersus examined the armor and sword, swallowing a groan. He couldn’t take his eyes off the armor, especially, realizing it was a masterpiece that wasn’t easily made.
I showed the armor and sword to the other dwarves as well.
The atmosphere of the Frost Hammer dwarf tribe sank. The clear difference in skill crushed the dwarves’ spirits.
“Do you see how disappointed I am in you? Huh?”
“W-we can do it too!”
Fersus clenched his fist and shouted. His face was flushed red, showing how angry he was.
“You can do it, but you haven’t been doing it until now?”
“…T-that’s, we’re sorry! But if we put our minds to it, we can make swords and armor far superior to what those Iron Root guys made!”
Fersus’s eyes blazed. I glanced around. The other dwarves were the same.
My original plan was to discipline the Frost Hammer tribe dwarves. After stepping on them a bit, I was going to completely break their spirits with a large-scale quality inspection.
But now it seems like there’s no need for that.
“Alright. Go ahead and try.”
“Master. I hate to admit it, but the Iron Root dwarves are not easy opponents. To make better quality armor and swords, we need special materials!”
“Special materials?”
“Ordinary iron can’t make things like this!”
I nodded.
Fersus was absolutely right. The armor and swords made by the Iron Root dwarves were made of ironwood, not iron ore.
“Alright. I’ll look into it. But if you make trash again, I won’t forgive you.”
“We’ll do our best!”
“Show me results, not your best.”
***
As a lord, my job is nothing special. Since I’ve established a system in the territory, I don’t need to step in unless it’s a major issue.
The citizens of Thebra, which I rule, were careful. My notoriety was well-known throughout the city.
Even if there was a major issue, Yuria would take care of most of it.
So, there was no need for me to work. But sometimes, I did work to change my mood. Even if it wasn’t work as a lord.
“Sir. I’m sorry, but we’re closed today. Please come back another time.”
“What the hell! You’re suddenly closed today? You’re supposed to be open year-round, why are you suddenly closed! And you’ve got the women inside ready!”
At the entrance of ‘The Sea’s Rest,’ the most famous brothel in Thebra, which had recently earned the nickname of the best brothel in the kingdom, a man reeking of alcohol was arguing with a middle-aged woman.
“No matter what you say, we’re closed today. I’m telling you this for your own good. Don’t cause a scene and go back.”
The blonde middle-aged woman, Katarina, the madam of The Sea’s Rest, glared at the man with a venomous look. Three armed men stood on either side of her.
But the drunk didn’t seem to want to back down. Maybe it was because he worked at sea, so he wasn’t afraid. Or maybe the alcohol had taken over his mind.
“What the hell! I’m a customer! Bring Ulla here right now! Ulla! Bring her!”
“You’re too drunk. We don’t accept customers who are out of their minds. Please go back. This is your last warning… Huh!”
The madam was startled when she saw me appear from behind. It was probably because I had appeared much earlier than the time I had notified her.
The drunk also turned around. As soon as his eyes met mine, he knelt on the floor.
“L-Lord…!”
“You’re drunk, but you recognize my face well. I’ve rented out The Sea’s Rest today. Are you complaining about that?”
“No, sir. I was drunk and lost my mind for a moment. Please forgive me!”
“Beg for forgiveness in hell.”
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
I killed the man with lightning.
“Madam. Dispose of the body.”
“Yes. Of course. And I’m sorry. We should have handled it, but we troubled you, Lord.”
“It’s nothing.”
I passed by her. The brothel had developed over time and was now large enough to be mistaken for a noble’s mansion. The number of prostitutes working here was over 200.
I headed to the basement, where the most luxurious rooms for VIPs were located. It was a room used by wealthy merchants and nobles.
I leaned back on the plush sofa. Bare women began setting the table. The madam stood next to me and explained how much money The Sea’s Rest was making.
“It’s more than I thought.”
“Sales are steadily increasing. However, since we’re constantly expanding, the net profit is decreasing. Lord, I think it would be best to stop investing now.”
“No. The Sea’s Rest will continue to grow. Until it becomes the greatest brothel in history!”
“……To be honest, it’s getting hard to manage. My capabilities are only up to here.”
“Then we can hire more people. Madam, don’t try to do everything alone. I never told you to do it alone.”
“……Yes.”
After the table was set, seven beauties entered. The dresses they wore clung to their bodies, revealing curves that would entice any man. Ordinary prostitutes would have a seductive smile and try to seduce men, but their faces were stiff.
I visited this place roughly once a month. The reason was for the initiation of new prostitutes. They had to receive my grace before they could officially work here.
The seven beauties stood in a line in front of the wall.
I examined their bodies closely. Each of their charms was visible. This initiation was quite anticipated. All seven were virgins.
‘There are no beauties worthy of being maids.’
Today, I decided to enjoy the initiation.
As I snapped my fingers, the beauties approached me and began to serve me. Even when I made boring jokes, they giggled, and even when my hands touched their private parts, they didn’t make a sound of displeasure.
Judging that the atmosphere was ripe, I jumped up from my seat.
The beauties had expressions that said, ‘It’s finally here.’
“Take off your clothes, one by one. I’ll show you the taste of a man today.”
***
A major problem arose in my territory, which seemed like it would be peaceful forever.
“Pirates have appeared?”
I asked Yuria again. She placed the organized documents on my desk.
“Yes. As Thebra has developed and the reputation of the Korea Merchant Guild has spread to other kingdoms, the number of merchant ships coming in has greatly increased, and pirates have followed.”
I looked at the documents. There were quite a few merchant guilds that had suffered damage. It was common for goods to be looted, and there were even cases where entire ships were seized.
“Those pirates don’t seem to know that I’m scary.”
“They are ignorant. It’s best to eliminate them for the future.”
Pirates were a headache. Those guys who lived at sea looked down on the land. And since there was no proper navy in this world, the pirates were even more arrogant.
“Do we have a navy?”
“No.”
I scratched my cheek at Yuria’s simple answer. The reason why pirates were ignoring me and looting in my territory was because I didn’t have a navy.
Even if I could somehow get ships with money, it would take time to build a navy. If I ordered ordinary soldiers to become sailors and suppress the pirates, it would only cause more damage.
I couldn’t leave it alone. The damage so far was enormous, and if I thought about the damage to come, I wouldn’t be able to sleep comfortably.
My hand, which was casually flipping through the documents, stopped.
The document contained detailed information about the location and strength of the pirates’ base.
“Yuria. Do you think we should take direct action to suppress the pirates?”
“Yes. The pirates must be suppressed as quickly as possible. The trade damage is a loss, but the most serious loss is the decline in your reputation and honor. You must not be held back by pirates. On the contrary, if you take direct action to suppress the pirates, your reputation will rise even higher.”
“I have to take direct action… That would be helpful for my goal, right?”
“Yes. It will be a suitable achievement.”
My goal.
To become Count Prukerus.
Certainly, I lacked achievements compared to others. The essence of the Prukerus family was a military family. But I had no notable achievements. As Yuria said, suppressing pirates would be a suitable achievement.
“Hoo… I guess I have to go and pacify the sea.”
“I will prepare within a week. If you take some of the soldiers and the AM unit, you will be able to suppress the pirates easily. Of course, I will also assist you by your side.”
I stood up and hugged Yuria, who was standing upright. Yuria smiled softly as our eyes met.
And so, a week passed.
