Chapter 20

"You devil, everyone in the world was deceived by you!"

Their words didn't reach Kane's ears.

The mercenary leader gritted his teeth and spoke.

"You will definitely regret this."

"I only need to regret something once. And you will not be part of it."

"Captain, let me go and kill him."

"Let's kill him and flee to another territory."

"Everyone, shut the fuck up!"

The mercenary leader shouted.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought about what his men were saying.

But it was impossible.

Even if they all attacked, they had no chance of winning.

"We are leaving Rehinar."

The mercenary leader glared at Kane before turning away.

The mercenaries reluctantly followed him.

As the Blue Wolf Mercenary Corp left through the castle gates,

The corrupt territory residents couldn't hold on any longer either.

They had no choice but to leave.

In the end, everyone was expelled.

"Close the gate."

At Kane's command, the castle gate slowly closed.

Boom!

Ding-

[Inactive quest has been completed.]

[As a reward, public order has increased by +1.]

[Guild function has been activated.]

[Inactive quest has been completed.]

[As a reward, public order has increased by +1.]

[Barracks function has been activated.]

…

…

…

By dealing with the corrupt territory residents,

All the commands for the territory system were activated.

"It's time to start using the territory system."

Kane opened the territory shop window.

When he clicked on the [City Walls] list,

The items that could be built at Level 1 appeared.

[Wooden Fence (★) – 10,000G]

'Who would buy a wooden fence for 10,000 gold?'

In this game, the currency structure is 1:1 with real money.

Unless someone was incredibly wealthy, most people didn't spend real money in the game.

This system led to the game's downfall.

The spending requirements were unreasonable.

'Building just ten costs 100,000 gold. Building a hundred would cost a million gold in this crazy game.'

But to survive here, one had to adapt to this ridiculous spending.

Kane had been through this before.

There was no need to curse this damn failed game.

"Camilla."

"Yes?"

"You don't have any money, do you?"

"Of course not. You took all my money, my lord."

Camilla looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry about that. I'll pay you back soon."

"I didn't say anything because it was you, my lord. If it were anyone else, I would have pestered them to pay me back constantly."

"No, I'll pay you back right now."

Kane went to the commercial district where Daniel was.

"Old man."

Kane roughly opened the door.

Inside, Daniel was busy working.

Because Kane had reappeared, Daniel stopped what he was doing.

"I need some money."

"Money… you say?"

"I have to repay a debt. And I need some for other expenses."

At Kane's confident demand, Daniel adjusted his glasses.

"This money is tied to Rehinar and cannot be used for personal purposes."

Daniel Lindeman was a by-the-book individual.

Thorough and principled.

He adhered strictly to rules and regulations.

'I should have set aside some personal funds. Was it a mistake to allocate everything taken from the corrupt territory residents for the betterment of Rehinar?'

He had to repay all debts to use the territory commands.

It wasn't just the amount; the time limit was also short.

So, he had urgently allocated all the money taken from the corrupt territory residents to Rehinar.

'If I demand it from this old man, his favorablity towards me will decrease. I'll have to trade with the Water Mana Stones.'

The Water Mana Stones was entirely his own acquisition.

Meaning, it was his personal property.

"Then give me some advance on the Mana Stones."

"That can be arranged."

As expected, Daniel, who was usually firm, readily agreed.

That stubborn old man.

People need to be flexible.

That's why he later regrets things on his deathbed.

"How much of an advance do you need?"

"Just advance me 4 million gold."

"What do you need such a large amount of money for?"

"There's something I need to use it for."

"You'll need to tell me the reason for the advance."

Kane stared at Daniel.

Daniel flinched under his gaze.

Kane was no longer the kind-hearted Young Master he once was.

He was now a sharp and rough tyrant.

Nevertheless,

"The principle of advancing money is to know why the person needs it."

Daniel adhered strictly to his principles.

Sensing the tension, Camilla intervened.

"I'm sorry, sir. The Young Master likely needs the money to repay me…"

At that moment,

Kane interrupted her.

"If you want to know why I need the money, bring the 4 million gold and follow me. I'll increase the advance amount in exchange for explaining the reason."

"If your reason is valid, I'll advance you the amount you request."

"Keep your promise."

* * *

Kane climbed the western wall with Daniel.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Didn't you want to know where I'm spending the money?"

"Is there a reason for being here?"

"If you want to know, hand over the money."

Daniel handed Kane the 4 million gold..

Kane took the money and purchased wooden fences.

[You have purchased 400 Wooden Fences (★).]

[You have spent 4,000,000G.]

The large sum of money vanished instantly.

[Please designate the locations to place the Wooden Fences (★).]

Kane's hands moved erratically in the air.

Daniel, watching him, tilted his head in confusion.

[You have designated all positions for the Wooden Fences (★). Proceed? (Y/N)]

'Yes.'

When he pressed the 'YES' button floating in the air, something astonishing happened.

A magic circle appeared before Kane, and wooden fences began to materialize in front of the wall.

"What!"

One by one, the fences appeared.

There were 400 of them in total.

It wasn't enough to completely block the area in front of the wall.

Still, it was better than having nothing.

"W-why the wooden fences…?"

Daniel looked at Kane with trembling eyes.

"That's why I needed the money."

He spoke honestly, except for the part about buying them from a shop window.

"Could it be?!"

Daniel's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

They looked like they might pop out of his head.

He already had a hunch.

He had experienced similar situations when Kane was Ray Hatzfeld.

'No matter how much I tried to hide it, everyone thought differently from what I expected.'

"Did you use interdimensional magic to buy the fences from a distant city?"

Daniel thought the shop window was some sort of interdimensional magic.

"Something like that."

"Y-Young Master can even use interdimensional magic…."

Daniel seemed deeply shocked.

He couldn't close his mouth.

The dullard now not only used swordsmanship but also interdimensional magic.

It must have been a huge mental shock for him.

"Interdimensional magic is a technique used by at least a 4th-class mage…" Daniel muttered, and Kane turned his head.

"Camilla, the old man seems quite shocked, doesn't he?"

"Of course. I'm so surprised I can barely speak right now."

"You too?"

"Absolutely. Interdimensional magic is incredibly impressive. They say 4th-class, but how many mages can actually use it in their lifetime? And you, my lord, have mainly trained in swordsmanship."

Camilla's voice was filled with excitement.

"How many magic swordsmen are there?"

"Magic swordsmen are common. But none can use such a variety of magic like you, my lord."

Even when he was Ray Hatzfeld, the reactions were the same.

That's why he revealed it easily.

Gaining the trust of reliable allies was crucial.

Sure enough,

[Daniel Lindeman's favorability has increased +1.]

[Daniel Lindeman's favorability has increased +1.]

[Daniel Lindeman's favorability has increased +1.]

…

…

…

[Camilla's favorability has increased +1.]

As expected, the favorability of Camilla and Daniel increased significantly.

* * *

Two days later, Rehinar was abuzz with activity.

The residents were still talking about the recent events.

"Have you heard the rumors about the Young Master?"

"They say he killed the thugs from the Baor farm."

"I heard their bodies were shriveled up."

"Is that true?"

The man who initiated the conversation glanced around cautiously before speaking.

"They say he used demonic magic."

"Gasp!"

"The Young Master must have gotten his hands on a forbidden spell book banned by the Empire."

"Otherwise, how could that fool have not only killed the thugs but also cut off the Blue Wolf mercenary leader's arm?"

The thugs from Baor farm.

The Blue Wolf Mercenary Group.

They weren't ordinary people.

They were former soldiers who had served in the military.

Men who had seen much action on the battlefield.

"Rehinar is doomed now."

"That's why the Duke hasn't gone out on an expedition again."

"I'm going to move to Dyer."

"I feel the same. There's no hope here."

Those who believed that Kane had used forbidden magic turned their backs on Rehinar.

Ignorant people.

If they had remembered even a bit of the old stories passed down through generations, they wouldn't have made such foolish decisions.

On the other hand, there were residents who were jubilant.

"Finally, he has bloomed into his talent."

"It's the magic the head of the family used in his prime, right?"

"Do you think so too?"

"Draining all the moisture from bodies can only be the skill 'Void of Water'."

The eyes of the old men discussing this were gleaming.

Although it seemed like a cruel magic used by demons,

It had an official name.

A technique that was both swordsmanship and magic.

The "Void of Water" of the Twin Sword Technique of Protection.

The technique that had once made Rehinar the most feared entity on the continent.

The old men remembered this swordsmanship clearly.

"Now he will fully stretch his wings."

"Indeed."

Their faces lit up with joy.

It seemed their wrinkled skin and age spots had disappeared.

Meanwhile…

In the basement of a certain building, a bald man sat at a table, nervously tapping his feet. He seemed to be anxiously waiting for someone.

Crash—

The basement door opened, and a woman entered. The bald man immediately bombarded her with questions.

"What happened?"

"They've all been expelled."

"Really?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. Not through the eastern or southern gates, but through the western gate, into the demon forest."

The bald man flinched. The demon forest was a place of fear for the residents.

"Damn it, are we going to get caught and killed too?"

"The higher-ups' identities are still hidden. Only the middle managers have been expelled so far."

"There are rumors that they're purging traitors. We could be caught any time."

The bald man was the de facto owner of Rehinar's trade route. His name was Peter Shade, the most corrupt person in Rehinar. He even colluded with Rivan Dyer, selling Rehinar's information. Getting caught would be worse than death.

"Still no word from Mr. Rivan?"

"No."

"It's been a month since he arrived. He infiltrated the Rehinar family and hasn't contacted us at all…"

"Do you think something happened to him?"

Peter furrowed his brow.

"That can't be. They wouldn't dare touch Dyer."

"Isn't it strange? Mr. Rivan has disappeared, and the Young Master is suddenly purging traitors."

"That's true."

"Duke Carl also isn't making any moves. Normally, he'd be busy with supplies, but now he hasn't left his estate."

"Now that you mention it, it is strange."

Whenever Duke Carl returned to his estate, he always did the same thing. As soon as he gathered supplies, he would immediately head back to the battlefield. He had repeated this for the past five years. But this time, there was no news of him returning to the front.

"Should I spy on the Rehinar family?"

"No! Previously, the Duke and the Guardian Knights weren't around, but now they are. If you get caught spying, it's over."

"Then do we just wait for Mr. Rivan?"

"I've heard that the Holy Sword Knights from Dyer are coming to find Mr. Rivan. We should make contact with them."

"The Holy tree Knights!?"

"Their captain 'Theo lion' was once a resident of Rehinar, and he's the one leading the knights this time."