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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 48: Eastern Territory『Klaus』
Located in the eastern reaches of the Empire, the territory known as『Klaus』was one of the region’s major wheat-producing domains.
Like most cities in the Empire, Klaus was rotting from within—ravaged by obscene wealth disparity and the unchecked indulgence of the nobility.
Even so, because it was part of the breadbasket region, food remained plentiful.
There was even an old saying:
’No one starves in Klaus, not even a beggar.’
The current lord of Klaus,『Royce Klaus』, had recently inherited the position from his aging father.
He was in his twenties, young—yet with a bloated, soft body that looked like it had never seen a day of exercise.
And lately, he had become… increasingly irritated.
The reason?
His neighboring territory: Dreihart.
Dreihart had long served as a kind of ‘punching bag’ for Klaus.
A slave-run city with miserable living conditions. Its very existence made the citizens of Klaus feel better about their own lot.
But then… the situation changed.
The slave city, which had once teetered on the edge of collapse due to rebellion, came under the rule of House Cron of the South—and it began to rapidly transform.
All the slaves were freed.
They became paid laborers, earning twice the wage of a standard worker in Klaus.
Then came the rise of UFC-style arena fights, a brutal spectacle featuring warriors that quickly gained popularity—especially among hot-blooded young men, who suddenly saw Dreihart as the new land of glory.
It was simple, really:
Become strong.
Earn fame.
Claim honor.
Young warriors flocked to Dreihart like moths to flame.
And then, using the unique geography of Dreihart, they began cultivating spices—flavorful, exotic spices that transformed the cuisine of surrounding territories.
Demand exploded.
Royce nearly fainted when he heard the market price:
Those spices were selling for up to 20 times the price of wheat—by weight.
He immediately screamed for his wheat fields to be ripped out and replaced with spice crops.
His retainers had to spend hours explaining the nuances of soil conditions and seed availability just to stop him from destroying the region’s food supply.
But what gnawed at him more than anything else… was the very man behind Dreihart’s rise:
Calyx, Lord of House Cron.
A young noble who had become a territory lord around the same time as Royce, yet in just 2 years, Calyx had tripled the development of his domain, founded the new territory of Dreihart from scratch, and even brought down the infamous『Lion of Hell』Hadem—a warlord whose name was once feared across the East.
The legend of the young hero spread fast.
Minstrels sang songs of his deeds, and those songs?
They reached even the people of Klaus.
Even with Royce slipping bribes to bards and inviting the best musicians to compose songs for him, no one was singing them.
His father—now retired—just clicked his tongue at him, telling him not to get into any more ridiculous antics. That attitude, like he had given up on Royce without even bothering to criticize him, was what enraged Royce the most.
If it were up to him, he’d beat the crap out of the freedmen running off to Dreihart and send knights to attack the place outright. But he couldn’t. Not after hearing what happened to Hadem—the one who ‘did’ try that—and how he ended up under Calyx’s boot.
Still, Royce couldn’t sit back and do nothing. So he summoned his steward and old friend: Beric Kass.
“You summoned me, Lord Royce?”
“Yes, Beric. I need that crafty brain of yours.”
“If you need my cunning, something must really be gnawing at you.”
Beric said, twitching his ever-narrowed eyes with a smirk.
Beric already knew why he was called and what Royce wanted. But he didn’t say it out loud. A truly clever advisor pretends not to know and reads his lord’s heart first.
“That damned desert rat next door—Dreihart—is growing way too big. They’re starting to push into our domain. I want to teach them a lesson they won’t forget. Think there’s a way?”
At Royce’s words, Beric paused, pretending to think it over.
Then, pulling out what he’d clearly prepared ahead of time, he said—
“Not just humbling them—we could take ‘everything’ from them, my lord.”
“Oh!? And how would we do that!?”
Royce nearly shouted in glee. The mere thought of stripping Dreihart bare made ten years of pent-up frustration melt away.
But when he actually heard Beric’s plan—he was floored.
“Th-There’s really a way to do something like that…? That’s even possible?”
“I’ve gathered this information over the last ten years of quiet observation. If we choose to act, it ‘is’ possible.”
Even so, the plan sounded dangerous. If it worked, the rewards would be enormous. But if they failed—or worse, if the Platinum Council got involved—Royce’s father would never forgive him.
As Royce hesitated, Beric stoked the fire in his heart.
“My lord, the world is in chaos. It's eat or be eaten—there's no in-between.”
“A chaotic world…”
That struck a chord. Royce thought of his father’s parting words—how he’d kept repeating, even in his last moments as lord, that in times like these, one misstep could destroy an entire noble house.
“In times like these, ‘justice’ means nothing. Do you think Calyx of House Cron became a hero because he was just? No. He ‘won’—that’s why he’s a hero.”
“A hero…”
Beric knew exactly what Royce’s inferiority complex was.
So he dropped the name that would sting the most: Calyx.
“You could become a victorious hero too, my lord. This plan could be your first step.”
“Hmm…”
Royce found himself smiling—he couldn’t hide it. The idea of becoming a hero lit something deep inside him.
Then Beric went in for the kill.
“Just imagine it—Calyx the Silver Dragon of Cron, down on his knees before you, begging for mercy.”
If Beric’s plan worked, even that scene—Calyx Cron, brought low—wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Royce made his decision.
“Alright! Let’s do it, Beric!”
“Yes, my lord. I will begin preparations at once.”
In the eastern territory of Klaus, another dark scheme was about to take root.
＊ ＊ ＊
Some time had passed since the invitation from Lord Zeras and the encounter with Princess Lily.
A lot had gone down—Azelle and Lana were injured, among other chaos—but thankfully, no one died, and everyone made it back safe.
Hart, Nova, and Sharon had nearly lost it when they heard what happened. They were ready to go full berserker, track down the bloodkin and unleash『Flame of Lanyx』on them. I had to hold them back, which was... not fun.
Actually, now that I think about it, it wasn’t just “not fun.” It was absolute hell. I think my heart pounded harder defusing that mess than it did when we were under attack.
Anyway, all that madness eventually settled, and everything seemed to be returning to normal.
But a few days later, something... strange started happening.
It began with Lana.
I got up like usual that morning, grabbed an apple, and stepped out of the bedroom. As always, Lana was waiting for me in the hall.
“Good morning, my lord.”
“Yeah, good morning, La—”
And then I froze.
There she was, standing like she always did—except... her skin had turned a deep bronze, like she’d been out sunbathing in a desert for weeks.
“Are you all right, my lord?”
“Uhh... Lana? Your face…”
“They say this makeup style is trending lately. What do you think? Does it please you, my lord?”
Lana looked at me expectantly, like she was fishing for compliments.
I dodged her gaze and retreated into the bathroom. Fast.
Something was VERY off, and I had a bad feeling about all of it.
That feeling? It was dead-on.
“Good morning, my lord!”
“No—Nova… Your skin too…?”
“Ah! How is it? This is that trendy look everyone’s doing. Do you think it’s pretty, my lord?”
Now Nova had shown up to the office—also glowing in that deep bronzed tone like she just got back from a beach photoshoot in another world.
Two of my people were suddenly rocking this new look like they were auditioning for a fantasy tanning ad.
I had SO MANY thoughts.
But I bit my tongue—one wrong word and I’d be branded a full-on racist, and I was not about to get canceled in my own damn house.
And then, from outside—
“My lord! Lady Sharon has arrived.”
“Let her in.”
I braced myself.
Azelle and Sharon entered… and yup.
Of course they did.
Their skin, too, was now a deep shade of polished chestnut.
“So… you two also went with this makeup trend?”
“Yes! That’s right!”
“They said this look is in style now, so we tried it. Do you think it suits me, my lord?”
Boom. Just like that, the room was now four-for-four with the bronzed makeover squad.
Looking at them all, I suddenly remembered this cheesy game from my past life—one of those color-matching ones. Four of the same shade in a row? That’d trigger a bonus explosion or something.
Assessing the situation, I cleared my throat and said—
“Just so we’re clear—I do like dark skin tones. But I don’t ONLY like dark skin tones. I actually like all of you just as you are.”
The moment those words left my mouth, all four of them turned and stared straight at Lana.
She did her best to dodge their glares and stared off into space like a guilty cat.
“So... before we get to work, let’s all return to your original appearances.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Snap!
With a single finger snap from Sharon, their tanned skin vanished—like magic—revealing their usual, fresh complexions.
Now THIS was right.
I felt like my eyes were being cleansed by divine light.
I smiled, then shifted back to business.
“So, Nova. What was the urgent matter for today?”
She’d been the one who called the meeting first thing in the morning, after all.
Nova’s expression turned serious.
“My lord, I believe the Klaus family is plotting something against our Dreihart territory.”
“Plotting?”
“Yes. They’ve started buying up food supplies.”
…What the hell?
I hadn’t even heard the whole explanation yet and already felt a headache coming on.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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