Several months had passed.
With the development of the pioneer village on track, the territory’s finances had become abundant, and significant progress had been made.
<Schrantz County>
Lord: Hugo von Schrantz
Loyalty: 87
Population: 4,001
- Public Safety: 61/100 (Average)
- Living Standards: 7/10 (Stable)
- Cultural Level: 2/10 (Weak)
- Military Strength: 8/10 (Strong)
- Happiness of the Residents: 64 (Satisfied)
“Oh, the territory’s population has finally surpassed 4,000?”
Ian had been checking the population daily after it crossed 3,900.
A smile spread across his face.
Thanks to the continuous influx of people and births, Schrantz had finally surpassed 4,000 residents.
While the population was still insufficient, it was a positive development.
‘And we’ve also identified and eliminated all the spies.’
After determining that the information Nea provided was reliable, Jurdan advised Hubert to eliminate the spies as soon as possible.
Upon hearing that there were spies in the territory, Hubert immediately ordered their arrest, and within a few days, they were all captured and sent to the pioneer village.
By now, they were likely spending their days productively deep underground.
‘They were either kidnapped by remnants of Den’s bandit group or disguised as accidents.’
Nea had worked hard to cover this up.
But her beaming smile, as if all the effort was nothing, was unforgettable.
‘Only six months left, right?’
Until the Grand Schrantz Alliance attacks.
Ian had been diligently stockpiling supplies for this.
While rumors spread that the stockpiling was due to the monster attack, in reality, it was all for the war against the Grand Schrantz Alliance.
‘Well, those supplies will be used up quickly.’
Ian knew better than anyone that the rate of consumption would outpace production.
Having learned from the monster uprising, Ian was more serious than anyone about stockpiling supplies.
Fortunately, the pioneer village was producing high-quality iron ore, which was being used to create excellent weapons at a low cost.
Thanks to this, everyone from the knights to the lowest-ranking soldiers had their outdated equipment replaced with new gear.
‘And all of it was made by Olgrim.’
He had heard that everyone was praising the new equipment for being far superior to the old.
Schrantz soldiers were already excellent individually, and now with better equipment?
The day the Grand Schrantz Alliance attacks will be the day hell breaks loose for them.
‘But we can’t let our guard down. Schrantz has to face four families.’
The Earl of Erce, the Earl of Filchner, the Viscount of Darion, and the Viscount of Duser.
These four families would attack from the east, west, and south.
‘To defeat an enemy that outnumbers us, we need firepower! And even more firepower!’
Jurdan and the treasurer kept saying it was time to stop, but Ian couldn’t give up on stockpiling supplies.
Knock knock!
“Young Master, are you inside?”
Nea’s voice came through the door.
“Come in.”
With Ian’s permission, the door opened, and Nea entered.
She was still working as Ian’s personal maid.
“What is it?”
“The lord is calling for you.”
Hugo’s condition had severely worsened, and he was unconscious more often than not.
For him to call for Ian now…
“Alright.”
Ian set aside his work for the moment and followed Nea to the sickroom.
Upon arriving, Ian soon faced Hugo.
The robust, masculine figure Hugo once cut was nowhere to be seen.
Only a gaunt, skeletal patient remained.
It wouldn’t be long before he lost consciousness entirely and became bedridden.
“You’ve come?”
“Yes.”
“Everyone, leave us.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Once everyone had left the room, Hugo finally spoke.
“Is the work difficult?”
“It’s manageable now.”
It had essentially become his own work.
After doing it for months, it would be strange if he hadn’t gotten used to it.
“Good. From what the advisor tells me, you’re doing well. It must be tough taking on tasks you’ve never done before. It’s admirable how you’ve shouldered Hubert’s burden without complaint.”
It seemed Hugo’s extreme doting on his son persisted even in his illness.
Though he could barely move a finger, he couldn’t hug or pat Ian’s head as he used to.
Hugo and Ian exchanged small talk they hadn’t been able to share during their time apart.
Though the conversation was trivial, it was warm and friendly.
After a while, Hugo spoke again.
“Ian.”
“Yes.”
“There’s something I want to ask you.”
Just as the conversation was winding down, Hugo suddenly posed a question.
“What is it?”
Hugo stared intently at Ian.
Realizing Hugo had something serious to say, Ian waited quietly.
After a long silence, Hugo finally spoke.
“Even now, since you’ve changed, you’ve never once called me ‘Father.’ Why is that?”
“……”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Ian fell silent.
Though he had chosen to live as ‘Ian’ rather than ‘Kyung-hoon,’ calling Hugo ‘Father’ didn’t come easily.
And he didn’t feel like Hugo was truly his father.
That was natural.
Suddenly, the game had become reality, and he had to call a man of a different race ‘Father.’
That was part of why he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
He had thought that one day, when he felt more comfortable, he would call him ‘Father.’
But that day had never come.
‘Well, it’s time to shed this awkwardness.’
Hugo was a father who genuinely loved his son.
At times, that love had been overwhelming.
But his affection was sincere, not pretended.
Having experienced that affection firsthand, Ian knew it well.
And so.
“No matter what anyone says, I am the eldest son of Hugo von Schrantz, a honorable and brave knight and lord. Father.”
Finally, as the true ‘Ian,’ he called him ‘Father.’
Once he said it, it didn’t feel awkward at all.
He wished he had called him ‘Father’ sooner.
“Good, that sounds much better.”
Hugo smiled contentedly as he looked at Ian.
“I trust you’ll continue to work hard for your brother. It would be good if you two could maintain a close bond as brothers.”
Ian frowned as he listened.
“Why are you talking as if it’s the end?”
“You never know. It’s best to be prepared.”
“Don’t say such things. You’ll definitely recover.”
Sera had also started working on the Half Elixir.
Thanks to the herb garden he had previously established, rare and expensive herbs could now be easily obtained, and anything else needed was secured through the Endran Ducal House’s merchant caravans that traveled through the territory.
The production period for the Half Elixir was six months.
It would be ready before Hugo’s death.
‘If it succeeds, he’ll definitely recover.’
He had worked so hard to save him.
Ian had no intention of letting him die in vain.
“Yes, I see. I’m sorry.”
Hugo smiled.
But it was a smile of exhaustion.
Ian realized it was a forced smile, meant to reassure him.
“I’m feeling a bit tired now. My energy is draining, and even a short conversation is tiring…”
“We can talk anytime. I’ll visit you once the work is done. If you ever need someone to talk to, just call for me. I’ll come.”
“I can’t burden my busy son. But… if I really can’t stand it, I’ll call for you.”
“Yes, Father.”
Ian smiled at him, then stood up and left the room.
Soon after, Hugo fell into a deep sleep.
For Ian, calling him “Father” that day was truly fortunate.
Because after that, Hugo lost consciousness and never woke up.
—
* * *
After leaving the sickroom, Ian summoned Jurdan and Oswell, who happened to be together, and gathered them in one place.
He also called for Hubert.
“Brother, you called for me? What’s the matter?”
“There’s something important to discuss.”
Ian’s serious tone made them gather immediately.
This was the first time Ian had brought them together like this.
Seeing his grave expression, they nodded, tense and ready to listen.
Ian glanced around the room and then began to speak.
“I’ve gathered you here because there’s a matter of critical importance to the survival of our family.”
He even mentioned the family’s survival.
Everyone fell silent, their attention fully focused on him, wondering what he was about to say.
“Soon, our hostile families will attack us from all sides. At the latest, within six months, four families will form an alliance and come for us.”
“What? Brother, what are you talking about?”
“Young Master Ian, is this information reliable?”
Jurdan could only guess that it came from Nea.
And he assumed Ian had gathered this information from her and was now sharing it.
Of course, this wasn’t from Nea. Ian knew what was going to happen because he had lived through it.
“Sir Jurdan, have you heard any signs that they’re preparing for war?”
“I’ve heard from the Endran Ducal House’s merchants that their weapon trade has increased recently. But I thought it was just to replace outdated equipment. I assumed it was to fend off bandits, not to wage war against us.”
Ian, knowing what was coming, had chosen the right moment to prepare.
‘If I had told them earlier, they wouldn’t have believed me.’
So Ian had waited for the right time.
When Nea’s orders came down, and when the neighbour territory began trading weapons actively.
“They must be planning for it. If you doubt me, send people to investigate. You’ll find that their preparations far exceed what’s needed to deal with bandits.”
Jurdan sighed deeply.
“Just when things were starting to look up, they’re planning to attack us?”
Hubert’s expression darkened.
Just as the territory was beginning to develop and grow, they were planning to invade.
It was clear they intended to take everything they had built this time.
“Honestly, it’s hard to believe.”
Without concrete evidence, acting on mere speculation seemed unreasonable.
But Ian had prepared for this.
“Come in!”
Ian called out, and someone opened the door and entered.
It was Nea.
She greeted them and approached Hubert.
“She’ll explain.”
“Huh? Isn’t she your personal maid?”
What could a personal maid possibly explain?
‘I didn’t want to resort to this, but…’
It was necessary to reveal what he had been doing behind the scenes.
But to convince them, he had no choice.
They still looked at him with doubt, and Nea turned to Ian.
‘Should I really tell them?’
‘Tell them.’
Without speaking, they understood each other.
Nea began to speak.
“Young Master Hubert, I have a confession to make. I’m not just an ordinary maid.”
“What?”
“Though I was forced into it by threats against my mother, I was sent here as a spy for the Erce Count family. What happened was…”
Nea explained everything that had happened so far.
It was time to reveal the truth, as Hubert needed to be convinced that war was indeed coming.
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