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Chapter 20
Carrot and Stick
"Is this a monster?"
Jed looked down at something with a disgusted face.
It was a monster brought by Count Consillus's soldiers.
A bear monster stuffed inside a hard, thick stone box.
Bound tightly with iron chains and its joints bent and sealed so it couldn't exert its strength even if it recovered, completely neutralized.
E n̊ǔm̆ă
"Right."
"This is my first time seeing a monster. Since I never had occasion to encounter them, I didn't know they were this creepy."
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"You sound like a noble young lady."
"Even if I look like this, I grew up preciously. On the Red-Eyed Tribe side..."
Jed made a bitter face as he spoke the words "Red-Eyed Tribe."
Jed's eyes turned toward Ferda.
Én̆ ǔ ḿ ӑ
"So why did you call me?"
"I called you to work as my attendant."
"Is it related to this bear guy?"
Ferda tilted his head and looked down at the monster.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"...What are you going to do with this guy?"
"Even bound like this, it's a guy that keeps growing in bulk. I put a brake on it so it looks harmless now, but in about an hour its heart will start beating again."
W̃ е̌ b̀n̊ оv̈еl̆ Е n̄ ŭṁ а̊
"Huh..."
"And if it feels its life threatened like now, it'll grow several times faster than usual."
"So?"
Ferda sharply cut the air with his index finger.
"We have to carve off its flesh every 3 hours. Tendons and nerves, all of it."
Ferda patted Jed's shoulder and said.
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"You're going to do that."
"...Keep carving it every 3 hours? When do I sleep?"
To that question, Ferda answered like this.
"They say believers in the southern region pray every 3 hours. Without missing a single day."
"No, I'm not from there, am I? Humanly speaking, how can I do it every 3 hours?"
"They even pray every 3 hours, so you can do it too."
W е́ b_nо̊v̀ ӗl̂ Е nūm̌å.
"Th-then... can't I take turns with that little maid girl?"
"Like I said, she's not my loyal attendant. If you can persuade her, I won't stop you."
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"..."
Jed shut his mouth tight.
Even Jed, who thought he could easily seduce women like eating cake, found the dragon spawn troublesome.
"No need to worry. It's not for life. Just until Burnell produces research results."
E n uṁ a
"Until research results come out... how many days does that take?"
"Could take a few months."
"A few months..."
A hollow laugh automatically burst out.
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I have to keep carving up a monster every 3 hours?
-Geureuk geureuk
Ӗ n̈ u m̌á
The bear monster exhaled disgusting breaths.
Even though I haven't carved its flesh yet, haven't even done it, a disgusting smell seemed to rise.
"...Did you recruit me to make me do this kind of thing?"
"If not for this kind of thing, when would I ever use you?"
"Huu... alright. I just have to somehow manage until the research ends, right?"
He asked in a meaningful voice.
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"Of course."
"Haha, thank you for that."
He says thanks, but anger was blazing in his eyes.
His eyes turned red and emitted a fierce light.
Ferda didn't know what future awaited Burnell.
And he didn't care.
W̄_е̄ b n о̄v е̄ ĺ Е́n̄ úm̃ å
He'll handle it well enough.
* * *
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Two days later, a single horse returned to Valdrova Castle carrying a person.
It was Burnell, who had been recuperating under Count Consillus.
He had returned after facing a near-death experience from mana burning out.
'Today's me is different from yesterday's me.'
Е n̂ú ṁ а̇
Burnell was filled with elation.
He believed a new experience had led him to a higher place.
'From now on, I'll research with my life on the line.'
If you want power to change the world, you put in that much effort.
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You discard your complacent self and resolve to burn your own body.
That was looking toward a higher place.
Ênu̇ mа̇. id̄
Burnell, who had left his horse at the stable, discovered a person standing at the castle gate.
Excluding Ruri and Ferda, it was the first outsider he'd seen at Valdrova Castle.
'Handsome person...'
Brown ponytail, tall height.
A man so handsome even a man would admire.
He approached him, knowing Burnell was looking at him and smiling.
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One thing visible up close that couldn't be noticed from afar.
'He looks kind of tired...'
Dark circles faintly hung under his eyes.
He must have been suffering from something until recently.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jed."
That man smiled refreshingly and introduced himself.
Ѐ n̂ u̇m̈a
"Ah, hello. I'm Burnell."
"Yes, I've heard. By any chance, how old are you?"
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"Uh, that's tw-twenty-seven..."
"Ah, you're older than me. Then I'll call you hyung."
"Ah, yes."
"Let's go to the laboratory, hyung."
Wё b̌n о̆v e l̄ .Ë ñ u m ӑ
Jed guided him.
'To think I'd hear hyung from such a cool person!'
But as they say, happiness comes after hardship?
After suffering a bit from the bear monster and overcoming a near-death experience, he was now proudly hearing hyung.
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The slight resentment he'd felt when he first came here completely flew away.
"Here's the captured bear monster."
Еn̂u m̃ а. íd̂.
"Ah, right. It's alive and well managed..."
"Of course. Who managed it?"
"Jed managed it? Thank you."
"Haha, no need for thanks.
Jed laughed and dragged a nearby chair.
Deureureureuk
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For some reason, that sound chillingly resembled an executioner rising from hell.
Wondering where he was dragging it, he placed it in front of the entrance.
He plopped down, crossed his arms and legs.
As if blocking the entrance.
"Now, begin."
No, he IS blocking it.
Е n u ṁа
"Huh?"
"The research. Time's precious, so hurry up and start."
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His figure faintly illuminated by candlelight.
When he was in the sunlight I didn't notice, but those dark circles hung down long.
"Thanks to hyung's research, this dongsaeng has to wake up every 3 hours and with this dagger!"
Kwang!
W ӗ b n̂ о̇ vеl̂ E ṅ u_m̊ a
"Hieek!"
"I have to slice up that monster bastard?"
"Uh, th-that... I'm sorry...!"
"Oh my, no need to be sorry. If this dongsaeng needs anything, tell me. I'll bring 'anything.' So hyung, don't worry and devote yourself to research."
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Inferno of Extreme Heat burned in Jed's eyes, and the dagger stuck in the table emitted the frost of Frozen Hell.
"And sleep? Just sleep when you're dead?"
Web̂n̄ о v ӗ l Е ńum̆а̀
One word echoed in Burnell's head.
No take-backs!
* * *
An army was moving along the boulevard.
At the vanguard, two knights rode horses, and immediately behind them a standard-bearer with the family symbol fluttered a flagpole.
In the middle surrounded by the army, a splendid carriage moved slowly.
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Baron Giyot was moving for official duties.
The place he was heading was Valdrova Castle.
Its appearance on the mountainside of the Lonely Mountain in the East could be confirmed from afar.
"Keueueuek..."
Baron Giyot felt his stomach twisting.
The closer to the castle, the worse it got.
E̊n ūm̌ а̊
"Damn it. Father said he had no business there but told nothing but lies..."
"My lord, take a deep breath."
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"Right, deep breath, huu... I, the third son of the Giyot family, can't be scared of something like this."
"That's right. Absolutely!"
Baron Giyot took a deep breath.
Although he was now fat and dull beyond measure, he was once a knight.
Е̄.nu mа. і d
Just a knight in name only who had never set foot on a battlefield.
No martial tales, no medals, so it was only natural he was pushed to a borderland baron position.
"Don't be too scared just because he's that Red Lizard bastard's fiancé. The Giyot family has solid connections, doesn't it? Blood is thicker than water!"
"B-but that bastard, they say he even killed a Wolcheo family person?"
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"The Wolcheo family has no backlash, does it? It wouldn't have been strange if they were exterminated. The Giyot family won't be touched recklessly."
"Is that so? Yeah, that'll be it."
É n̆ ū m а̃.іd
Baron Giyot desperately tried self-hypnosis at his servant's words.
Meanwhile, the carriage had already entered the castle.
The carriage door opened, and before Baron Giyot, a red carpet was spread out.
In the middle of it stood a silver-haired little maid.
Valdrova's dragon spawn.
"You've come?"
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"Th-that's right."
"This way."
Ruri walked ahead.
Baron Giyot walked on the red carpet with his close aide knights.
Well-maintained, no eerie energy.
But the castle interior, which should have been filled with stewards and soldiers, was desolate and rather tormented Baron Giyot.
Е ñū m а̌ . i̊d̂
Like crawling into Leviathan's belly.
'Don't be conscious. Don't be conscious...'
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Like that, a door blocked his way.
A great gate engraved with the dragon's martial tales.
At human eye level, this phrase was clearly engraved.
-Revere the Primordial Flame, Master of Power.
Ẇе́b̂ nо vеl̃ Еňū ḿа
The door opens.
Inside, a man stood up from his seat and welcomed Baron Giyot.
He flinched and trembled.
"You've had a hard time coming."
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Gray hair, blue eyes.
Those eyes were like looking into a deep, deep lake, making one's breath choke.
En̊ üm̈а
It was Ferda Valdrova.
"You're sweating a lot. Was the journey hard?"
"Ah, no. Haha..."
"I see. Then you must lack exercise, so lose some weight. Obesity makes early death easy."
"Thank you for your concern for my health."
"Come this way."
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Ferda pointed to the opposite side of the table and seated Baron Giyot.
The sweat flowing from Baron Giyot's body didn't think of stopping.
"You're suffering quite a bit in the Far East."
"It's nothing that deserves to be called suffering! Compared to the weight His Highness the Grand Duke bears, it's shallow as a bird's tear."
"Right. Your work is just a bird's tear."
Ferda's naturally continuing words blurred for the first time.
W е̄ b̌ñ о v́ ê l Е n ūm̃ а
The atmosphere changed.
Baron Giyot could fully understand.
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He had been taken in by his words.
"I didn't particularly want to confirm, but since I became Regent, I got more interested. So I just took a little look at your documents."
Thud!
He held out those "just a little looked at" documents right in front of him.
W_e ḃn õ v̌ ѐ l _E nü m̂ а̄_
"Traces of forgery show up a lot."
Baron Giyot's Adam's apple bobbed.
He should naturally get angry asking why he's bringing that up now, but Giyot couldn't.
He let Ferda speak.
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"There's not just one or two things that don't match. Do you know how much disappeared in total doing that?"
Ferda pointed to the number he'd organized.
Wеb n̂о̃v̀ е l Ėnù m а̊
"3,000 golden."
Golden is the unit counting gold coins.
"It says you swallowed 3,000 gold coins that commoners wouldn't touch once in a lifetime."
"Th-that's not something I entered..."
"Of course you didn't do it. How would a person like you write such handwriting?"
Elegant handwriting that clearly says 'ghostwrote this.' at a glance.
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Ferda already knew that part too.
"You took a little for yourself and gave a little to the guys under you to make them accomplices. Those guys under you shared with their underlings, so what you actually pocketed is naturally less than 3,000 golden. But what are nobles? The more they luxuriate, the heavier their necks must be."
Ferda immediately moved to the next document and started reciting one by one.
"Charges are embezzlement, official document forgery, breach of dignity..."
With each word he recited, Baron Giyot's face seemed to age a year.
"...According to Imperial Criminal Law, depending on the severity, a minimum fine of 10,000 golden can be collected..."
E n̄ u ḿa_
Ferda's blue eyes stared at him.
"At maximum, you can be executed by hanging and displayed on the castle gate."
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Thesalos Wolcheo's end suddenly flashed through his mind.
Baron Giyot knelt with a pale blue face.
"Please spare me just once! Never again! I'll never do this again, Your Regency!"
"Hmm."
E n̆ u m̈.а́ .і.ḋ
Ferda stood up and patted his shoulder.
"Listen well. I'm not saying don't do this kind of thing."
"Ye-yes?"
"I said I don't care at all about you filling your belly. Regardless of how much you actually filled it, I have no interest."
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"Th-then why did you..."
"What I think is important is capability."
Eǹ ů mа. іd̃
"Ca-capability... you say?"
"I think a capable person who's a bit dirty is better than a clean but incompetent one. A little deviation for the whole is none of my business. Whether you eat delicious food, roll around with a prostitute named Rosemary, I don't care at all."
Ferda whispered in his ear.
"Prove your capability. Resolve the food problem and monster issues promptly and contribute to stabilizing the people's livelihood. Or..."
Ferda waved the paper flutteringly.
"This official document might accidentally fly to the Imperial Capital. The Emperor will of course learn of your corruption, and your parents and siblings too. Then a fierce race will unfold between the Imperial executioner and your family knights over who gets to your neck first. Understand?"
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"Ah, I understand! I'll definitely prove it!"
"Good. Story ends here. Go on."
Baron Giyot fled that spot like someone who'd stuck his head in a guillotine and pulled it out.
Ferda checked Baron Giyot's name on the interview list with a satisfied face.
'As expected, having someone think for me is convenient.'
No matter how Ferda reached the rank of Archmage, he wasn't well-versed in this annoying paperwork.
Wе_b̌ ñ ӧ v̌е̃ ľ Е̇n̂u m ӑ
To point out which part was used how, you need related knowledge and experience, but Ferda had neither of the two.
What became Ferda's head was none other than Mori.
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A girl who looks dull, but a child with the Library of All Things in her head.
Ferda instructed Mori like this.
-From now on, review all contents written in ledgers and reports, and summarize all mismatched parts. And also how much the sentence would be based on Imperial Criminal Law.
Mori nodded and quickly scanned the ledger contents.
Ẅ ӗ b̊ n̄ о̃v е̂ĺ Е̄ n̈ ü m_â
Para-rak—!
Speed reading so absurd it's like she's pretending to read books.
Work that would take several people a week, she was rapidly resolving.
Thus, she documented the corruption of 14 lords one by one, and Ferda based on that met them one by one.
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'Corruption doesn't matter anyway.'
Just as there's no fish without a fishy smell, there's no noble without corruption.
W̌ еḃñоv̇ ė l̄ Е̌ n um̆ а̂
Ferda only thought of discarding them if they weren't capable.
They just had to prove that the reason they'd held their positions wasn't because their butts were heavy.
"You made even Baron Giyot leave crying like a child."
Ruri, who had been watching quietly, spoke.
"About 5 more left."
"You just threaten like this, are you thinking of becoming a tyrant?"
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"Just threats? This is the first time I've swung the whip."
"Whip...?"
"Carrot and stick. The core strategy is alternating those two."
Ruri recalled the series of memories with Ferda and tilted her head.
"But you've only been whipping harshly until now?"
"Is that so?"
Еnu mа́
"Yes. It looks like you intend to crush them with fear. Or has your threshold gotten higher because pain's too familiar?"
"Hmm..."
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Ferda didn't realize at all that he was only whipping as Ruri said.
"Whatever."
Even if Ruri was right and he was only whipping, he had no intention of presenting a carrot right now.
"They've been nothing but useless donkeys eating up the carrot storage, so shouldn't I make them work a bit?"
Ёn.u mа́
"That's also correct."
Ruri acknowledged those words and nodded.
Ferda Valdrova.
For the development of the Grand Duke's territory, he swings the whip hard today too.
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