Offer a Tribute and Become an Archmage - Chapter 234



Only Noblemtl

Episode 234.

When Federica returned to Enhide with the cocoon she had found, unfortunately the battle of the Margraves was already over.

“Enhide!”

“Enhide!”

“Enhide!!”

The battle is over.

No, the war is over.

“Benny. What happened?”

“It is as you can see. The Count has won.”

Same level of blackness.

The chieftain was said to be a strong warrior with extraordinary resilience. However, his opponent was not good. The Count’s power was to rupture frostbite through wounds.

“The chieftains competed to see who would be stronger: his own resilience or the Count’s coldness.”

As you can see, she won.

An orc who can fully recover from most wounds.

The power of the changeling that freezes and further destroys the wounded area is almost fraudulent. In addition, Enhide is holding on to the priest’s tree made by Ronobe.

The battle between the chieftain, who originally had extraordinary resilience, and the Count, who continued to recover, was a fight whose outcome was already decided from the beginning.

“You’re here.”

“Yes. But my arm…”

The left forearm that was left was completely gone this time. The Count, whose arm was made of ice from the forearm up, looked at his arm and tapped it as if it was nothing special.

“It’s a medal of victory. If you received that bastard’s neck with one arm, it’s a fine piece of work.”

“I will fix it for you.”

However, the Count shook his head.

“No need.”

“Yes? Why?”

“It’s a trace of the struggles I’ve lived through. I have no desire to erase it.”

“ah…”

I thought that might be the case.

For a knight, scars are a sign of survival.

History of battles.

Erasing it was no different from denying one’s own life.

“Did you do what you had to do?”

“yes.”

Ronobe looked at the kochi next to him. The Count also looked at it and was startled.

“You have a strange hobby…”

To the Count, it looked like they had killed a person and tied him up tightly. This was similar to the ecology of spiders, and it was not a very pleasant hobby.

“They say that wizards all have their own weird hobbies. I guess you have one too. Don’t worry. I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”

“That’s not it…”

Only after I told him the whole story did the Count understand.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I almost had a strange misunderstanding.”

“You misunderstood before I even said anything.”

“Where did you learn the habit of talking back? It’s better to correct your arrogant habits early on. More importantly, those people you brought with you. Those noisy ones over there.”

“yes?”

I thought you were going to change the subject, but you weren’t.

There was a group of idiots who were shouting all kinds of curses at the orcs who were trying to return and were trying to fight them.

“Fight! Fight!”

“Are you going to drink mom’s milk?”

“Let’s fight! With all our might!”

They were barbarians.

There were many people with thick pants, probably excited by the fight between the Warchief and the Count. It was a stark contrast to the orcs who were mourning the death of the Warchief.

‘Who is the orc…’

It was disgusting.

“The wise Hathar thinks. If you hug a woman, it’s an addition. If you kill an orc, it’s a subtraction!! We must fight now!!”

“Oh, ohhhhhh!!”

I don’t know what kind of fucking logic this is, but I had to stop them first. If we fought the orc army that lost its chieftain, we would probably win a great victory. However, there would definitely be unavoidable casualties on our side.

The North suffered catastrophic damage.

If you can avoid fighting, it’s better not to fight.

To begin with, there are a lot of them.

“I don’t mind fighting. The Northern Army doesn’t fear death. If I die on the battlefield, it’s a knight’s blessing.”

“No. I… want to stop fighting.”

Honestly, I’m sick of it.

This half year.

Come north and fight, fight, fight.

It was good to be strong and stir up trouble on the battlefield, but I wanted to stop hearing people get hurt and cry in pain.

‘If I were fighting alone, it wouldn’t matter.’

I’m a little tired now.

I succeeded in making Trinita a success and even made her dream witch, Federica, into a goch. It was quite difficult to get here because I kept getting nosebleeds even after drinking the potion.

I wanted to rest.

“ah.”

Is it because the tension has been relieved?

Beniga supported the staggering Ronobe at the same time.

“… to support you.”

“yes.”

There was a hint of regret in his eyes, but the Count had his own work to do. Beni quickly supported Ronobe and guided him to the guest room in Enhard Castle.

“Don’t worry. Liam and Sir Nas will take care of the rest. Ronobye can rest. I’ve got you covered.”

“huh…”

This half year.

I always slept on guard, never knowing when or where the enemy would pop out. When I opened my eyes, the screams of those in pain from injuries and those on the verge of death rang in my ears.

No matter how many deaths Ronobe had suffered during this era, the successive battles in the north were often miserable. The ruined towns and landscapes filled with death still cast a dark shadow.

They are happy now, but Ronobe knows that the scars of war still remain deep in their hearts and fester.

“Let’s fight! Let’s fight!!”

“I told you not to fight…”

I heard the sound of barbarians fighting.

It seems like they didn’t listen and ended up fighting. As the barbarians fought the orcs, the northern army also started fighting the orcs.

Ronobe closed his eyes as if he was tired.

*

Ronobe slept for days on end after the final battle in the north.

The fatigue of war was something that was more consuming than Ronobe had imagined, and he was still too young and inexperienced to endure it.

“So. How long are you going to sleep?”

“You can take a break.”

“No one dares say such a thing in front of me.”

“It’s here.”

The Count glared at him, but he responded with something like, “What can I do?” This was because the Count had often tried to summon Ronobe, but he had refused every time.

“You have much to do. As a war hero, didn’t you protect the North?”

“Your Majesty, I came here because of my promise to you, not to become a hero or to work for the North. I want you to make that clear.”

Although he was grateful, the Count of Change believed that he was the master of the North. Because of that, it was difficult to tease Ronobe even for a day.

“To be blunt, the North is a mess.”

“I know.”

“I need your strength.”

It is inevitable that the Countess of Change will say such things. As she said, the North has never been in such a mess. First of all, the number of soldiers has drastically decreased, and the civilians have also died in ridiculous numbers.

There has never been a disaster like this one, and although the North should have been destroyed originally, there is a reason why it did not.

“Isn’t there a gold mine?”

Yes, that’s right.

The reason why the kingdom can’t let go of the north with this shitty climate is because there are gold mines in the north. The food of the north is gold. They mine gold and sell it, and buy everything from food to soldiers.

“A gold mine needs labor to mine the gold. Now, even that is insufficient.”

The gold mines in the north were in an area that even the king of the Bright Kingdom could not easily touch, because the north repelled outsiders.

In any case, in order to bring prosperity back to the North, the top priority is to activate the gold mines. For that purpose, the Count wanted to use Ronobe.

“The tree you installed. I want you to install this in the mine too.”

It was a natural request.

The North is cold even in summer. I don’t know why this abnormal climate is created, but it is like that anyway. As a result, the ground freezes and the stones harden, making it harder for the miners to mine gold. In the meantime, what if you make the priest’s tree that Ronobe installed? The efficiency of the gold mine will inevitably increase rapidly.

It’s safe to say that Ronobe was in control.

That’s why Ronobe maintains a somewhat arrogant attitude.

From the very beginning, looking at Ronobe’s actions up to now, he has walked a path that is worthy of being called the hero of the North and the light and salt of the North.

Even now, the North is paying him fair compensation, but given the circumstances, they have no choice but to demand the priest’s tree as well.

“You’ve had a lot of rest. It’s already been three months.”

Enhyde, with its priest’s tree, is unusually warm for the North.

Even in the castle of the lord, fires are rarely lit to save firewood, but the warm heat coming from the priest’s tree creates peace to the point where there is no need to light a fire.

It’s truly a miracle.

In such a situation, Ronobe took a long rest. He had to return to the south anyway. So he needed to get enough rest before he went on a long journey.

‘When will it take me to get to my domain?’

It would be quick if I flew away, but how could I fly away alone, leaving the soldiers who were only looking at me? I don’t know about the others, but I can’t leave Benny behind.

As I was rolling around and playing around in my dorm, three months had already passed. The Count was quite tolerant of this.

“You’ve become more expressive. It’s nice to see you.”

“Baron. Are you going to keep doing this?”

“Let’s talk about work. Okay.”

Ronobe sat on the chair provided in the lord’s room and crossed his legs.

“What reward will I receive?”

“… Baron. Even if you were a commoner, isn’t that an excessive way of speaking?”

“My speaking style is a bit direct.”

“That’s direct.”

“Oh, yes. Well… let’s put the trivial stuff aside. Let’s just get to the point.”

The point is this.

“How much will you give me?”

Even if we leave the North aside, Ronobe is the benefactor of the Count.

He saved the lives of those who were dying, and raised the North from the ruins. He even captured the wizard who attacked the North.

The reward for this is priceless.

“How about coming to the North? Then I will grant you the title of Viscount and give you one of the gold mines in the North. Of course, I will recognize your autonomy and it would not be bad to create your family tree in the North.”

“Thank you for your words, but that won’t do.”

“Why? The Baron’s lands are a tiny place that doesn’t match your accomplishments. Why should you stay there? If I were you, I would give you half of the North. If you want, you can marry me. Then the North will be yours.”

I’ve heard this before.

Have a black knight as your wife.

Not just a territory, but one with a reputation that encompasses the entire North.

He is the de facto king of the North.

‘A woman like that is under me…’

A sinister glint flashed.

“Well, I don’t like the cold.”

But that’s that and this is this.

The northern land didn’t seem to have much merit for Ronobe.

It’s certainly great that there are only a few gold mines, but it’s still not great to think that you have to live in this cold place for the rest of your life.

‘Because you can make money.’

If you give it time, you can make as much money as you want. It may not be as much as gold mining, but it is more fun to make money through various businesses.

In the past, I would have quickly eaten the food that was served, but now I have to go through several negotiations to reap the harvest.

He is addicted to the fun of saving up the wealth he has earned through his own abilities to create more gold.

The Duke’s offer was attractive, but he had no choice but to decline.

First of all, his hometown is Hopper.

It’s Gradas.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Elysia…’

Even now, a light appears from the ring every few days.

I hope Elysia is doing well too.

After living in the North for nearly a year, it was time to leave.

“I see. That’s… too bad.”

When he expressed his intention to refuse, the Count was very sorry.

“If we were together, we could have expanded the lands in the North. What a pity. What a pity.”

“What are you going to do by expanding the land in the north?”

“The North is an unknown land. There are gold mines, silver mines, iron mines, or something else. If you expand and develop, something will continue to come out.”

It is said that many scholars used to say that since it was a difficult land for farming, there must be many other things. Thinking about it that way, it really was an unknown land.

But Ronobe wasn’t very interested.

“Then… what do you want?”

I don’t like this either. I don’t like that either, so I had no choice but to ask.

Of course, Ronobe waited for this.

“A monster, a grimoire. A book of magic! And a warhorse. One that hasn’t been castrated!”

A monster is always needed.

Although Ronobe does not use it, those who possess a grimoire often use the grimoire itself to strengthen it. In some areas, the grimoire is so valuable that it is used as currency.

Of course, Ronobe is one of those who needs a lot of rocks to train knights. In addition, he needed rocks to use this magic of the soul.

‘It was easier to deal with it by giving it a little bit of a sense of self through the monster than by controlling it myself.’

The true identity of the Trinita of Ronobe, which was achieved by force, was in the voice of Honmon.

I tried feeding it some rock dust as a test, and it responded, so I fed it more, and it gradually started to follow Ronobe’s words.

Teaching and practicing this became simpler and possible because it was a soul-bound sect connected by blood, magic, and soul.

That’s why I even gave it a name.

Even now, Odak and Odak are asleep, attached to Ronobe’s palm. When the time comes, he wakes them up and makes them follow his words.

To be honest, Ronobe didn’t really know why it worked even though he was using it himself. So he couldn’t explain it to anyone else, but since it worked anyway, he needed more rocks.

“A monster stone and a grimoire, a magic book. And a horse to take care of it. There’s nothing I can’t give you.”

I wanted a grimoire that contained knowledge related to magic rather than one that contained magic. I’m still half-a-penniless and can’t read, but what good is having disciples for?

These were the disciples who were to be used in times like this.

I was planning to read the book of grimoires and extract only the essential parts when my disciples taught me the useful parts.

You see as much as you know.

Ronobe felt the need to further expand his realm of thought in the North.

There are no limits to magic.

But human thinking has its limits.

There was a need to break this frame of thinking, also known as stereotypes, and expand it further.

It was a grimoire for him.

‘I heard that noble families have many such ancient books.’

I’m just going to keep it and not really use it, so it would be nice if I could get it.

The same goes for the military horses.

A single warhorse is worth far more than a knight.

Just breeding horses to produce purebred warhorses can be profitable. Depending on whether or not there is a rider, the outcome of the war can change.

‘You can’t buy a military horse even with money.’

If you don’t have connections, you can’t buy it, and you can’t get it anywhere. Most of the time, the warhorse won’t give it to you unless you have it with you.

It was treated the same as a knight.

“The northern warhorses have been bred to suit the northern climate, so it will be difficult to take them to the south. I’ll write you a letter of recommendation instead. The royal capital manages the warhorses with good bloodlines, so you can take a few from there. That’s better than taking them from the north. My letter of recommendation will give you the next best horse after the royal family.”

There are only two black ones in the kingdom.

If it were a letter of recommendation from a nobleman, he would tremble and give up his horse.

‘I should stop by the royal road.’

When I think of the royal road, Beatrice comes to mind.

“There are quite a lot of rocks. Low and medium grade. What do you need?”

“Please give me half and half.”

“Okay, then that’s it… but there aren’t many grimoires. In the first place, there aren’t many magicians in the North, so there aren’t many in the vault. There are some that are related to the family’s ancestors, so there are cases where they can’t be given out. Is it okay if I pay for the missing parts in gold?”

“Yes, you may do that.”

“Okay. Then let’s do that. I’ll give you the grimoires too. We don’t really need them anyway…”

After several discussions, the compensation was coordinated.

“But that tree. It’s called Anna’s tree. It won’t last forever, right?”

“Yes. I’m not sure… but it probably needs to be maintained every few years.”

“Is that something only a Baron can do?”

“Yes.”

“Then I guess we’ll also need to write up a contract for tree maintenance.”

Ronobe smiled brightly.

“You can give me gold. Just send it to my domain every year as much as you think of me.”

“As much as you want. Ha. That’s a tricky amount.”

Anything, as you wish.

Ronobe liked these words.

When in a relationship between A and B. To be exact, when Ronobe is in A, it was a very convenient word to use.

Those who cannot help but view their relationship with him positively will never be disappointed when they use this kind of speech. This is because they will not be disappointed if they give him much more wealth than average.

‘It’s a shame because it’s the North.’

It would be safe to say that the Ronobe of the time when they met in the Allobato territory and the Ronobe of now were completely different people.

At that time, he was a vassal who could be suppressed with authority. That was why Ronobe had to come all the way to the north.

But that’s not the case now.

Although he still cannot match the Count in authority and honor, Ronobe was her benefactor and a hero of the North.

I couldn’t treat it carelessly.

Plus, it’s always cold in the north.

A person who was cold from the beginning doesn’t know.

But once a person has felt warmth, he or she does not want to feel cold again. This is a biological instinct.

Ronobe knew this well.

“Every year, send thirty gold coins.”

Gold coin.

It usually meant a gold coin with a more ornate design and larger size than a regular gold coin, usually meaning a gold coin worth about one hundred gold coins.

‘Thirty gold coins… three thousand!’

It was a pleasant deal, as expected from the North, which had a gold mine.

“You may think it is a bit lacking, but there are many places in the North where money can be spent. I hope you understand this a little.”

“Yeah.”

The value of the gold coin is said to be one hundred gold coins, but in reality, the gold coin is worth more than that. Kingdoms that issue gold and silver coins adjust the gold and silver content according to their financial status. However, the gold coin does not have that. It is currently worth one hundred gold coins, but if the gold ratio of the gold coin is lowered even a little, the value of the gold coin will skyrocket.

“So, are you going to make a priest tree for the mine too?”

“Was that part of the calculation?”

“of course.”

But it didn’t matter. After all, I was able to reap a great harvest with just one spell without much effort.

“Well, that’s true. It’s hard, but it’s for the North.”

“…”

Contrary to the saying, he went to the gold mine with a smile on his face and made a priest’s tree.

It was so easy to make money.

Enhide [5]