LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 6
“You want to borrow money?”
Percival, Lord of Sorun, was dumbfounded by Lota’s request.
I never thought I’d be asked to borrow money by my old nemesis, Lord Lota….
“Yes, sir.”
“The Lota Estate must be quite difficult. They’re asking us to lend money to the Sorun Estate.”
“It is true that the situation is not favourable.”
“Hmm.”
“I hope you’ll be so kind as to grant us a favour.”
Percival was delighted by the Lota lord’s request.
‘Kukuku, Otto de Scuderia, you lowly fool! You come to me with no place to borrow money. You must be desperate. Very well. I’ll lend you the money.’As far as Percival was concerned, Otto had no means of repaying the money.
What if he did?
He could legally call in the debt, and if the Lota Estate went bankrupt, he could do so without bloodshed.
No need to go to war. No need to shed a drop of blood. Just swallow the Lota Estate whole.
“Okay, fine. I’ll lend you the money.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“I can’t turn my back on my neighbour’s difficulties.”
“Thank you!”
“But there is a condition.”
“What is that?”
“Since I’m lending you money, if you don’t pay me back on the promised date, with interest, you’ll have to surrender the reigns of Lota. If you accept these conditions, I will lend you as much money as you need.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Lord.”
The Lota official readily accepted Percival’s terms.
‘Whatever terms he gives you, just get the money. Just make sure the deadline is at least two weeks.’
It was only because of Otto’s insistence before he left the Lota Estate that he was able to accept Percival’s frightening terms.
Needless to say, the official didn’t believe Otto at all.
‘Yeah, well, who cares if you want to destroy your territory, I’ll just get paid what I’m owed. It’s none of my business if the Sorun estate devours you or not.’
I just did what Otto told me to do.
From a servant’s point of view, whether it’s Otto or Percival, a lord who pays well and doesn’t bully is the best.
“You have 100 days. On the 100th day, you will pay back the money you borrowed, plus interest.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll prepare a contract.”
“Yes, my lord. I have also prepared the official seal of the Lota Estate here.”
“You’re very prepared, aren’t you? Hahahahahaha!”
Percival laughed heartily, and immediately paid Otto the amount he had requested in gold bars.
‘This will be my territory anyway. Its inhabitants will be my subjects or serfs, so it’s a bit of an investment. What my ancestors have failed to accomplish in the last two hundred years, I will accomplish.’
Percival was delighted at the thought of lording it over the Lota Estate.
* * *
Two days later.
The Sorun estate sent a caravan full of gold bars.
“Mmm, how lovely.”
Otto looked at the crates and marveled at the gold bars.
How could Otto, an ordinary gamer from Korea, have ever seen so many gold bars?
[Lota Estate].
Public Safety: 31 / 100 Caution
Food: 9 / 100 Very Dangerous
Finance: 37 / 100 Caution
Security: 37 / 100 Caution
Thanks to borrowed money, the province’s finances have risen by 30 to 37.
For now, at least, I’ve succeeded in stopping the fire.
“Camille.”
“Yes, here I am.”
“Use this to pay all the overdue salaries, buy food, and distribute it to the people. There’s no need to save it. Spend it all.”
“Your orders… I will obey.”
Camille obeyed Otto’s orders without question.
‘The Last Supper?’
Camille wondered if this might be the last time he would receive a paycheck as a servant of the Lota Estate.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t guess what Otto was thinking, and he didn’t trust him, so he was willing to take what came.
‘Let’s see….’
Otto opened the status window and checked the status of the estate.
The effect of the money was immediately apparent.
[Lota Estate]
Civility: 43 / 100 caution
Food: 36 / 100 Caution
Finance: 7 / 100 Critical
Security: 47 / 100 caution
As soon as I spent the money, my finances returned to normal, but my public opinion, food, and security increased all at once.
‘Phew. At least that extinguished the immediate fire.’
That gave Otto a chance to breathe.
A few days later.
“What are you going to do now?”
Camille asked Otto.
“I told you I have a plan.”
“And what is that plan?”
“You’ll see. It’s been three days, isn’t it? Eleven days to go. In eleven days, I’ll show you the end of the Sorun estate.”
“And if your words don’t come true….”
“We’ll all die together.”
“Do you really think so?”
Camille smiled coldly.
His hand was once again on the hilt of his sword.
“I, I… will die first? Haha… hahahaha….”
Otto broke out in a cold sweat and trembled with fear at the sight of Camille’s ferocity.
‘Moo, scary bastard….’
It was the next day.
“What are you doing?”
Camille asked.
“Can’t you tell? Lying down and eating grapes. Ah, I’m sleepy after eating. I think I’ll take a nap….”
The curse made him hungry and sleepy at every opportunity.
So whenever he had time, Otto would snack and lounge around like this.
As for his libido… let’s not talk about it.
“Didn’t you say you were going to ruin the Sorun estate?”
“I did, did I not?”
“And yet you lie back and eat grapes?”
“I told you I had a plan.”
“…….”
“Wait a minute, why are you so short-tempered? Why don’t you go and get me a plate of strawberries instead of standing there?”
“Didn’t you just eat two plates of grapes, and you’re eating again?”
“Because I’m not eating because I want to.”
“Then who wants to eat?”
“My tummy wants to eat~.”
“……?”
“Mmm~ I want to eat strawberries~ Yay~.”
“Please rest.”
Camille walked away, not even bothering to reply.
Another day.
“Are you just going to lie around again today?”
Camille asked.
“Hah really, I said wait and see!”
Otto exclaimed.
“Didn’t you say you were going to trust me and help me? Brother, if you can’t trust me that much, then maybe I should just….!”
“…Sorry.”
A few days passed, and the date Otto had promised was two days away.
“So, did the lord say anything?”
“Yes, Sir Knight.”
The knight replied to Camille’s question.
“Right now, he is having a drinking party with some merchants who have visited our estate.”
“Drinking in broad daylight….”
Camille’s expression turned sour.
‘After all, he hasn’t learned his lesson?’
The moment I regretted giving him the trust he didn’t deserve.
“Sir Knigh, We are in trouble!”
A sudden report came in.
* * *
“What’s going on?”
“It’s….”
A Ranger from the Lota Estate answered Camille’s question.
Ranger was an elite soldier who performed various missions such as spying, reconnaissance, and guerrilla warfare in mountainous terrain.
“They say that a large group of undead is approaching our territory from the mountain passes to the north.”
“A large group of undead?”
“A large group of skeleton soldiers, and a small number of skeleton mages. The way they’re travelling in pairs and lines reminds me of an army. It looks like someone is controlling the undead horde.”
“How large?”
“Regiment-sized, I’d say.”
Generally speaking, a regimental size meant a troop of at least 1,500 to 2,500 men.
And if it’s that big, then….
‘Unstoppable…’
As far as Camille was concerned, if that undead army came, it would be the end of the Lota Estate.
As it was, the Lota territory did not have the military strength to deal with a regiment-sized undead army.
That wasn’t all.
If skeleton soldiers and skeleton mages were moving in regimental formations, there had to be someone commanding them.
A Necromancer of considerable skill, or a high-level undead monster like a Lich, had to be behind the scenes.
The undead army alone was nearly impossible to deal with, and if such a powerful being was involved, it was safe to say that the odds were against them.
“What about the distance? How far is it?”
“I think they’ll reach our estate by tomorrow morning at the earliest.”
Even the distance was too close.
“All troops, stand ready for battle as of this hour.”
“Yes, Sir Knight!”
“I….”
Camille ran.
“I will report this matter to my lord.”
* * *
Camille immediately set out to find Otto.
But Otto was not at the drinking table.
“The lord said he was tired and left the table to rest. He mentioned taking a nap, so he should be in his bedroom.”
“I see.”
Camille was informed of Otto’s whereabouts by the servant, and immediately headed for the lord’s bedroom.
But.
“The lord hasn’t come to the bedroom.”
Camille went to the bedchamber, only to find that Otto was nowhere to be found.
“Hear me, all of you, find the lord at once. Now.”
“Yes, Sir Knight!”
But after an hour, then two, Otto still hadn’t appeared.
‘He’s been drinking in broad daylight. Where the hell is he, sleeping in the middle of nowhere?’
Eventually, Camille was forced to respond to the situation on behalf of the lord, Otto.
“Listen … Everyone. All residents should prepare to evacuate, and the knights and soldiers… stay behind to defend the estate. We will stay here and buy our families time to flee.”
Camille made the decision, and an evacuation order was issued for the Lota Estate.
The residents of the estate were bewildered by the sudden evacuation order. But when they heard that an undead army was approaching, they rushed to escape.
And the 1,500-strong Lota lord’s army, led by Camille, prepared for battle, ready to die.
The knights and soldiers were equally unwilling to be killed, but few fled.
They were all family members of feudal residents who had taken refuge in….
That night.
“No news from the lord yet?”
Camille asked Otto.
He should have been sober enough to crawl out of hiding by now, but it was strange to see no sign of him so late at night.
“Has anyone seen my lord, have you looked everywhere?”
Then.
“Excuse me… Sir Knight?”
One of the guards approached Camille and said.
“I believe I was the last to see our lord.”
“Is that so, and when did you see the lord?”
“That, that…”
“…?”
“…Lord… He left by the back door on horseback earlier in the day.”
“On horseback? By the back door?”
“Yes.”
“And why did he go out the back door?”
“That! I unwittingly overheard him talking to himself… and I distinctly… heard him say to himself that he must move quickly if he wanted to live.”
“What…?”
“He also said that staying here would only get you killed.”
The moment.
“…So it appears.”
Camille squeezed shut both eyes, face wrinkled in exhaustion.
“…He.”
“Yes..?”
“… F*ck.”
“.Sir Knight…?”
“Otto, you son of a b*tch!!!”
A roar of curse erupted from Camille’s mouth.
——
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