The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 81

After the grand spectacle where a single man demolished over a hundred opponents, the creation of the Great Monster Hunting Division proceeded without a hitch.

From the beginning, the plan had been laid out step by step, and the only remaining issue had been supplementing the troops, so there were no more problems.

The only minor change was that Si-on accepted all the applicants into the hunting division.

Of course, not all of them became full-fledged members right away.

Those who would have normally been rejected were accepted as reserve members, in preparation for the unit’s future expansion.

Since it was Si-on’s decision, Yonas and the deputies didn’t dare object, though rumors spread that sighs were never-ending in the office of the Three-headed Eagle Castle for a while.

In the end, the Great Monster Hunting Division turned out to be a sizable unit of around 150 members, much larger than initially planned.

It was an independent unit composed of veteran mercenaries who ranked among the top 5%, along with the duchy’s regular army, who had worked closely with each other for a long time, and expert elven rangers specialized in combat, tracking, and ambush.

It was a formidable force that could make even well-known medium and large mercenary groups lower their heads and leave smaller estates breathless just by their presence.

* * *

“Wow, damn! So jealous!”

“Good riddance, you bastards! Would be even better if you all just dropped dead on the way!”

“Heh! Run your asses off! We’re leaving!”

“To the city! The city! Hahaha!”

As the former comrades who had joined the Great Monster Hunting Division threw out envious taunts, the Black Eagle Regiment soldiers waved their middle fingers back at them, sending off a farewell filled with hot camaraderie.

Clatter, clatter.

The Black Eagle Regiment’s relocation was nearing its end.

Although their mission was to defend the capital, Sionia, it was deemed inefficient for the regiment to remain stationed far from the capital, even though the distance wasn’t too great.

Thus, they decided to move the unit to a site owned by the Duke’s family, located behind the Three-headed Eagle Castle.

The old Black Eagle Regiment garrison, now vacated, was designated for use by the Great Monster Hunting Division.

The area was originally meant to accommodate over 500 people, so it felt overly spacious and somewhat empty for only 150 members, but Si-on didn’t mind.

After all, within 6 months to 2 years, the troop count would easily double, so there was no need to worry.

“Man, I should’ve just skipped applying. Could’ve lived comfortably in Sionia.”

“Yeah, really.”

A few division members gazed enviously at the departing regiment soldiers.

Hearing this, the Cheolsan Dwarves, who had been brought in for the work, clicked their tongues as they passed by.

“Tsk tsk. These guys only know one thing, but not the other.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Though both races resided in the duchy, the soldiers were more familiar with the dwarves, who were more active outside their homes compared to the elves who rarely ventured out.

“Why do you think we’re here?”

“You’re here to make weapons and gear for us, right?”

The two dwarves, whose cheeks were already flushed from beer, responded as if performing a comedy routine.

“We know that. But what does that have to do with anything?”

“Think about it. If we’re going to make gear for hundreds of people, wouldn’t the blacksmith and workshop need to be large?”

“Plus, you’ll need a big warehouse to store all the monster materials you’ll bring back.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“And that’s not all! You’re going to sell the equipment made from those monster materials to other places, right? So, you’ll need another warehouse to store those goods. And once all that stuff piles up, what else do you need?”

“You’ll need a lot of workers for all kinds of tasks. But where will those workers sleep and eat? They’re not going to stay in the division’s quarters, right? So you’ll need lodging for them. Now, do workers just eat and sleep all day?”

“Nope! They’ll want to drink, gamble a little, and then maybe find some women. Naturally, a village will spring up to provide for all that.”

“Exactly! You got it.”

The dwarf duo even high-fived each other, laughing heartily.

The soldiers, seemingly charmed by the duo’s banter, began whispering amongst themselves.

“So, a village is going to form near the garrison?”

“Sounds like it, judging from what these guys are saying.”

“Oh! Then, while it might not be as great as Sionia, this place might turn out pretty decent too.”

At that moment, Sminov, the head of the division’s civilian partner organization (responsible for facilities and equipment), approached with a group of dwarves and grabbed the ears of the bantering duo.

“Hoho! Drunken dwarves on the first day of work? This is quite rare.”

“Aagh! Ahhh!”

“Foreman! My ears! Ack! My ears!”

“These comrades need some wholesome labor to start their quarrying life. Take them away.”

When facing Si-on, Sminov would turn into a timid and pitiful dwarf with the nickname “Vodka.”

But in reality, Sminov was a dwarf with a fearsome reputation—known by the rather specific and terrifying nickname “The Mouth of Hell from 1.5 kilometers underground” (the deepest tunnel dug by the Cheolsan Dwarves).

It was no wonder he could neutralize the airtight budget defense techniques of Yonas, the supreme boss of the Three-headed Eagle (Demon King) Castle, with just his words.

Not even the usual retort, “Did you talk your way into that position?” could faze him.

And it was true in his case.

Anyway, after swiftly sentencing the drunken duo to labor re-education, the representative with the banner of the Red Shovel and Hammer addressed the division members with a generous smile.

“They may seem like they’re talking nonsense because they’re drunk, but everything they said is true. A sizable village will form around this division within a few months. At the very least, it will be a town, and at most, a county.”

Oooooh…!

“Since merchants from all over will naturally come here, there will be all sorts of entertainment facilities, and the quality will be quite high.”

“Merchants? Won’t that make everything expensive?”

One sharp-witted soldier raised his hand and asked. Sminov, with an even more benevolent smile, responded.

“You are all warriors who risk your lives to hunt monsters for the Duchy of Si-on, aren’t you? So, for the monster-hunting division members, all fees will be half price.”

Waaaah!

The soldiers cheered in excitement.

“Hahaha! Well then, we’ll be off to start our work. You warriors take care.”

“Thanks!”

“We’ll definitely visit on payday!”

Amidst the cheers and gratitude of the soldiers, Sminov waved and walked off.

Once he had moved about ten meters away, the kind smile he wore quickly faded, leaving him pale.

‘If all those people use everything at half price, we’ll be at a significant loss for a while. But what choice do I have? It’s an order from Lord Si-on.’

While building warehouses and workshops was necessary and expected for the Cheolsan Dwarves, the various entertainment facilities around the division were another matter entirely.

But Sminov, who was half-implicated in the major crime of rebellion by involving external forces, knew he couldn’t refuse the orders of the undying ancient Nogwe, no matter how unfair they seemed.

‘Besides, I can make up for the losses elsewhere. This is actually a big opportunity.’

Sminov recalled his conversation with Si-on not too long ago.

– All rights to the monster byproducts belong to the Duke’s family. But I could allow the Cheolsan Dwarves to purchase them and craft weapons, equipment, and accessories, provided that the mine master proves to be loyal and diligent.

– Lord Si-on! Please give me a chance! I will handle it with my life on the line!

– Really? Then go ahead. But as I mentioned before, your people must construct and run all the entertainment facilities near the division. Also, our members must receive half-price services.

It sounded like a deal that could lead to substantial losses.

Moreover, this was a major project for the entire Cheolsan Dwarf clan, so even as the mine master, Sminov couldn’t make the decision on his own.

However, after relaying Si-on’s words to the clan’s leaders, who would be constructing an entirely new village and selling all the monster byproduct items made here, they quickly reached a decision.

– The recent rebellion devastated the nobles and influential figures in Paloma, didn’t it? As a result, much of Paloma’s trade rights shifted to Sionia.

– That’s right. It’ll be inconvenient for outside merchants, but what can they do? Besides, weapons and equipment made from monster byproducts are bound to be of the highest quality, crafted by the Cheolsan Dwarves.

– Let’s accept the Duke’s family’s proposal!

A thirsty man has no choice but to come to the well, after all.

As Si-on had predicted, if the number of monsters around the world increased, weapons crafted from their byproducts—stronger, more durable, and specially treated to cause greater damage depending on the monster—would become highly sought-after items.

Merchants from not only the Kingdom of Obla but also other nations around the Eltis Inner Sea would flock here.

Si-on had said

:

– Only selling products made from byproducts is small-time thinking. Imagine handling everything—what they eat, drink, and sleep in here. Not to mention the workforce needed to transport the goods to ports like Sionia or Paloma and their consumption along the way. If the Cheolsan Dwarves could manage all of that?

At that, Sminov couldn’t help but shudder.

After over 50 years of mining, the Cheolsan gold mine still hadn’t run dry, yet the glowing aura of golden opportunity that seemed to radiate from Si-on was even more dazzling.

– And the profits will be split fifty-fifty. Knowing how big this business is, I trust you won’t bring up any nonsense about investment costs, right, Vodka?

After all, Sminov had owed Si-on his life twice now—once as a child, and once again recently.

While some of the senior leaders might grumble about the Cheolsan Dwarves getting dragged along by the Duke’s family and “Lord Salen,” those rebellious comrades would surely change their tune once they saw the revenue a year from now, proclaiming that “Our esteemed mine master” should continue to lead Cheolsan.

Of course, all of Cheolsan knew that their esteemed mine master was nothing more than an undying ancient monster’s dwarf, but still.

* * *

While leaving the renovation of the old Black Eagle Regiment’s garrison in the hands of Sminov and the Cheolsan Dwarves, Si-on led the hunting division members to North Mountain.

Within the duchy, the only place where a person could check their “level” based on their unique talents was at North Mountain.

Perhaps in time, it would be possible in other places, or maybe it was already possible in other parts of the duchy, but for now, North Mountain was the only place Si-on had confirmed personally.

With not just Si-on but a massive group of over 150 members, the once quiet North Mountain quickly became bustling.

The North Mountain side had already been notified and prepared, so there was no commotion.

Si-on divided the division members into five groups of thirty and personally led each group to the place where they could check their levels.

And after a short while—

“What is this? What… What is this!?”

A great uproar ensued.

Every single person in the first group had been able to see their level.