The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 91

“The first shipment will probably be in a month? Maybe two months at the latest.”

“H-how much are we expecting in terms of quantity?”

“Since you’re my first customers, about a hundred units? I’ll send a set of swords, arrowheads, and shields.”

“Um, we don’t have many archers…”

“Hmm. Wouldn’t it be a good opportunity to train some archers? I think it would be.”

“Y-yes, of course! Absolutely.”

A grand display of dominance.

A classic example of a forced contract—an unfair deal in every sense.

But all the subordinate could do was wipe their cold sweat and force a smile, accepting it without any other choice.

The first reason: they had already committed a crime.

The second reason: their opponent was the largest shareholder.

The owner of the Hexagonal Seal had spoken:

– Accept it. Acceptance brings peace.

So, the guilty party had no choice but to accept.

However, not everyone from Yazan gathered here knew about the existence of the Hexagonal Seal.

Some of them couldn’t understand why Belin, known as the “Sharp Fang of Yazan,” was accepting such unreasonable terms and wore expressions full of dissatisfaction.

But none dared voice their complaints.

Even Miuran, Belin’s partner and the former pirate leader known as the “Blue Shark of the Inner Sea,” sat quietly, saying nothing.

‘What is this? What the hell is going on?’

The Yazan representatives were dying of frustration and curiosity, but all they could do was watch as Belin, the representative of the Spio Trading Company and special envoy of Yazan, finally signed the unfair contract.

Two days later, about 800 Yazan mercenaries (many of them pirates) arrived in Rozin.

Despite Belin’s urgent message, the mercenaries had passed by her ship.

Other than Belin and Miuran, the Yazan representatives began to entertain a thought of ‘what if?’

Even with the addition of the Peregrine Division, the Rozin guards were still less than half the number of mercenaries.

What if. Maybe.

‘Could we take control of this city by force?’

‘Then, could we negotiate with the Si-on Ducal family?’

Their audacious daydream lasted less than a day.

*Kyahhhhhh!!!*

A gigantic flying creature with a wingspan over 10 meters, accompanied by hundreds of smaller flying beasts, swooped around the cape, descending on the mercenaries’ ships like a swarm of hornets.

* * *

“What is that?”

Some of those with keen eyesight were the first to spot the creatures circling over the sea near the cape.

At first, they thought they were just large eagles or some unusual seabirds.

But when one of the creatures shot down like lightning toward the Yazan mercenary ships in the distance, people realized something was wrong.

The creature was as large as the ship itself, which had over 100 sailors and mercenaries aboard.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

It was fast. Ridiculously fast.

The enormous creature swept through the ship like a storm, sending the men who had been standing on deck flying into the air before crashing down like falling leaves into the sea.

“……!”

The people watching from a distance were left speechless by the surreal scene.

And then.

Among the spectators, someone with the sharpest eyes and knowledge of the creatures finally spoke.

“A wyvern…”

Kyahhhhhhh!!!

The wyvern, which had devastated one of the ships and left a trail of waves as it skimmed across the sea, soared into the sky with a mighty roar.

That roar signaled the hundreds of smaller flying creatures to descend on the remaining 10 ships.

“Harpy?”

Harpies, one of the most infamous flying monsters, swarmed together like a black cloud, attacking the mercenaries’ ships like pirates.

* * *

“What the hell!?”

The Yazan representatives who had come to greet the mercenaries at the docks had witnessed the entire scene from the beginning as the wyverns and harpies attacked the ships.

“W-what should we do!?”

“What do you mean, what should we do!?”

There was nothing they could do.

For one, the ships were too far away.

No harbor would allow 10 or more medium-sized ships to just dock without permission.

Even with prior arrangements, ships had to wait for clearance at sea before entering.

Besides, these ships were ordered to turn back, but due to bad timing, they had ended up arriving instead.

While Rozin officials and the Yazan representatives were arguing about whether to let some of the ships dock, disaster struck.

How could they possibly help ships that were over 200 meters away from the harbor?

“Send the guards immediately!”

“Right! There’s no way they’ll only attack our ships!”

“The mercenaries aboard those ships came to help Rozin!”

The Yazan representatives shouted in desperation, demanding help.

But the officials remained cold.

“Why should we assist ships that didn’t even receive proper clearance to dock? Does Yazan help in such cases?”

Besides, the traitorous officials who had taken bribes had already spilled everything.

They knew what those (pirate) mercenaries were really up to.

While they were technically there to support Rozin, they were being paid to do so and were actually planning to entrench themselves for other purposes.

Why would Rozin help them?

Would Yazan help if the roles were reversed?

To this, the Yazan representatives could only stammer.

“W-well, that…”

They knew Yazan, infamous for being the biggest crooks in the Inner Sea, wouldn’t have helped either.

“Belin, do something. Some of these mercenaries were hired by the Spio Trading Company, right?”

“If those mercenaries die, you’ll be held responsible too. Don’t you know that, Belin?”

As the Yazan representatives hounded her after being rejected by the officials, Belin sighed deeply and glanced at one person.

Si-on, who was watching the mercenaries’ ships get torn apart by the wyverns and harpies with his arms crossed as if it were someone else’s problem, noticed her gaze and turned to her with a smirk.

“So, do you need help now?”

“H-help with what, exactly?”

“Archers. If you had proper archers with decent bows, your mercenaries wouldn’t have been decimated like this. Don’t you think the three-piece set you bought was a good idea after all?”

‘What good is that now!? We don’t have any archers right now!’

Belin bit her lip, hoping her thoughts didn’t show on her face, as Si-on spoke in a low, tempting voice.

“Should I help you? As you know, we have some of the best archers in the world.”

“Elves…”

Belin and the other Yazan representatives turned their eyes to the group of elf warriors standing a little away from Si-on, watching the scene unfold.

Their expressions were serious, but they didn’t seem particularly afraid or anxious.

At that moment, one of the more impatient Yazan representatives whispered something to Miuran, prompting him to reluctantly step forward.

“Uh… sorry, but isn’t it only a matter of time before those things come here? I doubt those monstrous beasts will just leave the harbor alone.”

Miuran, who had been completely overpowered by Si-on without even understanding what had happened, spoke with extreme caution and deference.

Even Belin, his fierce partner, was powerless before Si-on, so his attitude was especially humble.

Miuran’s point seemed reasonable, and even the Rozin guards and other Yazan representatives nodded in agreement.

But Si-on looked at Miuran and the Yazan representatives with disdain.

“Idiots. Do you think harpies are that stupid?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“They’re only attacking the ships because there’s nowhere for their prey to escape on board. Harpies also have excellent vision, so they’re aware that this harbor is full of elves armed with bows.”

“Oh…”

“Think about it. If you were them, would you attack ships filled with easy prey, or would you come here where there are archers who could shoot you down with perfect accuracy, firing one arrow per second as soon as you get close?”

“Is that… really true?”

Miuran, his face flushed with embarrassment, was scolded as Si-on clicked his tongue.

“Look at this. With intelligence like that, how do you expect to work as a mercenary? You think you’re the only one who’s fought monsters?”

It was annoying. Even if he was right, there was something about the way Si-on said it that really stung.

As Miuran was being chastised, quick-witted Belin stepped in swiftly.

“I’m sorry, Deputy. It seems our commander made a clear mistake.”

She shot a look at Miuran and the Yazan representatives, signaling them to keep quiet, and continued quickly.

“If you, Deputy…”

“Call me Instructor.”

“Yes, if you, Instructor, and the Peregrine Division would help, Yazan and the Spio Trading Company would never forget this favor, and we would gladly pay the appropriate price.”

“Hm. Fine. We were going to clean them up anyway.”

“Oh! Thank yo—”

“So, how much?”

“…Excuse me?”

“How much do you think this is worth?”

“Uh…”

The nightmare of having to make an “offer” returned, and Belin felt her mind go blank again.

* * *

Twenty or so elves retrieved their composite bows from their Gau and swiftly strung them with lightning-fast precision.

The composite bows, made from Gau horns and special wood found only in the Duchy, enhanced by elven knowledge and Cheolsan Dwarven craftsmanship, were smaller than ordinary bows.

But their power was enough to render other bows insignificant.

Moreover, the archers wielding these special bows were all elves with “Archery” skills rated A or higher.

“……”

Without needing any orders, the elves each took their positions and nocked arrows to their bows.

The arrows and arrowheads, like the bows, were made by the Cheolsan Dwarves, offering superior speed and power compared to regular arrows.

*Whoosh!*

At Friel’s brief whistle, the arrows flew from the strings.

Even at a distance of over 200 meters, the elves didn’t pause to check their hits, swiftly nocking and firing more arrows in a fluid, unbroken motion that left the onlookers mesmerized.

But it was over in an instant.

Under the barrage of arrows, the harpies, who had been swarming the ships in clusters, dropped from the sky.

Squawk! Screeeech!

The harpies pierced by the arrows fell onto the decks or into the sea.

Dozens of them dropped at once.

In less than 10 seconds, nearly half of the harpies had been wiped out like flies, prompting the wyvern, which had been gleefully attacking the largest ship, to turn its long neck toward the source of the disturbance.

Its eyes met Si-on’s calm gaze.

Qeeeeeeeee!

The wyvern roared at the human who dared to look at it without fear.

It had been planning to deal with him after finishing the ships, but this human had the audacity to challenge it.

Born only 10 years ago, the wyvern had recently reached maturity.

It had claimed the southern end of the Brandin Mountain Range as its territory.

To commemorate reaching adulthood, it had ventured north, only to get beaten up by an ogre.

Since then, it had avoided the north and had settled for ruling over the southern end of the range and nearby islands.

The harpies it commanded were originally from the islands, which it had taken in as both food and subordinates.

The wyvern was full of confidence.

As long as it stayed away from the northern mountains where the ogre resided, there was no one to challenge it.

So, it thought:

Wouldn’t it be possible to take humans, with their soft flesh, as both food and subordinates, just like the harpies?

And then, a large log-like structure full of humans was floating on the sea?

This was an opportunity!

Having grown up without a mother—it had eaten the other eggs that could have been its siblings—the wyvern was a creature that had never received any “socialization.”

Not only had it attacked the ships filled with mercenaries, but it also had no idea about the being who had once killed an ogre that had slain the mother of a soon-to-hatch wyvern after beating it senseless for half a day.

“If you don’t know, you’ll have to learn.”

Holding a long, dark spear in his hand, Si-on, once known as the “Demon of the Mountains” to large monsters, mumbled without much emotion.

After all, other than “Big Fang,” no large monsters in the Duchy would remember him.