Chapter 52: An Unexpected Gain and Return to the Territory

Soon, dusk fell.

Since all the tents had been destroyed by the gnolls, Verin had no choice but to order his subordinates to gather more firewood, build up a fire for warmth, and sleep under the open sky, using the earth as their bed and the heavens as their blanket for the night.

When a pot of meat stew was finally ready, Verin filled a bowl and brought it to the legendary mage.

“Lady Anastasia.” At the edge of the camp, Verin came to an ice hut, opened the door, and entered, setting the stew upon the ice table.

“Thank you.”

Xia opened her eyes, awakening from her meditation, and thanked Verin. Unconsciously, she had already begun to treat this young man as an equal.

Verin bowed and withdrew from the ice hut, gazing up at the bright red moon hanging in the night sky, his mood soaring.

“The matter of security is settled. Now comes the time for rapid growth.”

With the protection of a legendary mage—even a half-crippled one—it was enough for him to move unchallenged along the borders of the Kingdom of Illya.

The greater his domain, the richer his resources; the more people he could train, the further his lands would expand, an ever-improving cycle.

If the seven-hued Life Flower could be found at the bottom of Lake of Star Prayers, then surely there were other unknown treasures elsewhere, capable of swiftly increasing his power.

With the guidance of fate, he was certain that within thirty years, he would become the sixth count of his family.

At that moment, Raimondo approached, carrying a stack of papers, his face alight with excitement.

“My lord, we have struck it rich this time!”

“No rush—let’s eat first. We’ll talk it over afterward,” Verin replied in good spirits, giving Raimondo his instructions.

That night, by the campfire, Verin and Raimondo sat on the ground, beginning to discuss what to do with the spoils.

“There are roughly thirty thousand gold coins, and too many silver coins to count—at a guess, about a hundred and fifty thousand.”

“There are 256 fine-grade knight’s swords, 136 sets of fine-grade armor. Eight hundred and ninety-three low-grade magic crystals, seventeen mid-grade, one high-grade, and three hundred and seventy-six magical pearls. One hundred and thirty special sheets for making magic scrolls, sixteen bottles of magic potions, twelve pounds of violet gold sand, thirty-two beginner magic books of various types—the total value is over a hundred thousand gold coins.”

Listening to Raimondo’s report, Verin couldn’t suppress his smile.

This was truly unexpected bounty.

He had already abandoned any hope of leading his troops south to seize the loot stolen by the gnolls, never imagining that their chieftain would, with such cunning, take the choicest portion and slip away north from the Province of Cadro.

“Could it be that I really am...?”

The next moment, Verin shook his head, dismissing such unrealistic thoughts.

Better to focus on planning for the future and building up step by step, rather than indulging in fantasies.

“Take fifty sets each of the knight’s swords and armor. Bury the rest here, mark the spot well, and after we return, send someone to retrieve it. As for the other items, take everything—leave nothing behind.”

“My lord, I’ll see to it at once.”

Raimondo, still elated, immediately went to instruct the knight attendants to dig a pit and bury the surplus swords and armor.

Leaning against the trunk of a large tree, Verin gazed at the ice hut in the distance, feeling an unprecedented sense of ease.

…

Two days later, Verin returned triumphant, his spoils heaped high.

Outside the village, two rock drakes being trained caught sight of their master and abandoned their handlers, scampering over eagerly.

Xia followed Verin, curiously observing the surroundings and buildings. Her first impression was of cleanliness, which immediately overturned her preconceived notion of towns as filthy and squalid.

“Verin, as a lord, you are certainly competent.”

Verin smiled at her words. “You flatter me, Lady Anastasia.”

“In all my long journeys, few towns have offered such clean and comfortable conditions,” Anastasia replied calmly, her eyes on Verin.

At that moment, seeing the two rock drakes running over, Verin crouched down and curiously stroked their chins.

“How interesting. Could you lend me these two pets for a few days of research?”

Overwhelmed by the palpable pressure, the two rock drakes trembled in terror, burying their heads in the earth.

Watching his nearly petrified pets, Verin consoled them as he answered, “Lady, in their current state, they clearly wouldn’t cooperate with your research. I think it’s best to leave them be.”

“Very well.”

Anastasia nodded, no longer pressing the matter.

Relieved that she was so reasonable, Verin thought this would certainly help avoid much unnecessary trouble in the future.

“Lady Anastasia, would you like me to provide accommodations for you, or would you prefer to select a site yourself? I could arrange for your residence to be built,” Verin offered once he had sent Little White and Little Yellow away.

“No need. Just grant me a plot of land; I’ll handle the rest myself,” Xia replied coolly, then added, “Preferably as far from the center of your domain as possible.”

Verin was puzzled by her request, but still respected her choice.

“Lady, may I ask what size of area you require?” he inquired after a moment’s thought.

“Thirty square kilometers.”

Basing her answer on the minimum range of her legendary domain, Xia gave a rough estimate.

Verin then had Baird fetch the map.

Ever since Xia’s arrival at Lake of Star Prayers, Verin had noticed a distinct drop in temperature—by three or four degrees, at least—which he guessed was connected to the area she had requested.

Standing nearby, Xia watched as the young noble drew two locations on the parchment. Not knowing the language of this world, she waited for Verin’s explanation.

“Lady, please have a look,” Verin said, putting away his pencil. “I believe these two sites would be suitable: one is eleven kilometers north of Lake of Star Prayers, the other is thirty kilometers to the west.”

“That one,” Xia decided after a brief inspection, pointing with a pale, slender finger at the location thirty kilometers west of the lake.

Verin nodded slightly. The entrance to the Shadowed Lands lay there; with such a powerful figure guarding it, development should be easy.

But exploiting the Shadowed Lands would have to wait three to five years before it could be considered. For now, his territory lacked the resources to undertake such a dangerous venture.

The pressing task was to seize this golden opportunity to expand his domain.

“Lady, this thirty square kilometers of land shall be your private territory, for you to use as you wish.”

Xia nodded, clearly satisfied.

Verin then personally led Xia to a guest room in the castle so she could rest, promising to escort her to her new domain the following day.

By the time all was settled, the sun had set. After dinner, Verin summoned Baird to his study to learn about the movements of the southern gnoll armies.

He had already stripped the gnolls of their best spoils, and now his eyes were set on their captives.