The Returned Lord Is a Genius of Gun Law - Chapter 16

chapter 16

Dragons’ Breath Destroys the Kremlin

The Returning Lord: Gun Law Genius – Episode 16

Episode 16

The Soviet Union didn’t fall to the dollars of capitalism or the nuclear missiles of the West, but to the breath of dragons.

Three dragons, having developed an ultimate invisibility spell, passed through the Moscow gate without any restrictions.

They immediately dispelled their polymorph and unleashed their full power, showering the Kremlin with all manner of breath attacks.

The Red Square and Kremlin, once the heart of the revolution, were transformed into a massive crater dozens of meters deep. The General Secretary and other Soviet officials vanished without a trace, leaving not even a handful of ashes.

It was only natural that the headless Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc would collapse into chaos.

Having witnessed this firsthand, the United States and Western powers ceased their attacks on the Amir and began negotiations. The war between the Amir and Earth came to an end with the fall of socialism.

But…

“Are you the lord of this place? Squeezing the lifeblood out of your people?”

Eugene couldn’t help but wear a bewildered expression as he faced an ideology, thought to have died with the Soviet Union, sprouting in the most unexpected place.

“A socialist elf? Where on earth did you learn that?”

“From our great leader, of course.”

As he spoke, the elf pulled a book with Russian lettering from his robe.

Though Eugene wasn’t fluent in Russian, having received his education in South Korea, he could easily deduce from the title that it was Das Kapital.

It seemed they had somehow obtained this ideology from Earth.

“Karl Marx said that for humanity to progress, we must move beyond capitalism and towards communism. And that principle applies not only to Earth but to Amir as well!”

With a fervent expression, the elf began preaching his beliefs like a preacher.

“Therefore, it is our sacred mission to liberate the oppressed proletariat of Amir and establish a workers’ nation!”

The problem was that he was spreading his ideology in the very mine where the villagers gathered to work.

I’d love to shoot him dead right now.

Eugene frowned as he watched the villagers listening intently.

“My Lord, we can’t let this stand. If we do, our people…”

It was then that Leon, the captain of the knights, cautiously spoke.

The knights seemed to share his unease, their right hands hovering near the hilts of the swords at their waists.

“No, that’s not an option.”

But Eugene shook his head.

Killing them with guns would be easy, but he knew it would be a shortsighted solution. Even if they dealt with these elves, there was no guarantee that the elves living deep within the black forest didn’t share the same ideology.

If we act rashly, we’ll just be throwing prey to these lunatics.

And that food was likely to be his own territory and its people.

There was no reason to give those lunatics any excuse.

Besides,

If they were elves… they would undoubtedly be of great benefit to my territory.

Even if they were half-mad from the red water, they were still elves.

Their knowledge of the flora, fauna, and resources of the Black Forest would be invaluable to Crocus, which bordered the forest.

The problem is that they’re hostile to me…

But Eugene was already skilled at surviving in the heart of enemy territory.

In the end, both enemies and elves are just sentient beings capable of reason.

Whether they remained enemies or became allies ultimately depended on how they were treated.

That’s why…

“What’s your name?”

Instead of aiming his gun, Eugene chose to engage in conversation.

“Marek.”

“Marek, I think you’ve misunderstood something.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t exploit the people of my domain. Those working here now are paid fair wages.”

“Even so, the profits you gain must be far greater than their wages. I’m talking about the profits they should have earned in the first place. You’re stealing it to fatten your own belly.”

“No, that’s not true.”

The elf named Marek snorted derisively at Eugene’s words, but Eugene shook his head and continued.

“That money is ultimately used for the benefit of the territory’s people. If they get sick, I provide medicine. If they’re hungry, I lend them grain. If any are in danger, I send soldiers and knights. I’m not exploiting them; I’m taking care of them.”

“…Hmph, sophistry. Even so, you still get a cut, don’t you?”

“Everything has a cost. Gathering and distributing resources is no exception. I simply take my fair share.”

“That’s no different from what capitalists say.”

“But we’re not entirely the same.”

It was at that moment that Eugene changed the subject of conversation.

“I know that what you’re spouting is just an outdated ideology on Earth.”

“…What did you say?”

“I mean, there isn’t a single country on Earth that still mentions Marx anymore.”

As expected, my information is late.

Seeing Marek’s flustered expression, as if this were the first time he’d heard such a thing, Eugene was certain.

The restrictions on travel from Earth to Amir weren’t limited to goods; they applied equally to information and ideology.

People in Amir, like the elf before him, only stumbled upon books by chance. Few actually knew how Earth truly operated.

The fact that Eugene, having only received a standard education that included a few books, knew more than the elf was proof of this.

“Earth has already absorbed the legacy of socialism and is continuing to evolve. Unlike you, who cling to dead ideologies.”

“…That’s a lie.”

“Believe it or not, I don’t care. But if you don’t, you’ll only stray further from the truth.”

They say the most frightening person is the one who has only read one book, but what that person fears most is anything new that isn’t in that book.

What Yujin was offering was precisely that.

“If you want to know the truth, stop babbling and take my hand.”

With those words, Yujin extended his hand toward Marek, a smirk playing on one side of his lips.

In the end, Eugene successfully quelled the commotion at the magic stone mine development site.

…For now, I’ll withdraw.

He didn’t take Eugene’s hand, but instead of inciting the villagers further, he retreated to the black forest where he lived.

“My Lord, you’re truly remarkable. To drive away elves who have lived for centuries with just a few words!”

Leon, who had witnessed the scene firsthand, showered Eugene with praise as they rode back to the castle.

But Eugene seemed slightly disappointed.

If I had pushed a little harder, I could have captured those elves.

Yet he knew that given time, the elves would eventually come to him. After all, their demeanor had been far too passionate to be the result of centuries of emotional erosion.

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

For now, the important thing was that the commotion at the magic stone mine had been quelled.

The villagers seemed to dismiss the elf’s words as nonsense, so there was little to worry about.

Well, a revolution in the empire wouldn’t be the worst thing… but I’d rather it didn’t start in my territory.

Yujin had returned to Amir, leaving Earth behind, partly to reclaim what was rightfully his, but also because he longed for a quiet life away from the battlefield.

Despite having already experienced several incidents, he had no desire to invite more trouble.

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, my Lord. May you have a peaceful night.”

By the time Leon returned from the mine to the castle, the sun was already setting.

After exchanging farewells, Eugene watched Leon head toward the knights’ barracks before turning toward his own chambers for some personal maintenance.

No, he was about to.

“L-Lord.”

It was then that Croford, the new steward of Crocus, approached Eugene.

“What is it?”

“A guest has arrived. In fact, they’ve been here for quite some time, but I failed to inform you.”

“A guest?”

Eugene narrowed his eyes at the steward’s words, his usual trembling and bowed head.

“I wasn’t informed of any guests.”

“A nobleman named Pavel Armandis. He, uh, was present as a witness during the recent champion duel with Primrose…”

“Ah.”

Only after Crawford’s explanation did Eugene realize who his visitor was.

My name is Pavel Armand, third son of Count Armand.

Count Armand… I’d heard that name in the capital from time to time.

As the third son, Pavel had little chance of inheriting the title, but that didn’t make him someone to be openly dismissed.

“Where is the guest?”

“Since it’s late, I’ve prepared a room for him. He should be in the third room on the second floor…”

“Understood.”

With that, Eugene immediately climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Finding the room Crawford had mentioned was easy.

The door’s open.

As if beckoning him inside, a single bright light emanated from a room at the end of the dark corridor. Eugene approached it.

Soon,

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

As Eugene entered, Pavel, who had been sitting by the bed reading a book, closed it and rose from his seat.

“Welcome, Lord. This is our second meeting.”

“Indeed. What brings you here?”

Since the man was not a count himself but the count’s son, Eugene, as the lord of the manor, had no need to address him formally.

Pavel seemed to have anticipated this. He nodded at Eugene’s words and continued,

“Didn’t I tell you last time? I’m trying to pull some strings.”

“That may be, but it seems rather late for that.”

Eugene, his face impassive, spoke to Pavel, who wore a sly smile.

“Amir’s nights are quite dangerous. There’s no reason to visit at night unless you have special business.”

“Well… I do have business. What I said earlier wasn’t a lie.”

“Speak.”

He didn’t want to prolong the conversation.

The smug smile on Pavel’s face inexplicably grated on Eugene’s nerves.

“Very well, I’ll do as you say.”

With that, Pavel nodded and reopened the book he had just closed on the table.

“Let’s see, it was around here somewhere…”

Rustle, rustle

Eugene watched Pavel intently as he flipped through the pages, searching for something.

Finally.

“Ah, here it is. I wanted to show you this.”

As if he’d found what he was looking for, Pavel stopped flipping through the pages and looked at Eugene.

But…

This…

Eugene had already scanned the contents of the book and narrowed his eyes.

“As I suspected, you already know about this.”

Pavel’s smile deepened, as if he’d expected this reaction, but Eugene’s gaze remained fixed on the picture.

Why is he showing me this?

The page contained a single photograph.

The composition itself was ordinary, but the problem lay in the subject of the picture.

A tank…

Eugene’s brow furrowed as he stared at the image of an old tank, the kind you’d only see in a museum.