The Returned Lord Is a Genius of Gun Law - Chapter 23

chapter 23

The Count’s Emissary Arrives

The Returning Lord: GUN Law Genius – Episode 23

Episode 23

The next day.

Clatter, clatter.

The sound of hooves came to a halt before the main gate of Crocus Castle.

“My lord, I have an urgent report,” Butler Crawford said, knocking hastily on the door of Eugene’s study where he was reviewing documents.

“Come in.”

“An envoy from the House of Bolton has arrived.”

At these words, Eugene set down his pen and looked out the window.

Faster than I expected.

It had only been three days since he sent the letter. The response was quicker than he had anticipated.

“How many are in their party?”

“Twenty in total: one diplomat, five guards, and fourteen soldiers.”

“Quite a large escort.”

A wry smile played on Eugene’s lips. A simple negotiation wouldn’t require such a large retinue.

They’re likely using this as a reconnaissance mission as well.

“Where should we receive them?”

Crawford asked cautiously, “Show me to the reception room.”

“…Not the Lord’s study, but the reception room?”

“Yes.”

Seeing Crawford’s puzzled expression, Eugene replied calmly, “He’s not someone we need to treat with such formality.”

With that, Eugene headed to the reception room of Crocus Castle.

Compared to the Lord’s study, it was a much smaller and more modest room.

But Eugene had deliberately chosen this location.

It’s important to establish the hierarchy from the very first meeting.

Soon, the door opened, and the envoy from the House of Bolton entered.

He appeared to be in his mid-fifties.

His gray hair was neatly combed back, and he had narrow, fox-like eyes. A professional smile played on his lips.

“I am Walter Grossmann, diplomatic envoy of the House of Bolton. It is an honor to meet you, Baron of Crocus.”

Walter bowed his head respectfully.

But Eugene didn’t miss what his eyes conveyed.

He’s dismissing me.

A young, inexperienced lord from Earth—enough reason for the man to dismiss him.

Yet Eugene welcomed such a gaze.

“Sit.”

Eugene spoke curtly and took the seat of honor.

Walter hesitated for a moment before sitting opposite him.

“Allow me to offer you some tea, Crawford.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Crawford withdrew, leaving a brief silence in the reception room.

Walter broke the silence first.

“The Earl deeply regrets this incident. He was greatly shocked to hear that knights had been taken prisoner in the Barony.”

Though polite, his tone felt somewhat perfunctory.

“Regret, huh.”

Yujin scoffed. “Are you apologizing for fighting on someone else’s land without permission, or for losing?”

“Th-that’s…”

For a moment, Walter’s expression stiffened. The reaction was sharper than Yujin had anticipated.

“In any case, the Count takes this unfortunate incident very seriously. That’s why he sent me here,” Walter quickly changed the subject. “So, what terms do you have in mind?”

“Terms…” Yujin pretended to ponder for a moment before speaking. “It seems only right that you state your proposal first.”

“Of course.” Walter pulled a document from his coat and placed it on the table. “The Count offers 5,000 gold Amils in exchange for the return of the captured knights.”

“5,000 Amil.”

This was the name of the gold coins issued by the Empire.

At roughly $1,000 per Amil, this amounted to $5 million.

But Eugene glanced at the document and smirked. “The Count seems to value his knights quite cheaply.”

“…Cheaply? 500 Amil per man is hardly a paltry sum.” Walter’s brow twitched slightly.

Eugene chuckled. “Aren’t these captured knights the Count’s elite guards? At just 500 Amil each, I doubt they’d be too pleased to hear that.”

In Amir, knights were treated as tactical weapons, akin to war machines. While $500,000 wasn’t a small sum, it was clearly insufficient to reflect their true worth.

“I wonder if Your Lordship truly understands the current political climate.”

Walter’s voice had grown ice-cold.

“The House of Bolton is the dominant power in the eastern Empire. Your influence extends to most of the lords in this region, and we are also bound by marriage to the House of Primrose.”

It was an implicit threat. If he refused, his relationships with the surrounding lords would deteriorate, leaving him isolated.

But Eugene didn’t bat an eye.

“Understanding the political climate…”

Eugene set down his tea and met Walter’s gaze directly.

“An interesting turn of phrase.”

“…What do you mean?”

“From my perspective, it seems I’m the one who understands the political climate, not you.”

Eugene’s eyes gleamed with icy light.

“You invaded Crocus’s lands without permission, attacked my soldiers, and even suffered defeat. Yet you think this paltry sum will settle the matter?”

“That’s…”

“Did you think I was an easy mark?”

Eugene’s voice was quiet, but the chill it carried was enough to lower the temperature of the reception room.

Walter pressed his lips together tightly.

He’s not as easy to handle as I thought.

He mentally recalculated his strategy.

Count Lawrence’s orders were clear: Gather information and, if possible, conclude the negotiations.

“…In that case, what are your terms, Baron?” Walter asked after a long silence.

Eugene pretended to consider for a moment.

He’ll never accept anyway. But it’s worth seeing his reaction.

“I don’t need gold.”

“…What?”

Walter’s eyes widened.

“So you’ll just… send us back…?” he asked, his voice tinged with relief.

But Yujin’s next words shattered that relief.

“I’ll take it in magic stones instead.”

“…M-magic stones?”

“Five hundred kilograms of refined magic stones,” Yujin stated calmly. “At market price, that would be around 50,000 Amyl in gold.”

“Fifty thousand Amyl—!”

Walter’s face turned deathly pale. Ten times the amount he had offered, and not even in gold, but in magic stones. From his perspective, it was an utterly unacceptable demand.

“This is outrageous! That’s an absurd demand!”

“Absurd?”

Yujin’s expression remained cold and impassive.

“I think it’s a fair price, considering the lives of ten elite knights.”

“But…”

“Alternatively,” Yujin cut in, “we could handle it according to imperial law.”

Walter’s face paled further as he understood the implication. Under imperial law, prisoners of war belonged to the victor, who was free to use them for forced labor, sell them, or execute them at will.

“…There’s room for negotiation,” Walter said through gritted teeth. “But I must make it clear that this demand is excessive.”

“If you consider it excessive, feel free to refuse,” Yujin said indifferently.

“However, I can’t guarantee what will happen to the prisoners.”

A tense silence filled the reception room.

Walter repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists.

This bastard…!

But he couldn’t show his anger.

“…I will report to the Count and give you his answer.”

In the end, Walter was the one who backed down first.

“Before I do, I have one request.”

“Speak.”

“May I visit the knights? I need to give the Count a detailed report…”

At that moment, Eugene’s eyes gleamed sharply.

Visiting the knights is just an excuse. His real goal is to assess the state of the territory.

His intentions were all too obvious.

But…

I’d already anticipated this.

Yujin was fully prepared.

“Of course,” he said, nodding readily. He then called Crawford, who was waiting outside the door.

“Crawford.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Escort the Grim Reaper’s party. Let them look around freely.”

“Understood.”

Walter offered a formal bow to Yujin before rising from his seat.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Make yourselves comfortable here.”

Yujin smiled leisurely as he saw the Grim Reaper off.

Once the door closed and he was alone, Yujin gazed out the window.

I hope they see something worthwhile.

But what they saw would never be the truth.

“This way, please.”

Following Crawford’s lead, Walter entered the barracks on the outskirts of the castle where the Count’s knights were being held.

In the cramped training ground, soldiers were drilling.

Clang! Clang!

The clash of swords and the rhythmic shouts of command echoed as the soldiers moved in unison.

Walter’s eyes quickly scanned the training ground.

The troops… roughly 150, it seems. Fewer than I expected. And…

He closely observed the soldiers’ movements.

Though they followed commands, their movements lacked perfect uniformity.

They haven’t received proper military training. Probably hastily recruited troops.

Walter nodded inwardly.

Next, his gaze fell upon the Earth weapons displayed in a corner of the training ground.

They’re worn out.

Though Walter didn’t know much about Earth’s weapons, he could tell at a glance that the metal parts were rusted and the wooden parts were cracked in several places. They were clearly in poor condition.

He must have been trying to acquire Earth’s weapons because he’s from Earth, but it seems he failed. If he had started mining magic stones, he would have had enough funds… Could it be that magic stone mining hasn’t properly begun yet? If so, his demand for refined magic stones makes sense.

All the pieces in Walter’s mind began to fall into place.

In the end, it was all bluster.

A smile spread across Walter’s lips.

“The knights are in here. Let’s go inside and talk.”

“Understood.”

As soon as I leave the domain, I must report this immediately.

Walter’s eyes gleamed with the knowledge of Croker’s weakness, completely unaware that everything he had seen was a lie.

“The Reaper has departed, my lord.”

After Walter left, Eugene smiled at Crawford’s report.

“Good.”

He nodded and opened his desk drawer to retrieve a hidden list.

It was the manifest of the real supplies arriving soon from Ground Zero:

– 10,000 rounds of 5.56mm NATO ammunition

– 15,000 rounds of 7.62mm armor-piercing ammunition

– 500 rounds of 12-gauge buckshot

– 2,000 liters of diesel fuel

– 50 flashbangs

– 30 grenades

– 20 kg of C4 explosives

Eugene gazed out the window and muttered,

“The more they underestimate me… the harder they’ll get backstabbed.”

His eyes gleamed coldly in the darkness.