The Returned Lord Is a Genius of Gun Law - Chapter 5
chapter 5
The Return of the Lord: Gun Law Genius – Episode 5
The Returning Lord is a Gun Law Genius – Episode 5
Episode 5
Beruf.
As the butler who had managed the affairs of Baron Crocus’s domain for twenty years, the death of the previous lord, Baron Vayen Crocus, was one of the greatest crises of his life.
Though he had spent nearly half his life with the Crocus family, without a successor to inherit the barony, the family was as good as doomed.
While imperial law granted a three-year grace period, it was clear that once that time passed, Baron Crocus’s domain would either become imperial property or be absorbed by a neighboring lord, leaving Beruf with no place left.
Therefore, the return of the lost son of the previous lord before the grace period expired was a stroke of immense good fortune for Beruf.
But…
“Hmm…”
In his office, tucked away in a corner of Crocus Castle, Beluf scribbled something with a troubled expression.
“Baron Eugene Crocus… I may not know much else, but that reckless spirit is just like his father’s.”
His rash decision to venture into the Black Forest, one of the four forbidden zones of the continent, with only three knights, was proof enough.
Though they were headed for the forest’s edge, even that area was dangerous. A short distance deeper lay the territories of all manner of monsters and non-human races, making it far from safe.
Hadn’t the previous lord himself fallen victim to assassins while patrolling the Black Forest’s outskirts?
“I don’t know how this will turn out. If he had even a shred of sense, he wouldn’t act so recklessly… Hmm.”
His tone and expression were completely different from the respectful and gentle demeanor he displayed when facing the new lord. The only witness to his actions in the study was a pigeon pecking at its feed in a cage in the corner.
“It’s all done,” he murmured.
After drafting the letter while lost in thought, Beruf folded it, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it with wax.
Soon, he opened the cage in the room and retrieved the pigeon pecking at its feed.
“There, off you go.”
Flap!
He securely tied the letter to the pigeon’s ankle and tossed it out the window. The bird soared into the air, flapping its wings vigorously toward its remembered destination.
While the continent of Amir had telephone and magical communication methods, carrier pigeons remained an attractive option for those wary of wiretapping.
“Hmph, this has gotten complicated, but… at least there’s still a way to solve it. I suppose that’s something to be grateful for.”
Watching the pigeon shrink smaller and smaller until it became a mere dot, Beruf muttered to himself. He closed the wide-open window and resumed his duties as butler.
Or, he tried to.
Knock-knock-knock!
“What is it?” Beruf snapped, annoyed at the interruption.
Creak
The door swung open, revealing a man standing behind it. It was a regular butler, dressed in a spotless black uniform.
“Master, the Lord has returned to the castle with his knights.”
“Is that so? Fortunately, it seems nothing serious happened.”
As if he had never frowned in the first place, Beruf’s expression softened instantly at the butler’s words.
But the butler’s message wasn’t finished.
“And, Lord Veruf, his lordship has urgently requested your presence.”
“His lordship?”
“He said it concerns matters related to the estate.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Veruf nodded at the butler’s words and rose from his seat.
The Baron summons me right after I return from the Black Forest… What could this be about?
Unable to even guess the reason for the summons, the butler tilted his head in puzzlement as he moved to meet Baron Eugene Crocus.
Soon, he would learn why his lord had called for him.
Why… why that of all things…!
A magic stone.
The moment Veruf saw the fist-sized blue stone in his lord’s hand, his mind went blank.
Magic Stone was, quite literally, a stone imbued with magical power.
Magic power was a unique energy used by the creatures native to the continent of Amyr. Magic Stones, which stored this power in stone form and were embedded in the ground, were indispensable not only in daily life but also for knights and mages who accumulated magic power to wield supernatural abilities.
Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that on the continent of Amyr, Magic Stones held a status even higher than that of oil on Earth.
Unlike oil, which cannot grant its possessors the power to cut through steel or call down lightning, Magic Stones did.
As such, the economic and military value of magic stone mines, which were rare even across the entire continent, was truly astronomical.
And Eugene knew the value of magic stones well.
“It was twice the price of gold, wasn’t it?”
Although humans on Earth couldn’t directly use magic like the creatures of Amir, they could easily harness the magic stored within magic stones as a power source.
Because magic stones provided a clean, high-density energy source without any pollutants, they were highly sought-after energy sources in developed countries like North America and Europe.
Clack
Eugene placed the glowing blue magic stone on the round table.
At least, I won’t have to worry about money.
No, he might have to worry about having too much money.
Though most of the mined ore had to be sold exclusively to the empire and the royal family due to its status as a strategic resource, the revenue alone was more than enough to fund the development of Crocus.
First, I should review the state of the territory.
With that thought, Eugene turned to the retainers seated around the round table: House Manager Beruf, Knight Commander Leon, and Guard Captain Geron, who led the regular soldiers.
Their eyes remained fixed on the shimmering blue stone.
House Manager Beruf spoke first, his voice trembling. “L-Lord, where did this…?”
“I found it in the Black Forest. It was lying on the ground.” Eugene answered calmly, his voice steady, in response to the butler’s anxious question.
“You… picked it up? Where on earth…?”
Even after hearing the explanation, the steward couldn’t hide his astonishment.
Seeing this, Knight-Commander Leon gave a wry smile and said, “Your Lordship is quite the joker. It’s true I picked it up, but it’s one of the magic stones Primrose was mining within Crocus’s domain.”
As he spoke, Leon kept glancing at Eugene, as if seeking a reaction, but Eugene remained impassive.
“I… see. A magic stone… How truly fortunate…”
Finally, Beruf managed to laugh, his voice trembling.
But Eugene couldn’t be deceived.
His words and his eyes don’t match.
Even without looking closely, Eugene could sense a subtle difference in the butler’s expression and gaze.
Hmm, is that so?
Seeing this, something came to mind, but Eugene feigned ignorance and asked, “Butler, can we develop this area using the duchy’s resources?”
After all, the butler, who managed the duchy’s finances, would be the most helpful in this matter.
However…
“Hmm…”
The butler, Beruf, hesitated to answer Eugene’s question.
“…My Lord.”
His voice finally came after a long pause.
“I believe it would be best to reconsider this matter.”
“…Why?”
Surprised by this unexpected response, Eugene looked at the butler with keen interest.
The butler knew better than anyone that the domain’s finances were dire. And he was the one who should have been most thrilled by the news of the magical ore discovered in the domain.
“First, the location is the problem,” the butler, Beruf, continued. “While access to the edge of the Black Forest is permitted for neighboring domains, we can’t know when monsters or non-human races might appear. I’m sorry to say this to the Knight Commander and the Guard Captain, but even if we mobilized all the soldiers and knights we currently have, I doubt we could secure the mine. Wouldn’t you agree, Sir Leon, Sir Jaron?”
“…If Your Lordship commands it, we will defend it even if it costs us our lives.”
“We, the knights and soldiers, feel the same way. Just give the order.”
The Knight Commander and the Captain of the Guard responded without hesitation, but their expressions remained somber, as if they knew they were outmatched.
The Head Steward spoke.
“Moreover, if what you say is true, we’ll inevitably clash with Primrose. Defending the mine won’t be easy. Perhaps selling the mining rights to Primrose would be the wiser course.”
Though the price wouldn’t be as substantial as mining it ourselves, Beruf argued that it was better to sell a treasure we couldn’t protect.
However…
“I refuse.”
Eugene shook his head sharply at his words.
“My Lord…?”
“The kind of people who would steal from others without permission are hardly likely to engage in proper trade.”
Unless they were willing to abandon the mining of magic stones altogether, Eugene had no intention of giving the Primrose Dukedom any unnecessary pretext to intervene.
“Then, Lord, do you have a plan in mind?”
Seeing Beruf’s expression harden, likely displeased that his suggestion had been flatly rejected, Eugene replied, “We’ll develop it ourselves. By any means necessary.”
If they could somehow extract the magic stones from the mine, they could use the profits to develop the territory and strengthen their military.
Eugene’s ultimate plan was to create a virtuous cycle: use the strengthened soldiers and knights to defend the mine and territory, reinvest the profits into further development, and repeat the process.
“Since it’s an open-pit mine, the costs shouldn’t be too high. There are even excavators left behind by the thieves.”
Having served as a security guard at a diamond mine in Africa, Eugene had gained some knowledge of mining.
According to his understanding, an open-pit mine was a magical land where one could literally experience the miracle of digging up money from the ground.
But…
“My Lord, I understand your words. However… the problem is that we don’t have enough funds to cover the initial development costs of the mine.”
The steward wasn’t finished.
“Even if we hire the villagers, we’ll still have to pay them wages. And we’ll need money to build the facilities required to store and transport the magic stones. Without that, this plan is practically impossible.”
In other words, he was being told to abandon the development of the magic stone mine.
“Is it a matter of money?”
“Yes, it is.”
The butler nodded at Eugene’s question, which he asked with an unexpectedly calm expression.
And then…
“If that’s the case, it’s simple.”
“Your Lordship, it will cost far more than you imagine. The capital remaining in the territory isn’t enough… Your Lordship?”
The butler looked flustered as Eugene, who had been listening to him, suddenly rose from his seat.
But Eugene paid no mind, rising and heading to his bedroom behind the office.
The butler watched the lord disappear into the bedroom with a displeased expression.
Even as the lord, he’s only been in Amir for a few days… How can he be so rude?
To the others, it seemed the Lord had left the meeting in a huff, refusing to listen to their advice.
But.
Thump, thump
Before long, Eugene returned to the round table, this time carrying a metal box in one hand.
Thud!
The black metal box landed on the table with a heavy thud.
Then.
Click!
The moment Eugene pressed the buttons to unlock the lock and opened the lid…
“Ah, no…”
“My Lord, this is…”
The butler, the knight captain, and the guard captain’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Whoosh!
A dazzling radiance erupted as gold, platinum, diamonds, and other precious metals and jewels spilled from the box.
By any measure, it was an amount that could not be ignored.
My entire life is contained in this.
Yujin gazed indifferently at the glittering gold, silver, and treasures within the box—no, the vault.
These were the proceeds from selling all his investments in stocks, real estate, and bonds, which he had accumulated through his mercenary work.
As a mercenary with considerable renown in the industry, his wealth was by no means small.
At the very least, this should be more than enough to cover the initial business expenses Belup had mentioned.
“Is this sufficient?”
The three stunned individuals nodded in agreement.