The Returned Lord Is a Genius of Gun Law - Chapter 6

chapter 6

The Baron’s Ambition

The Returning Lord is a Gun Law Genius – Episode 6

Episode 6

Baron Gorban, the current head of the Primrose family and lord of the Primrose Barony, was a man consumed by ambition.

Internally, he spared no effort to gather talent and develop his territory, striving to make it prosperous. With the wealth he accumulated, he externally cultivated connections with the central aristocracy in the capital, constantly seeking opportunities to rise higher.

His methods were quite effective, earning him a reputation as one of the most resourceful border lords in the empire.

For such a man, the development of the magic stone mine on the outskirts of the Black Forest was a crucial element in his future plans.

“We were lucky. To think that digging in the ground would reveal an open-pit mine yielding magic stones…”

Gorbane chuckled, recalling the memory.

“My Lord, in the Black Forest…!”

It was brought back by a foolish soldier who had gotten lost during a patrol and wandered through the Black Forest.

The moment Gorbane confirmed the magic stone, he invested all of his domain’s finances and manpower into developing the hidden magic stone mine in the Black Forest.

The fact that the mine was actually in the neighboring Baron of Crocus’s lands, not Primrose, didn’t really matter.

After all, those Crocus bastards wouldn’t even know it exists. Even if they did, there’s nothing they could do about it.

They were as good as ruined anyway, and Gorbane knew well that the resources of the Crocus domain were meager.

That’s why when the royal family offered to acquire the Barony of Crocus, Gorbon easily refused.

They say they’ve fortunately found a new lord, but after three years without a proper owner, the vassals must have siphoned off everything they could. If I really need it later, I can always get my hands on it.

In his eyes, the vassals who were about to be driven out of the ownerless barony were nothing more than termites eating away at its core.

Over those three years, it was obvious that all sorts of corruption and embezzlement had run rampant in Crocus.

That’s why Gorbon had never cared about the Barony of Crocus.

Flap-flap!

The sound of wings outside the window shattered Gorbon’s thoughts at that moment.

“Hmm, you’re a bit quicker this time?”

Gorbun frowned in puzzlement as he looked at the familiar messenger pigeon, but he quickly untied the letter from its leg and checked the contents.

It was short:

-Crocuss, Lord, Black Forest, Border.

A mere list of words, incomprehensible to anyone without prior knowledge. Yet for Gorbun, it was more than enough.

“Hmm, it seems they’re finally catching on. I did find that machine from Earth a bit too noisy.”

Still, the machine’s efficiency was too valuable to abandon. The excavator, purchased from the black market near Farjan for the development of the magic stone mine, could accomplish in a few cycles what would take dozens of men an entire day.

It was a marvel comparable to magic or miracles, except for the deafening noise, acrid smoke, and the fact that it required fuel—’oil’—which could only be obtained from Earth.

“I should probably tell Kael to increase his vigilance. Those brutes might get overconfident and make a move.”

He had given his son the firearm, a weapon the dwarves had made for the Earthlings, so nothing should go wrong. Still, it was always wise to prepare for the worst.

Having finished his thoughts, Gorban picked up a fountain pen made from Earth materials and began writing a letter to his son.

But he couldn’t finish it.

Boom!

“My Lord, trouble!”

Startled by the butler’s sudden, silent entry, Gorban frowned, his concentration broken. “What is it?” The tone implied that if it wasn’t urgent, he wouldn’t tolerate the interruption.

At the lord’s words, the butler spoke in a trembling voice.

“P-Prince Kael…”

The moment the butler uttered his beloved son’s name, Gorban’s eyes widened. “What? Escort him here immediately!”

Sensing disaster, Gorban sprang to his feet and rushed out of the study with the butler.

They descended the stairs to the infirmary at the foot of the castle, where Gorban stared in disbelief.

“Ugh…”

His precious heir, the apple of his eye, lay collapsed with his leg swathed in bandages.

The dark crimson blood seeping through the bandages told him that his son’s injuries were far from minor.

“Sir Manuel, what in the world has happened?! I entrusted Kael to you, and how could this have occurred?!”

Gorbun roared at the strongest knight in his domain, who stood beside the bed with the expression of a man who had committed a mortal sin, his head bowed in shame.

Soon, Manuel’s lips parted.

“There was a confrontation with the Lord of Crocus.”

“What?!”

“His Highness attempted to subdue the opponent with his pistol, but before he could act, the Lord of Crocus inflicted the injury and took him hostage. It was all due to my carelessness and lack of vigilance. Punish me, my lord.”

Grind

As Manuel knelt on the spot, his words echoed through the room, and the sound of Gorbun’s teeth grinding in fury reverberated through the air, his face flushed crimson.

Despite his fury, his mind raced swiftly.

I can never forgive the one who dared to harm my son, but I must admit this incident gives me the perfect excuse.

If that was the case, he couldn’t stand idly by; he had to ensure his son’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

“…Sir Manuel.”

Still seething, Gorbon looked down at the knight kneeling before him with his head bowed.

“Yes, my lord.”

“You have nothing to say about your failure, do you?”

“No, my lord.”

“But simply punishing you would offer no benefit to the territory.”

At these words, Manuel cautiously raised his head to meet his lord’s gaze.

Gorbon spoke again.

“I will give you a chance to atone for your mistake with your service.”

As he finished speaking, Gorbon’s eyes glinted with a cold, calculating light.

Eugene moved swiftly to develop the magic stone mine.

What I need is funds and manpower.

Since acquiring manpower ultimately required money, funds were the most crucial element.

He could cover the immediate expenses with the fortune he’d brought from Earth, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Therefore, Eugene chose the most fundamental method to secure the necessary funds.

“My Lord, you mean… you need all the documents drafted in the territory recently?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask what you intend to use them for?”

“Does a Lord need to explain such things?”

“Of course not, my Lord. I’ll instruct the stewards to organize them and bring them to you.”

Sensing the hidden barbs in Eugene’s words, the butler, Beluf, shivered involuntarily, lowered his head, and left the room.

I need to understand how my land is being run.

Ultimately, the budget available to the lord must come from the estate itself.

Therefore, verifying the estate’s income and how it is being used, and then finding ways to reduce costs through this process, was the fundamental method for securing the necessary funds.

Some time later…

“Quite a lot.”

Eugene found himself facing a mountain of documents piled high in the office.

“Since I wasn’t sure exactly what you needed, I’ve brought all the documents from the past three years. If it’s inconvenient, I can organize them…”

“No, I’ll organize them myself.”

“Understood, Lord. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything.”

With a nod, the steward, Beluf, bowed deeply and left the lord’s study.

Yujin stared at the documents and muttered to himself, “It’s been a while since I’ve done this.”

Yujin hadn’t spent his entire time in PMC just fighting on battlefields. Preparing for battle—the administrative procedures—was just as crucial to a mission’s success. Even if he didn’t handle everything himself, he needed to understand the overall situation. So, Yujin had forced himself to cram accounting and administrative knowledge into his head.

Now, it was time to put that knowledge to full use.

Rustle

Yujin carried a armful of documents from the pile to his desk and began reviewing them one by one.

If he hadn’t learned the continental languages during his mercenary days for mission purposes, this would have been impossible.

“This calculation is wrong. And… the construction project dates don’t add up. And this…”

Eugene flipped through the documents quickly, yet grasped their contents completely.

How much time had passed?

“Hmph.”

Having reviewed about ten percent of the mountain of documents, Eugene stretched his arms.

Soon, a smirk played on his face as he surveyed the slightly organized pile of papers.

“I expected some things to be skimmed, but… to be so blatant about it.”

He could understand why these documents were all haphazardly compiled. In Amir, a land still clinging to pre-modern ways of life, such disorganization was hardly surprising.

But that wasn’t the real problem.

“Missing entries were the norm, and even the ones that remained were either numerically incorrect or had content that didn’t align with the context. At this point, I’d believe it if the steward kept separate accounts.”

Yujin didn’t deny this possibility. His intuition was too clear to ignore.

First… I’ll review all the documents.

Then, he’d inspect the territory directly to compare it with the records, and finally, he’d confront the steward.

If he has the money, I’ll take it back. If not… he’ll have to work it off.

Not immediately drawing his sword was already quite generous on Yujin’s part. Of course, he didn’t know what would happen if he further displeased the man.

“Well then, let’s continue the review.”

After finishing his thoughts, Eugene stretched to shake off the encroaching drowsiness and then approached the mountain of documents still piled on his desk.

Knock, knock

“My Lord, I have something to report.”

Someone knocked firmly on the closed door of his study at that moment.

“Enter.”

Creak!

The person who entered at Eugene’s summons was Captain Geron of the guard.

“What is it, Captain?”

“A messenger has arrived from Primrose.”

“A messenger?”

Eugene’s expression turned intrigued as he listened to Geron’s explanation. Sending a messenger meant the matter was far from trivial. This was especially true if it concerned the Primrose family, with whom Eugene had recently clashed.

And then…

“They have challenged Crocus to a grand duel.”

Eugene’s suspicions had proven true.