The Returned Lord Is a Genius of Gun Law - Chapter 9

chapter 9

The Duel’s Aftermath

The Returning Lord: Gun Law Genius – Episode 9

Episode 9

Once the outcome of the great duel was decided, settling the results took little time.

Since the imperial court had sent its own official witness, the duel was officially recognized under imperial law.

To defy the will of the empire and the imperial court and commit treason would have been suicidal.

“As per the terms of the duel, Baron Primrose, the loser, shall pay Baron Crocus, the winner, appropriate compensation.”

“…Understood.”

Thus, Baron Gorban Primrose, trembling with fury, had no choice but to pay Eugene the full compensation he had originally demanded.

“Congratulations, Baron Crocus. You should enjoy your victory while it lasts.”

“Thank you.”

“…Next time, it won’t end this way, so be prepared. Now, let’s return!”

Baron Crocus trembled violently as he watched Eugene, who had received the reparations with a smug grin, and left the field with his retainers, helping the severely wounded Knight Commander Manuel.

It was then that the duel’s official from the Empire approached Eugene.

“I’d heard rumors of a lord from Earth, but that was truly an impressive duel.”

“It wasn’t much to see,” Eugene scoffed.

He snorted at the official’s words. As he said, the sight of a knight being subdued by firearms—weapons from Earth—was unlikely to be well-received by the people of Amir, who had endured a great war.

Even his most trusted retainers, such as Leon, the Knight Commander, and Jeron, the Guard Captain, couldn’t hide their shock and fear.

“Well, knights might be able to do that… but I’m not a knight,” Eugene replied.

The dueling arbiter shrugged and continued, “You can’t reject Earth’s advancements forever. Progress requires competition, and to compete, you must understand your opponent. Especially now that those Parzan brutes are growing stronger by the day. If the results of this duel reach the capital, the Emperor might take notice of you, Baron.”

“I see,” Eugene nodded calmly at the arbiter’s words.

Has Amir changed that much?

At least, his public stance had always been to reject Earth’s civilization.

Considering that Baron Primrose hadn’t gone to the trouble of acquiring an old Earth-made excavator from the black market for nothing, the introducer’s words were quite intriguing.

“My name is Pavel Armand, the third son of the Armand Count family.”

It was then that the introducer suddenly revealed his name and status.

Seeing Eugene’s puzzled expression, Pavel smiled awkwardly and continued,

“Since you’re likely to make a name for yourself in the capital soon, I thought I’d try to get acquainted beforehand. A young noble with exceptional talent is bound to become a promising prospect in central politics.”

“Well, if you say so.”

Eugene nodded indifferently to Pavel’s words.

“Even so, I can’t believe he’d show such genuine interest in a lord from Earth.”

But it wouldn’t be wise to dismiss someone who was so earnestly praising him.

“You seem to think I’m joking. We’ll see. Well, I must take my leave now.”

As if sensing Eugene’s thoughts, Pavel grinned and waved as he mounted the horse he had arrived on.

Clip-clop, clip-clop…

Eugene watched the envoy ride away, then turned to face his retainers behind him.

Still dazed by the situation, the butler, knight commander, and guard captain stood in stunned silence, their faces etched with shock.

“My Lord, are you alright?”

The butler, Veruf, was the first to speak.

Although Eugene’s tone suggested concern, he quickly noticed that Beruf’s expression was far from pleased.

This isn’t just surprise… he looks genuinely displeased that I won.

Eugene had suspected from the beginning that Beruf was hiding something. It could be anything from embezzlement of the estate’s assets to, more gravely, involvement in the assassination of his father, Vian Crocus. His instincts, honed by years of survival as a mercenary on the battlefield, told him so.

I don’t have proof yet, but… I’ll need to make plans soon.

“I’m fine.”

Contrary to his thoughts, Eugene offered Beruf a bright smile. Though his wounded body ached, there was no need to reveal his true feelings to his opponent.

“My Lord, we should return to the castle immediately and have you examined by the healer. I’m worried you might have sustained some injuries.”

Knight Commander Leon spoke next, and Eugene nodded in agreement.

“Very well.”

Now, it was time to discuss how to use the spoils of war.

The next day, Eugene’s first stop was the territory’s official healer.

“Your bones and muscles are quite damaged. It seems you’ve been in this condition for a long time… Have you been managing alright all this time, Lord?”

“Of course.”

“I recommend taking these pills for now. They have pain-relieving properties, so they should help when you feel pain.”

“Agreed.”

With that, Eugene accepted a pouch containing a few pills from the healer and left the clinic immediately.

But Eugene didn’t take the medicine.

After all, all the healers here are quacks. I’d rather trust a priest.

While the Amir’s medicines were made from a blend of locally grown herbs, they couldn’t compare to the efficacy of Earth’s medicines, which were refined to the molecular level.

He would have trusted a wizard’s healing magic or a high priest’s miracle, but he was hesitant to take medicine from a border lord’s healer.

Clack, clack.

Stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets, Eugene headed straight for the central hall of the castle.

At the round table in the center, three of the lord’s retainers were already seated, leaving a space for Eugene.

“Welcome, Lord.”

Eugene nodded at the retainers who rose to greet him, then tossed a large pouch onto the table in front of his seat.

Clink!

It was none other than the compensation money from Baron Primrose’s family, won in yesterday’s Grand Warrior Duel.

Seated, Eugene spoke.

“Let’s begin the meeting. First, we’ll discuss the management of the territory.”

Here, “management of the territory” meant developing the magic stone mine hidden in the Black Forest.

“My Lord, will the development of the magic stone mine proceed as planned?”

“Do I need to answer such an obvious question twice?”

In response to the steward Veruf’s query, Eugene nodded and gestured to the large pouch before him. The compensation from Lady Primrose was substantial, and the gold coins within were equally numerous.

“Understood. In that case, we’ll need to recruit more laborers and soldiers for the mine’s security. We might even run short of funds.”

“No, I don’t think that will be the case.”

“My Lord, developing the mine requires laborers, and we need to reinforce our troops to protect them from the beasts of the Black Forest and other territories. That all requires money.”

“If that’s the case, I have something in mind.”

Eugene shook his head at Beruf’s continued skepticism about developing the magic stone mine and continued.

“First, the magic stone mine is quite shallow. That excavator alone will be enough to do the work of dozens of laborers.”

Naturally, Eugene hadn’t made this claim without basis.

With the power of the excavator he’d obtained in the Black Forest last time, it could indeed handle the work of dozens of men at once, just as he said.

“Second, regarding security, there are two ways to address it. One would be to reinforce the troops, but I have a different idea.”

“What is it?”

“Instead of hiring more soldiers, I plan to purchase weapons.”

“Weapons…?”

“These.”

Click!

With those words, Eugene placed the pistol he wore at his waist on the round table.

The meaning of his action was clear.

“You intend to give Earth’s weapons… to the soldiers?”

At these words, Knight Commander Leon’s expression stiffened slightly.

Eugene knew the knights disliked firearms, but he nodded.

“Not just the soldiers, but every knight like you will receive one. To face the enemy with fewer numbers, nothing is more effective than firearms.”

“Even the knights…?”

Leon and Jerome shot Eugene looks of deep reluctance.

But Eugene remained resolute.

“Why? Do you dislike it?”

“It’s not that, but…”

“Alternatively, the Knight Commander could reside at the mine and oversee its defense. It might be a bit lonely, being so far from the estate, but…”

In essence, he was threatening to banish them from the castle if they didn’t comply.

“…No, my Lord. I will follow your will.”

Under the Lord’s veiled threat, the two knights had no choice but to nod in agreement.

“My Lord, I understand your plan well, but… it seems problematic.”

It was then that Beruf, who had been listening to their conversation, spoke up.

“Acquiring the Earth’s weapons you mentioned will be extremely difficult. Moreover, I’ve heard that the excavators require oil found only on Earth. Even with ample funds, neither will be easy to obtain from the Empire.”

His words were not unfounded.

While the Empire hadn’t legally prohibited firearms and other Earth-made items, most of them were banned from being exported from Earth in the first place.

The same applied to petroleum, a fuel found only on Earth.

While it was justified as a measure to protect Amir’s environment, in reality, it served as a regulation to prevent the use of Earth’s machines powered by internal combustion engines.

But…

“It’s not like there’s no way.”

Yujin smiled knowingly, as if he’d anticipated Jerome’s reaction. He was well aware that obtaining Earthly goods on the Amir continent was difficult.

Yet Yujin had brought it up because a solution existed.

“The border region between the Farzan Republic and the Empire.”

“Huh?”

“There’s a sizable city buried beneath that area. Officially, it doesn’t exist.”

“If it officially doesn’t exist…”

Yujin nodded at Jerome’s puzzled expression.

“The black market.”

There, Yujin’s problem would undoubtedly be resolved.