Chapter 77: The Great Fortress Under Construction (3)

In Raion’s office, Lord Shtefan and the half-dwarf Dike had gathered.

“You’re saying we’ll open a sea route?”

Once the initial explanation ended, Shtefan was taken aback.

Since the Sea Serpent Nest hadn’t yet been dealt with, he naturally had plenty of objections.

“That’s right. We plan to open the sea route and begin trading with Edina, Prios, and Rozarin.”

“But that’s…”

It seemed Shtefan was already tired of the matter, having heard it explained several times before.

“We won’t be completely eradicating the Sea Serpents.”

“But without doing that, it’s absolutely impossible.”

The violent currents caused by the scattered small islands were a problem in themselves—but worse yet, the Sea Serpents that gathered there would never leave a passing ship unharmed.

That made the Sea Serpent Nest a place of great danger.

“The Sea Serpents, like the Sellios Dungeon, will become one of Kanas’s major sources of income. Especially for the people living in the coastal villages—it’ll become their means of survival.”

“You mean you’ll make them hunt those things?”

Just as Raion said, the Sea Serpents’ hides were sold at a very high price. Their meat was plentiful, and there was little to discard, making it a useful food source.

However, Sea Serpents were powerful monsters, and hunting them at sea was no easy feat.

“That’s right. Of course, we’ll need to station capable mercenaries and soldiers—those with adventuring experience—in the coastal villages.”

Among the soldiers currently in training, some were selected specifically to be deployed there.

“But still…”

At that moment, Raion interrupted Shtefan.

“Dike, I’m thinking of building a ship. Do you think it’s possible?”

“A ship? You mean one of those things that float on the sea?”

“That’s right.”

Raion took a thick roll of parchment from his bookshelf and spread it out on the table.

It was a set of ship design drawings he had been sketching whenever he had spare time.

“This is… a ship?”

Shtefan was startled upon seeing the blueprints.

The common ships of the Phalon Continent had sharp ‘V’-shaped keels when viewed from the front.

But the ship in Raion’s design had a wide, flat-bottomed ‘U’ shape.

It was the same design as the panokseon, the flat-bottomed warship used in the Joseon era of the Republic of Korea’s history.

“That’s right. A ship.”

“But its shape seems a bit…”

“To pass through the rough currents around the Sea Serpent Nest, stability and turning ability are more important than speed. That’s what this design is based on.”

As Raion explained, he looked toward Dike.

Dike, meanwhile, was already absorbed in the blueprints Raion had spread open, studying every detail.

“Your Highness! You really drew this yourself?”

“That’s right. Do you think you can make it?”

“I think it’s possible… but if it’s not fast, it’ll be easy prey for the monsters, just like Lord Shtefan said.”

Dike accurately pointed out the issue.

Of course, Raion hadn’t overlooked that point.

“It won’t move by sails. There’s another method to make it go fast enough.”

He turned to the next sheet of the blueprints.

At that sight, Dike’s eyes widened.

“Is… is this really possible?”

“The core part can only be made by me. No other nation could ever copy it—so there won’t be any problems.”

Meanwhile, Shtefan’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

“But this is…”

“It’s entirely feasible. So, let’s turn the nearby village between the Sea Serpent Nest and the Sellios Dungeon into a port.”

The decision was made—there was no room for further discussion.

Even so, Shtefan still looked as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

Before long, a year passed with winter’s arrival.

At the royal capital of the Canel Kingdom, Duke Alito was meeting with Queen Elina.

It had been months since Harman, a member of the Dagger of Darkness, and his subordinate knights had departed for Kanas under Elina’s orders, yet none had returned to the capital.

Because of that, Elina wore a worried expression.

“Could there really be something in Kanas?”

“I don’t know… But considering that Harman, a high-ranking knight, and his five subordinates haven’t returned at all…”

Even Duke Alito’s concern deepened.

“Should we send more people?”

“No. We don’t even know how they died. If they perished while crossing the Clamen Mountains, then… we could end up losing even more knights for nothing.”

They were preparing for a grand undertaking.

And what mattered most for that endeavor was military strength.

Of course, even losing a single capable knight was a painful loss.

“But we’ve lost all news from Kanas. I’m not worried about Raion himself, but… if Saliann Arenvatz happens to be supporting him in any way…”

That was precisely what Elina was afraid of.

The reason was that Duke Saliann Arenvatz, the former father-in-law of the current King Laskan and the man in charge of the northern border of the Canel Kingdom, was the maternal grandfather of the Third Prince, Raion.

Though they hadn’t seen each other in many years, blood ties couldn’t easily be ignored.

Elina believed that this might become an opportunity for Saliann to aid Raion and help him return to the royal capital.

“There’s been no word from the spy we placed in the Arenvatz Territory.”

Of course, Duke Alito had planted numerous spies within the domain of his rival, Duke Saliann Arenvatz.

He regularly received reports from there to monitor any movements.

“Is it really all right?”

“We must focus on our own work.”

“For now, Ashuran and Valet are living well within their domains. If things continue this way, won’t the succession of the throne naturally fall to them?”

“Hmm… I wasn’t sure if I should tell you, but you ought to know.”

“What is it?”

At Alito’s suddenly serious expression, Elina tilted her head in curiosity.

“I heard that something major has happened in Hasein.”

“Something major?”

“Count Alstain Holivan of Hasein was caught selling items he had stolen from a certain trading company. But word is spreading that those goods originated from Kanas.”

“What kind of items?”

“Chers and Jagir. In addition, they say recipes that first emerged long ago in the royal capital are also being traced back there.”

Rumors flowed like water.

No matter how tightly one tried to seal them, they always managed to seep through the cracks of earth and stone to spread beyond control.

Of course, Raion had done everything to keep such things secret, but even he couldn’t stop the whispers that naturally began to form.

“Is that true?”

“For now, it’s only a rumor. Nothing has been confirmed.”

“But if the rumor is true, wouldn’t it be a good opportunity for us? But if it’s from Kanas…”

They had just been speaking about Raion, who was in Kanas.

Naturally, Elina quickly sensed what kind of trouble such a rumor could bring.

“It would be an unfortunate opportunity for us.”

“How are the taxes in Kanas these days? If those goods are being produced there, the collected taxes should have increased, shouldn’t they?”

Under ordinary circumstances, she wouldn’t have been wrong.

But Kanas was different.

“Do you not know, Your Majesty? Due to the special nature of Kanas, its tax rate is fixed under all circumstances.”

“Really?”

“It’s been that way for decades. And I heard His Majesty the King personally granted certification for those goods.”

Elina’s eyes widened in surprise.

“His Majesty did?”

“That’s what Lord Alstain Holivan of Hasein claimed. He even said he had proof that the King himself certified them.”

“Who told you that?”

“I haven’t been able to find out.”

Patrick’s attempts at keeping it contained had only worked up to that point.

Count Alstain Holivan of Hasein feared Duke Saliann Arenvatz—who might be backing Patrick—far more than he feared Duke Alito.

“But a royal certification we never even heard about?”

“I wouldn’t know. It’s not exactly the kind of issue one can ask the King directly about.”

A deep frown formed between Alito’s brows as his worries grew heavier.

Elina’s expression was no different.

“Are you really going to leave Kanas alone?”

“For now, there’s nothing we can do. I’ll have to find another opportunity to place new men there.”

As Alito fell silent, a quiet sigh escaped his lips.

Raion had stepped away from the lord’s castle for a while and was now at Drak Gorge, known as the entrance to the Clamen Mountains, where he was creating massive concrete pillars using his ability.

“Synthesis–Formation!”

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The concrete pillars that rose from the ground were enormous—eight meters wide and fifteen meters tall.

They were spaced about a hundred meters apart, linking one end of the gorge to the other.

In total, ten pillars had been created across roughly a kilometer of distance.

“This should do, right?”

At that, Patrick approached from the side, offering him a teacup.

“For constructing the gateway to the mountain range, that foundation should be sufficient.”

From here on, they planned to use large bricks produced in the industrial district to build the walls between the pillars.

However, it was necessary to make sure the pillars were sturdy enough.

That was why Raion had personally erected them using his ability.

“I could build all of it myself, but…”

“If you do, the people of the territory will only come to depend on the Master’s power.”

Patrick was worried about that as well.

“Right. My goal is to make the territory prosper. If they depend solely on my power, it’ll only harm them in the end.”

“Indeed, you are absolutely right. I’m truly amazed by your wisdom, Master.”

“Praising me too much always feels like a bad omen.”

Patrick smiled faintly at that reply.

“What praise could ever be excessive for the Master’s achievements? If anything, it’s always lacking.”

In Patrick’s eyes, Raion’s character and leadership had already surpassed the caliber of a mere king.

At this point, it even felt strange to think of him simply as someone meant to inherit the throne.

“Let’s finish up the remaining wall pillars quickly.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Raion walked to the other side and once again activated Synthesis–Formation, creating more pillars.

They planned to enclose the gorge on both sides with walls to form a fortified gate.

Within that gate, a small village would be established, serving also as a forward base.

“You’re incredibly fast.”

“This is still too slow. If I want to wield my ability like magic, I need to be able to use it much faster.”

That was the greatest realization Raion had gained through his training.

Patrick, faced with such humility, found himself amazed once again.

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