The Max Level Hero Strikes Back!

38

The number was very small compared to the beginning, but the remaining people couldn鈥檛 be taken because they had to repair the houses destroyed by the fight against the Goblins.

鈥淭en people? The lord must be crazy!鈥?

鈥淓ven if the number of goblins decreases鈥︹€?

The volunteers that were not there from the day before looked like they couldn鈥檛 believe what was going on. It wouldn鈥檛 be weird to shout out that it was a vain bluff if one heard it without context. And that鈥檚 what they did.

鈥淲e found a goblin village ahead. There are about 50 of them.鈥?

After listening to the report, I turned to the ten volunteers standing behind me. All of their facial expressions were full of distrust and fear. The volunteers, who swept away a large-scale village with me the day before, weren鈥檛 here, so the others didn鈥檛 seem to trust me easily.

鈥淎re you guys scared?鈥?

They were silent at my question. It was hard to believe this. Honestly, if I were in their position, I would have thought that the others had taken a bowl of medicine as a group.

鈥淚鈥檓 sure you鈥檙e all scared. You鈥檙e probably thinking, 鈥極nly ten people came to clear up the Goblin鈥檚 village. I think it鈥檚 right to kill this crazy bastard and run away.鈥欌€?

I didn鈥檛 hear an answer, but they all seemed to be thinking the same thing. If it was hard to believe, I had to show them myself.

鈥淎s I have said before, I have never allowed anyone to die.鈥?

Light begins to flow out with my words. Unlike the knights who realized what I was going to do, the other people鈥檚 faces looked surprised. Light started to flow out of my body. Then, after the buff magic settled on them, their distrust disappeared.

* * *

鈥淲ahahahaha! Die, you bastards!鈥?

鈥淭he Lord is with us!鈥?

鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 seem to believe me until a little while ago鈥︹€?

It felt absurd, but I maintained my composure because I had already seen it once before.

鈥淵ou bastards! Stick your necks out!鈥?

鈥淭he saint is with us!鈥?

Yeah, since I was cosplaying as a saint, I understood.

鈥淕od is with us!鈥?

鈥淗a! Take God鈥檚 wrath!鈥?

鈥淗ey, you crazy shits!鈥?

It was absurd when they even uttered remarks that would be considered blasphemy. Were they the ones who looked at me with disbelief because they couldn鈥檛 believe me? I felt sorry for Goblins, who ran away and trembled in fear because of the crazy followers. And those followers were the ten volunteers who didn鈥檛 even receive systematic training or proper weapons.

The time it took to slaughter more than 50 goblins wasn鈥檛 that long. If a weapon broke while using it, they could just break their bones with their bare hands. Every one of them was as brave as an extremely fortified warrior! This time, it was hard to kill all of them because I didn鈥檛 raise my bow, but since most of them were dead, I didn鈥檛 need to catch those that ran away.

Rather, it would be better to have them confuse themselves because they would realize how dangerous humans had become. After finishing the village instantly, I felt a sense of fear for a moment as they gathered to me in unison. I think it was worse than before.

鈥淟ord! Some of them are running away!鈥?

鈥淗aha! They鈥檒l never cross Hines again!鈥?

鈥淗ahahaha! Those losers!鈥?

The scene of them talking made me smile awkwardly. Well, I guess it was a shallow distrust.

鈥淲ell鈥ell done.鈥?br>
Yes, as a volunteer who has to protect your home, it鈥檚 good to be loyal. At least they won鈥檛 be unhappy with what I鈥檓 trying to do. It鈥檚 a little shaky, but it鈥檚 not bad! I thought so.

It鈥檚 not bad to take care of your image. So, exactly two days later, as I was inspecting the changes taking place in my estate鈥?

鈥淥h鈥oly Saint!鈥?br>
鈥淭he saint is here! Clear the way, you bastards!鈥?

The rumors spread fast. Whether these are volunteers or missionary priests鈥 was beginning to regret the first decision I made.

* * *

As a lord, it was a success to win the trust of the people who resided in this land. It didn鈥檛 matter since it was my estate, and I was in the highest position anyway.

Astrea, the conquering king of the Borde, the Paladian Empire, told me every time.

[Don鈥檛 forget, it鈥檚 not livestock that you lead, but free-willed men. You have to make them follow you with their own will. You shouldn鈥檛 lead them forcefully.]

He taught me harmony and not politics, so I didn鈥檛 learn politics as a king in depth, but at least I sympathized with what he said from time to time. It was a small estate with only 200 people, but everything starts from poverty.

鈥淔rom a nearby commercial city, Bernille sent me a charter. I heard that the leader of volunteers did a good job, so he had prepared a lot of supplies. That could delay the return date a little鈥︹€?

Amy, who was waiting for my return, was also working as my secretary. It was unusual for a woman to be in this position in the kingdom of Al Rown, but I hired men, women, children, and old people alike as long as they were talented.

Amy seemed moved by my appreciation of her worth.

鈥淭he rest of the estate documents are here. What else do you need?鈥?

鈥淚t鈥檚 getting late; I want to clean up. Go take a break, stop working.鈥?

鈥淪top鈥orking?鈥?br>
She looked at me with surprise.

鈥淲ell, how long are you going to wait for me? You can鈥檛 even sleep properly.鈥?

鈥淚 can鈥檛鈥︹€?br>
She tilted her head as if she were a puppy abandoned by her master.

鈥淒on鈥檛 want to go home?鈥?

-You know a lot, but you don鈥檛 know how a girl feels.

鈥楽he had feelings for me?鈥?

Perserk sighed as if she found something ridiculous.

-It鈥檚 not that she has feelings, but it鈥檚 hard to explain. Anyway, it鈥檚 not right to throw away a child鈥檚 heart that wants to help you.

Perserk was experienced and wise. After she said that, Amy鈥檚 gaze got on her nerves.

鈥淲ell鈥i.. Davey鈥 can do well! I mean鈥︹€?

I sighed briefly as I watched her fumble her words. I didn鈥檛 know that it would come out like this, even though I took care of it in my own way.

鈥淵eah, well, there鈥檚 nothing we can do now. Instead, I鈥檒l need a lot of your help, so be prepared.鈥?

鈥淵es!鈥?br>
鈥淭hat鈥檚 fine. So take a break for now.鈥?

I couldn鈥檛 help it.

鈥淚鈥檒l see you tomorrow then.鈥?

鈥淵es!鈥?br>
As soon as she regained her energy, she left the office. I let out a deep sigh.

鈥淚鈥檝e never really paid close attention to her, though.鈥?

-Well, it seems that the girl feels quite responsible for you since you saved her life.

Ah, that corrupt, low priest鈥檚 business. I indeed saved her, but I couldn鈥檛 forget that it was only half my intention. I felt guilty for no reason for thinking so. Nodding without a word, Perserk sat lightly on the old desk. Then she squinted, peering through the papers under her butt.

鈥淏y the way, you鈥檙e thousands of years old, but you still know how to write well.鈥?

-I didn鈥檛 just play and eat that whole time.

She said so and reached out to a document that was much larger than her body and swept it away.

鈥淲hat do you think?鈥?

-Do you want a cold assessment?

鈥淔or now.鈥?br>
-If you lift the curse right now, the territory will be back to normal in at least five years. And it鈥檚 about 20 years before you make it into the land you want.

Her judgment was quite accurate. Lifting the curse on the dying land wouldn鈥檛 immediately change everything.

鈥淪o that鈥檚 just based on your judgment?鈥?

-No way. Will you listen to what I think about the land?

鈥淚鈥檒l listen.鈥?br>
She laughed with satisfaction. As she sat down, she reached for a small document and pointed to one across from her. Then the small document came up lightly with a light wind and flew in front of me.

鈥淎re you able to deal with physical force?鈥?

-It鈥檚 possible if I鈥檓 controlling just a small force. That鈥檚 enough to lift a bit of light stuff like this.

Nevertheless, she looked satisfied.

-This estate doesn鈥檛 have accessible water, so the water supply is a mess. Is that all? The livestock industry has shrunk rapidly in the past few years, while the food stockpile of crops has led to a low deposit of food.

She kept going.

鈥?Thanks to a large amount of platinum you got from robbing the capital鈥檚 Information Guild, you can endure it for the time being, but it鈥檚 a temporary solution. The most serious is also the issue of funding.

It was as she said.

鈥淭his land has almost no profit.鈥?

It is inevitable to feel extremely underdeveloped compared to other territories.

鈥淏ut there鈥檚 a lot of ways.鈥?

-I鈥檒l tell me what you think.

Her eyes, smiling beautifully, seemed to be full of expectations. I鈥檓 sure she wasn鈥檛 checking what was on my mind either. After thousands of years of living, life would be as boring as it gets. It was understandable.

鈥淭he good news is that, despite my expectations, the region has quite a few able young people. The first way is to use them by hunting monsters or animals.鈥?

鈥?That鈥檚 the worst-case scenario.

Even if the government called for the reform of the territory tomorrow, the people鈥檚 trust in the territory is not great enough. If you use them for hunting monsters, you could hold out right away, but that鈥檚 where growth ends.

鈥淭he second option is to produce specialties, but it鈥檚 hard unless you solve the situation with the land.鈥?

-I鈥檓 sure you鈥檙e right about that.

鈥淔inally, trade. How do we get diamonds with corn?鈥?

She tilted her head at my words.

-There鈥檚 no reason for another city to trade from here, and there are no items that we can trade anyway.

鈥淚f we can鈥檛 trade with people, we can trade with the other races. But just in case, let鈥檚 look into the territory first.鈥?

We had to try anything we could for now.