“The Lord is coming! Attention all troops! Salute!”

When Kang Chul-In appeared, the commanding officer ordered.

“Sir!”

About 70 troops saluted Kang Chul-In.

They are pretty well trained.

Kang Chul-In’s face filled with satisfaction as he saw the troops.

“Milord, this is the main military unit of Laputa, the Royal Guard. If you count those who are standing guard on the outer edges of the territory, there are a hundred troops.”

Lucia explained alongside him.

A hundred is a lot.

It was a large army, considering Valhalla started with 50 soldiers.

“Troops, at ease.”

With Kang Chul-In’s orders, the troop fell to the “at ease” position. The faces of the soldiers who were staring at Kang Chul-In showed loyalty and fiery passion.

He is our Lord!

How long have we waited for him!

I will make him proud with my distinguished service!

It was understandable.

All NPCs in Laputa, including Lucia, were asleep for an unimaginable number of years waiting for a master. Without Kang Chul-In, they would have never been able to wake up, and therefore, their loyalty could not be overstated.

“Nice to meet you all. In three hours, we will patrol the lands and go subjugate monsters. Prepare accordingly. That is all.”

His speech was short.

Kang Chul-In, instead of going on and on, spoke concisely, delivering only the limited amount of information.

“And you.”

Kang Chul-In pointed his chin towards the one standing at the head of the troops.

“Name?”

“Commander James, milord!”

“I have things that I need to discuss, so you will come with me.”

“Yes, milord!”

James’s voice resonated.

“Uh… milord.”

Lucia carefully began to speak.

“May I also accompany you?”

“Of course.”

Kang Chul-In nodded.

“If you are my Secretary, you will naturally always be with me when I am in Laputa.”

“Yes, milord!”

Lucia proudly answered, overjoyed.

Like that, Kang Chul-In, Lucia, and Commander James slowly walked together around Laputa.

“Commander.”

“Yes.”

“What are the characteristics of the land that Laputa is on right now?”

It was an important question.

Laputa was an airborne city, but it was not flying at the moment, which meant that it was important to know the land that it was currently dependent on.

“Yes, milord. It is a wise question.”

James smiled and started his debriefing.

“Currently, Laputa has the Dragonia Mountains that act as the border of Pandemonium and the mainland on her back. It is in the southernmost area of the mainland.”

It meant that it was the most isolated of the isolated, the countryside.

“Those large mountains are the Dragonia Mountains, milord.”

James pointed at the large and vast mountains that had no end.

“And if you look at the western side, there is a river that reaches all the way to the mainland called Khartoum River. It is a long river that cuts through all of Pandemonium to the mainland’s northern side.”

Kang Chul-In was well aware of the Khartoum River as well. It was a canal that went through all of Pangaea. In order to gain control of Pangaea in the future, it was necessary to gain control of the Khartoum River.

“In the south, there is a magical forest, but it is an ancient one that has existed even before history was recorded. It is filled with monsters, and it won’t be an overstatement to call it the devil’s forest.”

“Hm…”

Kang Chul-In, after hearing James’s briefing, began to speak.

“To the east, the mountains, the west, the river, and the south, the devil’s forest. It is a land where three sides are steep.”

“Yes, milord.”

“So the north is the key.”

“You are right.”

“The North will be our entry point and where we will need to guard against enemies. Farms and ranches will also be on the northern side around the castle. It will be key to gain control of the north as soon as possible.”

At Kang Chul-In’s words, James’s eyes opened wide. Lucia’s widened as well.

“M-milord.”

James spoke, his voice quivering.

“May I ask how you came to such a conclusion?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Kang Chul-In answered.

“The eastern mountains would be useful for defense, but it isn’t a great option for us to go through if we are not going to use the flight skill and just fly over the entire thing. Also, if we wanted to go through the western canal, we would need to train naval forces, but it won’t be an easy task. It can’t be done overnight. In order to build ships, you would need to gain control of the southern forest, but it is not plausible considering the time and finances we have right now. So, the only thing left is the north.”

Kang Chul-In said everything casually, but for James and Lucia who were listening, it was a shocking thing to hear.

“How!”

James exclaimed.

“You are so intelligent, milord! How are you so wise? I, James, am so honored to serve a wise leader as yourself!”

He was almost going to get down on the ground and bow to him.

Wow! He is different because he’s been an Overlord before! Ah, I am such a blessed Secretary!

Lucia did not show it openly but was equally impressed.

What is this?

On the contrary, Kang Chul-In was taken aback by the responses of the two. He had said something so simple, but they were so amazed. He was even doubting whether they were able to think or not.

“Ehem.”

Kang Chul-In cleared his throat, calming the atmosphere, and asked James, “Are there any farms and ranches of ours in the north?”

“Yes, milord! Every morning, your people go to the plains in the north and farm.”

“Are there monsters?”

James froze.

“Y-you mean…”

“Of course, I will guarantee the safety of the north first. I cannot leave my people to be eaten by monsters.”

It was a definite choice for a ruler.

It was important for the economy to be stable for the territory to prosper, and the people who were producers of the territory were the first priority. Also, if the public sentiment is negative, loyalty will decrease, and there will be problems in the fighting power. Kang Chul-In’s specialty was charisma and internal affairs, and that would decrease as well.

“Milord.”

James, unaware of Kang Chul-In’s thoughts, was awed by him, shaking.

“I, James, am so honored to meet a benevolent ruler like yourself. How are you so wise and caring of the people?!”

Seemed like his intentions were understood like that.

Crap, I can’t say any more.

For every word he spoke, they reacted with awe, so even Kang Chul-In, who had no conscience, was a little embarrassed.

“Anyways, I will take care of the monsters from the north plains first, so prepare accordingly. I will give you three hours.”

“Yes, milord!”

James answered excitedly.

“Lucia.”

Kang Chul-In called Lucia this time.

“Yes, milord.”

“Feed the troops who will go to the monster subjugation ahead of time with bread and milk.”

“I will also disburse, ahead of time, two days’ worth of rations.”

“Good thinking.”

Kang Chul-In nodded. Monster hunting could sometimes take a long time, so it was wise to bring two days’ worth of rations.

“Then I also will get ready, so you guys prepare as well.”

Kang Chul-In said, and James and Lucia nodded vigorously and answered.

“Yes, milord! I will do so!”

“As you command, milord.”

And with that, Kang Chul-In left, and Lucia called to James.

“Commander James.”

“Yes, Secretary.”

“It is the Lord’s first quest, so pay heed so the troops will not make any mistakes.”

Lucia said this with a cold and stern look. It was the complete opposite of how she treated Kang Chul-In.

“Yes.”

“If the troops do anything out of line or seem like they are not in high spirits, I will not just watch. Do you understand?”

“Of course.”

James bowed his head.

Lucia was second-in-command in the territory. She was an Secretary to Kang Chul-In, and for James who was the Commander, Lucia was an extremely authoritative figure.

“Then do your best. I will be watching.”

Lucia stared at James behind her plastic-rimmed glasses. A penetrating glare shone in her usually beautiful eyes.

Three hours later.

Kang Chul-In left Laputa atop a white horse along with James and 50 troops.

I can’t believe I’m armored with these low-level items.

Kang Chul-In, through the [Warrior Shop] system, purchased and wore rare-level armor and a rare-level Blood Sword.

Blood Sword.

It was a one-handed sword the foot soldiers of the Ancient World had used. It was a sword enchanted with blood magic and increased the endurance of the user.

This item had 40 Striking Power and absorbed 10% of the damage that it inflicted with its own power, making it effective for increasing endurance. However, for Kang Chul-In, who had used only epic items in the past, it was not satisfactory.

“Milord, do you see that?”

As Kang Chul-In was thinking of the past, James pointed at a faraway place. It was about 30 minutes since they had left.

“That is your territory, milord.”

Where James had pointed, there was a vast area of fields and a farm where there were cows and horses.

It’s small. Since the territory is small if I take the entirety of these plains, it will be a sturdy foundation for me.

Although the farm and fields were small, it was not even 0.1% of the northern plains. In the future, if he could completely make these plains his, he would not fall behind even the production power of the previous Gulveig Union.

As Kang Chul-In was thinking such thoughts, one of the units that were standing in front of the troops with binoculars yelled loudly.

“M-m-monsters!”

With the soldier’s notice, all the other soldiers drew their swords.

“What? Monsters, out of the blue? What do you mean?!”

James yelled.

“There are about 20 orcs running towards our farms ahead of us!”