I am the Monarch Chapter 150 : Tale Barony (5)

'That is, if he isn't intentionally pretending to not see.'

Roan flashed light from his eyes as he stared at Clay, who was busily moving about.

“We need a few more spy eagles and messenger pigeons.”
“Tenebra troop has requested three infiltration cats.”
“Agens has asked whether we could tame insects and fishes.”

Clamorous conversations continued on.
As the administrator of the fief and the director of the newly launched Bureau of Druids, Clay was passing busy days.
Particularly, the work he was putting his heart and blood into these days was indoctrinating various animals and birds with the newly appointed druids and assigning them to various departments.

“Since we will ready the three infiltration cats five days later, tell them to send over the troopers who will be in charge of the mission. Pass on that we are still understaffed for the insects and fish.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”

At Clay's reply, a young man in a uniform, with a loud answer, exited the office of administration.
Roan, who had been watching, faintly smiled and grabbed Clay's shoulder.

“Seeing you being so hectically busy, I really feel sorry.”

It was true.
Currently, the administration of the Tale Barony was almost all shouldered and managed by Clay.
And with the works of the Bureau of Druids getting stacked on on top of that, his daily hours of sleep these days didn't quite go over three hours.
With a tired, but somewhat proud and satisfied look, Clay replied.

“If you are that sorry, then please increase my rank at least.”

Serious words half mixed with a joke.
To someone who might be meeting Clay for the first time, they were words that might easily make one flustered.
But Roan now more or less understood his personality.

“Sure. I'll officially bring it up at the monthly meeting.”

Just looking at the achievements, promotion was basically an established fact.
However, the promotions in the house of Baron Tale wasn't something that could be done with just achievements.

'I should get and see Agens' human resources report.'

Agens, the Tale Barony's greatest intelligence agency, currently was also taking on employee evaluations of the Baron Tale House's retainers in addition to collecting and analyzing both the domestic and foreign information.
It also included the basic information that are unrelated to their job performance such as diligence, everyday manner, and reputation.

“Thank you very much.”

Clay smiled as he bowed his head.
He was excessively honest in parts like this.
He didn't particularly hide his ambition.

Although that was awkward at first, he now thought instead that it too was Clay's charm and a positive point.

'Of course, I'm not sure whether he really isn't hiding anything.'

All of a sudden, he recalled the story Princess Aily had said before leaving the capital, Miller.

< Please don't give him all of sir Baron's trust. To me, Clay's heart can't be seen. I can't tell whether its inside is black, or white. This kind of case is a first. >

'She certainly said so.'

Meaning not to trust him too much.

'Come to think of it, I wonder how the princess is doing……'

The end of his thought continued naturally on towards that direction.
The thoughts about Clay had already long disappeared a far away.
At that moment.

[Hey. What are you thinking?]

He heard a sharp voice.
It was Kinis.

“Un?”

Unknowingly widening his eyes round, Roan asked back.

“Yes?”

Awkwardly, Clay, who was facing him, asked back with a puzzled look.

[You idiot. I said you can't just answer in front of other people.]

Kinis' criticism followed.
Roan hurriedly calm his thoughts.

“No. I said I look forwards to your help from now on as well.”
“Yes, my lord. I will always do my best.”

As if to say not to worry, Clay lowered his head with a confident expression.
Roan tapped his shoulder several times, then went out of the office of administration.

“I panicked because you suddenly talked to me.”

Roan grumbled towards Kinis, who couldn't even be seen.

[Cht cht cht. Always be alert.]

Her voice was pixieish.
Roan faintly smiled as he nodded his head.
The two people, no the one person and one spirit couldn't converse with only thoughts and feelings yet.
To talk with not words but only thoughts, he needed to raise the aura of water to a much higher level.

[Anyway, what were you thinking back there.]

She seemed to be talking about when he was thinking of Aily.

“Just thoughts about this and that.”

Roan subtly avoided the question.
Kinis made an expression that seemed to say that it was suspicious.
Of course, Roan couldn't see her.

[Suspicious. Your face was really strange. The light in your eyes were soft.]
“Don't say something ridiculous.”

With a slightly flustered look, Roan waved at the air.
Kinis flew around here and there, and spoke in a sharp voice.

[Anyway, the expression back then wasn't bad. You looked really happy.]

At those words, Roan flinched in shock.

'I looked happy……?'

It somehow felt as if his feelings were exposed.
His footsteps pointlessly became hurried.

[What is it? Why are you hurrying so suddenly?]

With a surprised voice, Kinis asked on.
Smiling awkwardly, Roan quickened his steps.

“There is a mountain of things I need to do.”

It was a pointless excuse.
But it really was true that he was too busy to even blink.
The Tale Barony was no different than a newly born baby.
There weren't just one or two things he had to be concerned with and look over.

[So where are you going?]
“The place where a shabby genius is.”

Roan answered shortly.
At those words, Kinis snorted out a laugh.

[Ah! The scatterbrain McCrum?]

Instead of an answer, Roan made a faint smile.
His steps led towards the single story building, where a signboard called Reno Magic Tower was attached.

*****

Bang!

A middle aged man violently slammed down on a desk.
His face was full of annoyance.

“Damn it. What an eyesore this is.”

His voice was sharp-edged.
The man who was harshly breathing out was Viscount Kali Owells, who served Count Io Lancephil.

“The current situation?”

He looked at Perry Wilson, the captain of the Lancephil Fief Troop, who sat on the opposite side of the desk.
Perry smiled bitterly.

“Following the border between our fief and the Tale Barony, big and small forts, camps, and watchtowers have been built.”
“And you just watched that happen?”

Kali berated with a voice mixed with irritation.
Perry answered with a protesting look.

“It was something we couldn't do anything to in our position. The locations the forts, camps, and the watchtower were raised were all in Tale Barony. They are places we cannot enter without permission.”

Kali harshly ground his teeth.

“Building military facilities at the bounds touching our fief is a clear hostile action.”

His sight went towards Baron Tyrone Bess, the head of the magic corp.

“Has there been any words from the lord?”

Here, the lord meant Io.

“He said to not mind it since it should be preparing for monsters' activities.”

Tyrone answered with a short sigh.

Bang!

Kali slammed the desk once more.

“Damn it! So he really reacted like that!”

There was no way that Io would put a brake in Roan's work.
A chilly mood flowed.

“Commander Owells. If we leave Baron Tale as is, the entire Lancephil fief may go over.”

Perry's words.
He couldn't dismiss it as groundless words.
There was already a case where Io had simply cut off a part of the southern region, including the Tale region, of the Lancephil County and gave it to Roan.

'To me, who had served by his side for decades, he hasn't even granted me a proper fief.'

Kali's goal was to succeed Io, who had no blood relative, and become the lord of the Lancephil County.
But with the current situation, the possibility that Roan would become the next lord of the Lancephil County was high.

“No. I can't leave it be like that.”

His voice was cold.
Kali looked back and forth between Tyrone and Perry.

“I will have to once again send someone to Count Chase.”

Kali and Count Jonathan Chase forming a secret relations was something that happened long time ago.
When Io had cut off and gave the Tale region to Roan.
At that time, they had already exchanged letters in secret.

“Have you made up your resolve?”
“Are we finally starting?”

Tyrone and Perry asked back with nervous expressions.
With a heavy expression, Kali nodded his head.

“If he won't give it to me, I'll just have to take it……”

And he would have to take it before another bastard cleanly snatch it away.
He had confidence.

'If we attack from the inside and the outside, even the lord, no, Count Io Lancephil will not be able to endure.'

The chaos from the inside will be done by himself, Tyrone, and Perry.
The chaos from the outside.

'Count Jonathan Chase, the hated rival of Count Lancephil.'

He will take care of it.
A vicious smile hung from Kali's mouth.
A cold light wrapped around his eyes.
The ambition within his heart was simply too big.
That ambition was so big, it covered the eyes of both his body and heart.
Because of that, he had not seen the most important thing within a life.
Family.
What kind of impact would this great and important existence make in this event?

*****

“Where was the controller. Ah! Here it is!”

McCrum hurriedly rushed.
It was because he became slightly nervous from having Roan, who suddenly visited, in front of him.
No, it was because there was a bit of scatterbrain side to his original personally.
He pressed hard on the controller.

Paat!

Instantly, a ball of light appeared within a small lamp.

“It's a magic lamp that runs on a much smaller magic stone than we had first shown you.”
“How big a stone went in it?”
“About a half a fingernail big, sir.”

McCrum answered shortly.
A blush shined on his face.
Certainly, the size of the magic stone had decreased to about half from the original magic lamp.
But the price of a magic stone the size of half a fingernail was also incredible.

'It's extravagant. Extravagant. To think we'll need this much magic stone to light a single lamp……'

McCrum lowered his head in self embarrassment.
No, he tried to lower his head.
But the moment he saw Lemming Ade standing next to him, he forcefully raised his head.
To the person who was the head of the school, the master of the magic tower, and the teacher who saved his life, he didn't wish to show an ugly look.

“Is this much the best?”

It wasn't a voice pressuring people.
They were words truly out of curiosity.
At Roan's question, McCrum raised his head stiffly and answered in a strong voice.

“According to our research, it needs to work at the one tenth the size of current magic stone. But when we carry out the actual experiment, it simply doesn't show any reaction, and……”

When his words reached about that point.

Pssh.

With a feeble sound, the ball of light within the lamp disappeared.

“The current magic lamp's activation state is also very unstable.”

Roan slowly nodded his head and then examined the magic lamp.
Following the surface of the lamp, countlessly many magic arrays were complicatedly drawn, no, were carved.

[Hihihi. Look at this! Kukku.]

Suddenly, he heard Kinis' laughter.
Slightly creasing his brows, Roan glanced at McCrum and Lemming's faces and then murmured in a very quiet voice.

“What do you mean?”

At those words, Kinis' voice was soon heard.

[Ah right! You can't see me. Look here below the lamp. I know McCrum was a scatterbrain, but isn't this too much?]

Roan naturally moved his gaze.

“Ah……”

Reflexively, he let out a quiet exclamation.
Soon, Kinis' voice was heard.

[It's serious even when you look at it. The magic array carved around the base of the lamp is at a level of a child's doodle.]

Roan slowly nodded his head.
They weren't talking about the formula of the magic array.
Roan certainly couldn't understand that and neither could Kinis.
They were completely inexperienced in formula of magic arrays.
Level of a child's doodle.
That was actually talking about the shape of the magic array etched on the lamp's surface.
For magic arrays that included complicated formulas, each and every line, shape, pattern, and words were important.
If they became even slightly bent, the magic itself will not activate or become unstable.
But.

'They're squiggly.'

The lines of the magic arrays etched at the base of the magic lamps were lopsided, the shapes were squashed, the patterns were comical, and the words were spiking out this way and that.
Of course, that was an extremely detailed part that was hard to see unless one concentrated one's gaze.
But.

'It seems it's because of this that the result much below the actual research came out.'

When Roan looked over the lamp for a long time, McCrum awkwardly smiled as he opened his mouth.

“Carving the magic array at the base of the lamp was a rather difficult job, so……”

He too had noticed what Roan was currently looking at.
Roan turned his gaze and looked at McCrum.

“If we can just carve the magic array more precisely, would the activation results improve?”

At those words, McCrum contemplated for a moment, then slightly nodded his head.

“It probably will, sir.”

His face seemed to say that they wouldn't know until they try.

“Hmm.”

Roan leaked a quiet groan.

'Then there is a way.'

He cheerfully smiled and looked back and forth between McCrum and Lemming.

“Let's take this magic lamp and go with me.”
“Eh? To where……?”

McCrum asked back with a confused look.
Instead of answering, Roan cheerfully smiled and walked towards the outside of the magic tower.
McCrum and Lemming stared still at that sight for a moment and then soon gathered the magic lamp and the controller and followed Roan's back.
Roan exited the magic tower and headed towards the outskirt of the Mediasis Castle.

“Lord. Have a nice day.”
“Have some fruits.”
“Thank you always.”

The castle's residents on the streets greeted them with bright faces.
And each time, Roan slightly lowered his head and responded back.

'Was there a noble this popular?'
'He really is amazing in many ways.'

McCrum and Lemming, who were following behind, inwardly shook their heads in awe.
Even during that while, the three people busily moved their feet.

Kang! Kang! Kang!

When they finally reached the west gate, loud sound of hammer was heard.
Roan briefly glanced back at McCrum and Lemming following behind, and made a faint smile.

“This here is the Tale Engineering Union. It's a place that's usually called the Hammer Engineering Union.”
“Ah……”

McCrum and Lemming let out a quiet exclamation.
They had also heard of the rumors of Tale Engineering Union.
A place where skilled engineers from all over the kingdom gathered and were associated, it was the institution that was responsible for the various constructions currently happening all over the Tale Barony.

“Director Bix.”

At Roan's call, a man with a red face ran up.

“Hahaha! Lord. Welcome.”

A hearty laugh and straightforward attitude.
He was Bix, the very man who was the director of the engineering union.

“There's something I need to request.”
“If it's our lord's request, then of course we will listen to anything.”

At Roan's words, Bix energetically thumped his broad chest.
Roan cheerfully smiled and turned towards McCrum.

“Ah……”

McCrum instantly realized Roan's intention.
He handed the magic lamp that he was holding to Bix.

“What's this lamp?”

At the unexpected object, Bix slightly creased his forehead.
With a calm voice, Roan replied.

“It's an object called the magic lamp. It's an object with complicated magic arrays etched onto the lamp's surface.”
“Hhm.”

Bix nodded his head and meticulously looked over the lamp's surface.
The magic arrays that weren't very visible were faintly seen.
Bix, after looking at it close for a long while, tilted his head.

“Is this something that's originally etched squiggly like this?”

His expression was greatly confused.

“Hhm.”

Vainly embarrassed, McCrum and Lemming coughed.

'As expected, he recognized it instantly.'

Roan inwardly smiled proudly, and shook his head.

“No. It's like that because the work on that part isn't easy.”
“Ah……”

As if he now understood, Bix let out a low exclamation.

“So the thing you want to request is to etch this magic array?”
“Yeah. Would it be possible?”

Roan asked with a cautious voice.
Bix looked over the lamp and answered.

“The shape of the magic array is seriously complicated, but……”

Soon, a smile bloomed on his mouth.

“We can easily carve something of this much.”
“Ah……”

Soon as he spoke those words, McCrum and Lemming let out a quiet exclamation.
Roan cheerfully smiled and nodded his head.

“Then. I'll request it of you.”
“Please leave it to us.”

Bix answered with a loud voice.
Roan turned around to the back and looked at McCrum and Lemming.

“Please let Director Bix know what kind of magic array is needed to be carved.”
“Yes. We understand.”

McCrum instantly nodded his head.
On his face, a strange expectation floated.
He felt that if they could carve the magic array a bit more precisely, they could make a much more effective magic lamp than now.
McCrum, together with Lemming, moved his feet and approached Bix.
Roan proudly smiled as he watched that sight.

'A meeting of the mages and the engineering union……'

For now, he had succeeded in one union.

'And if even the alchemists continue their research together here……'

When his thought reached that point.

“My lord!”

From far away, he heard a familiar voice.
And soon.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The sound of the ground trembling hit his ears.
Without even looking back, Roan was able to guess the owner of the voice.

'Brian.'

A faint smile hung from his mouth.
Slowly, he turned his head.
Sure enough, Brian, who had equipped a heavy armor, was running towards him from the entrance of the engineering union.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Every time he stepped on foot forwards, the ground shook.
When he met Roan's gaze, Brian raised up his right hand high.

“My lord! We completed it!”

His voice was completely excited.
On the tip of his hands was a bundle of paper.
Once again, he shouted out aloud at the top of his voice.

“The Tale Mana Technique has finally been completed!” (e/n: this gave me shivers.)

< Tale Barony (5) > End.

Chapter end