Dictator From Outer Space

There was a saying in Asteraen that kobolds were the best at detecting various disasters or natural calamities.

It was a meaningless saying in the present time when kobolds were hardly seen, but there was another group that had a keen sense of smell.

They were the merchants.

The merchants who were active in the Bagran Kingdom noticed the atmosphere of war, which was busy and noisy, but surprisingly did not spread much.

Considering the strong statements from the Zaium social circles and the positions of the diplomats sent by the Bagran royal family, it was clear that the possibility of war was increasing.

Not only that, but the demand for goods from the Lantis County had increased, and the Ohamel Viscounty had ordered a large number of parts related to Goliath maintenance.

However, they could not be sure of war with these factors alone.

The recent wars were mostly fought with Goliaths, so they were not large in scale.

If the two great powers of Asteraen, Elvrande and Zaium, did not participate, most of the wars did not require much supplies.

And the territorial war itself was an old story, which puzzled the merchants.

“When was the last territorial war?”

“Uh… I don’t think it happened in my memory. We have to go up to our seniors.”

Considering that the person who said that was in his 50s, it meant that territorial war was a very old concept in Bagran.

It was a strange thing considering that Zaium was still rife with strife and civil war at this moment.

This was not because Bagran was doing well, but because there was not much worth fighting for.

They knew that they were mediocre, so they did not need to covet land, and the Bagran royal family did not demand much from them either.

Zaium only asked for silver or military support every year, and did not expect much from them, so they could live a stable life.

Of course, it was a stability in poverty without any change, but they were grateful that there were not many casualties.

The countries that bordered Elvrande suffered from famine because of the branches of Yggdrasil.

—The forest created by the elves is killing us!

—The branches of Yggdrasil are stealing the energy from the surroundings! Yggdrasil is an evil god!

Unfortunately, such cries did not elicit much response.

Only a few countries bordering Elvrande had many casualties and were in chaos.

Anyway, while the merchants were skeptical, the preparations for war were steadily progressing.

The rumor also reached Vandus Barony, which could be called the main force of the territory, and made the people restless.

Granden, who was about to leave for the royal road to bring Eily, canceled all his plans.

But Leobold stopped him.

“Don’t you think anything serious will happen? Go to the royal road and bring Eily safely. I want to see her soon.”

“Are you sure? There is a war going on in the royal road right now. And they are targeting this territory.”

Granden was not a noble or a merchant, so he could not get much information.

But even he felt that the atmosphere of war was quite tense.

The political offensive of Zaium’s Duke Prozhan became more intense day by day, and there were many people who criticized Baron Vandus within Bagran.

Their claim was to come up to the royal road and explain everything, but Granden knew their true intentions.

‘As soon as he enters the royal road, Zaium’s troops will surround him. It will be a feast under the pretext of a hearing.’

With Zaium’s intervention, Baron Vandus’s fate was as good as gone. It was half voluntary and half forced, but his position as a knight required him to stay in the territory.

How could a knight abandon his lord?

But Leobold said something unexpected.

“Don’t worry and come back. When you come back, you might have some troops to command. So you’d better brace yourself.”

“…Are you serious? It won’t end peacefully.”

“Do you think I’m a fool who doesn’t know anything?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

It was rather the opposite.

The Leobold that Granden saw was like a hunter who calculated all possibilities and found the optimal path.

He thought he was doing construction work haphazardly, but after a few months he saw that everything fit perfectly and functioned flawlessly.

Everything was calculated by Arma, but he didn’t know she was an AI, so he had no choice but to mistake it for his lord’s doing.

‘How can such a person not know the possibility of war?’

Maybe he predicted everything and was waiting for the war to happen.

But how could he do anything with only two Goliaths and two mercenaries?

When his imagination reached this point, Granden felt tired.

It was best for a knight to follow his lord’s command and fight.

“Whatever happens, it will happen. But I’m not afraid. So don’t worry and bring Eily.”

There was no point in advising him any further.

Granden obediently bowed his head and left the territory with Sangdan.

Meanwhile, the rumor reached Catina and Elwin, who could be called the backbone of the territory.

They were anxious and eventually asked for a meeting with Leobold.

***

“It’s really hard to see his face. Is that how all lords are?”

“That’s why we came. He’s not going to leave this territory, is he?”

Catina hesitated and handed over the speaking right to Elwin.

“Hey, you say it. I’m not good at this kind of thing.”

“What do you mean… My lord, to be honest, we are confused as mercenaries by the current situation.”

“Why doesn’t he prepare for anything?”

“Of course, we don’t doubt your skills, my lord, but we expect that at least several times more troops will attack us. Don’t you think we should at least prepare for that?”

Catina intervened impatiently.

“We should dig traps and hire mages! Goliaths are heavy, so if we just weaken the ground, we can almost block their movement!”

Her words were close to common sense.

Goliaths were heavy weapons, so they were limited in their movement in places where the ground was weak, such as mud or ice.

There were magic spells that could make the ground like that, and in actual battles, mages often started the fight by destroying the ground.

Of course, if they were high-level knights, they could overcome such environments, but anyway, shouldn’t they try their best?

But Leobold was calm.

“Don’t worry and practice blocking attacks with those armor. They will protect your lives.”

They followed his arm and watched him replace the armor plates of the Goliath.

There were only four Goliaths, so they made a hangar and a maintenance shop in the training field, but recently they were replacing the armor plates.

They looked like ordinary metal with a dark color, but no one knew what kind of metal it was.

Leobold led them to the Goliath and explained.

“That’s living metal. It’s something that Elvrande recently introduced. It’s very strong and light. I spent some money to import it.”

“Uh… I don’t mean to say this, but it looks like a demon’s shell?”

Catina shivered as if she felt goosebumps, and Elwin seemed to have a lot of questions and asked various things.

But Leobold was reluctant to tell them in detail.

“Let’s keep it a secret among ourselves that this is living metal. Elvrande will make a fuss if they find out.”

“My lord, you said it’s sturdy, but can it withstand the attack of a Goliath above the Raum class with full power?”

“Let’s test it ourselves.”

Soon after, the armor plate was installed, and Catina, who looked like she was dying of curiosity, climbed onto the Goliath and held the standard weapon, a greatsword.

This greatsword was not for cutting, but for crushing the outer armor plate of the Goliath with its weight.

The expensive greatsword had all kinds of magic on it, such as gravity enhancement, and had a great power, but it was a luxury for the Raum class.

Catina swung the greatsword and rushed into the arms of the Goliath that Leobold was riding.

“Take this!”

Thud.

Something was crushed, but it was not the armor plate, but the blade of the greatsword that was completely shattered.

Catina looked back and forth between her greatsword and Leobold’s Goliath for a moment and said.

“This is ridiculous. Why did my greatsword break?”

“I told you it’s strong. It won’t even get scratched by ordinary attacks. It’s the same if you stab it with a spear.”

“Let me try again.”

There were a few more experiments after that, but they failed to pierce the living metal armor plate.

Elwin marveled at its strength and pushed up his glasses.

“This is an unbelievable metal. I won’t ask how you imported it from Elvrande. It’s obvious that it’s a secret.”

“So are you disappointed?”

Leobold asked, and he thought for a moment and shook his head.

“To be honest, I was a bit puzzled by your secrecy at first. But it’s almost extravagant to get paid this much for this game. So we decided not to question you, my lord.”

Catina chimed in with a grin.

“Yeah, that’s right. Lucia was like that, and Zion was like that too. They were not ordinary beings. So what I want to say is… Sometimes ignorance is bliss.”

Leobold nodded his head.

“If you help me with that mindset, you’ll be able to live comfortably for a long time. I promise.”

“Haha, that’s a word that doesn’t suit a mercenary. But since we’ve settled here… We trust only you, my lord.”

“Thank you for trusting me. And there’s another reason why I’m replacing the armor plates. The weight of the Goliath is mostly from the outer armor plates, right?”

“Well, yes…”

“They say almost 60 tons of weight is from the outer armor plates. That’s very heavy.”

“That’s right. If you change them all to living metal, the weight will be reduced by almost 1/4.”

It could be even lower while maintaining the same strength, but due to the nature of the Goliath, there had to be a minimum weight.

“…Really?”

Catina’s eyes widened as big as lanterns, while Elwin frowned.

“That would cause problems in combat if you reduce it so drastically. There are many power struggles in the Raum class line, and there is a possibility of being pushed back…”

“It will be faster to move with the same output and lighter weight. So you have to change your tactics too if you use this armor plate.”

“A metal that requires changing tactics… It’s amazing in many ways…”

But why go so far?

Reducing the weight of the Goliath drastically was certainly advantageous in many ways, but it also had drawbacks.

It might not break when hit by a greatsword, but it could bounce off because of its weight.

Especially in a battle where they were outnumbered, there were many cases where they had to endure, and being light could be a disadvantage.

When Elwin pointed that out, Leobold silently pointed to the airship anchorage.

Catina didn’t know what that meant, but Elwin was shocked.

“Wa-wait… You’re going to load the Goliaths on the airship and go?”

Was that why he had been modifying it for the past few days?

It was almost impossible to load a Goliath that weighed nearly 100 tons, but if he reduced it to 60 tons and reinforced the frame, maybe it was possible.

Catina’s mouth was about to open wide when Leobold covered it with his palm.

“Our goal is not defense, but offense. Let’s keep this a secret for now.”

“…”

The two stared blankly at their lord.

He was going to fly to the enemy territory with four Goliaths, no, three Goliaths instead of fighting defensively?

Was this even a feasible tactic?

They collapsed weakly after Leobold left.

“This is either bold or crazy…”

“Maybe both. By the way, shouldn’t we run away at this point?”

“I wish I could say that too, but it’s too late now that we’ve come this far. We have no choice but to trust our lord and fight.”

“A war that cannot be lost? Damn, where did he see that? It’s a war that’s doomed to fail!”

“…”

Elwin thought it might not be so.

He had not yet seen Leobold’s true skills in the duel with Granden.

It looked like a bluff at the time, but judging by Granden’s words that seemed to hurt his pride, there was a high possibility that Leobold was hiding his skills.

That made him more suspicious.

‘Is he really the same person as the Leo I know?’

He was different from the Leo he knew in everything from his skills to his basic personality and his attitude toward the commoners, except for his appearance and physique.

The original Leobold was quite fond of women, so he had slept with Catina several times and had many occasions where he disappeared into the woods with a female mercenary on the battlefield.

But the current Leobold did not try to get close to any other woman except Arma, who was his exclusive maid.

‘Arma’s appearance is hard to find even in Zaium, but he doesn’t seem interested at all…’

It was a strange thing for a person to change so much in such a short time.

‘Unless he’s not the Leo I know…’

Elwin shook his head as he thought up to this point.

It was a waste of time to worry about something that had no answer.

He had no choice but to trust his lord and go into war now.

‘A war that cannot be lost…’

Did such a thing really exist?

***

As the pressure around Vandus Barony intensified, the neighboring territories also began to act.

One of them was Ohamel Viscount, who issued a statement.

He was one of the vassals of Lantis Count, and had a considerable influence in the southeast of Bagran.

His territory was located along the Ob River, which had a rich flow from the northern continent, and was considered as a place with high potential for development.

It was only potential, and the reason why it had not developed for decades was because the lord’s ability was poor.

Ohamel Viscount wanted to dispel that rumor, and put some bold contents in his statement.

—…Therefore, we cannot tolerate this arrogant and sinister Baron Vandus. There is only one way for him to overcome this crisis. He must come up with us to the royal road.

As if they were waiting for it, a rumor spread that a hearing would be held under Princess Eolin’s name on the royal road.

The main agenda of the hearing was to investigate the allegations of colluding with shadow elves and manipulating demons, but no one believed that it would be done properly.

—How can that be an investigation? It’s impossible to communicate properly without Baron Vandus.

—Is it not too much to accuse him without any evidence or witnesses, just based on rumors?

—It is too much, but what can we do? If they push us from above, we have to suffer.

—Anyway, now that Zaium is involved, Baron Vandus won’t be able to let this go.

The public reaction was that they knew Baron Vandus was wronged, but there was nothing they could do.

He had offended Princess Eolin and Count Lantis, and he was also suspected by Zaium, so it seemed like there was no way out for him.

Ohamel Viscount thought he could swallow Vandus Barony at once, so he went as far as to declare war.

—If he does not comply with these measures immediately, we will assert that the blade of justice will cut off Baron Vandus’s neck. Now choose.

Two more barons followed him with their statements, but there was nothing special about them.

Their main force was the army that Ohamel Viscount had, which consisted of 10 Goliaths and 200 soldiers.

But the situation started to go to extremes when Zaium’s High Knight declared his involvement.

“My name is Emil, a knight of Duke Prozhan. I would like to meet the famous Baron Vandus in person on this occasion.”

Duke Prozhan was a nobleman who had a high position in Zaium as Princess Eolin’s husband.

He came out at Princess Eolin’s request, and explained that it was not an internal interference.

Everyone thought that Baron Vandus’s resistance was over.

–It’s a war that cannot be lost with a High Knight involved.

—Didn’t Vandus Barony have Granden, the royal guard knight? He shouldn’t be inferior to a High Knight.

—The problem is that the royal guard knight left for the royal road. He didn’t run away, but the baron sent him.

—That’s not normal.

It was crazy to send away the important force of the territory at this time.

Anyway, since the war declaration had been made, there was no way to avoid war unless Baron Vandus surrendered.

But there were some strange rumors going around in Vandus Barony.

Leobold received a messenger sent by Prince Ruad in a hurry.

“He told you to flee quickly?”

“Yes. He said he could help you and a few of your vassals escape. He said it would be possible if you could fit your assets in one carriage.”

“If I flee from here, my reputation and territory are over. Is that what he wants?”

“Isn’t it better than dying?”

“Everyone thinks so. I see. I appreciate his kindness, but I’ll just take it as a gesture. Tell him I’ll repay him later.”

The messenger left the territory with a look of disbelief.

Now the merchants were also disappearing, and the people of the territory were trembling with anxiety.

But Zion, who was in charge of the Ether Research Institute, was as confident as ever.

“When can I fly up and breathe fire?”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but you won’t have a chance to do that. No, you shouldn’t.”

“Why? My identity will be revealed sooner or later anyway.”

“It shouldn’t be now.”

The disclosure of Zion and Zigarion had to be after Vandus Barony had developed significantly.

If he revealed it now, he would have to expose Settler as well, and that was not what Leobold wanted.

‘I can’t make a fuss when I’ve finally arrived at the holy land.’

Leobold was not religious, but he was willing to be a faithful believer if the prophet was a god or a similar being.

The journey to this planet after 50 years of space travel could be compared to a pilgrimage to the holy land.

In that sense, it was not something he could do to cause a big commotion in the holy land he had barely arrived at.

‘But I can crush those who are making noise.’

That included the lords who were running wild now, as well as Zaium and Elvrande.

The holy land seemed a bit backward, so it would be a courtesy to the prophet to develop it along the way.

More than half of the technology and concepts on Settler came from the prophet anyway.

Zion didn’t know that and shrugged his shoulders, but he seemed satisfied enough.

“So I just have to do research. Damn, my body feels stiff.”

“There’s one thing you can do for me.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know what Denova is up to?”

Zion nodded his head eagerly like a dog who found prey.

“I know very well. Those merchants are using this war as an opportunity to make money. Wait, are you?”

“Call me lord. Anyway, they must have issued securities again. How much is our dividend?”

“It’s at least 12 times as much. They weren’t satisfied with that and increased the scale by 10 times. It’s a strange concept, but it’s good for eating.”

“Leverage, huh? It’s a perfect product for going bankrupt.”

Leverage of 10 times seemed like a huge scale, but it was nothing compared to the crazy multiples of the 21st century.

Anyway, Denova had a lot at stake in this war.

It was the first territorial war in a long time, and many people were interested in it. Philip Market lowered the redemption rate of the securities to 70%.

Even though they charged 30% commission, the scale of the deposit money increased day by day because of the issue.

“We, the war parties, should also get a share. Invest 10,000 gold in reverse.”

Zion was startled.

“10,000 gold is all our available funds. You’re going to put it all in reverse?”

“It’s a war that cannot be lost.”

Zion doubted it, but he thought he was crazy enough to do it.

“10,000 gold times 12 times leverage is 1.2 million gold… Even considering the redemption rate, it’s an enormous amount.”

“We won’t be able to eat it all. There will be many people who will disappear as soon as the defeat is confirmed.”

As can be seen from what Denova did, identity could be easily laundered due to the lack of system, and trust was not an absolute concept either.

The matter would probably end with some of the deposit money being refunded.

Arma estimated that about 100,000 gold would come in eventually, which was the limit that Denova could pay.

Zion rubbed his chin with regret.

“The amount is too small. Maybe I should short sell…”

“Do you want to be written in history books as a short-selling dragon?”

“That wouldn’t be bad either.”

“You’re a crazy dragon.”

“I don’t want to hear that from a crazy human.”

Anyway, Zion was satisfied enough that he was in charge of investing.

“Hehe, wait for me, you bastards on the right side. I’ll make you pay this time.”

He looked like he had lost a lot in gambling disguised as investment.

Leobold knew well what kind of person, no, dragon he was at the end.

Well, he’ll do whatever he wants.

As he left the research institute, Carson, the administrative officer, came running with his eyebrows flying.

“My lord, it’s war! The Goliaths have departed from Ohamel Viscounty!”