Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 106

“It failed.”

Griff shouted at me, and a thud echoed at the same time.

I had just finished annihilating the Orc and Goblin hordes rampaging across the Great Plains. I was going around, finishing off the Orcs who were collapsing as if on the verge of death, chopping their necks one by one with an axe.

Griff read the letter delivered by his familiar and handed it to me.

“It’s from Gerhard.”

I took the letter on horseback and read it.

“I see. The Council has moved decisively.”

I passed the letter to Skadi beside me.

She chewed on the tobacco she had in her mouth.

“A fleet to southern Wallachia? Isn’t the homeland of the pointy-ears [Elves] way up north? Even if they moved as soon as the talks ended, there’s no way they could have arrived this quickly.”

I nodded.

Only a few weeks had passed since the last meeting.

In the meantime, I had quelled the chaos of the Oroko Great Plains.

I annihilated the Orc and Goblin hordes, seized the western regions pioneered by the nobles of Germania and Wallachia in the Great Plains, and expanded my territory slightly.

Germania and Wallachia were still in turmoil, but I had stabilized Ollimurs, the capital, and the surrounding territories. I should have started the long-delayed system reorganization.

The Council moved.

“They must have moved before the talks even started.”

Griff frowned as he replied.

“That’s right. From the beginning, the talks themselves were held with a predetermined conclusion.”

The Council only asked whether I would submit to them or not.

Didn’t they pass all the prepared agendas regardless of my intentions?

“Even if they discussed and acted in advance after lifting the ban on entering the Great Plains, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.”

“It’s become troublesome.”

I took the letter back and read it again.

The letter stated that the small countries in southern Wallachia had submitted to the Council, and that the Council’s forces had begun building fortresses on the southern border of Wallachia.

And it detailed the rapidly changing situation in the submitted small countries.

“My blood, sweat, and tears have been completely washed away.”

Griff sighed and covered his head.

“We would have succeeded if the pointy-ears had come just a little later.”

Griff had been working behind the scenes in the southern small countries.

Because I was too busy suppressing uprisings and civil wars.

Griff’s purpose was to have the small countries demand incorporation on their own, or to cause internal strife so that they couldn’t do anything else until their internal affairs were settled.

For the past few weeks, his goal seemed almost achieved.

He promised huge amounts of gold, performance-based rewards, and various benefits. As soon as the civil war was suppressed, he intended to dispatch Gerhard to the southern small countries to incorporate them into the Empire.

But everything was ruined by the Council’s bold move.

“All those related to the Empire will be executed… Even trying to induce internal strife as a fallback is useless now.”

The small countries that submitted to the Council executed all opposition.

There was no resistance because troops of other races were stationed there.

There were even countries that changed the dynasty by cutting off the king’s head.

“It’s not all bad news, but…”

There was good news at the end of the letter.

It wasn’t pleasant news that the civil war was ending smoothly, or that the property confiscated while suppressing the civil war was enormous; the incident that occurred in the southern small countries overshadowed everything.

“Judging by the construction of fortresses, they don’t seem to have any intention of launching an offensive right away.”

“Hmm. It’s not an all-out war. If they were thinking of an all-out war, they wouldn’t have needed to land in the south. They’re just creating a kind of base.”

“A base?”

“A base for hunting humans.”

Germania and Wallachia were the world’s number one and two human exporting countries.

But I conquered the two countries and stopped human exports.

“The reasons for each race to import humans are different. For human sacrifice, for racial reproduction, for experimental subjects, slave soldiers—humans can be used in all sorts of ways. The demand for humans is also steadily increasing.”

How would other races accept the sudden disappearance of the largest exporter of such goods?

Would they think, ‘Oh, let’s use substitutes instead of humans from today’?

“If we don’t offer tributes or exports, they’ll hunt them directly.”

I nodded at Skadi’s words.

“That’s right. The purpose of those guys creating a base in the south is threefold. One is to stop the expansion of the Empire, and the other is to use it as a human hunting ground.”

I recalled the map in my mind.

The territory of humans, the Jeondo of the Southwest Peninsula.

“Should we empty the border?”

Griff asked.

“It’s useless. If we empty the border, they’ll only go deeper. It’s better for us to build fortresses in the same way to strengthen the border, so that we can catch the hunters as soon as they cross.”

“But that’s…”

I raised my hand to cut him off.

“That’s right. There’s a problem: you can’t catch the hunters easily.”

Elves, Dwarves, Naga, Lizardmen.

These four races are on a different level from the enemies we have faced so far.

It is impossible for dozens of Familiars to overwhelm thousands of troops.

It may take three or four people to sacrifice to catch one member of another race.

“And that’s the same for the hunters. The hunters can’t catch you easily either. Therefore, the Council and I will be in a situation where we exchange blows until we can’t bear the damage.”

“A war of attrition.”

“That’s the Council’s third goal.”

Blocking expansion, hunting humans, and getting caught up in a war of attrition. As someone who is trying to stabilize the interior and manage internal affairs, it is a very uncomfortable situation.

“Don’t worry. Even if those guys come out like that, nothing will change. It’s just inconvenient and takes time.”

The Council’s strategy had clear limitations.

Because it’s not an all-out war, they don’t come deep inland.

The only areas exposed to threats and suffering damage are the border and the coast.

It’s painfully agonizing, but I can endure it.

“It will get better little by little. While those guys are wasting time, little by little… humans will rise to just below the other races.”

Because I will make it so.

When that time comes, they will regret giving me time.

“To do that, first, I will improve the messy administration. Let’s end the subjugation here. Bring Calliope back.”