Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 124

Creating Retainers to Build a Human Empire 126

Human Ranch (7)

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“Father.”

Imperial Chancellor Skadi once asked me,

“What exactly is a god?”

I pondered for a moment before answering,

“A being that cannot be understood by science or common sense.”

Skadi frowned and asked again,

“I understand science, but what do you mean by common sense? Aren’t science and common sense essentially the same?”

“No. They are different. Doesn’t magic exist in this world? And aren’t spiritual entities like souls real as well? These cannot be explained by science but are accepted by common sense.”

But what if there exists a being that cannot be understood by either?

That was what I considered a god to be.

“Look no further than myself. Don’t I draw upon the power of my soul to emit light? Can the healing of the sick who touch that light be explained by science or common sense?”

How should one regard such unknown power that cannot be solved by universal truths or laws like science? The people of this world resolved it simply.

– That is the power of God, and the owner of that power is God.

Indeed.

That is how the race called gods was created.

Elves called the tree that bore their race the World Tree, dwarves revered master craftsmen as ancestral gods, nagas worshipped the oldest among them, and orcs and goblins simply worshipped the strong.

And humans worshipped a wolf named Horbid as their god.

“What about lizardmen?”

“Lizardmen worship mutations as gods.”

Lizardmen are born from eggs.

The eggs are gathered in breeding facilities called hatcheries rather than being raised individually. These hatcheries are built in places where the flow of mana is most pristine.

Lizardmen growing in mana-rich hatcheries undergo mutations within their eggs, and their ranks are determined by the results of these mutations.

Workers, warriors, and kings.

Most lizardmen are workers, a few warriors are born, and a king is born only once every few centuries.

The king absorbs all the mana in the hatchery as it grows, even causing the other eggs in the same hatchery to die, thus revealing itself. Lizardmen call the king an incarnation.

“The lizardman king is merely a mutant with high mana aptitude and great greed. However, having high mana aptitude also means having high potential. Do you know that orcs and goblins worship the strong?”

“I know. Are lizardmen the same?”

“The same. Because the strong are worshipped in this world, the king was also worshipped, and as this took on religious overtones, they came to believe that the king was a being with a god dwelling in its flesh.”

Orcs and goblins were not much different.

However, the two races regarded the strongest as merely a leader who could fulfill their desires, and they would turn their backs at any time if those desires were not met.

On the other hand, lizardmen tended to value the interests of the group more than individual desires, and unlike orcs, where all members belonged to the warrior class but had ranks like lower, middle, and upper, lizardmen were a race with clear hierarchies.

“Currently, there are three lizardman incarnations. The reason why the lizardman nation is divided into three is that each incarnation has built its own kingdom.”

Originally, they had more than three countries, but just as ants with different queens fight each other, lizardmen also fought each other, leaving only three.

One of those three was Sumon Thema, the incarnation of the Theokal Kingdom.

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【Lv. 90】

“How dare you…”

Sumon Thema bared its teeth and growled.

I looked down at it from atop the ruined fortress wall.

The fortress wall was once a border fortress and was now the base of the Imperial Expeditionary Force. The fortress was too small, so most of the expeditionary force couldn’t even enter the base.

“A monkey dares to covet my territory?”

A voice filled with mana reverberated.

Sumon Thema was far away from the fortress.

It had its army behind it and glared at me from atop a palanquin carried by twelve lizardmen.

It was so emaciated that it looked like it was suffering from some disease.

However, the soul contained within that body was so immense that it naturally exuded its energy. Its soul was so large that even humans insensitive to mana could feel it.

‘Indeed, even a fake god is still a god.’

I chuckled inwardly.

A heat haze flickered around its body.

The surrounding space was distorted by mana.

“I have no interest in your territory, Sumon Thema.”

I also imbued my voice with mana and replied.

Then, just as its voice had echoed, so did mine.

It opened its eyes in surprise, then narrowed them again.

It must have realized that the source of my mana was my soul.

“What I want is humans. I know that you are raising humans as livestock. As one who holds the ninth seat [likely referring to a position of power or influence], as one who represents humans, I have a duty to protect humans. Therefore, I demand that you release the humans.”

“Ha,” Sumon Thema scoffed.

“You came all this way just to spout such nonsense?”

Nonsense, is it?

I kept my eyes fixed on it, raised only one corner of my mouth, and replied,

“Yes. I want humans who are nothing but nonsense to you. I will not take them for free. I will pay the price. If you are going to sell humans anyway, there is no problem selling them to me, is there?”

“Get lost!”

Sumon Thema roared.

A strong wind blew towards me, but it subsided just before it reached me, and only a gentle breeze caressed my skin.

“The monkeys I raise are my property! I decide who to trade my property with! Not you! No matter how much you offer, I will not hand them over to you!”

I suppose so.

If there had been any possibility of that, there would have been no need to mobilize this expeditionary force. I could have simply paid the price and bought the entire human ranch.

“The fact that you have occupied my land with a group is to intimidate me! But why should I be intimidated by the likes of you!”

Sumon Thema raised its right hand high.

Dark clouds gathered in the clear sky, and a strong wind blew.

Rumble—

“You should have hidden in the peninsula and waited for your life to end! Reminisce about the rules of the Great Council [likely a governing body or set of laws] and die in regret!”

The moment its hand pointed at me, lightning struck.

Kaboom!

The lightning fell between me and Sumon Thema.

A mark that struck the ground and spread out like branches in all directions.

Sumon Thema blinked at the scorch marks left by the lightning.

Its expression clearly showed that something was wrong.

“Oh, dear.”

I smiled and tilted my chin slightly.

At my attitude, Sumon Thema gnashed its teeth and summoned lightning again. A stronger wind, a louder roar, and three consecutive lightning strikes fell.

Rumble!

Kaboom! Bang! Bang!

All three lightning bolts fell in the same place.

The same place where the lightning had struck a moment ago.

The ground turned red beyond the scorch marks.

“What…”

Sumon Thema opened its mouth slightly.

I watched the scene with my hands behind my back.

“Isn’t that enough to scare me, Sumon Thema?”

The four lightning bolts were originally supposed to fall on me.

Sumon Thema had summoned the lightning with the intention of killing me.

But I intervened in its mana and blocked it.

Since its mana emanates from its soul, since it is wielding the same power as me, wouldn’t it be possible for me to intervene and interfere?

The only one who can face a false god is another god.

“Y-you…!”

Sumon Thema trembled with anger and humiliation.

Being a lizard by birth, its face did not flush red with anger, but the mana it possessed was gushing out violently.

However, the other lizardmen reacted differently.

They didn’t know why the incarnation was angry, so they cowered and watched.

I didn’t openly show my power, and the lightning summoned by Sumon Thema didn’t fall on them either.

The only ones who knew the exact situation were me and Sumon Thema.

To the lizardmen, it would seem that it was intimidating me.

“You bastard!”

It raised both hands high.

Then, a fierce whirlwind blew.

The whirlwind was so large that it could have swallowed the fortress and still had room to spare.

It bared its teeth and smiled as it glared at me.

‘Try to block this too.’

That’s what it must be thinking.

I stretched out my left hand, which was wide open, and declared,

“Subside.”

The wind stopped abruptly.

As if the storm had been an illusion.

The clouds that had covered the sun also scattered in all directions.

The sunlight returned to the ground, creating warmth.

Huh—

A sound of gasping breath was heard.

Even though it was far away, I could hear it.

I knew without looking how surprised it was.

“Well.”

I unconsciously tried to press my temples due to the surging headache, but I lowered my hand. I mustn’t show weakness already. I put on a smile as if nothing was wrong and looked at it.

“Will you do more?”

Should I humiliate you?

I didn’t say the rest, but it must have known what I meant.

If I had wanted to, I could have returned the lightning or storm that it had summoned, but the reason I didn’t was to negotiate with it. It couldn’t possibly not know that.

Shudder…

Sumon Thema trembled greatly with humiliation.

However, it did not rush in, consumed by anger.

‘There are three lizardman kingdoms. Likewise, there are three incarnations. The three incarnations have different personalities and are at odds with each other. Sumon Thema is the most timid of them all.’

Because it is a guy who can be reasoned with, unlike the other two incarnations. No, rather, because it is a guy who can be influenced by doing this.

A timid person does not play a card unless the victory or defeat is certain.

Sumon Thema must have realized it now.

That it cannot overwhelm me with power.

“I’ll say it again. Release the humans. I will pay the price.”

I looked at the army lined up behind Sumon Thema.

The lizardman group that appeared to be the Royal Guard numbered about 6,000.

Originally, the Royal Guard was small in number, and even considering that their levels ranged from 40 to 70, the number was truly small. It must be because the main force had set out for the Mikena Empire of Blad [Likely a region or kingdom].

It was an opportunity to destroy a nation that had maintained a three-way power system for thousands of years and get some scraps. How could they not participate?

‘If I didn’t have gunpowder weapons, I wouldn’t be able to win against that force.’

An expeditionary force of 60,000 regular troops.

Among them, retainers numbered a little over 700.

Fight the 6,000 lizardmen, including the incarnation, with them?

Even if I win, I will suffer enormous damage. The power of God is a scary thing. In the fight against the Church, Horbid brought down darkness or created monsters, didn’t he?

What if the lizardmen receive such blessings and rush in?

‘So, it must have judged that it could win against me even though I was short on numbers.’

But I had retainers and gunpowder weapons.

If I mobilized artillery and musketeers against an enemy who had not directly experienced gunpowder weapons, I could win without difficulty. It wasn’t to the level of saying it was easy, but if I fought a battle like this, I would definitely win.

But if I win?

If I win, what will I do after that?

Are the 6,000 in front of me the entire lizardman force?

Am I sure I can kill Sumon Thema? If I kill it, will the Theokal Kingdom surrender? Or will there be no war with other kingdoms?

‘No matter how I conquer Theokal, it’s a problem.’

There were two more kingdoms with similar national power.

If I end up fighting the other two kingdoms as well, what is the difference between conquering the three lizardman kingdoms with about 8,000 musketeers and about 700 retainers?

One of the reasons why I started this expedition in the first place was that the three kingdoms were empty because they were fighting the Mikena Empire. Because their forces were empty, it was easy to force negotiations.

‘So, I occupied the fortress to provoke Sumon Thema, offset the disaster it caused, and showed that I am an equal being to it.’

If you fight me, you will bleed, will you do that?

If you can use your head even a little, you can’t do it.