Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 3

‘That was close.’

To think the guards would try to kill me in less than half a day.

If it weren’t for Calliope, I would have been done for.

‘I got lucky.’

I created three more Familiars while dealing with the mercenaries and heading to the frontier.

‘In order, they were ranked D, E, and F. Levels 17, 12, and 7. I would have been in serious trouble if they had come out first.’

They were on par with the mercenaries disguised as guards.

Outnumbered, I would have been in trouble even if they had attacked on the last day.

It was a stroke of luck that Calliope came out first.

‘The immediate danger is gone, so I should be safe for a while.’

[Time remaining until next use: 1 hour 21 minutes 06 seconds.]

‘I want to raise the skill level quickly to reduce the cooldown.’

“The frontier is in sight.”

At Calliope’s words, I looked up.

A dot on the horizon slowly grew, revealing the shape of the frontier.

‘It’s small.’

Counting the buildings one by one, there were fewer than twenty.

‘Assuming one family lives in each house, that’s a little over ten families? It’s hardly worth collecting taxes at this scale.’

It would be fortunate if taxes were the only problem.

If this were my past life, I would have thought it was a refugee camp.

The houses were made of branches, walls built with mud, and roofs thatched with straw.

There wasn’t even a palisade, leaving the village defenseless.

In all my previous experiences as a lord, there had never been a time without a palisade.

Was it just the palisade? A broken water mill was visible in the river, a little away from the village.

It was clearly a mill, but it seemed to have been abandoned for quite some time.

‘I expected it, but it’s even more miserable than I thought.’

So that’s why they readily handed it over to me.

Even though I’m his blood-related child, my father, who believes I’m not, gave this to me as seed money.

If I hadn’t known the importance of this land from my past life, I would be planning to escape inland right now.

‘Did he not know the value of this land?’

Or did he know but didn’t have the means to protect it?

My gaze went past the frontier village to the long, wide plain, stopping at a very small mountain at the end.

The lush trees on the mountain were gray, making it look as if they were dead.

That mountain must be the starting point of the Gray Mountains, the great mountain range.

‘I always saw that mountain near the end, when things were almost over.’

Whether I was a lord or a hero, I never expected to see the scenery I saw when the story was heading towards its end, so unprepared, long before the story even began.

“Who are you?”

As we reached the entrance, a guard pointed his spear at us with wary eyes, blocking our way.

“We are from the Sudreth Duchy.”

The guard flinched at Calliope’s reply.

“P-Please wait a moment.”

The guard hurriedly went into the village and gathered people.

Judging by the numbers, it seemed like all the settlers had gathered, making it crowded.

The expressions on their faces varied from welcoming to awkward, anxious, and annoyed.

“I heard you are from the Sudreth Duchy.”

A man with a full beard came forward through the crowd.

“Are you the representative?”

“Yes, I am.”

He looked young for a village representative, but it was understandable given that this was a frontier.

Frontier life is something that is hard to bear even with youth.

Most of those who join the frontier corps are young people.

Judging by the fact that there were few people who appeared to be middle-aged or older among the settlers gathered here, it must have only been a dozen years since they settled here.

I handed over a letter with the Sudreth Duke’s seal, proving the inheritance of the frontier.

The representative took it, read it, and let out a small exclamation before kneeling down.

“It is an honor to have Lord Edar as our lord. I am Kistler, the village chief of this Ollimurs.”

As the settlers knelt and repeated after Kistler, some stood blankly, looking up at me.

They were a man in chainmail and several soldiers.

“And who are you?”

The man met my gaze and raised his chin as if to show off, raising only one corner of his mouth.

“Anton Sevel. I serve Count Dorin.”

“Oh, is that so?”

I don’t know any such count.

I’ve never heard of that name, even after countless playthroughs.

Which means,

‘He’s a nobody.’

“So?”

“The Count wants this place. It would be good if you could hand it over nicely, wouldn’t it?”

I let out a hollow laugh at the absurd nonsense.

“That’s a funny thing to say. Kistler, explain what’s going on.”

Kistler stood up as if he had been waiting for the opportunity and came to my side, telling the truth.

“Sir Anton has been demanding taxes, claiming that Ollimurs belongs to the Count. We serve the Sudreth Duke, so we protested, saying it was absurd, and sent someone to the Duke to report it, but we have not yet received a reply……”

I raised my hand to stop him.

Claiming ownership of a place that already has an owner?

And a count claiming what belongs to a duke?

Even if you can’t simply compare the ranks of a duke and a count.

It’s truly rude.

I scratched my chin and looked at Anton.

“Which kingdom does the Count belong to?”

“I believe he belongs to the Kingdom of Wallachia.”

“Indeed.”

Unlike Count Dorin, Duke Sudreth is a vassal of the Kingdom of Germania.

Germania and Wallachia have been enemies for generations.

In my past life, even when facing destruction, they didn’t offer support and instead looted each other to survive.

Because their relationship is so fraught, there’s no reason to argue about whether I’m a duke or he’s a count.

‘The biggest reason is that Sudreth has neglected this place to the point of not even sending an agent.’

“I don’t know how you heard the story, but this land was designated by the Count in advance. The Duke settled here after that. Isn’t it common sense that the one who plants the flag first owns the frontier?”

“Can you prove it?”

“Of course! Here is the document regarding it.”

Anton took out an official document from his pocket that ordered the frontier’s development.

I read it roughly and threw it on the floor.

How can you prove whether an official document was made today or a hundred years ago?

The most common and least reliable justification is a dated official document.

“You’re giving me this and expecting me to believe it?”

Anton trembled his beard and glared at me.

“The frontier is outside the border. Do you know that accidents happen frequently outside the border?”

“I know it well.”

Anton subtly placed his hand on the hilt of the sword hanging on his waist.

“If you don’t want to get into an accident, you should be more obedient.”

【Lv. 21】

Looking at Anton’s level, it’s understandable why he’s showing off.

He’s much higher level than the mercenary captain.

There would hardly be anyone with a higher level than him in this kind of frontier.

‘But he’s still a nobody.’

If you have the ability, it’s better to serve a better noble or become a noble yourself.

Why would you serve a local noble who covets this kind of frontier?

“You’re wearing good armor, but fighting isn’t all about equipment.”

He even gives a bitter smile while looking at Calliope.

I laughed in disbelief at the level difference between Calliope and Anton.

‘Is it because the level difference is too great? He has no eye for talent.’

Why is there a saying that a master with profound inner strength looks like an ordinary person?

‘The mercenaries who were scared just by looking at her equipment were smarter.’

As I was wondering what to do with him, Calliope reached out her arm.

“Hic…!”

Gasping sounds came from all around.

An arrow stopped right in front of my eyes.

Calliope was holding an arrow aimed at my head right in front of my face.

‘Assassination? Is Anton behind this?’

Looking at Anton, he had a surprised expression and was blinking his eyes.

‘It’s not him.’

“Where did it come from?”

“Over there.”

Dust was rising where Calliope was pointing.

Because my level is low and my stats are also low, I couldn’t see it in detail.

However, it was clear that they were running towards us.

The settlers looked in the same direction as me and screamed.

“Kyaaaaa!”

As if they knew who was approaching the frontier and why, they began to scatter in a hurry.

The only people standing still were Anton and his group, who didn’t understand the situation, and Kistler, who was pulling on my sleeve with a pale face.

“Lord! We have to run away!”

“What’s going on?”

“Elves! Elves are here to hunt humans!”

Elves, human hunting.

Those two words made me grimace.

‘Is it because this is a frontier that they appear?’

Calliope and the Familiars surrounded me and armed themselves.

Three horses were running, kicking up dust.

People were riding on them, and all of them had pointed ears.

They were the elves Kistler had mentioned.

“They’re coming again.”

With Calliope’s warning, the elves pulled out an arrow, placed it on the bowstring, and raised it high.

The sound of the bowstring snapping echoed here several times.

“Hiiiik!”

The elves’ arrows fell in front of the residents who were trying to run out of the village.

The settlers sat down, looking at the arrows that had fallen just inches away and were stuck in the ground.

There was no way that elves, who are born master archers, would have misfired.

– Don’t run away.

The settlers, realizing the meaning instinctively, hugged each other and trembled.

“Don’t move away from me.”

“Okay.”

Calliope gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.

Because she is my Familiar, I could tell that she was nervous.

It might not make sense that she, who belongs to the absolute strongest, is nervous, but it was understandable.

The levels of the arriving elves were unusual.

【Lv. 91】

The level of the elf in the lead was slightly lower than Calliope’s.

The two guards following behind were much lower, around 60, but they were much higher than the Familiars except for Calliope.

It would be very difficult for Calliope to protect me and fight at the same time, let alone if she were alone.

‘Life never goes smoothly.’

Why is it that, facing a life-or-death danger, my mind strangely calmed down.

In the face of crisis, my heart was beating more calmly than usual.

‘Is this the effect of the Iron Will trait?’

[Your composure allows you to remain calm no matter who your opponent is.]

“Hello. Monkeys. Shall we have a conversation? Like gentlemen.”

The white horse stopped in front of me, raising its front hooves and swinging them threateningly.

At a distance where my head could be blown away by the hooves, I stood silently and looked at the elves.

‘He’s the same no matter how many times I see him.’

I looked at the familiar face with a sense of familiarity.

According to the setting, elves have hair like spun silver and skin like moonlight.

When you see them in person, you can really describe them that way.

But I am not fooled by that appearance.

Elves are a race with demons inside their beautiful appearance.

And the man in front of me is the most demonic of them all.

‘Human Butcher, Raeragon. Since it’s before the war, is he a hunter instead of a butcher?’

In many fantasies, elves are depicted as noble beings living in the forest.

They are so noble that they live scattered in their own forests without kingdoms or empires, and are hunted by humans.

But the elves in this world are not like that.

The elves in this world hunt humans and sell them as slaves.

This damn race with long ears, who live for over a thousand or ten thousand years, has built kingdoms and empires.

For them, a history of less than a thousand years is a barbaric civilization that cannot even be included in civilization.

‘Is it just elves? There are also dwarves, orcs, nagas, goblins, and lizardmen, each with their own country.’

Humans are the last race to build a civilization in this world.

Humans are the weakest race in this world.

That’s why the ending in this game is survival.

– Survive as the weakest race, the endangered race.

Lv.91. Raeragon

“You’re quite strong, aren’t you?”

Raeragon smiled brightly at Calliope.

“I’ve never seen a monkey as strong as you. What’s your name?”

“······.”

Calliope did not answer.

He was wearing a helmet, so I couldn’t see his expression, but it would probably be blank.

Some humans are captivated by the appearance of elves, but not the familiars [magical creatures bound to a person].

No matter how beautiful they are, they cannot sway the hearts of the familiars.

Calliope remained silent, ready to strike the moment Raeragon entered her sword’s range.

“How insolent…!”

“Enough.”

As the guard bared his teeth and became enraged, Raeragon gestured to stop him.

Even while regarding humans as monkeys, he didn’t get angry at being ignored.

‘He must like strong people.’

Raeragon is particularly respectful of strength.

Conversely, he is merciless towards the weak.

His cruelty towards humans is an extension of that personality.

In his eyes, humans are nothing more than monkeys mimicking human speech.

“Can’t you speak? Or do you not have a tongue? Why don’t you take off your helmet? We should talk face to face, shouldn’t we?”

Raeragon was still smiling and speaking kindly, so I gestured to him.

“There’s no need for that.”

Raeragon frowned.

His gaze reached me, and a chilling sensation swept through my chest.

“Monkey. Don’t interrupt the conversation.”

“Shut your mouth, pointy-ears.”

“What?”

Raeragon blinked.

Silence fell so heavily that I imagined I could hear his eyes blinking.

“…Pointy-ears?”

Murderous intent enveloped me.

I gasped for breath, and my heart stung.

The difference in levels is evident even in the aura.

However, I felt the pressure enveloping me dissipate.

The murderous intent receded like the tide, and my body regained its composure.

I knew this was due to the Iron Man trait.

‘A good trait for bluffing.’

I smiled and looked up at Raeragon.

Raeragon tilted his head, seeing me unharmed despite being directly exposed to his murderous intent.

“Are you going to talk to the underling while leaving the master aside?”

“Master? You?”

The expression mixed with anger and bewilderment turned into an absurd one.

Even if he couldn’t see my level, he could sense my strength instinctively.

In his eyes, I must look weaker than an ant.

I stepped forward, pushing Calliope, who was blocking me, behind.

Raeragon narrowed his eyes at me.

“Raeragon. Prince of the Silver Leaves. You’re too young to even be a thousand years old, so you have no eye for people.”

The elves’ eyes widened.

A stranger they were seeing for the first time, a monkey even worse than a barbarian not worth interacting with, knew the prince’s identity?

Their expressions became serious, and their gazes towards me intensified.

“Who are you?”

“Who knows?”

I chuckled and stood crookedly.

It was a dangerous act that could cost me my head.

However, if Calliope fought the elves in this state, that would also be dangerous.

Killing Raeragon wouldn’t solve the problem.

Rather, an overwhelming aftermath would come, holding me responsible for killing the Elven Prince.

‘This will end if they acknowledge this place as my land. There’s no need to fight senselessly.’

“What brings you here?”

“Is it a problem that I came to my land?”

“This place is my land, Raeragon’s.”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

I gestured to Kistle, who quickly handed over the Duke’s letter.

“I received this land from Duke Thredret. I haven’t heard anything about you pointy-ears. If it was originally your land, wouldn’t the Duke have told me?”

Raeragon received the letter, read it, and then tore it up in anger, his face flushed.

“How dare you! Are you saying a monkey deceived me!”

‘Deceived? Was it already agreed to hand over the frontier?’

Indeed, thinking about it that way, it made sense.

That’s why they didn’t send an agent to the frontier and left it abandoned.

Even if it’s a small piece of land, nobles would protect it with bloodshot eyes if it were theirs.

Seeing that they specifically sent me here, they couldn’t have been unaware of this land’s existence.

‘From the start, they intended to kill me by doing this.’

Considering Ivela’s cunning, she was more than capable of it.

‘They should be fighting together, but instead, they’re selling out their own race?’

A piece of trash on a different level from a traitor.

One of the awful types I’ve seen countless times in previous playthroughs.

Traitors know that they can change countries but not races.

However, those who sell out their own kind act as if they are honorary elves.

Even though they are just obedient monkeys to the elves.

‘I have one more reason to kill her.’

“It’s your fault for being deceived. Are you going to argue with me?”

“Shut up!”

A strong gust of wind struck my face.

Like a skipped frame in a video, Raeragon, who had been sitting on his horse, was in front of me.

He had drawn his sword and was bringing a curved blade down on my head, which Calliope was blocking.

“Kugh!”

Raeragon’s arm trembled.

The level difference was only 1, but the gap was greater than the number suggested.

Raeragon, who had tried to split my head with a powerful strike, was being pushed back by Calliope’s strength, his back arching.

I calmly watched the two confront each other, inwardly relieved.

‘Being a low level has been beneficial.’

Because my level was extremely low, I couldn’t react to Raeragon’s movements.

If my body had reacted awkwardly and tried to escape, it would have exposed my poor movements.

The fact that I didn’t move even with the blade right in front of my face would have created the illusion that I was bold.

‘I can see right through his expression.’

Raeragon glanced at me while fighting Calliope, wary of me.

As if it would be dangerous if I charged in.

He was overestimating me.

“This… damn it!”

His face was filled with shock and anger.

He gritted his teeth and twisted his body, launching several strikes, but each time, he was blocked by Calliope and forced back.

It was clear to anyone that Raeragon was being pushed back.

‘He hasn’t lifted the curse yet.’

The fact that a level 1 difference created such a gap meant there was a reason.

I remembered that Raeragon was in a timeline where he hadn’t fully healed from the cursed injury.

As the atmosphere heated up, I saw Raeragon’s guards glancing at me and placing their hands on their bowstrings.

‘Are they planning to target me first?’

They intended to cut off the troublesome branch to help Raeragon.

Calliope had the upper hand, but it was too much to protect me while fighting.

I had other familiars by my side, but the level difference was 50.

It was a gap that couldn’t even serve as a shield.

‘I should stop here.’

“Stop.”

“……”

Calliope, who had been pushing forward, returned to my side.

Raeragon’s face was flushed, and he glared at me, breathing heavily.

I could see a shallow but long cut below his neck.

He raised his collar to hide the wound, but he couldn’t hide the humiliation on his face.

“There’s no need for us to fight each other.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“If you die here, won’t your siblings come?”

“……”

“That’s very annoying. There’s the Mishu Accord [an agreement establishing borders between civilizations], so we shouldn’t escalate things.”

The Mishu Accord.

One of the reasons why humans, who are treated like monkeys, have not yet been conquered.

It was because all civilizations other than humans once gathered and drew borders.

The term of the accord is almost over, but that’s why it’s being upheld even more.

There’s no need to recklessly break an accord that will disappear soon.

“And it only feels bad to win against someone who isn’t in good condition.”

When I subtly mentioned the curse on his body, Raeragon’s eyes shook.

He had an expression that asked how I knew that, and I smiled lightly.

“So?”

“Don’t touch my land. Then I’ll just let it go.”

“……Hmph.”

Raeragon sheathed his sword and stepped back.

“Good. But there’s a condition.”

“A condition?”

“Attend the Deliberative Assembly.”

“The Deliberative Assembly?”

Raeragon’s eyes lit up as my tone suggested that I knew about the Deliberative Assembly.

“You know about the Deliberative Assembly.”

The Deliberative Assembly refers to the meeting of major civilized countries in this world.

The agenda handled here is mostly conflicts between countries regarding military, political, and diplomatic matters.

Since they claim to be civilized, it’s a system created to avoid unnecessary major disputes.

To put it in perspective, it’s closer to a meeting between permanent member states [referring to the UN Security Council].

“I understand that the Deliberative Assembly does not accept humans?”

“It’s an emergency matter, so we’ll make an exception this time. This land was originally supposed to be mine. It’s a matter that the Deliberative Assembly decided on first. I can’t unilaterally hand it over to you. Similarly, a decision must be made at the Deliberative Assembly.”

“I see.”

‘Is that really all there is to it?’

The Deliberative Assembly is not such a light place.

Raeragon is not such a generous person either.

I suspected that there was something else going on, but I didn’t refuse.

‘Attending the Deliberative Assembly was something that would happen someday as long as I owned this land. However, it’s earlier than I thought. Very.’

I didn’t like it, but if Raeragon claimed it as his land, there was no other way to get the ownership of this land recognized without escalating the conflict.

This land is a very small part of the Great Plains, which the Deliberative Assembly has designated as a neutral zone for a long time.

The Deliberative Assembly was also the one that dismantled and distributed that neutral zone, so who do you think they would side with if Raeragon, a member of the Deliberative Assembly, claimed ownership?

Hoomans, who are inferior in their eyes and merely monkeys?

Or the elves, the founding race of the Deliberative Assembly with a history of ten thousand years?

‘It’s too dangerous to get involved with the guys who move the world without building any foundation yet. But the potential of this land is just as high.’

The option of giving up ownership and retreating is also possible.

The land that Thredret gave me is just a frontier village of about a hundred people and its surroundings.

Being appointed to such a place is no different from being a village chief rather than a lord.

However, I knew how valuable it was to establish a base in this land.

‘Fertile land, inexhaustible mines, a location that must be passed through whether heading to humans or other races, and even mountains that are the best conditions for defenders. And you want me to give up a place like this?’

Of course, among those benefits, the only one that can be enjoyed in Olympus is fertile land.

Even that is only in the vicinity of Olympus, so it’s not even that wide.

But if I owned this land, I could expand around it.

‘If it were the same timeline as the main story, the other races would have already taken deep root. Fortunately, they were just reaching out. Then I have to preempt it, even if it’s a bit of a stretch.’

Having this land is like weakening a future enemy without a fight.

Now is the right time, before the value of the Great Plains is fully revealed.

‘And if I do well… I might be able to aim for something bigger in reverse.’

From the beginning, that was why I willingly came to the frontier village, which was no different from a place of exile.

However, the situation unfolded faster than I had anticipated.

I watched the skill cooldown timer and refined my plans.

Raeragon’s guards chanted magic and opened a gate [likely a teleportation portal].

“Follow me.”

As he was about to enter with his familiars, Anton suddenly stepped forward.

“W-wait a minute!”

Raeragon turned to look at Anton.

Unlike when he first saw me, his eyes were filled with wariness.

Perhaps he suspected that he might be hiding his skills like me.

“The rights to this land belong to the Count! I will also participate.”

Raeragon’s gaze turned to me.

As if asking if I was involved, I shrugged my shoulders.

“I see.”

His wariness disappeared and changed to a gaze that looked at something insignificant.

“Then…”

As Anton was about to say something, Raeragon gestured.

“What… Ugh!”

With the sound of air leaking, his bones shattered and his body twisted grotesquely.

The shattered bones tore through the flesh, and blood splattered high.

Raeragon had merely reached out his hand.

The magic power that formed at his fingertips enveloped Anton’s body and crushed it in an instant.

“How dare a lowly monkey be so presumptuous.”

Raeragon averted his gaze as if even looking at it was dirty.

Then, he smiled at me and reached his arm out to the gate.

“Now, let’s go in.”