God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 110: Episode 22 _ You’ll Remember If You Get Hit(1)
1.
Baron Karan was the lord of a territory located in an ambiguous position—close to the Rich Territory if one considered it close, yet far if one considered it far.
Though not high-ranking, he was a noble who reigned over the commoners who made up more than ninety percent of the continent. Because he had close ties with central nobles, he was a noble who could exert some influence.
That was also the reason he possessed his own territory despite being a mere baron.
Naturally, his arrogance and baseless confidence pierced the sky. Although he had reached this position through connections rather than ability, those sturdy connections backing him allowed him to wield power beyond that of a typical baron.
It wasn’t strange for such a man to occasionally come to the Rich Territory, the closest one to his outlying territory, to collect tribute. At least until Han Simin arrived, the lives of the territory’s residents consisted of fleeing whenever monsters attacked and barely scraping by to feed themselves, let alone defending the territory. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
Knights weren’t even needed. Taking a few decent thugs was enough.
Naturally, the aide and the residents had begged him to have mercy on their situation, but there was no way he would listen.
Those more vicious than monsters were the nobles.
To Baron Karan, who would squeeze blood from a stone, the Rich Territory was a toy for enjoying petty amusements.
Then, one day, the tribute stopped coming.
He couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. No, it was beyond uncomfortable; it was unpleasant.
’Are these things ignoring me?’
It is a common passive trait of the arrogant to naturally think such thoughts. He had been extorting money by attaching nonsensical reasons from the start, but since they had complied despite their complaints, it had become a matter of course and a daily routine for him.
There is a saying: "If you keep doing someone favors, they begin to think it’s their right."
Baron Karan, who had begun to view favors as an obligation beyond a right, was furious. He held it in for several months before dragging his heavy body out to visit in person.
’They dared to ignore my words, is that it?’
If he didn’t act after sending envoys back empty-handed several times and hearing news of the territory’s development, he might hear people say he was scared.
He would go this time and teach them a harsh lesson. That was the thought he came with.
He arrived at the Rich Territory and couldn’t help but be astonished by the walls under construction.
’Did they discover a mithril mine or something?’
’Was this really the same territory I saw a few months ago?’
He hadn’t even entered the territory yet, but seeing the walls being built wide, high, and sturdy, he already felt intimidated. Naturally, his mood soured.
Come to think of it, it seemed much wider than the walls of his own territory. It might be a natural result since the Rich Territory included the habitats of a vast range of monsters, but to Baron Karan, it wasn’t natural at all.
’That aide bastard. He must be on drugs. I need to bring him to his senses.’
So, he deliberately picked a fight.
He knew for a fact that the Rich Territory was developing, and adventurers were responsible for most of the territory’s revenue. He targeted an adventurer who looked powerless and without connections at a glance.
"You’re dead meat."
He wanted to drag him to the aide right away and bluff, but there must be a reason the territory had grown this large. Thinking that if there was a trap, he might not make it back alive with his body full of fat, he decided to just give a warning.
"I will take you to my territory and use you as a slave."
Up to this point, he was confident.
’What could possibly happen? I’m still a baron! Connected to the central nobles!’
And then a kick came flying in.
"...Who, who are you?!"
"You? This bastard still hasn’t been hit enough. I clearly said Viscount, yet look at your tone."
"D-Don’t make me laugh! How dare a mere adventurer impersonate a noble! Do you truly wish to die!"
His breath was blocked, but it wasn’t simply due to pain. His blood pressure spiked as he realized his mistake.
Of course, he didn’t know about Han Simin yet; he had only heard that a new lord had been appointed to the Rich Territory.
Although the story of the Emperor’s son-in-law had spread widely across the continent, that story was limited to the Imperial Capital and those worthy of participating in important events. When would a pig like Baron Karan, stuck in the countryside and living high on his own hog, hear such news?
Furthermore, even if they said Rich Territory, he wouldn’t understand. He only knew it as a failing territory nearby.
"Why? Don’t believe me?"
"This guy again!"
Even so, the reason for his anxiety was that confident attitude.
A one-in-a-million situation. On this continent, that small possibility was reason enough and more for heads to roll.
Baron Karan began to read the room. The reactions of the people around him. Expectant eyes.
’Is it real?’
Whatever the case, the important thing was that the current situation wasn’t very good for him. His knights quickly guarded him, but if they swung their swords at a guy showing such a confident attitude here, the problem could become truly serious.
Moreover, if he really was a viscount...
He intuitively felt he needed time to think.
"Hmph! Just you wait!"
Leaving behind a childish remark, he waddled away as he ran. The players and residents laughed as they watched him turn tail without looking back.
"Puhahaha! Look at that state."
"As expected, a typical NPC with anger management issues."
"Anger gets managed automatically when standing before the strong."
"But seriously, BetaGo gives me the creeps. It’s not like it sets every single thing like this, right?"
"Eh. Surely not."
The players weren’t affiliated with the Rich Territory, but for this moment, they felt a sense of camaraderie and pride. After all, it was a situation that could have happened to anyone.
At the same time, if luck had been bad, he could have died for nothing, but Han Simin had stepped up even at the cost of making an enemy of another noble.
"Simin is so cool."
"Honestly, I wouldn’t have stepped up if it were me."
"Yeah."
To think he would give up favorability with another noble for a player who was, in a way, an employee!
The player who had almost become a scapegoat approached cautiously and expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you."
"Ah. No problem. Just finish what you were doing."
The players nodded and burned with motivation.
Right. Even though this is a game, if a person who is essentially the boss cares for them this much, they are willing to work as hard as needed. The work speed increased slightly.
"My lord, what shall we do? He is a man who has been coming and going to our territory demanding tribute for a long time."
Despite the proud scene, the aide asked worriedly.
It was certainly refreshing, but he wasn’t unaware of the fact that Baron Karan had connections to central nobles. No matter if Han Simin was the Emperor’s son-in-law, it was an unwritten rule that no one could intervene in disputes between territories.
If a central noble picked a fight with Han Simin directly or, in the worst case, brought an army, they would have no choice but to suffer. And they couldn’t make the Emperor move for this either.
"What do you mean, what shall we do?"
Unlike the anxious aide, Han Simin was relaxed. The reason was simple.
"Right now, that bastard insulted me and effectively declared a territory war. So, we’ll just do it."
"...Yes?"
When?
The aide, who almost asked without realizing it, barely swallowed his words. He had gotten somewhat used to Han Simin now. He could quickly understand the meaning contained in what he said.
He fell silent.
’Is it possible?’
The lord’s capabilities shown so far were sufficient, but attacking Baron Karan’s territory alone wouldn’t solve it. Damage might come to the territory that was just being completed for nothing.
"Don’t worry. Of course, we’ll defend the territory first before attacking."
"...Yes."
Why am I so anxious? But he decided to trust him. Wasn’t the lord, who had done well so far, excited and confident like that?
Leaving the anxious aide behind, Han Simin moved his steps.
* * *
Han Simin didn’t pay even a little attention to studying, but he knew very basic common sense, especially if it was about money.
’War is money!’
Isn’t it said that the reason Japan could rise again was also war?
It would be best to become a third party and sell weapons in the middle, but since he had become a directly involved party, he had no choice but to find another way.
Fortunately, his head was brilliant in that direction.
"I’m going to go rip them off."
"...Oppa, what about our hunting?"
"Keep working hard at it."
"Should I help a bit?"
"No, I’m going to hog it all for myself."
What fun! He just hit a noble, causing a scene while passing by without much thought, but the situation led to this.
Thinking about the opportunity to expand the land as a lord and make a big score, a smile formed naturally.
"You’re dead."
Still, since it’s a territory, there must be plenty to eat, right?
There are many things to prepare before going. Roughly detaching Kang Yeseul, who was clinging to him, he called Squeaker.
"Let’s go."
2.
Although Japan was used as an example, if one had to find the closest parallel in Fantastic World, it would be the Magic Tower.
They are a faction that maintains neutrality without succumbing to any foreign power, reaping massive profits by selling magic items, whether a fight breaks out between the Empire and a Kingdom, or between humans and demons.
Moreover, the amount they earn is comparable to, if not more than, modern arms dealers; it is certainly not small. In a world without firearms, there is no method more efficient and faster at killing tens or hundreds of thousands of enemies than magic.
Therefore, when defending a territory, people generally lay down many magic circles that activate magic and install magic items on top of the walls.
Of course, this is a story limited to territories overflowing with money.
"Sigh. I don’t know why business is so slow these days."
"Because it’s an era of peace."
Conversely, the Magic Tower is also a place where flies buzz around when there is no reason to buy expensive items.
If they wanted to sell things off cheaply, they could, but the pride of mages is so strong that the internal regulations of the Magic Tower made such discounts absolutely impossible.
Magic is an ability that only a select few can use, and the plausible reason is that its value will drop if they don’t receive the proper price, but in the end, they are humans who need to eat and live too. It can’t be helped that it’s frustrating.
In an era where there is more to lose than gain, even from territory wars, who would pay money to buy magic circles from the Magic Tower? It was natural for the mages of the Magic Tower, who had been swatting flies for months, to grumble.
Han Simin opened the door of such a Magic Tower and entered.
"Oh my. Welcome!"
The mages welcomed him enthusiastically. One ran out in his socks but returned to his spot after seeing Han Simin’s attire.
Han Simin, who had turned off his aura, thinking he had entered a war footing, looked like nothing more than a typical adventurer. In the eyes of the lofty mages, adventurers were ultimately nothing more than beggars with no purchasing power.
If he had come to the Magic Tower, where he purchased the magic circles installed in the early days of the Rich Territory, spending a huge sum, the reaction would have been different, but for Han Simin, who came far because he needed to buy slightly better things today, the reaction was disappointing.
"I’d like to look at some magic circles."
"...Magic circles? They will be a bit expensive."
Whether they reacted that way or not, Han Simin, heated up by the word ’war’, approached and asked kindly. After all, people are cunning beyond measure, even if they show such a lukewarm reaction now.
"Oops. My hand slipped."
CLATTER.
"...Oh!"
"S-sir!"
If you show gold like this, their attitude is bound to change. Seeing the mages who had been sitting suddenly standing up and bowing their waists, Han Simin sat on the prepared chair and crossed his legs.
"Let’s have a look then. The magic circles."
* * *
