Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"Looks like this is the end of it. We'll see each other often in the future, neighbor boy."

Weston spoke calmly in a deep voice. His clan served the Clovis, and naturally, he would have a share of the Sochi Plains. Compared to a life of hunting in the icy wilderness, Weston naturally wanted his people to live a stable agricultural life. Although some in the tribe thought this went against tradition, Weston firmly believed his ideas were correct.

"Is that so? I hope that in the future our relationship will be one of normal cooperation and trade, and no longer war."

Out of politeness, Ryusha slowly dissipated the magic from his ice spear and gave Weston a deep look. He felt that the shamanic aura emanating from this burly man was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"If it's about trade, I really enjoy the fine wines brewed by you Ottus, as well as the weapons and armor crafted by your artisans... But it seems that traditional weapon makers are slowly falling behind..."

Weston clanged his magical armor, but even this kind of equipment was the work of a magical engineer. Aside from a few southern duchies skilled in magic, the people of Otus were still more advanced in magical technology. He was somewhat glad he had joined Otus, even though he was initially condemned as a traitor by various tribes. Through this war, Weston realized the fundamental difference between Otus and the northern barbarian tribes: knowledge, systems, and technology.

Otus already considered himself more advanced and civilized than the barbarians, and now Weston's personal experience of this 'transformation' makes him feel that tribal civilization will once again fall far behind.

Unless the ancestral spirits the old shaman spoke of can return... their proud shaman warriors can contend with the most powerful magicians and knights, just as they did a thousand years ago.

Looking at the somewhat overly familiar, burly man, Ryuka couldn't help but laugh: "Fine wine and weapons, we should be able to satisfy you, sir..."

“Weston Oliveira, the tribe calls me the Great Bear.”

Oliveira? Ryusha raised an eyebrow. The name Weston was also common among the Ottus, but the way he pronounced Oliveira was somewhat similar to the way he pronounced Vitris.

When I met that snow spirit girl, I felt that her name, 'Warrior's Blade,' sounded like the language of some northern tribe. Could it be...?

Ryuka silently noted this down in his mind, then nodded to Weston: "I've got it, Weston Oliveira Warrior."

Weston was quite pleased with the title of "warrior," and the man before him, Ryuka, suddenly transformed from an enemy into a lovable young man. They hadn't harbored any hatred to begin with, and he was even happier now, because for them, the strong were always worthy of respect.

This young man was not only incredibly strong, but also adept at military command, and it was said he was quite skilled in domestic affairs as well. This further fueled Weston's desire to befriend him, since the other young men in the tribe, with their lithe, rolling pin-like fingers, hadn't yet learned how to use a pen for work.

After exchanging a smile, Ryuka turned and left, disappearing into the now uneven battlefield in just a few breaths.

The high-ranking officials arrived late. Even though Clovis had already mocked the order to hunt down Ryūka, they all wanted to see this young man who was currently making waves throughout Otus. If he really became the master of Sochi, they would likely have to deal with him in the future. Unfortunately, they missed the opportunity, and some of them went directly to Weston, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground resting, to inquire about what kind of person Ryūka was.

With their nerves relaxed, these people began to calculate their families' gains and losses in this operation. Some were even already thinking about which areas north of Sochi they had seen in recent days were the most fertile and had the best locations, so they could claim those in Clovis's future rewards.

Only one archmage stared with a complex expression in the direction Ryūka had left. The unfortunate great knight who had charged at the forefront was his elder brother, sent to meet the goddess by Ryūka's ice spear—a deep-seated hatred. But with his brother dead, he had become the family's first heir. A secret joy was growing within him, even making him forget the grief of his brother's death, yet morality condemned his thoughts. In this twisted state of mind, the archmage projected all his dark emotions onto Ryūka, silently muttering to himself as he stared in the direction he had gone.

"I will remember you..."

Ryūsha continued his journey, his sights awash in smoke and blood. Many Clovis soldiers had stopped, some stripping the bodies of their spoils, regardless of whether the victims were former allies or enemies. Others were bandaging wounds and tending to the wounded. The bodies of the Linhu lords would be collected; according to the rules of the Autus noble civil war, Ryūsha would later have to pay to ransom the bodies of these soldiers so they could be sent home. Of course, many lords wouldn't pay for the peasants they had conscripted… (The rest of the text is nonsensical and likely a result of Ottoman slang.)

However, when Ryūka appeared before these ordinary soldiers, the Clovis soldiers immediately tensed up. They all stopped cleaning up the battlefield and looked at the boy in front of them, at a loss for what to do.

Two soldiers had just been fighting over a magic gun on the corpse of a Linhu soldier. Handing it over would likely bring them a hefty reward, and the magic crystal magazine in his arms was also quite valuable. But now, seeing Liu Xia's indifferent gaze, their legs seemed rooted to the spot, and they continued to push the magic gun they had just been fighting over back and forth.

"Sir, please..."

Finally, one of them, holding the magic gun, tremblingly handed it to Ryūka, the enemy commander.

Chapter 27 Poor Nobles

Ryūka didn't take the gun; instead, he walked straight to the corpse of one of his soldiers. As he passed the two Clovis soldiers, they both closed their eyes tightly and shrank their necks, fearing that their heads would be chopped off by the high-ranking officer's finger-pointing aura.

How foolish! This war... We're all Ottus, with no deep-seated hatred, yet we're killing each other. Ryuga glanced around, lingering meaningfully on several corpses of friend and foe, then knelt down and closed the young soldier's eyes.

He wasn't much older than her, his face still bearing a hint of youth. Liu Xia felt there was no difference between them, except that she was a transmigrator, her thoughts and strengths differed, but they were both people with one head and two shoulders. Now, one was alive and the other dead. Although she had joined this war to protect herself in the future, to avoid being forced into a state of stagnation by the internal strife of Otus, seeing these soldiers she had inspired die before her eyes brought a different kind of feeling.

Even though the retreat was very orderly, there were always some unfortunate soldiers who fell behind and died. Although the number of casualties was not large, in Ryuga's eyes, these people all died because of him.

"A kind heart cannot command an army, and a righteous heart cannot manage finances." It's an old saying, simple yet profound...

Liu Xia smiled bitterly. Even if it was feigned kindness, he touched the soldier's still warm face, took out a few gold coins from his pocket, and threw them to the two soldiers behind him.

"Get me a carriage and move all my people's remains over here."

"what?"

The two soldiers thought they had misheard. This hostile adult not only didn't kill them, but also ordered them around like he would his own soldiers, speaking in a calm and unpretentious tone, which left them momentarily at a loss.

But considering the boy's terrifying strength, and for the sake of those few round, gleaming gold coins, the two soldiers hurriedly picked up the coins from the blood-stained mud and then called on their brothers around them to start helping Liu Xia with his tasks.

Liu Xia slowly rose, silently making a decision in her heart. You sing, you and I, plum blossoms in the void, you and the forest, are you here...?

Once he has received the official title from Otus, he must first enrich himself and lead a strong army. He will not easily enter the war again without absolute certainty.

An individual's strength can kill enemies and save their life on a large battlefield, but it is difficult to influence the overall situation of the battlefield.

Having long been associated with and burdened by the identity of the Tipalottura faction, he was often forced into a position of power in the eastern conflicts, naturally developing a stance in the process. Especially because of Hetia and others, he always harbored a sense of closeness towards the Tipalottura, whom he had never met. But the deeper he delved into the conflict, the more Ryusha felt that Clovis on the other side of the battlefield was no different from Tipalottura, or even from Ilias, who was supported by the neighboring Harvey family.

Even though they had never met, judging from Clovis's military tactics and objectives, he was a living, breathing person with his own thoughts, not just an NPC labeled as an enemy. The same applied to Tipalotura; having some connection with her didn't mean she was a friendly NPC.

At least, those stepping onto the battlefield at this moment are himself and Clovis on the opposite side, not Tipalottura or Elias in the Imperial Palace. They each have their own thoughts and purposes, and before gaining the Empire's recognition, he is merely a pawn swaying with their will and struggles.

The sixteen-year-old boy, experiencing war for the first time, reflects and contemplates, casting his fifteen years of life before the transmigration and his experiences of the past year into a crucible of thought, standing silently amidst the battlefield of blood, fire, and snow...

This wasn't a novel or movie that Ryūka had read; he was living, breathing in a real world. People would die because of his actions, and others would live because of them—it was all beyond his control. If it weren't for the [Leader's Proof] that led him to the path of becoming a lord, Ryūka would rather be an irresponsible adventurer, exploring the icy plains of the north and the crimson chasm of the south, or crossing the sea to search for traces of other races.

But there's no going back, and the word "turn back" doesn't exist in a young man's vocabulary. He watched as Clovis's soldiers found him several horses and carts, hoisted the heavy corpses of his men, and placed them one by one on the carts, as if they were resting peacefully side by side.

The bewitched horse moved with gentle steps, without the crack of the whip or the neighing of someone being whipped, carrying the boy and those who died because of him slowly southward toward Sochi.

"What a...strange person..."

The two soldiers watched Ryūka leave, their faces contorted with strange emotions, unable to find the right words to describe their feelings. They didn't know if they had done the right thing, or if they would be punished if their superiors found out. The soldier carrying the magic gun no longer cared about the reward he would receive; he simply watched the carriage depart in silence. It seemed that the joy of surviving the war had been wiped away by this 'adult' they had never seen before. Regardless of whether Ryūka was now a nobleman or even an officer, they had never met anyone like him.

"Yes, I've never seen such strange expressions and behavior before..."

The sudden weak voice behind them startled the two soldiers. One gripped his longsword tightly, while the other raised the magic gun on his back. A corpse behind them stirred, and a blood-soaked girl weakly pushed aside the body pressing down on her, speaking to them irritably:

"Don't point that at me. Besides, do you even know how to use it?"

"Miss Esther! You're alive!"

"Of course I'm alive, but this thing hit me a few times... It scared me to death. I thought that guy would find me... I heard that kid is a public enemy of women. If a beautiful young mage like me were discovered, I don't know what would happen to me..."

A slender young girl crawled out from under the corpse and lay sprawled on the ground. She was dressed in a mage's robe, but it was rather incongruous, covered with patchwork armor plates and bearing extremely rough hand-stitched marks. Bottles and jars, seemingly some kind of potions and tools, hung from her waist and chest, but some of them had already been smashed.

Her robes had been cut to make them easier to move in, and on her feet were a pair of ill-fitting Ottus Legion standard leather boots, worn and weathered, with a dagger stuck inside the boot shaft. But what was most incongruous with her identity as a mage was her wand, which had been modified into a spear. Although it looked like a weapon that could be used for both ranged and melee combat, its tattered appearance made it seem utterly powerless.

But what didn't match her beggar-like attire was her face, which was both pained and unhappy yet incredibly cute. When she threw aside the knight's helmet that she had picked up from somewhere, her long pink hair broke free of the hair tie and scattered on the muddy ground, stained with blood.

"Miss Esther, are you injured? Are you alright? I'll go and call a priest for you!"

The soldier, seeing the blood slowly seeping from the abdomen and shoulder of the girl named Esther, panicked and frantically tried to find help. If even Miss Esther, who possessed healing magic, couldn't handle the injuries, they must be extremely serious!

But Esther quickly stopped the soldier and instead demanded the magic gun from his hand:

"No, no, no! This is fine! This is all military merit... Hey! Bate, let me see that weird thing you're holding."

What a joke! If it were healed, wouldn't all those blows have been for nothing? Esther pressed her wounds and slowly channeled magic into them, keeping them at a non-fatal but seemingly serious level.

Why would a noble lady like herself be willing to join Clovis's tactical experiments? It's all for the sake of this little bit of credit!

The soldier named Bet's face immediately darkened. He reluctantly hugged his magic gun tighter and said awkwardly:

"Miss, is there a tip?"

Esther's eyes widened instantly as she glared at Beth and said, "What do you mean?! I was just looking! Besides! You're a trainee knight of the Miller family! Do you really intend to hand over the spoils to the Third Prince's quartermaster?!"

Bate gritted his teeth: "Have you ever seen apprentice knights dressed like ordinary soldiers? Forget about warhorses, they won't even provide us with a strong donkey!"

Poor nobles—that's the Miller family that Beth serves. As a commoner apprentice knight from a local training center, he was tricked into signing a ten-year service contract right after graduation. Under Esther Miller's sweet smile and seemingly perfect contract during recruitment, Beth successfully stepped into a ruthless workplace, completing his life's journey from graduation to just getting by.

The military rations were moldy and expired, the silver coins were chipped, and the promised armor and longsword were secondhand goods salvaged from other soldiers. The premium warhorse from northwest Otus, which was supposed to be provided upon arrival in the contract, turned out to be an old, mangled, lame, and blind horse that died a week later, forcing Beth to ask for a week's worth of fodder himself!

Who would have thought that the Miller family, with their viscount titles, were actually impoverished nobles who couldn't even afford to eat but still had to put on a show? Though called a family, the Miller family consisted only of the lovely but ruthless Miss Esther Miller and her father, Viscount Cooper Miller.

At that moment, Esther's puffed-up eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she looked at Beth with teary eyes, a pitiful expression, but without any conscience, and said:

"Article 12, Section 3, Appendix: The spoils of war shall be distributed uniformly by the family."

How could anyone see that tiny appendix, no bigger than a grain of millet! Beth's heart was bleeding. There were many young people like him who had been tricked into serving him, but they all ran away in less than half a year under Esther's cute, teary-eyed charm. The only ones left were the cowardly Beth, who was afraid of breaking his contract, and a few ordinary militiamen from farming backgrounds.

He reluctantly handed over the magic gun, which Esther examined with great interest, but quickly tossed aside in dejection.

"The structure and principle are simple, but the magical crystals used are too expensive! Moreover, the metalworking technique seems to be done by mages and magical engineers, and the specific process is unclear! This is too extravagant! There's simply no profit in imitating it! No wonder that kid named Ryuka so generously abandoned it. Even if other noble families wanted to imitate it, the cost would probably be less than buying it from him..."

"You can see all of this?" Bette's eyes widened. In just half a minute, Esther had given such a detailed conclusion.

"Of course, Miss, I also studied at the military academy in the capital!"

Esther proudly smoothed her long pink hair, but winced as the movement aggravated her wound.

Bette couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "They can just drop out because they can't afford the tuition..."

Esther's father, Viscount Cooper Miller, was a bookworm obsessed with magic and magical engineering. He spent a fortune and was frequently swindled. He was heavily indebted due to his so-called research and a romance with a socialite, and now, aside from his viscount title, he had sold everything he could. Esther, as the viscount's daughter, after two years of working part-time, was finally overwhelmed by the exorbitant cost of living in the capital and returned to her northern hometown to manage the family business. Her method, she said, began by conning people like Beth into working for the family...

For a moment, Bet felt a warm sensation from the few gold coins that Ryusha had just tossed to him, but under Esther's threatening gaze, he reluctantly handed over a few coins as stipulated in the contract.

"That's more like it!" Esther, her eyes lighting up at the sight of money, stuffed a few gold coins into her pocket, not forgetting to carefully check the buttons. Then, leaning shakily on her magic gun, she stood up and began to flatter Beth:

“Miss, I’m not trying to steal your things. You know, if you hand them over to the quartermaster, they’ll definitely withhold your reward. But it’s different if I do it, especially if I hand them over to Prince Clovis with these wounds, along with a heroic battle description… Oh, and when we get to the camp gate, go find a stretcher and carry me inside…”

She launched into a long-winded tale: "Just based on these few wounds I have, the Miller family will get a share of the fertile land north of Sochi! Things will get much better then! We'll be able to move here from this godforsaken north, and your treatment will be much better! Especially since our neighbor is that incredibly wealthy Ryukyu! He's made a killing this time; the emperor will definitely reward him handsomely. From what I know of him, you could make money just by lying next to him!"

Seeing Esther limping along, her mouth still moving despite the pain, Bette believed her lies once more. But as soon as they reached the camp entrance, she collapsed onto the stretcher Bette had prepared. Her previously rosy complexion instantly turned deathly pale, her bloodless lips trembling as she mumbled:

"I...I need to see Your Highness...I have important spoils to personally deliver to Your Highness..."

"Here we go again, Miller's daughter. She doesn't act like an aristocrat at all."

"Her face is undeniably beautiful, but with her unreliable father and the family's debts, every young master would have to avoid her..."

"Those stretcher bearers must be apprentice knights, like militiamen. Only they would experiment with His Highness's new tactics for the sake of rewards."

The closer they got to the center of the military camp, the more nobles there were. Beth lowered his head and carried a stretcher with another soldier, his heart filled with dissatisfaction.

Those words stung like needles. Even though Esther was ruthless towards him, in his eyes, Esther, who could go to such lengths for money, was still much better than these pampered nobles.

"Mr. Miller, are you alright?"

Regardless of the Miller family's reputation, as commander-in-chief, Clovis still gave them the respect they deserved, especially since this battle was a hard-won victory. He continued with a ceremony to reassure the troops. Upon hearing the report from his subordinates, he quickly came out.

"Your Highness, this is the enemy's new weapon... I captured it at the risk of my life..."

Esther, trembling, handed the magic gun she was clutching tightly to Clovis, who then instructed a servant to take it and comforted Esther:

"I have noted Miller's merits. Men, fetch the bishop to treat Miller. You can rest and recover. Once you are healed, you can choose any territory north of Sochi! I will never mistreat any family that has served me!"

“Thank you, Your Highness!” Esther’s eyes widened instantly, and she adopted an expression of overwhelming gratitude, saying in a firm tone, “The Miller family is willing to be Your Highness’s vanguard! I don’t want any other place, give us the Miller family’s territory closest to Sochi! We are willing to be Your Highness’s first line of defense against that brat!”

Esther, trembling, handed the magic gun she was clutching tightly to Clovis, who then instructed a servant to take it and comforted Esther:

"I have noted Miller's merits. Men, fetch the bishop to treat Miller. You can rest and recover. Once you are healed, you can choose any territory north of Sochi! I will never mistreat any family that has served me!"

“Thank you, Your Highness!” Esther’s eyes widened instantly, and she adopted an expression of overwhelming gratitude, saying in a firm tone, “The Miller family is willing to be Your Highness’s vanguard! I don’t want any other place, give us the Miller family’s territory closest to Sochi! We are willing to be Your Highness’s first line of defense against that brat!”

Chapter 1: Prelude to the Reward

The early spring air still carried a slight chill. Inside Sochi Castle, Kania was preparing Ryusha's attire. At Ryusha's request, the traditional Ottoman noble's formal dress had been slightly modified: the puffy collar had been replaced with a crisp, upright lapel, and the waist was cinched with a gold-embellished belt. The knight's tight trousers had been replaced with perfectly pressed straight-legged trousers, tucked into the boots.

As the focus of everyone's attention today, Ryūka should have been wearing the crimson and gold color scheme favored by Ottos, but at Ryūka's request, the red tones of the outfit were toned down several shades. A black border was also added to the gold ornaments on his shoulders and body. According to Ryūka, this was to commemorate those who died in the war, but it added a touch of solemnity to this overly flamboyant 'formal attire.' However, in the eyes of Kania and the others, this kid's mismatched 'formal attire' was simply too dashing.

"Damn it, I just helped you put it on, and I already want to take it off..." Kania looked at the boy, who was accentuated by the clothes, with a slightly drooling gaze. She couldn't help but bite the boy's ear with her white teeth.

Feeling those restless little hands starting to roam over her body, Liu Xia grumbled with a long face, "Today is a big day, can't you be quiet for once... Stop touching me, you'll suffer tonight!"

Yes, today is the day to receive the rewards. His Majesty the Emperor's envoy will visit Sochi City to confer upon Liu Xia, who made the greatest contribution to the campaign against the Duke family, the title of Viscount and grant him one-third of the territory of the Sochi South Plain. At the same time, he will be appointed as the governor of the newly established Imperial Administrative Region—Sochi Province—with Sochi City as its capital, encompassing the original Sochi Plain and the area of ​​Linhu Territory.

The remaining third of the southern plains was divided into several baronies, each granted to a noblewoman who had distinguished herself in battle. Hafulen, Megan, and Melanie received town-level fiefs of varying sizes, surrounding the Russia territory, and each possessed their own baronial title independent of their families. Hetia's viscount title remained unchanged, but she received an additional portion of the territory between Sochi and Linhu as a grant.

Surprisingly, although Anjaberg didn't personally fight the enemy, the Emperor was very interested in the new weapons she developed and bestowed upon her a knighthood. While she didn't receive any land, the Imperial Military Academy allowed her to graduate early and awarded her the title of Grandmaster of Magical Engineering, along with a stipend equivalent to that of a permanent teacher. Anjaberg was clearly more satisfied with this reward than with any land.

As for the remaining third of the southern plains and the northern plains, aside from a small portion being granted to other factions maneuvering in the capital as a check and balance, such as those under the fourth prince, Elias, the remainder was designated as directly governed territory of the capital, Sochi, and nominally belonged to no one. Half of the northern plains was granted to northern nobles who had also "meritoriously fought against the Duke family," namely Clovis's vassal families, but nominally still subject to the control of Governor Ryuk.

Ryūka had little to say about this. The emperor, whom he had never met, knew how to give everyone a little something, while simultaneously turning the newly established Sochi province into a place where various factions mingled. Ryūka felt that being the governor was not an easy task. It seemed that while the emperor was rewarding him, he also did not want to see Sochi become a small kingdom independent of Otus.

But this was largely within his expectations; the future held both challenges and opportunities. The governor held the highest local power. As long as he didn't violate imperial law or directly interfere with the private territories of others within the province, Ryūha could do whatever he wanted, and other nobles had to defer to him. Of course, besides paying one-fifth of the annual tax, the title of 'governor' meant that the empire could legally remove Ryūha at any time, ensuring a certain degree of checks and balances.

Compared to Ryūka, who was already envisioning how to develop his territory and maintain 'friendly' relations with his neighbors, the noble girls around him thought much more simply. Today was a celebration; all the nobles, old and new, from the entire Sochi province would come to receive the imperial delegation, including the northern nobles with whom they had previously clashed on the battlefield. Therefore, attire was equivalent to armor, and using one's temperament and style to overwhelm opponents in social situations was an essential skill for the noble girls.

Therefore, they all dressed up in their finest attire, but even a group of beauties with distinct charms could not compare to the young man in the center. Even though he was their shared lover, Ryuka's allure filled them with both pride and envy.

"If I had to say, it looks better when you're dressed like this. Look, there are zippers on the pants, right..."

This isn't surprising, given that the suit is based on modern military uniforms from Ryusha's original world, with elements from almost every country. It was already incredibly handsome, and the addition of luxurious embellishments made it virtually flawless, except for the lack of a hat. However, considering the boy's good looks and meticulously styled hair, the hat seemed somewhat superfluous. If this wasn't enough to win over the girls, then there was nothing more to say.

"If I could indulge in a little fantasy, I would be suffocating if Master wore this half-covered outfit, like with his collar rumpled open..."

Megan's expression was most wanton today. After all, she was just a slave, and even being made a baron wouldn't bring her any joy; it would only mean adding another piece of land to Ryūxia's territory. Not to mention, she had completely severed ties with her family and was now utterly reckless, blindly following Ryūxia. Her mature, beautiful body, adorned with light armor and black lace, began to writhe at the handsome young man, as if a pinch of it could drip water. She noticed Ryūxia, dressed in military uniform, giving her a mocking glance, and immediately bent down at his feet, raising her plump buttocks high and swaying them, displaying a coquettish manner incongruous with her age. Even in this submissive posture, her tall frame meant her buttocks were almost level with the young man's waist.

The only one who didn't praise Ryukyu was Hetia. Looking at Ryukyu's clothes, she said with a hint of jealousy, "I want to wear something like this too... It's much prettier than our female knight's dress..."

It's just a piece of clothing... Liu Xia couldn't say that. After all, the appearance of military equipment is also a kind of combat power. He was already thinking about customizing new military uniforms for the future army according to his own design.