Chapter 93

Sure, here’s your translated text in English with a comedic anime style:

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**Rusmaier Territory.**

This place was isolated not just because nobles suppressed their actions or hindered their revival, but also due to the constant attacks by monsters.

“Grrr…!”

These creatures look like walking animals similar to dogs or wolves, but instead of soft fur that can be easily pierced by a sword, they have hard rock-like skin covering their bodies.

“Monsters have appeared!”

“Women who can’t use force and children, evacuate!”

They’re not animals.

Monsters.

In the game, these were simply referred to as monsters and weren’t given much attention, but they were the major enemies in this territory.

▶CHAPTER 2 – Episode II. The Escaping Touch is ongoing!◀

▶Monsters have appeared!◀

▶Protect the village!◀

▶Achievement level will be determined based on the damage to the residents!◀

*List of Major Enemies*

[ Waglew Hound ]

[A wolf species with rocks imbued with mana scattered all over its body. Its defense is quite high, so unless you use proper weapons, the damage is nullified.]

[ Waglew Razan ]

[A monkey species with rocks imbued with mana scattered all over its body. When it crouches, the damage inflicted is greatly reduced.]

‘So that’s why Rusmaier has always been defeated by monsters.’

Even if they use weapons made from carved wood, the damage to those monsters is negligible.

Moreover, the lack of proper armor is a problem.

While these two types of monsters don’t have particularly high attack power, if they had armor, they could withstand them to some extent.

Lack of weapons. Lack of armor.

There’s no way to produce these, and contacting other territories is impossible.

Isolated and rejected by the nobles, the only option they had was to buy time and rely on others. A common yet passive strategy.

But this time was different.

As Camila said, they stood alone. Even if it’s like hitting a rock with an egg.

‘I need to keep an eye on this.’

There’s no reason not to get involved.

Choosing Rusmaier as a stepping stone for attending the Eastern Nobles’ Meeting, showing how one leads a territory to revival means minimizing damage from these monsters.

The achievement level in Rusmaier depends on how well the village is protected.

However, one must remember that this is a one-sided thought, a comforting idea that can only exist in a game.

“Argh!!!”

“Gargh!!”

“Hey, Monkey! Look at me!”

“Grwoar!”

Two young men rushed out as soon as they saw the monsters.

Probably the biggest force in this territory, these two men held crude and insignificant wooden spears and charged at the monsters fearlessly.

“Bind him! While I take care of the others!”

“Let’s go!”

Then they claimed they bound the monsters and told others to deal with them.

It’s certainly inefficient.

Every injury or loss of strength in each resident decreases the achievement level.

If it’s just minor injuries, it might pass without issue, but if it’s severe, there will be a significant drop, and in the worst case, if there are casualties, it will lead to a massive drop and fail the episode. In short, a bad ending.

Therefore, if this episode proceeds, it’s inevitable that Carsein will face these monsters.

Because the village’s forces can’t handle these monsters.

No matter how high their morale is now, there’s a limit.

So, Carsein, who has prepared enough stats, will handle these monsters.

To prevent the achievement level from dropping, intervention is necessary now.

But…

Is that really the right answer?

“No. I can confidently say that’s definitely not the right answer.”

This episode, objectively speaking, Rusmaier relies entirely on Carsein’s power to defeat the monsters.

That itself is a huge contradiction.

Rusmaier is periodically attacked by monsters.

Assuming Carsein stops this attack this time,

What about the next attack? The attack after that?

If no one continues to stop them, what happens to this village and territory?

That’s the flaw.

Even if the achievement level is maximized in this attack, once Carsein leaves, they will have to rely on others.

Whether it’s relying on the Bargrand family or calling other knights later.

Or, in the worst case, seeking help from the nobles.

Somehow, Rusmaier won’t change.

So, I won’t intervene.

Even if the achievement level keeps dropping, I shouldn’t lend a hand.

This isn’t a game anymore; it’s reality for me.

‘Then, I need to come up with a solution.’

I need to significantly reduce my reliance on them. I need to devise a method.

Rolling his eyes, he looked around at the villagers fighting the monsters.

Their willpower is already there.

Seeing them bite their teeth and charge at the monsters, their desire to change is evident.

So,

‘The approach needs to change.’

Instead of trying to hit a rock with an egg, we need an efficient and innovative method to crush the rock.

Since this isn’t a game, I can intervene too.

“Camila.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“How long can the residents of this monster-attacked territory hold on?”

Camila put her hand to her mouth and thought.

“Well, even though the Waglew monsters are tough and we have no weapons… usually, we send support from other territories when monsters appear. We can hold on for about an hour.”

“An hour?”

He was a bit surprised.

How could people with nothing last an hour?

“That’s because, although I can’t explain in detail, the reason Rusmaier has suffered few casualties despite multiple attacks is due to their diet. Eating crops grown in harsh conditions allows them to somewhat counter the monsters.”

“Indeed. That’s the case.”

When he heard that milk supplements nutrition for children, he wondered why such a peculiar setting existed.

But after eating their crops, he realized it wasn’t just a setting.

Yes. These people of Rusmaier may look poor, but they’re strong.

▶Eating Rusmaier whole wheat bread increases muscle strength by 0.05 for 3 hours!◀

▶Permanent stat increase possible with regular consumption!◀

[Limits: 0.30]

If he treated this as a game and a game setting, he would dismiss it as a special food providing buffs.

Accepting it as reality,

The saying “medicine tastes bitter but is good for health” applies here too.

Only Rusmaier produces Rusmaier whole wheat and Rusmaier whole rice.

Truly, these are crops difficult for children to eat.

Harvesting these crops is challenging, and even after obtaining them through hardship, going through a tough process to eat them, their rough texture makes digestion difficult. Hence, milk is needed for a reason.

But seeing adults accustomed to eating these, it wouldn’t be strange if they gradually adapt and receive additional stats.

Back to the main point.

An hour? Then that’s enough.

Permanent increase in muscle stats? That’s even better.

It means they can use heavier, stronger weapons.

“This doesn’t require me to get directly involved.”

“What do you mean?”

“Though I’m not sure about the armor, I can make weapons.”

“Make weapons…?”

“Yes. Lead me to the town hall, storage, or any place where miscellaneous items are stored. The more the better.”

Though they’ve lived in fear until now, teaching them is all it takes.

The monsters are weak enough to be caught even with Carsein’s stats.

***

“Yawn- Why do I have to deal with this kind of hassle?”

Hemnan Modrich, the son of Count Modrich, yawned and got up.

Soon, the Eastern Nobles’ Meeting will be held.

As the eldest son of the Modrich family, he must fulfill his duties as a noble.

But he complained about why he had to attend such a boring meeting.

“Why is that Eastern Nobles’ Meeting so important? What? Peasants are needed for nobles to live? Do we need to save peasants for the country to survive?”

Hemnan clicked his tongue.

“The blood flowing in our veins is different. Those without our noble lineage are all problems. Should we help those people? It doesn’t make sense.”

He slammed the book shut in frustration.

“We should be grateful that we serve such noble beings! Why should we serve those people…”

Peasants are merely tools to create a noble’s life.

And filthy, smelly commoners are just social evils.

That was Hemnan’s motto.

So every year, he complains about the royal family, which only adds unnecessary systems and diminishes the nobility’s authority.

“Hmm… Well, today seems to be a fairly enjoyable day, huh?”

A sinister smile spread across Hemnan’s lips.

“Hemnan Young Master, the carriage is ready.”

“Oh. Alright.”

With the carriage finally ready, he glanced in the mirror, flicked his bow tie, and confirmed everything was fine before stepping outside.

The carriage Hemnan rode was headed to a territory.

Without anyone helping.

Nobles didn’t want to interfere.

Rusmaier would forever depend on the Modrich family.

Rusmaier’s periodic monster attacks were known.

So, he deliberately left them alone.

Helping wouldn’t benefit him since it’s not his territory.

If something happened there, it would only harm his family.

Trying to figure out how to drive Rusmaier away, the monster attack was actually a stroke of luck.

But they kept standing firm, resisting the attacks despite looking like they would fall anytime. Successfully isolating them was a nuisance.

Watching them keep asking for help, Hemnan finally found a way to bring them down.

“Hehe. Shall we enjoy the rewards again today?”

Even knowing monsters had appeared, Hemnan didn’t bring many knights.

Because he knew.

The Rusmaier residents had already weakened the monsters’ strength.

So, bringing a small number of knights was no problem.

But the benefits he gained were enormous.

The traces of killing monsters were left by the knights, the Modrich family. Thus, they didn’t get valuable spoils from the monster carcasses. They might not even know the monsters were weakened by their own hands using wooden sticks.

This gave him the right to take from the village, and no one could stop him. The foolish peasants wouldn’t understand.

Even if someone complained, they weren’t affiliated with any territory.

Thus, Hemnan gained triple benefits.

“Hey, isn’t Rusmaier’s funds almost depleted?”

“This time, it’s tight, but after collection, there won’t be anything left for the next time.”

“Really?”

He licked his lips and clicked his tongue.

“Then, let’s raise the taxes this time. Everyone will pay more, so work harder and bring back more. Got it?”

“Yes, Young Master Hemnan!”

“If you can’t pay money, you’ll have to offer something else.”

There’s no way to earn money or offer anything valuable in that village. If there’s no money, what else can be paid is obvious.

“Hehe. I heard there’s a fresh young woman whose age is almost ripe, so this time, I need to collect more.”

She wouldn’t refuse.

Given the Modrich family’s status, she would obediently follow.

Hemnan entered Rusmaier Territory with such expectations.

But something felt off.

Usually, at this time, women would beg for help against monsters when he arrived. But now, it was too quiet.

After looking around, Hemnan walked further into the village.

His eyes widened.

“Wow!!!”

The Rusmaier residents were cheering while stepping on fallen monster corpses.

‘What the heck is going on…!’

Did these foolish Rusmaier residents defeat the monsters themselves?

Waglew monsters have hard rock-like skin covering their bodies, making them nearly invulnerable without proper equipment.

But unlike before, they were clearly dead without struggling to rise.

Anyone could tell they were killed by these people.

‘How could they have such weapons? No, wait. What is that?’

Where are the usual crude wooden spears? Instead, a club with useless scrap metal and fragments caught his eye.

With this new weapon, the monsters were covered in wounds and blood. This made it impossible to claim they did it.

‘Crap! I can’t get anything now!’

Monster corpses.

Sweeping costs.

And a young woman he could have taken if he had the money.

Nothing to gain.

‘Who is it? Which bastard did this to my slaves…!’

Someone must have intervened.

Foolish Rusmaier residents couldn’t have thought of this.

He had to find that person.

Hemnan gritted his teeth and shouted.

“You lot! Don’t you even greet me when I arrive!”

The residents turned to look at Hemnan.

Their eyes weren’t friendly.

They seemed to have something to say.

But Hemnan didn’t notice.

He found a stranger among them.

“Black hood over there! Who are you to enter this territory so recklessly?!”

Getting rid of this guy is all it takes.

Excuses? He could make plenty.

With the Modrich family’s power, anything is possible.

“Get lost! How dare you act like this here…”

*Ssshhh!*

A sword sliced through something, passing by Hemnan.

It cut off his hair.

“Huh?!”

“Young Master Hemnan!”

“This guy! Dare to aim a sword at Young Master Hemnan?!”

“Dare to! Dare to do this to me!!”

Hemnan roared like a frog puffed up with venom.

“Show your face under the hood and state your name! I need to see your face to decide what punishment to give!”

The man in the hood finally revealed his face.

“Do I really need to introduce myself? Hemnan Modrich.”

“Yes, you…!”

Others were too changed to recognize.

But Hemnan never forgets.

“Carsein, Bargrand…”

The memory of that time during Arina Bargrand’s coming-of-age ceremony, where he was beaten mercilessly, was unforgettable despite any changes.