#1094 Development Land Riot

Heh heh heh heh heh…!

I am none other than Lavajiputa, the clandestine governor of the Human Kingdom!

Up until now, I’ve relied on my sprawling network of connections to play the puppet master behind the scenes, but soon, I’ll seize the holy relics hidden on that Saint’s Farm, and my power will skyrocket beyond anyone’s wildest dreams!

If I can pull this off, not just the Human Kingdom, the entire world will dance to my tune!

Gwahahaha!

I can’t stop laughing!

It all started as a silly little scheme, just to trip up that brat Ritheseus…

Who knew things would get so delightfully out of hand?

As expected, once I issued the summons, that so-called saint dared to refuse my oh-so-generous invitation.

Exactly as I planned!

Now I have the perfect excuse to send in my troops and trample that place underfoot!

Then it’s all about plunder, plunder, and more plunder!

I’ll snatch up every last shiny trinket and useful gadget from that saint’s humble little farm!

As for explaining things to Ritheseus later, I can make up any story I like.

After all, that saint’s now a documented traitor who disobeyed a direct order from the kingdom!!!

Behold, my forces are already closing in on the frontier!

I’ve got a grand army of five thousand, bolstered by the demon troops of my ally, Dampahl!!!

…Huh?

You’re wondering why I didn’t bring more soldiers?

Shut it!

I’m a civil official by trade, not a military man, you know. Besides, if I rallied too many soldiers, it’d draw unwanted attention from Ritheseus. We don’t need that!

A swift, overwhelming strike is what matters here!!!

Quality over quantity, my friends!

Plus, we’re talking about some hermit hiding out in a remote edge of nowhere. You think we need a legion for that?

Five thousand’s already overkill. Even a hundred would do the job, leaving the entire farm mine for the taking!

“Lord Lavajiputa, please do remember our agreement. The wealth and magical trinkets from the farm are to be split fifty-fifty between you and me.”

Ugh, there goes Dampahl again, nagging me about our deal.

Yes, yes, I know.

I must share the spoils with my partner in crime.

…But if said ‘partner’ conveniently goes missing at some point, well, that’s just the chaos of battle.

Accidents happen, don’t they?

You understand, my loyal assassin, don’t you?

Once the fighting grows hot and messy, you slip in behind him and…

Then all the riches of that farm belong to me alone.

Now then, shall we begin this merry little rampage?

***

We’ve arrived.

This is the place?

It looks more like a patch of untouched forest than a farm…

“This is still part of the joint frontier zone. They say the Saint’s Farm lies far, far deeper inside.”

Ah, so that’s how it is.

Forget this scrappy land; let’s press onward!

Actually, come to think of it, the pioneers working these parts must be tough folks, surviving out here in the boonies.

Let’s recruit them! They can join our army to strengthen our ranks.

Why waste time cultivating dirt when they can help loot a lush farmland instead? I bet they’ll jump at the chance!

All right, all you worthless commoners!

I, the secret governor, Lavajiputa, command you!

March with us to the Saint’s Farm! Slaughter any who resist and seize their treasure!

“Shut it, you invader!”
“If you threaten Lord Saint, you’re our enemy! Come at us if you dare and we’ll send you packing!”
“For Lord Saint’s safety, we’ll stand and fight!”

What in the blazes?!

They’re siding with the saint? Why?

You came here under royal orders to open up this land.

I represent the kingdom itself, so obviously you should obey me!

“Don’t feed us that garbage! You’re just twisting the kingdom’s power for your selfish gains!”
“Even if it were an official order, who in their right mind would follow a command to threaten a peaceful saint’s home?”

Whaaaat?!

They know? They’ve figured out that I’m acting on my own authority, not the kingdom’s?

But they have no proof!

If I stand my ground, I can bluff my way through this. Justice is on my side, after all!

“Silence, you uneducated peasants! Your only purpose is to serve us high-ranking officials! If you refuse my orders, then I shall deem you traitors and cut you down!”
“Oh, bring it on!” “Yeah, go ahead and tell President Ritheseus how you made every last pioneer here defect!”

G-Gah!

So they suspect that I’ve never even consulted Ritheseus, that I just showed up out here on my own?

Even if they do, I can always twist any report I send back.

I’ll paint them as the rebels in full, sparing myself any blame.

Better yet, if I break through them and seize the Saint’s Farm, my power will dwarf even the Human Kingdom’s.

Then I won’t need to report anything at all!

No more chatter!

Let’s smash these insolent fools and raid the saint’s farm!

“I won’t let you lay a finger on these good pioneers.”

What?!

Someone new just stepped forward from the crowd!

For a second I froze up, but on closer inspection… this person looks utterly ordinary.

No presence, no aura of strength. The type you’d lose track of the moment you glance away.

Who is this nobody?

Are they lost?

“I’m the saint you’re so eager to find.”

What?! You’re the saint?!

You don’t match my mental image at all. But if you’re truly the saint, that saves me time.

You ignored the order sent by our kingdom!

Therefore, I hereby brand you a rebel and sentence you to death!

If you don’t want to die, then get on your knees and offer up all your treasure at once!

Do that, and I might just spare your worthless life!

Mwahahaha!

“‘Our kingdom,’ huh? Are you sure that was a legitimate command from the New Human Kingdom?”

Huh?!

What’s this nonsense...?!

“Even if it were, I’m not officially under the Human Kingdom or the Demon Kingdom. I have no obligation to obey either of you.”

M-Maybe not before, but your precious land is now right in the middle of our joint frontier zone!

That means you have to fall under our control.

It’s obvious!!!

“My farm lies far beyond the frontier’s reach. Your precious ‘planned expansion’ isn’t even close to including it.”

Wh-What?!

“Even if everything goes perfectly, the frontier won’t touch my farm for at least another century. Trying to claim it now based on some future ‘maybe’ is absurd.”

I-I’ve never heard that before…!
But a hundred years, a thousand years—doesn’t matter! If it’s eventually part of our expansion, that farmland’s ours!

Stop whining and submit already!!!

“Wow, that’s some seriously shameless land-grabbing talk. You know what? Reasoning with invaders is pointless. I guess I’ll have to defend myself by force.”

Oh-ho!

You think you can resist us?

We have an army of five thousand! Good luck with that!

You’re about to learn just how terrifying the hidden master of the Human Kingdom really is!!!

“I do have my reasons to fight back. To prove my point, I needed this conversation. If you’d backed down earlier, you could’ve avoided some nasty pain. But now it’s too late—you drew first blood.”

Huh? Quit your babbling.

No more words needed. Just roll over and let us stomp you flat!

“Looks like you didn’t bother studying my situation. Did you really think I wouldn’t have any means of self-defense? That’s incredibly convenient thinking on your part. And now you’ll pay for it.”

Hm? What’s that supposed to mean?

A giant shadow from above…?

It’s getting bigger…?

It’s getting closer to the ground…?

I see it now. Something’s drifting down from the sky.

Floating gently as it comes.

Because it’s so enormous, its shadow spreads wider and wider over the ground the closer it gets.

What’s the true identity of this colossal object?

Once it has completely settled on the earth, I finally understood.

A dragon.

A dragon?!

Why is there a dragon here?!

This wasn’t in my calculations!

“Ever since a dragon claiming to serve the saint appeared on the battlefield, the saint’s presence has been common knowledge. Didn’t you know that? If you challenge the saint, his dragon might just drop by to say hello. That’s pretty obvious, right?”

I didn’t know!

I don’t even want to know!

This is cheating! I demand a do-over! A do oveeeeeeeeeeer!!!