Free Web NovelChapter 166: Region
A few minutes later, the conversation finally wound down. They stood near the exit of the grand hall, the chaotic energy of his girls barely contained behind him as he prepared to leave. He was honestly too exhausted to process the fact that he was basically being set up as the kingdom’s Sixth Great Family.
Right now, he just wanted a hot bath and a very long sleep.
"I will see you next time," Didi said, offering him a polite nod. "The King will likely need about a week to finalize all the official preparations for your land grant and title transfer."
He let out a quiet sigh of relief, thankful that he at least had a short grace period before the real headache started.
"So I basically have a week off?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," she nodded, giving him a small, tired smile. "Until then, you are completely free to enjoy the capital. Try not to cause any more diplomatic incidents while you wait."
"No promises," he muttered, turning around to face his girls.
Juna immediately perked up, her ears standing straight up while Loccy tossed the golden goblet into the air one last time, completely ignoring the dirty looks from a nearby group of nobles. Vella quickly stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as if trying to physically soothe his migraine.
"Let’s go home," he said, gesturing toward the palace doors.
They walked out of the palace gates, the night air feeling incredible against his face after spending hours in that suffocating ballroom. The walk back to the inn was surprisingly quiet at first, the girls walking closely beside him while the busy streets of the capital hummed with activity.
"Did you actually expect the King to give you all of that?" Juna asked, finally breaking the silence. She glanced sideways at him, her ears twitching thoughtfully. "It feels like a trap."
"I did not expect the land," he admitted, keeping his voice low as they navigated past a group of drunk adventurers. "But the King is definitely using me. He gave me that land to intentionally throw me right into the middle of the Great Families."
"It is an incredibly aggressive political move," Vella chimed in, her voice completely calm. "By granting you an empty region, he is forcing you to build your own infrastructure from scratch while simultaneously putting a massive target on your back. The Great Families will see you as an unprotected threat, which means they will attack you before you can establish any military strength. The King is intentionally throwing you into the fire so you have no choice but to grow stronger, while ensuring you remain entirely dependent on the crown. He wants you to belong exclusively to him."
He stopped walking, staring at her in complete shock.
"Did you really just figure all of that out from him giving me a title and some land?" he asked, genuinely stunned by her political awareness.
She blinked, giving him an innocent, polite smile. "It is just basic strategy, Master. The King would never give away a massive piece of territory to a commoner without expecting a significant return on his investment."
He let out a tired sigh, rubbing his temples again. It was nice knowing his girl was actually a political genius, but it just made the reality of the situation feel even more overwhelming.
"Is this really going to be okay?" Juna asked, her ears flattening slightly against her head. "Are you actually going to be able to handle managing a region and still clear Gates like you wanted?"
He looked at the three of them, seeing the genuine concern in their eyes. Even Loccy had stopped tossing the golden goblet, waiting for his answer. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"It is going to be incredibly difficult," he said honestly, resuming his walk down the illuminated street. "Managing a territory while constantly clearing high-level Gates to grind EXP is not going to leave me with a lot of free time. But I am confident I can pull it off."
He paused for a second, glancing back toward the distant silhouette of the royal palace. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"I just need to be extremely careful around the King," he added quietly. "He gave me a massive opportunity, but one wrong move and he will not hesitate to let the Great Families tear us apart."
Back at the royal palace, the atmosphere inside the private council room was incredibly tense.
The table was completely surrounded by high-ranking officials and royal advisors, all currently locked in a heated discussion regarding the exact location of the newly appointed Lord Hajin’s territory.
"A small estate on the outskirts of the capital is more than enough," one of the older councilmen argued, gesturing at a map spread across the table. "He is technically a noble now, yes, but his title is still just a Lord. Giving him a minor piece of land is completely fair and honors the royal decree without upsetting the established order."
"I agree," another advisor nodded quickly. "He is an untested commoner. We cannot hand him anything significant until he proves he can actually manage an estate."
The King sat at the head of the table, listening to them bicker in complete silence. He watched them for a few more seconds before slowly raising a hand and tapping his index finger against the table.
The sharp sound immediately silenced the room.
"Lord Hajin will not be receiving a minor estate," the King stated, his voice completely flat. "He will receive the unowned region."
Dead silence fell over the council room. The advisors stared at the King, completely shocked by the declaration.
"Y-Your Majesty," the older councilman stammered, his face pale. "Are you entirely serious? The unowned region is massive. He only holds the title of a Lord, but granting him that territory... it effectively puts him on the exact same level as the Great Families!"
"I am aware of what it does," the King replied calmly, leaning back in his chair.
"Your Majesty, this is madness," Duke Vahn spoke up, his voice tight. He still looked slightly pale from his brief but terrifying confrontation with Hajin back at the banquet. "The Great Families have been fighting over the rights to that territory for years. Handing it over to an untested outsider will be seen as a direct insult."
The King did not look bothered by the warning in the slightest.
"That region has sat without a true ruler for far too long," the King said, his tone completely absolute. "The Great Families have bickered over it endlessly, yet none of them have proven worthy of actually claiming it. Since they cannot decide, I am simply giving it to the person I am sponsoring."
The King leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. "He killed a Beast King on his own. He saved my daughter from an Overlord class anomaly and walked into my throne room without a shred of fear. I am giving him the unowned region because I want to see if he can hold it. What greater test is there than that?"
The council members exchanged nervous glances. They all knew the King was taking a massive gamble, acting much more rashly than usual.
Giving Hajin that specific region was like throwing a lit match into a powder keg. The Great Families were not just going to be unhappy. They were going to be absolutely furious.
The King ignored the rising tension in the room, his mind already moving past the council’s petty complaints. He thought back to the brief moment in the Royal Vault when he had felt the terrifying, oppressive weight of Hajin’s raw power.
He let out a quiet breath, completely unbothered by the incoming political storm.
’Grow, Hajin,’ the King thought, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. ’I cannot wait to see how much that terrifying power inside you will grow when you are pushed to the absolute brink.’
