The gates of Frostbound Coast had witnessed countless sights throughout their long history.
Merchant caravans.
Military patrols.
Noble escorts.
Refugees fleeing winter storms.
Wagons carrying monster corpses.
Even victorious armies returning from battle.
Yet on this particular morning...
The city guards standing atop the walls found themselves staring at a sight unlike anything they had ever witnessed before.
One guard rubbed his eyes.
Another leaned forward.
A third nearly dropped his spear.
"...Am I seeing things?"
"No."
"...Then why does it look like half the forest is moving toward us?"
The guard beside him swallowed.
Because that was exactly what it looked like.
Far beyond the city walls.
A massive procession slowly approached.
At the very front rode a young noble.
Silver hair.
Dark coat.
Golden eyes.
Count Kel Rosenfeld.
Behind him followed over a hundred knights.
And behind those knights...
An absurd amount of harvest.
Wagons.
Carts.
Monster corpses.
Monster hides.
Monster bones.
Timber.
Ore.
Herbs.
Crates.
Supply containers.
Preserved meat.
Monster cores.
Captured eggs.
Young monster cubs.
The sheer quantity was unbelievable.
The entire road appeared occupied.
One elderly guard blinked several times.
"...By the heavens."
The younger guard nodded slowly.
"I think Lord Kel robbed the forest."
The city gates opened.
The massive procession entered.
Immediately...
The city exploded.
People stopped walking.
Merchants abandoned their stalls.
Children ran through the streets.
Shopkeepers emerged from buildings.
Everywhere they looked—
The harvest continued.
And continued.
And continued.
There seemed to be no end.
A butcher stared at a wagon full of monster meat.
His mouth opened.
Then closed.
Then opened again.
Nearby, a merchant nearly fainted.
A woman carrying groceries stopped walking entirely.
"What happened?"
A nearby knight laughed.
"We won."
The answer spread rapidly.
Faster than fire.
Faster than rumors.
Faster than common sense.
The monster suppression expedition had succeeded.
Not partially.
Completely.
The nearby wilderness had been cleared.
The news traveled through the city within hours.
Then excitement erupted.
Inside taverns.
"The forest was cleared?"
"Impossible."
"They brought back enough resources to fill half the warehouses."
"You're joking."
"I'm not."
Inside blacksmith shops.
"Monster cores?"
"Over a thousand."
"...Stop lying."
"I'm serious."
Inside guild branches.
"How many nests?"
"Forty-three."
"...What?"
Within a single day...
Every organization branch within Frostbound Coast became restless.
Because they all understood one thing.
Something valuable had arrived.
Very valuable.
Meanwhile.
Kel finally returned to the mansion.
Unlike the city.
The young lord remained calm.
The expedition had succeeded.
Good.
The next task simply awaited.
The work of a ruler never truly ended.
The mansion courtyard became busy.
Knights unloaded cargo.
Officials recorded inventory.
Warehouse supervisors nearly suffered emotional breakdowns while counting resources.
One manager collapsed after seeing the monster-core inventory report.
A servant had to bring him tea.
Twice.
At the center of the courtyard.
Kel stood before the gathered knights.
Over a hundred men stood proudly.
Their armor carried scars from battle.
Their expressions carried exhaustion.
Yet none regretted participating.
Not even slightly.
Kel observed them briefly.
Then spoke.
"As promised."
Immediately.
Several younger knights straightened.
The atmosphere changed.
Kel nodded toward the officials.
"Distribute the commissions."
The surrounding knights visibly brightened.
The monster-core bonus.
The promise Kel had made before the expedition.
And unlike many nobles...
He intended to honor it completely.
No delays.
No excuses.
No tricks.
The officials immediately began distribution.
The results shocked everyone.
Some knights received modest bonuses.
Others received astonishing amounts.
Several veterans stared at their payments in disbelief.
One knight looked ready to cry.
Another repeatedly checked his pouch.
Then checked again.
Then again.
"...This is real?"
A nearby official sighed.
"Yes."
The knight immediately laughed.
"I can finally repair my house."
Another shouted.
"My daughter can attend school now."
A third nearly hugged his friends.
The atmosphere became incredibly lively.
Meanwhile Gareth simply watched silently.
Then smiled.
Because he had served under many commanders.
Many nobles.
Many lords.
Yet this was the first time he had seen soldiers rewarded this fairly.
Respect naturally deepened.
That evening.
Kel finally entered his office.
The mountain of work waiting for him would have terrified ordinary nobles.
Several officials expected him to postpone it until tomorrow.
Instead—
The young count immediately sat down.
Opened the reports.
And began working.
The fireplace crackled softly.
Snow drifted beyond the windows.
The city slowly settled into evening.
Yet inside the office—
Ink continued moving across paper.
Page after page.
Document after document.
Proposal after proposal.
Kel's golden eyes moved rapidly across reports.
Analyzing.
Calculating.
Planning.
Most people saw harvested resources.
Kel saw leverage.
The first order concerned distribution.
Eighty percent of the harvest would remain under territorial control.
Warehouses.
Military reserves.
Future construction projects.
Emergency supplies.
The majority would be preserved.
Protected.
Stored.
The second order was more interesting.
Twenty percent would enter the market.
Not because Frostbound Coast needed immediate money.
Because Kel wanted attention.
Deliberate attention.
The difference was important.
A merchant seeing valuable resources occasionally was normal.
A merchant seeing a flood of valuable resources entering the market was a signal.
A signal saying:
Frostbound Coast has something worth investing in.
Kel quietly signed another document.
Then another.
Then another.
Nearby, Eleanor observed silently.
Eventually she spoke.
"My Lord."
Kel looked up.
The head maid adjusted her glasses.
"You intentionally released only twenty percent."
Kel nodded.
"Yes."
Eleanor thought briefly.
Then understanding appeared.
"The organizations will become curious."
A faint smile appeared.
"Exactly."
The head maid became impressed.
Because she immediately understood the trap.
The resources themselves were not the primary objective.
The organizations were.
Merchant Guild.
Hunter Association.
Research Institutes.
Alchemist Society.
Various trading companies.
All of them would notice.
And once they noticed...
They would come.
Far away beneath Scarder Lake—
Seiren observed quietly.
Then her voice echoed through their connection.
"You are baiting them."
Kel continued writing.
"Naturally."
The ancient guardian laughed softly.
"Most people use resources to earn money."
A new document appeared beneath Kel's pen.
"Money is temporary."
His thoughts remained calm.
"Influence lasts longer."
Hours passed.
More proposals emerged.
More plans took shape.
Soon—
The true objective appeared.
Long-term contracts.
Ten-year agreements.
Mutual support clauses.
Infrastructure cooperation.
Military assistance requirements.
Monster suppression partnerships.
The documents were comprehensive.
Detailed.
And frighteningly beneficial for Frostbound Coast.
Eleanor reviewed one proposal.
Then another.
Then another.
Her expression gradually became strange.
"My Lord."
Kel looked up.
The head maid pointed toward one section.
"You are asking them to provide support personnel."
"Correct."
"Carpenters."
"Correct."
"Builders."
"Correct."
"Architects."
"Correct."
"Laborers."
"Correct."
Eleanor stared.
Then slowly realized something.
The young lord wasn't seeking investment.
He was seeking development.
Roads.
Outposts.
Storage facilities.
Bridges.
Supply stations.
Trade routes.
Every proposal somehow fed directly into future territorial growth.
Kel nodded calmly.
"If they wish access to our resources."
His pen continued moving.
"They will contribute."
The head maid smiled.
A dangerous smile.
Because she understood perfectly.
The organizations would believe they were negotiating from a position of strength.
In reality...
The moment they accepted the contracts...
They would become participants in Frostbound Coast's development.
Exactly as Kel intended.
The night deepened.
Documents piled higher.
Plans multiplied.
Future roads appeared upon maps.
Outposts gained supply routes.
Trade routes connected settlements.
Construction priorities emerged.
The entire territory slowly transformed inside Kel's mind.
Not as it currently existed.
But as it would exist.
Ten years from now.
Twenty years from now.
Even longer.
Eventually—
Kel leaned back slightly.
The final proposal had been completed.
The room became quiet.
Outside.
Snow continued falling.
The city slept peacefully.
Unaware.
Unaware that its future had already begun changing.
Not through battle.
Not through magic.
Not through monster hunts.
Through contracts.
Through logistics.
Through economics.
Through planning.
The tools most people ignored.
Then Seiren spoke once more.
"You already know they will accept."
Kel glanced toward the neatly organized contracts.
A faint smile appeared.
"Of course."
The guardian waited.
Kel's golden eyes reflected the flickering firelight.
Calm.
Confident.
Certain.
"Because I am not selling resources."
The ancient guardian immediately understood.
And laughed.
A soft laugh hidden beneath ancient waters.
Because she knew the truth.
Kel wasn't selling monster cores.
Nor monster hides.
Nor rare materials.
He was selling opportunity.
And opportunity was always the most expensive commodity in existence.
Outside—
The snow continued falling over Frostbound Coast.
The city celebrated the successful expedition.
The knights enjoyed their rewards.
The merchants discussed profits.
The organizations prepared investigations.
And within the lord's mansion...
Kel Rosenfeld quietly prepared the next stage of his plans.
The monster suppression campaign had ended.
The economic campaign was about to begin.
And unlike monsters...
These opponents would never realize they had already stepped onto the board.