“Maybe it’s because the land itself is so vast, but the scale of empty land is enormous too.”
My land overlapped with a crime-ridden area. It was a district where vagrants and criminals lived mixed together.
Instead of suppressing them with public authority, the baron had chosen to draft them when barbarians or monsters invaded and use them as meat shields.
When I approached, filthy-looking men rose one by one. A few recognized me and flinched in surprise, backing away, but most seemed to be dead-end lives who did not worry about tomorrow.
“I asked for abandoned land, and he handed over a back alley where he had driven criminals together.”
―What nobles do is obvious! You were used by Azif!
“No one uses another person one-sidedly. If you receive something in return, you are allowing yourself to be used. You chose me as your master because you expected me to give you Achievements too.”
I was used to a life placed under another’s rule. And I knew its comfort better than anyone.
I also knew the ending of such a life.
―……What are you planning? Is merely surviving blindly not enough by now? You have already surpassed most of the masters I experienced.
“You’re right. I have sufficiently achieved the goal of adapting to a strange world and surviving.”
―What Achievement are you trying to establish?
Though it had not been a long time, I had lived through life here and learned the structure of this world. And within that structure, I had identified the openings I could dig into.
Realistically, there was one easiest goal.
Knight!
It was a position anyone who possessed a sacred object could reach. However, that alone could not earn me an Achievement. Also, a Knight without sufficient ability and foundation was highly likely to fall into being a tool of the royal family.
‘Becoming a Knight alone won’t earn me an Achievement.’
It was not only the masters who had passed through Flambeju. The masters of other sacred objects had also established Achievements.
Not all of them had taken the “seat at the Creator’s right hand.”
Even Conqueror Emperor Ambur, who had occupied 70 percent of the continent, had only taken one seat among many Holy Thrones.
“There is one thing I have in mind, but…….”
Flambeju looked at me with an expression full of expectation. His face showed that he expected me, someone who had crossed over from another world, to have ideas entirely different from his own.
“Before that, I have one thing to ask, Abdul Alhazard.”
―I will speak only the truth, Master.
“Yog-Sothoth.”
Abdul flinched. His expression looked as if he had heard something he should never hear.
The same was true of Flambeju. He was not merely surprised. His face turned deathly pale as he looked back at me.
―W-What are you thinking? Are you planning to meddle with a god beyond dimensions? Do you know what kind of chaos might come to this world if you try to establish an Achievement that way? If you intend to leave behind infamy for destroying the world, I cannot agree! I would rather give up on Master and erase my own name!
I understood Flambeju’s concern.
Since I thought the same, I was trying to ask Abdul a question.
“If I call the one whose name cannot even be spoken carelessly, will he bring disadvantage to me? Will he cause chaos in this world or do something extreme enough to ruin the world itself?”
―……I am not him, so I cannot say.
“Just tell me what you know and what you have experienced.”
―I first encountered him when I was 11 years old.
Abdul Alhazard’s story began.
He was the greatest necromancer in human history.
He learned necromancy without a teacher, sensed the Dead-Spirit Realm, and connected to it on his own.
It was the result of offering countless sacrifices.
There, he caught Yog-Sothoth’s eye and received the Necronomicon as a gift.
Abdul, who had intended to make a name for himself as a necromancer, suddenly disappeared.
His flesh had been torn to pieces by the backlash of failing a large-scale secret art.
Abdul protected his soul and corporeal spirit with a necromantic secret art. He offered that to Yog-Sothoth, was sealed in the Necronomicon, and survived within eternal emptiness.
Until a sacred object from another dimension requested help.
“……So he is neither good nor evil. A cosmic existence who watches, then responds to those who interest him. A guide who twists souls or grants dramatic evolution with just a gaze. Does the Akashic Records contain no information about Yog-Sothoth?”
―He is the Akashic Records beyond the boundary itself. No, even that is merely a part of him. He is the one who lurks at every boundary of time and space. He is a great one who simultaneously perceives the past and future, existence and annihilation of all dimensions. He is “perceiving space” and a “recording existence,” and he arranges the memories, laws, and order of death of each world. Necromancers call him the “Viceroy of the Boundary.”
A Viceroy was a term referring to an existence comparable to a king. In other words, there was a separate king.
Perhaps that king was the Creator Flambeju spoke of. And beneath him, a cosmic existence like Yog-Sothoth might have taken position.
‘If Achievements are the process of selecting beings to sit on Holy Thrones, then Yog-Sothoth might also have established Achievements and been placed in that seat.’
Nothing was certain. Like a blind man feeling an elephant’s leg, I could only infer a world far beyond reach.
“One last thing. Do Achievements come from the Akashic Records?”
―……I also heard of Achievements for the first time after coming to this world.
When I looked back at Flambeju, he hurriedly turned his head and closed his mouth. His attitude made it clear that he would never answer.
“In one way or another, Yog-Sothoth and I are connected. His help was absolute in bringing me to this world, and he has shown interest in me, so I will meet him again someday. And that meeting may result in the establishment of an enormous Achievement.”
―T-That is something far beyond human limits. It is true that I ask Master for great Achievements, but this goes far beyond even that.
“I am saying I will prepare. Even if I fall into such a situation, I will become strong enough to overcome it. You have no objection to that, do you?”
―Of course not!
Flambeju clenched his fist as if making a tremendous resolve. It was a posture that made him look as if he had never fought once.
I looked down at that cute gesture and chuckled.
“To establish that enormous Achievement, I should first clean out my land.”
The lord had given me the filthiest land in the Azif territory, where crime happened often.
It had been acknowledged as mine, but that did not mean I could mobilize soldiers and drive out the illegal occupants.
When I approached, the vagrants reeking of a musty smell cast their gazes toward me. They seemed to be thinking hard about how to fleece me.
One man jerked his chin and approached me. He seemed to be asking what business I had.
“I will give you 10 days. Baron Azif has leased this land to me, so leave.”
The men, who looked as if they had not washed properly in months, giggled and laughed.
Some of them approached me threateningly while holding wooden clubs, pokers, and the like.
“Baluka.”
―Yes, Master.
“From now on, kill anyone who comes within 10 meters of me.”
―As much as Master wills.
Baluka, holding a pair of daggers, smiled faintly.
Baluka’s murderous gaze fixed on the thugs. In that instant, they trembled like herbivores placed before a beast of prey.
One of them failed to overcome his fear. He charged while screaming.
“Aaaaaaah!”
The man raising the wooden club reeked of foul alcohol.
Baluka, who had been staring only at the tips of his feet, charged the moment the 10-meter distance was broken.
CHOP!
One of the man’s arms was cut off.
“Aaaaaaagh!”
Instead of killing the man immediately, Baluka chose to sever his limbs one by one.
Even as his leg was cut off after his arm, no one ran in to save their comrade. They were not a group with that much loyalty.
“W-Where are we supposed to go?! This is our home!”
“This is the deed I received from Baron Azif. From today onward, this is my land. I happen to need workers, so I will give you a chance. If you demolish the filthy things here, I will pay you 1 silver as a day’s wage.”
Around 80 vagrants were found in and around my land. Among them, 7 died while trying to attack me, and around 10 fled.
62 remained, and their eyes were empty.
“Work or leave. The choice is yours.”
Flesh swelled and poured from Grok Naal, forming the shape of a Lizardman.
―Summon! Karkash!
Karkash raised his large axe and glared at the vagrants with a triumphant expression.
With that, the situation ended.
People who had lived soaked in alcohol began working.
“You said you’d give 1 silver!”
“I said I would give it if you worked.”
“I worked!”
“Not properly. Look at what you piled up.”
“I worked hard!”
“Working hard is not what matters. You have to do it well. Use your head when you work. Think about how to do the work well with less difficulty.”
“I don’t know! Cut me open if you want!”
When I gestured, Baluka approached and held out a dagger.
The man was horrified and stepped back, then watched my reaction and picked up the 50 copper that had fallen on the ground.
I paid day wages according to the amount of work.
To those who worked beyond the standard, I gave more money.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
I gave 2 silver to someone who had done work worth 1 silver and 50 copper.
“Overtime pay is supposed to be generous. You merely received the money you rightfully deserved, so keep working hard.”
“Thank you! I’ll work really hard!”
No one disliked being given money.
Some looked ready to sell even their souls for a few coins.
Since money came from odd jobs alone, the vagrants loitered around my territory day after day.
I held soap out to them.
“If you do not wash, there is no work either. Wash and come back. Come eat some meat, then work.”
There were some who resisted while mentioning demons, but a few moved quickly after reading the situation.
Easy jobs were given on a first-come, first-served basis to those who had washed cleanly by the stream.
After 3 days passed like that, the 62 vagrants transformed into 41 workers.
21 dropped out midway.
Those who gave up were driven out of my land, and they were caught by soldiers and expelled outside the territory.
After roughly clearing away the illegal structures and trash, I called the street children who had been living by the stream.
“Do not live while watching others’ faces. Stay comfortably on my land. If you help me with my work, I will pay you.”
Street children flooded into my territory. Even counting only the children without parents, there were as many as 211. Including the children who had parents but still came to my land, they approached 300.
In that short time, even children who had wandered from nearby territories had gathered. In particular, there were many from Baron Genon’s territory, which had been trampled by barbarians.
“Will you give us 1 silver too?”
Kuns, who was like the alley leader, asked me.
“No, I will give you only 50 copper. In exchange, do only half as much work as an adult. And you have to be at least this tall to work.”
I drove a wooden club into the ground, and its length was around 110 centimeters.
It would probably take another 10 centuries for the concept of children’s rights to be introduced.
Until then, children were nothing more than immature adults, and beings one could use for free without issue.
At the mention of being paid, the children’s eyes shone.
“From now on, build barracks for yourselves to live in. I gathered the materials, so look at the barrack I made and copy it.”
The children rushed over in a swarm. It looked as if they were playing house, but their expressions were fairly serious.
I paid them regardless of age. The very young children were a burden instead, but I paid them thinking of it as pocket money. As a result, 2 gold went out in wages every day, but it was not a burdensome amount.