A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

3 – Let’s Create a Trade Route

“I’m sorry, Rendor.”

In the splendid carriage heading towards the Elond Marquisate. Karia apologized to me with tears in her eyes.

“If only I had been more… more assertive with my opinions, I might still be in the capital.”

“No, Princess. Going down to the Elond Marquisate is entirely my choice.”

The princess looks at me with a questioning expression in response to my words.

“I’ll be going there to build a tunnel. A tunnel that will connect the western and eastern continents by piercing through the Laco Mountains. With that, we will create a trade route and make the empire stronger.”

“Ah, I see. Elond. That’s truly impressive.”

Up until the moment I was possessed, she had been planning a malicious scheme with an evil laugh, but Princess Karia seemed oblivious to any strangeness.

How powerful gaslighting and brainwashing are.

No matter what I did, she would always agree with a smile. It felt easy to manipulate her, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the past Karia who had become so dependent on me.

“Just watch. I will definitely create a world where everyone is happy. For myself, and for you.”

Although it was a tearful plea that sounded like desperate begging to avoid a pitiful ending, Karia seemed to perceive it in a romantic way.

“Randor… I love you. I love you, Randor.”

She became a teary mess and passionately kissed me.

Unfortunately, she did not stop there.

“Your Highness, wait! Just a moment!”

My plea did not reach her.

Fortunately, the luxurious carriage for the aristocracy was cushioned enough to withstand even the wild lovemaking of two people, without causing any embarrassing incidents that would make outsiders suspect what was happening inside.

Two weeks on the journey to Lord Elond.

I ended up being taken advantage of at least 20 times, and I had to get off the carriage in a state almost like a zombie.

A single word seemed sufficient to describe Lord Elond.

Ruins.

Desolate buildings that seemed like they hadn’t been inhabited for decades, with only the skeletal remains proving that there had once been humans here. In fact, it was a place that made sense. What reason would there be for people to gather here?

In the background, the rugged peaks of the treacherous Laco Mountains rose high, surrounded by snowstorms and emitting sharp sounds.

It felt like a threat, as if saying that if you entered here, you would be killed.

A place full of danger with no apparent benefits. That was the true identity of Lord Elond.

“We have arrived.”

Although the generals of the Ironclad Legion politely reported so, there was an underlying discomfort in their expressions.

It was understandable. After winning the war and returning, I had hoped to rest in the capital for a while, but instead we arrived in a place not much different from the Rimnakal Plains in the north, where they had fought in the war, and had to fight against monsters. Who would be happy about that?

Most of the soldiers were not openly expressing their loyalty to Karia, but their wrinkled expressions said it all.

The only ones in the Ironclad Legion who seemed to be in a good mood were the other soldiers from the empire, who were clearly distinguished by their exotic appearance. The Northern nomads.

“It’s snow!! It’s cold!! We can hear the cries of the reindeer and the roars of the monsters!! hahahahaha!! Memories of our destroyed homeland come to mind!”

Some were even kissing the ground with tears streaming down their faces.

Limnakal Plains, the stage of the Northern Expedition for two years.

The nomads of the north, who had been living peacefully herding sheep and deer in their homeland, suddenly lost most of their ancestral land due to the explosive emergence of monsters. Unable to live in their ruined homeland, they hoped to join the Imperial Legion that came to vanquish the monsters in exchange for the opportunity to live in the empire.

For two years, they fought against the monsters on the frontlines and established a solid reputation, earning themselves Imperial citizenship. They remained in the Legion because they were captivated by Karia’s powerful leadership and strength.

In the original work, they were also the ones who tragically met their demise as they slaughtered the most citizens in the brutal war that took place in the capital.

And these individuals, none other than them, became key figures in the construction of the Laco Mountain Tunnel.

On the first day of arrival, I called the leader of the northern nomads after selecting temporary accommodations among the ruined buildings that still had a solid structure.

“I am Tamer Khan. Did you summon me?”

A man with a height of 180cm and sharp eyes looked directly at me as he asked. He did not look favorably upon me. His loyalty was solely directed towards Karia.

Though his gaze was impolite, I had no intention of blaming him for it.

The northern nomads. If the western continent was renowned for magic and the eastern continent for shamanism, then the nomads of the north, aside from the reclusive elves hidden in the World Tree Forest, were considered the most exceptional elementalists in the world.

Beings specialized in a field slightly different from magic. And those who were leading the Imperial Legion were the best of the best who had survived the fierce battles for two years.

“Could you take a look at this map for a moment?”

I took out the Laco Mountain detailed map, one of the various items that the Emperor had prepared for me, and handed it to Tamer Khan. I had marked several locations on this map, which adventurous individuals had risked their lives to complete.

“I’ve marked a total of nine locations. To be blunt, can these places be breached to build tunnels?”

The nine points were locations in the rugged Laco Mountains where it was relatively feasible to excavate tunnels. Areas were indicated on the map where, though frozen solid, it would be easy to penetrate by melting the red soil that can be easily sold or simply by removing a few rocks to create a passage.

After looking at the map, Tamer Khan calmly closed his eyes, placing his hand on the floor. It was an unexpected action, but I let him do as he pleased.

Tamer Khan was a being known as the strongest Earth Elemental in history.

Asking the Earth Elemental to observe the locations recorded on the map was like taking a piece of cake from him.

After a moment, he opened his eyes.

“Remarkable. All nine places are indeed locations that can be easily breached. How did you come to know the positions of these places?”

How did I know?

When the western continent started to break through and invade the eastern continent, they were the passageways that were created. After Randor fully made Karia his possession, an unfortunate incident occurred where the Emperor was overthrown in a short period.

Although it was about to embark on a brutal war, the war was postponed due to the unfortunate incident. The armies of the western continent invaded through the tunnel in the Laco Mountains. The ambitious Saldin Sultan of the western continent successfully occupied most of the western region of the Alilam Empire through the passageway of the Laco Mountains.

Adran, the protagonist in the original, requested the Imperial Legion, the empire’s most powerful force, to step in and subdue them, but Randor, who determined that there was no need to do any good for the empire as the Emperor had fallen, rejected the proposal. In the end, Adran and Duke Pellings gathered the Legion and set out to save the empire.

Although they won the war, the forces of Duke Pellings and Prince Adran suffered significant damage and weakened. And as war erupted once again in the already difficult situation, the frustrated commoners rose in rebellion, eventually escalating into a brutal war.

“The nine tunnels that Saldin Sultan opened to invade the eastern continent at that time. If we connect those tunnels, it will create a direct route that penetrates the western and eastern continents.”

As the novel emphasized this part and described the locations quite specifically, I was able to easily identify and mark the positions of the nine locations on the detailed Laco Mountain map.

“Can you construct these tunnels and create the paths?”

“It’s easy.”

Tamer Khan replied confidently, as if it was not difficult at all. I knew very well that this was not an empty boast. The construction abilities of the elementalists were on a different level.

During the despicable war, there were beings who were described as immediately gathering the debris and building a new wall within an hour after Adran, the Golden, demonstrated his base at one side of the fortress wall.

“Now, let’s think about it. There are three reasons why tunnel construction in the Laco Mountain Range is difficult. It’s difficult to gather large equipment for construction in such a treacherous area, the severe cold, and the rampaging monsters.”

But if the elementalists were to do the job, those three disadvantages would practically disappear.

They could simply summon elementals to directly change the terrain, so there would be no need for heavy equipment for construction.

The cold? Those guys are people from the northern Rimmakah Plains who boast even more intense cold than here. Monsters? With the firepower of the Iron Blood Legion present here, they could easily destroy the monsters of the Laco Mountain Range three times over and still have remaining forces. With them, they could easily create a passage without much effort.

“Alright. Then go and create tunnels in these nine places. How long will it take?”

“If we didn’t know about the locations of these nine places, it would have taken almost half a year to find easily penetrable places. But well, since we know all the locations, the job will be quite easy. We can easily finish it within three months.”

“When you create the tunnels, make them wide enough for ten carriages to pass through simultaneously.”

Tamir Khan blinked at my words.

“Of course, if you want, it can be done. But why do you need such a large passage?”

I smiled mischievously and stood up from my seat.

Inside the temporary residence, Karia and the generals under her command, as well as Tamir Khan, paid attention to my dramatic action.

“If the Western and Eastern continents want to engage in trade, they have no choice but to go through the sea route. As you know, it takes a month by ship. And when crossing the sea, the goods get ruined due to the severe humidity. This is a well-known fact for anyone who has even a bit of education.”

“Is that so?”

The imperial generals and Karia were all educated people of noble status, nodding their heads at my words. But Tamir Khan, who came from the northern Rimmakah Plains, was a person who couldn’t even read a single letter. He tilted his head as if my words were fascinating.

“Yeah. The goods get ruined. Various spices, silk, perfumes, and so on, which are not found in the Eastern continent. All sorts of rare specialty products are produced there. But only about 10% of those can be transported through the sea. Most of the products from the Western continent rot on the ships because they can’t withstand the humidity of the sea.”

“I see.”

I showed them a detailed map of the Laco Mountain Range.

I connected the nine tunnels I marked on the map.

“If my calculations are correct, the total length of this trade route is about 13 km. If we move by carriage, it will take about 30 minutes to an hour to go back and forth. The sea route that takes a month to travel, but with fast movement, it can be traversed in just 30 minutes. Moreover, since this trade route is in a cold mountainous area, there is no humidity, so the goods won’t spoil. Which route do you think the merchants will choose?”

“…Wait a minute. Then?”

It was only now that Tamir Khan understood my words, and his eyes widened. I nodded with a smile.

And looking at everyone, I summarized the goal of my grand plan to revive the prohibited and sealed Empire with just one word.

“If we only open this trade route, the majority of goods from the Western continent will be sold in the Eastern continent through this trade route. The profit generated from that will surpass imagination.”