Time passed by.
It has been month since the war with Barco had ended.
On a regular meeting with the vassals of the Dmitry, they reported what had happened one by one.
"With the fall of the Barco family, there was no longer any power to contain Dmitry. Due to the absence of an anti-horse, Barco allied forces expressed their desire to form an alliance with Dmitry in the , and some of them were willing to pay a fair price.
However, as the Baron Romero commanded last time, the forces that had been excessively hostile to Barco refused to talk. How to deal with them in the future? Right now, Dmitry will establish himself as the dominant force in the northeast region, because the forces pushed at the edge of the cliff has the potential to grow into the second Barco."
The fall of Barco, it was very drastic.
Although the power of the family did not increase much, Dmitry who was not the party of the war, benefited the most.
As the vassal said, all the families in the northeast area were trying to form alliance with Dmitry.
In particular, people who sides with Barco before visited Dmitry every day with different gifts to show their sincerity, but Dmitry's people knew that it was just for the show.
Obviously, if a new opponent like Barco appeared, they would betray Dmitry and cling to the other party.
Baron Romero said, "Even if new hostile forces emerge, we do not have to embrace everyone present. It is not tolerantable, those who join hands with the forces that have inflicted an unforgettable wound on us. We will never have any type of cooperation with them. We will show everyone what it means to turn their back on us, through them, we will set an example."
"Okay."
"I will tell you about the next agenda."
Second topic, It was to increase their troops capacity.
Dmitry had the best military power in the northeast, but this incident raised their vigilance.
"Barco showed us how to create variables in war by borrowing external forces. What if Dmitry had to fight with Barco? Variables like flares and Homer would pose a huge threat to us as well. Therefore, I would like to expand the army and secure enough magical weapons to prepare for any change. Dmitry can no longer be regarded as a frontier family. Since we have become a strong force in the northeast region, we need a lot of strength to keep our position firmly."
Military power is only way to secure safety and live peacefully.
Baron Romero's thoughts were no different, and he decided to invest a significant amount of money in military power taking recent event as a reminder.
Besides, at the same time, there was good news for Dmitry.
"Master Roman was right. An astronomical amount of money was spent to install artifacts throughout the mines, but in a short period of time, the production of iron mines increased by 30%. We have not yet expanded the number of workers on a large scale, so at this growth rate, we can expect more than 100% production in the upcoming time."
"What is the financial cost for maintaining the artifacts?"
"No problem. The surge in production alone is enough to cover that amount of money consumption."
Roman was right, it will lead to the virtuous cycle of investment.
By investing first, the problem of safety was solved, and the workers were equipped with an environment where they could concentrate on their work comfortably.
It was a great decision made by Dmitry.
Looking at the results alone, Baron Romero wondered why he didn't think of it right away, but in fact, it was not easy to anticipate a result that has not yet been realized and invest a large amount of money.
But Roman made it a reality.
Even though no one had asked him to, he started to work in an iron mine, experienced firsthand what kind of problems might arise, and came up with the most ideal way to solve the problem with his wise judgment.
From implications to result, it was perfect.
Roman's reputation, which was rapidly changing internally and externally, completely rose up due to this incident.
Ons of the vassal asked "Lord. What are your plans for succession in the future?"
Succession problem happen due to change in the reputation of Roman.
People thought that the Dmitry family had not yet decided on a successor.
But, that's not true.
Although it was not officially announced, an internal meeting had already confirmed the successor in secret.
Another vassal said, "Three years ago, we selected Master Rodwell as our next head of state. At that time Master Roman actions did not suit the position as head of the household, and Lord judged that he could not take on a heavy responsibility due to his weak personality. But now things are different. Looking at the steps that Master Roman had taken. Master Roman defeated the ranker Homer in the war against Barco, and this time solved the iron mine safety problem in the most ideal way. Master Roman, who apparently did not have the qualifications to became a leader, is now showing his dignity as a leader."
"We think the same."
Everyone nodded.
Roman's actions. It was shockingly great.
They couldn't understand how Roman Dmitry, who had not yet been able to wield a sword properly, had grown into an aura swordsman, but one thing is for sure, he was developing rapidly enough to be seen.
In addition to the powerful force of Roman, the ability to solve Dmitry's problems. The hearts of the vassals had been shaken.
Rodwell Dmitry was also called a genius, but Roman's actions went beyond the realm of genius.
"The selection of a successor has not yet been officially confirmed. In order to prevent confusion within the people, Master Rodwell was selected in advance, but I think fair competition is necessary as long as Master Roman proves his worth."
Dmitry was quiet now, there was no ripple happening.
Baron Romero couldn't make a hasty decision in a situation where the deterministic succession structure was going to be messed up.
'Roman and Rodwell.'
His two sons have different tendencies.
While Roman, who experienced his days as a commoner, suddenly collapsed due to a sense of disparity in his status, Rodwell tried relentlessly to overcome the limits of his status.
Rodwell's greed was great.
He showed such a strong desire for the succession of Dimtry that he did not consider his eldest brother to be his competitor, and it was highly likely that he would not come out in favor of the family's decisions, for the competition to become the successor of Dmitry.
Baron Romero was afraid that there would be a conflict between his two son due for the succession of Dmitry.
If Roman had been moderately good, he would have followed his previous decision, but now he could not ignore the immediate consequences.
Baron Romero said, "There is still plenty of time. For now, let's watch the situation and think about what kind of decision they will make in future."
"Okay."
After the meeting ended, It was the moment when Baron Romero's troubles deepened in earnest.
After the meeting, Baron Romero called Hans.
Hans is only person who is closet to Roman's.
Since he has served Roman before the days when he was called Dmitry's nerd, Baron Romero thought it would be helpful for the succession issue after taking with Hans.
"You called me Lord."
Hans bowed his head.
Baron Romero skipped the verbose conversation and spoke straight to the point.
"Hans. What do you think of Roman Dmitry?"
"What do you mean lord."
"I am asking if Roman Dmitry is suitable as the heir of the Dmitry."
He directly asked about his thought.
There was silence for a moment.
Hans looked troubled, then looked up at Baron Romero and spoke frankly.
"If you had asked the same question three months ago, I would have said no. Even though Master Roman has a good heart, he has shown a path that is not appropriate as a successor, and that is a fact that can be known even if you had not asked me, but anyone else. However, the current Master Roman is different. It is not just about recent achievements, but the master who I had watched closely has grown into a person worthy to became successor of Dmitry."
"Tell me more."
"At the time of the Blood Fang incident. Master Roman directly executed the Blood Fang gang members that persecuted Dmitry's. I still vividly remember what happened at that time. He asked the wicked people who disturbed Dmitry about Dmitry's laws, went to Lawrence and completely annihilated them. The event was a blessing for the citizens of Dmitry. People who were terrarized because of this group of people now have hope in their lives."
[ First incident was simple.
Baron Romero ordered to dispose Blood Fang, and Roman had taken matter in his hand by wiping there group completely.
By the way, it was all different from Hans's point of view, he arbitrarily interpreted Roman's actions. ]
"You can tell just by looking at the incident at the iron mine. Master Roman said that he works in an iron mine to understand the reality of the Dmitry people. It was not forced by anyone. Master himself volunteer himself to understand how is the daily life of Dmitry people, and faced the reality of Dmitry while collaborating with the workers. And in the collapse that occurred, he risked his life. Because he as the bearer of Dmitry's surname, he considers it his duty to take risks for his people."
Hans' words.
It was as if he was explaining the steps taken by a hero.
He had no choice but to do so.
As someone who Roman consider his people, Hans knew how valuable it was to have that protection.
"I understand now you can go."
"Yes my lord."
Hans bowed his head and walked away.
And now Baron Romero was even more troubled.
He thought Hans' experience would be helpful, but the blindly praised remarks only made him more confuses.
'Rodwell has already been confirmed as the Dmitry's successor. But is it really the right thing to do now to form a competitive system between the two? Roman proved his worth in a short period of time, but from an early age Rodwell assumed all the duties of Dmitry's successor. He devote himself to stud swordsmanship, tactics, and politics, and whenever he had time, I learned how to handle iron in a forge.'
Still Imbe wasn't sure.
Above all, Roman was not interested in the forge.
Roman was different from Rodwell Dmitry, and even that made Baron Romero unable to make hasty decisions.
Finally the succession issue required the consent of key figures.
Vassals Master of iron mines and finally, Master Blacksmith Hendrick.
Only if at least this three powers agree, Baron Romero can set up a rivalry between them.
Baron Romero called his servant.
"Tell the iron mine master right now that I have something to ask him about the incident in the iron mine."
This time it was Jacob's turn to speak.
Not long after a servant's voice was heard outside the door.
"Lord, iron mine master has arrived."
"Bring him in."
Squeaky door was opened, but there was not only one guest.
There was another man behind Jacob, who looked around curiously and then Jacob carefully said.
"I heard from the servant you wanted to hear about the incident in the iron mine. So, rather than me, I decided to bring the person who had talked with Master Roman on the spot was more suitable."
Baron Romero glanced at Jacob
Jacob took a step forward and bowed his head politely.
"This is Morkan from the Iron Mine."
Morkan, He was the spokesperson for the iron mine.