Surviving as the Fallen Northern Grand Duke

Chapter 22: The Territory Doubles (1)

‘Wow, these bastards really thought this through?’

From the moment I first landed in Newdale, I couldn't help but be impressed.

It was no wonder.

‘They hid the dock?’

These guys had concealed the dock so that it wasn’t easily visible from the outside while still using it.

Swoooosh.

As the ship cut through the water, a small rocky island appeared before us.

Only after rounding the rocky island did the pier finally come into view.

Clamor.

The moment we stepped onto the dock, the scent of people filled the air.

Along with it came the faint fishy smell of freshly caught seafood.

Swish.

I disembarked and looked around.

‘The island itself seems quite large, but since there are no tall mountains, it wouldn't be easily seen from the sea…….’

And with the dock hidden like this,

‘It almost feels like I've arrived at some secret domain.’

Step.

Our group slowly walked across the pier.

Bruno glanced around nervously and spoke.

“Then, can I leave now?”

“No.”

“Huh? But you clearly said I’d be free once I got you to Newdale……?”

“Forget that. Who’s in charge here? You must have at least elected a village chief or something.”

At that, Bruno’s expression turned more serious.

“Well, there is someone…… But it’s not quite the same as a lord in the Empire……”

“How is it different?”

“There’s no lord or village chief in Newdale, but we do have a mayor.”

“A mayor?”

“Yes, we call this place Newdale Autonomous City. Since it’s a newly established independent town, the settlers held an election to choose a mayor. But……”

Swish.

Bruno lowered his voice as he leaned in.

“The mayor doesn’t have any real power. They’re more like an errand runner. They just help with the settlers’ needs.”

“Regardless, the mayor is still the representative of this place, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Then hurry up and take me to this so-called mayor.”

I raised my voice a bit as I spoke my final words. And then…

“……”

The previously noisy dock fell silent.

All eyes turned toward us.

“What? What’s going on? Should we… take care of this?”

Before Krum could make a scene, I held him back and observed the situation.

Then,

Swish.

Bruno buttoned up his half-open shirt and straightened his hunched posture.

When he spoke again, his voice carried unexpected authority.

“Then, allow me to formally introduce myself. I am the mayor of Newdale Autonomous City…”

No way…

“My name is Bruno.”

Right now, we were in the reception room of Newdale’s city hall.

Inside, the Northern Archduke, Johan Kraubitz, was shouting.

“What? You’re refusing to incorporate the territory? I made it clear—I’ll keep this land’s existence a secret and use the Axen forces to protect it. On top of that, I’ll provide all the supplies needed to build the city.”

In response, Mayor Bruno spoke with a troubled expression.

“I understand the offer, Your Grace. And honestly, I believe accepting it would be the best path for Newdale.”

“At least you understand that.”

“As you know, this place was built by people who had nowhere else to go, so everyone here longs to live in a well-planned city like those in the Empire. Receiving Axen’s support would undoubtedly benefit everyone.”

“Then why? Explain your reasoning. This is a win-win situation, so why reject my offer?”

Honestly, I couldn’t understand.

The scale of my promised support was at least ten times the annual budget of a small- to mid-sized city.

‘He’s turning down an offer this tempting?’

Yet Bruno remained unwavering in his stance.

Without a rational explanation, it was hard to accept.

Bruno sighed, looking even more troubled.

“…It’s a difficult situation to explain. We’re facing the harsh realities of politics and diplomacy…”

“A newly established city, stuck in a remote corner, has political and diplomatic concerns? Give me a break.”

“……”

This was beyond frustrating.

Bruno kept beating around the bush, refusing to give a clear reason.

And then, just as Bruno hesitated with his vague explanations—

“Kyaaaaah!”

“I’m sorry! I promise I’ll meet the quota next time…!”

“Ah, but I double-checked the numbers earlier, and they were correct…”

Strange noises began echoing from deep within the city.

Thud.

Bruno immediately pressed a hand to his forehead and hung his head.

Then, in a low voice, he muttered,

“This is exactly why we can’t accept Your Grace’s proposal.”

What?

After hearing Bruno’s words, I turned my gaze back toward the direction of the noise.

Since the reception room was on the fifth floor of City Hall, I had a clear view of the city.

Swoooosh.

For some reason, Newdale Autonomous City had become even more chaotic, starting from the docks.

At the pier, three massive ships that I hadn’t seen before were docked, and several sailors were huddled together on their decks.

And then—

Step. Step. Step. Step.

From the ships, nearly a hundred rough-looking men disembarked and spread out into the city.

I already had a guess about what was happening, so I asked Bruno directly.

“Pirates?”

“…Yes.”

“The whole city is basically paying tribute to them?”

“…Yes.”

“How did that happen?”

“…We were unlucky. Our city’s existence was exposed. We never imagined those lunatics would discover this place.”

Makes sense.

Pirates sail through the seas far more thoroughly than the navy ever would.

Naval fleets can simply dock at major harbors, but those guys need to search for hidden locations on remote islands to rest safely.

“But why refuse our offer just because of pirates?”

“If we accept Your Grace’s proposal, the people here won’t survive. Those bastards will believe we’ve broken our agreement and will surely massacre the people of Newdale.”

“What?”

“Besides… from what I’ve heard, their forces outnumber those of most territories.”

Hah.

Fuck.

This was ridiculous.

‘So, in other words, you think the pirates are militarily stronger than the Duchy of Axen? That’s why you won’t side with us?’

The fact that such a massive pirate force even existed was absurd, but it was even more absurd that the citizens of Newdale were submitting to them and paying tribute.

And the most absurd thing?

The so-called mayor was more concerned about not upsetting the pirates than seeking the protection of an imperial territory.

Still, I could understand.

‘People consumed by fear… often make foolish choices.’

So, I had to show them.

Smirk.

With a casual smile, I spoke.

“Really? These pirates are that scary?”

“……”

Bruno’s silence was likely a calculated political move.

He was trying to remain neutral, watching from the sidelines to side with whoever emerged victorious.

But I didn’t act rashly.

There was one thing I needed to clarify before making my next move.

“How much do they take? Whether it’s grain, fish, or whatever—what percentage of production do you give as tribute?”

“…They take about two-thirds of everything we produce.”

“Understood.”

Yeah, this was the most important point.

The real question was—

‘Are we better than the pirates?’

Hearing that the pirates took a staggering two-thirds of Newdale’s resources, I chuckled and pulled my fur cloak tighter around me.

Because at the very least, I, Johan Kraubitz, was a far better person than those pirates.

‘Don’t worry. Our taxes will be much lower than that.’

Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud. Instead, I simply led my brave knights forward.

“Victor, Krum, Mangala. Let’s go. Time to teach them a lesson.”

“Yes!”

“And Erina, stay close behind me. When I give the signal, hide behind a building. Oh, and Bjorn, Matthias—I’m counting on you for rear support.”

“Lord, we’re really moving a lot today.”

“In the name of the Magic Tower, I promise a clean recovery.”

We sprang into action immediately.

After all, timing was everything.

‘Right now, all of Newdale’s citizens are witnessing the pirates’ tyranny. If we crush them now, they’ll have no choice but to rely on us completely.’

And this was clearly a favorable battle for us.

Not a single one of them was at the level of a high-ranking knight.

“We do have a talent for crushing weaklings, don’t we? Hahaha!”

Just as Krum said, these guys were nothing but weaklings.

Of course, if their numbers were overwhelming, it could be troublesome. But with the four of us, taking down a hundred of them was easy.

So I—

Claaaang!

Smashed my longsword into the skull of one of the pirates standing right in front of City Hall, declaring,

“Hey, you pirate bastards! This place belongs to us now!”

As expected, the people of Newdale were different.

After all, they had the determination to relocate and build a new home for themselves.

The moment we charged into the city with thunderous war cries—

Whoosh!

They scattered like clams burying themselves in the mud, retreating swiftly into their homes.

And soon—

Clatter!

They flung open the windows of their second- and third-floor rooms, peering out to watch the show.

It was as if they were silently saying, Let’s see who wins.

“What’s the plan? Should we form up?”

Victor asked about our battle strategy. But—

“These guys are just a disorganized rabble. As long as each of us maintains a thirty-meter radius, we’ll be fine. We don’t need formations—we can handle them individually.”

Against enemies this weak, elaborate tactics would only slow us down.

Fwooooosh!

I slung my longsword over my opposite shoulder and charged forward.

The moment I reached the enemy’s dense formation—

Swoooosh!

I swung with all my might, slicing through the front line and shattering their ranks.

“Aaargh!”

“My shield… it split in half!!!”

“Guh… Krrrk.”

Even though I couldn’t use mana, I was second to none when it came to raw strength in combat.

So instead of avoiding them, I deliberately plunged into the center of their formation, allowing myself to be surrounded.

Considering the range of my longsword and the reach of my blade’s wind pressure, this was the most efficient way to fight.

And then—

Vwooooom!

My knights gathered aura into their swords.

Aura—the symbol of a Sword Expert, the mark of a knight who had reached a higher realm.

The pirates, faced with such a force in a mere frontier city, were completely shaken.

“Aura! Those guys are high-ranking knights!”

“How the hell are knights like that here…?”

“But that black-furred guy isn’t using aura. Is he the weakest one?”

“No, you idiot. He’s the strongest, that’s why he doesn’t even need it.”

The pirates’ formation collapsed in an instant.

On top of that—

Waaaahhhh!

The citizens of Newdale threw open their windows and cheered.

Hundreds of them stuck their heads out, loudly supporting the fight, creating a bizarre scene.

‘Maybe these bastards don’t even deserve to be saved.’

Boom!

Shoving aside my conflicted thoughts, I continued pushing the battle line toward the docks.

I thought victory was within reach—

But at that very moment, the pirates erupted into a frenzy.

“The main fleet is coming! The main fleet is here!”

“We’ve won!”

“You arrogant brats… we’ll kill every last one of you.”

Turning toward the shore, I saw no fewer than ten pirate ships approaching.

Ridiculous. At this point, they looked more like a navy than mere pirates.

“Lord! We must retreat!”

Victor, ever quick to assess the situation, rushed over and urged me to withdraw.

Considering the numbers, their total forces likely exceeded five hundred.

Logically, retreating was the right choice.

However—

Smiirk.

I couldn’t hide the grin spreading across my face.

Because right now, I felt like I had just scratched off two winning lottery tickets.

“Knights of Axen, hear me!”

“Yes!”

“We will not retreat. We will fight. Because…”

Yes, because—

“If we take those bastards down, the entire pirate fleet will belong to the Duchy of Axen.”

“……”

I wasn’t foolish enough to turn down a navy that was being handed to me for free.

‘Or…’

We could just use them as slaves.

If we won, that is.