The Lord Just Wants to Have Fun

“What? A massive fire broke out in the County of Palamos, and the count suffered tremendous losses?”

“Yes, my lord. The castle was reduced to ashes.”

“Pfft—!”

Upon hearing Carpenter’s report, Philip burst into laughter.

He had long suspected that spies were sneaking in and out of his territory.

But without clear evidence, he couldn’t punish them outright—so he laid a trap instead.

He had ordered the leaders of various workshops to feed false information to any spies that approached them.

And it seemed that Philip, Hans’ apprentice in charge of the gunpowder workshop, had played his role perfectly.

“If you don’t know the exact composition of gunpowder, you’re doomed.”

The correct ratio of ingredients for gunpowder is:

Saltpeter (Potassium Nitrate): 75%
Sulfur: 10%
Charcoal: 15%

If the saltpeter ratio is too high, the mixture explodes too easily.

If it’s too low, it burns without detonating.

Even the Korean alchemist Choi Museon, who pioneered gunpowder research during the late Goryeo Dynasty, had nearly died multiple times due to miscalculations in composition.

To ensure disaster, Philip had even manipulated events so the spies would steal the wrong ingredients.

That stable fire near the gunpowder workshop a while ago?

That was his doing—a planned distraction to let the spies infiltrate and steal false information.

“Kekeke! My trap card activated perfectly! Even better than expected!”

He had assumed that the spies would suffer an accidental explosion during their experiments—but for the entire castle to burn to the ground?

This was beyond amusing!

He only regretted not being there to witness it firsthand.

As Philip grinned mischievously, Carpenter asked cautiously.

“My lord, did you… orchestrate this?”

“Ahem! This was merely Eldir’s divine wrath.”

“Yes, well… That is exactly how the rumors are spreading.”

Carpenter immediately understood.

Even if it had been Philip’s doing, it was better to let people believe it was divine punishment.

That way, other noble houses that had sent spies to his territory would fear suffering the same fate and back off.

“Hehehe… If they ever try again, I’ll just frame it as another divine punishment and screw them over!”

As Philip snickered, Mau gave him a disapproving glare.

“Hmph, so what? Thanks to me, these foolish mortals now fear Eldir’s power! That’s my contribution! Now go tell Eldir to reward me with 10,000 points!”

<“You wicked bastard! Even demons don’t scam people this blatantly!”>

Ignoring Mau’s scolding, Philip stood up.

“My lord, where are you going?”

“Eldir told me to pay special attention to something, so I need to check on its progress.”

Without delay, Philip set off to personally inspect the mission he had received earlier.

*****

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Throughout the territory, construction was in full swing.

New houses were being built for the incoming refugees.

“All the houses look the same.”

“Yeah… It’s like they’re mass-produced.”

Farmers working in the fields were dumbfounded as they watched the construction.

Each house was being completed in just 3–4 days—a speed that seemed impossible.

Even Jude Blanc, the construction overseer, was in awe.

“I understand that the design is simple, but still—how is this being done so quickly?”

The Baron Brandel territory had easy access to timber from the Prill Mountain Range forests.

Additionally, Philip had invented a massive, water-powered circular saw, which made wood processing significantly easier.

“Wooden houses are naturally faster to build than stone or brick houses… but even so, this speed is unnatural.”

Even the carpenters and soldiers assisting in construction were astonished at how easily the houses were being built.

“What’s the secret behind this?”

Curious, Jude decided to closely examine the blueprints and completed houses.

Seeing the oddly constructed houses, Jude Blanc had turned pale.

Unable to ignore his concerns, he immediately sought out Philip, who had just arrived for an inspection.

“My lord! The refugee houses under construction—they are full of flaws!”

“And why do you think that?”

“They have no pillars! And the walls—they’re just planks nailed together!”

Typically, wooden houses were built with sturdy support pillars, with wooden beams interlocked for added structural stability.

But the houses currently being built followed a different method:

Thin lumber posts were evenly spaced,
Planks were nailed directly onto them to form walls,
Rafters and roofs were placed on top.

“Don’t worry. They’re single-story, so they won’t collapse easily. And these posts and nails aren’t randomly placed—they’re designed to support the weight.”

“Ah… I see.”

Philip had introduced a light-frame wooden construction method, developed in 19th-century America.

When European immigrants flooded into the U.S., the demand for housing skyrocketed.

However:

Skilled craftsmen were scarce,
Bricks and cement were hard to obtain,
Lumber was abundant.

Thus, light-frame houses became widespread.

“Western movie houses and barns were all built using this technique.”

This method used only nails, planks, and wooden posts, allowing even untrained workers to build houses with minimal training.

Additionally, Philip had:

Reduced house size,
Designed shared kitchens, dining areas, and toilets,
Drastically shortened construction time.

“But if I hadn’t built a sawmill first, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

In 19th-century America, mass-production of lumber planks made this technique successful.

Philip had planned to build ships, so he had already constructed a sawmill near Romu Forest.

Moreover, he had introduced 17th-century woodworking innovations:

Water-powered table saws,
Miter saws,
Nail mass-production at the blacksmith workshop.

Even though these were not electric saws, they were far superior to hand-cutting wood.

“So just focus on overseeing the work. No need to worry.”

“Understood, my lord.”

As Jude left, a thought nagged at him.

“I’ve never seen this construction method before—not in any kingdom or any book. How did the lord know about it?”

But he quickly shook off the suspicion.

“Well, he is Eldir’s Apostle. Surely, it was divine wisdom.”

After all, why else would he be chosen by a god?

Convinced, Jude returned to supervising construction.

*****

<“Hmph! Even with this speed, you still won’t finish 300 houses in a month!”>

Despite how smoothly things were going, Mau remained pessimistic.

But Philip didn’t flinch.

“No problem. The temporary carpenters from Campania will arrive soon. If we’re still short on workers, we’ll just put the incoming refugees to work.”

<“Tch, you arrogant brat. Just apologizing to Eldir wouldn’t kill you!”>

“Hah! Why grovel when I can just complete the mission? And besides, I do what I want—I’m not the type to live by someone else’s orders.”

Philip had always been this way, even back on Earth.

Ever since childhood, he had hated being forced into things.

People used to joke that he must have eaten rebellious frogs for breakfast.

Even during his military service, his superiors criticized him for his defiant nature.

“Still, tell Eldir not to be too upset—I’m building another blacksmith shop.”

<“…What? Are you serious, Apostle?”>

Mau’s ears perked up instantly.

Building a whole new blacksmith shop—not just expanding the old one—was great news for Eldir.

“Yeah. I’m going to make a specialized blacksmith shop—no, a steelworks. I’ll train more blacksmiths, too.”

<“Oh! Eldir will be so pleased!”>

“And while you’re at it, tell him to quit adding annoying mission penalties.”

As Mau eagerly flew off, Philip let out a chuckle.

His current blacksmith workshop was already overloaded.

They had to produce:

Spears, swords, and muskets for the territory’s army,
Armor and other military gear,
Commercial products like zippo lighters and hand fans,
Construction materials like nails and hinges.

Even with the smiths working at full capacity, it was not enough.

A new steelworks was long overdue.

Philip had big plans.

He intended to construct a massive steelworks near the Amire River, equipped with large blast furnaces.

With the growing demand for iron and steel in his territory, it was a necessary step to ensure future expansion.

Just as he was envisioning the new project, a messenger arrived in haste.

“My lord! The carpenters and refugees from Campania have arrived!”

“Oh, so they’re finally here.”

Philip’s face brightened at the news.

With reinforcements, the construction would speed up significantly.

However, the messenger hesitated before continuing.

“But, my lord… the one who led them here is…”

“Is it Delpharos? Our business negotiations were already settled last time.”

“No, my lord. It’s not Delpharos.”

Hearing the messenger’s next words, Philip’s expression changed completely.

An unexpected VIP had arrived.

*****

“A pleasure to meet you. I am Francesca Callisto.”

“Ah… yes… It’s an honor to meet you.”

Francesca Callisto.

The leader of the Callisto Trading Company, one of the most powerful merchant guilds.

She had arrived with an escort of merchants and elven warriors, a sight so grand that even Philip found himself momentarily speechless.

“I’ve heard the rumors, but… she’s even more stunning in person.”

Her pale, flawless features, sharp violet eyes, and platinum blonde hair—with delicate elven ears peeking through.

She wore eastern-style clothing and accessories, which only added to her mystique.

Even compared to noblewomen or ladies he had seen in Silon Village, she was on another level.

The only woman who could compare was perhaps Countess Adrienne, once called the most beautiful lady of the West.

‘But she’s actually older than Countess Adrienne, right? That means… to me, she’s basically a grandmother.’

That thought slightly dampened Philip’s admiration.

Still, he quickly regained his composure and led her to the reception hall in his manor.

After ordering refreshments, he got straight to business.

“So, what brings the esteemed leader of the Callisto Trading Company here so suddenly, without any prior notice?”

Francesca raised an eyebrow, crossing her legs gracefully.

“Questioning my intentions before the tea is even served? You truly are… an unconventional noble, Lord Philip.”

“Ah, my apologies. I’ve been quite busy lately, and it seems I’ve grown a bit impatient.”

Seeing her sharp gaze, Philip quickly offered a polite apology.

However, her cold expression remained unchanged.

She seemed tense, almost hostile—as if she had a personal grievance against him.

‘Did I do something to upset the Callisto Trading Company?’

Philip quickly reviewed his recent dealings.

He had charged a high price for the distribution rights of glass and soap, but the deal was still profitable for the trading company.

Not only that, he had offered to help solve the refugee issue, which was one of their biggest problems.

Yet, she still looked displeased.

Philip glanced toward Delpharos, who stood behind her.

The merchant remained silent, showing no signs of knowing what was going on.

‘Strange. What’s this about, then?’

As Philip pondered, Francesca narrowed her violet eyes.

Silently, she focused her mind, activating her innate ability.

Ziiing—

A faint symbol resembling a wheel appeared in her eyes.

A Chakra Sight.

A rare ability only possessed by pure-blooded elves—and even then, only a select few.

With it, she could perceive beyond the physical, glimpsing into the mental and emotional state of others.

While it didn’t reveal exact thoughts, it allowed her to:

Distinguish good from evil,
Sense emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and fear,
See ambitions and dreams represented as colors.

This ability had been a crucial factor in her success as a merchant.

It let her assess people’s true nature, giving her an edge in negotiations.

“Now then… let’s see what lies beneath this young baron’s façade.”