The Extra Wants To Live
Chapter 132 - 132: First Snow

After training so harshly that he was completely exhausted and unable to move, he would recover his stamina while studying in the library, go hunting with military personnel, and then attend a social party or tea time with the imperial knights introduced to him by Gilbert.

And in his spare time, he reviewed the letters from the Mold family and the report on Hilfin that Catherine gave him, and planned his next move.

He had been living this inhuman life for more than five days now, and he had never once missed a deadline or failed to finish what he had to do.

But, even though more than an hour had passed since the promised time, there had been no contact from Carl.

Catherine was teaching Billford by interpreting the martial arts book written by Gilbert, and she thought that since it had come to this, it would be a good idea for Carl to rest for a day or so.

"Sorry I'm late. I had some work to do."

Carl, with his hair tied back in a ponytail and cut off, looked so unfamiliar as he played with his hair like a shy child, that for a moment Catherine thought he was a different person.

"… Is it strange?"

"Oh, no. It suits you very well."

"Lilly cut it for me. So, it took some time…"

Carl made excuses for being late.

No, it sounded more like bragging than an excuse.

Carl's impression had changed completely just by cutting his hair, which had been tied up in a rough and tacky way.

His hair, cut to an appropriate length, flowed down, diverting the gaze from his slender cheeks and eyelids, revealing an appearance as beautiful as an angel and as noble as gold.

Lilly's two hours of hard work had paid off.

'… Looking at him this way, he looks more like Adrian, whom he's wary of, than like his close friend like brother Nero.'

Catherine thought so as she looked at Carl, who was smiling shyly.

The two looked quite similar, but unlike the healthy and mature Adrian, the young and short Carl truly looked like a pure and beautiful boy sent down from the gods.

Who would dare to think that behind Carl's angelic face lay a devilish power capable of captivating even the greatest nobles?

"Oh, by the way, I got a call from the Felt family," Catherine said, watching Carl's face shift from a blushing, angelic smile to a composed and gentle expression as if drawn by a painter.

Catherine and Billford were taken aback by the drastic change.

"I promised to help. Lady Catherine, please contact Mold in advance."

"Yes, I understand."

Catherine felt a little creeped out by Carl's calm speech.

It was Lilly who made Carl laugh like a child just by cutting his hair.

Catherine could not help but know that Carl regarded Lilly as his mother.

Even though he treated the Felt family like disposable rags, he seemed completely indifferent to them.

Perhaps, it was because he thought of Lilly in reverse.

Felt had turned away from Carl and abandoned Lilly.

Then, when Carl contacted him after gaining fame by succeeding in the subjugation of Nol and the Salgarez mercenary group, Felt quickly took the bait.

Are they disillusioned? Do they think it's revenge? Is it right for him to act with such a humane mind?

"For now, we'll just have to wait and hope Howell can convince them," Carl said, taking a slow breath.

When Felt approached Carl after he had gained fame, he immediately grabbed his hand without looking back.

The Felts were of such low status that they had no political ties to even the slightest thing.

Thanks to this, it was easy to avoid being noticed and act freely, at least for now.

After Carl grew more, eyes would follow him, and there would be no way to use it.

So what Carl wanted from Felt now was for Howell to deliver Howell's letter to the young, capable, but ill-tempered administrators whom Howell had pointed out as having their careers blocked.

Howell would meet them, avoiding people's gaze, and persuade them.

And they would be sent to Hilpin, where they couldn't get the job done because they didn't have the talent.

Hillfin was an irresistible charm for young administrators with big dreams and stubborn convictions.

First of all, the existing nobles were all wiped out, and Carl had installed a series of safety measures, so the wave of corruption had not yet spread.

And since there were no nobles, commoners could hold important positions depending on their abilities. With the huge amount of money pouring in from the mines, they could do all kinds of things without worrying about money.

If they were truly capable and determined, could they just let this pass?

A few days later, Howell's letters to Felt, Felt's to Lilly, and Lilly's to Carl were answered in a short note.

Howell had succeeded.

He had persuaded eight administrators, either commoners or from fallen families, full of violent passions and blocked from advancement, to send them to Hillfin.

He added that he was in the process of contacting those who had scattered while he was away and that more people would join.

Carl couldn't figure out how Howell had convinced them.

But if he had known, it would have been a little uncomfortable.

First of all, the process by which everyone who received Howell's letter went to see him without exception was a bit strange.

Howell, the most cocky, arrogant, and self-absorbed son of a bitch of them all, but actually the one with the brightest mind of all of them.

At the time, Howell sent a very humble and polite letter, and everyone was curious and came looking for him, thinking,

'What's wrong with this guy? Has he lost his mind?'

And Howell, who had changed completely,

shocked them all by muttering some truly shocking and unbearable words about Carl.

'This shameless guy says something like that?'

If he had originally been like that, they would have just let it go, but since Howell was like that, they couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and wonder,

'Is it real?'

Howell was very persistent in persuading his old colleagues and eventually repaid Carl's trust in a wonderful way.

By Carl's arrangement, three forces came to be established in Hilfin.

Baron Pardin, the original owner of Hilfin, the Mold family, whom Carl sent to manage the silver mines, and the administrators who worked in between and kept the balance.

It was important for the three of them to cooperate, check, and balance each other.

Right now, no one was strong enough, so they were simply holding the center, but if it became entrenched over time, problems might arise.

'If we bring in Marquis Balturan and Gasto, they will try to achieve balance and grow for their own benefit.'

What was needed there was external pressure.

If Carl succeeded in his political marriage with Marquis Gasto's sick daughter, the Balturan and Marquis Gasto's territory would threaten them with great power.

But it might collapse under pressure, so Carl would have to adjust it well. Anyway, now all the foundations for Hillfin to run smoothly were ready.

Hillfin, which had been struggling with a mountain of work to do but no one to do it, had finally started to function properly.

And as word spread that Prince Aric, who had been traveling around the empire to spread the imperial influence, would return to Himmeln in a few days, Carl finally received the news he had been waiting for.

Milione Hansval, the captain of the Imperial Central Army cavalry, who had remained silent even after receiving a letter from Marquis Govan of Davron, contacted them.

Of course, he didn't contact him directly.

It was a contact that was naturally delivered like flowing water through Nero, who had originally been receiving love calls from military personnel.

Experienced, skilled, and political. It would be a problem if you thought that military personnel did not know politics.

Once three people gathered together, politics happened.

And there was another reason.

The commander-in-chief of the central army was traditionally the Emperor, according to imperial law, and in times of war he usually appointed a deputy.

In other words, it was safe to say that it was virtually a blank space during normal times.

So, how much power did the cavalry captain Milione, who held the position just below the commander of the central army, wield as a military and politician?

If Carl couldn't act politically, he couldn't keep his position.

Of course, he had to be political. By bringing in Marquis Govan of Dabron, Carl had laid the foundation for supporting the military.

Now all that remained was to have the military on his back and negotiate with Gasto. Before that, he had to face Prince Aric.

The man closest to the Crown Prince at this point would soon return to the palace.

It was around the time when the first snow fell in the heart of the empire, which had suddenly become very cold as winter was in full swing.

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