Kingdom Simulator: I, a Fallen Noble, Build a God-Level Kingdom!-Chapter 42: This Is a Recipe Lord Romon Taught Me

Aside from the population, every stat was changing. Of these, [Culture] increased the slowest, while [Economy] rose the fastest.

Could it be that after expansion, only by issuing decrees and truly taking control of the entire area would the simulator reflect the new values?

The realization dawned on Romon.

Before taking Stone Town, the rural population had been the last of Thune Territory’s people—those who, after years of hardship and selection, were absolutely loyal to the Thune family. Everything they produced could be fully utilized by the Thune family at any time.

So, for every bit of productivity created by the territory’s residents, the Lord would receive an equal amount.

Now, things were different. With the population base greatly expanded, loyalty and unity had plummeted. Just as his earlier simulations had shown, some of the older generation in Stone Town still looked up to the Thune family, but a large portion of the people supported no one at all.

This was where the law came into play.

"Lord Romon, it’s getting late," Lornis reminded him, seeing the decrees had been signed.

"Let’s return," Romon said.

Stone Town wasn’t a suitable place for a Lord to reside. To the west, there was no buffer zone; if enemies came from that direction, even escape would be difficult. For now, it was best used as a development center.

So, Romon would return to live in the castle.

Not everyone would be leaving, however. After all the effort spent capturing the town, it would be pointless to abandon it right away.

As he walked toward the north gate, Romon began to plan and deploy in his mind.

"Nini, relay my orders: Pito will lead ten Centaur knights to garrison Stone Town in my stead. Pir and the others will return with me. Also, tell Pito I’ll be sending the bloodthirsty wolf pack to form a defensive and warning line to the west—keep this confidential."

"Understood, Master!"

With that, Nini vanished like the wind.

Soon after, Romon, Lornis, and Talia arrived at the north gate. Outside, the bloodthirsty wolf pack was still waiting in formation. Without Romon’s command, they hadn’t moved an inch.

The wolves had enormous appetites, but they were also highly resilient to hunger. Under the wolf king’s discipline, even though they were starving, they waited patiently for Romon’s orders.

As Romon approached, the wolf king immediately lowered its proud head to the ground in submission.

Romon reached out and stroked the wolf king’s enormous, damp black nose, issuing a quiet command: "Split off a small pack to return to the Great Wilderness for hunting, but you must not harm any humans. The rest are to push westward—as far as you can go, so long as you can still see this town when you look back. Hunt out there and fill your bellies. Remember, ordinary people may enter but not leave. If you encounter a large human army, immediately gather the pack and notify the Centaur knights in town."

The wolf king was already quite intelligent, and with the added boost from [Culture], it had grown even smarter—smart enough to fully understand Romon’s instructions.

"Hmmrroo..."

It let out a low whine to show it understood, then stood up. With a single look, it separated a hundred bloodthirsty wolves from the main pack.

As the sun set, the two wolf packs howled their farewells to each other and sprinted off in different directions.

To the west lay the deeper reaches of the former Nightingale Lord’s territory. For Romon, it was an invasion—a war. But for these magical beasts, it was simply hunting grounds.

They were not bound by the Lord’s Laws.

By sending the wolf pack west, Romon could both guard against a sudden counterattack from the Nightingale Lord and use them as scouts in preparation for the next advance.

Most importantly—a pack this size required an astonishing amount of meat each day. Better to let them eat the enemy’s livestock than his own; keep the wolves within his own territory as reserve hunters to help provide for his people’s food. In Nightingale Territory, if Thune’s people hunted, it would be poaching and a crime. But if the wolf pack hunted, that was just the natural food chain at work.

"Whoosh—"

A gust of wind heralded Nini’s return—she had already delivered the orders.

"Master, the message has been sent. The Centaur knights’ detachment is on their way over."

"Good. We’ll head out ahead of them."

...

The next morning.

Thune Territory Castle.

Early at dawn, Romon heard a familiar royal accent at the door.

"Sir Romon! Sir Romon, why didn’t you call for me when you attacked Stone Town?"

Romon washed his face, threw on a robe over his nightclothes, and opened the door. "Your Highness."

Ever since their parting after the Ground-Dragon Cart incident, his relationship with Princess Angelia had become somewhat complicated. As she grew more adept at magic and began practicing both physical and magical combat, she no longer faced danger fighting the first-tier Mirror Boss alone.

So Romon had stopped accompanying her.

"Answer me! Why didn’t you call me when you attacked Stone Town?" Angelia seemed not to have bathed in days, completely engrossed in soloing bosses. As she drew close, Romon caught a whiff of sweat.

Yet, thanks to her special enchanted gear, the scent transformed into a unique floral fragrance. The only reason Romon could recognize it as sweat was that he’d spent a whole day and night smelling it on the Ground-Dragon Cart.

That enchanted item—either her pendant or her bracelet, since she wore nothing else—constantly transformed her scent.

"Your Highness, do you hear yourself? If I could ’invite’ you, would there even be a need to fight for Stone Town? You could just walk in and have the Nightingale Lord kill himself on the spot."

"I can’t do that," Angelia pouted.

"Alright. Did you have some new insight today? Is that why you’re here so early?"

"It’s nothing. I was taking a break and overheard some adventurers talking, so I came over... to congratulate you." Angelia brushed aside her red hair, avoiding Romon’s gaze. She continued, "After all, since we did it, of course I want you to win. If you win, you’ll have more resources and can improve the environment around here. I mean, that way my royal manor can be finished before winter comes."

"Your Highness, don’t worry. I keep my mouth shut—I won’t spread rumors, and I certainly won’t use what happened between us to pressure you into helping me." Romon swore to the heavens.

At this,

Princess Angelia immediately glared up at him. "Shut up."

Romon obediently closed his mouth.

But the next second, Princess Angelia asked, "So, um, are you free right now? I want you to come with me for a bit."

Romon didn’t answer—he just nodded, then shook his head, and finally pointed toward the kitchen.

Angelia was baffled and took a deep breath. "Enough. Just say it!"

"I haven’t eaten yet. How about we eat together?"

"...Fine. Lornis’s cooking does suit my taste, after all."

"Of course."

Lornis had been personally trained by Romon, and when it came to recipes, she blended both his previous life and this one. Except for a few dishes missing special ingredients, she could make almost anything flawlessly.

When the two entered the dining room, Lornis was just coming out with a pot of rich soup, carrying it with two pieces of burlap to protect her hands.

"Your Highness."

Lornis moved as if to bow, but Angelia quickly waved her off. "No need, no need, just put it on the table—what is this? It smells amazing!"

Having spent the past few days immersed in solo boss runs, Angelia had been gnawing on dry rations. She’d sent her guards away and didn’t know how to cook herself. At least the other craftsmen could eat at the mines’ canteen, but she’d never lower herself to do that.

"This is chicken and velvet antler stew, with red dates, goji berries, and other seasonings. It’s fresh and savory—if Your Highness likes, I’ll serve you a bowl." Lornis smiled.

Very few people eat such a heavy dish so early in the morning—this pot of rich soup was actually prepared especially for Romon. With his expanding territory, Romon’s workload had increased greatly. Not to mention, his nightly "workload" in bed had also grown. Taking into account the exponentially higher consumption of energy, Lornis had to boost his nutrition accordingly.

This single pot of soup was enough to guarantee he’d be on his feet—instantly revitalized.

"What a delicious-smelling recipe! I’ve never even seen this at home!" Angelia was practically drooling and hurriedly passed her bowl to Lornis.

"This is a recipe Lord Romon taught me," Lornis replied, ladling a generous helping of soup into Angelia’s bowl. She even carved off a drumstick and placed it on top.

"Sir Romon, you know your way around the kitchen too? I underestimated you!" Angelia exclaimed, and immediately began eating with gusto, completely disregarding any royal decorum.

Romon served himself a bowl as well and asked, "So, Your Highness, what did you want to talk to me about?"

He still needed to make another trip to Stone Town today, personally recruiting adventurers into service. If it wasn’t something important, he’d just decline.

But Angelia didn’t answer. Whether it was the effect of the soup or something sensitive on her mind, her fair neck suddenly flushed a bright red.

"This soup is amazing! Lornis, make it every day from now on!" Angelia called past Romon, straight to Lornis.

"Um... Lord Romon said that too much strong tonic food can harm your health. How about I prepare a different dish for Your Highness tomorrow?" Lornis replied gently.

"Alright!"

Watching Angelia’s uncharacteristically evasive behavior, Romon couldn’t help but suspect something was up. This wasn’t like her. Either she’d caused some kind of trouble, or she had a request she felt embarrassed to bring up.

For the first possibility, Romon quickly checked his Simulator Blueprint—everything on his land was peaceful, with no major incidents.

So it had to be the second. In that case, he might as well go along with her wishes.

He quietly ate a bit more. It was true that frequent heavy tonics could damage one’s core, but if you took in a large dose all at once, the excess would overflow and be converted into raw strength.

Of course, there was a downside—if the overflow wasn’t used up quickly, it could result in a nosebleed, or even worse, cause him to overheat.

So,

After breakfast, Romon decisively followed Angelia down the hill. The two of them, as if by mutual agreement, headed straight for the Ground-Dragon Cart.

The ground dragon was still lazily munching on grass by the roadside and didn’t even have time to react before Angelia opened the carriage door and invited Romon aboard.

Romon thought to himself, Looks like I guessed right. Good thing I’m prepared—today, I’ll make sure Angelia’s "cooldown" lasts a full three days!