The Lord Just Wants to Have Fun

“My Lord, what is this room for?”

Hans, who had followed Philip inside, asked curiously.

Philip glanced around the research lab and replied,

“This is where I… um, develop ideas and designs for things that will benefit the domain.”

“For the domain, you say?”

“Yeah. Things like new weapons, or profitable inventions.”

“Haha! New weapons! Just the thought of it is exhilarating!”

Since becoming a lord to pursue his passions freely, Philip had decided that this research lab would be his sanctuary for all things related to his interests.

And if he was going to enjoy his hobbies, he might as well develop weapons and products that could benefit his domain.

‘You could call it a perfect fusion of work and passion—”hobby and profession in harmony.”’

“This place will shape the future of our domain. That’s why security must be airtight!”

“Rest assured, my Lord. No one will set foot in here without your permission.”

Satisfied with Hans’ unwavering response, Philip smirked and pulled out a blueprint he had drafted back in the castle.

“Hans, do you think you can make this?”

“And… what is this?”

Hans examined the strange-looking object with a hinged lid and a rather intricate mechanism.

“This is called a Zippo lighter.”

Philip planned for this to be one of the flagship products of the Brandel Barony.

He began explaining the importance of the Zippo lighter in detail.

In this medieval-like world, making and preserving fire was a crucial but cumbersome task.

People typically used flint and steel or rubbed sticks together, which was both inconvenient and time-consuming.

Moreover, poor fire management often led to disastrous fires.

But with a Zippo lighter?

Cooking at home, lighting a campfire while traveling, or simply having an easy way to start a fire would become significantly more convenient.

“So, it basically works like a fuel-filled chamber with a wick and a flint striker, correct? Did Eldir also grant you this idea, my Lord?”

“No, this one’s my own idea.”

Philip figured he couldn’t keep crediting Eldir for everything. He also needed to establish himself as an extraordinary leader—that way, Hans and others would follow him without question.

However, upon hearing Philip’s words, Hans’ expression became intense.

“A tool that allows people to easily access fire… I see now, my Lord. I understand your true intentions.”

“You… do?”

“Yes! You wish to spread Eldir’s grace far and wide through this invention, don’t you? Hahaha!”

In Laterran mythology, Eldir was the god of fire and blacksmithing—the very deity who first taught humanity how to use fire.

In ancient times, the temples of Eldir—essentially blacksmith forges—served as fire distribution centers, providing embers to the people.

Since most blacksmiths worshipped Eldir, Hans firmly believed that his lord, as an Apostle, wanted to create and distribute this tool as a means of spreading Eldir’s divine blessing.

“Those who have forgotten him will remember Eldir’s grace through this tool!”

“Uh… y-yeah, that’s right!”

Philip had merely planned to sell it as a profitable invention, but somehow it had turned into a religious artifact promoting Eldir’s divine providence.

“Leave it to me, my Lord! I shall dedicate my very soul to crafting these lighters!”

“Uh… yeah. You do that.”

Philip awkwardly nodded before leaving the workshop, leaving behind an enthusiastic and determined Hans.

As he made his way back to the castle, a floating scroll appeared before him.

[Eldir is deeply intrigued and excited about his Apostle’s business venture.]
[Engrave a prayer of praise to the God of Fire on each Zippo lighter and sell them.]
[For every lighter produced, 10 points will be awarded.]

‘Oh? So I can earn points this way too?’

If he mass-produced these lighters, he could accumulate points rapidly.

Which got him thinking—what if every product made in his domain bore Eldir’s name?

Wouldn’t that further spread Eldir’s influence?

[Eldir praises this brilliant idea.]
[From now on, every product engraved with Eldir’s name will award a base of 10 points each.]

‘Wow, this guy is really desperate to expand his following.’

Considering how Valian, the so-called Celestial Bully, treated him like a pushover and how other gods overshadowed him in reputation, it was no wonder Eldir was so eager to expand his following.

‘I may have unintentionally become a missionary for Eldir, but whatever. As long as it benefits my interests, it’s fine.’

While Hans and the blacksmiths were sweating away, working hard on production, Philip had been deeply immersed in his own projects in his research lab.

“Hah… finally finished!”

After hours of grinding, cutting, and shaping metal, he grinned with satisfaction at his latest creation.

However, Mau, who had been observing him the whole time, snorted mockingly.

“You clearly don’t get it. Screws are essential for DIY work.”

Screws not only provide strong fastening through friction and tight interlocking but also allow easy disassembly.

That makes them invaluable in woodworking, furniture repairs, and virtually every modern industry—even in the muskets he planned to create later.

‘The real problem is that making screws requires precise and high-level craftsmanship.’

On Earth, screws were common hardware store items, but here?

They were rarely used outside of specific tools like oil press machines in workshops or clamping vises in blacksmiths’ shops.

People understood the concept of screws, but had neither the refined techniques nor high-quality iron needed to make them in various sizes.

Philip had relied on his memory of a Western YouTube tutorial to create the screw manually—using measuring tools, vises, and cutting tools from the forge.

“You expect me to waste precious points just to make screws?”

Philip remained unimpressed, his expression indifferent.

To him, blindly following Eldir’s missions would be no different than being a slave to a god or angel.

Sensing his reluctance, Mau shifted tactics.

“Tch. Who even bothers grinding side quests for rewards anymore? I’d rather just buy a premium pack and be done with it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Spoken like a true old-school, medieval fantasy angel.”

Philip ignored Mau’s pouting.

Despite how powerful the Golden Hammer skill was, he refused to rely on it completely.

After all, he had big plans—cannons, steam engines, clipper ships—all things impossible to develop alone.

‘No matter how amazing the Golden Hammer is, I can’t do everything myself. Plus, earning points means constantly completing missions. That’s inefficient.’

That was why he needed to develop and refine key technologies, like precision screw-making, to lay a solid foundation.

Just as he was deep in thought, a system message popped up.

[Eldir has granted you 10 points.]

Philip blinked in surprise before quickly figuring out the reason.

‘Ah! That must mean Hans successfully produced the first Zippo lighter!’

Sure enough, moments later, Hans entered the research lab, holding the completed product in his hands.

“My Lord, it is finished!”

“This is the final product?”

“Yes, my Lord. We encountered some trial and error, but it works as you described.”

To demonstrate, Hans flipped open the lighter’s lid, struck the flint, and produced a steady flame.

Philip, despite being impressed by the working design, couldn’t help but smile awkwardly at the sight.

‘This thing is huge!’

Hans’ Zippo lighter was the size of a smartphone—bulky, thick, and surprisingly heavy.

Still, Philip couldn’t blame him.

Considering the medieval-level technology, it was already an impressive feat to have built one at all.

Besides, since he had to engrave a prayer onto each lighter, having a larger surface area might actually be beneficial.

“How many can you produce per day?”

“If we have a steady supply of materials and assign apprentices to make the parts separately and assemble them, we could produce 20 to 30 per day, my Lord.”

Given that they were handcrafted and the workshop was still small, that number made sense.

Moreover, Hans and his blacksmiths had other tasks—repairing and forging weapons, tools, and armor.

“You’ve done well. Here, take this and share a drink with the apprentices.”

Philip tossed a pouch of silver coins to Hans.

“Whoa! Thank you, my Lord!”

As Hans bowed in gratitude, Philip suddenly recalled something important.

“By the way, is there any sulfur or saltpeter deposits in our domain? I need some.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure what saltpeter is, my Lord. But sulfur? We don’t have any deposits here. Occasionally, adventurers bring some from the dormant volcanoes deep within the Prill Mountain Range and sell it as medicine.”

“I see… What about bat-infested caves?”

“Bats? There are a few caves near the mountain range where they roost.”

Philip smirked. Perfect.

He was planning to craft a flintlock musket as his personal firearm.

He didn’t want to waste time training in swordsmanship or magic—it would only cut into his hobby time.

Ideally, he would have built modern firearms, but they were too complex and required too many skill points.

By comparison, a flintlock musket was relatively simple.

‘If I only use my Golden Hammer skill for the barrel and trigger assembly, it’ll cost around 3,000 points.’

However, even if he built the musket, it would be useless without black powder.

Black powder required three main components:

Saltpeter (potassium nitrate)
Charcoal
Sulfur

Among them, saltpeter was the most critical.

Philip had asked about bat caves because bat guano—the accumulated droppings of bats over time—was a natural source of saltpeter.

‘I don’t know how much I’ll find, but it should be enough for personal use.’

If he eventually wanted to mass-produce muskets for his domain’s army, he would establish a proper saltpeter farm later.

Philip recalled that in a few days, the domain’s army would be conducting training and a hunting expedition in the forest near the mountain range.

‘That’ll be my chance to tag along and gather some guano.’

*****

The Romu Forest was adjacent to the Prill Mountain Range.

Long ago, a fortress had been built here to stop invading monsters from descending the mountains.

Now that monster invasions had become rare, the fortress was primarily used as a military training camp and a hunting lodge for soldiers.

BWWWUUUHHH—!

A loud horn echoed through the forest.

Hunting dogs barked, and soldiers spread out, driving wild animals from their hiding spots.

Panic-stricken boars, deer, and other beasts burst from the underbrush—only to be taken down by spears and arrows.

At the center of the action was Carpenter, leading the operation with his usual crude but effective command style.

“LEFT FLANK! MOVE YOUR ASSES FASTER!”

“FRONT LINE! KEEP YOUR DAMN EYES OPEN!”

“ARCHERS! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! DIDN’T I TELL YOU TO CONFIRM YOUR TARGET BEFORE SHOOTING?! IF YOU FRIENDLY FIRE, WHO’S GONNA DIE IN YOUR PLACE?!”

As a former foot soldier, Carpenter had a foul mouth, but his training methods were rigorous and effective.

His men respected him, despite his harsh discipline.

Watching the training from a distance, Philip turned to Terry, one of his aides.

“Does Carpenter always act like this?”

Terry nodded.

“He only gets like this during training, my Lord. More importantly, watch closely—hunting is one of the oldest and most fundamental forms of military tactics. Just like we drive animals toward a kill zone, we can push enemies toward our main force.”

Philip was impressed.

Even though Terry was technically explaining hunting, he was teaching military strategy at the same time.

As a military enthusiast, Philip actually found this fascinating rather than annoying.

‘Didn’t the Mongol cavalry and the Qing Dynasty’s Eight Banner Army use hunting-based tactics to conquer vast regions?’

The Mongols and the Qing Dynasty both adapted large-scale hunting methods into battlefield strategies, allowing them to overwhelm and conquer entire civilizations.

Terry noticed Philip’s interest and was secretly pleased.

Unlike his previous reclusive self, Philip was now taking an active interest in military matters—a promising sign for the future of the domain.

“So… I hear from Hans that you’re developing a new weapon?”

Terry eyed Philip curiously.

“Yeah. While I’m here, I also plan to gather some materials for it.”

“A new weapon…? What kind of—”

Before Terry could finish his question, he suddenly snapped into action.

A deer, flushed out by the soldiers, was charging directly toward them.