Reborn as the Failed Lord with my Resource Gathering System.

The air in the mansion's newly designated "briefing room" was cold and still. The only light came from a single, enchanted crystal on the table, casting long, dancing shadows across the stone walls.

In the center of the room, a man was tied to a simple wooden chair. He was pale and trembling, his left arm ending in a crudely cauterized stump.

Dorian sat opposite him, calm and composed, with Seraphina standing at his side, holding a notepad.

Maria stood by the door, a silent, intimidating sentinel, her arms crossed.

Aces leaned against the far wall, casually wiping a spot of dried blood from his lightning-infused blade. He was the one to break the silence.

"He's a professional, my lord," Aces said, his usual lazy tone gone, replaced by a cold efficiency. "Mercenary scout. Goes by the name 'Silas'. It took some convincing, but he understands the importance of cooperation now."

The spy, Silas, flinched at the sound of Aces's voice.

Dorian leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. He didn't raise his voice. "Who sent you, Silas?"

The man swallowed hard, his eyes darting between the faces in the room. "V-Viscount Embre," he stammered. "He hired me."

Every word the man said was followed with labored breath, blood dropping from the corner of his mouth.

"We assumed as much," Seraphina interjected, her voice sharp. "The question is why. Were you scouting the mine's defenses? Assessing our production? I'd assume it would be one of these."

Silas shook his head frantically, ready to say anything to save his life. "No, no... the mine was secondary. The Viscount... he'd heard a rumor. Something impossible. He needed confirmation."Dorian's eyes narrowed.

[You are currently using the skill Analysis.]

[The target is saying the truth and is scared.

Chances of lies are slim.]

Then he asked,

"What did he want to confirm?"

The spy hesitated, his gaze landing on the silent figure of Maria by the door. His voice dropped to a terrified whisper.

"He needed to know if it was true. That the Aurelian barony had a Lord-Rank warrior in its service."

The room went dead silent. Maria's expression didn't change, but Seraphina's eyes widened in understanding.

Dorian sat back in his chair, a slow, dangerous smile touching his lips.

"And now he knows?"

"No, my lord," Silas trembled. "My mission was to provoke one of your commanders. To gauge their strength and report back. That was all."

"So he is trying to test the soldiers under the Aurelian barony…" Maira uttered from the side.

Seraphina shook her head. "The man truly makes me sick."

"So what's the Viscount's plan after the confirmation?" Dorian asked, his voice deceptively soft.

Silas looked up, pure terror in his eyes. "You don't understand. He's not going to declare a simple war. He's using this as a pretext. I was simply bait, that is all. And you fell for it. Please, I was only doing my job, don't kill me."

Seraphina gasped. "He's not just coming for the mine... he's coming to erase the entire barony from the map,"

Dorian said nothing. He just stared at the spy, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place.

They attacked a military personnel of the Viscount Embre; his next moves are now valid regardless of what they do.

Then, he turned to Maria."First Commander," he said, his voice now devoid of any warmth, filled only with cold, hard purpose. "Inform them of the current situation. Let them be ready."

…..

The sound of workers hacking away at their jobs echoed through the entire place.

The Dragon's Breath system was still active, though the amount of wind it emitted had been reduced drastically, serving only to rid the place of any toxic mist that might form from the corrupted waterhole.

At the same time, in order to allow the workers to begin building a small base inside the mining hole, Dorian had them transport the dragon egg into the Forest of Jilo.

Of course, all of this was done in secret, with only the main team of the first project squad, led by Gatty and Seraphina. Maria was there as well, since she would never let Dorian do anything dangerous without informing her first.

After the dragon egg was transported, the team decided to spend the night there—a sleepover in the wild forest before they would carry on with their tasks the next day.

Maria and a few workers had gone to scout the perimeter to make sure there were no monsters lurking around that could ambush them in the middle of the night, while Seraphina forged a small barrier to keep the camp protected.

On the other hand, Dorian had found a small log to sit on, far away from where the group was having their dinner in front of the fireplace.

Seated on the log, his summon, Lili, stood in front of him.

"Why is Master sitting all by himself?" Lili asked, tilting her head to the side.

Normally, she was supposed to have abandoned her physical form to rest after spending days acting as a connection between the dragon egg and her master.

But for some reason, she chose not to and would, instead, rather spend her time with Dorian.

With his back resting on a tree, Dorian sighed.

"I have to respond to someone. Not that I want to, anyway…"

Dorian reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, round ball, glowing with a purple mana that danced inside it like a fog. Staring at it for a while, he then placed it on the ground.

The purple light grew even brighter the moment it touched the earth. Actually, it was more like it was blinking, as if searching for something.

Then, all of a sudden, the light became stable.

Following that was a small mist that oozed out of the ball, forming into the upper part of a beautiful woman.

Ishtar Forane.

She was holding a hand fan that covered most of her face, leaving only her eyes and her hair visible.

"What do you know? You actually used it. And here I thought you had forgotten all about me," Ishtar spoke, a small giggle leaving her mouth.

Dorian remained quiet for a while.

He remembered what had happened back in the viscounty. Before he left, he had asked her if she would join forces with him or her father.

Her response was to go with the side that entertained her the most. People with that kind of mentality were usually the last people you should trust, especially in a war.

That said, they were also the most helpful if they happened to be on your side.

Which was why Dorian promised her entertainment. No, he promised to not only move her from a Master-Rank mage to something higher, but he also told her she might have to defend a dragon egg.

He bore in mind that she might reveal this to someone, and as such, he used his authority over the pact and forced her to keep the secret.

While Ishtar had accepted, rather excitedly at that, she also gave him this communication orb as a means for them to speak.

She promised to feed him inside information for the rare chance that he might be able to fulfill what he had promised her.

"So? Should I take this as you are willing to hear all that I have gathered on the war so far?" Ishtar spoke again, a seductive glint in her eyes.

"Sure. But before that, how quickly can you come to Jilo forest, if I asked you to?" Dorian asked.

"Probably as fast as I would need to strip if you asked me to. Why? Do you want to see me? Or are you there right now?" Ishtar replied.

Lili, who was standing at the side, couldn't help but be shocked at what she heard.

Not to mention Dorian didn't seem moved by it, making it seem like it was a daily occurrence.

Dorian soon replied, "Yes, I am currently in Jilo forest. With the dragon egg. For my plan to succeed, I need your domain."

Ishtar crossed her leg, looking to the side in thought, then right back at Dorian.

"I see... A part of me thought you were bluffing," she uttered. "I am a woman obsessed with knowledge and entertainment, so stories like this can quickly sway me. I thought you mentioned the dragon to me because you knew this, but it was actually true?"

"You told me you didn't doubt my words…" Dorian wore a deadpan, robotic look.

"Of course I'd say that. I want you to sleep with me. That can't happen if I don't stroke your ego a bit."

"You really can say anything without batting an eye."

"What can I say? I am a woman who knows what she wants and plans to get what she wants."

Dorian shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, ignoring the growing shock on Lili's face.

"Can you just come to Jilo tomorrow?"

"Oh, I'll be coming tonight. You are currently there, are you not?"

"I mean, yeah…"

"Good, then I will be there. It's not too far away, so you should expect me soon."

'She can just leave the mansion like that? And why is she accepting everything I say so easily? Could she be… nahhh.'

Dorian replied, "Sure. But alert me before you enter the forest. Monsters are lurking here, so you'll need someone to protect you."

"Oh dear, I feel like a princess with a—"

"I won't be the one coming. My knight will."

Ishtar paused, then she sighed. "You can be so mean at times." Flapping her hair to the back, she stared at Dorian. "But I should probably clear one thing up. Using my domain as a catalyst to house the dragon is what you intend to do, right?"

"Correct." Dorian stuck his pinky finger in his ear.

"And you also intend to fight this dragon, correct?"

"You would also be right. Where are you going with this?"

There was silence for a while.

"Darling, from the little I know about dragons, these creatures are known to be capable of fighting and winning against an entire nation on their own. Do you think it's wise to fight one all by yourself?" Ishtar asked, a hint of worry in her tone.

Dorian looked at her for a while, completely understanding her worry, since she wasn't the only one to ask him this question.

Hell, Maria and Seraphina are currently holding themselves back from the fact they would have to let him go through with this plan. Most importantly, if Dorian does fail to contain the dragon and it escapes the domain...

"You don't have to worry. As I said, I have a plan," Dorian uttered before standing to his feet.

...

[A/N]

Sorry only one chapter today, i owe you guys three tmrr, i am have an exam, but this chapter is long enough for 2. The quality might be low but i will imporve it next update.