novelraw Chapter 113
Chapter 113
Chapter 113
Through the Lord’s Council, the first thing I realized was that I couldn’t trust these humans to do anything properly.
They had no unity whatsoever.
Just from a glance, the three factions snarling at each other made it obvious there was no hope.
And the same went for the so-called Great Lords.
If someone asked whether a Great Lord had complete control over his own faction, the answer would be no.
For now, Haken, Vines, and New Level were the three Great Lords, but depending on the situation, that structure could change at any time.
Frankly speaking, if a few territories joined forces and overthrew a Great Lord, they could always appoint a new one.
As long as the surrounding lords acknowledged it, that lord would become the new Great Lord.
Since there was no royal authority to guarantee the Great Lords’ legitimacy, their position was never absolute.
‘There must be some serious political scheming going on among them.’
—Would it really be that bad?
‘Never underestimate humans. When it comes to power, humans are capable of anything.’
But that didn’t mean I could do much with the Johnson Territory alone.
Just the troops pulled out to attend the council included three Masters and two hundred elite knights.
There were still plenty of soldiers left on the battlefield, and if I factored in the reinforcements from the mainland, it was a scale that a single territory couldn’t possibly handle.
No warlike nation could overturn such a difference in military strength.
Even if, by a miracle, we won the war, it would still be a victory in name only.
‘We need allies too. Friends who will fight against the Empire with us.’
That left only one answer.
We had to join hands with the Beastmen.
Elline had once shown me what the “average” Beastman was like.
They were the kind who could never coexist under the same sky as the Empire—precisely why they were trustworthy.
‘And to do that, we’ll have to start by opening trade routes.’
Both Sir Irene and the Lord of Haken had the same thought.
The people of Haken were extremely wary of Levelium monopolizing north-south trade.
If Levelium hoarded northern goods or charged extortionate prices without sending supplies southward, Haken would be in serious trouble.
That was why they once asked me whether Johnson Territory had any way to trade with the north.
They saw high potential in this region because it could open a route to trade with the northern lands.
I had also thought about it for a while—whether I could create a trade route from here to the north.
And then, it had come to me briefly—tunnels.
If we could dig a tunnel from Johnson Territory to Rotsy, the Lion Tribe’s city, we could trade safely with the northern Beastmen.
‘But I gave up quickly. Honestly, it sounded absurd.’
At the time, that’s what I thought.
The distance was several kilometers at least, and in this medieval fantasy world, I didn’t think that kind of construction was possible.
Besides, back then, it was still possible to trade through Levelium normally, so there was no reason to push for something so reckless.
If worst came to worst, we could still cross the Monster Mountains and trade with the Lion Tribe to some extent, so I hadn’t thought much of it.
‘But it actually happened—the situation where trading through Levelium became impossible. Of course, not exactly how Sir Irene or the Lord of Haken imagined it.’
No matter what those Imperial bastards planned, the Beastmen would never trade with them.
Eventually, the Ribella Peninsula would split north and south, cutting off the flow of supplies.
Levelium would become isolated as well, and the Empire would be forced to sustain itself within that isolation.
‘…Or so I thought. But maybe it won’t go that way after all.’
The more I thought about it, the less likely it seemed things would unfold according to my expectations.
After all, Levelium wasn’t inhabited solely by Imperial bastards.
The Empire had purged the Level Merchant Group, but they hadn’t executed every last member, and not all merchants trading with the Beastmen belonged to that guild anyway.
If the Empire sent the remaining traders north, the Beastmen—who didn’t care about human politics—might just continue trading as before.
As long as the Beastmen didn’t descend to Levelium, they’d never come into direct contact with the Empire.
—Would it really happen like that?
‘Probably. With how cunning those Imperial bastards are, deceiving naïve Beastmen would be child’s play.’
If that happened, we’d be the only ones in trouble.
More precisely, it would be the Haken Territory—who would never trade with the Empire—that suffered the most.
We could still cross the Monster Mountains and trade with the Lion Tribe, but Haken couldn’t.
Crossing the mountains limited how much cargo could move.
We could manage our own needs somehow, but Haken Territory was several times larger than ours, so we couldn’t possibly supply them.
Meanwhile, Vines and New Level seemed eager to trade with the Empire, which meant Haken would end up isolated.
‘If there’s any kind of deal between the Empire and New Level, the Empire won’t bother trading with Haken either.’
Among the three Great Lords, there was only one I could side with—Haken.
Who else could I choose?
Vines, who had already sold grain to the Empire?
New Level, who seemed to be cozying up to them?
Haken was the closest to us, and if one of the three Great Lords was to become the ruler of the south, then supporting Haken was the right choice.
—Besides, Haken Territory is the homeland of the knight lady. They say a good son-in-law should love his father-in-law.
‘…That’s not why. But personally, I do think the Lord of Haken is the best among them.’
At the very least, he didn’t seem like the type to stab someone in the back or scheme in the shadows.
He was also the one who harbored the strongest hostility toward the Empire.
‘And most of all, now things are finally starting to look doable.’
The Rabbit Tribe, suspiciously skilled at digging tunnels.
The newly added Priest Warriors.
The versatile Builders of the Golem School.
And the overflowing Mana Crystals.
Lastly, the cooperation of the Beastmen—who needed trade routes as much as we did.
The tunnel project that once seemed impossible was now a different story.
With these pieces coming together, it had become a challenge worth attempting.
In this situation, there was no reason not to attempt tunnel construction.
Opening a trade route was the prerequisite for active cooperation with the Beastmen.
“Please, we’re counting on you.”
“Yes, Guide. Leave it to us.”
The Rabbit Tribe, who hadn’t even been used for mining work before, would now finally take action.
“It would be best to start here.”
“Here?”
“Yes, the soil isn’t bad. We’ll have to check inside first, though.”
“No, but this is a rocky mountain.”
“It’s not solid bedrock, is it? Then it’s doable.”
The starting point chosen by the Rabbit Tribe for the tunnel was near the Northern Gate Fortress that blocked the Monster Mountains.
The cliff terrain northwest of the fortress served as a natural barrier against monster marches—but also as an obstacle preventing exchange with the Lion Tribe.
Starting there, the plan was to dig through the Monster Mountains toward Rotsy, the Lion Tribe’s city.
That was the final goal.
‘Sure, this might be the shortest route, but digging through a cliff to make a tunnel…’
Were these guys seriously in their right minds?
I tilted my head, wondering if this was even possible, when one of the Rabbit Tribe Workers swung his pickaxe.
The rock broke apart far more easily than I expected.
‘That’s… aura?’
Curious, I took a closer look and saw a faint trace of aura shimmering on the pickaxes the Rabbit Tribe Workers were swinging.
The Rabbit Tribe’s tunnel-digging squad, veterans hardened by countless battles, had reached the point of channeling aura into their digging.
‘Unbelievable…’
It was true that Beastmen were more attuned to mana than humans, but for even Workers to awaken aura—this was something else.
Thinking back, those among the Rabbit Tribe who could use aura were always the first to be assigned to the Rabbit Tribe Rangers. That meant these Workers hadn’t been using aura for long.
They were probably still using it on a purely instinctive level.
But even that was incredible.
However weak it was, aura was still aura—and with it, digging through the ground to make a tunnel seemed entirely feasible.
‘This might turn out to be easier than I thought.’
Of course, this wasn’t a project that could be completed overnight.
Building the tunnel would involve a long and complicated process.
We weren’t just digging a burrow—it had to be a massive passage wide enough for at least two Wagons to pass through.
For now, we were just in the preliminary estimation stage.
“Let’s start digging toward Rotsy first and see what the conditions are like.”
“Yes, Guide. We’ll begin as instructed.”
With the Rabbit Tribe finally moving in earnest, it was time to inspect the other parts.
Since they were even using aura to dig, I could safely leave this section in their hands.
‘I’ll need to hear from the Beastmen too. I wonder how things turned out? I’d already told Rudelrof the gist of it.’
—Even if the other Beastmen object, as long as the Lion Tribe agrees, the tunnel itself won’t be a problem, right?
‘That’s true. Our goal is to connect Johnson Territory with Rotsy. But for the next step, we’ll need cooperation from the other Beastmen as well.’
After deciding on the tunnel plan, I immediately sent word to Rudelrof.
Since the Levelium Region had fallen to the Empire, I warned him that the Beastmen should stay vigilant.
Then I told him I wanted to join forces with the Beastmen to stand against the Imperial bastards.
Before the Empire could stabilize the Levelium Region, my goal was to establish a defensive system against them.
Rudelrof agreed with my intent and said he would pass along the message to the other Beastmen.
By now, they should’ve already gathered their opinions.
The best outcome would be for all the Beastmen to follow my lead.
The worst would be for them to simply watch from the sidelines—but even that wouldn’t cause much loss.
Now that they knew Levelium was under the Empire’s control, they wouldn’t be fooled into trading with them.
‘If they don’t trade with Levelium, then they’ll have no choice but to trade with us.’
—The Lions said they’d follow our lead.
‘And the Dog Tribe too. Though they’re not exactly a major force, still.’
If Johnson Territory, the Lion Tribe, and the Dog Tribe joined hands, we might be able to hold our own against the Empire.
And even if we only traded with the other Beastmen, that alone would be to our advantage.
Since we couldn’t predict how the situation would unfold, I had to think conservatively.
Too much expectation only led to disappointment.
“So, Rudelrof—how are the Beastmen reacting?”
—It’s chaos over here. We’re talking about the Empire, after all. Everyone’s busy sharpening their weapons.
“That much?”
—Some tribes even said they’d head down right away.
“That’s… not good.”
—Exactly. So I talked them down a bit. If everyone runs around in chaos, we’ll just hurt ourselves.
“Good. You did well.”
The Beastmen’s reaction was even stronger than I’d imagined.
Every Beastman held the same grudge against the Imperial bastards.
And none of them really weighed gain or loss in the process.
When Rudelrof mentioned that some tribes wanted to march immediately, even I broke into a cold sweat.
—But wouldn’t it be better to strike before the Empire gets its bearings? We wouldn’t lose much that way.
‘For now, sure. But thinking long-term, it’s better to build a foundation first. What could a single tribe do? They wouldn’t be able to drive the Empire out on their own.’
—True enough.
‘Besides, Beastmen tend to be oddly exclusive, each tribe acting on its own.’
Even now, the Beastmen lived separately by tribe across the vast northern region of the Ribella Peninsula.
‘I think the Beastmen should form some sort of alliance too.’
—An alliance, huh.
‘At least when facing the Empire, they could unite.’
The only time all the Beastmen had joined forces was after escaping the Empire, during their conflict against it.
When it came to fighting the Empire, the Beastmen stood as one.
And through this opportunity, I needed to help them adjust their stance—to make them capable of unity once again.
‘As the Guide of the Rabbit Tribe, the Beastmen are my allies. For us, having them on our side is the greatest advantage.’
If the southern territories kept descending into chaos, the Beastmen would be the only ones we could truly rely on.
Even if the monsters attacked and put us in danger, the southern human territories wouldn’t come to our aid.
But the Beastmen were different.
Once they formed a bond, they would stand with us to the end.
That was the biggest reason I placed my trust in the Beastmen more than in the human lords.