novelraw Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Just as winter was beginning.
A welcome visitor arrived at the territory.
A cargo wagon sent from Henil Territory.
It was a grateful gift that came every year around this time.
“Ah, I’d almost forgotten about this.”
Henil Territory lay straight east from Johnson.
A small coastal territory, Henil was one of the few that had survived in the cave-like northeastern region of the Ribella Peninsula, and the only territory that had maintained good relations with us continuously.
When I was very young, Henil Territory had faced a great crisis, and my father had gone there with the knights to save it.
Ever since then, Henil had been sending either seahorses or goods, a practice that had continued to this day.
“It’s already been twenty years.”
The items Henil sent were things like salt and dried fish.
Salt, in particular, was quite an important resource.
The Ribella Peninsula wasn’t naturally scarce in salt, but securing it required some effort.
The western coast, suitable for producing sun-dried salt, was inhabited by naga, and there wasn’t a proper place near our territory to obtain rock salt.
On the other hand, Henil had access to the sea, making it relatively easy to get salt.
The eastern coast of the Ribella Peninsula wasn’t ideal for salt farms, much like the eastern coast of Korea, but with just a salt kettle, sea salt could be easily harvested.
Henil had been harvesting sea salt even before the Great Cataclysm.
They had always sent us their surplus salt, and though it was a small gesture, it had continued for twenty years and had been a great help to our territory.
I couldn’t help but feel grateful.
“By now, our salt consumption must have increased a lot. We should seriously consider trading with Henil.”
The salt Henil sent was enough for our use back then.
But now, with the population having more than doubled, this amount wouldn’t last a year.
For now, we still had a good stockpile, but in the future, we’d need even more.
Buying salt from Haken, where it had to be procured separately, wasn’t efficient, so it would be better to establish a trade with Henil.
“Salt is one thing, but what about the dried fish and seaweed? They seem to harvest quite a bit of kelp and laver. Oh, and there are shellfish and cephalopods too—like octopus, squid, and such.”
If the paths were clear, they could even supply live fish, but that was a bit far off. For now, these items would suffice.
With the human population reduced, the fish stocks in the sea had become plentiful.
Thanks to this, Henil had become a largely self-sufficient territory.
However, it was somewhat isolated because sea monsters blocked the sea routes.
Plus, winter was colder there than in Johnson Territory, so distributing things like horned rabbit meat and fur from Haken Territory would make for a good trade.
“So, you’re saying I should go there now?”
“Then should I go?”
“Wow, what a guy.”
To repay Henil and establish a new trade, someone had to be dispatched.
The leader of this delegation was Rudick.
He had already been to Henil several times and was familiar with the lord of Henil.
Still, he pouted and resisted.
“I’m just starting to get serious with Celine, and now you want me to go?”
He objected because sending him now would interfere with his budding romance with Celine, deputy of the Crimson Comet, his ideal type—a tall, cold beauty of 180 cm.
—Yeah, that’s a bit ugly, master.
“No, then I’ll go. Honestly, I want to go myself.”
In the inland Johnson Territory, it was hard to even see fish.
Raw fish was out of the question.
Since I loved eating things raw (in every sense), it was frustrating.
So if someone had to be sent to Henil, I wanted to go myself.
If it weren’t winter, I probably would have.
But during winter, a trip to Henil would take over a week, which was impossible.
Winter was always a season to stay alert.
—That tongue is way too long. That’s not all there is, right?
“Well, honestly, I’m a little jealous. They were sneaking around even during joint training.”
—Typical of the master. What I can’t do, others can’t either? Being openly a delinquent makes me admire him.
“Is that a compliment or an insult?”
If even the rabbit felt that way, Rudick certainly wouldn’t accept the assignment quietly.
“That’s why you don’t get a girlfriend. Geez, what a worthless guy.”
“Yeah, then do it.”
Still, it didn’t really hurt.
It was easy enough to just let it slide.
He wasn’t wrong, so I just accepted it.
Rudick, a manly man who never quietly said “yes,” grumbled a few times as usual, then mounted the three-horned mountain goat.
The horned rabbit meat and fur were loaded onto the cargo wagon carrying salt and dried fish from Henil, along with a pair of mana communicators for communication.
Henil was a trustworthy ally who would maintain close ties with us.
If something happened in the territory, we would go all out to help.
With mana communicators, we could respond faster to any problem.
Conversely, if Johnson Territory faced an issue, Henil would provide support.
“Come to think of it, there’s the Lion Tribe too.”
—Indeed. It would be better to send a mana communicator in advance.
“Yes, that’s right.”
The Lion Tribe had promised military cooperation with us.
We needed close communication with them as well.
Since Irene had brought many mana communicators, it would be good to send one to them too.
‘Now is the right time.’
It was just the beginning of winter, making it the best moment.
Once winter hit, both sides would be extremely busy, so now was optimal.
“Hmm, should I go to Rotsy?”
“Yes. Just deliver the mana communicator.”
“That’s not difficult.”
“Also, take some horned rabbit meat on the way. About ten warriors? I’ll attach that many.”
For the Lion Tribe city of Rotsy, Leisha and ten Black Lion warriors would be sent.
Crossing the Monster Mountains to reach the Lion Tribe would be Leisha’s specialty.
And since we were sending a mana communicator anyway, we’d bring some horned rabbit meat along.
The Lion Tribe wouldn’t refuse meat, so it would be a fair trade.
“Horned rabbit, good. What should I bring back?”
“Do the Beastmen use mana crystals?”
“They don’t normally. But they probably have some extracted for trade. Mana crystals are most useful when trading with humans.”
“Then I’ll take those this time.”
“Sure. It’s an easy task.”
Since it was winter, I didn’t want anything too heavy, so I instructed him to bring the lightest mana crystals.
In truth, the things we most needed—iron or gold—were still sufficient from previous trades, so we could save that for next time.
When spring came, it would be possible to receive goods more comfortably.
‘Indeed, if we could trade regularly with the north, the profit would be tremendous. It’s still uncertain, though.’
—Still, isn’t it better than before? The number of males who can use magic has increased greatly.
‘That’s true. Irene must be thinking the same as well.’
How should I proceed with this matter?
This wasn’t something that could be resolved right away, so I would need to think it through further.
The day after Rudick left for Henil Territory, and Leisha for Rotsy.
Irene came to find me.
“Lord Iron. I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“I heard that this is the time when we must start watching the north. Please send me and the Crimson Comet to the northern gate.”
“Oh, is that so?”
At present, only a few soldiers and rangers were stationed at the gate fortress defending the Monster Mountains.
From the reports I received from time to time, there were no signs yet of large-scale monster attacks.
But soon, the real assaults would begin. Based on experience, it was expected to start around December.
They usually tested the waters in November, then poured down in full scale from December—that was the usual pattern.
But predictions were only predictions.
The fact was that right now, the northern mountains were defended by troops without a commander, and that was worrisome.
‘Originally, I was planning to send Rudick there once he returned.’
Irene and the Crimson Comet had never fought in this area, but they were veterans who had long battled monsters.
Haken itself was surrounded by monsters on all sides, a true frontline, and the Crimson Comet had fought in countless battlefields without hesitation.
Since rangers were already dispatched to the fortress, Irene could manage to hold the gate fortress even if she wasn’t familiar with the terrain.
“It so happens that all the commanders are absent right now.”
“That’s why I believe I must go. Lord Iron, you must oversee the entire territory.”
“I was planning to send Rudick there as soon as he returned.”
“Then until that time, I’ll guard it. The Crimson Comet is a cavalry unit and not very accustomed to defensive warfare.”
“If that’s your reasoning, then I must send you.”
The Crimson Comet was a cavalry unit, usually tasked with charging and crushing enemies.
But most battles here were defensive in nature.
Even during the recent joint training, the Crimson Comet had shown some awkwardness in defensive combat.
A commander like Irene surely knew that what they needed most was experience.
It was only natural she wanted them to gain more before the true invasions began.
‘She’s a diligent woman, after all.’
And with that goal in mind, sending Irene north was the best choice.
It wasn’t particularly dangerous either.
The winter defense battles hadn’t started yet, and as long as I was here, I could rush to support the north immediately if something happened.
‘If Irene and the Crimson Comet are dispatched north, November should pass without major problems. More troops and another commander-level figure—those are real advantages.’
…That was what I thought.
—Hmm? Master, the diary…
‘Wait, what is this?’
Had the diary not suddenly appeared in my hand, glowing red.
The vision shown by the diary was extremely simple.
The memorial monument set up at the gate fortress.
A new monument had appeared there, bearing names inscribed upon it.
—Knight, Irene Haken.
The very first name was Irene’s.
And behind it, the knights of the Crimson Comet were listed one after another.
‘So Irene dies at the northern gate. And the Crimson Comet is annihilated as well.’
—That’s one hell of an ominous vision.
‘It feels like a future that’s coming to us.’
Irene’s death.
That was a development I had never even imagined.
“If Irene were to die or even be gravely injured, it would be catastrophic.”
Over a thousand residents had followed Irene from Haken to Johnson Territory.
A considerable number of troops had come under her banner as well.
On top of that, the current head of the Golem School, Elder Benetrang, who was still working here, was Irene’s maternal grandfather.
Even aside from worsening ties with Haken, I couldn’t predict what kind of upheaval would erupt within the territory.
“What could it be? The danger Irene faces. Monsters, I assume?”
I didn’t know when.
But it couldn’t be far off.
Since Irene was deploying to the gate fortress today, the trouble would occur there.
The memorial monument was, after all, for the warriors who had died defending the gate fortress.
If Irene, the commander, had her name inscribed there, the reasonable conclusion was that monsters were the cause.
“And the Crimson Comet wiped out too.”
Clearly, something tremendous had happened.
‘I wouldn’t have just stood by and watched.’
The northern gate fortress was only an hour away if I rode a three-horned mountain goat.
And Irene had a mana communicator linked to me.
So how could she have fallen?
The more I thought, the stranger it became.
‘Things are seriously wrong. I’ll have to follow her myself.’
There was no way to know what had happened.
The only option was to see it with my own eyes.