novelraw Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Chapter 78
The last supper before leaving for Haken.
We even grilled and ate beef.
It was Elinne’s gift to us to celebrate the successful deal.
In truth, I had been more curious about horned ostrich, one of the specialties of the Territory of Vines, but they said it wasn’t allowed to be taken out.
Unlike horned rabbits, they said the numbers weren’t that many.
“Disappointing. Perhaps this body has already become one that cannot be satisfied without horned rabbit.”
“But still, this is beef, you know.”
Yet it didn’t receive much praise.
It was a little different from the beef I remembered.
Maybe because it fed on mana, it was tougher than expected, and so it was disappointing.
I guessed my palate had grown too accustomed to horned rabbit.
“I do wonder what beef before the Great Cataclysm tasted like. They say our ancestors’ love for beef was extraordinary, so surely it must have been tastier than horned rabbit, wasn’t it?”
“That makes sense. I think I’ve heard that too.”
“Wouldn’t they eventually start working on breeding improvements once they had some leeway? The era of using cattle for farming will probably pass soon enough. They might even be working on it already. For example…”
“Wouldn’t that be Vines? It’s the place with the most cattle.”
“Could be.”
Whatever it had been in the past, in this era I could confidently say horned rabbit was the best.
Unless a new breed of cattle appeared with improved meat quality, that wouldn’t change.
No, even if new cattle breeds were born, horned rabbit wouldn’t lose its edge.
As long as humanity kept growing, meat consumption would only increase.
“If I opened a restaurant in Rubina with horned rabbit meat, I think I’d make a fortune.”
“You feel the same way, Sir?”
“Yes, delicious things always appeal, after all.”
“Though realistically, it’s impossible.”
A restaurant in another territory.
Truly a dreamlike idea.
The journey to Haken was nothing but smooth.
The highway connecting Rubina and Haken was sometimes prowled by bandits, but no gang foolish enough to attack a procession accompanied by a whole knight order existed.
Especially with the Crimson Comet. In this area, there was no one who didn’t know of them, which only reinforced that.
Monsters occasionally crawled out to annoy us, but we dealt with them and moved on.
It would’ve been stranger if there were no monsters on these mountain paths far from a castle.
“Oh, so this is the Bellurik battlefield.”
“Yes, the Catastrophe-Class monster ‘Iron Fist’ was dealt with here.”
“A whole mountain blown away. Catastrophe-Class monsters really are…”
“Wouldn’t the Named Masters who defeated it be even more incredible?”
“That’s true. I can’t even begin to imagine how strong they were.”
Riding the mountain goats, we arrived near what used to be Mount Bellurik.
This was where, in the early Great Cataclysm when dimensional rifts appeared frequently, the Catastrophe-Class monster Iron Fist and the Named Masters had fought a fierce battle.
The aftershocks of that fight had blown away part of Mount Bellurik, leaving behind a gaping hole—a massive gorge.
An entire mountain had vanished from the battle’s aftermath.
Looking at it, I realized again just how extraordinary those Masters of the time had been.
The Named figures of that era even appeared in Gate Master, the game the people enjoyed, and their renown was still immense.
It was thanks to their efforts that the world had stabilized like this, and I too wanted to pay respect to their labors.
“Let’s hurry. Once we pass this gorge, Haken is right ahead.”
Just as Irene said, after riding for another hour we reached Haken.
The massive outer walls were so grand they could be recognized even from afar.
Haken was far larger than I had expected.
“Wow, that big?”
“It has to be. Over a hundred thousand people live there.”
“One hundred thousand, huh. Right, I remember.”
“It’s said to be a hundred thousand, but the number is still increasing even now. Some are being resettled in nearby territories.”
“That’s something to envy.”
As the Great Cataclysm gradually settled, a baby boom had occurred.
Now, over a decade later, the children born then had grown into adults and begun forming families of their own, so another boom would soon follow.
Haken had developed steadily after the frequency of dimensional rifts had diminished.
Though battles with monsters were common, it was never to the desperate level of the Johnson Territory, where survival itself was in question.
Unless some great upheaval occurred, the population would continue to grow for the time being.
“When I visited in the past, it wasn’t this big of a city.”
“You’re right. Back then it had maybe sixty thousand? Around that. But then, suddenly immigrants started to increase sharply. That was about ten years ago, I think? Thanks to that, Haken Castle had to expand several times.”
“Yes, I remember that period.”
Right after the Great Cataclysm quieted down, the population hadn’t been concentrated in one place like now.
It had been divided into small territories.
Back then, human survival itself couldn’t be guaranteed.
But as time passed, humans adapted and began gathering into safer places.
Haken, New Level, and Vines were among the great territories that expanded during this period.
People had migrated to larger territories to secure their own safety.
Just within Haken Castle there were over one hundred thousand people, and if you included everyone living within Haken’s domain, it would number in the several hundred thousands.
For us, it was a number almost unimaginable.
“It’s really a shame we missed that period. Then again, we were barely managing to survive back then.”
During the time when territories were being merged and migrations were active, our Johnson Territory had been wandering at the brink of ruin.
So many had died during the Great Raids of the Gnolls, and even my father, the Lord, had lost his life at that time.
Back then, we had even considered dissolving our territory and being absorbed into another.
In such circumstances, no one would think of migrating to Johnson Territory.
People migrated for safety, but Johnson Territory had been anything but safe.
Even though I knew well how things were at the time, looking now at the massive Haken Castle, I couldn’t help but feel a little regret.
Since most of the scattered residents had already settled stably, it would never again be so easy to gather people as in the past.
In that sense, being able to absorb the beastmen had been a stroke of fortune.
—This must all be the grace of Lord Bestia.
‘Well, that’s true.’
For the territory to keep developing, we’d need more people in the future, but I couldn’t even begin to guess how to gather them.
This was likely a problem I’d continue to wrestle with going forward.
“Hurry inside, Lord Iron. Father must be waiting.”
“Ah, you’re right. Let’s head straight to the mansion.”
While lost in old thoughts as I walked, before long we had arrived at Haken Castle.
As soon as we passed through the massive castle gates, knights who had been waiting in advance greeted Irene, and we were guided directly to the mansion where the Lord of Haken resided.
“So this is the mansion?”
“More like… a small castle? It was built large enough to serve as a refuge in times of crisis.”
“Impressive indeed. Don’t tell me this too…”
“Yes, my grandfather built it.”
“As expected, Elder Benetrang? No wonder I can feel how much effort went into it—since it’s the home for his daughter and granddaughter.”
“I think it’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not entirely wrong. The project was built on such a scale in the first place because of his stubbornness.”
“Well, I can see that.”
The Lord of Haken’s mansion, solid and majestic as though carved from massive stone, looked less like a mansion and more like a small fortress.
Surely it had been built that way with the idea of retreating here and holding out during a siege in the last moments.
Even when I saw Haken’s outer walls, I had thought the same—when it came to fortification, the Golem School truly was the best.
“So, you’ve come.”
“It’s been a long time, my Lord.”
“Yes, more than ten years. It’s been over a decade since you became Lord yourself, hasn’t it? You carry yourself with gravitas now.”
“Once, I was just a hot-blooded youth.”
“That’s true. You were. Was it that you wanted to see Haken’s festival?”
“Yes, I plan to enjoy the festival in Haken and then return with Sir Irene.”
“Hmph, with Irene.”
The Lord of Haken looked quite aged since the last time we had met.
His robust body and strong impression remained, but the overwhelming charisma I once felt had faded greatly.
Even the Lord of Haken could not hold back the passing of time, it seemed.
“For the Lord himself to come down here, when you could’ve just sent her along. Johnson Territory must have plenty of leisure now.”
“It shows how important Sir Irene is to Johnson. Important enough for the Lord to personally escort her.”
“She’s only been there for so short a time, and already you call her important…”
“It’s simply that our territory lacks much. Please teach us more, my Lord.”
“Ha, truly. You’ve changed a lot. You’re like a completely different person.”
When Irene was mentioned, the Lord of Haken showed subtle displeasure.
So he really had hoped to keep her by his side for as long as possible.
They say people become like children as they age, and just from this I could sense how old the Lord of Haken had become.
Where had the boldness gone—the one who had generously overlooked me, even after I had gravely injured Irene?
—Could it be the matter of succession that weakened him?
Surely his inability to firmly resolve the successor issue was because his affection for blood relations was simply too great.
His effort to call Irene back to Haken was likely for a similar reason.
Yet judging by his tone now, it didn’t seem like he intended to force her to remain in Haken permanently.
If that were the case, his response would’ve been far sharper than this.
—Even so, he seems a bit petty.
‘Well, it’s only natural he might feel some bitterness.’
Still, it was the Lord of Haken who had made Haken into a great territory.
His boldness couldn’t possibly be small.
‘So perhaps the real reason lies elsewhere.’
It seemed Irene had been held back in Haken for reasons beyond just the Lord of Haken.
Of course, if a reason arose for her to settle here, he would be the happiest person to welcome it. That much was certain—a potential risk factor.
‘But he’s not unreasonable.’
I told the Lord of Haken about how greatly Irene had distinguished herself last winter.
For a man of his age, nothing was more pleasing than hearing praise of his child.
As I had expected, once I embellished Irene’s exploits a little, I could sense his mood improving in real time.
“Haha, indeed. It’s already late. Rest in my home tonight, and tomorrow you may enjoy the festival. There will be much to see.”
“Thank you kindly for your hospitality.”
By the time our conversation ended, the Lord of Haken seemed much more at ease.
It seemed recounting Irene’s life in Johnson Territory, unknown to him, had been very effective.
—You know how to get things done when needed, Master.
‘Of course. Haken is our ally.’
After all, we were in cooperation, with no reason to keep each other in check.
That sharpness earlier had only been from a fit of temper.
‘And now it’s clear.’
From that display, I was almost certain the Lord of Haken wasn’t scheming anything.
Not that it was impossible it could’ve been an act, but—would he really go that far?
On the surface, my reason for being here was to enjoy Haken’s festival, so I would take my time and watch the situation unfold.