novelraw Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Chapter 96
We held a feast.
To mourn the warriors of the Territory who had crossed the river of no return, and to pray for our bright future ahead.
Everyone laughed and chatted happily.
The heart of honoring the fallen was sincere, but not being buried in grief was our way of life.
This time, the mood was even better because we had opened up some liquor.
There wasn’t much of it, but at least we could relieve some of the thirst and frustration that had built up.
‘The residents really like it. Once our grain situation improves, maybe I should consider brewing our own alcohol.’
Well, I’d never seen anyone who hated alcohol. Especially in this kind of world.
Once the farmlands started running properly, brewing liquor ourselves wouldn’t be impossible.
“This side is really busy.”
“Well, the situation is what it is. We can’t rest. It’s not like we’ve accomplished anything special to celebrate anyway.”
“Is that so.”
Even in this atmosphere, there were those who silently kept working—the Fox Tribe.
Yuria and the Fox Tribe were extremely busy compiling the information that flowed in from across the country.
‘That turned out to be more work than I thought.’
-There’s no such thing as a free lunch, Master.
The Fox Tribe collected information using a shamanic tool called ‘Magical Paper.’
Magical Paper came in pairs, and when something was written on one sheet, the same writing appeared on the other.
After a certain amount of time, the writing disappeared on its own, so it could be used to relay information multiple times.
The fact that it was created not with magic, but with shamanism, made it all the more fascinating.
The problem was that the number of Magical Papers the Fox Tribe used for collecting information numbered in the thousands.
There was a reason more than half of the Fox Tribe devoted themselves to gathering and organizing intel.
“They said the Boar Tribe was all executed?”
“That’s right. It seems an entire tribe gathered here with the intention of settling in this region.”
The first report that came in was that the remnants of the Boar Tribe had been executed.
It looked like the entire tribe had migrated to the Levelium region.
Once the warriors captured Johnson Territory, they had planned to relocate here immediately.
Perhaps it was the Hidden Mastermind’s intention, or maybe they just thought they could make use of each other. Either way, the Empire bastards and the Boar Tribe, who seemed completely mismatched, had temporarily joined hands.
But with the Boar Tribe warriors nearly wiped out, their plan completely collapsed.
In this situation, the Empire’s choice was to dispose of the Boar Tribe.
Only a few defeated stragglers of the Boar Tribe barely managed to flee to Levelium, but once word spread that their warriors had been annihilated, the Empire promptly cleaned them up.
They must have judged them to be of no further use.
As expected of the Empire bastards—quick to cut ties.
“But what about Albert? He’s still your real brother, isn’t he?”
“That man doesn’t matter. Whether he’s dead or alive, he’ll take care of himself. I’ve already severed ties with him. I don’t care.”
“Is that so.”
On the other hand, ever since the dissolution of the Level Merchant Group, there had been no word about Albert.
If he still had some value, he was probably alive, but no specific intel had come in.
Yuria didn’t seem particularly curious either, but generally, people like him tended to cling to life.
“The other Territories all seem quiet. Has news of Levelium not spread yet?”
“It looks like the Lords have gagged the Merchant Groups. Maybe they’re waiting to see how things play out.”
“As always, those nobles are so slow to act. Is it just the distance?”
It seemed the news that the Empire bastards were rampaging in Levelium hadn’t reached the southern residents yet.
The Levelium region was half a battlefield now, with trade through the Merchant Groups completely severed.
Surely the Merchant Groups and Lords had realized the situation, but there hadn’t been any noticeable movement.
It looked like only after the Lord’s Council was held would things start to take shape.
“Are you going to the Lord’s Council?”
“This time, I’ll have to. If the Empire bastards occupy Levelium, it won’t do us any good. They’re not an enemy we can handle alone. We’ll need to hear directly what the others plan to do.”
“That’s true.”
“You should prepare to go too. You know some people in the South, don’t you? They’ll probably listen to you more than to me.”
“Maybe. Alright then, let’s do that.”
Contrary to the Lord of Haken’s wish to convene the Council immediately, it hadn’t been held yet.
Judging by the talk, it seemed it would be soon, but with things this lukewarm, it didn’t look like any brilliant plans would come out of it.
Still, I needed to attend and listen. To see what everyone else was thinking.
That way, we could decide what to do.
“For now, Levelium’s a mess, so it doesn’t look like they’ll reach out here.”
If the Empire bastards completely conquered Levelium, they would eventually turn their attention this way.
They might attack us, or demand our submission.
This land was like a chicken rib—something you couldn’t do much with but hard to throw away. I wasn’t sure they’d come for it, but it was impossible to predict their decision.
Their way of thinking was entirely different from mine.
I just wanted to live quietly, managing the Territory as it was, but troublemakers kept showing up.
“Anyway, remember?”
“Remember what?”
“You said you’d give me a good present if we won this battle.”
“Oh, that…”
Right, I had said that.
Something about a hot kiss from a fox or whatever—another one of her meaningless flirts.
But why was she bringing it up now?
“What’s with that look? Rude. Shouldn’t you at least be a little excited?”
Apparently, my thoughts showed on my face.
But really, there was zero expectation for a flirt with no sincerity.
It was just annoying.
“Heh. Fine then. I said I’d give you a present, so I will.”
“…What?”
But this time, it felt different.
She actually meant to give me a gift.
At that thought, I swallowed dryly.
“Oh, your eyes finally changed.”
“Shut up. Just get to the point. What present? Don’t tell me…”
“Pfft. Too bad, but it’s not a fox’s kiss~”
“…Fine. Not like I wanted that anyway.”
-Master, you look disappointed. Were you actually hoping for it?
‘No. I was just curious what she’d say.’
It wasn’t because she was such an extraordinary beauty who wouldn’t bend to anyone’s tastes.
Nor because she was a Lord’s wife who flirted with lines about fox kisses.
Nor because I couldn’t even remember when my last kiss had been.
I definitely wasn’t expecting her to actually give me a passionate kiss.
-Stop it, Master. You’re pathetic.
“Hah. So, what is it then, this present?”
“Maybe it’s the thing you need the most?”
“So, what is it.”
“People.”
“People?”
“Yeah, people. Don’t you think people are what we need the most?”
People—we did need them.
Little by little, immigrants had started trickling in from here and there, and our Territory was now approaching a population of ten thousand.
Around seven or eight thousand?
If we reached twenty thousand, it would feel far more secure, but there was still a long way to go.
Half of the residents were Beastmen as well.
Even considering the Rabbit Tribe’s fast growth, I still wished the number of humans would increase.
‘But why bring this up here and now?’
Did she have a way to bring more immigrants in?
“As you know, Levelium is in chaos right now, isn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
“And their control isn’t stable yet.”
“They’re still at war. Of course it isn’t.”
“They say the Hawrun Territory, which was the first to be occupied and became their base, is surprisingly loosely guarded. Since the Empire bastards are on the offensive and the other Territories are only defending.”
“Wait, you mean from Hawrun Territory?”
“Mm-hm. I’m planning to bring some people out. There are those who want to leave because they hate the Empire bastards.”
That actually sounded plausible.
Even among our own residents, the very mention of the Empire bastards made them flinch.
Surely the same would be true in Levelium.
There had to be a fair number of people who, even with the inconvenience of relocating, wouldn’t want to live under the Empire’s rule.
If we pulled people out during the confusion of the ongoing war, it was certainly possible to receive immigrants.
“But at best, it won’t be many. The Empire bastards aren’t idiots. There’s no way they’d sit still and watch a steady stream of people leave.”
“True. But there’s an advantage.”
“What kind?”
“We can select who to bring. Just carefully take only the ones useful to us.”
“Ah, I see…”
She wasn’t wrong.
Rather than letting in strange people who could sour the atmosphere, it would be better for Johnson Territory to accept only a small number of immigrants who would truly settle in.
This was a dangerous land, after all, and already full of Beastmen.
If we let in humans who despised Beastmen, like Albert, it would only make things worse.
It was a shame we couldn’t take in many immigrants, but for now, this seemed the best course.
“So, how exactly are you planning to do it?”
“Nothing special. Just lend me the Rabbit Tribe and the Lion Tribe.”
“Really?”
Yuria’s plan was simple.
Her people still left in Hawrun would carefully gather those wishing to leave. The Rabbit Tribe, skilled at infiltration, escape, and evasion, would pull the people out.
Then the Black Lions would deliver them safely to the Territory.
If we stationed our Knights and Soldiers at an intermediate point, we could ensure a relatively safe relocation.
“Alright then, do it.”
For the time being, Levelium would stay a battlefield, so starting with Hawrun Territory and slowly expanding the scope was worth considering.
Once we built up some know-how in Hawrun, the next operation(?) would be easier.
If we could secure even two thousand people, that would be fantastic.
‘Though realistically, it’d only be a few hundred at best with this method.’
Still, the bigger the dream, the better.
“So then, when are you planning to leave for the Lord’s Council? If I’m attending too, I need to prepare in advance. Especially with this immigration plan.”
“Ah, right. First I need to deal with the urgent matter.”
“Urgent matter?”
“To settle my long-standing curiosity.”
Now that we finally had some breathing room, there was something I needed to check.
The mine.
Back when I transmigrated, I had heard of an assassination attempt on Iron.
It was then I first learned the mysterious assassins had tried to collapse the mine.
It had puzzled me, but I let it go.
At the time, there were too many pressing issues, and with the Diary’s revelation of the Monster Wave being so shocking, I had no room for other thoughts.
Later, when Yuria explained about the Hidden Mastermind, my suspicions only deepened.
When I heard the Boar Tribe had retrieved a Divine Relic from that mine, I could nod in understanding.
But why, then, had they tried to collapse the cave where they found the Relic? I couldn’t comprehend it.
It was something no one would attempt unless there was truly something there.
‘So this time, I’ll check it properly.’
As far as I remembered, that mine was just an empty cave.
But since they kept making such a fuss about it, I would investigate under the assumption there was indeed something hidden.
Maybe, just maybe, there’d be a clue to the Hidden Mastermind’s next plan.
The fact that they wanted it buried meant that an intact mine must have interfered with their scheme.
And so, to uncover the mine’s secret, a special strike team for the mine was dispatched.