novelraw Chapter 101 : Chapter 101
Chapter 101 : Chapter 101
101. Wolfgang de Eisenpelt
The drawbridge leading into the city of Beldana. As always, countless people crowded across it.
A long line stretched endlessly.
All were waiting to enter the city.
Monks and pilgrims, travelers and adventurers, merchants and migrants, provincial nobles… people from every walk of life mingled in the queue.
Among them, a group of nobles from the provinces began whispering.
“Look there, isn’t that the crest of the Miyatro family?”
All eyes turned to the opposite drawbridge.
The bridge stood empty.
There was no line.
That drawbridge was reserved for guests invited by the count.
“Indeed. The crescent crest. It symbolizes the Watcher of the Abyss.”
Across the quiet bridge came an ornate carriage.
On its side was a design of a blue crescent moon.
The symbol of the Miyatro family.
No noble could fail to recognize it.
Though fallen now, the Miyatro family had once been the most prestigious in the continent.
“So the rumors were true. They say the count and the Miyatro baronling have joined hands.”
Only honored guests were allowed across the opposite bridge.
Surely, the Miyatro baronling was in that carriage.
“Baronling? What are you talking about? That bastard ascended as head of house over two months ago.”
Several looked puzzled.
“Head of house, at such a young age?”
“Exactly. They say he’s still just a boy.”
One noble clicked his tongue.
“How can you all be so slow with news? You don’t even know the Council changed the law? To make that bastard head of house, the capital was in an uproar.”
All the nobles of the Council had been summoned to amend the law.
The meetings lasted days, and the vote eventually passed unanimously.
The bastard of the baronial house, Yohan von Miyatro, was now officially the Watcher of the Abyss.
Everyone gasped.
“It was such nonsense I dismissed it as rumor… but is it actually true?”
“I thought the royal decree was a mistake.”
“The world’s gone mad. A bastard as head of house, and Watcher of the Abyss no less.”
The noble at the front thumped his chest in exasperation.
“Fools, that’s not the real issue. It’s not just that he inherited the house.”
“What could be bigger than that?”
“He is now a member of the Council!”
The Council was composed of ten nobles who governed the kingdom.
Each one was among the most powerful people in the land.
A bastard from a remote barony could never be their equal.
Everyone was horrified.
“H-how could such a disgraceful thing happen?!”
“The world’s truly lost its senses!”
“His Majesty approved this?!”
One noble sighed.
“What power does His Majesty even have? The king is nothing but the count’s puppet.”
“Keep your voice down! If anyone hears…”
“Tell me I’m wrong. Aren’t you all standing here to side with the count over the king?”
A few cleared their throats.
They couldn’t deny it.
They had come to Beldana to secure even the smallest connection with the count.
Such nobles gathered at the count’s estate daily.
“In any case, the Council’s decision this time was reckless.”
“Agreed. I simply cannot accept it.”
“Whatever the high lords intended, I still don’t understand it.”
Each voiced their thoughts while staring at the opposite bridge.
Their gazes were thick with jealousy, envy, longing, and resignation.
But the carriage pressed forward, indifferent.
The opinions of common folk mattered not.
Yohan had no time to waste on them.
***
Inside the carriage, Ilea pulled the curtain slightly aside to peek out.
“They’re all staring at us. Quite a lot of eyes.”
Opposite her, Yohan set down his teacup.
“Well, it’s only natural. Rumors of me must be rampant across the kingdom.”
Most nobles would resent Yohan.
In noble society, a capable bastard was nothing but an eyesore.
He would never be looked upon kindly.
Ilea smiled faintly.
“Such rude eyes. Should I toy with them a little?”
She could play tricks with magic.
Yohan replied calmly.
“Don’t bother. They’re worthless.”
He had no intention of wasting strength on extras like them.
He needed to conserve everything for facing the Council nobles.
Ilea let the curtain fall.
“Honestly, I’m a bit bored. Ten days in this carriage is maddening.”
They had traveled from the south to the center by carriage.
Without magic or authority, moving normally.
It was deliberate—to show their journey to the capital to all.
To make the Miyatro barony known.
The plan had worked perfectly.
In ten days, Yohan had passed through countless domains and villages, and now his name would spread across the kingdom.
―――The Watcher of the Abyss advances to the center.
With so many eyes on him, his standing would rise the more he achieved.
Of course, one mistake would mean swift ruin, but Yohan was confident he would succeed.
A double-edged sword was already a familiar weapon to him.
Yohan spoke.
“Didn’t you say it felt like traveling before? Seems you’re already tired of it.”
He and Ilea had spent ten days in this cramped carriage together.
They had conversed more than ever.
For Ilea, it had been quite satisfying.
“Tired? No. I enjoyed it and would gladly do it again, but right now I’m a little down. After all, I’ll be apart from Yohan for a while.”
Ilea would be staying with the count.
Yohan would leave her behind to head for the capital.
They would not be together for some time.
“Bear it a little. I’ll come for you soon.”
Ilea gazed at Yohan, then smiled playfully.
“As a husband?”
If she became the count’s adopted daughter and then married Yohan, the Miyatro family would gain immense power.
Yohan had surely considered that possibility.
He answered calmly.
“Hard to say, but it’s possible. Even if it happens, it’ll be for show. You won’t lose your freedom.”
Ilea smiled brightly.
“I don’t mind.”
“What do you mean?”
“I wouldn’t mind living as your wife.”
“I feel the same. Outward relations don’t matter to me.”
In this world, all bonds with others were but struggles to survive.
Marriage, loyalty, alliances—they were means to an end.
Marrying a witch was no different.
Ilea puffed her cheeks slightly.
“Yohan, do you even understand what I mean?”
Yohan nodded.
“Of course. Whatever binds us, I will aid your Transcending Heaven. One day, you can use my position and power as you wish.”
Ilea stared at him, then suddenly sighed.
“Forget it. Let’s drop it. I don’t feel like talking anymore.”
Yohan looked puzzled.
“Does something trouble you?”
“Everything, from beginning to end.”
“Speak freely. I’ll accept almost anything.”
He intended to grant nearly all her requests.
She had given him too much already.
He owed her greatly.
Ilea spoke dully.
“Think about it yourself.”
She said nothing more.
Yohan felt awkward.
In the uneasy silence, the carriage entered the city.
***
In the Staviana Count’s manor, within the ornate reception hall, the count sat at a table, staring forward.
Across from him sat a huge, white-haired man.
The giant squirmed constantly in the narrow chair, clearly uncomfortable.
At last, he sprang up with a roar.
“Damn this chair! I cannot sit in it a moment longer!”
The bellow was vast and beastlike.
He kicked the chair hard.
It shot into the air and struck the ceiling.
A crash thundered.
The chair shattered into pieces.
The wreckage clattered across the floor.
Despite the chaos, Count Staviana showed no disturbance.
He calmly sipped his tea and said,
“Father-in-law, this is not the north. Please restrain yourself.”
The giant brushed back his cropped white hair.
Even that small movement sent the veins and muscles of his arms bulging.
For a man nearly 150 years old, he was frighteningly robust.
The old titan bellowed,
“Restrain myself? Cromwell, you always did care too much for appearances! In the north, even women never speak of such things!”
He was the Tiger of the North. Master of the Eisenpelt family. The border count who defended the kingdom against monsters.
Count Staviana said with a blank face,
“Again, I remind you, this is not the north.”
Wolfgang Eisenpelt roared with laughter.
“Have you forgotten? I am the north, and the north is me. Wherever I stand is the north. In the north, follow northern law, Cromwell Staviana.”
Count Staviana swallowed his irritation.
Wolfgang was not a man one could reason with.
“…Fine. Then speak about your business. Why summon me privately?”
Wolfgang frowned.
“The kingdom’s chancellor can’t even face me properly? Cromwell, where has your old fire gone? Weak as you are, no wonder you couldn’t protect your woman.”
Count Staviana’s face darkened.
He quickly composed himself and said,
“Father-in-law, Yeriel was your daughter too.”
Wolfgang was Yeriel’s father, Cromwell’s father-in-law.
Wolfgang scoffed.
“I have over twenty daughters. But you had only one wife. If I had only Yeriel, I would’ve staked my life to protect her. You failed.”
Count Staviana glared coldly at Wolfgang.
As he opened his mouth to retort, a knock sounded.
A knight entered the chamber.
“Forgive me, but an urgent matter.”
He approached and whispered to the count.
At once, Wolfgang slammed the table.
“Do not whisper before me!”
The table shattered into splinters.
The knight froze solid, overwhelmed by his aura.
Count Staviana said calmly,
“Even with age, your temper never—”
Wolfgang cut him off.
“The Watcher of the Abyss is here? Bring him before me immediately.”
His ears had caught even the faintest whisper.
He had already heard everything.
Count Staviana spoke.
“Are you not busy? Just finish your business and go.”
Wolfgang’s lips curled in a broad grin.
“My business is the Watcher of the Abyss. Yohan Miyatro. I must know why you defend him.”
The count’s head throbbed.
He could hardly predict what would happen if Yohan and Wolfgang came face-to-face.