novelraw Chapter 102 : Chapter 102
Chapter 102 : Chapter 102
102. Measure
As soon as Yohan entered the city of Beldana, he headed straight for the Staviana lord’s castle.
A massive fortress unfolded before his eyes.
If the Miyatro castle was dignified and old-fashioned, the count was the pinnacle of splendor.
Even the soldiers at the gate were clad in gleaming armor.
They let Yohan’s carriage pass without inspection.
Inside, countless iron gates opened and closed in succession.
Ilea drew back the curtain slightly and peered outside.
“Seems the count already noticed your arrival, Yohan.”
Otherwise, there would never have been no inspection.
The count’s castle was infamous for its strict entry procedures.
Yohan nodded.
“They must have reported to him as soon as we crossed the drawbridge.”
Ilea thought for a moment, then spoke.
“It might be good to establish a similar system in the barony.”
Compared to the count’s territory, the Miyatro defense structure was far too lax.
In truth, anyone determined enough could waltz into the castle.
That system needed change.
Yohan said,
“Once this business is done, I intend to overhaul the whole castle.”
Manpower had to be replenished, and the castle reinforced.
“A good idea. I’ll help.”
“No need. Focus on your own mission.”
Ilea would be entering the count’s household as an adopted daughter to infiltrate noble society.
She wouldn’t have time for anything else.
Her expression soured a little.
“A mission, huh. Start now. It already feels tedious.”
Before she could say more, the carriage stopped.
A knock, followed by a calm voice.
“We’ve arrived. Please disembark.”
Yohan opened the door.
A neatly dressed elder in a tunic bowed to him.
Behind the man stretched a blue garden and splendid buildings.
Yohan asked him,
“Are you the count’s butler?”
“Indeed. Please, call me Baden. It is an honor to greet the Watcher of the Abyss.”
Introducing himself as Baden, the man was dignified and composed.
Though a commoner, he carried the air of a noble.
“Well then, Baden. Where is the count? I’d like to meet him at once.”
Baden gestured toward the building behind him.
“For now, please proceed to the annex. The count is meeting another guest.”
The count was a busy man. In truth, even high nobles often waited weeks to see him.
Only a handful in the kingdom, Yohan among them, could visit unannounced.
Yohan nodded.
“No choice then. Lead the way.”
He headed straight toward the building ahead.
***
A guest room in the annex of the count’s castle. Yohan sipped tea as he waited.
But the count did not appear.
Instead, a familiar face entered the room.
“Sir Yohan, it’s been a while.”
A middle-aged knight with a neat appearance, Myra, smiled at him.
Yohan smiled gently in return.
“Good to see you again, Sir Myra.”
Myra had once visited the barony to deliver the count’s invitation.
“That you remember my name, Watcher of the Abyss, is an honor.”
Yohan waved it off.
“No need for ceremony. More importantly, I’d hoped to greet Sir Campbell as well.”
When Myra came to the barony, Campbell had accompanied him.
A knight whose face was half covered in scars—that was Campbell.
At the mention of his name, a shadow crossed Myra’s face.
He forced a smile.
“Ha, Campbell isn’t in Beldana. He’s gone on another mission.”
The corner of Yohan’s mouth twitched upward.
‘Mission? More like betrayal.’
Campbell had fallen to Mapheltan and betrayed the count.
He must already be in league with the Third Prince Gawain.
Myra was hiding that fact.
Though Yohan knew the full truth, he feigned ignorance.
“Unfortunately, but it can’t be helped. Please pass along my regards when you see him.”
Myra wore a polite smile.
“Of course. Campbell will regret missing this chance to meet you.”
Empty courtesy.
Campbell bore no goodwill toward Yohan, and Myra knew it well.
Yohan shifted the topic.
“Seems the count is quite busy.”
He had waited long, yet the count hadn’t shown.
Myra spoke with a serious expression.
“In fact, he has a very important guest.”
The heaviness in his tone piqued Yohan’s curiosity.
“May I ask who?”
“The kingdom’s border count, Lord Wolfgang Eisenpelt, is currently in the audience.”
Yohan was startled.
‘That northern specter came down to the center?’
Wolfgang bore many nicknames.
One of them: the Specter of the North.
He almost never left his territory.
Even when summoned by the king, he usually sent a proxy.
He had no interest in politics.
His focus lay in one thing only—slaughtering monsters. Wolfgang Eisenpelt was a war fanatic.
Peaceful central lands held no appeal for him.
There was no reason for him to visit the count.
Yohan found it baffling.
“The border count is here?”
“Yes. Quite unusual.”
It was winter. In winter, the north was frantic.
When the cold set in, monsters from beyond the wall would migrate southward, unable to endure the chill.
Northern warriors had to stop their invasion.
If the north broke, the continent would be trampled.
And yet, Wolfgang had abandoned the north now.
Yohan could not guess why.
He swallowed hard.
“Sir Myra, forgive me, but may I ask—why did the border count come here?”
Myra looked troubled.
“I cannot imagine. I’m sorry I can’t be of help.”
Yohan clicked his tongue softly.
As he fell into thought, the ground began to rumble.
The building shook violently.
Like an earthquake.
Yohan muttered,
“What on earth…”
He never finished.
The door burst open.
Both Yohan and Myra froze.
They felt an overwhelming presence.
A towering figure stood at the threshold, staring inside.
His gaze was that of a predator eyeing prey.
An uneasy silence fell.
Myra gathered himself and stammered,
“G-greetings, Grand Marshal.”
The intruder was Wolfgang himself.
Grand Marshal of the kingdom and supreme commander of the north. Wolfgang Eisenpelt stood before Yohan.
Yohan was caught off guard.
To meet Wolfgang here of all places… not in the plan.
By the original timeline, their first encounter was years away.
This came far too soon.
His mind stiffened.
‘Damn it.’
Wolfgang was notoriously temperamental.
One misstep, and Yohan would pay dearly.
He had to leave a strong impression.
He racked his brain, recalling how the original described Wolfgang.
But Wolfgang allowed no time.
He strode into the room.
Each step made the ground quake.
His frame, his expression, his gaze—all exuded crushing force.
‘Exactly as described in the novel.’
Ordinary men could not meet his eyes.
Even fearless monsters cowered before him.
Yohan too was tense.
Greatly so.
But he showed none of it.
He kept a calm expression.
Wolfgang stopped before Yohan.
He spoke slowly.
“How long do you intend to sit?”
Yohan had yet to rise.
It was, in truth, an offense.
Before the Grand Marshal of the kingdom, he should have stood and paid respect.
Yohan answered evenly.
“Until you reveal your identity.”
One of Wolfgang’s brows twitched.
Myra panicked.
“Sir Yohan, what are you saying? Greet the Grand Marshal at once!”
Yohan frowned.
“You claim this ruffian is truly the Grand Marshal?”
Myra turned pale.
Count Staviana entered quietly, watching both men.
A vein bulged on Wolfgang’s forehead.
He glared at Yohan.
“…Ruffian?”
Yohan did not avert his eyes.
“Are you offended? You have no right to be.”
Wolfgang had shown him no courtesy.
He barged in uninvited, looked down on him, and treated him rudely.
If anything, Wolfgang was the first to offend.
Wolfgang rumbled in a low voice.
“My name is Wolfgang. Does that give me the right now?”
Yohan showed no disturbance.
He even smirked.
“Can you prove it?”
Wolfgang let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Brat. Say that again.”
In 150 years of life, he’d rarely experienced such insolence.
Yohan replied calmly.
“I find it hard to believe you’re the Grand Marshal. Why would the wall of the north be here, in the south, in the dead of winter? Unless you prove yourself, you’re nothing but an impostor in my eyes.”
Wolfgang looked at him, then shifted his gaze to Count Staviana.
The count’s expression was almost pleasing.
“As you hear, the Watcher of the Abyss says so.”
Wolfgang’s mouth curled wider and wider.
He bared a savage grin.
“Fine. Then you, too, must prove yourself worthy of that title. Fail my expectations, and I’ll personally take your life.”
At once, Wolfgang clenched his fists.
His upper garments exploded off.
A body of scars and muscle was revealed.
Not the body of an ordinary man.
It was the body of one who had lived in hell.
The air grew oppressively heavy.
Gravity crushed the annex.
All the servants collapsed.
Even Knight Myra couldn’t endure.
He gasped for breath, groaning under the pressure.
Yohan frowned.
‘…Same as with Beris.’
When Apostle Beris had been summoned, the sheer difference in realm had pressed down on space itself.
It was the same now.
A veteran who had transcended was radiating presence akin to an Apostle.
Yohan forced himself upright through the crushing pressure.
He met Wolfgang’s gaze head-on.
“Yohan von Miyatro. I greet the Grand Marshal.”
Blood trickled down his nose.
But his expression remained calm.
Wolfgang’s grin split ear to ear.
He burst into laughter.
“Ha! A fine one! Welcome to the north, Watcher of the Abyss!”