Wolves of Hader

Chapter 108

It all happened in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, I entered the tunnel of light, and that moment lasted less than a second.

It felt as if streams of light enveloped me and vanished.

To be precise, I passed through the tunnel of light, but the process occurred in a split second.

All I sensed was being sucked somewhere.

I couldn't analyze what was inside the tunnel of light or what those beams actually were.

Though fleeting, I glimpsed a small hole of light, and the air felt extremely cold.

There didn't seem to be any pressure or gravity. I couldn't even tell if there was air at all.

So, I passed through the tunnel of light.

When I emerged, I was inside the tent of the new territory.

Behind me was the sphere of light belonging to the new territory.

At my feet was the silver that had been thrown from the fortress.

I picked it up and inspected the sphere and the magic array again. The mana stone still had no magic power.

The sphere was the same size as before.

Even though a person had traveled through, there was no increase in mana consumption, nor had the sphere shrunk.

Its power felt slightly diminished.

"Is there anyone out there?"

Soon enough, a knight unlocked the latch and entered. As soon as he saw me, he was startled.

"When did you arrive, young lord?"

"Call Urald and Wundbark."

"Understood!"

The knight hurried off to the workshop.

The knights guarding this magic array don't know its true purpose.

A little while later, Urald and Wundbark entered the tent.

For a moment, both were speechless as their eyes darted between me and the sphere.

Then they both spoke at once.

"So you really teleported!"

"And the gate didn't disappear even after a transfer!"

"Will the gate remain like this?"

"What is inside that sphere?"

I replied with a smile.

"Try traveling through it yourselves."

"Was there any danger?"

"Don't you see the young lord is fine?"

Urald strode up to the sphere.

After examining it for a bit, he spoke.

"No one is to come in here until I return. You could collide with someone inside."

"That's a good point."

With that, Urald entered the sphere. He was sucked in with a swoosh—just like I had felt.

Wundbark's mouth fell open.

"That's simply astounding."

After a short wait, Urald stumbled out of the sphere, as if someone had pushed him.

His face was glowing with excitement.

"This is truly miraculous magic! Do you know what I saw inside? I saw the subspace I had only heard of in stories. I teleported in the blink of an eye!"

"There's a subspace inside?"

"It was only for an instant, but it was unmistakably a magical subspace. You must experience it yourself."

"All right."

Wundbark cautiously entered the sphere as well. He returned after about ten seconds.

"Phew! Now I see why you were surprised!"

"Did you see the subspace?"

"I did. It was like stars were shining around me."

Urald and Wundbark began talking excitedly about their experiences, analyzing things here and there.

I believe the Gate of Magic must connect spatial and temporal dimensions.

The beams of light felt like pathways formed in the cracks of spacetime.

There must be identical magic arrays to form a gate.

What does this mean?

Under conditions where the magnetic field is enough to twist spacetime itself, if two perfectly identical points appear, it looks like they connect to each other. But if they're connected, why?

You can't explain magic with science, but magic is still based on the laws of nature.

The elemental serves as a special medium that guides those laws.

So, just as there's something unknown beyond the universe, there's something here that we don't yet understand.

Science hasn't solved it, but magic discovered it—and thus made use of it.

It's fascinating in so many ways.

Magic resembles science, in that there's already magic that discovered the unknown.

"I'll head back now."

"If you ever want to return, give us a sign first. Ah, I suppose you could use a silver coin like the young lord did."

"Good idea. Just in case, I'll throw a feather first. It probably won't kill me if I get hit by a feather while crossing."

"Yes, that's probably safer."

"All right, then."

I entered the sphere.

Again, the transfer happened in an instant.

It's just amazing.

When I returned to the fortress and checked the sphere, its size was unchanged.

Its power felt a bit more diminished. At this rate, it seemed there were about twenty more trips left before depletion.

/ / /

After returning to my room, I began working on documents.

These were the documents to be sent with the first trading fleet to Robe.

Once the fleet departed, they would head to Urada.

When leaving Robe, we brought in two standard electric motors and two large water pumps, as well as four city water pumps.

They're for both research and practical use.

So, I sent one large pump to Urada's territory first.

I'm also purchasing all the water pipes produced and sending them to Urada's territory.

"Young lord."

"Yes, come in."

The door opened and Johnny entered.

"Is the ship repair finished?"

"Yes. Of the ten ships the young lord brought in, five of the small ones will be sent this time. Goods for the volcanic archipelago and workers will be going as well."

"Yes, I heard. About the list of goods."

I passed the documents to Johnny.

These are the goods exchanged between the Robe Republic and the Dalin merchant guild.

Exports:

- Copper. Worth 30,000 gold coins.

- Porcelain clay. Worth 5,000 gold coins.

- Pork. Worth 1,000 gold coins.

- Various alcoholic beverages and processed foods.

Imports:

- Raw rubber. Worth 30,000 gold coins.

- Glass fiber insulators. Worth 5,000 gold coins.

- Electrical parts. Worth 500 gold coins.

- Rubber tires. Worth 500 gold coins.

- Various Robe special products.

The items we're importing are all electricity-related materials.

Rubber is a 100% import because only Robe has the trees, and we're importing insulators due to immediate supply difficulties.

Since the Dalin merchant guild is short on cash, we matched prices and quantities through barter.

The goal is not direct profit from trading, but to sell the imported goods back home.

"The corps leader of the trading fleet will probably want to take the shortest route. That would mean passing through the divine order's domain, but instead, tell them to go around via the volcanic archipelago."

"All right. But, um... is there a reason?"

"Traveling through the divine order's territory could cause problems later. Agents hired by the big merchants might disguise themselves as pirates to assault our fleet."

"Understood. I'll deliver it as a special directive from the young lord."

I glanced briefly at the map hanging on the wall.

There shouldn't be any particular trouble for this trade, but next time, the odds of problems are considerably higher.

If it becomes known to merchants of the empire that we're trading directly with Robe, they will certainly attempt to interfere.

The divine order is also an interested party and won't just watch idly.

"Send an armed escort ship equipped with cannons, hire fishermen from the volcanic archipelago as crew, and make sure they carry out the tasks I previously assigned there."

"Yes."

"And one more special instruction."

Johnny was jotting notes when he looked up at me.

I had long since steeled myself for this.

"If any ship approaches even after repeated warnings, have them fire the cannon. Three warnings. If those three are ignored, sink the ship without hesitation."

"I'll relay your order."

The Tern navy might try to assault us.

But they can't operate all the way to the waters of the volcanic archipelago.

It's too far, and supplying materials would be too hard.

If the imperial navy assaults us, that's essentially a declaration of war.

It'd be under direct orders from Grand Duke Syren.

If they disguise themselves as pirates, they can just be sunk.

The most dangerous are, of course, the divine order.

If putting pressure on the Robe royal family doesn't work, they will openly attack us.

They'd be losing a massive cut in intermediary trading. Their actions are predictable.

They might bribe the Krapos pirates.

Or agitate Tern or the empire.

Or simply strike at us directly.

/ / /

The carriage entered Urada territory.

The Berserkers accompanied me, and Ross came along too. When I asked if he had no thought for his house, he replied,

"I should at least visit Urada territory once. A huge venture is beginning here, and as head of house, I can't just receive reports."

"It's not even been a month since you separated."

"And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Do you see Jena's face in your dreams every night? Does a single day apart feel like dying?"

"You— rascal!"

Ross pretended to hit me but burst out laughing.

That's love for you.

"The family head is arriving!"

"Open the castle gates!"

The carriage entered Urada castle.

The soldiers, once a band of defeated men, now welcomed us with roaring cheers.

Over a hundred soldiers guard the castle.

In the castle garden, madam Urada and Jena were waiting.

Behind them stood Aldo the steward as well.

As I got out of the carriage, the madam and Jena greeted us first.

"It's good to see you again, family head. Young lord."

"Welcome."

Both Ross and I returned the greeting politely and then greeted steward Aldo as well.

This was Ross's first meeting with the steward.

We also greeted the knights stationed here.

"Please come in and eat. I did my best to cook whatever I could."

"Yes, thank you. We'll enjoy it."

Ross and Jena led the way inside the castle.

The madam followed, and Aldo the steward and I walked at the rear.

However, the steward's face was somewhat dark.

"The initial construction is complete, correct?"

"Yes. At the early site, all that remains is to lay and connect the water pipes. The supply pipes have reached each designated location, and the water pipes and groundwork excavation will begin simultaneously."

"Still no word from the three houses?"

"Only the Goro merchant guild properly paid the first compensation, and they haven't delivered the second yet. The viscount and baron haven't even fully paid the first compensation."

They mean to put up a fight, then.

I don't care much for compensation itself. I simply believe they must pay the full price for attacking us.

"Send letters to the three houses. If they don't properly pay the second compensation within the next fifteen days while I'm in Urada territory, I will personally demand it."

"I'll send them. However, at this time, the viscount and baron are in Tris. A week ago, our branch employee in Tris saw them arrive by carriage."

"A week ago?"

"Yes."

A week ago would have been three days after our trading fleet set sail.

With so many central merchants in Mouk, the merchants in Tris would have surely noticed.

They're now dreaming of revenge.

Those two heads of houses are probably in cahoots with Goro merchant guild.

"Send a letter to the Goro merchant guild. Tell them if they don't halt whatever they're plotting right now..."

"Um, but..."

Aldo the steward's face fell further.

Did they already make a move?

"What's happened?"

Aldo spoke cautiously.

"In truth... my wife and child have been kidnapped."

"What?"

I was shocked.

That's what they've done—kidnapping.

"When did this happen?"

"Three days ago. The guard was off duty for a holiday and an anniversary, so for two days no one noticed until they actually entered the house. There was a note saying they were going on a trip, but my wife isn't the kind to leave on a trip without a word."

He must have received the letter from the guards today.

So he hasn't had a chance to contact me.

"Did you receive any threats before?"

"No threats, but I did receive reports of suspicious individuals near the house and my child's school. I tried to focus on my child's education, but now I realize that was a grave mistake."

Aldo the steward's wife and son live in Tris.

It would have been hard for the child to transfer to a new school.

There isn't much of a proper school in Urada's capital either.

It seems they timed the abduction to coincide with my visit to Urada.

They likely intend to hinder our merchant guild's trade and force a nullification of the postwar compensation negotiations.

The viscount and baron are just being used by merchant Goro.

They think they're pulling a desperate move to avoid paying, not knowing it's the worst option.

If things go wrong, do they really think merchant Goro will help them?

The real problem is merchant Goro.

What has that one prepared?

A forceful threat: disrupting our trade—and canceling the postwar compensation altogether.

What could that be?

Whoever is backing them, they'll have struck a bargain.

Their interests and the three houses' circumstances line up perfectly to interfere with our trade business.

Merchant Goro must have made the first move.

Merchant Goro knows well what happens when I visit Urada territory.

That's why he resorted to such drastic measures. There won't be another opportunity.

I'm not overly worried about Aldo the steward's family.

They're not going to harm his family unless they're staring down utter destruction.

We'll rescue the two before that happens.

"We need to go to Tris."

"I'll make preparations."

"No. We're going right now."

"Understood."

I headed back towards the castle gate.

The steward said,

"If you find my wife and child, please bring them here immediately. The responsibility is all mine."

"That's not necessary."

"This could happen again."

"It won't happen again."

I called the Berserkers waiting in the garden.

And I said,

"This time, I'm going to end them all."

The viscount and baron are finished anyway.

Merchant Goro has crossed the line.

This will be his last scheme.