Wolves of Hader

Chapter 21

I went to my room and became lost in thought.

The marquis, after explaining why our family had ended up in such dire straits, never once mentioned the word "revenge".

He must have had complicated feelings.

I had no intention of becoming obsessed with revenge.

A life lived for vengeance is exhausting. I would simply rebuild the family and remove anyone who stood in the way of me and my family.

Even so, I felt a bit dumbfounded.

The Empress is the sister of the grand duke Syren. Art Syren is the second son of grand duke Syren.

And yet, Art Syren is said to be the Empress's hidden son.

In other words, when the Empress was a lady of the grand duke's family, she gave birth to Art Syren, and then later married the current Emperor.

Since Art Syren is the grand duke's second son, circumstances suggest the grand duke is likely to be his father.

The grand duke could have adopted the illegitimate child his sister bore, but would he have given the demon's essence to a child not of his own blood?

From the Empress's perspective, if the Emperor were to find out that secret, she would have nothing to say even if she were cast out from her position.

The grand duke's family would surely fall for deceiving the Emperor. She must have wanted to prevent that at all costs.

Everything was the Empress's scheme.

No, the grand duke Syren is truly behind it all.

It must have been the grand duke who sent his sister, who bore his own son, to be wed to the Emperor.

If so, grand duke Syren holds the real power in the Empire, and next in line is the Empress.

For the Emperor to be swayed by those two only shows his utter incompetence.

Or perhaps he knows the truth but must feign ignorance.

The only reason our family is still alive is likely because of our imperial bloodline and the eyes of the aristocracy.

As our house is respected in the Empire, they couldn't just massacre us outright, so they sent us to this remote place instead.

Therefore, the grand duke Syren must eliminate our family. If we should make a comeback and grow strong, we would pose a great threat.

That is why he plans to send people after us this spring.

It's also likely the capital's nobles know the Empress's secret. If everyone is keeping quiet, there's no point in informing the Emperor.

He must already know, or will only listen to the Empress anyway.

I decided to consider all the possibilities and variables.

Anyway, I was already researching various things, so one more task wouldn't be a burden.

/ / /

About thirty days had passed since the cold snap.

The parchment I'd gathered in the meantime amounted to some 300 sheets. Now, I was buying paper to make books.

"Young master! Come out! The ice has melted!"

At Donnie's shout, I left my room.

The weather had started to warm up a few days ago, but now it really felt like spring had come.

Even the air felt different—noticeably warmer.

The villagers were coming out to the square to prepare for spring, and the soldiers were busily going in and out beyond the ramparts.

I'd had them start collecting troll blood at my orders a few days ago, and things were being tidied up as well.

"Let's head to the ramparts."

"Yes, sir."

"Is it already spring?"

"No, it's not. The cold was so severe that this actually is more like a typical winter. Compared to the west, it's still cold now."

The houses that had been caked in frost were finally showing the color of their wood again.

Going up onto the rampart, I saw Russell watching the residents and soldiers preparing for spring.

"You're here, young master."

"Yes. The weather's warmed up a lot."

"We were fortunate to deal with things before the giants started moving."

"Good work. What about the dwarf demons?"

"They've been thoroughly dealt with. See for yourself."

I went up on the rampart and looked down.

The five trolls that had frozen solid had become valuable resources for us and had been taken care of, and countless goblins had been thoroughly cleared out as well.

"Does giant's blood really get used in recovery potions?"

"Of course. It's a potion that heals wounds quickly."

"How did you know that, young master?"

"I saw it in a book in Father's study when I was young. I don't even know why I remember it so vividly myself."

I stood side by side with Russell in the sunlight.

I'd never realized how grateful I could feel for sunlight.

Just then, I saw a soldier walking over with a young man.

"Who is that?"

"They say he's a priest."

"A priest?"

So that's a priest's robe.

A large necklace and a staff with a rounded tip.

He looked about seventeen.

"My name is Roman."

"Are you a priest of the divine order?"

"I'm not a formal priest, just an apprentice priest."

"How did a priest come to be here?"

"I want to head north, but I heard the only way to get there is to pass through this village. So I've come to ask if you'd let me pass through the rampart."

"You're heading north?"

"Yes. Please don't ask me the reason."

Russell looked at me with a puzzled expression.

If it's the north, is he aiming for that cave where the demon's remains were found?

Urald once said it might be an ancient sanctuary.

"Do you plan to leave right away?"

"If you'll allow it, I would like to rest one day here and leave tomorrow. Since this is a journey without a set purpose, I can't say when I'll return."

"Please do so, then. Prepare a room."

"Yes, sir. Please follow me, priest."

"Thank you. Then, I will."

The priest gave a courteous bow and walked off.

Russell was still looking puzzled.

"Why? Do you think something's strange?"

"Yes. He seems to be a priest from his demeanor and attitude, but that robe is awfully worn. Maybe because he's an apprentice."

"Are other priests different?"

"Priests have healing powers, so they're always welcome at noble houses. They're always treated with utmost respect, so arrogance becomes second nature to them. Normally, they have a knight for protection and travel by carriage. I've never seen a priest wandering alone like this."

"He must be a little different from the others."

"Indeed. Everyone's different."

I saw that the priest was bowing respectfully to the soldier. Even the villagers were bowing to the sudden appearance of a priest.

It seemed everyone knew about the priest's powers and status.

"What kind of place is the divine order?"

"The divine order is a neutral power. Their headquarters is on an island in the middle of the sea surrounded by two continents. Since all nations believe in the god Apeon, they are the most influential organization on the continent. They're famous for interfering in many countries' politics, and even His Imperial Majesty cannot treat their priests lightly."

"Then this priest must have the divinity too."

"He should have healing abilities."

"We should treat him well, just in case."

"We must. If he really is a priest of the divine order, he must be exceptional. I've never even heard of a priest undergoing harsh training alone."

It's true that having a priest show up at this time was suspicious.

But as Russell said, if he really was a priest, he was no ordinary person. You could call him an unusually upright clergyman, rare on the continent.

What's more, if he was heading to the ancient sanctuary in the north, it was no ordinary matter.

Whether he was going for his own spiritual training or because he discovered a hidden history by chance.

/ / /

Another ten days or so passed.

His name was Roman, was it?

That priest left northward the next day, just as he'd said, making my suspicions seem pointless.

He seemed to be doing devotional training at the sanctuary, and if he ever returned, I'd have to recommend that he rest in our village for a few months.

He'd become a great benefactor and connection for our family.

The marquis's condition hadn't changed. His mobility had improved a bit, perhaps because spring had come, but he slept a great deal more.

I felt there had to be some cause other than the magic power implosion, but I couldn't figure it out.

After checking on the marquis, I went to Urald's workshop. I'd made quite an effort to set it up for him, and I liked spending time here myself.

While making skill blueprints, I could also watch the experiments Urald was working on.

"You're trying to make a recovery potion with the giant's blood?"

"We're missing one ingredient, but I wanted to see what the effects would be."

"The effects are the same, but it won't work as an instant recovery."

"So with just the extra ingredient, it'd be immediate?"

"Exactly. If it was just ordinary healing, it wouldn't be so expensive."

"Where do you get the sap of life?"

"We need to go near Fairy Island. It's sap imbued with the strength of life, and it spreads the medicinal effect instantly through the body."

That Fairy Island is Taiki.

Urald stared at me.

"That was in the family head's book, too?"

"Yes. Oddly enough, I remember it so clearly."

"If our young master read it, surely other nobles have read it, too. But I've never met anyone who knows this."

"Father must have gathered rare books."

"I suppose so. If other nobles knew, they'd have turned the region around Fairy Island upside down already. But I hear it's peaceful there, just a few pirates around. I wonder what kind of book our young master read."

I felt a little awkward. People might find it suspicious now, but they'd get used to it. After all, it's mysterious enough that I died and came back as a prodigy.

It was at that moment.

In the distance, Dong-dong-dong-dong—the sound of the bell rang out.

An emergency signal!

As soon as I heard it, I rushed out of the workshop.

Russell was also sprinting across the square.

He shouted toward the watchtower.

"What's happening?!"

"Sir Russell! Suddenly, the soldiers—"

Russell stopped the moment he was out the door.

So did I.

Out there on the plain in the glow of sunset—

An army was surging toward us.

Where could those troops be from?