Wolves of Hader

Chapter 25

Doge came into the room and stood there.

Seven knights of the Syren family lined up behind him.

Doge looked first at the marquis, then came and sat down in front of me.

"You sent the young lady and Young Master Ross outside the walls. Are you really planning to buy time with only one knight and your life, Young Master Roger? Do you think the soldiers with them can stop me?"

I just stared at him.

Because my paralyzed body was gradually loosening up.

"Lord Hader will die soon enough anyway, so you want to at least save your elder sister and elder brother. How pitiful, both of them. Fleeing and leaving their youngest behind. Well, I'll grant you that much."

Srrrng—

He stood and drew his sword.

Then he smiled and spoke.

"Young Master Art has this to say. He killed your mother, and your father will die as well. Yet you have shamelessly survived twice. So, farewell."

It was at the moment he raised his sword.

"Flames are suddenly shooting up!"

"Who's being so hasty!"

Just as Doge shouted—

FWAAAH—

I rose, exuding a fierce cold.

Doge, startled, halted his sword mid-swing.

The arm holding his sword froze, and in an instant, his shoulder and upper body iced over.

"Doge-nim!"

The Syren family's knights rushed in urgently. But as the chill spread more fiercely, even they froze mid-leap.

In a short moment, everything in front of me became encased in ice.

"Wh-What on earth is this..."

Doge stared at me with bulging eyes.

Eyes that couldn't believe what was happening.

And a gaze filled with mortal dread.

Thunk—

My dagger sank into his neck.

Twice. Three times. Four times.

This was reality. Yet I felt nothing.

Was it because the desire for revenge had grown so deep in my heart, or was it because this was my life now?

As the cold raged, I approached the frozen knights. Some tried to repel the chill with magic power, but it was useless.

SSSHHAAA—

In a moment, frost clung to the knights' bodies.

THUD—

Two knights, frozen stiff, toppled over to the side.

After confirming all seven knights were frozen, I looked out the door.

The soldiers' eyes were wide with shock.

I saw Russell running with a torch.

In any case, those scoundrels had planned to burn us all and the fortress down, to make our deaths look like an accident.

I used that plan against them—after all, there was no way we'd set fire to our own village.

So it would appear that Doge and the knights set fire to the fortress and fled, and our family would be marked as dead or missing. We wouldn't be returning for quite some time anyway.

Meanwhile, the eastern army's chief of staff would send a report to the military about the incident.

We were a house that had started from nothing.

With the fortress entirely destroyed by fire, our house would be considered completely extinct.

As the fire spread in the castle, I went to the marquis's bedside.

I was about to pull him from his half-upended bed, to carry him out, when—

I was startled. He was gazing at me in silence.

He gripped my arm.

Then, he looked at me quietly.

"Do you remember what I tried to say before?"

"You can tell me later."

As I tried again to pull him up, the marquis stopped me.

"It must be the will of the gods."

"The will of the gods, sir?"

"Your father believed so. That must be why you changed. That's why I chose not to ask. Whatever you do, whatever your strength is. Roger is, above all, my beloved son."

"Please wait a moment. I must call Russell."

"Roger, your father has something to tell you...kugh!"

The marquis coughed up blood.

There was too much blood gushing out.

Was it because of the magic power explosion?

Damn it!

"Russell—!"

I screamed, embracing the marquis from behind.

He vomited blood again. They hadn't brought that magic power bomb for nothing. The marquis's condition was now critical.

He grabbed my arm tightly.

"It's already too late. Just let me speak."

There was nothing else I could do.

He was a man who sensed his own death.

If I wasn't careful, I would miss the chance to hear his last words.

"Give me your hand..."

I took his hand.

It was trembling as he gripped mine.

"I was poisoned, just as your mother was. In a way, it's better this way. Rather than have you all suffer from my incurable illness..."

He looked at me quietly.

In his bloodshot eyes, I could feel profound love. And I could see the life he had lived—his regrets, lingering attachments, and bitter grudge.

"Roger."

"Yes, father."

I responded sincerely.

The word 'father'.

A faint smile appeared in his eyes.

His hand trembling in mine.

His face filled with certainty.

His eyes full of love.

And my father's...

"Please, grow strong..."

His hand trembled even more.

He gritted his teeth.

Moisture blurred my vision.

"... Avenge me."

No further words came.

The hand I clasped fell limp.

Not a sound could be heard.

FWOOOSH!

Flames burst into the room. I saw Russell shouting something.

I also saw him stabbing his dagger into the throats of the frozen knights.

Yet I couldn't hear a thing.

Donnie appeared before me.

Covered in tears, he shouted something then ran from the room, carrying me on his back.

I saw Russell carrying my father.

Wildfire devoured the fortress. More than half the castle was now a blazing inferno, scattering cinders ferociously.

The spot where the fire had started was already collapsing into ashes.

I saw soldiers rushing in. Russell shouted something at them. The soldiers ran toward the fallen castle, and Donnie and Russell ran outside the walls.

On the cold ground beyond the walls,

My father was laid down.

One by one, people gathered.

Rozie and Ross knelt beside my father. Russell and the soldiers stood, gritting their teeth.

Urald and the servants, dazed.

Everyone wept.

I looked at them, then at the fortress.

Everything was vanishing.

Engulfed in enormous flames.

'Yes. I'll avenge you. I'll pay them all back. I'll crush them, break them, and drive them into hell. Everyone who did this to us.'

Beyond the walls, on the freezing ground where cinders fell,

My father, the marquis, departed like that.

/ / /

Time passed and passed again.

The months and years went by; spring, summer, autumn, winter repeated. My frail body grew ever stronger, and I shot up in height.

A new barracks was built, and the village changed day by day.

The number of residents and soldiers grew daily, and the house's assets had increased so much, it was hard to see us as a ruined family anymore.

And so, four years passed.

Still, our existence remained widely unknown. Officially, the Hader house had disappeared into history.

/ / /

"You want to board a ship?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"A problem, you say! I'm worried about your and the family's safety, sir. What if someone attacks the fortress while you're gone?"

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine without me."

"Still—it doesn't sit well to leave the castle vacant for so long..."

"Is this because you're just annoyed?"

"It's not like ships are cheap. Sailing isn't easy even if we get one. We should hope we don't meet pirates and get robbed blind."

The merchant Goose grumbled.

I'd summoned him, and he had hauled that fat body all the way to our fortress.

Meeting me always meant business for him.

Much had happened in the last four years.

First, the eastern army chief of staff's report. Three weeks after the incident, a report was sent to the military.

The content was as follows.

《... The Hader house's fortress was completely destroyed. Due to the intense heat and building collapse, only bone fragments remained, making it impossible to tally the dead accurately.

Judging by the number of skull pieces found in various ash heaps, the estimated deaths are about 12.

Some bones, judging by the melted armor, are presumed to be Hader house soldiers.

Lord Hader died of worsening illness, while his three children disappeared.

Since the bone fragments and Hader siblings' daggers were found together, it is assumed the siblings are also dead.

The whereabouts of the Syren family's knights, who were staying at Hader house at the time, are unknown. Some residents claim they set fire to the fortress and fled, but there are no witnesses and thus no proof.》

That was the report.

The only ones who died were Doge and his seven knights.

Russell and the soldiers staged the scene at the risk of burns. I never asked how they did it.

Whether the Syren family believed all the details or not didn't matter.

The fortress was gone, and it seemed impossible for our house to make a comeback.

Afterward, we lived outside the walls for six months. Only Russell and the soldiers went to the ruined fortress to start repairs.

The count secretly supported us, and Goose took charge of the repairs under the pretense of managing the fortress.

Naturally, we had to pay back all the money used in the restoration.

Goose even had us register as his cousins.

He said it was easier to keep everyone's mouths shut that way, and it truly worked.

After all, Goose's merchant guild had ties to the underworld.

Thus our fortress came to be called Goose Fortress, disguised as a part of Goose's merchant company.

We properly began mining then. That was when Goose started to recoup his investment and profit.

We discovered three gold veins and, with iron and silver mining, made a fortune.

Since we were the miners ourselves, it was natural for us to profit, and Goose, who sold our resources, also made a considerable gain.

Only then did the count realize my boast was no bluff, and he grew even closer to Goose.

Selling our resources to the central region brought us ten times the profit compared to what the Goose merchant company made.

That's how we disappeared from everyone's memory.

Whether the report fooled them or they simply no longer cared about our house, nothing happened. There was no interference.

"Now, you should get going. I'll see you off."

"Oh, come now! If you wanted a ship, you could have just told someone to arrange it. Why summon me to all this trouble?!"

"Who summoned you? I just asked to meet."

"I thought you'd found another gold vein!"

"Come on, get up."

I helped Goose up. His attendants, hiding laughter, grabbed him by both arms and helped him up as well.

I suppose it's funny that the mighty commander always ends up running errands when he sees me.

We left the castle.

Goose exclaimed,

"This village changes every time I visit."

"Impressed, aren't you?"

"Never in my life have I seen such buildings. However did you design these? Was it Lord Urald's work?"

"Urald did help."

I walked on, smiling.

Where the original castle stood, there now stood a ten-story building.

Our house's new castle.

In front of it was a broad plaza paved with bricks, surrounded by five-story buildings. They were all apartments, homes for residents with decent facilities. Thanks to that, the plaza was quite spacious.

The original fortress had been in a rocky cliff gorge, but we dug out the sides and greatly expanded the space. Below the cliffs, we created manufacturing areas, storage, and included emergency exits.

"You're out, sir!"

The gate guards all saluted at once. Since we siblings were known as Goose's cousins, they didn't say our names even if they recognized us.

All the residents had family among the soldiers or workers, so everyone kept the secret.

The original residents got nice new homes and shops in the village, making their lives more comfortable.

Newcomers were treated as family and received a share of the profits, not just wages. That way, they naturally kept everything quiet.

"Open the small gate!"

"The second young master is leaving!"

CRRRRK—

The small side gate near the main castle gate opened.

Stepping out of the gate, I felt a rush of freedom.

Blue sky overhead, and a large barracks building below it.

In the training ground, soldiers drilled in spear and sword techniques, and in the center was the headquarters of our house's forces.

And surrounding the barracks, the high fortress walls.

Ten meters high, the walls mounted with cannons. In front of the castle gates, an outwork wall and a moat.

If we concentrated cannon fire from these outworks and the walls, the enemy wouldn't even make it across the moat—utter annihilation.

The enemy has no idea how powerful our cannons are. Unless, perhaps, the enemy has a great mage in their ranks.

As I headed for headquarters, Russell came out.

Now, I was nearly as tall as Russell—he looked proud every time he saw me.

"I heard you're looking for a ship."

"Yes. Have some tea with me before you go."

"Gladly."

A smile spread across Russell's face.

Leaving him behind, I walked on.

Goose, panting, spoke.

"Why, exactly, are you heading for Taiki?"

"There's something I need to find there."

"Kidnapping a fairy or something?"

I just laughed.

I had waited four years for this.

It was the very first thing I wanted to do when I got here.

The Level System and skill creation.

If we could develop skills,

The Hader family would give birth to a mad army.