Wolves of Hader

Chapter 39

There was a summoner even during the game.

It was assumed to be someone who had obtained the demon's essence, and this summoner called forth a massive elemental creature.

Rock giant. Giant firebird.

And the giant guardian.

Whenever these three summoned creatures appeared in succession, it was enough to devastate an entire guild.

I'd heard that strong elementals do not associate with the weak.

So if Bellen just had enough magic power, she could summon powerful elementals as well.

It all depended on which elemental one encountered and whether they could work together.

"Bellen, you said you summon birds, right?"

"Yes. The birds take flight."

Right now Bellen could only summon a flock of light birds, but if she grew, she might be able to summon a phoenix someday.

Since I didn't know much about the [Summoner] class, I was going to keep watch.

And then, the Archer.

Back in the game, there were plenty of archers.

I'd seen people use attribute bows before, but never anyone with an elemental bow.

The possibilities of the elemental bow were limitless.

Flame. Freezing. Thunder and other attributes were only the basics, and on top of that, elemental powers and abilities could be added.

To begin with, there were no arrows.

"I should modify Bellen's staff and Lok's bow a little. I think I can add magical effects and attributes to them."

"Is that even possible?"

"Yes, your father and Urald can do it."

With staff and bow in hand, we went to see the two craftsmen.

The blacksmiths welcomed my proposal enthusiastically. All we needed was to create test pieces, keep revising, and make improvements.

/ / /

It had been fifteen days since we arrived at Wundbark's house.

The two craftsmen had been absorbed in their work, while the Elin siblings had been spending time with elementals and testing things according to my advice.

Meanwhile,

I had begun skill creation. As the craftsmen made materials, I used them to create skills.

Once I checked that something could be realized, I would create skill books using magic stones as the medium.

It was a simple, yet complicated process.

So I spent the entire fifteen days running tests. I tried standard swords, shot bows, even swung Donnie's greatsword.

I checked if there were synergy effects between classes, too.

While I was taking a short break, Donnie came up to me.

I had contacted Goose two weeks earlier, and Donnie had been waiting for a reply, which he had just received.

"They said they'll send a carriage and wagons?"

"Yes, they said to be ready because they should arrive tomorrow."

"So we're going home now."

"Yes, it's been well over two months."

"Let the two masters know."

"Understood."

Donnie headed into the cliff cave.

I had created all the basic skills for the basic classes.

All that was left was to grant the soldiers magic power, even if it was just a small amount.

We began to prepare for our departure.

The two craftsmen, who had just about finished their testing, also hurried to get ready to move.

Soon, goods started piling up in front of the cave.

Equipment that had passed the test runs and materials that now had effects granted through crafting and combination.

Weapons with attributes imbued.

Armor with enhanced combat power.

Accessories that raised abilities.

Various enhancement and engraving materials.

Thanks to these, continual production and improvement would soon be possible at our own fortress.

The past four years had all been spent preparing for this very journey. Hader family would change once more.

/ / /

"Young master Roger has returned!"

"Open the castle gates!"

"Young master Roger! Hooray!"

The soldiers and residents gave me a rousing welcome. Even the townspeople had come out and were lined up with the garrison.

I also saw some pirates who looked like they'd changed a lot in just a few days.

The carriage stopped, and the wagons headed straight for the castle.

Russell, who had been watching, walked up.

Rozie and Ross were with him.

"Young master, at last, you're here."

"You've been through so much."

"You've grown taller again in that short time."

I shook hands with Russell and hugged Rozie and Ross. Then I introduced the Wundbark family.

I'd written about most of what had happened during our journey to the east and sent it ahead.

So they already knew who everyone was.

"Welcome to the Hader family."

"Thank you. The castle seems sturdier than I expected."

"You're Bellen and Lok, right?"

The two Elins seemed a bit overwhelmed. It must have been their first time seeing so many people.

Rozie flashed a bright smile.

"Please follow me. We've already prepared your rooms and a workshop for you three."

"Th-thank you very much."

The Wundbark family followed Rozie.

The pirates bowed deeply in greeting.

"We pay our respects to young master Roger."

"You've all got a different look in your eyes."

"Thank you, young master."

I said to Russell,

"Did you put them through hellish training or something?"

"They'll be handling the family's trade ships."

"You worked them pretty hard, didn't you?"

"I told them to leave if they didn't like it. Actually, two ran away, but they came back after two days. I believe that even if our people are sailors, they shouldn't be mere sailors."

The scatterbrained pirates were gone, and now warriors with fierce spirits stood before me.

They looked like some kind of special forces. Their fighting power still paled compared to our soldiers, though.

"Hey, our young master is back."

"How have you been, merchant Goose?"

"The first thing you do when we meet after so long is tease me again. And you didn't sell me even one thing I asked for."

"I'll pay you generously."

"You should. Now, let's go into the castle."

Goose practically seemed like the master of this fortress.

Anyway, we headed to the castle.

We all gathered in the castle's main hall.

We had refreshments and chatted idly about various things. Rozie and Ross chatted with Donnie, and I spoke with Goose and Russell.

"What happened to the pirate ship?"

"They were very shocked, right?"

"More than shocked. They just fell over backward."

"Goose, I want you to take charge of modifying it. I want to change the ship's appearance entirely. There'll be a ram on the bow, and I'll add cannons on the port and starboard sides."

"Cannons? On a ship?"

"Why not?"

"If you can do that, nobody will be a match for you at sea."

"That's the idea."

Russell and Goose were both surprised.

I'd heard that in the Beltern Continent's Robe Republic, they used cannons, but in the Empire, their usefulness was limited and so they weren't used—since there were powerful mages around.

"I'll give you the design later, so Goose, take the sailors' advice and handle the remodeling. Payment is here."

As I handed over a leather pouch, Goose snatched it up like a toad snapping a fly.

He was certainly agile at times like this.

"Oh! Isn't this a multi-faceted gem, the jewel of jewels?"

"Is it valuable?"

"'Valuable' doesn't even begin to describe it! These gems are used by noble families in the capital as payment instead of gold coins. And you have so many here—where did you steal them from?"

"Steal?"

"Or did you just pick them up? Hahahaha!"

They were diamonds.

I'd taken them from the treasure vault in the cave where the Divine ore was kept.

I withheld half and gave Goose the rest, as both payment for remodeling the ship and as thanks for his help with this voyage.

I also included a fee for future help.

Russell spoke.

"But young master."

"Yes?"

"It seems the Count has taken an interest in us. Not long ago, we received a gift of rare tea leaves from the Count's house in the central region."

I looked at Goose.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"You said Count Urke wasn't interested in our business."

"Well, wasn't that true? Some of the profit gained thanks to you did end up in the lord's pocket. Can I stop the lord from enjoying the rewards then quietly changing his mind?"

"Maybe something else happened."

"That could be."

Russell said,

"Count Urke has deliberately kept his distance from us until now. But with Goose getting closer to us, and with our house's business, he must have found it hard to just stand by."

Goose shook his head.

"The lord has always watched the Hader family with interest. He pretended to be indifferent to me, but in reality, he's always been friendly toward the Hader house."

I didn't say much.

Goose didn't know what had passed between Count Urke and me four years ago when the knights of the Syren family came to visit.

Goose spoke again.

"The secret support for your family's revival was also by the lord's will. I don't know why, but he even told me to help if I could."

"I thought he didn't care."

"I'd say he didn't side with anyone. But when it comes to another house in the east, it's natural for him to be partial to his own region."

Russell chimed in slyly,

"That's true. Having a rival house in the same region is troublesome. If some other force invades, both houses could be annihilated. That's probably why he's watched us with goodwill."

Goose continued.

"The fact that the lord expressed interest at this point means your house has become formidable enough. As a major power in the north, no less."

"Not a competitor?"

"A friendly rivalry would be best. In this northeast, the north will be led by Hader house, and the east by Urke house."

Russell nodded.

"There's hardly any reason for us to compete. Count Urke's territory is focused on agriculture, livestock, and fishery processing and distribution. Our family has been centered on mining and resource distribution. There's room for cooperation."

It seemed likely that Count Urke would visit soon. Now was the perfect time to publicly announce cooperation between the two families.

I had been waiting for a message from the Count myself.

Some businesses could only happen with his cooperation, and only by taking on that business could our house truly grow even more.

Merchant Goose's experience and network.

The Count's funds and the trust of the territory's people.

My business plans.

If these three came together—

Something no one had imagined would happen.

The unification of the east.

Once that happened, I was certain there would be a true revolution. Working with the Count would be the first step toward that great transformation.

I shifted the topic.

"How many soldiers do we have now?"

"We currently have 118 men."

"How many handle the cannons?"

"20 men."

He scribbled something in his notebook.

"We'll need to teach the ex-pirates how to shoot cannons. Since we have to install eight cannons each on the port and starboard sides, we'll have to make more of them."

"I'll see to it."

"We need to divide them by specialty as well."

"You mean to divide them even more specifically?"

"Look at this."

Russell glanced at the notebook.

His face filled with curiosity.

Basic classes.

Assault. Defense. Support. Auxiliary.

Special forces.

Intelligence. Information. Strike. Recon.

"That's a bit different from normal military branches, isn't it?"

"Yes. Even our family only ever had infantry, spearmen, archers, and the knight order as cavalry."

"We're not going to set up large-scale military formations for fighting armies. We won't be fighting battles like that."

"If the enemy gathers in great numbers and holds their position, a huge field battle will be unavoidable. Especially since our fortress faces a vast plain—how do you plan to hold them back?"

A natural question from Russell.

I wasn't planning to hole up in the castle and resist tens of thousands by brute force.

"If such a thing happens, it won't be our house's troops fighting, but someone else's. Our soldiers will always play the role of special forces."

"Whose soldiers would that be...?"

Russell stopped himself. No doubt he was thinking of the Urke Count family's forces.

In fact, if it ever came to war, Count Urke would be forced to be on our side. That's why we had no need for a massive army. I just didn't want to say it out loud.

"And what about these special forces?"

"Our soldiers won't just be ordinary warriors. Each unit will consist of ten men, organized by specialty."

"By the four basic classes?"

"Yes. Instead of splitting infantry and archers into separate units, each unit will include all classes together."

Russell looked at me as if doubting he understood. This world had no concept of special forces, and the troops were always divided by class.

"I can't quite imagine how you'd fight that way."

"You'll come to understand. I'll also pick the best among the soldiers to form a truly elite unit. And I plan to foster the best of the best to represent our house."

"What kind of elites?"

I smiled at Russell.

"Hader family's Berserkers."

"Berserkers?"

Russell's face twisted in confusion.

That was a word he'd never heard before either.

Just wait and see, Russell.

Soon our Berserkers will shake the entire continent.