Wolves of Hader

Chapter 70

Mart, the Duke of Privy.

And his subordinates, who truly looked like bandits.

Whether they had only just arrived or not, all of them had thick beards.

Even their coats were draped with wild animal pelts.

It seemed that after parting ways in the northern capital, he had met with his subordinates and headed straight for the east.

Judging by their appearance, they must have come directly from the northern mountains without rest.

He greeted me with a bright smile and embraced me.

Since he, too, had heard that our house was eradicated, he seemed quite surprised to see this fortress.

"When did you arrive?"

"Last night. If it hadn't been for Marquis Ross running over in the middle of the night, your knights and I might have gotten into a fight. Turns out, it was understandable why they misjudged us."

"You arrived faster than I thought."

"I hardly slept for over a month. I knew there were a lot of monsters in the north, but it was really astonishing."

"Are you saying you fought your way here?"

"We avoided most of them. But oddly enough, that made the journey even shorter. I expected it would take two months because of the monsters."

"So you crossed over the northern part of the central mountains as well?"

"We had no choice. Horses were useless anyway, so crossing on foot wasn't that hard. Which makes it even stranger, doesn't it? We arrived quicker, even though we didn't ride horses."

I only laughed at the Duke's words.

Normally, one must travel through the central corridor to reach the east, then head north again to arrive at our fortress.

But Duke Mart's party had traveled directly north from the north. It was a much shorter route than the original path.

The Duke looked back and forth between the fortress and the military barracks.

"By the way, this is more impressive than I'd thought. I heard your house was destroyed, but I never imagined you would recover so spectacularly. I had my suspicions, given your strength."

"Thank you. Have you heard any news from the capital?"

"Did something else happen?"

"I'll explain gradually. But the important thing is: the grand duke discovered the current state of our house, and you and I must go together."

"That we must. I was really surprised to hear that your force held off the elite knights of the Syren family and 2,500 strong. This fortress has great strategic value, given how far from the capital it is."

"Then please rest well. Soon, there will be matters for you and your men to handle."

"We're content. After all, there's nothing quite as stifling as being a guest of your house."

The Duke descended the fortress wall with a laugh. His men greeted me and Ross respectfully and then made their exit.

Although the Duke's men looked like bandits, they were certainly not actual bandits. All of them possessed magic power.

I asked Ross.

"What do you think of his subordinates?"

"Well, weren't they originally knights of his house? At first, I thought they might be a mercenary band, but that didn't seem to be the case either."

"I think they're from houses that were wiped out."

"That makes sense. I saw someone with an axe—I guess they naturally started using it while living in the wild, but their main weapon is probably a sword."

The Duke's men carried shields, axes, double spears, and such, but they all also wore a one-handed sword.

Just as Ross said, it seemed each of them acquired new weapons to adapt to the harsh mountain life.

Ross spoke again.

"I don't know what they went through in the north, but their magic power is extraordinary. Same with the Duke's skill."

"Did they eat crab in the north?"

"Crab? The kind that lives in the sea?"

"Yeah. I once saw crabs imbued with magic power. Even our berserkers once caught and ate some as they marched north."

"That could be. They've lived in the northern mountains for a long time."

Even if it wasn't a king crab, it was likely that they gained magic power by defeating monsters with magic power.

Or perhaps, they had faced even harsher things.

In any case, the Duke was almost at the level of the Sword of Light.

He had enough magic power but had yet to break through the final path to become the Sword of Light.

If he hadn't wandered and instead inherited his family's secrets, he might already be the Sword of Light.

After all, his ducal house possessed such sword techniques.

His subordinates seemed to be as skilled as our strike squad; wherever they went, it was unlikely they'd be defeated easily.

"Did things go well on Urada's territory?"

"Yeah. It should go smoothly."

"Oh, and Lord Urke and Merchant Goose have been waiting for you to arrive. They said it's been over a month since the business preparations were finished."

"Tell them we'll meet tomorrow."

"All right. Urald is waiting for you, too. He said he finished what you asked for."

"Already?"

"Let's go. I haven't seen it either."

Ross and I went down from the fortress wall.

We headed straight to the castle's underground.

/ / /

"This is truly magnificent."

Silver armor imbued with a blackish hue.

Light enough to hold in one hand.

Racrom.

In other words, new berserker armor forged from titanium.

Far lighter than the previous alloy armor, but with much greater strength.

And a new greatsword.

Originally, the berserkers' greatswords were made by reinforcing very hard wood with iron, but this new greatsword, like my own, was enchanted with a Weight Reduction enchantment.

Wundbark stepped forward.

"The old greatsword had an integrated blade and handle, but as you can see now, we combined the blade and lower part separately.

If you loosen this joint, you can replace the blade."

"The lower part is steel, and the blade is Racrom?"

"That's right. The blade is lighter, but the lower part is heavier, so the total weight remains about the same. The power matches the old model, but the lighter blade makes for much faster swings."

When I picked up the greatsword, it was lighter than my own. The heavy part below the blade acted as a support.

Fwoosh—

When I swung it, the speed was noticeably faster. The lower part stabilized the balance very well.

It felt good even when slung on the back. The heavy section sat close against the back, so the blade didn't wobble.

When traveling long distances, you could detach just the blade.

"We also made new spears and shields for Commander Russell and the family head, all from Racrom. They should be much easier to use."

Ross picked up a long spear as well. It was much lighter than the old design, and he was very satisfied.

Besides, we'd made a lot of one-handed swords for use as secondary weapons, and there were quite a few war hammers for the knights—not wooden ones, but large Racrom hammers.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"We just did our job. By the way, are those Duke Mart's people staying at our fortress?"

"They won't be staying long."

"Looks like they've spent a long time living in the wild, but you never know with people. And it's not just one or two of them."

"Yes. I understand your concerns. But they, too, are being chased by the grand duke, so even if they have other thoughts, they can't act rashly."

"The Privy ducal house used to be a branch of the Syren family. Even if they were betrayed and annihilated, they still have imperial blood."

"Yes. I know."

I didn't fully trust the Duke either. So I needed to confirm whether they were truly with us or not. No doubt, the Duke also felt uncomfortable with us.

Ross asked,

"What do you plan to do with them?"

"I plan to send them to Beltern."

"To Beltern? Do you think the Emperor's secret son is in Beltern?"

"The odds are high. No house in the empire could be trusted. There must have even been spies planted in our house by the grand duke back then."

"Even Father must have had a hard time sending the Emperor's son to Beltern."

I asked Urald,

"Did you ever hear Father mention the Emperor's hidden son?"

"Never. I only learned about it from you."

"I always wondered about that, too. Why did Father even hide it from us? Did he never get the chance to tell us?"

I had wondered the same.

Why hadn't Father mentioned the Emperor's son? Even at the very end when I was beside him.

"Sir Urald. Was there ever a family in Beltern that Father was close with?"

"Guests visited once. They came from the Robe Republic in central Beltern."

"What did they do?"

"I only heard about them. I've heard the Robe Republic doesn't interact with any nation. It's amazing that the family head knew someone there."

"When did those guests visit?"

"About 17 years ago. It was not long after Master Roger was born."

"Would Rozie have remembered? If she was about two at the time, mother would have been holding her."

"I asked her, but she doesn't remember anything. She was only four back then."

Naturally.

"I should send Duke Mart's party to the Robe Republic. There's a high chance Father sent the Emperor's son there."

"Can't we go with them?"

"There's no reason not to."

Wundbark showed visible delight.

So did Urald.

"Are you planning to visit the ancestral village?"

"That too. The ancestral tribe possesses techniques no other Dran tribe does—ancient Elin technology."

"What is it?"

Urald and Wundbark glanced at each other.

Then, they spoke simultaneously.

"A Gate of Magic."

"A Gate of Magic?"

Wundbark continued,

"I don't know about anything else, but getting that technique would help us enormously."

"What exactly is a Gate of Magic?"

"It's a magical portal connecting two places. It consumes a huge amount of magic power, but allows travel over very long distances in an instant."

"That really exists?"

"Since the magic power cost is immense, even the Dran tribe doesn't usually use it. Same goes for us, but after everything lately, I feel we must have a Gate of Magic."

"How much magic does it consume?"

"Each activation costs the equivalent of 10,000 gold coins. So, it's best reserved for emergencies or when there's no other option—you'll arrive instantly."

I was shocked.

If such a thing exists, it's exactly what we need. It would let us travel quickly between the capital and Urada's territory.

Wundbark was right; it's hard to use regularly. Ten thousand gold coins was about a year's budget for an average territory. Still, in a dire crisis, it would be worth it.

"Will they hand over such technology so easily?"

"It won't be easy. But the Dran tribe is grateful when repaid. If we resolve a serious problem for them, they might give it to us."

"What sort of problem do they have?"

"There's a huge demon deep beneath the ancestral village. Many Dran had to leave their home because of that giant demon and its underlings."

I realized where their ancestral village was. It was deep beneath the giant mountain range of east-central Beltern.

But there is a [Treasure Guardian] there. That's the demon that multiple guild alliances tried raiding, and it's the one Urald spoke of.

"We'll need to go to the Robe Republic ourselves. Once business begins, we'll have to trade with the merchants of Beltern. We can search for the Emperor's son and meet merchants as well."

"Please let us come too."

"Of course."

I headed for my room.

Leaving the fortress is no longer easy. The Syren family might attack again.

Yet, we can't just sit and do nothing.

Thus, I decided to build a new territory. The terrain is difficult to access, and you can only reach it by passing through the southern gate of Urke's territory.

There's no need to fear another surprise attack from the Syren family.

If they come, they'll have to pass through Urada's territory—and now, our information network will detect them.

The steward of Urada's territory will report, and the branch of the merchant guild soon to be launched will serve as the intelligence division.

There will be enough time for the residents to evacuate the fortress.

In any case, once a new territory arises, people will have to migrate. We should at least build a house for each knight.

For now, this fortress will serve as the defensive barrier along the shortcut to the new territory.

I'd already found the site for the new territory.

Beyond the steep eastern mountains, as tall as the Himalayas. A vast plain lies there, with an unexplored sea to the east, and from there, one can go directly south.

Especially, the site where the castle will stand is inaccessible without permission, and even if entered, the terrain spells certain annihilation. So, even if neither I nor the berserkers are present, the castle will be secure.

No one lives there, and resources are abundant. We will build our new territory in this new world.

As the grand territory of the eastern margrave.

/ / /

One week later.

The Duke left the fortress together with his subordinates.

I gave them identification plaques as refugees from southern Beltern and ample travel expenses.

While searching for the bloodline of the Emperor, the Duke would also meet the tycoons of Beltern.

Whether he and his subordinates would choose to be with us depended on this journey.

In any case, if I received word from them—

I myself would head for the Robe Republic.

I would negotiate trade with the merchants and try to secure the Dran tribe's technology.

And for the first time, I intended to aim for the Guardian.

The treasure rumored to be in the Treasure Guardian's lair would be a bonus.