Chapter 81: Chapter 81

Hasra, the city he had once fled in secret under the cover of night like a petty thief.

Entering that place in broad daylight like a triumphant general gave him a rather complex and subtle feeling.

“We’ve finally returned.”

“Indeed……”

On the final day of entering Hasra, because he stayed on Cheryn’s side instead of beside the Duke, Shan was able to share such thoughts with Roden.

The massive city gates opened with a rattling sound.

Surprisingly, at first glance, the situation inside the city did not seem to have changed all that much.

Was it because the last sight he had seen was the city turned into a mess by the princes’ civil war?

Compared to its glorious past, the people’s clothing, the streets, and everything else were dirty and shabby, but he still thought this was not too bad.

‘Or perhaps it’s just that the outside world was so horrifying that even this looked like nothing……’

With that sudden thought in mind, Shan rode Arwin as he passed through the crowds of people lining the way.

In the eyes of those looking up at him, there was neither the awe reserved for the jousting tournament champion as in the past, nor the hatred directed toward an enemy knight.

There was only a desperate emotion, wishing that anyone would hurry and put an end to this situation.

A short while later, Prince Conrad emerged from beyond the tired and exhausted crowd.

His hair, which had been slightly balding back during the royal banquet, was now more than half gone and glistening.

Beside him stood fully armed knights and nobles belonging to Conrad’s faction, including Marquis Abel.

The fierce gazes directed toward this side carried an attitude treated not like reinforcements, but like enemies.

“So you came.”

“Yes.”

The first conversation between the half-siblings meeting after several years was dry enough to be worse than strangers.

Of the two siblings staring at each other with contemptuous expressions, Conrad was the first to speak.

“I heard rumors, but you truly painted your army entirely as the results of sin. Are you not afraid of the punishment the Goddess will hand down?”

“Why bring that up now, when you said nothing about the royal knights imbuing magic into weapons and armor while Father was still sound? Besides, everything your knights are wearing and wielding right now are Altoan relics as well.”

Just as she said, the armors Conrad’s knights wore and the swords at their hips were all magic tools from the ancient Altoan era.

Such equipment was possible because he had unlocked and distributed everything stored in the royal vault for the war.

“Using Altoan relics is merely taking the spoils of the vanquished, which is a different matter from your technology. I heard that has already been designated as a taboo by the Holy Chancery. An excommunication decree will be issued sooner or later.”

“Make it clear. Did you call me here to pick a fight over my use of magic again, or did you call me because you lack the confidence to survive against Elvin on your own? If it’s the former, I’ll head back right now. Though I’ll still collect the expenses incurred traveling here.”

Left with no answer to a question that stabbed right at his vulnerable spot, Conrad finally shut his mouth.

The expressions of his supporters behind him were hideously distorted with anger.

To them, as devout Old Faith believers, a mage (and a woman at that) dared not talk back like that in front of a man.

Had Cheryn not been a princess, and had she not led an army capable of threatening even them right now, they would have dragged her off her horse immediately and whipped her.

“Let us move on to business.”

“What about my terms?”

“Everything is prepared. It amounts to ten wagonloads. I shall hand over half as a down payment first.”

What Cheryn had demanded from Conrad in exchange for her assistance this time was none other than the vast quantity of mana stones stored in Hasra’s royal vault.

Originally, as the sovereign producer of mana stones, Pendia exported surplus mana stones to other countries, and the capital had controlled the supply by purchasing them in moderate amounts.

If all the mana stones accumulated through that process fell into Cheryn’s hands, more powerful magic tools would naturally be mass-produced before long.

It was a price that should not be given away either religiously or practically, but he possessed nothing to refuse it right now.

After all, the blessed land of Palles was already overwhelming Hasra, ruined by civil war, in terms of productivity.

“Good. I will inspect the quantity gradually.”

“I, too, wish to confirm the price I shall receive, Prince.”

“Duke of Morayen……”

At Duke of Morayen’s attitude, thrusting his face right beside him, Conrad gritted his teeth so hard a grinding sound echoed.

He had rescued a defeated dog and set him loose to keep Cheryn in check, yet to think he had the nerve to betray him out of nowhere and settle down with such shamelessness!

Yet such was his current plight that he could not even rebuke him for it.

Regaining his composure along with a deep sigh, he replied.

“I swear in the name of the Goddess, I shall hand over the governance of the Sengel Plain, the Cobia Valley, and the Eastern Solod region for one year. I have also obtained consent from the lords of those places.”

Although a separate contract would have to be drafted later, as long as he had made such a promise in front of everyone, the verbal agreement was as good as finalized.

Duke of Morayen smiled softly and spoke.

“Splendid! I like that the conversation is very neat. Now then, shall we move on to business? How far has Elvin’s army advanced?”

“Mount Shakhtar.”

“My, that really is right under our noses! At that distance, it will take less than three days to reach Hasra. It would have been dangerous had we arrived any later.”

Mount Shakhtar was a short mountain range located south of Hasra, considered the King of Pendia’s purse due to its immense gold veins.

Though in modern times, the gold veins were almost depleted, leaving it in decline.

“His army is estimated to be around ten thousand strong. Naturally, more than half are conscripts gathered from southern Pendia and traitors from the central region, but the remainder consists of elite forces from the Ruman royal family and mercenary units drawn from all over.”

“Like the elephant corps?”

“Indeed. And that is not all. From masked pagan legions hailing from the Selim Republic to the semi-horse archers of Horais, it is safe to say every unholy crowd in this world has gathered.”

At the mention of Horais’s semi-horse archers, Shan, who was quietly listening while attending behind Cheryn, let out an inner exclamation.

The strongest horse archer unit of the Arman Alliance, raised in Horais, that land of western grasslands……

To think the day would come when he would face those very beings he had only heard of in stories.

“Hmm, is that so……”

Cheryn and Duke of Morayen exchanged glanced and nodded at the content, which did not differ greatly from the information they had previously gathered.

According to what they confirmed upon entering, Conrad’s army numbered around eight thousand.

Though not certain, the veteran soldiers among them were likely around one to two thousand at most.

If the reinforcing forces of Cheryn and Duke of Morayen were combined with this, it seemed they could manage to face the enemy.

If there was a variable, it was how well they… resembling a three-headed beast… could fight together.

*

Deciding to hold detailed discussions after stationing their troops, Duke of Morayen and Cheryn each occupied a district in the city of Hasra and rested their armies.

Originally a metropolis inhabited by over a hundred thousand people, Hasra had plenty of vacant houses, as many residents had evacuated from the epicenter of the war.

Among them, the base Cheryn chose to personally stay in was none other than the Weavers family mansion.

The Count of Palles mansion she had originally used as a villa was already reduced to ruins by the civil war in the capital years ago, so this mansion, which had changed hands several times after its household fled under the cover of night, was more livable.

“Damn it, cursed bastards! They used it so filthily.”

After stepping into the mansion, Roden grumbled as he personally threw a heap of ruined cloth out of the room.

The mercenary captain who had been occupying this place as he pleased had turned the mansion into a literal brothel.

As that fellow ran away after being kicked by Roden, several naked prostitutes had scrambled out right behind him.

The mansion, which the servants used to maintain impeccably clean thanks to having the neat and orderly Callion as its master, was now filled with the stench of cheap perfume.

Shan, who had enjoyed all kinds of life’s pleasures here for the first time, also felt displeased, feeling as though a place of memories had been soiled.

“If I had my way, I’d tear the whole mansion out, dunk it in the river, pull it out, and take it to Palles.”

“It would be faster for us to conquer Hasra instead.”

Roden replied with a chuckle.

Then, as he went off to clean the next room, he watched Shan walking away and asked.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“To guard the Princess.”

After parting with Roden, Shan sought out Cheryn, who was using one of the cleaner bedrooms under the pretext of taking a rest.

“Thank you for your hard work, Sir Ravana.”

“It was no trouble at all.”

When he greeted Ravana, who had been guarding her first, the rabbit-eared female knight nodded in response and stepped outside the room.

She had already been instructed in advance to switch places with Shan in such a situation.

Sitting on a chair with her eyes closed as if asleep, Cheryn was already spreading her consciousness throughout Hasra.

Her powerful soul inhabited spiders possessing similar spiritual wavelengths, seizing their eyes and ears while overpowering their minds.

In this state, she could not use everyone’s eyes and ears simultaneously, but the moment she set her mind to it, she could shift her vision anywhere.

Inhabiting the spiders, Cheryn swept through Hasra before shifting her gaze to the royal palace.

Rummaging through familiar hallways and buildings she had seen thousands of times since childhood, she observed the people inside and eavesdropped on their conversations.

After dozens of minutes passed, she withdrew her vision, opened her eyes, and spoke to Shan standing opposite her.

“He isn’t as big of a fool as I thought. The secret passages leading into the royal palace have all been blocked. He must have conducted quite an investigation in the meantime.”

That Cheryn had been trapped in the royal palace and rescued by Shan was a widely known story.

Naturally, they could only guess that secret passages had been used.

Moreover, traces had been left intact in places like the tower of the Blue Palace.

“That’s a shame. We could have ended it simply by winning the battle, sneaking in at midnight, and severing Conrad’s head.”

“If I did that, I would truly remain in history as a tyrant worse than my father.”

A queen ascending the throne after using a knight to assassinate her brother… that would be equivalent to giving up on being recognized by the nobility.

Cheryn giggled softly and shook her head.

At any rate, it did not seem Conrad was hiding any secret schemes for the moment.

For in the conversations between him and his aides, no sense of urgency preparing for the impending battle or related discussions could be found.

No, they were even on guard against Cheryn launching a surprise attack with Shan at the forefront.

Though they could not speak of it openly out of fear of Marquis Abel’s scrutiny.

“Still, there is something bothersome. Sister Cassia isn’t here.”

“Sister…… ah, the First Princess?”

“That’s right.”

Conrad’s only full sibling and a girl praised as the jewel of Pendia, or rather, since she had completed her coming-of-age ceremony years ago, should she be called a woman?

He could not guess the reason why she was not remaining here.

“I’ll be meeting him shortly anyway, so I’ll ask. Though I don’t know if he’ll answer.”

*

At dusk, five supply wagons sent by Conrad arrived in front of the mansion.

Containing a vast quantity of mana stones, they were the payment for coming and fighting as mercenaries this time.

After instructing two knights and soldiers to guard them, Cheryn led her retainers and a portion of elite troops toward the royal palace.

Joining Duke of Morayen, whom they met along the way, they entered the royal palace according to etiquette and stepped into the banquet hall.

Of course, they were not hosting a banquet with Elvin’s army just a few days away.

No matter how much one wished to uphold prestige, acting like that would only draw accusations of stupidity first.

Starting with Conrad, Cheryn, and Duke of Morayen, everyone had come out wearing armor and strapped with weapons, making this gathering closer to a military council than a banquet.

Fulfilling the custom of hospitality by lightly filling their stomachs and wetting their lips with the prepared food and wine, they discussed ways to face the enemy.

“There is no chance of victory in facing the elephant corps head-on. Even if an exceptionally skilled knight successfully executes a precise lance charge, he will simply be trampled to death.”

“One knight for one elephant doesn’t sound too bad, does it?”

“Then you may command your knights to charge.”

“My, that would be troublesome.”

At Conrad’s sharp tone, Duke of Morayen shrugged and replied.

Cheryn, who had been listening quietly, asked.

“I heard elephants tend to be timid. How do they react when arrows fly at their faces?”

“They don’t budge. I even saw a beast with arrows in both eyes charge forward while shedding tears of blood. Dozens of elite soldiers were crushed to death by that monster.”

Conrad replied with a dark expression.

Hearing this, Cheryn let out a hum and tilted her head.

“In that case, they might have used some kind of drug. If we can neutralize it from a distance, we might surprisingly bring them down quite easily……”

While the three leaders carried on their conversation, Shan, standing quietly behind Cheryn, felt a sharp gaze flying toward him.

Turning his head, he saw a young noble who appeared to be in his thirties.

As with any Old Faith believers follower, the gaze looking at him was filled with contempt and disgust.

“Shan Barendil.”

“That is correct, and who might you be?”

“I am Count of Ronsh. Don’t tell me you don’t know who I am.”

Count of Ronsh… rummaging through the old library inside his mind for a moment, Shan reached a conclusion before long.

“I don’t know you. What business do you have with me?”

“……The shield held by that ugly Altoan retainer behind you right now, and the spear held by the other retainer. Those two were originally treasures of our family.”

Shan looked back at the two retainers standing behind him.

Among them, what the Altoan (namely Vico) was holding was the holy relic shield obtained after killing Kamad in the past.

Come to think of it, had Cheryn mentioned before that Kamad was Count of Ronsh’s son?

He thought it impressive that the man recognized it, even though the coat of arms had been erased and newly repainted.

“……You’re surprisingly young to be Kamad’s father?”

“Kamad was my younger brother! Our father, the former Count of Ronsh, passed away in battle!”

Whether he perceived Shan’s question as a provocation, Count of Ronsh snapped and shouted.

Regardless, Shan maintained an expressionless face as he asked.

“So, what is your business?”

“I demand that you return Kamad’s armaments that you looted through despicable means! Those are treasures that our House Entor has passed down for ages…”

“I don’t know what on earth was despicable, but I fought Kamad in a fair duel, and as the winner, I took the spoils. That is all.”

Unless the two cavalrymen who fled at the time had given strange testimony, it should be something he naturally knew about.

Hearing Shan’s reply, Count of Ronsh looked somewhat more agitated for some reason.

“There is no way Kamad lost to the likes of you! Do you have any idea how remarkable he was? Had you fought fairly, how could a mere Altoan dare win!”

Seeing him shout so full of vigor without knowing his place, Shan could understand that they were indeed brothers, as he closely resembled his younger brother.

Shan took a step forward and flicked the sword at his waist with a finger, making a sound.

“Then why don’t you give it a test? If you lack confidence in combat yourself, feel free to mobilize all the knights under your command.”

Lacking courage slightly more than his younger brother, Count of Ronsh flinched and retreated instead of talking back.

Watching him act like that, Shan added as if realizing something.

“Just in case, even if you win, I can’t return the armor. I used it well until recently, but it got so damaged that I melted it down.”

“You son of a…”

“That is enough.”

The moment Count of Ronsh lost his temper at the unintentional provocation, the Lord Protector, Marquis Abel, stepped between the two and spoke.

At the eerie voice sounding as if echoing from deep underground, those nearby shuddered.

‘Oh……’

Shan observed Marquis Abel with an interested expression.

This middle-aged man with an impressive sword scar on one cheek possessed eyes even deeper than when Shan had seen him two years ago.

Furthermore, his movements followed reason even more naturally than before, as if indicating he had not spent his time idly.

“Royal Knight Kamad Entor fell in battle after being defeated in a fair one-on-one duel with Shan Barendil. That is the fact as I know it. Do you happen to possess any evidence to prove a claim to the contrary, Count of Ronsh?”

“L-Listen, Lord Protector! You know full well what Kamad’s skill was like, do you not?”

“I do. And that is why I also know it was only natural for Kamad to lose to that boy.”

Never imagining that Marquis Abel would not side with him, Count of Ronsh wore an astonished expression.

Ignoring him, Marquis Abel turned his head toward Shan and spoke.

“I apologize on the Count’s behalf for his rudeness. I know there would be no ground for objection even if you requested a duel, but I ask that you overlook it just this once. We have an important battle ahead of us.”

“If he apologizes, I shall let it pass for now. Though I will make him pay the price someday.”

Having his skill as a knight insulted right to his face, it was a situation where challenging him to a duel and slaughtering all of the Count’s knights would be justified.

However, just as said, when they had to fight Elvin immediately, he could not cause a serious deterioration of their combat power, so Shan accepted it as well.

Marquis Abel, who had been standing quietly listening, turned his gaze straight back to Count of Ronsh.

“You heard him, Count.”

“Your Excellency, I am a noble of the kingdom who swore loyalty to Prince Conrad! How could I possibly to a lowly Altoan……”

“I will not say it twice. Apologize.”

When stared down intentively by those two eyes sunken like a skull’s deep sockets, the groaning Count muttered an apology and hurriedly fled.

That apology, devoid of any proper decorum, looked all the uglier, prompting several Altoan mercenaries present as attendants to giggle and mock him.

At that sight, the Old Faith nobles gnashed their teeth in shame and anger, yet they dared not display it.

Not only was Marquis Abel still standing calmly, but even without that, they could not dare dream of dueling Shan.

Standing quietly watching this farce, Shan suddenly remembered Yurk, who had picked a fight similarly and had all the bones in his body shattered, and laughed.

If Yurk, who was guarding the mana stones right now, had seen this sight, he would have cried out indignantly about how unfair it was.

Just then, Marquis Abel spoke to Shan, who was laughing silently.

“Come to think of it, is this our first time conversing like this?”

“That is correct, Lord Protector.”

“You have grown much taller than when I saw you before.”

If it was when he first met him, was it during the royal banquet when they hunted ogres?

Compared to back then, he had grown more than twenty centimeters taller, so it was impossible not to notice.

“Had it been back then, I do not know, but now it would certainly not be easy.”

“I probably would have won back then as well.”

“Perhaps so.”

Tossing out provocative words out of a bizarrely rising competitive spirit, Shan was slightly surprised that Marquis Abel accepted it so meekly.

The Lord Protector possessed eyes as serene as a lake, seemingly without a shred of displeasure at the speech and conduct of a knight more than twenty years younger than himself.

“I have kept my eye on you ever since I saw you before. I hoped we could compete to see who would be the strongest in the kingdom in the future, yet somehow we end up fighting on the same side like this.”

“Indeed.”

Of course, both of them knew that someday they would have to fight each other.

For Prince Conrad and Princess Cheryn were beings that could politically never coexist.

“Even so, do not make the mistake of failing to look at your own feet while aiming for me. For there are those who pursue you as well. For example, that lanky fellow from the south.”

“Do you mean Sir Lug?”

“Indeed. He, too, is fiercely pushing his way up. Though he is still lacking, youth is something that grows dazzlingly, after all.”

Over the past few years, Lug had been making a name for himself under Elvin’s command, achieving dazzling exploits.

As if it were a lie that he had once been unappreciated, was he not now said to be Prince Elvin’s head knight?

If they met on the battlefield this time, he would be able to see for himself how much he had grown.

Judging by the Lord Protector speaking like that, he would likely have become strong to a degree on a completely different dimension from before.

‘I should capture him as a prisoner, and then tell him to switch sides once his contract period ends.’

Bringing up such a thought inwardly, Shan asked Marquis Abel who else among Prince Elvin’s knights was strong.

While carrying on a friendly conversation like that for a good while, a strange gaze was felt from right beside them.

“Ugh.”

As he watched Shan and Marquis Abel standing face-to-face, Duke of Morayen was wearing an ecstatic expression.

So overtly that even Cheryn and Conrad right beside him were wearing bewildered expressions.

The two knights looked at each other and, as if by prior agreement, widened their distance, avoiding the sinister gaze.