They say word travels fast. It seed news of
crushing bandits on my way up had reached the castle. Noivan, who called himself the Grand Duke's representative, gave
a deep bow. I was extrely tired, so I wanted to get this business over with as quickly as possible.
"What is it?"
"I ca because I heard the news. Are you Lord Peta Lusius, the Southern High Priest of the Archdeity Church and Lord of the southern Peta Territory?"
Unlike his exhausted expression, he possessed a clear and gentle voice. I could see an unshaven beard on his rough jawline. Noivan glanced at my carriage and said to .
"I know you must be tired, but would you please get in the carriage right away? We will host you at the castle tonight."
If I could sleep in the castle, there was no reason to refuse. I had planned to sleep early, but the sun hadn't set yet, and if I was going to sleep, a soft bed in the Grand Duke's castle was much better than a worn-out bed in a crumbling ruin. Besides, with a knight and the Lord's representative accompanying , bandits wouldn't dare show up. I nodded, and the coachman climbed into the carriage with a grimace.
"Watch your expression."
"Yes, yes!"
Looking at that bastard coachman's face reminded
of my ti in the military. That fucking junior of mine who worked with his mouth pouting like a duck's bill. The coachman grabbed the reins, and the knights matched my carriage's speed. Noivan's complexion was pale, and he had deep dark circles under his eyes. I checked his stats.
Na: Alt Noivan
Class: Representative of the Northern Territory
Level: 25
Strength: 41
Agility: 20
Intelligence: 30
Luck: 10
Traits
Loyal Vassal
When an [Adjutant], receive a bonus to all stats proportional to the [Master]'s stats.
Assault Trooper
Inflicts double damage against sturdy structures and objects.
Accountant
As a result of working with finances for many years,
has beco very proficient in accounting work.
Automatically organizes the territory's operating costs.
At a glance, those weren't the stats of a fighter. The Loyal Vassal trait was surprisingly overpowered, but it was a aningless stat now that he was acting as the territory's representative himself. The knights also looked extrely exhausted. They said the Ain were pushing down on them almost daily, so it couldn't be helped.
The atmosphere on the way to the castle was utterly gloomy. A deep gloom from all the death hung over the entire Northern Region. Looking out the carriage window, crows were circling in the sky. Following their gaze down, I saw corpses strewn below. Noivan looked at
and opened his mouth.
"It's utterly shaful. Nothing like this ever happened under the Grand Duke's rule...."
I said nothing. I had to suck up to them as much as possible here if I wanted to get a map of the Northern Mountains. There was no need to provoke them with nonsense like, 'Is it my fault the Grand Duke is dead?'
Smoke was rising from another village. The knights began to murmur, then turned their horses in that direction. The adjutant shouted in an urgent voice.
"Go on ahead. We'll take care of this and follow."
The adjutant spurred his horse on with the knights without even waiting for my reply. Only one knight, who was to be my guide, remained with the carriage. I narrowed my eyes and looked into the distance, where a swarm of ant-like thieves was attacking the village. Was there a band of thieves in every other village?
"The public order has deteriorated rapidly."
This was a completely different North from the one I knew. Even in the capital city, no one really knew the true state of the North. There were only rumors that it had been destroyed by an invasion of the Ain. You have to look closely to see clearly, they say. In reality, the North wasn't just destroyed. It was completely devastated.
"When the Grand Duke, who was in charge of defending the border, passed away, the adjutant temporarily took over as his representative. But since no nobles were willing to co to the North to succeed the Grand Duke, our adjutant is now responsible for everything in the North."
"Are the Ain that strong?"
"Their numbers aren't that large, but our soldiers' swordsmanship can't even leave a scratch on them. Plus, the Ain are smart. When the Grand Duke was alive, they would unconditionally flee whenever he took the field. Now that the Grand Duke is gone, they've changed their tactics to be even more vicious, attacking us from all sides. It's like they're trying to wear us down to our deaths."
"Wear you down to your deaths..."
The knight continued.
"With endless casualties among the soldiers, we're conscripting young n from all over the North. If the border falls, the North is finished. But for every new soldier we bring in, another one dies, so we can't fill the ranks with just the young n. So we conscript people who are younger or older. The quality of the soldiers drops, so more of them die. And because more die, we conscript even more people."
It was a vicious cycle. Young n who should be farming die on the battlefield at the hands of the Ain, and to fill that void, more soldiers are conscripted. The more soldiers are dragged to the battlefield, the fewer people are left to tend the farmland, and soldiers who refuse to die a aningless death beco deserters and form bands of thieves.
The knight orders were weaving through the thieves, their swords flashing. The knight said.
"If the border collapses, the North is finished. But even if things stay as they are, the North will be finished. Everyone has reached their limit."
When the Grand Duke was alive, the Ain were a threat in na only, but with his death, they began to move in earnest. It seed the adjutant's abilities weren't enough to stop them.
"We've arrived at the castle."
The castle ca into view. The knight had the gate opened. The soldiers' faces were also deeply etched with concern. They gave the knight a lazy greeting and opened the gate. The knight didn't reprimand the soldiers for their indifferent attitude, but simply let out a sigh.
I leaned back in the reception room inside the castle. A separate room was prepared for the coachman. The knight had a servant bring tea and then said.
"I apologize. I don't have the authority to assign you a room in the castle... The adjutant will be here soon, so could you please wait?"
"Yes. I understand."
He looked busy, even at a glance. So I just said I understood. The knight closed the door and left. I muttered.
"Motherfucker."
This was the worst-case scenario. The North was in a state of crushing defeat. It had only been about four months since the trial. Seeing the situation reek this much of the fishy sll of blood, it seed the Ain were holding so kind of Black Friday event for humans on the boundary line. The adjutant alone didn't have the capacity to defend this entire boundary, so it looked like any place he left unguarded was getting plundered.
The hand holding the teacup trembled. This place was far too uncomfortable. It was like sitting on a cushion of thorns, surrounded by resentful glares. The adjutant hadn't said a word, but I had clearly seen the knights' eyes change the mont I said I was Peta Lusius.
I cursed that fucking bitch Erina again internally and drank the tea. Looking at the situation, my plan to explore the Northern Mountains as quickly as possible felt completely fucked. If the Ain were that crazy for murder, AA might really be in the underworld, and there was no way they'd just open a path for
while I wandered through the mountains.
Fuck. What do I do? Should I just run now? Pick up a broken sword, lie that it was AA's, and call it a day? I had to make a choice quickly. I decided to just run. The more I thought about it, this just wasn't right. I'll just lock the door and sleep tonight, then get the hell out of here as fast as possible.
Erina wouldn't know if I investigated there or not anyway. I'd just have to say it was impossible to investigate because the North was fucked up and dare her to do sothing about it. It would be better to let Erina throw a bigger fit and then I could send a formal complaint to the Elf Kingdom and enter a base rush.
The worst that could happen from that is getting fired from my position as High Priest, but this shit right here puts my fucking neck on the line.
Knock. Knock.
As I was resolving to run, the door opened. Noivan entered. As soon as he ca in, he bowed his head deeply and said.
"I apologize for our poor treatnt of a guest."
"Not at all. I didn't realize the situation was this serious, I feel as if I've co at a bad ti..."
I was on pins and needles, so I stood up and stopped Noivan. The very picture of fatigue and helplessness, Noivan's dark circles reached down to his cheeks. Staring into empty space with a vacant gaze, Noivan suddenly spoke to .
"Lord Peta Lusius."
"Please speak, Sir Noivan."
"Actually, there was sothing I've wanted to ask you for a while now."
"What is it?"
I could roughly guess what it was. There was only one question the Grand Duke's adjutant would ask of his opponent in a private setting.
"I've heard the stories about the death of our Lord, the Grand Duke."
As I passed through the capital, I confird that the rumors about the Grand Duke were fucked up. That the Grand Duke was the kind of man who used poison in a duel, or that he died disgracefully, refusing to admit defeat and throwing a tantrum until the very end. Such rumors were circulating everywhere.
I could only call them truly terrible rumors.
He said that discussions were underway in the Royal Palace to remove the Grand Duke, who had caused such a controversy, from the 'Honorable Warrior' roster, and a deep concern was cast over Noivan's face. He said.
"My Lord. I do not bla you. But I want to know the truth. The malicious rumors spread by gossips are defiling the honor of our Lord, the Grand Duke. Our Lord was always serious when he fought, and he was not the kind of person who would use sothing like poison. Lord Lusius. What was the duel with our Lord like? Please, I beg you to tell
the truth."
His tone was nothing short of desperate. I was lost in thought. What should I tell him? If I tell the truth, I'll get stabbed right here. So I have to lie, but I couldn't gauge how much I should bend the truth. It was a sensitive topic, and if the rumors spread in a distorted way, it would put
in a difficult position.
The claims that the Grand Duke had poisoned his sword or that he threw a tantrum as he died were all things I had said myself. If I denied them with my own mouth, I had no idea where the sparks would fly. So I just gave a vague answer.
"I have nothing to explain."
"Ah..."
Noivan sighed. I think this bastard misunderstood sothing. Fuck, what should I say? I desperately racked my brain.
"I an. The idea that the Grand Duke used poison is nothing more than a rumor or speculation. Nothing has been confird."
"It's alright, my Lord. Thank you for your words alone."
"Noivan. Listen. As our Lord, the Grand Duke, passed away..."
"It's alright. Really. Thank you for your words alone."
Noivan muttered with a face full of despair. Was my lie that obvious? Sothing seed to have gone wrong. An uncomfortable silence filled the reception room. Noivan sat for a long while, wringing his hands, before getting up.
"Thank you, my Lord. I will have a room prepared for you, so please rest well there."
Like I could fucking rest easy. Even when I went up to the castle and was shown to my bed, I felt incredibly uncomfortable. It felt like the gloomy atmosphere strangling the castle was driving
mad too. Noivan told
to rest well with that face of a terminal depression patient. To , his words sounded like an assassination notice, so I had no choice but to stay awake with my eyes open all night.
Fortunately, no one knocked on my door, nor did a knife-wielding assassin fly through my window.
But the next day. The castle was in an uproar.
Because the acting Grand Duke, Noivan, had hanged himself.
Leaving behind a single suicide note.
The note said this.
- I hate this world. I can't endure it any longer.
If the honor of our Lord, the Grand Duke, was a lie, then what in the world have I been living for?
What the fuck.
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