Chapter 131
wp9The count, after dealing with the egg, took charge of the cleanup operations.bmY
OZVBercheff had not defended its territory with its own forces alone.SLTYkg
dnFrkWithout the help of the Mercenary King, they would never have defeated Kimaris.VnrleiH
zAHKM2XWithout the reinforcements from the Cult of the Dragon God, the walls would have fallen.1wAf2
9x3And, above all, without Fernan—who hired the Mercenary King and held the line with golems until reinforcements arrived—that hopeful outcome would never have been possible.KWUW
PZD4Even though the Empire had an emperor, in practice, the nobles were little less than kings over their own domains.XeU5RUf
VtLAThe Armian Empire was a mosaic of hundreds of states, and every favor received had to be repaid with appropriate compensation.mGHO
lYbThose who offered help had the right to demand it.FcHQaj
1fDHowever, Bercheff’s situation wasn’t too bad.xqB
FBNxThe Cult of the Dragon God, which under normal conditions would have demanded an immense price, was content with taking half of the beast corpses scattered beyond the wall.Az5Y
0bu8q5“That the egg was destroyed…”6zZ
iOS8evThe priests of the cult left crying, but resigned.KGp
X0vO3“I have nothing to negotiate with you. You’re not my employer.”2apWC
EAeThe Mercenary King also demanded nothing. He had no right to.so3Ql
WlbqX3Thus, the only ones with whom Bercheff needed to settle accounts were Fernan and House Pellenberg.1si
lRfPdD***TMv
ZRoGcIn the audience chamber of Bercheff’s castle, Fernan sat facing the count.5EH
ABf“Speak, Fernan Pellenberg.”N9FiyJ
ju5RZhIt was the count who opened the conversation. Fernan took a sip of his hot coffee before speaking.765
u4u4“First of all, we will provide the materials to repair the wall free of charge.”ELvr
meiVEE8“Free? I suppose you mean you’ll sell them.”nJJ
VUsg8“No. Free.”lXxY1
tACi“Free…”1vLE
Gd7QThe count frowned. An offer like that couldn’t be refused, but it could only mean that a massive request was coming.zqzb
27yZW“What are you aiming to get with so much preamble?”V8TzfUH
0y5“We don’t want much.”iqFw0
BVzx2bE“Then say it already. As long as you don’t ask for half of Bercheff, I can accept almost anything.”FkjH2G
OGoIn other circumstances, they would have fought over every detail in a tough negotiation. But Bercheff had received too much.kewqc
402BAStill, he wasn’t willing to give everything away without hearing first.uxMZtC4
17eJ3“Then I’ll be direct. I want exclusive distribution rights for Bercheff’s weapons and armor across the continent.”59aTmf
yRrBercheff’s weapons were famous throughout the Empire, but they had always strictly controlled their exports. The threat of monsters and demons didn’t allow them to divert resources, and they didn’t produce enough to sell surpluses anyway.zrgP
e0Ky“Even if the number of monsters has decreased, there’s still danger. We don’t have the capacity to produce more.”yA1CS
iMaiV“Then we’ll invest.”MSxwABN
DAiVp1“You want to steal our technology?”PARmTE
oxo3e8s“No. Just invest.”7d85k
8Z4qIAt heart, Fernan did want to acquire their forging techniques, but he knew they would never hand them over.dOi0Z0p
VIyr52d“Expand the workshops with Pellenberg money. We’ll only take a share of the stocks and profits. Everything else will remain Bercheff’s.”tl1PN
0k0cO2The count snorted.SXO
Nm0iUp“Pellenberg signing a deal where they don’t lose anything?”XwZPVpc
Nxj“It’s not a loss.”MP6X
YFI“What do you really want?”eYHWw4B
TXilIJFernan, who had already exchanged letters with his father, revealed the key proposal.d35
N8E3bH“The rights to exploit all the mines in the wastelands.”8HpS
5T55oez“…The wastelands?”670rFb
5MunjUBercheff had always been besieged by monsters. Between its fortresses and cities stretched a vast undeveloped territory, reserved as a buffer zone and for evacuations.93Oao
PPIAn area as large as a small kingdom, with not a single village or mining operation.UwG
MwDcGBut it wasn’t useless land. Old research from the Golden Turtle Company revealed that it contained enormous reserves of resources untouched by human hands.2zPI0AS
xkAdDi“All of them?”LN1f
GPJdTUi“Yes, all. And I believe we’ve earned it.”ozw
031h0UoThe count laughed bitterly.samZyPL
j6is“I’d never considered it, but that’s a shrewd request.”heD
pTjfHXgWar was inevitable. Kimaris wouldn’t be the last demon, and one day another horde would march across the continent.AiJh
IVtAnd war devoured resources—food, horses, weapons.Ncq
ipahoaIThe essential element was minerals to forge weapons.wD77GN
BXg‘Extract ore from the wastelands, forge weapons in Bercheff’s workshops, and distribute them with the Golden Turtle’s seal. Plus, with the reputation that Bercheff’s swords killed a demon.’mwOz
1vsHOeCIt was a guaranteed business that could only prosper.TXf
XNoiyThe count understood.Hbxy
2R33“Fine. The demons will return, and there will be war. It’s not bad for Bercheff to have a stake in it too.”TwECw
46kGuThe important thing would be to define percentages—the workshop shares, the mine taxes.9Ie
FSB“Then let’s negotiate.”wxS
LyAO8nThe discussion lasted two days.1c26b
53koq***8Kh
9daWhen it ended, the count called for his daughter.L1RZfBn
5P2b“Luina.”pDf
97q4t“Yes, Father.”V2PWm
yKa1“I’ve handed over Bercheff’s foundation to that man.”288YHR
8dtEXfIt wasn’t entirely true, but he had given more than he would have in any other situation.eE89so5
75U“Now it’s your turn to get it back.”aMR
Fyhc“Me? How…?”bUWI
OMa“A marriage with the Pellenbergs…”x1sIT2
DWqu“…I’m not thinking about marriage yet. I want to become a Royal Knight.”GE7w4go
P1pBR“I see you’re not denying it.”vyC64
oLY2“I…”MdW
vv7MivaLuina’s face flushed red.KN36
5i5Zga8***5IHN3H
ijF‘I thought we could drag it out for at least a week, but it ended quickly.’m9Bdy
DaauG44In the end, hiring the Mercenary King had been the most decisive move.X71d1o
aytWithout him, the count wouldn’t have ended up negotiating—he’d have been beheaded by Kimaris’s sword.5FX
2vqIn any case, with this, Fernan and House Pellenberg had extracted everything they could from Bercheff.SIDN8un
cyF2nThey could have squeezed out even more, but maintaining good relations with the count and with Luina was better.wWP
oWPAnd as for the Mercenary King—oS9
GFQv“It was a satisfactory deal.”vZhGh
79derzL“I’m glad you think so.”sraEp3p
k0RWhere there are gains, there are also losses.n4lmh0
w8f83Claiming he had fought a demon, the Mercenary King tried to charge an outrageous sum.5uwT
9h6ECHe called it a “standard price,” although there was no precedent—it was the first time anyone had accepted a demon-hunting job, so the standard was whatever he said it was.JHIGm0
Yy6DrvpFernan tried to lower it as much as possible, but cutting it down too much was impossible.WRCEYN
gApHe wasn’t just any mercenary; he was the Mercenary King, and he had killed a demon.aEpi3CC
3vcRcskBesides, for the future, it was worth accepting some loss.1IeaUs
xSu“So now I want your answer.”oIdQ
VmM“Is it certain more demons will appear?”DQmDo
og8jS“Not certain yet, but we judge it very likely.”NqAS
esrXw“And was it really necessary to involve me? This time there was no other choice, but House Pellenberg could have handled it alone.”gQNXm
4hpnMAuFernan knew that, after this, his house could defeat a demon on its own—especially with Aint’s help.JSzw
EOLBut there was no reason for them to shoulder all the burden alone.P2oFgiv
Wv45ak“If it were within Pellenberg’s territory, yes. But outside…”Cuj
ajYTa74“Right, you’re correct. And after this, there’ll be fools who think two Royal Knights are enough to defeat a demon.”j9Q4
3leeA demon had officially appeared for the first time in a thousand years.NyEx
iRVOaHThe entire continent was on alert.cSrjcc
BMu8wBut some were deluding themselves into thinking it wasn’t that serious, because Kimaris had fallen to just two Royal Knights.u2yH3aX
SboICeRThey said—0BeYH
Z5k‘Humanity has progressed in a thousand years. Maybe we can face the demons.’EtYM1
2hKNonsense.51Jgh
VRTJvf6Only someone who had never seen one could believe that.0UZBEH
w3o‘What happens with the other 62 if it takes two knights for just one?’QZF
3856MBut there were plenty of such fools.YKO6i
q9U“As for me, I have no complaints. It’s been a long time since a battle made my heart tremble. And I was well paid. I can’t ask for more as a mercenary.”vFbmb
s5V0lmPlus, his fame was skyrocketing—the Mercenary King who had slain a demon.vUIkSq
vw92igfHis authority in the guild was greater than ever.i8IgDRA
e23a“But next time, don’t count on me if there are only two Royal Knights or one Archmage. I won’t take that kind of risk again.”ADnt2
6oT“I know. If they hadn’t trained together for years, they wouldn’t have managed it.”kLwC
OYNPhRFernan understood it wasn’t because they were two Royal Knights—it was because it was those two: the count and the Mercenary King.IRlqyMQ
WVgziM“By the way, is Varus okay?”k5igY
x5hP3The Mercenary King hesitated for a moment before sneering.pN6
DGj5“Yes. Someone made sure he had enough to cover the medical expenses.”eHffKJI
c8FIn truth, that hadn’t happened.GU1eiE4
81rzFlIt was just another way of saying “let’s forget about Varus.”7dP3x
VS6w9Fernan smiled contentedly as he saw him off.Co2FcI
1T2Vw‘Now all that’s left is Aint.’3nBg2
k4emzHad he already returned from Frazia?TPl
IQJ6gy‘If not…’OHt
qyoK4NTap, tap. Fernan tapped the table with his fingers.3BTeNnq
zT0GYkz***EOPmIHp
CiAWuP【A demon invades Bercheff! It’s no longer a thing of a thousand years ago!】aVEtfc0
Z7HKfw【Aint Armian, the name that stands against the demons.】fsrk
3CQ1iww【A giant black knight on horseback, identified as Demon Number 66, Kimaris…】Q31
hNN74DO【Bercheff withstood the assault—ten thousand monsters struck its walls, but they did not break through.】5T1zD
axO【The heroes who killed the demon: Count of Bercheff, Albinos Bercheff; Mercenary King, Garrett Schreiner; and Cardinal of the Cult of the Dragon God, Alby Gallian.】DfgIE
k8l“What a mess.”IXbn
tijAria flipped through the newspapers as she returned from Frazia to the academy.Xb1xrZ
m9hTzFrom the front page to the last, it was all about the same thing.GCBH8
gwiPgKO“No wonder Aint left so quickly after that letter.”kLMMb
SSXvmShe hadn’t had time to explain anything to him, but there was no need—the whole world was shouting it.XkrZbm
EtGIxK“A demon… And it’s already the second. Is this really okay?”Sd9i
R0m“Don’t ask me.”ne9rpk
G5dNVjKVerian, eating roasted meat, replied indifferently.LvjPDM
B97“Who else am I going to ask? You’re here.”619o7
VCFW“It’s not like you came to sit with me. You sat here on your own.”rI5N7
L2MCI“You’re not going back home now either?”focMd2
1Ul6cVerian frowned and fell silent.mpjshI
xYofSince receiving the letter from his father, he could have returned—but he hadn’t, because Aint was in Bercheff.FQ6Web
o2jaLIf he went back now, what would people say?bmttLZm
UPvlFH“Why are you returning to your family while Aint Armian is gaining fame in Bercheff?”Vk7
KnfiHe needed to wait for Aint, coordinate with him.L8iK87i
RQe“And you? Why aren’t you going home?”3WrkwAw
Hh9EOf the students, only Aint had permission to use the transport circle to Bercheff.ygGGWNx
9Q9The rest had stayed behind at the academy.EA8
GXZDUsHValoshi had already returned to Bienderk.w2W
IZjAria and Verian remained at the academy.d9d
ut0nvIVarus was on leave.DlVMg
ZCedAz“There’s still no direct circle to Fridian.”iFDh
p4BDIF“So you’re afraid of boats.”cg2L
YYnElves’ weakness to the sea was well known.FxqVSyA
VUb“…I can travel by boat.”0kHt
L9cJI“Well then, never mind.”x6M
DKzOjqAria was quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke.Qqlck
IJ4HzK8“Don’t you find it strange?”KQuZ65
YQwLACq“What?”93M
AYL“Fernan.”dNRQgaj
qgrEWShe popped a candy in her mouth before continuing.P8mCecp
ozX“This demon appeared in Bercheff.”3J8dnz
rb8rDIXSurprising, yes. But not so much after Andromalius. They already knew that had only been the beginning.CJsH
wTxi6What was strange was that nearly all the incidents had direct or indirect ties to Fernan.B1JcD
wjsWeT“When I became corrupted, for example.”ES7tr
NdmFn“Shut up already.”2XhVyUR
6UCqX“When he brought the World Tree branch.”RcXsi9
c0O2“That was your fault, not his.”Y2dtArP
moS“And the Andromalius incident.”MVtoOB
t3CWY“That happened because you lost your mind.”5IQph
8SCeFN“As if it was just me.”4AAt2
jkUAria kept talking without concern.s0wCN
OuH4R“Also during the Academy Congress, when he helped Aint against the corrupted.”SAA942s
BS2MuOO“That was an accident, and he reacted as best he could. You were there.”B2ht
oHq“And now, the Bercheff incident.”hLi8T6
Psy9o“I heard Luina was the one who invited him…”ML2pVs
y0m1“Since when are you Fernan’s fan?”aTVyhU
YQ6uu“I’m just telling the truth.”WBO6
2QYQX“Then what are you implying? That Fernan is a corrupted?”JaF
nIo“Don’t be ridiculous! He’s been eliminating corrupted. That’s impossible.”lmWVys
8myqUab“Then?”rKVhBB
ch8fe“Fernan knows something about the demons. He has clues and has been preparing.”ETeF4nd
K4g26XOtherwise, how could he have created Wooden?v1sz
FSu59A golem like that would take years of preparation.2Eo
g7Yt“How did he know the demons would return?”6OlaPjf
JO1Verian shrugged.XMHcrWT
0xX54tz“The corrupted are everywhere in the Empire. Hunting them is proof enough. Pellenberg figured it out and prepared before anyone else.”H0e5fJx
dkD2iD8“Hmm, maybe.”FpL
ooEZtZThat made him even more impressive.pO0sez
9BjJYDa“In the end, is it just the Pellenbergs…?”whttENF
m0ZSJz“Again with your connections?”Xhx
RqaJg3Y“…Not all prince-electors are the same. Kalburdern never acknowledged me, even after ten years.”kbO
sMHsAria muttered bitterly.1HDM
A3A“Among students, friendships don’t bear fruit right away.”5E75HDS
qvkFo“But they do in the future.”n2t
VP3Verian sensed there was something more behind her words, but didn’t press further.RclB
UqUxhMo‘Prince-elector…’fvNX8fr
r6QXHis father wanted that title more than anything.ctbHyc
CludHe wanted to take it from the Armians—but with Aint gaining fame and slaying demons, everything had gone sideways.S6fS7F2
yW3q4bqRight now, his father was surely seething with rage.UoO643
oRCx5EH“What I mean is, Fernan sees farther than I thought. So does Pellenberg. It’s best we stay close and take advantage of whatever drops.”KTiqFXi
AXx“And why are you telling me?”PlI
Zfy“Because you’re already officially on his side. If we do it together, it’s less suspicious.”lvKWH
fFwkMAt that moment, the dining hall door opened.SWATj2
bTP4T“Ah, there you are. Where’s Valoshi?”WYmZs
SasF“Aint?”oix
YLX“What are you doing here? Weren’t you in Bercheff?”6C4MC
2je“I went. And I’m going back.”G4yiTMI
cazV“To Bercheff?”VxWspv
JAuVIF“No. To Frazia.”FKEZyq
Ugim2“Again?”EiMU
xfISJ“Yes.”tb4
BoccALAint nodded.Cej0oQO
kOSXkgE“And this time with Fernan.”8zWp
EHw“Fernan?”eNJmJ5
uvP6hdFernan appeared behind him.ZsY
hZs11“I see you’ve been well.”YqVSwn
7cCUA“Fernan!”eGM3k
nh4Aria jumped up and eagerly approached him.IDNY
w9j7“So happy to see you again.”RrNsx
iWRSLb“It’s only been a month.”fIS
Fdk“A month is a long time. So you’re coming to Frazia with us?”BBCrwm
cLf“Not just with you—all of you.”2wN
Qdtl“That’s the same thing. I’m in. What about you, Verian? You’re not going to reject the man who saved us, are you?”qqKKI
SYVRsB“I didn’t say anything!”4q500y
uqtVVerian exploded, as if someone had shot an arrow at him.xDNmba
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