Chapter 39 : Stranger -1
"The calamity of the Alcala Apostles has been suppressed…… It is a bit different from what I thought."
"What kind of expectation did you have, Your Highness?"
"I thought this disturbance would last a little longer. You know as well, General? That there is nothing tougher than the malice harbored by a madman."
The midday sunlight seeping through the stained glass clashed with the boy's silver hair and danced.
The blue-eyed boy smiled dazzlingly, brighter than scattering light particles, and said.
"The poison harbored by a madman is tough, and Volmada, Nefam, and Zodiac are absurdly incompetent. So I thought this calamity would go on for quite a long time. But to think it was suppressed quickly…… Hmm……."
The silver-haired boy meticulously examined the report to find the 'variable' that made his expectation miss the mark.
The boy's eyes, examining the report like that, twinkled with unusual interest.
"Reichart, you mean. Didn't you mention it once before, General? That there is an old friend whom you hold dear at the northern end of the continent."
"That is correct, Your Highness."
"Would that friend's name be Redin?"
"Correct. And if my memory serves me right, that friend is probably responsible for the Reichart family."
"I see. Duke Reichart, Redin Reichart. Hmm."
Intrigued by the fact that the title 'friend' came out of the mouth of the General, who was always taciturn and strict about human relationships, the boy rummaged through the report with continuously twinkling eyes.
The General, silently guarding the boy's side, said.
"Zodiac and its royal family are incompetent, but Redin is not. If Redin had stepped forward actively, suppressing the situation early would not have been impossible."
Yes, if it was the Redin the General remembered, he was a figure more than capable of easily suppressing something like the Alcala calamity.
But even so, a slight question remained in the General's mind.
'Would the fools of Zodiac have given Redin the opportunity to display his ability?'
Zodiac's royal family were incompetent trash who didn't even know their entire rice bowl was breaking and trembled in fear that even one more grain of rice might go to Redin.
'If Redin had taken charge of the general command of the subjugation army, there would have been no difficulty in suppression. However…….'
Would the nobles of Zodiac, constantly anxious about Redin's fame growing larger, truly have entrusted the general command to Redin?
Around the time various questions were blooming in the General's mind, the boy raised his head and said.
"It says Duke Reichart did not participate in the specific subjugation operation."
"Is that so? Your Highness."
Hearing the boy's words, the General's brow furrowed minutely.
Someone other than Redin suppressed the calamity?
There shouldn't be a figure of that caliber anywhere in Zodiac, Volmada, or Nefam?
"It says the one who established decisive merit in suppressing the disturbance is Duke Reichart's son. Haha, to think that son possesses such outstanding ability. It seems the General's evaluation of Duke Reichart was accurate."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Bowing his head to the boy, the General nodded.
Come to think of it, it seemed he had heard a rumor a few years ago.
Among Redin's sons, there was one friend with extremely exceptional talent.
'I think his name was Helkane.'
"Hein Reichart. The 'Black Lion of Reichart' who suppressed the Alcala calamity. I certainly want to meet him once. What kind of friend would he be?"
A name completely different from what the General remembered leaked from the boy's mouth.
Around the time the General, feeling a sense of heterogeneity at that fact, was about to throw a question,
"Your Highness, Sir Aslan has requested an audience with Your Highness."
A voice seeking the boy was heard from outside the door.
"Oh my, Sir Aslan is looking for me. Then of course I must meet him. Tell him. That I will go as quickly as possible."
The boy hurriedly stood up from his seat and organized the report he was reading.
And looking up at the General, he said.
"Slowly, the bait scattered last time is showing effect. Don't you think so?"
The boy's expression and atmosphere were distinctly different from just a moment ago.
The blue-eyed boy who was smiling continuously with an expression full of curiosity was nowhere to be found.
"I am already looking forward to how Sir Aslan will react. Haha!"
Instead, what filled that spot was the 9th Prince of the Akrishima Empire, whose silver hair, a symbol of the descendants of the 'Great Akrishima Empire', was dazzling.
"I will escort you, Your Highness."
"Yes. Let's go, General."
The Empire's Prince 'Gillian Tercios' headed toward the reception room with a dignified gait.
The General guarded his side with a stealthy gait as always.
***
'It's not easy.'
Sitting in his room examining this and that document, I bit my lip.
The document I was examining right now contained information on the movements of the Akrishima Empire.
Three months had passed since the Alcala calamity was suppressed.
During that time, I paid the most attention to two areas: first, training myself and the knight order, and second, grasping the movements of the Akrishima Empire.
However, unlike the first part, which was proceeding relatively smoothly, the second was not smooth at all.
Because my position was far too insignificant to extend tendrils deep into the Imperial Family of the Akrishima Empire, the strongest and best nation on the continent.
'Since the current Emperor handles affairs so messily, I thought there would be some gaps. But still, even those gaps are not yet permitted to someone like me, is that it?'
Even if the Empire's information network had cracks here and there, the threshold of the wall was too high from the start for a mere noble of a small border nation to approach.
Eventually, having given up on approaching the Imperial Family through the information network I could mobilize, I started pondering other methods, but no sharp solution came to mind immediately.
'By now, Gillian must have jumped into the successor struggle in earnest. His trust from the Emperor, as well as the trust of nobles and bureaucrats, would not be thick yet.'
Therefore, for me, I had to deal a blow to Gillian right now.
Only then could I delay Gillian from becoming a monster with a stomach capable of swallowing the continent.
'Probably the one at the very front of the struggle right now is the 1st Prince, the Emperor's legitimate line, and following behind are the 3rd Prince with exceptional martial talent and the 7th Prince receiving the full support of the Vestano family.'
If there was a fortunate point for me, it was that Gillian's standing was not that solid yet.
However, the current structure would not be eternal.
Therefore, I had no choice but to fall into contemplation once again.
Right when I was lost in thought,
Vwooooom.
"……!"
An unusual wave of mana was felt from the sky above.
My expression hardened in an instant.
'Already?'
According to my memory, they were supposed to reveal themselves a fortnight from now.
But to think they would reveal themselves this quickly.
Did the time for them to wake from their slumber simply become earlier?
Or did my existence become a trigger?
Although I couldn't know the exact reason, what was certain was that their visit was earlier than expected.
Thud!
Grasping the family sword in one hand, I ran up to the top of the inner castle just like that.
***
"It seems the amount to reconstruct the Arterbeck territory will be gathered more smoothly than expected. It is a fortunate thing."
"Isn't it proof that those guys' bodies have heated up plenty? Since this Young Master's fame is soaring as if to pierce the sky, their minds must have become urgent."
Bolpar, sitting opposite Redin and examining next year's financial plan, asked for Redin's permission with a cigarette between his fingers.
As always, Redin nodded with a faint smile, and Bolpar soon put the cigarette in his mouth.
"Kuku, thank you. I know it is not polite to do this in front of my Family Head, but indeed, when talking about such stories, rolling one is the true taste."
Looking at the numbers that had become much more plentiful than usual years, Bolpar's face, having gained peace of mind, was continuously full of smiles.
Thanks to the Vispon family promising support far exceeding the average year, next year's livelihood of the territory seemed likely to be much more relaxed.
Of course, the decisive opportunity for Vispon, who had been busy showing off and pushing this and that requirement every time they provided financial support, to promise such generous support was precisely...
"As expected, a person must be successful first to see. It must be very good for you, Family Head. Since you have a praiseworthy son who makes his father's pockets plentiful."
It lay in the fame of the grown Hein.
With the performance shown in the last Alcala subjugation battle as an opportunity, my popularity among the territory's people truly reached its peak.
And the public sentiment of the territory's people, who had been playing tug-of-war between Redin and Vispon, also tilted rapidly toward Redin.
Eventually, the Vispon family, capturing the unusual current of public sentiment, chose the method of spraying finances as a plan to turn the hearts of the territory's people.
"Since they are guys for whom money is everything they have anyway, it must be a method perfectly fitting for them. Well, for us, for the territory's people, it isn't a bad thing though. Don't you think so?"
As Bolpar exhaled the cigarette smoke he had held, smoke reminiscent of a raccoon's den rose up thickly.
However, the expression of Bolpar, who had been intoxicated by the smoke he exhaled for a moment, suddenly hardened.
"Family Head!"
"I sensed it as well."
It wasn't just Bolpar whose expression changed.
Redin also made an unusual expression and turned his gaze to the inner castle spire visible outside the window.
"Tower Master, I must vacate my seat for a moment."
"Go with this person."
Right when Redin and Bolpar, sensing an unusual sign, held their respective weapons in hand and were about to leave the meeting room.
Bang!
"Family Head!"
The door of the meeting room opened, and a knight revealed his appearance.
And the knight with an urgent expression said in a loud voice.
"A Sub-Dragon is flying in the sky of the inner castle spire!"
***
Flap.
What entered the eyes of Redin, who arrived at the spire, was a Sub-Dragon of enormous size lowering its flight trajectory and preparing to land.
An appearance as if a dragon, an existence in legend, was reduced as is (even so, it was a size reaching a whopping 10m).
Reddish-brown scales wrapping the whole body tightly.
Claws stretched out as if to tear the world apart right away.
Golden pupils harbor ferocious energy.
"A Sub-Dragon? I heard they fell asleep a long time ago……. Haha!"
At the unbelievable situation, Bolpar unknowingly burst out a lamentation.
The Sub-Dragon was a descendant of dragons occupying the lowest seat of the dragon race, a creature similar in appearance to a wyvern but possessing intelligence superior beyond comparison to a wyvern.
However, since they had hidden their appearance a long time ago, people believed that Sub-Dragons were creatures existing only in imagination.
But that Sub-Dragon revealed its appearance in the Reichart territory today.
"Family Head!"
"No, a Sub-Dragon? What is this matter?"
A moment later, high-ranking executives above the level of vice-commander of the knight order flocked to the spire one by one.
Of course, among the people who revealed themselves.
'It really came.'
I, Hein, was also included.
Frowning my brow thinly, I glared at the Sub-Dragon hovering in the sky.
If what I knew was correct, in a moment that Sub-Dragon would change its form, land on the ground, and make a proposal to Redin.
And due to that proposal…….
'Reichart will become a wreck.'
Did they say mountains beyond mountains?
Witnessing the 'second calamity' that came a little earlier than expected, I bit my lip firmly and observed the envoy of the calamity carefully.
Vwooooong.
A moment later, a dazzling light poured out from the Sub-Dragon's body, and its size began to decrease gradually.
And standing in the spot where the light subsided was a young man with fine red hair grown down to his waist.
"Are you all well? Humans. I am an apostle serving Lord Kelbes who leads the great 'Blood Fang' Clan, called 'Valdano'."
The young man wrapped in a robe engraved with ancient patterns, Valdano, scanned the figures gathered on the spire once and then pointed at Redin with his finger and said.
"Are you the leader of the ones here?"
"……."
However, even at Valdano's question, Redin only looked at Valdano silently without answering obediently.
"Am I not asking? If you are the leader of the ones gathered here. It would be better to answer quickly what I ask. If you do not want to become a state where you cannot answer ever again."
"Such arrogance!"
The knight commanders flared up at Valdano's rude speech and tried to step forward, but Redin stopped their hasty actions with a single hand gesture.
"I ask for the last time. Are you the leader of the ones gathered here?"
"If so?"
Eventually, it was after Valdano threw the third question that Redin gave an answer to Valdano.
"If so, you must also be playing the role of ruling the humans residing in this vicinity."
"What is the point you wish to speak about?"
"Good. I will tell you simply. One month from now, Lord Kelbes and our brethren will wake from their long slumber."
Valdano opened his mouth.
A forked tongue unique to reptiles licked his lips in an instant and hid its appearance.
"Therefore, we need tribute."
Was he excited at the word tribute?
Valdano's pupils tore long, and the reddish-brown scales covering the back of his hand stood on end.
"……."
And at the moment Redin's eyes narrowed, feeling ominousness, Valdano said.
"The necessary tribute is two thousand in total. Prepare one thousand men and women each."