Chapter 50: Circumstances of the Dwarf Tribe (1)
“Head of the Family, the Rapid Merchant Guild has completely withdrawn from the Royal Capital.”
After Kyle departed for Chaplin Castle, Pramo had been spending hectic days.
The selection of the miners to be sent to Chaplin Castle had been completed, with only the final evaluation remaining.
On top of that, he had been compiling information flowing in from all across the north and drafting plans for what lay ahead.
It was at that moment that Tade met Pramo and informed him of the current situation of the Rapid Merchant Guild.
“What happened in the other regions?”
“Orders were issued to withdraw from all territories belonging to the nobles under Duke Zaira. The only places where the Rapid Merchant Guild still has branches are the territories of the Neutral Faction and the Noble Faction.”
Aron, who had been listening to Tade’s words beside Pramo, curled his lips into a grin.
Pramo, who had been observing Aron, tilted his head in puzzlement.
“This is not a good situation, so for what reason are you smiling?”
“Duke Zaira is politically well-established and one of the seasoned nobles who support the king. However, my lord said that his thinking is confined to politics. He is not a strategist.”
“Hm, I don’t see how Duke Zaira’s evaluation is related to the current situation.”
At Pramo’s question, Aron looked toward Tade.
Under that gaze, Tade scratched his head, then suddenly widened his eyes.
“Are you saying Duke Zaira will make an overreach?”
“Externally, the Tylers Empire is applying pressure, and internally, Ragnar is pressing the Royal Family. Of course, neither side is actually doing anything, but the king and the nobles who follow him will be impatient.”
“So you believe that Duke Zaira, who wields political influence, might intervene in the territories of the Neutral and Noble Factions?”
“This is not a prediction. It is a certainty.”
Duke Zaira and the king would clearly try to starve Ragnar out by first blocking off food supplies.
And it was obvious that they would pressure the nobles to prevent the Rapid Merchant Guild from operating within the Daon Kingdom.
Aron continued to stare at Tade with a faint smile on his lips.
“Who is the largest client supplying food to the Rapid Merchant Guild?”
“That would be Marquis Shan, the head of the Noble Faction……”
“Then who do you think the Rapid Merchant Guild will ask for help in order to supply food to Ragnar?”
At Aron’s repeated questions, Tade smiled in admiration.
“Marquis Shan. The largest granary region of the Daon Kingdom is precisely the Shan Territory.”
“Which is why Duke Zaira will make his first overreach.”
“Pressuring Marquis Shan……”
“That’s right. They will hold the simplistic belief that Marquis Shan, as a noble of the Daon Kingdom, will obey the Royal Family’s orders.”
“Mm…… Strategist, Marquis Shan loves the Daon Kingdom, and he is someone who would do anything for the sake of the nation.”
“That was when the kingdom needed to survive by protecting the current royal house, the Daon Family, was it not? The Pact Document that Ragnar possesses—now that it has been activated, the nobles have two choices.”
Either maintain the current royal house, or place Ragnar on the throne.
This was a battle of wits.
And Duke Zaira would certainly take action that provided justification to the nobles who did not follow the king.
Nodding, Tade put on a resolute expression and spoke quietly to Aron.
“I can meet Marquis Shan, or I can arrange a meeting for you.”
“There is no need to go to such trouble.”
“Such trouble? What do you mean by that?”
“Marquis Shan will move toward Ragnar himself. In any case, with the food secured so far, isn’t it enough to hold out?”
Moreover, even if all branches of the Rapid Merchant Guild had withdrawn from the Royal Capital, there was no issue in procuring food.
But Tade, unaware of this, furrowed his brows.
“At best, it won’t last even a month. Do you have some other decisive measure?”
“A large quantity of food will soon flow in.”
“Pardon?”
“Is there any need to transport food by land? Ragnar is receiving active support from Viscount Rak’s territory, which possesses extremely important geography.”
“But aside from that place, there is nowhere else. Who would help the barren north?”
“Why would there be no one? There is a saying—‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ Hehe.”
At Aron’s enigmatic words, both Tade and Pramo tilted their heads at the same time.
“Lord! A request has been received from outside the country to use the teleportation gate!”
“What does that mean? Who would be coming to Rak Territory from outside the country…….”
As rumors spread that the relationship between Ragnar and the Royal Family had turned hostile, even the kingdom’s merchants had stopped entering the north.
The teleportation gate had not been blocked, but no one had been coming to Rak Territory.
In such circumstances, upon hearing that the gate had been activated, Viscount Rak, who had been trailing off mid-sentence, hurriedly issued orders to a knight.
“Mobilize the troops immediately! Strategist Aron instructed us to refrain from blocking the gate as much as possible.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Originally, the teleportation gate operated on a system where restrictions were lifted upon a request from the other party.
There were no restrictions on using the gate domestically, and since Aron had instructed from the outset to allow all teleportation, both domestic and foreign, it had not been blocked.
Recalling what he had forgotten, Viscount Rak immediately took up his sword and went outside.
He also sent urgent dispatches ordering that Ragnar be informed of this development.
Not long after, intense light burst forth from the teleportation gate, and Viscount Rak gripped the hilt of his sword with a visibly tense expression.
Soon, the forms of those who had appeared in Rak Territory came into view.
Drk—.
At the sound of carts being pulled, Viscount Rak tilted his head in bewilderment.
One man appeared, and behind him, countless carts emerged, all filled to the brim with food.
“I didn’t expect such a fierce welcome. Might you be Viscount Rak?”
The man, who had a gentle, round-looking impression, spoke politely without losing his smile.
Even with the knights pointing their weapons at him with wary gazes, he remained remarkably relaxed.
“Who are you? Were you sent by the Daon Royal Family?”
“No.”
“Then……?”
“I came at the summons of Kyle Ragnar.”
When Kyle’s name came from the man’s mouth, Viscount Rak stared at him with a blank expression.
“I am Hers, the merchant guild head of the Continental Battlefield. I came from the Saier Kingdom.”
The Saier Kingdom.
A nation that had currently yielded its border to the Empire’s 1st Legion and was known as the Empire’s closest ally.
It was also a nation that shared a border with the Daon Kingdom.
It was surprising enough that he had come from a border nation locked in confrontation with the kingdom’s forces, but more than anything, the phrase “Continental Battlefield” left Viscount Rak aghast.
“Why would the Continental Battlefield……?”
“I came to support food supplies at the request of my benefactor. I thought you might not trust another branch head, so I, the guild head, came personally to pay my respects.”
As he neatly brought his hands together, he bowed his head to Viscount Rak.
The merchant guild heads of the Continental Battlefield never bowed to anyone.
Not even to the emperor of the Empire.
For someone of such standing to bow to Viscount Rak was nothing short of extraordinary.
“……May I perhaps verify your identity token?”
“Of course.”
The man who introduced himself as Hers took a token from his chest and stepped forward.
The knights tried to block him with wary gazes, but Viscount Rak stopped their actions.
“I hope you understand that we are on guard because the current situation is not good.”
“I understand. I imagine you must have been startled by the sudden visit. Here is my identity token.”
It was not difficult to determine whether the identity token was authentic.
There were only six merchant guild heads of the Continental Battlefield that existed on the continent.
There was no way that something as ordinary as an identity token would have been made for something that existed only six times across the vast continent.
After confirming the authenticity of the identity token, Viscount Rak bowed politely.
In the meantime, Aron appeared, though it was unclear when he had arrived.
“It has been a while, Merchant Guild Head Hers.”
Viscount Rak was startled by Aron’s sudden appearance without prior notice.
In contrast, Hers bowed his head to Aron with an indifferent expression.
“You look better than before.”
“I’ve been living comfortably. More importantly, my greetings are late, Viscount Rak. I apologize for visiting like this without any prior notice.”
“……No. I am fine.”
“I imagine you were flustered when the merchant guild suddenly came. I intended to explain in person, but I ended up being late.”
At Aron’s polite apology, Viscount Rak shook his head.
He had been startled, but it was not to the extent that he should receive an apology from Aron.
In the meantime, Aron turned his head and looked back at Merchant Guild Head Hers.
“Merchant Guild Head Hers.”
“Yes, Aron.”
“My lord is waiting. He is currently staying at Chaplin Castle, so I intend to guide you there personally.”
“I understand.”
“Before that, could you hand over about half of the food supplies to Rak Territory?”
At Aron’s request, Hers nodded.
Seeing that, Aron also nodded and spoke to Viscount Rak.
“Viscount Rak, could you grant me an opportunity for a private meeting?”
“Of course. I will escort you to the lord’s office.”
“Please mobilize the soldiers and have them transport the food supplies that were brought here to the warehouses first.”
After issuing orders regarding the follow-up measures, Viscount Rak entered the lord’s office with Aron and opened his mouth as soon as he sat down.
“Strategist, may I ask why the Continental Battlefield brought food to Rak Territory?”
“In the past, my lord once helped the Continental Battlefield. At that time, they promised to provide assistance on one occasion only. My lord chose to use that opportunity for the sake of the north.”
At Aron’s explanation, Viscount Rak nodded heavily.
Not only Black Terun, but even the Continental Battlefield being connected by ties was not something that could be brushed off with a simple word like ‘impressive.’
Even so, the only expression he could use regarding Kyle was ‘impressive.’
“……I understand.”
“Could you distribute the food brought from the Continental Battlefield throughout the entire north?”
“Of course.”
“It may be an unreasonable request, but thank you for accepting it.”
“Not at all. Is all of this not a path for the north, and for Ragnar? I will handle the issue of food distribution properly.”
Aron had not deliberately come all this way simply to explain the matter of the Continental Battlefield.
After all, it was something that Merchant Guild Head Hers could have explained himself.
The reason he had come here was to deliver a warning.
“My lord had words he asked me to convey to you.”
At the mention that Kyle had sent words, Viscount Rak straightened his back.
“Please speak.”
“He said that a Monster Wave will begin within one year.”
“……Is that truly so?”
“Yes. It will be on a completely different scale from the monster invasions so far. He told me to relay that it will be a number great enough to cover the entire north.”
At Aron’s warning, Viscount Rak took a deep breath.
If Kyle had judged it so, then it was something that would surely happen.
In the end, it also meant that they were being told to find a way to stop the Monster Wave with minimal damage.
“How does he wish the north to move?”
“The Royal Family has only imposed obligations on the north, without giving any compensation. They have discriminated heavily and thoroughly turned their backs on it. Then is there truly a reason for the north to stop the Monster Wave while suffering massive damage?”
“……That is also to protect the north.”
“Concentration and selection. You only need to think about those two things.”
At Aron’s words, Viscount Rak furrowed his brow.
“……What do you mean?”
“It means that you should protect the regions that must be protected, but there is no need to defend regions that do not need to be protected.”
“Strategist, if that happens, monsters will flow into the interior of the Daon Kingdom.”
“Why should the north worry about that?”
Whether the monsters that flowed into other regions caused damage or not was not something the north needed to take responsibility for.
At Aron’s words, Viscount Rak nodded, but his expression was still filled with worry.
“However, there is something concerning. The justification may disappear…….”
There was clearly an issue that needed to be addressed.
The reason the people of the Daon Kingdom cherished and loved Ragnar was because they were a shield that stood at the very front, blocking threats to their settlements.
If they deliberately let monsters through, the people would surely direct tremendous criticism toward Ragnar.
It was also obvious that the Royal Family would shape the atmosphere in that way.
However, there was no need to worry.
“Do you think my lord would overlook that? The one who will receive criticism will not be Ragnar, but the Royal Family. Rather, Ragnar will gain the people’s support.”
Something that did not exist in the Royal Family, but existed only in Ragnar.
The fact that there were two Masters was an extremely important key to reviving Ragnar.
Aron curled up the corner of his lips into a grin and added,
“Ragnar will once again grant hope to those who have lost it.”