If we divide the North into areas, we can broadly categorize it into three parts.
The majority of the North, which people refer to as ‘the North,’ is led by Adele’s mercenary group, who unified the region.
One part is an untraversable area where people cannot enter, and the other is the land of the Immigrant Tribe that we are currently set to hunt.
“The territory is quite small, but there’s a reason I couldn’t deal with it all myself.”
As Adele spoke, Bunta nodded in agreement.
The land where the immigrant tribes lived was among the roughest of terrains.
It was a place where people couldn’t easily step in, and you couldn’t move without wolves around.
Looking at the homes created by the immigrant tribes under the mountain range, Adele murmured in a low voice.
“This time, I plan to handle everything. We need to be able to control the North with our own power.”
To handle meant making the immigrant tribes surrender.
In the past, it resembled a form of massacre, but now Adele was leading an official army.
There was no need to kill everyone by force.
If they could just deal with the elite of the immigrant tribes, they could recruit the rest as resources.
The North was a place that could never be completely unified.
Now, it seemed Adele was doing everything she could to keep it together, but with such a multitude of ethnic groups in this area, it was impossible for it to be combined as one.
Isn’t it a characteristic of people that they can’t be melted together like in a melting pot?
Even Adele’s lieutenants alone had such distinctive appearances,
So, it was bound to be very challenging to unify everything under one rule.
That’s why what Adele chose was to move forward by recognizing everything.
Instead of enclosing and binding everything with a fence, if they would operate solely within the stage of the North, anything could be tolerated.
However, the immigrant tribes they were about to hunt had rejected even that, indicating they had to be eliminated as quickly as possible.
“I think we could strike tonight and finish it off right away.”
“I think they might catch on to an ambush. It would actually be better to do it during the day.”
As Adele responded to Lothos’s words, he adjusted his glasses for a moment before speaking.
His gaze landed on me, almost as if he was blatantly expecting me to shine.
“I believe we should strike swiftly right now. Our mobility is not decreased, and even a few of us should be able to handle it aside from the elite of the immigrant tribes, right?”
“If I deal with the elite, who will capture the chief?”
“We have a new lieutenant, so we should utilize them in this situation.”
How confidently he states that.
I mean, I expected this kind of situation, but hearing Lothos say that simply made me feel a bit off.
Is it still the same annoying luck as always?
Noticing my expression was off, Lothos awkwardly chuckled and added,
“No, you have quite the skills, right? I think you’re the best asset for this.”
“That’s not wrong, but I think it would be better for me to lead the charge. If I get hurt this time, I won’t have a handkerchief to lend you.”
“…Wasn’t that you who bled on it?”
When I retorted, Adele averted her gaze and shifted the subject.
Well, I suppose I had already received an apology for that. Remembering Adele visiting me on my first day in the North before I fell asleep, I couldn’t help but smile slightly.
I thought it would just end with receiving a handkerchief, but it seemed like it must have bothered her quite a bit.
I think of it as quite a unique experience.
It wasn’t something you often see when she apologized like that.
After briefly laughing, I glanced down at the mountains below, following the others.
With the wolf baring its teeth and growling, the first battle of the hunt was about to begin soon.
#
The most important element in conquering the immigrant tribe was speed.
Even if one couldn’t handle a sword well, combining with the mobility of wolves, they could unleash significant destructive power.
To catch the immigrant tribes that moved freely in this rough terrain, it was crucial to keep up with their movements.
Swish-
An immigrant warrior fell, cut by a sword.
One after another, as the flow continued seamlessly, the wolf, darting here and there, displayed quite sophisticated movements.
It wasn’t what the other seasoned lieutenants or Adele herself did.
It was surely the first battle for Robert, who was showcasing such skills today.
The lieutenants, each engaged in their own battles, could only watch in daze.
It was unmistakably the first battle for them, yet how could Robert handle a wolf with such ease?
Even for those raised alongside wolves since birth, it wasn’t an easy task.
In the center, they would even be riding horses, so why did Robert… look so familiar with this kind of combat?
“Isn’t it fascinating?”
Adele mused as she watched Robert dispatch the remaining immigrants.
Rotus, who had come up beside her, asked. He had been observing Robert since the beginning of the battle.
After all, his role here was just to clean up the mess, so he had the leisure to do so.
Rotus knew Robert Taylor was quite the peculiar man.
If judged by rumors, he had no grounds to be kept around, but in person, he turned out to be assertive and skilled.
Look, he’s already dealing with immigrants almost at the same level as Adele.
Especially his ability to use magic power at will was not something one would easily see among knights in the center.
“He seems accustomed to fighting with us. It’s definitely his first fight though.”
“Must be some kind of talent. Occasionally, such people do exist.”
Adele replied nonchalantly.
In her view, it was rather satisfying to see Robert fight like that.
There must be a reason she made him a lieutenant. If he lived up to her standards, she planned to bring him along no matter what, and so far, he was excellently meeting that benchmark.
…And it raised some ambiguous thoughts as well.
She wanted to continue observing for some time.
Adele’s judgment was that if Robert couldn’t fit in with the lieutenants, she would have to cut him out decisively.
Prioritizing the group’s cohesion over her personal interest, she thought that way, but Robert had been performing quite well until now.
“Well, if it’s talent, it is, but it is indeed strange. He’s completely different from the person I thought he’d be. Is that why you like him?”
“What I’ve seen is different, though similar.”
Adele’s interest in Robert stemmed from a different reason altogether.
There was something oddly detached about him, yet he remained composed even when he placed a sword against his own neck.
Damp, he remained calm even with the sword against his neck.
But the most bothersome thing was his composed attitude, even with death right in front of him.
It’s not that he was fearless; it was a demeanor that seemed to accept death.
No matter if he were to die at any moment, his eyes looked like they would gladly welcome death.
Those empty eyes hadn’t changed at all even until now.
What exactly had he seen, that his eyes held no emotions?
What had he experienced, that he could be so indifferent in the face of killing intent?
Even Adele, who had lived through quite a harsh life, found his attitude to be something she had never seen before, which naturally made her curious about Robert Taylor.
And by some stroke of luck, they found common ground.
They met at the Full Moon Festival and ended up roaming together, even coming all the way to the North.
Amidst those meetings, emotions began to arise bit by bit.
It was deeper than mere curiosity, yet nameless,
It bothered her.
The anxiety Adele felt every time she looked at Robert still lingered.
He was clearly right in front of her, yet his gaze seemed to be looking far off into the distance.
If she didn’t hold onto him, he looked like he might just disappear.
So, she deliberately made sure to frequently cross paths with him by renting a room close by.
He wouldn’t just vanish. Adele knew that.
People don’t just disappear like wind or dust.
She repeated that in her mind over and over, trying to gather her thoughts. She didn’t know why she felt this way.
He was just a guest who came to the North, so why was her head so troubled?
When someone remarked that her tied-up hair suited her, she found herself tying her hair up more often, and when she was concerned about the princess, she would grumble.
This bewilderment began to bloom because she was acting unlike herself.
What exactly did she want to hear from Robert?
He was on her mind.
Even when she was slaying the immigrant tribes, she’d wonder if he was hurt, her gaze drifting in his direction.
No matter how hard she tried to focus on combat,
somehow she’d find herself looking at Robert. Out of anxiety, out of concern.
No, it wasn’t just that.
So, what was it?
She knew Lothos was staring at her intently, yet Adele couldn’t help but chuckle at the emotions welling up inside her.
Whether Robert was interested in the princess or the saint was of no concern to her.
Yet, she’d sulk and tell him not to mind her when he was around.
The suddenly resurfacing embarrassing memories seemed to heat her up.
What a ridiculous sight this was.
Adele’s mind was nothing but a tangle of confusion.
The feelings she’d never felt before overwhelmed her, so she didn’t even notice Robert had approached.
“I’ve organized everything. Now we just need to move forward—”
She jumped.
At the sound of Robert’s voice, Adele’s body trembled.
She was quite startled herself, biting her lips to stifle the voice that was trying to escape, closing her eyes tightly.
She had just been thinking about him, but what was she supposed to do with him appearing out of nowhere like that?
Fortunately, maintaining her composure was Adele’s specialty.
When she opened her eyes with a neutral expression, Robert was looking at her with a puzzled face.
He had a handsome face befitting a young master. It was hard to believe he had dealt with the immigrant tribe all by himself.
Killing was a first for her… No, had she not caught the scent of blood before?
Hmm… No, did I smell the scent of blood before?
‘How on earth did they manage to survive?’
It’s a completely different trajectory from the typical nobles in the center.
That calmness, and maintaining composure in such a situation. Watching Robert, Adele slowly flicked her lips.
“They can’t have organized everything. The immigrant tribe in the west isn’t small.”
“I know that, but this is all we have here.”
Robert was also feeling the oddness.
Not seeing Temujin was unusual; normally, he would have appeared and clashed long before now.
Yet, he wasn’t showing up until all the immigrant warriors were dealt with, and he had just asked Toby to scout.
Looking around, there weren’t any living immigrants in sight.
Why not? The reason Temujin, who finds his subordinates terrible, still hasn’t shown up.
He thought for sure Temujin would be waiting for them, but what if he actually appeared sooner than expected and got his movements tangled?
…No, the chances of that are low.
Declaring the hunt and moving later was meant to provoke Temujin’s reaction.
He had expected a response from the west, but while thinking about where he disappeared to,
Lothos muttered something with a serious expression.
“Northwest.”
The atmosphere shifted at that word.
Bunta, who had just been boasting about the success of the hunt, and Adele, who had been slightly confused, both stared at Lothos with cold expressions.
The chances of going to the northwest were extremely low.
There are many directions one could head from the west, and if they were to confront him, they would likely engage in a battle a bit further west in rough terrain.
“There’s a possibility he went to the northwest.”
“Do you really think that prideful guy would go there? I don’t think that’s very likely.”
Even if it was a losing fight, he was someone who would charge in with gritted teeth.
There wouldn’t be a reason to fight desperately enough to take the imperial family hostage.
Responding to Adele’s question, Lothos continued with a slightly gloomy expression.
“…It’s winter, isn’t it? There must be a shortage of food. Probably, it was a pretty desperate battle.”
“Does that mean he abandoned his pride even while striking at the northwest where the imperial army is stationed?”
“The number of imperial troops is quite low. Didn’t Her Highness the Princess come here in a way similar to undercover?”
Lothos thought the chances of that were low, too.
It wasn’t like he held a grudge against the imperial family; it was just the worst-case scenario they were considering.
If such an event occurred, they needed to change their direction immediately.
Considering the time wasted here, the likelihood that Temujin had already reached the northwest was high.
Even though soldiers were deployed in the northwest, if Temujin charged with full force, he would surely break through.
Tap-tap-
The anxiety began to grow gradually.
The possibility of “what if,” but if that were true, the situation would spiral into the worst case.
As Adele’s complexion grew serious at the sight of Toby rushing fiercely from a distance, Lothos clicked his tongue and commanded the troops.
When Toby came with that expression, it only pointed to one situation.
“We need to change direction immediately.”
“…The reason?”
When Adele asked, Toby replied in a low voice.
“From the northwest, a rescue request has come.”
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
