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Chapter 6
With a loud bang, my father’s voice thundered through the air.
Not long after, some kind of lump came rolling out—and unsurprisingly, that lump turned out to be Purvil.
His face was completely swollen and bruised.
“B-Baron! Please, just listen to what I’m saying—!”
“You miserable dog, what is there to listen to?! What?! You want me to hand over my land?! Is that truly your master’s will?!”
“Y-You think I’d come all the way here alone if I weren’t ordered to?!”
“Oh? Then I suppose it’s not you who’s mad, but Count Hadion himself! Very well—come here. If I take your head, maybe your deranged master will come to his senses.”
“Eek!”
As Father strode forward and drew his sword, the fat administrator Purvil shrieked and rolled across the ground.
“Y-You’ll regret this!”
“You’ll only regret it after you’re dead!”
“I-Iiii!”
Purvil—yes, that was his name—rolled like a bear before springing to his feet.
Oh? Was he going to fight?
…No.
“I-I delivered the message properly! You’ll regret this, I swear!”
With that, he bolted for the gate at lightning speed, completely at odds with his bulky frame. After running a fair distance, he stopped and shouted back:
“You bastard! You savage bastard! You’re finished now, you son of a bitch!”
“That—! That filthy bastard!”
Father started after him in fury, but Sir Balt stopped him.
“My lord, please calm yourself.”
“Calm down?! You saw how he insulted me! You expect me not to be angry?!”
“Of course I’m angry. But…”
Sir Balt glanced toward the gate.
Purvil had already vanished into the lower village.
Only then did Father speak again.
“Is he gone?”
“Yes. He’s gone. You might want to shout a bit more, just in case.”
“Hm. That might be wise.”
…Huh?
Father calmly walked to the gate and shouted:
“What are you all standing around for?! Cut off that bastard’s head and bring it to me! Soldiers—! …Hmm, that should be enough.”
“Yes. More than enough.”
“Good grief. It’s been a while since I yelled like that. My throat hurts.”
“You did well.”
I didn’t understand what was happening.
Just moments ago, Father had seemed furious beyond measure—but now he acted as if it had all been an act.
And that wasn’t the end of the surprises.
“My lord… should we move soon?”
“Oh, Huben.”
“If you give the order, I’ll take care of it quietly.”
The old veteran who usually lazed around the training grounds had appeared beside Father.
But now, he looked different.
Like a mercenary who had seen countless battlefields.
“It won’t be easy with just you. He didn’t come alone. He probably brought a knight or two. Sir Balt, how many knights remain in the castle?”
“Low, Kan, and Halo.”
“Then send all three.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Only deal with them before they cross into Hadion territory. Huben, help them.”
“Aye.”
Sir Balt left to summon the knights, and Huben followed with the soldiers.
Meanwhile, I stood there completely lost.
‘What… is going on?’
Everything felt unfamiliar.
Father too—sure, fine—but were these really the same soldiers who usually greeted us with smiles?
The only one unchanged was Sir Balt.
Perhaps noticing my confusion, he gave a rare smile.
“You seem quite surprised.”
“Yes… a little.”
“That’s understandable. But you’ve grasped the situation, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
Count Hadion had demanded our land.
‘Whatever his excuse, this means he’s picking a fight.’
In other words, a territorial war.
“Don’t worry. The Palion domain isn’t particularly strong, but no one in this region can touch us without consequences.”
“Ah… I see.”
Normally I’d have doubted that, but after what I’d just seen…
Maybe not.
“Sir Balt, let’s go inside. We need to discuss things.”
“Yes, my lord.”
That was when Father called me.
“Ktoon, you come too. You’ve undergone the Blood Rite—you have a duty to protect this land as well.”
“…Yes.”
‘Ancestor, who said my father was weak?’
[…No one ever said that…]
Liar.
Someone definitely did.
But I could swear this much:
Even if the whole world doubted him, I never would.
* * *
Inside the castle, a large map was spread across the dining table.
“I’ll explain the situation. You already know the gist of it. That idiot demanded something unreasonable.”
“Yes. He asked for land.”
“Right. This land.”
Father pointed to a spot bordering Hadion territory.
“There’s no village there. It’s been left unused. But look—here and here.”
“I see. Two villages.”
“Those villages have belonged to Palion for generations. Ownership changed many times in history, but for the last 200 years, they’ve been ours. Now draw a line between them.”
“…The land he wants is inside that line.”
“Exactly. It’s unused, but clearly ours.”
“Yes.”
“They know that too. Yet they still demanded it. Why do you think that is?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Simple. There’s something valuable there.”
“Valuable?”
“Yes.”
The area he pointed to was just a mountain.
“What could possibly be there?”
“You don’t know, do you?”
“No.”
“I didn’t either, at first. Even I was shocked when my father told me.”
“My grandfather?”
“Yes. He discovered something there.”
“…What?”
“A mana stone vein.”
Sir Balt gasped.
“A… mana stone vein?”
“Yes. Undoubtedly. I saw it myself when I was young.”
“How large is it?”
“I don’t remember exact figures. But the mage who found it said it was enough to revive a minor territory overnight.”
“…!”
Sir Balt went silent.
Now I understood.
Even a “minor territory” meant enormous wealth.
Too much wealth.
“I didn’t touch it. It was too dangerous. But now they’ve figured it out. That’s why they demanded the land.”
“So war is inevitable.”
“Seems so.”
“That explains their confidence…”
“Yes.”
Sir Balt hesitated, then spoke.
“If you permit it, I can call some old comrades. A few might answer.”
“No. Don’t.”
“But—”
“This is our fight.”
“…Understood.”
“It won’t be easy. But we’ll do what we must. As always.”
“I’ll fight to the death.”
“Good.”
As I listened, a question occurred to me.
“Father… then the intruder during the Blood Rite…”
“The intruder?”
“Yes. Was he connected to Count Hadion?”
My anger flared again.
But Father shook his head.
“No. That was separate. Your brother will deal with it.”
“…I see.”
So it wasn’t related.
I turned toward the window.
A line from a manga I once read crossed my mind.
A war with Hadion was inevitable.
‘Then what can I do?’
What could a necromancer with a single skeleton do?
I’d tried making more since Golgol, but failed every time.
[What do you mean, what can you do? You have me. You have Golgol. And you have Shield Krashion. Come to the training grounds. There’s much to do.]
‘…Yes.’
I’ve never wanted much.
Good clothes? A nice car? A big house?
Who cares.
Clothes just need to be comfortable.
Cars are nice, but buses and trains work fine.
A house just needs enough space to lie down.
In my previous life, all I wanted was a peaceful life.
Not wealth—peace.
I failed, crushed under the lies of capitalists.
But this time—
‘I will.’
This time, I’ll live a life where I can drink beer beneath a red sunset.
Five years from now at the latest.
No matter what.
So I’ll endure.
[Too slow! Faster! A sword has no eyes! Golgol, what are you doing?! You’re going easy on him?! That’s it—again!]
Clack clack clack!
…Though honestly, Golgol’s swings feel a little personal.
