The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

“Lumiere.”

The head of the Frederic family received a letter on horseback. It was a letter with the Lumiere seal, a summons for peace that was currently the talk of the town.

“To think that this is the answer they came up with after all that silence. How pathetic.”

Hwik!

“Waaah!”

“It’s a hit!”

Following the sound of the wind being cut, a cheer erupted. A deer with a hole in its forehead had fallen to the ground, dead.

Hunting. It may have been an essential act for survival in the distant past, but now it was entertainment. For the nobility, it could be called a very time-honored amusement.

“I thought their silence was a strategic choice to become a kingmaker. Did they really just think that if they waited, the commotion would settle down on its own?”

It was incomparably complacent.

“Stagnant water rots. With that much power, authority, and fame, they were so engrossed in protecting tradition that they have degenerated into an old-fashioned relic.”

Look at them, startled and flustered when the fire reached them. The weight of their silence had been blown away in an instant. The phrase in the letter about discussing peace just felt like a plea to be left alone to the head of the family.

“We’re going back.”

The knights, who had been chattering and laughing over the prey, packed their things as if they were disappointed at the head of the family’s command. The head of the family dismissed the sight of the knights dawdling and dragging their feet with a snort.

It was because he knew that they were not acting that way because they were undisciplined and incompetent subordinates who ignored the head of the family’s authority. It was the margin of the victor.

The fact that they had gone hunting in the midst of the city’s turmoil was proof of that. Frederic was the victor. They had brought down Morheim and had risen to prominence, spreading their influence throughout the city.

Since the mopping up of the remnants was also in its final stages, everyone was lightly talking about whether it was time to set the next goal.

“Will you attend?”

“I have to.”

At his subordinate’s question, the head of the family answered without any hesitation.

“I can’t agree with stopping the war, but I sympathize with the purpose.”

“You’re talking about the contractor.”

“Yes, the outsider.”

A contractor from an external city. A single loach was muddying the entire pond.

“Have you identified him?”

“Yes. Contractor Allen, a rising star from Gellerg City who has recently gained explosive fame. He is a contractor that megacorps consider as a top-priority option, and a big shot that even the city government’s Public Security Bureau is paying attention to. It is known that he has successfully led all his requests to success, even while facing the Mad House several times.”

“Even if only half of the rumors are true, he’s not at a level to be ignored just because he’s a contractor.”

Although contractors were looked down upon in Brahms, the head of the family also knew that it was different in Gellerg City. There, monsters freely operated under the name of contractors.

It was incomprehensible, but the culture of the disconnected cities was just that different.

“I wonder what a guy like that is doing in Brahms.”

“Most of the contractors who make a name for themselves in Gellerg City are eccentrics who can’t be judged by ordinary standards.”

“I know. I wasn’t looking for an answer. Whatever the reason, the problem is that he’s not giving up his old habits here either.”

He had broken into Lumiere and had caused a mess. Although he wasn’t alone, it was a small group of at most three. And yet, he had managed to call out the head of the Lumiere family and had asserted his will.

It was the moment when an external piece had unexpectedly entered this important board that would fundamentally overturn the power structure of the city and had created a mess.

“It’s obvious that the outsiders who interfered with our work were them.”

Should I have been more daring? Wasn’t it me who had said that what happened twice could happen a third time? Instead of being careful about the outsider’s identity, I should have dealt with him from the beginning or at least brought him to my side.

It was a meaningless regret now.

“I don’t know which family hired him, but he’s made things complicated.”

A contractor is a troublemaker who just handles things according to the price, without being bound by clear interests or friendships. But it seems he has the ability.

If he got involved, all the calculations would be messed up. If things just flowed smoothly, the final victor would be Frederic. Of course, would the result change just because a mere contractor had jumped into the board?

It was unpleasant that unnecessary losses would occur in the process.

“We must prevent outsiders from interfering in this war.”

That was the reason the head of the family had decided to attend Lumiere’s summons.

“Will they follow?”

“Of course, a verbal agreement is meaningless.”

It was the head of the family who had ignored the binding force of justification, agreements, and rules and had caused this mess. He knew best that it was meaningless even if they all agreed on the spot.

“If there’s one good thing that contractor did, it’s that he revealed to the world that Lumiere is full of loopholes.”

“……!”

“Morheim is already beyond recovery. It’s time to set the next target.”

As it happened, a suitable stage had been prepared. Was there any need to refuse it?

“It’s a matter of raising our weight class to a level where a mere contractor can’t arrogantly attack us.”

No matter what was offered as a price, it could not be more valuable than life. Although a contractor would do anything for money, they would not get involved in a game with no chance of winning.

“What is the trend of the royal family?”

“Unchanged. They have expressed their intention to condone anything as long as we offer the promised loyalty.”

“Then, we must be loyal.”

It was not yet time to show his fangs. The head of the family grinned.

“It won’t be long before our Frederic becomes the most noble in Brahms.”

A long-cherished wish that had been passed down through generations. It was now within reach, just a hand’s breadth away.

***

The date and location of the meeting summoned by Lumiere were set. As much as they had been careful in planning, there was no backlash from the other families. It was so that it was rather suspicious.

‘There must be one or two who have ulterior motives.’

The war had started with Frederic ambushing Morheim at a meeting. It was the same situation. It wouldn’t be strange if something happened.

Especially in Frederic’s case, since they had done it once, there would be no burden in doing it a second time. But we were not worried about that. This meeting itself was a stage we had prepared.

‘It’s a perfect stage for revenge.’

Assassination at a meeting. Frederic would receive his karma in the same way in the same environment. This was a plan that all of Morheim, who were crying out for revenge, had agreed to.

And so, the day finally came when the seven families gathered in one place.

“Hey, kids! What are you doing there!”

A woman scolded the children who were gathered in a group in the alley. The snot-nosed kid, who had flinched and looked back, answered with a slurred pronunciation.

“There are a lot of knights gathered. We’re going to be knights later too, so we have to watch…”

“It’s dangerous, so go home! Quickly!”

The woman chased the children away without even listening to their excuses. Similar scenes unfolded in various places.

Originally, the public district was the king’s land, a special area where disputes were strictly prohibited. No matter how many troops each family dispatched, there was a belief that they would not cause harm.

Not anymore. A rumor had spread that the knights were swinging their swords in the public district. It was not a malicious rumor, as there were many who had seen it with their own eyes, and many who had been caught up in it and had been injured or had lost their lives.

And today was the day when the knights of the seven families, who had been fighting each other, all gathered. They hoped that the negotiations would go well and the war would end, but until then, it was right to be careful.

Kung! Kung! Kung!

The ground shook every time the knights marched in step. It was an intimidating march for a meeting to discuss peace. It wasn’t just one particular family, but the overall atmosphere was like that.

Frederic had already attacked Morheim during a peaceful meeting. After that, even the minimum trust between each family had been broken. It was a situation where it was unknown whether this negotiation would reach an agreement, and even if it did, whether it would be kept.

It was unavoidable that the atmosphere of the accompanying troops was on edge.

“Still, they all followed the rule of only bringing one knight order as an escort.”

Katarina said, looking at each alley with a telescope.

“Well, that’s how it looks on the outside. There are knights in plain clothes hiding in the streets.”

Darian, who was also holding a telescope, finished her sentence.

“There are a lot of familiar faces. It’s Frederic. The rest… Everton and Hudson are sending signals.”

Everton and Hudson were the two families that had fallen after Morheim. While I was in charge of persuading Lumiere, Darian had succeeded in forming an alliance with them.

The three families had shared the plan I had made and were currently forming a joint front.

“These guys are really determined.”

Morheim had confirmed that the knights of Frederic, Everton, and Hudson, the families that had brought them down, were hiding. The intention was obvious.

A place where the leaders of each family were all gathered. They intended to carry out a massacre here. From the beginning, they had no intention of accepting Lumiere’s mediation.

“It seems that the place called the central square has no meaning to those guys.”

The central square of the public district of Brahms. It was the place where the royal family and the ten families had agreed to rule the city together. Although it was a place chosen for its capacity, it had a deep historical meaning.

It was not a suitable place to see blood. Although we were not in a position to say anything, it was shocking.

“Think of it in a good way. If they come out like that, it’s a benefit to us.”

Publicly or privately, they had brought all the elite of the family. It meant that the core power of the territory was empty. The slight possibility of suppressing the chaos that would occur when the leadership was annihilated had also disappeared.

“Are you really confident?”

But that was the story when I had dealt with all the leadership of Frederic according to the plan. The alliance of the three families was in charge of the role of diversion and bait so that there would be no external interference until I achieved my goal and came back.

If I failed, they would just be surrounded and annihilated. Darian’s trembling question contained a faint fear and tension.

“It’s a meaningless question. The water has already been spilled. We can’t take it back now.”

I did not assume failure when carrying out a request. But even if I expressed my confidence, it was a separate story whether Darian could erase his tension. This was not up to me, but to his own mindset.

“Don’t worry about failure. Isn’t it the same whether you die this way or that way? Just do your best.”

“……That’s true. Yes, you’re right.”

The die had already been cast. It was more likely to win by fighting with your life on the line than by being anxious and worrying about failure.

“If you understand, don’t act rashly, saying you’re anxious.”

It was an interference to just jump in, saying you would help. It wasn’t that I was so relaxed that I could fight with a sandbag against the head of a family.

Even if I held Darian hostage and threatened him, they would not hesitate to cut off the enemy’s head. I didn’t want to create a situation that would give me nightmares.

Woongseongwoongseong!

In the meantime, time passed. The central square was connected by ten avenues that symbolized the ten families. People came out from seven of those alleys.

The meeting was scheduled to be held at a hotel built in the center of the square. A building built to commemorate the agreement between the royal family and the ten families.

People went inside one by one. As the time drew near, Katarina and Darian also left their seats. It was when I was reviewing the invasion route through the area managed by Lumiere.

Jureureuk!

I suddenly felt water leaking from the ceiling. Sticky water droplets dripped down and formed a puddle on the floor. But the scenery outside the window showed no sign of rain.

“So you were here? I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

The moment I noticed the incongruity. A person’s face suddenly popped out from the black puddle.

Pajijik!

Sage stood behind me and aimed her staff.

“I don’t remember giving you a signal to come and find me at a separate place.”

It was a familiar face.

“What’s your business? Bianca.”

(End of Chapter)