Chapter 174
Viscount Mutran hurriedly walked ahead.
He looked cautious, seemingly worried that the ghost knights might attack his subordinates.
"Are they still moving the luggage?"
"Yes! We're running out of time!"
"Then move only the valuables!"
The viscount spotted a resident peeking out from inside a building.
"Listen closely, soldiers! These are indeed ghost knights! But they bear no grudge against our house! The Nathan house is the one who brought them here!"
"Understood!"
Even though the viscount had told them to leave, the knights from the marquis' house were still following and guarding Marquis Nathan. Only eleven knights were left, including the captain.
"Lord Nathan! Didn't I tell you to leave!"
At his shout, nathan stopped.
He glared at the viscount for quite a while but eventually turned away. The knights followed Nathan.
At that moment, we also turned to follow them. The viscount seemed forgiving, but the marquis didn't. That startled Marquis Nathan quite a bit.
The feet of the marquis and his knights grew quicker and quicker, and then they started running.
"The ghosts are after us!"
"Hurry! Get out, quickly!"
The dark knights also suddenly sped up.
This happened right after I gave the order to subdue only the knights of the marquis' house.
And then a short while later.
I returned to my original appearance, wearing Robe's suit and the mask of the elemental spirit. The face was that of a man in his thirties.
I went straight to the castle.
The viscount was still outside the castle entrance.
"All the ghosts have disappeared?"
"Yes. We were told they all went west. Even that skull ghost is gone."
"What about the Nathan family?"
"No one in the family was harmed, including the lord. As for the knights, most of them lost an arm or a leg."
"How strange."
The viscount glanced at the city gate and continued speaking.
"The ghosts may come back, so don't let the guard down. Leave the moved luggage in the same place for now."
"Are the knights disbanding?"
"Perhaps the ghosts didn't attack us because I said I would disband the knights. Keep things as they are for now. Seeing the ghosts in person is quite unnerving."
At that moment, I stepped forward.
"Excuse me, are you Viscount Mutran?"
"Yes, I am."
I greeted him lightly.
"Sorry for dropping by suddenly. My name is Silion from the eastern merchant guild."
"Eastern merchant guild?"
"Yes. I was wondering if you'd be interested in doing business with us?"
At my words, the viscount's brow furrowed deeply.
It was sudden and such a matter isn't decided by random peddler's bartering.
"Whose intention is this?"
"Corps leader Roger's."
"He's interested in us?"
"Yes. He wants to reclaim his old western territory."
The viscount's gaze darted quickly.
He was assessing the situation.
"So. You mean, you're trying to reclaim Lord Nathan's territory, but since we're an obstacle, you want to join hands?"
"Exactly."
"And if we refuse?"
"Then there's nothing to be done. As long as the duke doesn't attack the Hader house, neither will we."
"We? Are you part of the Hader house?"
"That's correct."
A bitter smile appeared on the viscount's face.
Something about this was odd. It was far too convenient for a member of the Hader house to show up saying these things.
"Did you overhear our conversation?"
"I heard about it. We were checking on the lord's intentions, as we didn't know for sure."
"This is rather disconcerting."
The viscount waved his hand.
Soon an armchair was set in front of the castle gate.
"Have a seat there."
"Thank you."
As soon as we sat, tea was brought out.
"If you want to do business... Is there something in particular you want to buy? Or is this just an excuse?"
"Both, actually. The eastern merchant guild will develop the western coast here. We're proposing a joint venture with you, Viscount Mutran."
"What do you plan to do with the refugee camp?"
"It's just a starting point. In time, all lands end up being developed. The only reason people haven't gathered is that no one has started."
A subtle interest flickered in the viscount's eyes.
He continued,
"This west will eventually return to the Hader house. It must prosper in order to be held. If that happens, the grand duke won't be able to cross the western mountains so easily."
"Are you thinking of resettling people?"
"The local military is sufficient."
"Military?"
"You'll understand soon enough."
If the viscount joined us,
the Nathan house's forces could become ours. Most of them were originally from Hader's house anyway.
"So, all you need to do is develop the west through this construction venture and continue to grow your forces."
"Will Lord Nathan or the grand duke sit idly by?"
"The grand duke won't mind. Lord Nathan has no knights left, so he can't keep this place in check. You can just leave it be."
The viscount shook his head.
"It won't be that easy. The grand duke will surely send elite knights to Nathan house. Where do you think they'll go? They'll find some excuse and come after us."
"If so, just close off the west."
"Do you know what that entails?"
He continued with a smile.
"If the grand duke sends elites, one of our people will occupy Nathan's castle. So we should close the gates. The grand duke can't casually dispatch imperial forces."
"How can you be so sure?"
The viscount swallowed nervously.
He could see how this was escalating.
"Even if the grand duke sends elites or imperial troops, we'll close the western mountain passes. That would amount to a declaration of war between us and him."
"War?"
"I'm saying that's possible. The grand duke also knows what we would do, so he won't send in his elites lightly. He doesn't fully control the military."
He was implying the grand duke wouldn't risk outright war. In a wartime scenario, all the armies would split into factions; the central forces would march on the capital.
"So, if the grand duke attacks the west—in truth, if he attacks the Hader house—it becomes a war. Rather than start an ill-prepared war, it would be easier for him to let one in-law house go."
The viscount stared at me.
It made sense, but it wasn't something easily done based on confidence and conviction alone.
"We're expecting war. It's a war that will definitely happen within six years—a war that cannot be avoided. So, we must prepare."
"Six years? Don't tell me..."
I smiled again.
"Your guess is right. I'd almost abandoned the west, but now seems like a great opportunity, so I'm reaching out to you, Viscount Mutran."
It was a different situation from when it was just Lian and the Krapos pirate crew. If Viscount Mutran took charge of the west, it would not be just a common pirate seizing a castle.
"So, will you join hands with us?"
Viscount Mutran just looked at me.
It wasn't an easy decision.
"The nearest Imperial troops here are the central forces. The western fleet isn't far either. Your house is far away in the east, so all I have is Lord Parde."
"The Imperial Army can't come over the western mountains."
"And why's that?"
"The central forces will stop them. The western fleet will be blocked by the central fleet and Krapos."
"But the central army commander is on the grand duke's side."
"When things escalate, it will change. When the grand duke tries to move the imperial forces, that'll be the signal for war."
"I see."
We wanted to avoid war, too. The businesses we'd built could be destroyed. The east would be relatively safe, but the central region could be devastated.
However, it was an unavoidable war. We were trying to find a way to minimize losses. As long as the funds were moved to the east, the shops could close.
"Then what would you have me do?"
"Join our construction and mining ventures. We'll commission all the work. You only need to establish a merchant guild and manage things."
Viscount Mutran nodded.
"One last question."
"You want to know if we can defeat the grand duke, right?"
"You've been asked before, I see."
"Yes, we can win."
A bright look appeared on the viscount's face.
As if he had nothing more to question.
"I'll join you. Honestly, I worried about the grand duke's retaliation, but at least in the west I should handle it. I had no idea even Krapos was within your influence."
Krapos's loyalty was uncertain. The east and west are so far apart that the viscount would truly have to take charge of the west. If the grand duke fled, it was bound to be to the west.
Anyway. We unexpectedly expanded our sphere of influence to the west. Since the grand duke's hidden forces were in the far west, just monitoring them was worthwhile.
"Come into the castle."
"With pleasure."
"The Hader house is fortunate to have a talent like you on its side."
"You flatter me."
I headed into the viscount's castle.
He probably wasn't free from concern. Even so, choosing to join us meant he judged the risk worth the profit and growth for his house.
"Why do you think the grand duke sent your house here?"
"We were originally neutral. But due to relations between houses, we had no choice but to side with the grand duke. Since there was always a chance we'd turn against him, he sent us far away."
I suspected that the Mutran house's swordsmanship was quite formidable. They'd produced several Imperial knight order commanders. For the house's status, they had a lot of knights.
That's probably why, when the bloody annihilation struck, they used the forces and then exiled the house to the borders. In an emergency, the house could become the grand duke's enemy.
We'd have to atone for the blood on our hands going forward. With past sins, I couldn't say I was fond of the family. But they were necessary to us, so we joined hands.
We spoke at length in the viscount's castle, mostly about business, leaving out the key military details. After all, he might betray us.
/ / /
We were crossing the western mountains.
Lian helped us find a boat, but it only had 50 seats so we couldn't bring the dark knights aboard.
If a dark knight removed his armor, he'd be like a dark soul, but their forms wouldn't overlap or change. So, each needed his own space like a person.
Thus we decided to cross the mountains together. Leaving the dark knights behind in the west wasn't an option. Besides, the arranged boat was a pirate ship, and sending only part of us seemed improper.
Of course, we notified the fortress of our plans. Once Kudo in Tris received the letter, he'd report back to the fortress. I also requested a boat.
I gave Lian many instructions and handed over the military funds. He seemed uneasy about partnering with Viscount Mutran, but there was no other way. There was too much history between us.
Everyone seemed to have gotten used to the walking.
No one grew tired even after walking all day, and the exit to the western mountains was less rough than expected.
So, after hiking all day and when the sun had set, we found a good spot to set up a bonfire and prepared camp. From there you could see the wasteland on the eastern side of the mountains and the sea.
The dark knights sat together in a circle. They always passed the night in such a way. The seven bronze knights stood as sentinels, gazing out over the plain, like guardian deities.
This time we had plenty of food, so we enjoyed something like a feast—grilling pork legs, skewering and roasting chickens over the bonfire, even having coffee.
"Eilin, you're heading from Tris to Robe, right?"
"That's the plan. But if you go to purify the darkness, I have to go too, right?"
"I'll let you know if that happens. We probably won't be back in the west this year."
As I spoke, the light from the bronze knights seemed especially strong. It wasn't just that it was night—they were definitely brighter than a few days ago.
"Bronze knights, turn around."
At my command, all seven bronze knights turned toward us. Just now, the light from three of them had been strong, but now it dimmed. Maybe it was their orientation.
I lined the bronze knights up in their usual positions, then stood in front of them. Of the jewels set in their chests, only three emitted a light; two were faint, and two didn't shine at all.
When I was in Aindel, only two bronze knights shone. I thought it was because of the elemental back then, but after arriving on this continent, different knights had lit up.
So I looked in the direction in which the three bronze knights were standing.
It was toward the capital.
"It looks like they're pointing at the capital."
"So as we get closer to the capital, the light grows brighter? Right now we're closer than before."
"That seems to be the case."
Then Eilin said,
"Maybe the divine stones are in the capital?"
"The divine stones?"
"Yes. When the ancient king was transformed into a constellation and engraved upon the ceiling, the three stars were gathered in one place."
Everyone was quite surprised.
Eilin's guess seemed right.
The location of the divine stones.
The bronze knights were indicating the location of the divine stones with the light of the jewels embedded in their chests. In that case...
Grand Duke Syren has the divine stones.
All three of them.