Chapter 207
Chapter: 207
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 207
>Chapter Title: Lycanslope Lord (1)
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A few days before the Lycanslopes began their large-scale southward migration.
An odd visitor arrived at the mansion of the Marquis Daiano, former great noble of Ortona.
He was an extremely tall man, draped in a cloak embroidered with intricate patterns and wearing a ornate half-mask, giving him the bizarre appearance of someone attending a festival.
The servant guiding him to the marquis flinched at the guest's flashy attire but soon bowed his head and quietly opened the door to the banquet hall.
"The day has finally come when the Prince of Cyprus dons that mask."
A massive table, the kind seen only at banquets.
Sitting alone before it was Marquis Daiano, greedily devouring a mountain of delicacies piled high.
Versus Daiano.
During the height of the civil war, he had been a staunch royalist opposing the republicans, and now that Ortona was utterly ruined, he had seamlessly seized control of the entire region, ruling like a king.
Unlike his bandit-like, burly appearance, his political acumen was remarkably delicate and refined. Not only had he easily absorbed the lesser nobles in the vicinity, but he had also taken in countless Ortonan refugees as his domain's people without any fuss.
The Daiano domain had grown to the point where calling it a mere fief was no longer accurate—it was more like a small kingdom.
"Cyprus is not a kingdom."
The man's icy blue eyes lingered on the marquis's bushy beard as he replied.
The beard was a mess of tiny flecks of meat and blood. He was tearing into an entire haunch of dark deer leg, improperly cooked and oozing blood.
Despite his filthy state, Marquis Daiano responded with the dignified air of a sage.
"You needn't shy from the title you rightfully deserve, old friend. Does anything exist in this world that isn't a kingdom? Instead of blades upholding a king's authority, beautiful gold shines forth nobly. Only fools are unaware of who rules them."
As he said, Marquis Daiano despised anything that sought to escape the laws of kingdoms. To him, a kingdom was synonymous with the natural order.
Every pack needed a 'lord' to govern it. Fair qualifications, equal rights—such nonsense was the yapping of toothless dogs who had never hunted.
That was why he had led the charge to dismantle the rootless republic.
He had sided with the royalists to crush the pathetic republic, and in the end, he had even exiled the unqualified king, turning Ortona into a lawless land of the law of the jungle.
And now, he himself reigned as king of the region. Proving his qualifications as a sovereign in full.
"Well, the country bumpkins probably don't even care what generation the Empire's Holy Emperor is from. Fools are all the same."
He gulped down red wine to rinse his mouth, then finally offered the man a proper seat.
"I didn't invite you, but a guest is a guest. Sit. There's not much prepared, but I hope you enjoy the meal."
But the half-masked man did not sit.
Not only would the blood-soaked feast not suit his taste, but now was no time to leisurely dine.
"I've warned you countless times over the past few years, Versus. Even now, your kin are trampling my flower garden to ruins."
"Flower garden? You mean the drug herb field?"
Versus snorted and fiddled with his damp beard.
"Right. Come to think of it, the weather's been quite warm this year. That cursed deleria must be blooming all over the forest already. Don't worry. When those ominous things flower, I'll make sure to drive the pack moderately southward myself."
"You know full well that merely driving them southward isn't enough."
The half-masked man slowly approached the marquis's side. Instead of sitting beside him, he draped an arm over the tall chair's backrest and leaned down to stare intently at the marquis.
"How long do you intend to keep up this puppet show? Isn't it a hassle regulating your kin from afar every year? Why not just head further south while you're at it?"
"Further south? To where, exactly?"
"Don't play coy. That's not like you. Isn't the south of the Demon Realm practically your territory already?"
"Not practically—it's unequivocally mine."
"Exactly. So if you merged with Daiano's forces, you'd become the lord of a vast kingdom no one could challenge, wouldn't you? Then why leave the Sigismund Territory wedged in the middle untouched?"
Hmph.
Versus snorted loudly, digging at his ear as if he'd heard something outrageous.
"Nonsense. The south of the Demon Realm is the domain of the savage Lycanslopes. And the Daiano domain is unequivocally human land. Sure, both are equally barbaric, but drawing a clear line between two realms that can't mix is only natural. Why would I attack them when Sigismund serves as a convenient fence?"
"The idea that they can't mix is your prejudice. There's even a Lycanslope king living among humans, isn't there, Lord Versus?"
Then—
A deep growl rumbled from the marquis's throat. His fierce beastly eyes glared at the man, flashing yellow.
"You think everything dances to your tune? That's a grave mistake, arrogant [Puppeteer]. The Council of Six isn't that foolish."
The half-masked man shrugged, leaning against the chair back.
"Then you're just cowards. How does it feel? A human boy whose life was but a candle in the wind just a few years ago now sits atop the Six Guardians of Delcross, toying with you all."
Boom!
In an instant, the marquis slammed his fist down, splitting the massive dining table in two.
Clang. Clang.
Plates crashed to the floor, and the mangled food reeked of thick blood.
"Watch that senile trap of yours, Puppeteer!"
Long fangs protruded from the enraged Versus's mouth.
His already massive frame, huge even for a human, now swelled further with muscle, clearly no longer resembling an ordinary man's form.
Baring claws over two inches long, the marquis growled menacingly at the man.
"Do you think I don't see through your schemes? You incited the Penitent Church to summon demon trees in a flashy display, trying to wipe out the merchant guilds entirely. Making it look like the Dark Church was behind it all!"
One twitch of his hand, and the man's neck would fly. Yet the masked man replied without batting an eye.
"It was simply because all eyes of causality were there."
"That was your goal—to eliminate them? Don't make me laugh! You think I'll fall for your desperate tail-hiding tricks? Not content with destroying the Milo Guild, now you want to mobilize our kind to erase even Sigismund Territory?"
"Also because all eyes of causality are there."
Brushing food scraps from his cloak, the half-masked man continued nonchalantly.
"You should think carefully. Thanks to my maneuvers, Delcross's Guardian has expended much causality in the north. He won't move easily for a while. And that 3rd Prince plans to stay in Sigismund Territory for some time. Isn't this the perfect chance to eliminate that source of all the world's causal absurdities?"
"So you want me to get rid of it? Pathetic, Puppeteer. Desperately trying to survive by eliminating him somehow."
"I won't deny that. My life now hangs entirely on his actions. But isn't it the same for you all?"
The blue eyes within the half-mask gleamed coldly as they fixed on the marquis.
"After Delcross's Guardian arbitrarily tore the world asunder, your kind's fate is all but sealed. You'll eventually devolve into mere beasts and be exterminated by human hands."
"......"
"Perhaps this is your last chance. The one chance for Lycanslopes to truly take root in human lands."
Srrk.
The menacing claws retracted, and the pointed snout returned to normal. Back to his initial form, the marquis silently stared at the man.
Then, with a sniff, Versus confirmed the man's scent and pulled back, chuckling derisively.
"You talk so smoothly. But your heart is blackened with hatred for the Holy Emperor. No matter how you suppress it, you can't fool my nose."
"......"
"Isn't it that you want to destroy what he cherishes most, to exact revenge somehow? After all, he's the one who slew your true body. Sigurd Sigurson."
The marquis licked the blood from his lips and grinned wickedly.
"But I have no disagreement with your words about it being a good opportunity. If you cooperate properly, I might even play along. If the Holy Emperor can't move, that's ideal, but if he forces it, it'll cost him irrecoverable causality."
Thud thud. Patting the Puppeteer's cloak with his bloodied hand, the marquis burst into laughter.
"Yes, that's not bad at all. Hahaha."
The Puppeteer's brow furrowed in displeasure, but the marquis had no way of seeing the expression hidden behind the mask.
Of course, he had no intention of showing his irritation. If Versus knew, he'd delight in wiping his hands on the Puppeteer's clothes.
"Speaking of cooperation, I have some good information for you as well."
The Puppeteer brushed off the touched spots and spoke.
"Did you know? There's still Nebraska bloodline left in Sigismund Territory."
"......"
A feral glint flashed in the marquis's relaxed eyes.
Feeling a bit of his displeasure ease, the Puppeteer smirked confidently.
"What if he reawakens his true nature mingling with his kin? If you don't eliminate him quickly, you'll lose even that tenuous position entirely. Lord Versus."
* * *
Sigismund Territory was a natural fortress with a clear geographical boundary from the Demon Realm.
To the south lay the vast Salz Lake extending to Rohan's border, and to the north, two passes cutting through towering glaciers.
The only snowfield leading to the basin where the territory lay was entangled with countless ice walls and outposts painstakingly built over centuries by the Sigismund people.
-Against demon beasts with no concept of siege warfare, this defensive line is impenetrable!
Even amid the unprecedented large-scale Lycanslope unrest, they devised self-defense measures without requesting aid, bolstered by such confidence.
Of course, pride from blocking demon beasts alone for centuries played a role too.
"There's no one else we could ask for help anyway."
Sighing as he said this, Hermann continued.
The neighboring contacts were bat-like Castia or Daiano, who had sided with the royalists to devour Ortona.
They wouldn't dare encroach on Delcross's Sigismund Territory recklessly, but enlisting them would demand excessive compensation.
"Hmm."
First, 250 troops including the Wolf Knights led by Sir Ilma had hurried toward the Demon Realm.
Sir Sebastian, the guard captain, had assembled 400 for the first wave, set to depart now. After subsequent second and third waves excluding minimal guards, the total would exceed 1,100.
Even including those stationed at the Demon Realm border, the absolute numbers still felt woefully insufficient.
"Should we request aid from the capital?"
"It's not yet the territory's full mobilization, my lord. The fact that they must cross the ice walls in the snowfield remains unchanged. It will likely play out much like previous years."
The panic over 2,000 Lycanslopes—a historic number—had been brief.
Orden, now composed, spoke flatly.
"Hmm, really?"
Why did he have a nagging feeling they were short?
Well, he had already sent a request to one place, but no need to mention it now.
Seongjin thought so as he stroked Max's head beside him.
The wolfhound, belying its size, nuzzled affectionately against Seongjin's leg.
Whine whine.
"I've never seen that beast so friendly with people."
Orden watched in wonder.
"Despite appearances, he's the highest-ranked among your bred wolfhounds, my lord."
"Really?"
Come to think of it, he recalled the wolfhounds cowering rigidly in the kennel recently.
This mutt was the kennel sergeant? No wonder they all shrank before Max.
"Is that true, Max?"
Asked again, Max innocently tilted its head.
Whine?
Unable to resist the cuteness, Seongjin gently scratched its nose.
Well, whatever.
It was cute, after all.
* * *
That evening in the Blue Rose Palace, an urgent dispatch arrived via monkey messenger as requested by Seongjin.
-Bored. Come play. Bring Lilium's detachment for bonus.
"Moreth sent this?"
"Yes, my lord."
At the agent's reply, Logan examined the letter with a baffled expression.
The attached postscript was even more absurd.
-P.S. Don't worry about guards. I've made a ton of money.
Made money?
Wasn't it a business trip?
"...Yi Seongjin. What the hell are you doing in Sigismund Territory?"