Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: The Wild North
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"I intend to grant you a fiefdom within the Duchy of Sachsen."
To Dale, on his thirteenth birthday, Duke Sachsen bestowed a gift truly befitting the heir of a ducal house.
"A fiefdom..."
Dale already held the title of viscount as Duke Sachsen's representative. However, that had been a strategic move for his political activities; he had not actually been granted a territory. In the first place, the role he had to fulfill by traveling the continent was more important than being tied down to a fief.
To spread the name of the 'Black Prince' and endlessly hone his skills. And further, to acquire what he needed.
But now, on his thirteenth birthday, when Duke Sachsen spoke of 'Dale's fiefdom,' the situation was slightly different.
The leadership of the continent's foremost assassin organization, the Shadow Court, was in his hands... and he was the commander of the invincible Black Armor Company, a mercenary group of one thousand heavy infantry.
Trustworthy swords, including Sword Maiden Charlotte and Holy Maiden Orelia, stood by Dale's side.
The Night Raven Knights under his direct command, including Lord Veil of Baskerville, were no exception.
Finally, there was his teacher, the elven mage Sephia, who always stood by him without a hint of doubt.
People who existed not for Duke Sachsen, but solely for Dale. His forces had grown to an absurd scale. The eldest son of House Sachsen now possessed power that far surpassed that of a minor noble, and Duke Sachsen, recognizing this, intended to grant him a fiefdom to match.
A place where Dale's forces could settle and take root. Therefore, there was no reason to hesitate.
"Is there a particular place within the duchy you have in mind?"
"Yes, there is a place I greatly desire."
"Oh? Tell me."
A map of the Empire lay on the table, showing the 'Duchy of Sachsen' dominating the northern region. Shifting his gaze upward, a range of white mountains blocking the area above the duchy came into view.
Beyond the white mountains, an endless, uncharted dark territory stretched out, beginning with the 'Former Demon King's Domain'.
The Dark Land.
When the Hero once subjugated the being known as the 'Demon King,' the people of the continent believed without a doubt that peace had come to the world. However, the Empire's high command realized the truth: it had merely been a great migration by a portion of the demon race, seeking to survive the harsh environment of the Dark Land.
Despite knowing this, the Imperial Family had granted the 'Demon King's Domain' to the Duchy of Sachsen as a fief and issued a near-impossible command to reclaim it as imperial land.
When Dale was young, some attempts were made to develop the Demon King's Domain. But in the end, the development project failed, and now, it has been reduced to stationing the Winter Watchers in the white mountains to monitor the region's activities.
A barren land that even the great Duke Sachsen could not tame.
"Give me this land, the territory of the Demon King's Domain."
Dale spoke, pointing to that very land.
"...As I thought."
But at Dale's words, Duke Sachsen simply gave a bitter smile, not surprised in the least. As if he had known all along.
"You're not surprised."
"You have already shown me far too many surprises for me to be startled by every little thing."
To force Duke Sachsen's hand and drain his resources, the Imperial Family had intentionally not uprooted the darkness in the Demon King's Domain.
"What do you intend to do once you have this Demon King's Domain?"
"I will establish my viscounty here and become a shield against the threat of the demons."
"The Demon King's Domain is still filled with countless labyrinths and wandering monsters. Building a fortress is one thing, but creating an 'environment for people to live in' will be impossible."
"With our power alone, perhaps."
Dale replied.
"But on this continent, there are countless skilled individuals still wandering in search of a chance to strike it rich."
Pathfinders, monster hunters, mercenaries—adventurers of this world who wander the roads aimlessly, living an uncertain life.
"After all, people don't have to live solely by harvesting crops."
These were words Dale could speak with conviction, as he had once been at the forefront of delving into the darkness of the 'Demon King's Domain' and defeating the Demon King. If the value of the treasures sleeping there were to become known, it would truly be like the gold rush of a western frontier era.
"Do you understand the meaning of such an act?"
"I do."
Duke Sachsen asked gravely, and Dale nodded. He intended to reveal the treasures sleeping in the Demon King's Domain to the world, offering the continent's adventurers a chance at a fortune.
"But it is worth it."
Breaking Duke Sachsen's isolationism and moving toward openness.
"We will merely assist the adventurers and protect them from threats they cannot handle on their own."
"A truly preposterous plan."
"Humans are creatures who live by desire."
Dale answered.
"Even so, do you have a way to persuade the continent's countless adventurers all at once?"
"I do."
To Duke Sachsen's question, Dale smiled as if he had been waiting for it.
***
A short time later.
At a grand market held in Guild City, a considerable number of adventurers appeared, clutching artifacts and jewels they had risked their lives to obtain from the Demon King's land beyond the Duchy of Sachsen.
The Seven Masters of Guild City vied with one another in a bidding war for those very treasures of darkness, and it goes without saying that this drew the public's attention.
Word of the treasures from the Demon King's Domain, obtained by adventurers, spread through the mouths of the seven cities and the great guilds.
Riding the organizational network that Guild City had established throughout the Empire, the news became a rumor that traveled a thousand leagues on its own.
'The Duchy of Sachsen is recruiting skilled adventurers.'
'Countless labyrinths and artifacts still lie sleeping in the northern Demon King's Domain.'
'With a single artifact, you can become rich enough for three generations to live in leisure.'
'Even unskilled adventurers can grow steadily by starting with hunting low-level monsters.'
'Even if you just avoid the monsters and get lucky enough to mine a single jewel from a labyrinth, you can live comfortably for the rest of your life.'
Following the City Masters' special orders, the seven great guilds began to trumpet the 'treasures of the Demon King's Domain' in every city where they had a branch.
The story spread through Guild City's network and, further still, by word of mouth among mercenaries.
A land of opportunity where one could risk their life for a fortune. An artifact rush.
It was the prelude that announced the beginning of 'the Wild North.'
***
The following year, Dale's fourteenth birthday arrived.
***
Labyrinth City, Labyrinthos.
A city of opportunity, built atop the 'Great Labyrinth' of the northern Demon King's Domain.
The streets were bustling with adventurers, and in the area around the city, those same adventurers began to double as 'pioneer farmers,' cultivating the frozen earth with winter crops.
Moreover, the Church, declaring that 'reclaiming the Demon King's land is an act desired by the Goddess,' sent numerous pioneer monks to join one after another to carry out the Goddess's will. Inspired by Cardinal Nikolai's fiery passion, they volunteered to be the Four Servants of the Sister Goddesses.
People gathered, a city formed, and wealth circulated. No one dared call this place a northern backwater anymore.
Major merchant guilds from across the continent, including Guild City, were establishing branches everywhere. The various establishments, such as taverns, that were being built story by story along the city streets were no exception.
The city had grown by remodeling and repeatedly expanding the fortress that Duke Sachsen had once established as a base for developing the Demon King's Domain.
And on that day, in the castle of the young Viscount Sachsen in Labyrinth City, Labyrinthos.
Dale sat upon the throne of that very castle, having officially become 'Viscount Sachsen,' the ruler of the northern Demon King's Domain.
The title he had received as the representative of his father, Duke Sachsen the Elder.
The Black Armor Company signed a formal long-term contract with Viscount Sachsen... Dale, and was reborn as the official guard force protecting the Demon King's Domain (the Viscounty of Sachsen).
As the year passed, the northern development project Dale had envisioned proceeded more smoothly with each passing day. By choosing openness, not isolation.
This was not to say Duke Sachsen's methods were wrong. On the contrary, Dale's ability to choose openness and bring prosperity to the fief was founded on the strength House Sachsen had built up while Lord Black had chosen isolation.
It was the son's duty to inherit and build upon what his father had established.
The Ruler of the Demon King's Domain.
Though it was officially named the Viscounty of Sachsen, the land's name did not change, out of reverence for the infamy and terror of the 'Black Prince' who ruled it.
And Dale, too, felt no particular aversion to his domain being called the 'Demon King's Domain.'
"Viscount Sachsen."
Just then, a member of the 'Winter Watchers,' who monitored the Demon King's Domain, gave a report to Dale.
Having shed their status as a mere mountain guard unit stationed in the mountains, they were now reborn as an intelligence corps directly under the Viscount.
"We have a report that a large horde of ghouls is preparing a massive raid on the pioneer monastery north of the city."
Hearing the report, Lord Veil of Baskerville spoke.
"Shall I issue a summons to the knightly domains?"
"What is the number of ghouls?"
"A little over a thousand."
"I will handle it myself."
Dale continued, nodding.
"Lord Veil, summon the vassal knights within the castle."
"As you command!"
"Lord Yones, two hundred heavy infantry from the Black Armor Company."
"I will follow the commander's orders!"
What the adventurers could handle, they handled. Protecting them from threats they could not was the duty of 'House Sachsen.' And so, Dale rose to his feet.
As the lord of Viscount Sachsen's castle and the ruler of this Demon King's Domain.
The Sword Maiden, armed in black armor, followed behind him, attending to his side.
Lady Charlotte.
Though her face was hidden by her helmet, it was evident from the swell of her chest, which the black armor symbolizing the Night Raven Knights could not conceal. Now fourteen, she was growing, and the childishness of her younger years was nowhere to be found.
Dale was no exception.
Dale walked on, his shadow cloak, mimicking a black surcoat, fluttering behind him. The vassals of the Viscounty of Sachsen, lined up on either side, silently bowed their heads.
Dale's initial plan—to establish his power base in the Demon King's Domain and build a 'city of opportunity'—had succeeded. But that was not the end.
In truth, the city's prosperity and the influx of adventurers had only begun in the last few months. Countless conflicts—between people, between people and monsters—plagued Dale day in and day out.
In this land filled with the power of darkness, the threats Dale would face were merely a taste of what was to come.
It was not for nothing that the great Duke Sachsen had abandoned the 'Demon King's Domain'.
Therefore, having received the title of 'Viscount Sachsen' from his father, Dale's journey as the lord pioneering the Demon King's Domain had only just begun.