Chapter 61
Chapter 61
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Blood Revenge
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Underground stone chamber.
Two men were there.
One sat in a chair,
while the other stood.
"Didn't I say to make sure the Piana family survived?"
"I'm sorry. Elwin showed up out of nowhere..."
Crack.
Crack.
The man clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly.
Each time, the sound of twisting joints filled the room.
"A commander in the middle of a war... leaves the battlefield to come to Plain? He must have caught on to something."
Nothing else made sense.
A merchant caravan raid wasn't trivial,
but it wasn't big enough to pull a wartime commander from his post either.
"We don't have enough information to figure it out."
"What about our operatives in Plain?"
"They all escaped thanks to the Piana family's sacrifice."
"Nielsen's the only one left?"
"Yes."
Nielsen was the sole survivor of the Piana family.
"Has Nielsen's loyalty been confirmed?"
"No."
"How much information was exposed to him?"
"That's unconfirmed too."
Only Family Head Naiman knew how much he'd told his son Nielsen.
Crack.
Crack.
"Regrettable, but we can't take risks. Eliminate Nielsen."
"Understood."
The standing man opened the door and left.
The remaining man leaned back deeply into his chair.
Crack.
Crack.
"Annoying."
Plain City.
Piana family first-floor conference room.
An investigation headquarters had been set up in the conference room.
Hunters scattered across Plain sent city intel here.
Grandfather Campbell was in charge of HQ.
"Grandfather, anything yet?"
Naiman had died,
and several days had passed.
Yet they still hadn't found the caravan raiders.
"They might've already slipped out of the city."
"Slipped out? Hunters and mercenaries were watching every exit."
Grandfather scowled.
Then he roughly raked his hair back.
"We watched thoroughly. You can fool mercenary eyes, but not hunter eyes. If they still got out..."
"If they got out...?"
"They didn't use land routes."
It didn't click at first.
No land routes?
Two seconds later, one possibility hit.
"No way... underground?"
"That's what it looks like. They prepared for this exact scenario. That's why we converged here."
A cell-structured organization.
They'd gathered to raid the caravan.
When pursuit began, they funneled into Plain.
They'd pre-dug escape tunnels under the city for this.
'And a knight family helped them in the process.'
"What kind of bastards are they?"
"Time to find out."
Then the door burst open.
"Heir!"
"What is it?"
"Sir Nielsen died in combat."
"Suddenly? In the middle of battle?"
The Piana family got tangled in the caravan raid,
and during the investigation, Family Head Naiman suicided—or was poisoned.
Now his son Nielsen dies in battle?
"How does this even happen?"
As I pondered, my eyes met Grandfather's.
"No coincidence, right?"
"No coincidence."
The timing was too perfect.
Too neat to call chance.
"Grandfather, speed things up. I'll back the River hunters to the max."
"Got it."
Aside from the bare minimum supporting the front lines,
every hunter was called to Plain.
Even advanced school students in hunter classes.
Every available hunter mobilized.
Time passed,
and they found a path leading underground.
Plain's ordinary house.
An underground passage hid inside.
"How'd you find this?"
Building the tunnel was impressive enough,
but spotting it? Hunters were pros.
"We turned over every rat in Plain. Guard captain's support helped too."
The guard captain eyed me like a puppy begging for praise.
"Good work."
"Thank you!!! Heir!!! Loyalty for life!!!"
"Keep it up."
I wrapped up with the guard captain quick
and turned to Grandfather.
"Can we track them now?"
"Of course. They prepared well, so it took time, but our skills outmatch theirs."
Hunters entered first,
mercs followed.
Finally, Grandfather and I descended.
Thud. Thud.
Thud. Thud.
The underground echoes tingled my ears.
Thud. Thud.
Thud. Thud.
The novelty wore thin fast.
"How long is this thing?"
"2,180 meters so far."
I whipped my head toward Grandfather.
"How do you know?"
"We've been walking it."
"But..."
I trailed off.
How do steps tell distance?
Grandfather impressed me anew.
Worthiest of the top hunter title from his generation.
"Thought building an underground route was big, but the scale's insane. This... beyond Brilda's capability."
'Beyond Brilda's capability' echoed.
Meant something bigger backed Brilda.
Or unrelated entirely.
'Any such force on the island?'
Major powers:
One ducal house.
One viscounty.
Three baronies.
Plus Gray Mage Tower.
They could build this.
But no reason to.
Under Frontier City, no less.
"Grandfather, we have to find them."
"Don't worry."
"Nail this, and I'll pump hunter funding sky-high. Expand school hunter classes too."
Something I'd mulled awhile.
I'd undervalued hunters vs. mercenaries.
Slower monster kills, weaker combat power.
But the Vampire north war changed that.
Hunters' value wasn't raw force.
Give artifacts, they guerrilla'd.
Now policing, investigating, spying.
Current school subjects:
Swordsmanship, magic, mercenary, hunter, farming.
Recent blacksmithing addition.
Elementary/middle: basics and general ed.
Advanced: specialize one.
Hunters got least funding.
Sword/magic vital for future,
mercs key for monster hunts,
farming huge manpower.
'Time to build hunters up.'
"F-Funding...?"
Grandfather's voice shook.
"Yes."
His eyes shifted.
His pace quickened.
Then he bellowed ahead.
"Vanguard! Vanguard, move it! Hurry up!!"
For a flash, he overlapped with the guard captain.
We exited the tunnel into dense woods.
"No wonder hunters missed this spot."
"Doesn't matter—they're caught now. Search the area!"
Hunters scouted,
uncovered facts.
First: they'd scattered fleeing.
Cell structure meant solo escapes.
Second: all headed east.
"East...? Vampire Ducal territory?"
Grandfather scowled too, same thought.
"Bastards are playing smart. Fleeing to Vampires."
I'd mobilized hunters to scour city and surrounds.
Stayed on-site, full support.
Heir personally involved? Hard to stay in Frontier.
"Think they can escape to Vampire land? Fetch paper!"
A hunter pulled blank paper and pen.
I wrote a letter.
To Alensia at the northern front.
Northern front.
Alensia's unit.
Command tent.
The central map showed current status.
Not just Alensia's three detachments,
but Benia's side too.
'Doing well without Elwin.'
Far right.
Northeast front.
Anxious when Elwin left it to Hans.
'Unnecessary worry.'
Hans excelled.
Safely advanced, built a fortress,
annihilated ogres there.
Elwin's rear support improved logistics, sped advance slightly.
'Hans is capable too...'
A smile tugged her lips.
The situation amused.
Hans was long-known by reputation.
Frontier's most talented knight.
'Comparing him to Elwin.'
Putting Elwin above even.
Alensia's thoughts broke as her aide entered.
"What is it?"
"Letter from Lord Elwin."
"Elwin?"
She read.
Caravan raid details,
suspect ID'd.
In pursuit,
fleeing to Vampire Ducal territory.
'So... he needs my help?'
Even Frontier Heir couldn't search Vampire lands.
"No reason to refuse."
She'd dispatched troops for her own gain.
They held one flank.
Alensia penned orders to aid Elwin fully,
slipped off her ring.
"Deliver this to Elwin. He'll handle it."