To the Golda Plateau (5)
013 To the Golda Plateau (5)
2022.04.29.
Laila wore an expression of utter disbelief.
“At least as far as I know, there are no ruins on the Golda Plateau.”
“Wasn’t there some place the grown-ups told you as a kid never to go?”
“……!”
As her eyes widened, Calix smiled as if he’d expected exactly that.
“There was, wasn’t there?”
“The Golda Plateau is a monster paradise. There are countless forbidden zones.”
She shook her head, trying to deny it. But her pupils trembled uncontrollably.
Calix wagged his index finger side to side and asked,
“Do you happen to know when the Kosalin Viscountcy started training their secret unit?”
“……I don’t know why you’re asking, but I was in the sixth graduating class, and it’s been five years since I was deployed to the field…… so at least fifteen years, I’d say.”
This time, he turned to Krout.
“When did the territorial dispute between the Kosalin Viscountcy and Arabon Barony fully surface?”
“Around the same time. About fifteen years ago.”
Krout answered with a strange look on his face.
It was that frustrating itch in his mind—he knew something was there but couldn’t quite pinpoint it.
Laila poked Krout and asked,
“What? You think you know something?”
“Hm…… no. I don’t know.”
“Hmph!”
“What’s with that laugh? You mocking me, of all people?”
“You and your ‘of all people’ this, ‘of all people’ that. Who do you think you are?”
While the two bickered, Calix stood with his arms crossed, lost in thought.
Soon, Laila, looking deflated, pressed him.
“So, the Kosalin Viscountcy started training a secret unit fifteen years ago, and that’s when the territorial dispute started. How does that connect to some ancient ruins there? You gonna explain it so I can understand?”
Calix opened his half-closed eyes and replied,
“The Kosalin Viscountcy started raising that secret unit about fifteen years ago. But building an army takes a ton of money. It’s not easy to suddenly expand your forces like that.”
Even with Calix’s explanation, Laila still had a question mark hovering over her head.
“So?”
“It means they suddenly got a huge influx of cash somewhere, idiot!”
“I wasn’t asking you.”
“Like Krout said, the Kosalin Viscountcy probably found a new ‘money source’ around then. They used it to secretly train soldiers, and once they had the unit ready, they couldn’t just let it sit idle—so they threw it into covert ops here and there. Just like you, Laila.”
“Fine. So what exactly is this money source, and how does it tie to the ruins?”
“For starters, copper mines often turn up alongside silver ones. Copper ore frequently contains silver.”
“Ugh……”
Krout groaned.
“You mean they’re secretly mining silver? That’s a serious crime.”
“Exactly. But think about it. You discover a silver vein in your own territory. Gold and silver mines belong to the crown no matter where they’re found. You think any noble would honestly report it?”
“Then the ruins……”
“I happen to know what those ruins look like. Perfect structure for hiding stuff.”
“……Putting aside whether what you’re saying is true, you’re claiming they’re storing illegally mined silver there.”
Krout nodded, though he didn’t seem fully convinced.
Well, yeah. A guy who’s never left the county seat his whole life suddenly claims there are ruins a few dozen days’ travel away. Hard to buy it. Looks like Russell hasn’t told him about Crea’s dagger yet.
“But what does that have to do with our situation now? You planning to start a war to seize their funds? Szczecin County doesn’t have the spare resources for that.”
“Funds…… An unreported mine is illegal anyway. Even if we took the hit and occupied it, they’d just blow the whistle to the crown, and we’d be the ones screwed. It’s a disputed area, after all.”
“What if we report it first?”
“We’d gain nothing. Our territory’s on the brink of bankruptcy. We need money. A lot of money.”
“So what are you planning to do?”
“All the cash they’ve been steadily stockpiling is probably there. Illegally gathered slush funds—they can’t exactly cry foul if it gets stolen. Heh heh heh.”
Calix’s sinister chuckle filled the barracks meeting room.
Deep into the night.
Krout and about twenty knights and soldiers assembled in front of the abandoned well.
This was a top-secret expedition, so they’d gathered at the entrance to the underground escape tunnel.
Only Russell and a select few from the knight order knew about the mission.
“Young master. Are you sure this pup Krout is enough? The Golda Plateau isn’t a place to take lightly.”
“N-now, Viscount……”
Krout made a miserable face at being called a pup, but Russell pressed on regardless.
“Everything has its order. Rushing into danger will only lead to mishaps. Why not reconsider?”
Calix had a vague idea what he meant.
Russell had sworn revenge too, but he was advising patience—no need to hurry.
Calix felt anew how warm-hearted the man was. He’d set aside his principles for vengeance against his old lord, but Russell was undoubtedly a good person at heart.
Calix smiled lightly and reassured him.
“Of course, it’d be much easier with you by my side, but we need young talents like Krout to grow fast if we’re to inch toward our shared goal. And in these unstable times, both of us leaving the territory would be too risky.”
“I see. My thinking was shortsighted. I wish you good fortune.”
Russell turned to Krout.
“You must serve the young master well. If even a fingertip gets hurt, you’ll answer for it.”
“Aigoo, old-timer. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him.”
“Don’t take it lightly.”
“Ugh, got it, Viscount.”
Russell then turned his gaze to the expedition members.
The knights and soldiers stiffened at attention under his eyes.
“The young master only just rose from his sickbed. Yet he planned this for the territory’s sake—follow him faithfully. Understood?”
“……Yes, sir!”
Calix sensed the expedition’s response was a bit half-hearted.
Only the knightly Krout treated him with proper respect; the rest of the knights and soldiers subtly avoided his gaze.
Well, no soldier’s gonna like a lord frail enough to attempt suicide.
At least Russell’s stern words were keeping discipline intact.
It was one of the homework assignments Calix had to tackle going forward.
The expedition descended the rope ladder into the abandoned well after parting with Russell.
The dirt tunnel led through a maze of dank, smelly underground waterways to a water mill far from the castle.
Dust lay thick and white, as if it hadn’t been used in ages.
They held their breath emerging outside, where cold air stung their noses.
A soldier who’d been waiting brought over several wagons.
“Young master. Please board the carriage.”
Seeing the well-groomed warhorses and ornate carriage, Calix was dumbfounded.
“From now on, call me young lord. We’re heading into disputed territory with Kosalin—why advertise I’m the enemy lord?”
“L-lord…… Sorry.”
“And the horses and carriage are too flashy. Get some beat-up wagons and donkey carts. We’re disguising as a poor merchant family.”
“……Understood.”
He ordered new horses and carriages, but the road ahead was still long.
They needed to make this ragtag group look convincing in the time remaining.
“Krout!”
“Yes!”
“You brought everything I mentioned, right?”
“But do I really have to wear this stinky old leather armor?”
“Don’t wanna? Fine, you can be the baggage handler. Want me to play newlyweds with Laila?”
“No, sir. I’ll do it. Can’t have you sitting next to that assassin bitch.”
The mood turned awkward in an instant.
Assassin bitch.
A brutally honest label for Laila.
Krout glanced around at the sudden chill, then met his lord’s sharp glare.
Unable to withstand the silent pressure, he extended a hand to Laila.
“Shall we, lady?”
“Lady my ass—keep your hand off. My legs work fine.”
“Ugh.”
Krout stepped back from her prickly response and shrugged at Calix.
Meaning he’d done his part.
Calix clutched his throbbing head.
He’d treated this expedition like a picnic, but now he remembered one of Heroes Destiny’s biggest headaches: vassal interactions.
Compatible characters synergized; incompatible ones formed factions and clashed.
They’d even fight to the death or abandon the lord.
He’d learned the hard way through the game how tough it was to manage dozens or hundreds of vassals.
Maybe Heroes Destiny didn’t program realistic NPCs—maybe a god modeled it after the real world……
Calix decided to observe for now.
Past experience showed meddling too aggressively wasn’t ideal.
The best way was for Laila to prove her worth and earn recognition herself.
But banking on slim odds wasn’t viable in their current bind.
Maybe give her a subtle push?
Calix’s dilemma deepened.
That was when it happened.
Wooooooong—
A faint beastly howl echoed from afar.
Disguised as a small merchant caravan, Calix’s group traveled north for several days.
They stopped at villages along the way, buying and selling goods.
Once past the pioneering village at the northern edge, they dropped the disguise and prepared for real combat.
The Eren Continent still had vast uncharted lands.
Dense forests, especially, bred monster hordes.
The path to the Golda Plateau was no exception.
Like right now.
“Forest Sasquatch village ahead!”
“Sasquatch? Damn it! How big?”
“Five households.”
“Ugh……!”
Krout groaned at the scout’s report.
Calix extended a hand to him.
“Hoist me up to the trees. Gotta see for myself.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Krout grabbed his waist and stomped lightly.
With a crunch of dead leaves, they shot up like a rubber ball bouncing, landing atop the tree in a blink.
Looking where the scout pointed, Calix saw shaggy monsters lounging between five crude huts.
He frowned, recalling what he knew of Forest Sasquatches.
Humanoid monsters with bulky upper bodies, scrawny legs, short necks, and thick fur.
The small ones stood 3 meters tall, the big ones 5—strong enough to rip steel like paper.
Nor were they slow.
They could close dozens of meters in the blink of an eye—extremely agile.
Their dense fur, thick hide, and armor-like muscles shrugged off non-mana attacks.
Even among sasquatches, Forest ones were the “easiest,” but that was relative—they were still powerhouse monsters.
“Tough bastards.”
“I know. So, your plan?”
“First, block their retreat with fire arrows……”
“Hold up! You wanna set a fire?”
Krout glanced at Calix’s face and asked,
“Not allowed?”
“Forgot why we’re traveling light?”
“Ah……”
“We’re here to steal, not advertise it. If everyone knows it was us, what’s the point? They’d burn the place down for the money—no holding back. You ready for that?”
“Sorry, sir.”
“Our goal is slipping through safe and quiet—not smashing every last one. Keep that in mind and replan.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
But the revised plan wasn’t much better.
Calix’s brows furrowed naturally.
“So…… you’re saying leave it to individual skills in the end?”
Oblivious to his lord’s thoughts, Krout replied proudly.
“We’re from the Blue Lion Knights—the kingdom’s most experienced monster hunters. Trust us.”
Calix’s neck suddenly throbbed.