Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Winter of the End
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“It’s not like I want to send my soldiers to their deaths.”
“I do.”
“You’re the exception.”
Grand Duke Guntram offered a slightly bitter smile.
“It’s only natural for a Sigmund to be sent into the jaws of death.”
“……”
“In any case, what I feel isn’t just anger. The fury toward the royal family has been passed down through generations.”
“Then what do you feel?”
“The guilt I feel for the soldiers who died because of my orders is perhaps the greatest.”
“……!”
“The sorrow of writing these death notices, and the powerlessness of being unable to resist the royal family, are also significant.”
“Hmm.”
Carlyle thought for a moment before speaking.
“You don’t seem like it at all.”
“That must mean I’m good at controlling my emotions. It’s a given for a lord. I can’t very well break down and cry when I’m the one who sent my men to their deaths, can I?”
“That… is true.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s beyond you.”
“What is?”
“The reason for their deaths.”
Grand Duke Guntram set down the death notice, poured himself a glass of whiskey from the bottle on his desk, and took a drink.
“If you dwell on every single one, your mind will break. Of course, being a Sigmund, you’re better than most, but the moment you get buried in those thoughts, you’ll eventually go mad.”
“How can I not care when I see, hear, and feel it?”
“Then you must climb.”
Grand Duke Guntram pointed upward with his finger.
“Climb to a higher position, and make it so the soldiers don’t die pointless deaths.”
“Impossible.”
Carlyle stated flatly.
“Because I don’t have what it takes.”
“Aren’t you underestimating your own limits?”
“The Chaos King failed, and the previous family heads failed. How could I possibly succeed where they couldn’t? I’m someone who can barely take care of myself.”
“……”
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
“I won’t deny it.”
Grand Duke Guntram readily admitted his misstatement.
He had hoped Carlyle would turn over a new leaf and do his part as a member of the Sigmund family, but anything beyond that was certainly asking too much.
What more could he ask for when he was grateful enough that the boy was just staying quiet and not causing trouble?
“I understand for now. I’ll be going.”
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
“I’m telling you this in advance, but please, don’t do anything foolish.”
“What kind of foolish thing?”
“I mean don’t go plotting some scheme to screw over the royal family out of some misplaced sense of vengeance.”
“Of course not.”
Carlyle replied with a bright smile.
“It’s not like I have ten lives. Why would I dare think of screwing over the royal family? I have a brain, you know.”
“That’s somewhat reassuring.”
“Don’t you worry. Get back to your work.”
“Alright.”
After Carlyle left.
“He has a brain, he says…”
Grand Duke Guntram was deeply unsettled.
He had a strong feeling that the ‘thinking’ Carlyle mentioned might just be a plan for revenge against the royal family.
Not that Carlyle could do anything to screw them over anyway.
* * *
‘They’re buying up mana stones…’
Leaving the Grand Duke’s office, Carlyle racked his brain, trying to deduce the royal family’s intentions.
Even Carlyle didn’t know everything.
This was about nine years before the starting point of the game [Overlord]…
However, since stories of the past occasionally came up while playing the game, he knew, at least in fragments, what was about to happen.
Of course, this was a benefit only available to those who had played the game in meticulous detail, with a patient attitude, without skipping the story.
‘Why are they buying mana stones? Profit through market manipulation? Or is something happening that genuinely requires them?’
Mana stones were the core ingredient of magic, an energy resource, and also a material for powerful weapons.
The importance of mana stones in this world was immense, and they were used in so many different ways that it was difficult to guess why the royal family was increasing their stockpile.
‘It could be retaliation for the Evangeline incident.’
Carlyle couldn’t jump to a conclusion.
Whether it was market manipulation or retaliation, figuring out the royal family’s intentions was no easy task.
Although they had lost their precognitive abilities, their formidable intelligence network and military power were undoubtedly the strongest among the thirteen families in the United Kingdom.
‘What are they plotting?’
He was trying to puzzle out the royal family’s motives.
*Swoosh…*
Carlyle shivered slightly as a chilly wind blew past him.
It was early October.
It wasn’t yet cold enough to feel a chill during the day.
‘Why is the weather so co… wait.’
A sudden thought made Carlyle stop in his tracks.
‘This couldn’t be the year of the Winter of the End, could it?’
The Winter of the End.
It was a major event in this world, a year marked by unimaginable cold and blizzards.
The cold and snow were so severe that even the barbarians had given up on their invasion of the continent.
It was also an event that caused tremendous loss of life, with the number of people who froze to death within the United Kingdom exceeding several hundred thousand.
There was a reason it was recorded with the terrifying name, [Winter of the End].
‘If the Winter of the End is coming… it would make perfect sense for the royal family to be stockpiling large amounts of mana stones.’
During that harsh winter, which saw hundreds of thousands freeze to death, there were almost no deaths from exposure in the territories directly ruled by the royal family.
This was because the royal family had been gradually increasing their stockpiles of mana stones and food for several years before the [Winter of the End], allowing them to escape almost unscathed.
‘The royal family’s precognitive abilities disappeared about thirty years ago. If this move is in preparation for the Winter of the End, they either predicted the weather or are acting according to something written in a book of prophecies.’
The royal family possessed a book of prophecies where successive kings had recorded their own visions.
Most of these prophecies covered events up to the starting point of the game [Overlord].
After the starting point, only three prophecies remained, so there was a high probability that the [Winter of the End] was recorded within.
Of course, the royal family could also predict the weather to some extent through historical records, meteorological observations, and magic.
‘I might have to prepare.’
If the [Winter of the End] were to strike this year, the damage to Decaron would be catastrophic.
Due to Decaron’s geographical location in the north, it would be hit with even harsher cold and heavier snow than other regions…
‘Disgusting royal bastards. Hoarding mana stones to save their own skins while keeping their mouths shut.’
The royal family was always like that.
They were incredibly selfish and insidious.
Their true goal was to destroy the other twelve families, completely seize control of the United Kingdom, and establish a unified dynasty.
To do that, they needed to weaken the other twelve families, so in a way, it was to be expected.
For those on the receiving end, however, it was enough to make them curse.
* * *
“Young Master.”
“Ah.”
Carlyle spotted Maranello approaching and put his thoughts on hold for a moment.
Alicia and her party were with him; it seemed they were on their way to see Grand Duke Guntram.
“Did you have a good talk with His Grace, the Grand Duke?”
“More or less.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“And you, Maranello?”
“I am on my way to introduce Lady Alicia to His Grace.”
“Right, good work.”
Alicia frowned as Carlyle ignored her again, acting as if she wasn’t there, but having somewhat sorted out her own thoughts, she didn’t voice her complaint.
She understood that from Carlyle’s perspective, the Lauren family was the enemy who had framed him and tried to kill him.
‘He won’t even give me a single glance?’
Still, she couldn’t help but feel displeased.
While she understood Carlyle’s position, as a woman, she felt she was losing to him in terms of looks.
Regardless, Carlyle was in a hurry to pass Alicia and be on his way.
‘If the Sigmund family is endangered, my comfortable life will be over. Unless I grab a hefty sum and hide somewhere.’
Right now, Carlyle’s mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of the coming crisis.
‘Perhaps you could achieve the great feat that the Chaos King and the previous family heads could not. It wouldn't be impossible if I gave you a little help.’
Carlyle decided he should help Grand Duke Guntram.
But he would die before he stepped into the spotlight.
If he foolishly took the lead, he’d just get entangled in all sorts of troublesome matters.
In that case, his only option was to push Grand Duke Guntram forward.
“Young Master! You’re here!”
Evangeline greeted Carlyle warmly.
Befitting her status as a handmaiden, she was in the middle of tidying Carlyle’s bedsheets.
“You, come sit here for a moment.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have some time, by any chance?”
“If you call for me, Young Master, I’ll make time even if I have none.”
“Then free up a day or two starting tomorrow. There’s a place we need to go.”
“I will.”
Evangeline nodded without a single question at Carlyle’s words.
‘I’m glad I have an Earth Spiritist.’
Fundamentally, the value of an Earth Spiritist was high.
Especially a spiritist with innate talent like Evangeline; her strategic value was virtually limitless.
Carlyle planned to use this opportunity to show her exactly why he had insisted on keeping her in Decaron.
The next day.
Carlyle left the inner castle in a carriage with Maranello and Evangeline.
“Where are you headed, Young Master?”
“Just out for some fresh air.”
“I believe you got plenty of fresh air over there…”
Maranello said, sounding dumbfounded.
Where else could one find a mountainous terrain as vast and lush as the Blood-Soaked Land to go get fresh air?
“You can die over there just by taking a wrong turn on a walk. People die every single day. And there are too many dangers.”
“That is true.”
“Sometimes, you just need to relax and take in the scenery.”
“……”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You usually prefer to be cooped up in your room, do you not?”
“That gets old after a day or two.”
“Haha.”
Maranello let out a dry laugh.
He never thought he’d hear Carlyle say that being stuck in his room gets old after a day or two.
*Clatter, clatter.*
The carriage carrying Carlyle’s party moved at a very slow pace.
They hadn’t left the central part of Decaron yet, so if they sped up like Alicia’s carriage, the risk of an accident was very high.
*Crash!*
*Thump-thump-thump!*
*Shatter!*
A clamorous noise erupted from the street.
It looked like a brawl had broken out in a tavern in broad daylight.
“Oh? Young Master.”
Evangeline, who had been looking out the window, turned to Carlyle.
“Those men over there, aren’t they the ones you serve with?”
“Where?”
“Over there.”
Carlyle followed Evangeline’s gaze.
“…What are these guys doing here?”
Kudo, Marder, and Wilson were trading blows in a brawl with a group of men.
“To think they’d get into a brawl of all things on their precious leave.”
What on earth were they thinking…
Carlyle shook his head.
“Huh? Private Carlyle!”
Kudo spotted Carlyle and shouted.
*Flinch!*
Carlyle instinctively drew the curtain.
“Private Carlyyyyle!”
As Kudo ran toward the carriage, Marder and Wilson, who were in the middle of the fight, followed suit.
“Private Carlyle! Where are you going!”
*Knock, knock!*
Kudo knocked on the door while running alongside the carriage.
“Rookie, where are you off to!”
“Hey, rookie!”
Marder and Wilson also chased after the carriage, following Kudo.
“You bastards!”
“Where do you think you’re running off to!”
“Get them!”
The men who had been brawling with Kudo’s group chased after them, gritting their teeth.
“Young Master, I believe we should stop the carriage.”
“Go.”
“Pardon?”
“I said, just keep going.”
“Even so, to turn your back on your comrades in a time of crisis is…”
“How does that look like they’re in trouble? They were the ones beating the others up.”
Carlyle chided Maranello as if he were speaking nonsense.
“Getting involved will only make things tiresome. Just ignore them and…”
*Click.* The carriage door swung open, and Kudo poked his head in.
“Private Carlyle, where are you going?”