Chapter 88: Turbulent Whirlwind
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: Turbulent Whirlwind
Adeleade staggered back, her face a mask of horror. She finally realized I had been playing her all along.
“How… How can a person be like this?”
“Like what, madam?”
“You used my daughter to kill my husband! You killed my two sons! And now you say you’ll marry my daughter?”
I smirked and stepped toward her. She retreated with every step I took. But she couldn’t do that forever.
The inner castle door blocked her path. She glanced at me nervously as she reached for the doorknob.
Creeak.
The door had just begun to open.
Thud.
I reached my hand over Adeleade’s face and slammed the door shut. We were suddenly so close I could feel her breath on my skin.
“Hah…!”
I looked down at her pale face and wildly trembling eyes.
“Are you in any position to blame me, madam?”
“Wh-what…!”
“You must know that the Baron used a wicked conspiracy to dispose of many of his vassals, including my father.”
“…I-I don’t know anything about that.”
“You pretended not to know. There’s no way a woman as clever as you was unaware.”
She bit her lip, unable to deny it. She was one of the few people in this family with a conscience.
“…Is this revenge? I suppose all that’s left is me and my daughter.”
“I am not a man who goes back on his word. I made you a promise before. That I would not give up on Eusebia.”
Her face was once again colored with bewilderment. I didn’t miss the opening and moved closer.
Startled, she tried to flee, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her into my arms.
“And the same goes for you, madam, so rest assured.”
“Y-you insolent—!”
Her eyes widened as far as they could go. Trembling, she could no longer hold back and swung her hand.
Slap.
A stinging pain spread across my cheek. In that instant, she escaped and pointed a finger at me.
“I-I am your mother-in-law!”
“What are you thinking? I was merely saying that I will cherish my mother-in-law just as I do Eusebia. It was to avoid any misunderstandings, like you thinking you’re next in line.”
I twisted the situation, making Adeleade out to be the one with the strange ideas. After all, the only thing I’d said was that I wouldn’t give up.
Of course, a woman as clever as Adeleade would have grasped my true intentions from the intimate contact and the nuance of my words.
But her next reaction was unexpected. Wasn’t she fidgeting, unable to hide her flustered expression?
Who would look at her and think she was a mother of three? With looks that could pass for her twenties, she looked more like an innocent maiden.
“Why… Why did you allow the letter to be sent to my father?”
Still, she seemed unwilling to apologize to her sworn enemy, so she changed the subject.
Her cute demeanor made me smile in spite of myself, though it only made her frown. She continued.
“My father is one thing, but Baron Debussy won’t stand idly by when he learns you killed his son-in-law. I acknowledge your valor, your leadership, and your cunning, but you cannot win a war on two fronts.”
Count Dresden was a margrave, a man who wielded power like a king in his region.
Even if I took over the Rasino family, I was nothing but a firefly before the sun in front of the Count.
Adeleade couldn’t understand why I, who already had an enemy in Baron Debussy, would invite such a powerful new foe.
I feigned a look of surprise.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Wh-what nonsense is that! Why would I worry about my sworn enemy!?”
“They do say a son-in-law is a mother-in-law’s treasure.”
“Is this the time for jokes?”
I shrugged.
“It’s not the time for a sworn enemy to be willingly sharing important information, either.”
“You…!”
“Well, if I were to tell you just one thing as your son-in-law, it would be that Baron Debussy won’t have the luxury for that. On the contrary…”
“On the contrary…?”
Curiosity kills the cat, they say. Adeleade’s ears perked up, her attention fixed on my lips.
“On the contrary, he should be worried about our invasion.”
“What nonsense…!”
Adeleade didn’t believe me. She dismissed it as another joke and shot me a sharp glare.
That was why, two weeks later, when the report arrived from Baron Debussy’s domain, she couldn’t help but be stunned.
“A monster uprising has thrown Baron Debussy’s entire domain into chaos!”
Adeleade, who had been attending the advisory council meetings to monitor my every move, stared at me with a look of disbelief.
“Baroness. I know I’m handsome, but you’ll make me blush if you keep staring like that.”
My playful tone made her face crumple. Eusebia’s reaction that followed only deepened her despair.
“N-no. Allen is mine…!”
“Hah, honestly…”
Adeleade let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
Did she realize that while she still treated me as an enemy, her sharp-edged attitude was gradually, unknowingly, becoming duller?
Of course, she was still a long way from loving her enemy. So I decided to take one more step.
“We cannot miss this opportunity. Baron Debussy must pay the price for meddling in another family’s affairs.”
Because Baron Debussy had interfered in another family’s squabbles, I had more than enough justification to strike back.
Muel and Dreng, who had been ignoring my bickering with Adeleade, straightened their postures.
“Was this why you told us not to disband the expensive mercenaries?”
“I couldn’t have predicted a monster uprising. But yes, it was to make him pay the price for his meddling.”
I played dumb. But that alone was enough to earn the two vassals’ admiration.
“We will begin preparations immediately.”
I gave them a nod, and the two men hurriedly left.
I turned my gaze to Adeleade, who was sending me a look of disapproval.
“While I am away, I will need you to manage the domain, madam.”
She looked bewildered. Eusebia, who had witnessed the nerve-wracking battle of wills between us for the past two weeks, also tugged on my hand to stop me.
“You’re arrogant. How can you grant me such authority, knowing what I might do?”
Adeleade continued, her face a picture of incomprehension.
“Your power is a house of cards. You lack a foundation, and it’s unstable because you built it too quickly. A single defeat will deal you a severe blow. And I will not miss that opening.”
After a brief pause, she furtively avoided my gaze and added in a small voice.
“D-don’t misunderstand! It’s not like I said that because I’m worried about you!”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter.
“Of course. I’m sure you’re not.”
“Hmph…!”
“In any case, do you think I’m not aware of that?”
“Then why…!”
My expression turned serious again.
“The successive wars have drained each family’s coffers, and to replenish them, they’ve created all sorts of new taxes. We need to revert that and develop further. The problem is, there’s no one with the talent to carry this out, no matter how hard I look.”
The Baron’s forces were so lacking in talent that a man like Joang, who was only capable of petty tricks, was called the Baron’s strategist.
My judgment was that with our current personnel, even maintaining the status quo would be a struggle. That was why I needed Adeleade.
“A-and that’s me?”
Adeleade seemed both embarrassed and pleased.
After all, hadn’t she been ignored even by her own husband? It wasn’t hard to imagine how deep that resentment ran.
“You are a wise woman. I’m sure you will do well.”
“D-do you think I’ll be pleased just because you praise me like that?”
“I am merely stating a fact.”
“…!”
Adeleade’s face flushed. It was a more sensitive reaction than I’d expected. She had no resistance, as if she’d never been praised before in her life.
She belatedly came to her senses and snapped at me.
“Really. You truly are arrogant. Do you think I would work for my sworn enemy? Even if I did, you will come to regret this.”
“Do your worst.”
Perhaps she thought I was dismissing her, as her eyes narrowed.
“You think I can’t do it?”
“Yes. I don’t think you can. Because you wouldn’t want to lose your last remaining child, would you?”
Adeleade’s head whipped toward her daughter. As soon as only family was left, Eusebia had pulled her chair right next to mine, clinging to my arm and looking dazed with affection.
“I can’t even imagine a world without Allen. So please, Mother, help Allen.”
This was the Eusebia who had assassinated her own father and permitted her brothers’ executions. If Adeleade were to kill me, she wouldn’t hesitate to do something even worse.
If that happened, even if Adeleade succeeded in her revenge, she would be left with nothing.
Her eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck them. It seemed she hadn’t thought that far ahead.
From the start, it was a battle she, as a mother, could not win. And now, she knew it too.
“You… you devil…!”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Please perform your duties well.”
For the sake of her one remaining child, she had no choice but to do well.
Having put a leash on her, I hurried the preparations for our departure. If we were too late, the goblin population might swell to a point that even I couldn’t handle.
Of course, there was one thing to take care of before that. Muel, who was waiting outside, asked cautiously.
“What should we do about that woman?”
Josephine probably thought she had come this far on her own abilities and good luck, but in truth, I had let her go on purpose.
For a lone woman to travel between domains without an escort was to put her life on the line.
The moment one strayed from the main roads, it wasn’t difficult to encounter beasts that craved human flesh, and deserters from the successive wars had turned into bandits.
If Muel hadn’t been secretly protecting her, she would have undoubtedly met a grim end. Well, that was only a temporary extension of her life, anyway.
“Take care of her. And every last seed that could sprout into trouble.”
“Yes, sir…!”
Her role was over; it was time for the actress to exit the stage. After giving a military salute, Muel slowly walked away.
Thanks to our prior preparations, we were ready to march in a single day. Our force numbered a hundred men.
The number seemed small, but considering that most were veteran mercenaries with combat experience, it was a powerful force.
“Sir Allen! Goblins!”
We encountered goblins the moment we crossed the domain’s border. It was an earlier encounter than expected.
“Increase our speed!”
I left the small groups of goblins to the local residents and picked up the pace. What was important was the safety of regions with high tax revenues, like Melbourne, which we had plundered before.
I won’t let anyone spoil a meal that’s already cooked.
A sweet scent of grapes drifted on the fluttering wind. Melbourne was close.
#
“Good heavens! Where did all these goblins come from?!”
Palanti, the capital of Baron Debussy’s domain, was surrounded by hundreds of goblins.
A goblin was a weak creature that any adult male could kill with a single club, but it was a different story when hundreds of them gathered. As they say, there’s no winning against sheer numbers.
If not for the walls, the goblins might have already thrown a grand party in the city. The main course, of course, would have been human flesh.
The vassals gathered in the command post urgently proposed countermeasures.
“We must hold out, relying on the walls. Until the relief forces from the various families who received the call to arms arrive!”
“No! We should open the gates and charge! The number of goblins is only increasing!”
Either choice was equally dangerous. It was a situation of being surrounded on all sides. Baron Debussy made his decision.
“We wait for the relief force.”
The more a person has, the more sensitive they are about their own safety. Baron Debussy was no exception.
CRASH!
As if to argue that his decision was a mistake, the command post in the castle wall’s spire shook.
“Everyone, watch your heads!”
“An earthquake, all of a sudden! Has the Lord abandoned us?!”
“It’s not an earthquake! Look over there!”
One of the vassals pointed out the open door. A troll, well over three meters tall, was swinging a tree as large as a house, striking the castle wall.
Baron Debussy’s proud crossbowmen, now few in number, returned fire, but the troll, confident in its regeneration, simply blocked its vital areas.
“Kruhong!!”
The wall continued to shake under the troll’s clubbing. Dust and stones fell away, looking as if it would collapse at any moment.
“My god! A troll!”
Their forces were depleted from the constant wars, and all their skilled knights had fallen in battle. Baron Debussy had no strength left to fight a troll.
“R-retreat…!”
Terrified, Baron Debussy immediately fled the command post. His vassals followed close behind, afraid of being left behind.
The problem was that their retreat was quite conspicuous.
The citizens who had come out to support the siege against the powerful enemy saw them. They were disappointed, and that disappointment soon turned to anger.
“My lord! Where are you going?!”
“What about us?!”
The citizens blocked their path.
“How dare you rabble block my path! Move aside! Do you wish to die by my sword instead of the goblins’ clubs?!”
The wall behind them was shaking as if it would collapse at any second. There was no time for calm persuasion.
The vassals drew their swords and pointed them at the citizens, even though the real enemy was outside the walls.
Just as the citizens’ faces crumpled like wadded paper…
KRA-KOOOOM!!
Everyone turned to look behind them. The wall, which had been quite impressive for a baron’s city, was crumbling down. Through the cloud of dust, green skin was visible.
“Kruheong!!”
The troll had finally brought down the wall. Beneath it, through the dust, bloodshot-eyed goblins began to appear one by one.
Their numbers were so great they filled the entire field of vision. Everyone, regardless of status, turned deathly pale.
“M-move!”
The vassals finally swung their swords at the citizens. The closest man, stabbed by a sword, collapsed with a look of disbelief.
“You bastard! And you call yourself a lord?!”
“Shut up! Move, unless you want to end up like him!”
Faced with their murderous intent, the citizens could only step aside, their faces filled with resentful anger. More accurately, they had lost hope and were trying to flee as well.
“Let’s go!”
Baron Debussy and his vassals tried to make their escape. It was then that they noticed something strange.
“Kieeeek-!”
A scream erupted from behind the goblins, causing a commotion. The disturbance grew closer and closer.
“Aargh… Huh?”
The goblins that entered the city ignored the humans right in front of them and just ran. They looked not like predators, but like fugitives.
The dumbfounded group forgot to run and watched the commotion.
A moment later, a knight came into their view, reaping the necks of goblins as if harvesting grain.
“Wh-why is he here…?!”
One of the vassals recognized him. Baron Debussy, thinking it was a relief force, asked with a brightened face.
“What is it? Who is that knight?”
But that powerful knight was by no means an ally. The vassal, who had experience fighting in the last war, knew that better than anyone.
“I-it’s the devil! The devil who kept grinding our army to dust!”
The vassal was more terrified than when he had been facing the goblins. He trembled so hard that he wet himself without realizing it.
To him, who had been so thoroughly beaten so many times in such a short period, Allen was a symbol of terror.
Of course, it was different for the citizens. The mercenaries had done the fighting, so while they had heard the rumors, they had never experienced it firsthand.
“Sir Knight! Be careful!”
So they cheered for Allen instead. Just then, the troll spotted Allen and was about to swing its club.
The powerful swing looked as if it would flatten Allen like a pancake.
Before the troll that had brought down a castle wall, Allen, a mere human, looked utterly helpless.
“Kihe-”
Even the fleeing goblins slowed their steps to watch the situation.
A troll was something that hundreds of goblins couldn’t defeat even if they all charged at once. Thus, the goblins had no doubt that the troll would be victorious.
It was a moment when humans and monsters shared the same thought. A single diagonal line was drawn across the world. The streak of light that began from Allen’s hand grazed the arm of the troll as it swung its club.
Half a beat later, blood erupted from where the light had passed. The club fell to the ground before it could reach Allen. Along with the hand and wrist still attached to it.
The sight of the troll’s arm, as thick as a man’s torso, being cleanly severed was utterly surreal.
The vassals who feared Allen and the citizens who cheered for him all stared blankly at the scene. The goblins, too, wore stupid expressions.
“Uh…?”
“Kiek…?”
In that moment, for the first time in history, goblins and humans shared the exact same feeling.