Chapter 125: Tell Me Who I Am
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 125: Tell Me Who I Am
Yes, the Kingdom officially rejected the Duchy’s request for aid.
I swear, it was exactly what I wanted, but I didn’t even have to lift a finger to guide them toward that decision.
There was no need.
Donovan had a plan to drive a wedge between them just in case, but he said it turned out to be completely unnecessary.
“They went to Hus to beg for salvation instead of the Royal Palace?”
King Biseric expressed intense displeasure at the mere fact that Levantello had gone to Hus first.
Actually, I was curious about that too.
Why Hus?
Levantello said it was half by choice, half by force.
The choice was based on the judgment that Hus would be a better option, and the force was because Dakuren was the only direction they could break through from Aztera in the first place.
Funny, isn’t it?
They risked their lives to break through when they had no other options, only to be treated as if they were snubbed.
The Old Man at Hus knew this, which is why he feigned indifference even with Levantello and Donovan standing right in front of him.
If he had just jumped at the request, the Royal Palace would have thrown a fit, just like they were doing now.
They would have found a way to blame Hus for it too.
“And what did Hus say?”
“I am told Count Dakuus rejected them flatly.”
“As expected, the man knows how to do his job.”
“However…”
“What is it?”
“It is reported that he expressed strong dissatisfaction regarding the delayed rewards for clearing the Dakuren Dungeon and the Magic Tower Dungeon. He even wrote a letter and sent it with Lord Donovan…”
“Bring it here!”
I don’t know exactly what the Old Man wrote, but they say the King flew into a rage and tore the letter in half before he even finished reading it.
“What an insolent wretch! He knows the state of the country, yet he seeks only his own profit! It is only natural for a subject to clear dungeons for the sake of the Kingdom!”
Donovan said that was the moment he became completely disgusted with the royals and nobles.
He said the King sounded exactly like the Crown Prince.
“Your Majesty, what shall we do about the Duchy’s request?”
“What is there to do! That fellow Marcin made a private request to Hus! The Kingdom shall not involve itself!”
“Your Majesty, it is said that the Duchy’s fate hangs in the balance due to the Black Rose Movement and the Dungeon Backflow. Why not intervene now and absorb the Duchy?”
“What use is there in taking land filled with the poison of demonic energy! If they cannot stop the Dungeon Backflow, the Duchy will perish on its own anyway.”
“B-but, if the Duchy falls, the monsters from the backflow might infiltrate the Kingdom.”
A loyal official, desperately trying to change the King’s mind, reportedly received this answer:
“Do we not have Alto Bertrand!”
Donovan said he was genuinely impressed at that point.
He reflexively prostrated himself and shouted loudly that he would follow the King’s will, but in reality, he was just bowing his head to hide his laughter.
Unaware of this, the King was so pleased with Donovan’s attitude that he even ordered him to be fed before being sent back.
“What about the Crown Prince? Didn’t he say he’d suggest a condition where I’d be deployed to the Duchy and then returned to the Royal Palace?”
“Oh, that.”
Donovan spoke nonchalantly as he chewed on some water bread.
“When the King said a hunting dog must naturally come when the King commands, so there’s no need for a ‘return’ condition, the Prince just went, ‘Oh, I see!’ and accepted it.”
“I’m not their damn hunting dog, though.”
Surprisingly, this conversation happened only a few hours ago.
And it happened in Hus.
Now, let’s return to the present.
I had already secured Levantello’s daughter from the Prince as payment for the help I just provided.
It was easy since that zombie bastard was weak for his size, but help is help, and I had to get paid, right?
“The Kingdom… rejected the request for aid…?”
“That’s what they say, Prince. Truly unfortunate.”
This place… is Tiniwell.
The capital of the Duchy.
Diane’s skills are improving by leaps and bounds every day. Honestly, I think she’s surpassed Barion now.
“Well then, good luck. You’re a manly fellow, so I’m sure you’ll overcome this crisis and stand tall.”
“W-wait! Just a moment! I know you! I know who you are!”
I waved my hand dismissively, preparing to return, but the Prince quickly called out to stop me.
“Alto Bertrand! You must be Alto.”
“Your evidence?”
“Those two massive daggers that look like they’ve been drenched in blood! I’ve seen them before. I saw you once with that narcissist, Esante.”
“So what? You want an autograph?”
“Alto Bertrand! Come to me!”
“What?”
I looked at him, dumbfounded. The man who had been trembling in fear just moments ago was gone; the Prince was now shouting with excitement.
“I hear you received no reward from the Kingdom despite clearing their dungeons. The Duchy will treat you right!”
“The Duchy will treat me right?”
“Yes! Just say the word, whatever you desire. I, Azure Duhan, shall make it happen!”
“The Kingdom told me to just say the word, too. But all I got back… was an errand to tell you they don’t want to help you.”
“The Duchy is different, of course! Furthermore, the Duchy has a history of being betrayed by the Kingdom, and we were just rejected for aid again. The enemy of my enemy is my friend! Especially you! No one has been more mistreated by the Kingdom than you, Alto Bertrand. It was a foolish move. Utterly idiotic. The Duchy will comfort you. The Duchy will stand with you! So, come to us!”
“Prince…!”
“Levantello, let’s hear him out.”
Levantello tried to step forward indignantly, but I gently caught his shoulder.
I sat down on some nearby rubble and tilted my head. The Prince let out a hollow laugh.
“You haven’t changed at all since the war. And yet, Lukart treated someone like you so poorly?”
“I want to hear the terms of the deal. If you’re just going to talk nonsense, I’m leaving.”
“How rude! I am a Prince!”
“A Prince who is very much in need of help. And help comes with a price. I heard that unlike the Crown Prince, you were well-versed in the ways of the world, but this is disappointing.”
“Wait! Wait!”
“I’m listening. Speak.”
The Prince pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat. But he seemed so nervous that he couldn’t easily open his mouth.
“Prince.”
So, I decided to enlighten him.
“The sunlight shining here right now is only because of me.”
Only then did the Prince lock eyes with the vacant stares of the zombies hiding in the shadows of the rubble.
They had retreated to avoid the sunlight that finally broke through after I had butchered the giant zombie and torn through the mist.
“If I go just a bit further, I’ll reach the castle where Archduke Marcin is lying, right? I heard he’s unwell.”
“He is… doing well enough for now.”
“Prince, you’re completely missing the point of my words.”
I lifted Roar, blocking the sunlight that illuminated the Prince and us.
Immediately, a thick mist swirled around us, and the zombies began to poke their upper bodies out, peering toward us.
“An old and sickly Archduke, an army that can’t even fight back properly even after Tiniwell has been invaded. What on earth could I possibly want from a Duchy like this?”
“Then tell me what you want! Tell me what you desire! I will take responsibility and ensure it is grasped in your hands!”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
He had just easily let go of Levantello’s daughter, whom he had been holding by force, and now he’s claiming he can secure something for someone else?
“Fine. Good. I’ll tell you.”
“Please! I am listening!”
More than half the sunlight was blocked by Roar alone.
“I want three things.”
“What is the first?”
“Hand over Donovan and Levantello to Hus.”
“What?! That’s…!”
“You’re not going to tell me you’re utilizing them properly by shoving a veteran commander into a backwater border post, are you? And you’re leaving Donovan to struggle all by himself, aren’t you? If you keep them like that, they’ll just end up like Yobeste.”
“That is a wild speculation!”
“Speculation, you say…”
I lifted Howling and overlapped it with Roar.
I let just a sliver of Howling’s blade peek out. Like a solar eclipse, it slowly covered the sun.
“Don’t forget that I have more requirements, Prince.”
“S-speak!”
“Hand over Aztera to Hus.”
“Aztera? Hmm…”
This would be more tempting than the first condition.
Aztera was already useless land due to the Dungeon Backflow.
“Fine. On the condition that you plug the backflowing dungeon and manage the demonic energy leaking from it.”
“Of course.”
For now, I’ll pause the eclipse.
Even so, the zombies had almost completely emerged.
“The final condition.”
“Say it, quickly.”
This was the most important one.
This one thing was more important than the previous two combined.
“Does our Prince have enough guts? It would be a shame if you were so shocked you forgot what I said.”
“I told you to speak!”
Let’s see if he has any spine.
This was something even Levantello didn’t know.
Donovan might have guessed to some extent with his sharp mind, though.
Both Levantello and his daughter, as well as Prince Azure, were hanging on my every word.
“Prince.”
“I am listening.”
The catalyst was Rune’s pregnancy.
The due date was only about a month away.
See? How could I not be angry with Rune?
She basically hid it until right before the birth.
Anyway, I was about to become a patriarch with a duty to protect and lead the child I’d have with Rune, as well as any children to come.
“Our Hus…”
To do that, I had to become a powerful fence, and I had to build that fence myself.
“…will become independent from the Kingdom.”
A sturdy fence that would protect my children, my wives, and all the people we rule—unlike Bertrand Village, which was ruthlessly swept away by demons when I was a child!
“The Duchy must support the Kingdom of Hus, the Dakuren Dynasty.”
“Independence?! Do you think the Kingdom will just sit back and watch!”
“Prince, you’ve forgotten who I am.”
Howling fully revealed itself, completely blocking the sunlight.
As the mist filled the area, the zombies poured out once again.
I indifferently threw a punch and drew a crescent moon with a kick.
The zombies were all blown apart before they could even bare their teeth.
Drenched in blood, I approached the Prince.
“Tell me who I am.”
“A-Alto… Bertrand…”
“I said, tell me who I am!”
When I pressed him again, the Prince, terrified, shouted reflexively.
“You are Alto Bertrand, the Bloodhound!”
“That’s right.”
While still in the middle of the fight, I lowered Roar and Howling, which I had been holding up to block the sun.
Sunlight illuminated the world, and in that world, only the scraps of zombies remained.
“The Bloodhound protects his family and his friends. Very safely.”
I held out a blood-stained hand.
“I want three things.”
The Prince swallowed hard.
“With those three things, you can become a friend of Alto Bertrand. You can gain an ally called Hus.”
Showing his palm, the hunting dog offered a gentle smile.
“Come to my side, Prince. Hus will help you.”
The foolish and weak-willed Prince, utterly overwhelmed, recklessly took the hunting dog’s blood-soaked hand without a second thought.