Monster Wave (3)
‘So it was inside the city?’
I’d wondered if there was any chance it might be outside, but apparently it was buried somewhere inside after all.
If it was within the city limits, that made things a little easier for my side.
West District.
There was nothing especially remarkable about it, aside from the fact that Castle Rock’s upper class lived there in droves. It was hard to imagine there being a vast underground site beneath it, but the fact that Jung Hayan had confidently jabbed a finger at that spot made me think I didn’t need to worry about a mistake.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure!”
“Hmm. Got it. Thanks, Hayan.”
“Hehehe.”
‘Looks manageable…’
The location wasn’t bad. There were a few things that worried me, but honestly, if it got swept away, I wouldn’t mind much.
‘It’s far from the lord’s mansion, too…’
And if it was on the exact opposite side from the Temple, then it wasn’t exactly a place whose disappearance would give me much trouble on the map.
‘Not bad.’
Even as my brain kept turning over the problem, Jung Hayan was still watching me intently.
I’d finished with one big matter for the moment, so I decided it was only right that I head into the meeting as well.
“You did well, Hayan.”
“Ah… yes!”
“Then I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Yes… yes.”
Personally, I liked putting puzzles together.
Finding one more piece fit into place naturally put me in a better mood.
Even if I didn’t move an inch myself, the situation around Castle Rock was already shifting by the second.
After I gave Jung Hayan one last pat on the head and stepped outside, the news waiting for me was that the Castle Rock count had summoned every guild and clan master within his territory.
I was in the mood to burst into song.
It was only natural that I thought the Holy Empire would eventually produce the same kind of situation if a wave broke there.
It wasn’t exactly a draft, but since they were planted in the lord’s manor and living inside the Holy Empire, fighting for the empire was the duty of free citizens.
‘This is a very good situation.’
It was Blue who had brought proof that the city was in danger.
To put it simply, whether before the wave began or after it ended, our side could end up in a very good position.
When I made my way to the conference room, I saw the Castle Rock count talking with Kim Hyunsung. They were clearly having a serious discussion, but I was honestly delighted.
“Is that true?”
“It should be. There have already been several signs in the forest.”
“Nothing like this has happened in decades…”
As I quietly inserted myself into the conversation, everyone’s attention immediately shifted to me.
“Threats don’t send warning letters before they show up. They arrive all at once, without notice. It can’t hurt to prepare.”
My role was to back Kim Hyunsung up and lend him credibility.
There weren’t many people whose words could be trusted when something suddenly went wrong, but the voice of the Holy Empire’s Honorary Bishop carried a different weight.
I could see Kim Hyunsung, seated beside me, giving a small nod of thanks.
Having been supported by my two incisors once again, Kim Hyunsung continued. His clear, crisp voice as he delivered each word one by one was impressive to watch.
“As I already said, the signs have been growing. We confirmed them with our own eyes while we were out hunting this time. They’re remarkably similar to the symptoms that appear in cities that have already been struck by a monster wave.”
‘So it really is a wave.’
“The eerie quiet, and the abnormalities affecting most of the monsters’ ecosystems as well.”
“That does seem likely. The fact that they’re moving beyond their own territory is suspicious enough already, but… for now, we should hold a meeting and come up with countermeasures.”
“As for countermeasures, I’ve already organized some material.”
“Ah. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
“Of course, Castle Rock probably has its own manual for when this kind of situation occurs, but our side has prepared something privately as well. In fact, after Blue arrived in Castle Rock, we also received reports that something unusual was happening in the Monster Forest.”
“What? I haven’t heard anything about that…”
Of course he hadn’t. There had never been any such report in the first place.
“It’s a rumor that’s been circulating quietly among the free citizens, so I can understand why it might not have reached you, Count Castle Rock. It’s a little awkward for me to say this as a fellow free citizen, but… there are a lot of people who don’t welcome a situation like this.”
“I think I understand what you’re saying.”
“Yes. There are many who live on Holy Empire soil but still only demand freedom, refusing to take responsibility for the duties and rights that come with it. No, actually, it’s probably most of them. Quite a few free citizens are unhappy even with the draft itself. There are definitely people out there wondering, Why should we fight for Castle Rock?”
“……”
“Most of those people are the ones who’ll tuck their tails and run the moment a wave starts.”
What I said wasn’t a lie.
I could say with confidence that there were definitely some bastards who’d run the instant the monsters came swarming in.
The count wasn’t an idiot, so he would understand what I was saying.
“You need to declare martial law and seal the gates immediately. It shouldn’t stop at a summons. You should organize the troops and have them stand by under wartime footing.”
‘We can’t let the auction-house bastards slip away.’
The people there, and the goods there, absolutely could not be allowed to leave.
‘That’s all money…’
And, on top of that, the bastards who were going to try to run at this opportunity needed to be properly blocked here as well.
“I do worry that it might make the territorial citizens uneasy, but… it does make sense.”
“A certain amount of unease is necessary. No, this is precisely the kind of situation where everyone should be on edge.”
Before I’d even finished speaking, I caught sight of people beginning to creep into the conference room one by one.
Free citizens I’d seen at least once before. I’d met them through Song Jungwook of Small Rock, and afterward I’d also had a few individual meetings with them here and there.
Castle Rock’s count seemed to dislike them very much, and if I thought back to what I’d just said, there was no way they’d come off well.
“You may take your seats.”
“Yes, Count.”
“It’s been a while, Count Castle Rock.”
“Ahem.”
They were exchanging greetings one by one, but this wasn’t a social gathering.
With the atmosphere feeling a little heavy, the guild masters and clan masters sat down looking somewhat dazed.
Song Jungwook, meanwhile, was staring at me as if asking what was going on.
When I gave him a small smile and waved, he broke into a foolish grin.
He looked absurd, like a dog expecting a scrap to fall from the table.
He already knew that, as the Holy Empire’s Honorary Bishop, I was on friendly terms with the Castle Rock count, so he was probably thinking that as long as he kept close to me, he’d be safe no matter what happened.
‘Cute.’
I couldn’t tell whether he was quick on the uptake or slow as dirt.
He knew something had happened, but he didn’t seem to be thinking about what that would mean for him personally.
After I took a seat near Kim Hyunsung, a little time passed before the Castle Rock count spoke quietly.
Our conversation had been brief, but I had already conveyed my meaning well enough.
Whatever choice he made was up to Count Castle Rock, but I thought the father of the young lady standing before me would respect my intentions to some extent.
‘Right?’
If the meeting ended after merely announcing that a monster wave was coming, there would definitely be people who fled Castle Rock under the guise of an expedition or a trip or some other nonsense.
From the count’s perspective, as the lord responsible for protecting his people, that was unacceptable. In every sense, it was only rational to accept my opinion.
“From this moment on, Castle Rock will enter a wartime footing.”
‘Nice.’
“I judge that a monster wave will arrive within the next month. While requesting support from other cities, we’ll also seal the exits and integrate the free citizen troops within Castle Rock with the forces of the lord’s manor.”
“What is this all of a sudden…?”
Everyone looked blank.
So sudden was the announcement that a few faces twisted as if they’d just swallowed something vile.
“A monster wave?”
“That’s… where did that information come from…?”
The nonsense was answered, as expected, by Kim Hyunsung.
“It came from the information gathered by Blue.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. I’ll explain in more detail during the briefing later, but the information is solid.”
As soon as our regressor finished speaking, groans like the beginnings of a lament broke out from all over the room.
They were being told they’d suddenly be fighting a siege against a monster wave, so their panic was only natural.
And the fact that they would be folded into the lord’s manor and forced to fight there seemed to make them even more uneasy.
‘Tsk.’
I’d expected some objections, but the Castle Rock count’s unexpectedly forceful stance had rendered every guild master in the room speechless.
That was when Song Jungwook of Small Rock finally spoke up.
“Count Castle Rock.”
“What is it, Small Rock guild master?”
“I understand your decision to maintain a wartime footing and to declare martial law, but… the idea of us being absorbed into the lord’s manor and fighting under it is a little….”
“Is there a problem?”
“We probably won’t achieve proper efficiency. Under imperial law, when a war-like emergency arises, guilds and clans are supposed to operate as independent units. Being run from the lord’s manor means….”
“No. More precisely, imperial law states that the supreme commander may alter the organization of the troops at their discretion. There’s nothing legally problematic here.”
“Still….”
More voices began popping up from all around.
“If it’s at the supreme commander’s discretion, then I ask that you consider that choice carefully. We understand that, as free citizens settled in Castle Rock, we must join in the face of the threat that’s coming, but… it’s just that….”
“You think fighting alongside the lord’s knights would be too much? Is that what you mean?”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m simply saying that free citizens have their own way of doing things. Please make a more reasonable decision.”
“Free citizens’ way of doing things, you say? I have no idea what you’re talking about. What exactly is that supposed to mean? Is the free citizen way to put up your own people first and let only them survive?”
“That isn’t it, Count. At the very least, I think it should be free citizens leading free citizens….”
“So Small Rock’s master wants to personally command the troops. Is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s not what I—”
“If it’s not, then what is it? Small Rock master, I’m not an idiot. I know perfectly well why you’re all staying in Castle Rock, and I know why you want independent units. I also know you don’t want to give your lives for this place.”
“That is absolutely not what we mean. It’s just that the situation….”
Neither side looked willing to back down.
To be honest, it wasn’t a very helpful picture for either of them. Free citizens and imperial citizens were, after all, bound together in a relationship of mutual dependence.
From the count’s perspective, he probably thought it was better to push through decisively at first, but if you thought about what came afterward, it wasn’t actually helpful.
‘Push too hard and something breaks.’
Even if I didn’t like it, they needed to find some kind of compromise. It was right then that an unexpected line came from the Castle Rock count’s mouth.
“If you truly feel that way, then I’ll leave it to Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
‘Now that’s the stuff!’
Of course, from the point of view of Castle Rock’s free citizens, this wasn’t welcome news.
At the end of the day, I was only a guest.
As expected, I could see a few guild masters opening their mouths again.
“Isn’t Lee Kiyoung not originally from Castle Rock?”
“That’s the greatest concession I can make.”
“That does seem like a good idea.”
What surprised me a little was that Song Jungwook immediately agreed.
When I glanced his way, his face met my eyes with a small smile.
‘This bastard….’
He looked like he was digging furiously for some place to survive, but he didn’t seem to realize the hole he was making was going to be his grave.
‘No matter how hard you rub up against it, you’re still frontline, Jungwook…’
That had already been decided.