Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Festival (2)
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Many springs ago, before countless springs had passed. Sir Merca, once a mere knight, achieved astonishing feats of valor and was granted the title of baron along with a small fief in the western reaches of the Volterio Kingdom. It was a tiny territory with just over two hundred souls.
Of course, for a single knight, it was an incredible rise, but being awarded a borderland fief carried duties far heavier than any glory. It meant he would spend his life battling the barbarians in the kingdom's western frontier and the northern snow-capped mountains.
Sir Merca had to drop everything and rush to the battlefield whenever the Volterio western margrave called for mobilization. And if the Empire marched north, the vassal duchy of Volterio had to provide troops without hesitation. Such was the harsh reality for a low-ranking noble with a modest border fief.
Two more springs after receiving his baronial title, Baron Merca was blessed with a late-born child.
And in the instant that tiny infant's fingers gripped Baron Merca's index finger, he set a goal for himself. Even if he died on the battlefield, he vowed not to let his child endure the same life he had.
Baron Merca, who possessed innate genius in combat and command, became a different man from that day forward.
The "honorable and brave" Baron Merca turned into the "mad dog" Baron Merca. He grew obsessed with rolling in the dirt of the battlefield even one more day, slaughtering one more barbarian or monster.
Two more springs passed that way, and just as the barbarians' momentum began to wane, the Empire announced plans to advance to the foothills of the northern snow mountains. Upon hearing the news, Baron Merca wept tears of joy.
Though it didn't expand Volterio's own territory, an Imperial push north would mean Baron Merca's fief no longer bordered potential enemies.
Baron Merca joined the Empire's northern campaign, racked up brilliant achievements, and died gloriously in battle—so much so that he was posthumously elevated to viscount. He perished, but he left his son and wife with a viscountcy and a peaceful fief. The Empire expanded northward, and the people of Viscount Merca's domain no longer had to live facing barbarians.
The second Viscount Merca wasn't much of a warrior, but he had considerable talent for commerce.
However, the location of the fief he inherited wasn't ideal. Peaceful though it was, Viscount Merca's lands lacked notable specialties, sandwiched as they were between the Kaiso Kingdom and the Empire.
The Kaiso Kingdom was an insignificant nation with a sparse population. Naturally, merchants passing between Kaiso and the Empire were few and far between. Just as naturally, Merca City couldn't grow on trade or commerce.
In the end, the second Viscount Merca came up with another idea. The answer was tourism. If there were no attractions, he'd create them by force. He poured every coin meant for expanding his forces or raising walls into turning Merca City into a tourist haven.
People pointed fingers, calling him a madman squandering the fief his father had built. But the second Viscount Merca didn't yield.
Over time, results began to show. Tourists started arriving from the Volterio Kingdom and even the Empire.
As the economy boomed, the population surged, and Merca City grew ever more famous. Not just among Volterio's people, but even Imperials knew the "flower city" of Merca.
Yet the second Viscount Merca died suddenly from a chronic illness, leaving the fief to the current third Viscount Merca. He lacked the exceptional talents of his father or grandfather, but he had enough ability to adequately maintain and manage what he'd inherited.
And now, the third Viscount Merca was deep in thought. His guard captain had reported capturing some otherworlder. Having spent his life governing the peaceful city of Merca, the viscount had no idea how to handle such an unexpected situation.
But what could he do? As the city's lord, he'd have to head to the scene, assess the situation, and figure it out.
Arriving at the guard post, Viscount Merca spotted the otherworlder sitting confused in a chair, along with a rabbit beastkin father and daughter. Seeing the guard captain's smug expression—like he'd pulled off something big—twisted the viscount's gut.
'At least he didn't toss them straight into a cell. Small mercies.'
Viscount Merca pulled the guard captain outside the post to talk.
"Tell me, Guard Captain. What crime did that otherworlder commit? Did he attack someone? Steal something?"
"From what I heard, nothing like that. We got a tip about an otherworlder and arrested him on the spot."
"You arrested him without any crime?"
The guard captain replied with a serious expression.
"Volterio Kingdom and Kaiso Kingdom are at war, aren't they? Everyone knows otherworlders back Kaiso. I figured he might be a spy, so we took him in."
It was a reasonable line of thinking. Handing a potential spy otherworlder over to the capital could boost the viscount's and captain's records—something like that.
The only problem was what he didn't know.
"Otherworlders aren't directly attacking the kingdom. If we antagonize one here and they join the war, it'll be chaos."
In truth, the conflict between Volterio and Kaiso was at a deadlock. Kaiso's weapons improved daily, forcing Volterio to fight with outdated arms. Volterio's famed strongbows were useless against guns.
But the real issue wasn't the tech gap—it was the otherworlders themselves. Even if Volterio won a hard-fought battle, they couldn't advance into Kaiso.
If troops pushed into Kaiso territory, green steel chariots would appear out of nowhere, subtly revealing themselves.
And Volterio forces had to turn tail the moment they spotted a steel chariot. Approaching or attacking it meant the chariot spewed fire, annihilating everything.
Elite knights? Mages' barriers? Meaningless. When the steel chariot fired, all became equal chunks of meat. And those weren't even their strongest weapons. Lesser-known, but they could drop shooting stars.
Fighting continued, but Volterio couldn't advance on Kaiso. Holding the line was the best they could do. Utterly unfair, but the world always had been.
"But my lord, we can't just let a suspicious character roam free, can we?"
Growing too chummy in peacetime had the captain questioning him now. Viscount Merca sighed inwardly, but it was time to explain.
"Ever hear about the shooting star that hit the infantry garrison near Sonailon City in the northeast?"
"That incident last summer? Yeah, I've heard. A whole unit vanished. Tragic accident."
"That wasn't a natural shooting star."
"Pardon? Really?"
The guard captain couldn't comprehend. A "non-natural shooting star"? What did that even mean?
Maybe the easygoing viscount was joking. He mingled freely with citizens and pulled light pranks often. But the viscount's face held no mirth.
"Two days before that unit vanished, they captured three passing otherworlders."
"Yes, my lord."
"I heard their commander suspected them as spies, tortured them. Next day, otherworlder envoys came, but they were chased off. When envoys returned, he executed the three in overzealous loyalty and tossed their heads. That night, the steel shooting star fell."
"You're saying otherworlders can drop shooting stars?"
"Officially, it was natural, but right after, the capital sent letters to all lords. 'Don't provoke otherworlders rashly.' Given the timeline, doesn't it point to them?"
Chills ran down the guard captain's spine. A bolder move, and Merca City might've seen a shooting star too.
"So, what do we do? We already arrested him."
"If you want to live, figure out how to fix this."
Viscount Merca sighed deeply and reentered the guard post.
*
Tae-jin was flustered. He hadn't expected arrest just for being an otherworlder.
But a moment's thought made it plausible. From Volterio's view, Korea was a potential enemy state.
Would they drag him off for torture? Should he use magic to escape swiftly? Could he flee with Pavilion and Renata?
Pavilion and Renata were even more panicked. Pavilion fretted over his daughter's safety, and Renata was tasting "state power" for the first time.
The guard captain who'd arrested them strutted with cocky vigor, so a clean release seemed unlikely. So, what now?
'Escape first. Telepathy to Pavilion with the plan.'
As he urgently sorted his thoughts, the door burst open. In strode a man in splendid robes with the guard captain.
'Looks important. Take him hostage and bolt?'
Just as Tae-jin readied his Shock spell, the splendidly dressed man stiffened and bowed deeply.