Chapter 210
Chapter 210
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 210
Chapter Title: Prelude to War (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The day Yulia and Duncan—well, Duncan's family—set off for Uhtana to seek refuge.
Goltaran and the Atalain warriors stared at the boisterous procession with dumbfounded expressions.
It was early dawn, yet the area in front of Delutana's north gate was as noisy as any marketplace. Attendants dressed up like circus clowns in garish outfits, porters laden with mountains of luxury goods, noblewomen and maids swathed in dresses festooned with frills and lace... And topping it all off were the opulent carriages, each modified to comfortably seat ten or more.
Naturally, this wasn't the group Yulia had brought. Goltaran couldn't hide his bewilderment and approached who appeared to be one of the leaders.
"What in the world is this nonsense? Where did you lot crawl out from?"
"Ah... H-hello, Chief Goltaran. We are the attendants serving Madam Mondmed, wife of Councilor Ropello of the Delutana Council, third-term representative from the Jeniretos family..."
"That's not what I'm asking. I explicitly ordered everyone to minimize personnel and luggage as much as possible, so why have you shown up with this traveling circus of baggage?"
"W-Well, you see..."
The butler bowed his head, unable to utter a word. A noblewoman behind him shot a sidelong glare of annoyance. When Goltaran scowled fiercely, she quickly averted her eyes—but that didn't make the piles of luggage vanish.
It wasn't just Wheeled's wife, Yulia, seeking refuge in Uhtana to avoid potential trouble.
Every power broker in Delutana without exception wanted to send their own families to safety. Thus, the refugee procession, escorted by Delutana's finest elite soldiers from the 'Indomitable Legion' and the council guards, ended up crammed with retainers from numerous high-ranking families.
In truth, Goltaran had hoped to evacuate only Yulia separately, but reality made that impossible. Even with the Turis brothers at the heart of Delutana's politics, they couldn't act like lone wolves on everything. To secure allies' cooperation and appease rivals' discontent, they had to guarantee the safety of those families at least.
However, these evacuations for the elite had to be conducted in utmost secrecy. If word got out, panic would spread uncontrollably among the citizens. That's why Goltaran had strictly ordered everyone to streamline their luggage and personnel and assemble in inconspicuous attire... but these flower-headed fools apparently hadn't listened.
The only ones who had followed the rules were a single family: the Wheeleds, the very purpose behind this evacuation plan.
Yulia had arrived with just her son Duncan and three attendants. Her modest attire made it hard to believe she was one of Delutana's top merchants, looking more like a simple housewife. Goltaran bowed his head with a complicated expression.
"I apologize deeply, Madam Wheeled. We wanted to escort your household comfortably, but suddenly these nuisances have multiplied..."
"No, it's fine. I'm already grateful for your protection. With so many in the group, the journey won't be lonely."
"..."
This wasn't something to brush off so lightly. The current procession was a mirror image of Delutana's high society. And everyone knew how much those socialites loved drawing lines between classes and badmouthing others.
Madam Wheeled needed protection. Goltaran issued stern orders to the warriors who would lead the procession.
"Treat Madam Wheeled's words as my own commands. Anyone—regardless of whose family retainer, wife, or whatever—acting rudely toward her gets immediately dropped from the procession. I'll take full responsibility for any fallout."
"...Understood, Chief."
The council guards paled in shock, but the Atalain warriors accepted without question.
Under the harsh laws of the barren wilds and the banner of the 'Indomitable Legion,' the chief's word was as absolute as a war god's decree. The warriors raised their axes and short spears, ready to cut down anyone on the spot. Only then did the chattering crowd, who had been prattling like they were off to a festival, fall deathly silent.
Eventually, all members of the refugee procession had assembled. The north gate's drawbridge lowered, and the retainers and carriages from various families began filing out one by one. The sheer scale and splendor rivaled any victory parade.
A far cry from what anyone had expected—this garish, over-the-top spectacle. Goltaran masked his inner turmoil and bid Yulia farewell.
"We'll guard the property you left in the city like fortresses. Don't worry about a thing—think of it as a simple trip and go in peace."
"Yes, thank you, Goltaran. And please, take good care of my husband too..."
"No need to fret. We're already planning to track the Great Warrior's whereabouts anyway, so we'll look for your husband as well. Your destination has already been relayed to the entire 'Indomitable Legion.'"
"Thank you so much... Ah, Duncan! Say thank you to the uncle before we go."
"Thank you, Uncle Goltaran who owes my dad..."
"...Right. May Atala's battle spirit be with you, little one."
With those words, the spirited boy and modest wife hurried to join the procession.
Goltaran stood rooted like a statue. Only after the departed had vanished into the distance, the drawbridge fully closed, and not even a tiny footstep echoed did he finally turn away, praying that even if war's flames engulfed the continent, not the smallest spark would touch that mother and son.
But the embers of war had already burrowed into the very stones of the city's foundations...
About two hours after leaving the city gates, Duncan suddenly pointed toward the front of the procession.
"Huh? Mom? Isn't that the uncle who always walks those huge dogs in the streets?"
"...Huh?"
Sure enough, there was a recognizable celebrity. Ramulek Volgaruis, the Turis brothers' rival and the physician who always paraded massive hounds around town.
He abruptly popped out of the Volgaruis family carriage. After glancing around furtively, he slipped away from the procession and vanished somewhere. The surroundings were so chaotic, and family members blocked the view, so most didn't notice—but the Wheeled mother and son saw it clearly.
Yulia narrowed her eyes.
A councilor who constantly sabotaged the Turis family's moves against the Empire, now sneaking out amid a procession of women and children, heading somewhere outside Delutana in secret... It was suspicious no matter how you sliced it.
After a moment's hesitation, Yulia called over one of the nearby Atalain warriors.
"Excuse me, warrior...?"
"Yes, Madam Wheeled? What is it?"
"Just now, someone slipped out of the procession and headed that way... Could you check what he's up to? Follow him discreetly without being seen, if possible..."
The warrior obeyed without hesitation. Her words carried the weight of the chief's orders. Gripping his throwing axe tightly, he swiftly pursued Ramulek.
Yulia watched tensely, then gripped Duncan's hand and hurried onward.
A chill wind like cooled blood blew from the west, rustling the withering weeds in the parched fields.
The holy knight, who had appeared as a beam of light, vanished back into the sky's radiance.
Thud... thuuud...
Kadim exhaled a puff of white breath and stared at the lingering traces of the glory horse.
This time, too, he had accepted the Arch Paladin's deal.
In exchange for facing the holy knights, Hendark had promised three rewards: delivery of holy relics that would aid him later, unconditional cooperation on any posthumous request, and... information on the Decagram's "stigmata."
By far the most valuable was the third: intel on the stigmata.
Purely in terms of physical matchup, Kadim could handle a few Arch Paladins solo. The issue was the "variables" from miracles—the Elga-granted stigmata that bestowed transcendent powers were the biggest obstacle. But now, he could see right through them.
This information would be worth a fortune to anyone opposing the Empire. But it wasn't perfect from start to finish.
For the lower ranks, seats 5 through 10, details on effects and limitations were relatively clear. But for seats 1 through 4, much was vague or speculative. Hendark himself occupied the third seat, not the pinnacle, so there were inevitable limits.
Still, he supplemented with info beyond the stigmata.
"Seat 2, Sir Cassius the 'Star that Devours Darkness,' is extremely dangerous—beware if you encounter him. He's a close ally of that archbishop I mentioned."
"...Even you couldn't handle him alone?"
"Indeed. A holy knight wielding both light and darkness... He was already formidable, but after returning from somewhere, he's grown even stronger. Calling him the Elga Church's current strongest wouldn't be an overstatement..."
"So he's stronger than the one in seat 1?"
"No, not quite... Seat 1 is effectively vacant. They're sealed in some secret chamber in the holy city, only to emerge when the world ends, or so they say."
"..."
Pure nonsense. If that were true, they'd have shown up for demon lords or rifts. When Kadim shot him a disbelieving look—like, you believe that at your age?—Hendark hurriedly claimed it was hearsay from the late head archbishop.
At any rate, Hendark hadn't lied. Kadim turned from the faded glory horse traces, cracking his neck. To save Duncan's family, smash the fanatic and corrupt Elga holy knights, and test "that other goal" while he was at it... He was about to head straight to Delutana.
Duncan was gone.
"...?"
He'd been right there during the talk with Hendark, but now he was nowhere—inventory and loaned weapons left behind. Kadim scanned around, narrowed his eyes, then furrowed his brow.
Then he packed up and kicked off the ground.
Boom!
No matter how stealthily he'd slipped away, his tracks were plain as day. It didn't take long to catch up via the trampled grass.
"Gasp!"
A swipe through the air stripped away the black cloak, revealing the merchant. Kadim asked sternly.
"What are you doing, Duncan? Why ditch your gear and run?"
"M-Master... W-Well, you see..."
"..."
Duncan stammered incoherently. He hadn't stolen anything since he left his stuff, wasn't newly scared of Kadim, and wasn't the type to abandon family... Kadim couldn't make sense of it.
The truth came out when the fumbling culprit spilled it.
"Y-You see, Master... Don't you need to hurry west to find your other comrade?"
"...Yeah."
"But Delutana's north, not west... Detouring like this'll waste a ton of time, right?"
"...True enough."
"S-So... Just let me handle this alone. Facing the Empire's holy knights, saving the innocent, rescuing my family—I'll do it with my own strength. You go find your comrade as planned. If they're alive, how desperately must they be waiting for you?"
"..."
"Yes, this isn't your fight. I'll bear it, so please, keep going your way. Last time I needed your help to save my family... But this time, I'll definitely do it alone...!"
Stealing glances, trembling pitifully, yet clenching his fists and finishing his piece—Duncan.
Realizing the merchant's noble intent, Kadim was moved to admiration...
...or rather, utterly dumbfounded.
"Listen up, Duncan."
"Yes?"
"Your wife's drowning. Your son glances at you, sees you're busy, and jumps in alone to save her. You gonna leave him and keep doing your thing?"
"N-No, of course not."
"Good, you get it. Now let's head to Delutana together."
"..."
Duncan grasped the meaning a beat late.
Don't act like a fledgling dumped by the nest—quietly accept the help.