Plan Change (2)
The moment Wayne laid eyes on the monster shrouded in Odd, his heart raced.
Why is that one the only thing shimmering with Odd?
Among the monster heads mounted on one wall, only the massive snake-like one was enveloped in a translucent red Odd membrane.
Wayne stood up fully, activating his Odd Eye to scan every corner of Adam's office.
"You're making me dizzy. Sit down already."
"Ah! Yes, sir..."
He examined all the monsters on the walls and nearby, but only that one was covered in Odd. Wayne couldn't help but wonder why. He'd seen faint Odd emissions or leaks from people, creatures, or even Gigants before, but this thing was stuffed, wasn't it?
"Anyway, since you've somehow scavenged a Gigant and racked up merits in the orc subjugation, I suppose I should reward you as acting lord."
"Thank you. In that case, make it a big reward. Gold coins would be even better."
Wayne shamelessly demanded a hefty prize.
Without a word, Adam pulled a pouch of gold coins from his drawer.
"Official rewards come after the merit distribution ceremony. This is the last gold I'll give you personally. Don't come begging for more."
"Pardon?"
"As acting lord, I can't just hand out the territory's wealth to anyone."
Anyone?
Now that he was acting lord, it seemed Adam figured there was no need to give gold to Wayne anymore.
No, should I be grateful he's not striking at me right now?
It wasn't unreasonable for Wayne to think that way. The Barantia Empire's war for hegemony, prepared over five years, hadn't even begun. With not just Estel Kingdom but surrounding kingdoms and even these allied races to consider, no one knew how many years the war would drag on.
Frank Marquis was approaching sixty next year, and he'd boastfully declared this campaign—potentially his last—would double the territory's size before marching out.
That left Adam as acting lord in the meantime. With him in control, Wayne was effectively isolated.
"Anything else?"
Is this the Buddha's palm right now?
Adam's glare toward Wayne carried a confidence that said he knew everything about him—go ahead, spout whatever nonsense you want. It also implied that no matter how skilled Wayne was, the tide had already turned.
Adam wore the leisurely smile of a victor.
But Wayne was smirking inwardly too. He had his own aces up his sleeve.
"Brother, did you hunt all these mounted monsters yourself?"
Adam replied with an annoyed expression.
"I've never set foot in the Great Forest."
"Then where did these come from?"
"Knights brought them back from the Great Forest. It's my little hobby."
That bastard... what a twisted hobby.
Wayne stood and reached toward the nearest mounted monster.
"Don't touch it!"
Wayne froze at Adam's sharp voice.
"Pardon?"
"They've all been treated with sensitive preservatives. You absolutely can't touch them."
"Ah! I see."
He called it a little hobby, but Adam seemed to treasure these trophies. Wayne sat back down and pointed at the snake head on the wall.
"Whoa! That one's just like a giant snake head, huh?"
Adam chuckled.
"Right. It's called a Python. At a glance, you wouldn't think its head belongs to anything huge. But its body is four meters thick and fifty meters long—a calamity-grade monster. It can swallow prey three times its own girth. The empire has only one stuffed specimen like that."
"Ah! I see."
Adam's voice brimmed with pride. He clearly cherished that head. Sure enough, to Wayne's eyes, it looked more lifelike than the others, as if it could slither through the Great Forest right now.
Too bad. I really wanted to touch it...
He was dying to know why Odd was emanating only from this stuffed monster. But with Adam glaring daggers, he'd have to wait for another chance.
"We're done here. Get out."
"Yes, sir. I'll drop by again sometime."
Wayne licked his lips and left.
"Ah...! Feels like all the tension's melting away."
After breathing in Odd, soaking in the steaming bathtub made every cell in his body tingle with refreshing relief. For the first time in ages, Wayne lounged in the bath, gazing at the setting sun outside the window.
Adam as acting lord, huh...
As territory heir and now acting lord to boot, it was like giving a tiger wings.
But Wayne didn't care.
Heh! Thinks he knows everything about me?
At first, he'd only aimed to survive as Wayne Stein. He had nothing, and with Adam set as heir, there were no allies to lean on. Frank Marquis merely tolerated the youngest son, letting him breathe.
He'd even pandered to those who'd tried to kill him just to stay alive.
But now? It must feel like hitting the 100-billion-lotto jackpot as a newbie employee. In the Lava Cave waited the red Gigant Martias awaiting its master's growth, plus stockpiles of mass-produced Gigants like warhorses.
They'd become his wings someday.
And though it would take time, he had the Karian Odd breathing technique to mold him into a once-in-a-generation Gigant pilot!
They'll all faint when they see the Red Giant Martias and my Gigant legion later!
In Go, the one who laughs last after all stones are placed is the true winner. With solid backing now, Wayne was confident.
Adam Stein, your arrogance is your biggest weakness.
Adam was already acting like lord, his mind full of plans: how to run the territory, whom to appoint as next Blue Knights vice commander, how to deal with fourth brother Renan and those who'd opposed him as heir, what to do with ambitious uncles still around, whether to leave third brother at the Great Forest outpost, and more.
Meanwhile, Wayne could focus on one thing.
[Finding someone to pilot the Gigants buried in the cave!]
Wayne waved at Snow, whom he met in the inner castle corridor.
"Hey! Squad Leader Snow."
"Young Lord Wayne."
"You've been hard to track down lately. Took me forever to find you."
She gave a faint smile.
"You know why."
Of course Wayne did. Dresden's 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions had shipped out to the front, so 7th Squad of the 1st Armored Division's 3rd Battalion couldn't stay behind. They were prepping to join the front lines too.
"How's the word from down south?"
Snow glanced around before speaking.
"The war hasn't even started yet."
"What? Didn't the forces already assemble at the border?"
"They did, but there seem to be internal disagreements in the empire that haven't been sorted."
"...Disagreements?"
Wayne wasn't sure what she meant. Lately, he'd been immersed in training the Karian breathing technique, reveling in daily Odd gains, so he'd had no chance to catch outside news. No one like Snow shared high-level intel with him anyway.
"They initially planned to regroup the assembled forces and advance, but the vassals proposed something else."
"Like what?"
"Each leading their own armies to advance, and claiming ownership of captured bases and cities."
To Wayne, it didn't sound bad. Mixing troops from everywhere would just confuse chains of command; better for each territory's forces to fight under their own banners for efficiency.
"So the emperor conceded, granting ownership rights up to three generations for families that capture cities or bases, and permitted the advance."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Overlapping claims on the most desirable cities."
"Ah!"
Wayne shook his head.
"Sounds like a headache already."
War wasn't just charging in, crushing enemies, and grabbing land. Interests tangled, and headbutts raged even before the first shot over who got the best prizes.
Hold on. Why is the emperor starting a war that only benefits the vassals?
Wayne couldn't fathom the emperor's motives.
"I need to head to the supply depot, so if that's all..."
"Ah! Wait, come with me."
"Pardon?"
Wayne led Snow to the end of the corridor.
"Who knows when we'll meet again once you head to the front. You might get hurt or even die, so..."
Wayne approached with soulful eyes. Snow tensed warily. Despite the age gap, Wayne was big for sixteen, and his recent speech and demeanor felt mature, almost manly, making her unconsciously on edge.
"Here, take this!"
"Pardon?"
Wayne pulled a book from his robes. Snow sighed inwardly in relief.
"What's this?"
"Open it and see."
Snow flipped it open.
"Th-this is!"
Her eyes widened.
"Sir Cassnet's swordsmanship manual?"
"Yeah, you'd know it better than me. It even has the sections he finished last, so train hard."
"How did you...?"
"Don't ask. I just want you safe until we meet again."
"Pardon?"
"You're someone I like, after all. The longer you live, the better."
At Wayne's final words, Snow's heart pounded, her face flushing.
"Th-thank you."
"No need for thanks between us. And next time, whenever that is, you better be battalion commander, not just squad leader."
"Ah! Understood. I'll shatter the Odd barrier and become one for sure."
In that moment, Snow felt her heart tremble and chest burn. She could tell Wayne genuinely cared. To meet his expectations, she'd become battalion commander no matter what.
Wayne didn't need Cassnet's swordsmanship anyway, knowing the Karian Odd breathing technique. And Snow had said Odd gathered best when using it, so it'd surely help her.
By granting this favor now, he'd gain big returns later when she rose higher. Snow Austin was the Gigant pilot most likely to side with him, knew gratitude, and was an attractive woman to boot.
Wayne walked with Snow out of the building.
"When will my Gigant be ready?"
"Captain Jamie and the maintenance team are pulling all-nighters. It'll be done before we ship out."
"They're working hard because of me."
"No, sir. Everyone wants to."
"Thanks."
Wayne halted abruptly.
"What's wrong?"
"Where's the acting lord off to?"
"Pardon?"
Adam, the acting lord, was boarding a carriage, flanked by about thirty knights as escorts.
"Ah! Looks like an inspection of the Gigant workshop."
"Inspection? He already acts like the full lord..."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. How long does an inspection take?"
"At least two days."
"Two days?"
Wayne's face lit up.
"Sniff sniff! What's that smell?"
"F-fire!"
Smoke billowed from a room at the corridor's end. The two guards at the acting lord's office rushed off.
No CCTV here, after all...
Wayne slipped into Adam's office. Curtains dimmed the interior, but his Odd Eye pierced the gloom effortlessly.
Why is Odd leaking only from that one?
With Odd Eye active, Wayne approached the monster head and touched it. The skin was smooth, almost alive. Nothing else happened.
Is it a different type of Odd from what I cultivate?
Wayne sent a trickle of his own Odd toward the head.
"Huh?"
Shrivvvvel!
Wayne yanked his hand back in shock. But the Python's head had already shriveled, its skin withering to a mummified husk in seconds.
Shit! I just wanted to touch it... Huh?
Yet the red Odd that had enveloped the head now coated Wayne's hand. It seeped into his skin, slamming his mind with a powerful vision.
Wayne's face twisted in shock and confusion.
What? Did I just see the Python's past life?
More precisely, the monster's entire life up to its death imprinted on his mind. Not just fleeting visions like his first Gigant ride—of hunting or moving in the Great Forest—but a full lifetime, like touching Karian's skull, absorbed in an instant.
Whoa! So the Great Forest is like that.
The colossal beast's 300 years of life, knowledge, and experiences in the Great Forest flooded into Wayne wholesale. This was raw, living intel no human had ever accessed.
And then.
Can humans do this too?
Something clicked. Wayne closed his eyes, focusing his Odd. When he opened them, his green Odd Eyes turned red, and red Odd aura burst from his body in all directions.
Two reddish human shapes appeared outside the door.
Whoa! It works!
Wayne had successfully used the giant snake monster's Odd ability to detect heat. Monsters had Odd too, evolving unique powers from survival instincts. And Wayne had just awakened a calamity-grade one's.
The world of Odd is truly boundless!