31. Priority
Wayne opened the window. The fresh breeze blowing in from the Great Forest cleared his sinuses right up.
'As expected from a place brimming with Odd.'
He'd barely slept the night before thanks to the bandits targeting the outpost, but the Odd emanating from the Great Forest had restored him in no time.
Wayne stepped outside, and Eleven came bounding over, tail wagging furiously.
"Awoo! Awoo!"
"Haha! Good boy, Eleven!"
Wayne ruffled the wolf's head. Yann came rushing up right behind him.
"Yann! Any of those monster byproducts left from yesterday morning's hunt?"
"Pardon?"
"Find 'em and feed 'em to Eleven. The big guy earned his keep last night."
"Yes, sir..."
Eleven wagged his tail and rubbed his head against Wayne, playing up the charm. He knew a reward was coming.
'This pup's a total lucky charm.'
Wayne had originally taken him in because he was the sole survivor out of eleven monster pups—impressive in itself—and because it was pitiful, having lost its mother. His squad mates had objected to keeping a monster whelp, but if it didn't obey, they could always dump it back in the Great Forest or put it down.
But from the start, the creature had sensed Wayne's red Odd and submitted. As if it instinctively knew that was its path to survival.
And once Wayne passed on his red Odd, it began communing with him, opening up a whole new world of Odd.
This went far beyond earning its keep—it had shattered Eleven's Odd limits and unlocked greater potential.
Truth be told, even if Eleven hadn't detected the intruders targeting the outpost, it wouldn't have been a huge issue. Wayne and Artemis had stayed behind at the base, and they would've sensed the approach anyway. Three opponents? Wayne was confident he could've handled them.
But it would've been a brutal fight, and he wouldn't have captured the two intact Gigants now standing in the outpost.
"These are Grint territory Gigants."
Jamie identified the models at a glance.
"So those guys were Grint territory magic knights?"
"3rd Class Gigants get sold to other territories sometimes, so we can't say for sure. But they're impeccably maintained, and someone went to the trouble of scraping off the territory and unit markings. Makes it likely they're from Grint Grand Territory."
"Grand Territory Gigants, huh..."
Jamie inspected the wrecked one.
"These two are good to go right now. The damaged one's cockpit hatch needs replacing, and we'll have to reattach the severed arm—should take three or four days. What about the priest Gigant?"
"Just scrap it. Too weak for combat anyway, and we've got no one to pilot it right now."
"We could sell the priest Gigant to us."
Alicia approached as she spoke.
"When did you arrive, Baroness?"
"I came early this morning after hearing you'd caught the Gigant-riding bandits."
"But do you need a priest Gigant? Your outpost shouldn't be short on them."
"True, the outpost is fine. But back home in the territory, we're short. Sending it to Lorenne Outpost would be a huge help."
"Ah, got it. Jamie, hand the priest Gigant over to the Lorenne outpost."
"Yes, sir!"
"Thank you, Commander Wayne."
Alicia tilted her head as she eyed the captured Gigants.
"Three 3rd Class Gigants... Why target this outpost, though? Never happened before."
"They know we've got a pile of gold here."
"How'd they—?"
"We've got two magic knights in custody. We can take our time asking."
Wayne had already overheard their conversation through Eleven, so he knew the name of the escaped one—Rockid—and that he was a monster byproduct broker at Westline Fortress. He even knew why they'd targeted him specifically.
"But figuring out who these magic knights are could cause trouble."
Alicia gave an awkward smile.
"What do you mean?"
"Even in the Great Forest with all its magic knights, skilled ones who can pilot 3rd Class Gigants aren't common. And they had three of them. Their affiliation could be an issue. Maybe a grand territory..."
She trailed off. Getting tangled with a grand territory would mean headaches all around.
"I'll handle that. Anyway, since you're here, come inside. I've got something important to discuss."
"Of course."
Wayne and Alicia headed into the office.
"So you're saying we should recruit more territories to build additional outposts?"
"Exactly. Our two outposts can hold the line side by side, no problem. The issue is the route back to sell monster byproducts getting blocked. If we have stepping-stone outposts behind us toward Westline Fortress, we secure a safe path."
Alicia nodded, grasping Wayne's point. For now, the surrounding Great Forest hadn't fully encroached, so transport wasn't an issue. But in a year or two, forests as tall as Gigants would sprout everywhere, isolating the two outposts.
"To be honest, I figured you'd pull out after a year of raking in monster-hunting cash like this."
"If we can't secure more outposts, yeah, that's the plan. We'd fall back to the fortress line and hunt into the Great Forest from there. But if we can maintain this setup, it's ideal."
"Will other territories go for it?"
"If we hold the front strong, the rear gets easier, and anyone capable stands to earn way more. Plus, in a pinch, nearby outposts could support each other for safety."
Alicia pondered deeply.
"I know some lords. I'll try convincing them."
"Oh, and if the Estel war ends early, grand territory troops might return. Then it won't matter."
"I see. But that seems unlikely."
"Pardon?"
"The war's dragging on longer than expected."
"News from the Estel front?"
Wayne looked intrigued.
"Fransoa Kingdom and the dwarves of the Sierra Mountains have joined Estel Kingdom and entered the war."
"Dwarves?"
He'd figured Fransoa Kingdom might ally with Estel—both used magic-powered Magic Knights. But the mountain-bound dwarves siding with the kingdom that had driven them into the peaks? Unexpected.
"They're not going for a decisive battle. Instead, they're slowly retreating the front lines to buy time. Dwarves are destroying bridges over rivers and digging traps at every pass, slowing advances."
"The war's gonna drag, then."
The Empire clearly held the advantage, but the sluggish pace was a problem.
'I wonder how Snow's doing.'
Wayne thought of her and the 7th Division. Imagining them endlessly rolling through the battlefield made his own monster-hunting here feel downright relaxing.
"Well, I'll be off, then."
Alicia stood.
"One more thing—any idea how you reclaimed your barren land?"
"Pardon?"
She looked puzzled.
"I heard Lorenne Territory started as reclaimed land."
"That's true, but why the sudden—?"
They talked more, and Alicia didn't leave until the sun was high overhead.
"How's it feel, Curtis?"
Curtis's eyes welled up with emotion.
"I can feel it clearly now. I can gather Odd in my heart on my own."
"Good! The Odd Hole is finally complete."
"Thank you. This is all thanks to you, Squad Leader Wayne. I'll repay this debt someday."
Wayne grinned.
"Of course you will. Love the attitude. But don't celebrate too soon—you'll need to double your Odd breathing sessions from now on, and if your heart's Odd depletes completely, start over. Stay sharp."
"Got it. Um... think I can pilot a Gigant now?"
Wayne nodded slightly.
"No 3rd Class Gigants yet. Start with work models and monitor your Odd consumption carefully."
"Yes, sir!"
Just the prospect of piloting had Curtis over the moon. And he lived up to the genius label. In just half a month, he'd formed an Odd Hole in his heart and could now gather and draw Odd from it without help.
His Odd reserves were still low, so reaching 3rd Class magic knight level would take time. But Sera, watching from the side, licked her lips eagerly. Her turn was next, and she looked like a kid at Christmas.
"Alright, cut that face out."
Late that night, Wayne pondered his next moves. With the first button fastened—the outpost secured—it was time to set priorities.
He had plenty of Gigants. Even without raiding the Lava Cave, the outpost held six 3rd Class Gigants.
Monster hunting and cash flow were stable now that the outpost was set. As Alicia said, a year like this would bring a fortune and fund a Gigant squadron.
Building more magic knights? Nancy was shining bright, Loren was catching up steadily if slower, Curtis had made a breakthrough with his Odd Hole, and Sera had started training hers. The veteran knights just needed time—once they had Odd Holes, they'd perform at full potential.
'Not bad for four months.'
But "not bad" wasn't best. With excess Gigants, he could recruit more knights. Bring in wounded ones like Curtis and his crew, make their Odd Holes, train them up—they'd have no choice but to stay loyal. Only he could create and expand Odd Holes.
That would let him run two armored divisions right away.
The question was what to do with them next.
Wayne weighed his options carefully. This was the path ahead.
Return to Dresden Territory? He'd get some recognition, but nothing would change. Adam was still proxy lord and heir; Wayne was just the marquis's youngest.
Join Frank Marquis on the Estel front? Grand territories had already carved up the spoils—no independent action, just risk getting ground down in Dresden's ranks. Gains there wouldn't be truly his.
'I need my own territory!'
He'd built his current force purely on his own and made it his. Turned Gigant academy washouts into magic knights, revived wrecks like Curtis and crew.
They were loyal now, but blind loyalty wouldn't last forever. Armies without settlements bred chaos; without territory, they were just mercenaries. Who follows a leader without a goal?
He needed a compelling one. Best: a territory.
He'd considered buying a small one outright. But no lord sold their land and people like a king—not when even poor ones didn't starve.
Only one option left: build one himself!
To make a territory, he needed land, people, and money. Gold was flowing steadily—no issue. Unclaimed land? Plenty. Barren wastes covered a sixth of the Empire's area, bigger than three grand territories combined.
The problem? Turning it livable was mission impossible.
Daunting, unimaginable. But one territory had done it: Lorenne Territory.
Current Lord Lorenne was third son of Kallung Grand Territory's Duke John Taylor—not the heir. But well-liked for his character, tight with new lord Duke Lord Taylor, so with grand territory backing, he'd reclaimed barren land over twenty years into what it was now.
Wayne had no such support. He'd have to pioneer alone.
'Barren land, huh... Maybe pay it a visit?'
And the best part: it wasn't far from here.