Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Ch. 41 .｡.:✧ Chapter 41 ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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It’s the same for that one.
With my current abilities, I couldn’t make it move permanently, and its actions would cease before long.
The way to extend that time was to have it consume recently dead or living organisms like that, and on top of that, through undead strengthening, I made it so that its body would grow slightly larger the more corpses it ate.
Thanks to that, the zombie was able to consume nearly nineteen corpses on its own and even absorb the zombies that were once its kin.
The completed zombie was nearly 2m in size, and with its enlarged physique, it had a very threatening appearance.
‘Considering the amount it ate, the efficiency is garbage though.’
But this was enough.
I immediately severed the connection with the zombie, and the zombie, disconnected from me, collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
I promptly used black magic on the zombie’s corpse.
[Decay]
The magical energy that had been restored was completely drained, and soon the zombie’s corpse rotted quickly, leaving only small bone fragments before completely disappearing.
‘As expected, since it was hastily made, there’s not much left.’
I ground the bones into powder and put them in a small pouch.
It was a hassle to make, but it could be considered quite rewarding as a bonus obtained in the process of disposing of the corpses.
‘Previously, it was impossible due to the lack of total magical energy, but not anymore.’
As it was bone powder, it had good compatibility with skeletons in terms of usage.
‘It’s not bad as a strengthening material.’
I took it because I was planning to create one more skeleton anyway.
Moreover, looking at the situation, there was a high possibility that the reagents I would bring this time would be the last.
‘Even if I have money, I won’t be able to procure more through trade.’
According to the information extracted from the mercenaries, the Owalan territory was finished.
Even if the monster wave didn’t occur, it was no different from being finished to the point where there was no room for counterattack.
It wasn’t impossible to strike back, but considering the current state of the territory, the possibility was slim.
‘It’s absurd. To think the territory’s downfall is because of me.’
To be precise, they seized an opportunity because of me, and due to that opportunity, the territory will fall.
‘Thinking about it again, this world is really crazy.’
With petty power directly tied to survival, they commit actions beyond common sense without hesitation.
The mercenaries knew almost all the details of this incident.
Honestly, while extracting information, I was surprised that they knew this much, but since they committed the incident on such a large scale, they had informed the mercenaries of most of the information so they could respond as flexibly as possible when unexpected things happened.
Thanks to that, it was very easy for me to grasp the full story of the incident.
First, the ones who led this attack were the merchants operating in the Siglen County, as I had overheard before.
To be precise… it was a scheme by the merchant union of the Siglen County to bring down Kuman, who could be considered a newly rising merchant in the Owalan Barony.
‘In the first place, since Kuman has the backing of Baron Owalan, the two are essentially one and the same.’
To bring down Kuman, the Owalan Barony also had to fall.
The process of Kuman becoming at odds with the merchant union was also amusing.
Kuman, who had established ties with the Magic Tower through the hippogriff incident, attempted aggressive expansion to properly utilize this opportunity, and in the process, there seemed to have been friction with the merchant union.
Unlike other new merchants, Kuman had the backing of Baron Owalan, and the Owalan family had recently gained the favor of the Siglen Count’s family, so the merchant union seemed to have been pushed back in the competition.
‘Indeed, he has the ability.’
Even with a backer, the fact that he gained the upper hand against the merchant union, who had already established themselves and wielded influence in the Siglen County, proved Kuman’s outstanding capabilities.
According to the mercenaries, the merchant union even tried to recruit Kuman, but he refused.
‘This is where it began.’
Sensing a crisis, the merchant union planned Kuman’s downfall for their own survival and power.
The merchant union had a long history.
Therefore, there were many people connected to them within the Siglen County, and through them, they learned that the Owalan Barony would borrow dwarves from the Siglen County.
Using this, the merchant union devised a plan to bring down the entire territory and recruited mercenaries to face off against the knight, the greatest force of the Owalan Barony.
The mercenary group I defeated was one of those recruited.
‘They hired mercenaries with high credibility and well-equipped to the extent of their funds, and promised a large reward.’
On top of that, they made a huge investment, thinking that if things continued like this, they would be the ones to fall.
The numerous warhorses were prepared by the merchant union.
After securing a force capable of easily dealing with a single knight, they planned to seize the dwarves and hide them for a long period.
‘After slightly exceeding the contract period of one month, they intended to spread rumors that Owalan had lost the dwarves, and as soon as it reached the Count’s ears, they would hand over the dwarves as if they had found them?’
It was a simple and obvious trick, but it was bound to work well.
There were several connections linked to them within the Count’s family, and no matter what, the dwarves would safely return to the Count.
At the same time, it would become a clear fact that Owalan borrowed the dwarves and lost them, so Owalan would lose the Count’s trust, and Kuman would lose his backer, becoming no different from other new merchants.
In that case, the merchant union would inevitably gain the upper hand. They said the difference in scale was vast.
As a result, it would go as the merchant union desired.
‘There’s an even worse scenario.’
In the unlikely event that this attack failed and the dwarves safely entered the Owalan Barony… the merchant union planned to do something truly insane.
They intended to blockade the Owalan Barony for a month, up to half a year.
They planned to manipulate the severed trade as an inevitable consequence of pioneering territories keeping each other in check due to conflicts.
‘If that happens… the Barony is finished.’
As a pioneering territory, the food situation was not good yet.
Pioneering territories usually receive support from nearby large territories until they stabilize… but if the territory becomes isolated, that support will inevitably be cut off.
To be precise, they would pretend to send support while not actually providing it, temporarily deceiving the eyes of the Siglen County.
Since there were people connected to the union within the Count’s family, it wasn’t entirely impossible, but it was a very dangerous act.
Not just for a short period, but they had to maintain it for up to half a year…
However, the effect was certain.
The territory itself would slowly wither away.
They planned to buy the time needed for that with money.
In the case of borrowing the dwarves, the merchant union planned to use someone on the inside to extend the borrowing period with a huge sum of money.
Since money would flow in anyway, the Count’s family wouldn’t refuse.
If they warned the other side not to touch the dwarves, the Siglen side would have no losses, so they would turn a blind eye.
‘If they get caught, they’ll all die…’
Even if they were pushed back by Kuman, they would all die anyway, so they made such an extreme choice.
‘No wonder I was ruined in the early stages of the first round with the natives having this mindset.’
It’s not just me struggling for survival.
The merchant union had amassed a great deal of wealth and influence that could be considered power, albeit petty.
When they were pushed back by a competitor, they pulled out a move that was bound to lead to the destruction of one of the two sides.
Even though they would be executed by the Siglen Count, the grand lord, the moment they were discovered, they had no hesitation in committing such acts.
‘It’s not just me who prioritizes survival.’
They, too, are desperately trying to survive in their own positions.
Even risking their lives and walking a tightrope.
Anyway, if things go as planned by the bastards, it will be difficult for the Owalan Barony to survive.
Unless they somehow break through the blockade.
‘Rankbink was said to have suffered a serious injury?’
One of his attendants even lost his life.
In such a state, it was impossible for the Owalan Barony to break through the merchant union’s blockade.
However, there was one thing the merchant union didn’t know.
A few months later, a monster wave would occur, and the pioneering territories would all be destroyed.
In the process, the dwarves…
If they didn’t take the dwarves, the Siglen County would start to move, and the merchant union would never be able to handle the wrath of Siglen.
From the commoners’ perspective, the merchant union might seem great, but in the eyes of true nobles, they were also beings that could be trampled and killed at any time.
‘If they are held accountable, they will probably all be executed or wish they were dead.’
I newly felt how much power a grand noble possessed.
On top of that, the merchant union’s ability to deceive the eyes of such a grand noble, even for a moment, was no ordinary feat.
They’ll try this crazy thing because they’re confident, even if it doesn’t work out.
Of course, it’s not something they can do multiple times.
It also meant that the merchant union was wary of Kuman to that extent.
‘If it’s like this… maybe I can take out the dwarves?’
The merchant union will take the responsibility.
If I can persuade the dwarves themselves, I can seize them during the monster wave.
‘It won’t hurt to try.’
If it succeeds, it’ll be a jackpot, and even if it fails, there’s no particular loss.
Perhaps, it might turn into an interesting situation.
I took some of the mercenaries’ luggage and completely erased the traces of black magic before returning to the camp where Kayla was waiting.
“You’re late.”
“Yeah. I hunted a bit.”
“Hmm? That’s…”
“There were trackers. Fortunately, there were only a few, and they were careless, so I took care of them all.”
“Is that so? Hmm… There’s a lot.”
“We probably won’t need to go hunting separately. I was lucky.”
“Good work.”
I advised Kayla to rest a bit, but she shook her head.
“A day is fine. Since we don’t need to hunt, I can rest tomorrow. Besides, I’m riding a horse, so I’m okay. You should rest, Master.”
I accepted her consideration.
As soon as the day broke, I pressured Banis.
“You said trackers are following us?”
“That’s right. The ones I discovered yesterday were a small group, so I somehow managed to ambush and deal with them, but the ones that will come later are beyond our ability to handle.”
At my words, Banis showed a greatly frightened expression.
“Then what should we do?”
“There’s no way. It’s a miracle that we’ve managed to escape this far. Since we left traces by fighting yesterday…”
If we hadn’t fought, we would have been caught up today.
There was no other way than to run away as quickly as possible.
We had to leave it to luck.
Rankbink was also said to have been hit.
He lost one attendant and is currently on the run, but it’s unknown when he will be caught.
I pressured Banis by spewing all kinds of negative words.
At my words, Banis started biting his nails and thinking about something.
“We will depart immediately after finishing the meal. Still, if we run well, we may be able to enter the territory alive.”
I said that, pretending not to know.
“…Jimnis. Where exactly are we?”
“Hmm… To the east of the Owalan Barony. It will probably take about four days of walking to reach the Owalan territory. Three days at the shortest. We’ll have to take a long detour, but there are many terrains difficult for horses to move, and it’s easy to erase traces, so it’s the option with the highest possibility of survival.”
“Then, how long will it take to reach the rocky hill?”
“You mean the mountain? Hmm… That’s relatively close. It will take about two days to get there. But it’s very dangerous. By the way, why there…?”
“We’re going there.”
“…As I said, it’s dangerous. Especially once we pass the mountain, there will be nothing to obstruct the bastards from freely using their horses. We’ll have to go for one more day, and we’ll definitely be caught up.”
“No, we must go there. This is an order.”
“Young Master!”
“We can only survive if we go there. Jimnis, trust me.”
“…Why do you say we must go there? If it’s an unreasonable order, I can’t follow it. Even if it’s just my life, the Young Master’s life is also at stake here. If the Baron himself knew about this, he would rather praise my disobedience as justified.”
At my words, Banis fell silent for a moment, but eventually opened his mouth.
“There… is a secret passage that leads directly to the territory.”
I showed a surprised expression on the surface.
Inwardly, I smiled with satisfaction.
Under continued pressure, Banis finally revealed the secret passage himself, and I even reconfirmed, asking if he was certain.
“Originally, it’s top secret, and only a minimum number of people know about it. The secret must be kept even afterward.”
With that, we changed our direction and moved towards the rocky hill.
Fortunately, with the items we had taken from the mercenaries, it was more comfortable than before.
‘Still, the speed isn’t very fast.’
I deliberately erased traces and disappeared in the middle under the pretext of checking for possible pursuit, making sure Banis couldn’t relax.
As the journey continued and the presence of Kayla and I grew, Banis could no longer talk nonsense about Kayla as he had before.
“This is a fur we took from the bastards. It’s not very good, but…”
“I can’t complain in this situation. Still, thank you.”
It wasn’t something the guy who had talked about sleeping with a woman in this situation should say.
“But it’s still cold…”
Of course, he didn’t mention Kayla again.
It seemed he wanted to light a fire, but doing so could reveal our whereabouts.
‘Of course, I don’t see anyone properly tracking us.’
Thanks to wiping out an entire team and scattering the horses in all directions during the process, they would have difficulty tracking us.
It wouldn’t help in the long run, but we were in a situation where even that short time was precious.
In such a situation, we couldn’t light a fire that could provide even the slightest clue.
Like that, we rested for one more day, and the next day, we focused on moving as quickly and safely as possible.
By the time the sun was about to set, we were finally able to reach the mountain, and as soon as we arrived, I asked Banis.
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