Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Monster Wave (7)
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Varehain City Square.
It was usually a bustling place with people coming and going, but today it refused even to be compared to normal.
The crowd was so massive that there wasn't even standing room in the square or on any of the surrounding streets.
The amazing thing was how quiet it all was, despite the huge number of people.
Only the occasional whimper or cry from children broke the silence—almost everyone else was holding their breath.
And they weren't doing it out of fear of the knights lined up along the roads.
No, they were all united in purpose, gazing up at one spot.
At the end of their stares was the Adventurer's Guild—the entrance to the dungeon.
Drip.
As the day grew hotter, the sunlight intensified.
Even drenched in sweat from head to toe, no one moved. If anything, more people crowded into the square.
How much time passed like that?
The eyes of the citizens in the square flashed with fierce intensity, and a strange fervor rose in the air.
They all clearly sensed it.
Someone rising into the air from the direction of the dungeon entrance.
The distance was too great for ordinary folk to make out details, but no one cared.
Their hero, Martin Adalbert, was approaching them.
The white uniform he usually wore was a tattered mess from brutal combat.
His face was pale from extreme fatigue.
Yet a subtle aura emanated from Martin's entire body, overwhelming enough to dominate the crowd.
The citizens of Varehain City erupted in cheers at the sight of him.
“Woooah!”
“The young lord is here!”
“Adalbert's hero has come!”
“Blessings upon Adalbert's savior!”
Ever since the previous family head had passed away, the citizens had trembled with anxiety that the Adalbert family might collapse.
A thousand years.
That was how long the Adalberts had stood as one of the three great noble houses.
For such a mighty house to fall?
It would naturally bring massive chaos, and no citizen wanted that.
Of course, they knew the branch families could replace the main house.
But a branch was just a branch. It was hard to expect them to suppress other houses' ambitions with overwhelming power and stabilize the territory.
As that anxiety grew among the people, Martin had overcome his tragic fate.
Not only had he awakened his unique ability, but he'd effortlessly crushed Baldemar von Rustal, the traitor.
Impressive enough on its own—then he'd achieved something monumental.
He'd resolved the monster waves hitting all four dungeon cities simultaneously with the least casualties and in record time.
He'd boldly waived the hefty fees that made up a huge chunk of Varehain's budget, massively boosting adventurer numbers, and used the old Rustal territory to rally the nobles.
As a result, of the Alteria Empire's four dungeon cities, only Varehain had avoided direct damage.
So the citizens welcomed their ruler and hero with genuine fervor, shouting their pleas.
“Let's acclaim the young lord as family head!”
“Ascend as family head, young lord!”
“Only you can protect our homes!”
Everyone in the square went wild, voicing the same sentiment.
Seeing this, Martin gave a light nod.
'Good.'
He could see the people's hearts had fully turned to him.
The momentum was now irrevocably set—no one could stop him from becoming family head.
It pleased him, but he didn't show it.
This wasn't the time to celebrate victory.
Thud.
Martin finally landed in the square.
He infused his voice with mana and spoke.
“One month ago, the dungeon became hell. Monsters spawned endlessly and grew stronger by devouring each other. These infinitely more dangerous beasts revealed fierce hostility toward humanity and sought to invade the surface. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this was the most perilous crisis since humans began exploring dungeons.”
“But we—the warriors of Varehain City—triumphed. It was possible because of those who fought to the end, disregarding their own lives.”
“Let us observe a moment of silence, so their souls may find peace.”
With that, Martin closed his eyes and bowed his head.
The citizens followed suit, paying their respects to the fallen warriors.
In the heavy silence, the sobs of those who'd lost family, friends, or lovers echoed across the square.
“I, Martin Adalbert, will never forget the devotion of those who sacrificed themselves. And so I promise: the Adalbert family will take responsibility for the families of the fallen.”
“Woooaaah!”
“Glory to the Adalbert family!”
Martin's declaration was more than enough to send the crowd into a frenzy.
The branch family heads—excluding Vincent—watched the square from above with complicated expressions.
'We've been completely played by the young lord.'
Matteus closed his eyes.
In this monster wave crisis, he and his allies had gained nothing.
If anything, they'd lost many of their elite knights, whom they'd trained so diligently—their forces diminished.
There were other losers too.
Matteus opened his eyes and turned to stare across at them.
There stood Elder Aren and Elder Marius.
They glanced toward the branch heads but showed no sign of approaching.
Martin's ploy with the territory had worked to some extent.
'They know they're already out of favor with the young lord, yet they're still wavering...'
A truly foolish choice.
But Matteus couldn't openly condemn the elders.
He and the other branch heads already had territories, but the elders' foundations were shaky—they had no choice but to cling to Martin.
'And it's not just the elders who've wavered.'
Among the branch heads, Wilhelm von Pezek had taken massive losses this time.
As a result, he no longer showed any intent to go independent or become main family head.
He was just vowing to hold onto what he had.
Oliver von Wittenfeld had fared better, by comparison.
He hadn't abandoned his ambitions entirely.
But his losses were still heavy, so he'd have to lay low for a while.
'It'll be hard to cooperate with them under normal circumstances.'
Matteus realized.
They wouldn't move properly without solid rewards first.
“And Fire Dragon Sword Christian Haberz and his fellow adventurers have joined us!”
“Woooaaah!”
Down in the square, Martin also revealed that he'd destroyed the core himself.
The citizens reacted explosively to his latest feat.
'Is it time to choose?'
Would he submit to Martin and live under his regime?
Or abandon false neutrality and push forward with his own goals?
Truthfully, it wasn't a choice with much meaning.
The answer was already decided.
Clench.
Matteus gripped his fist tightly.
* * *
Three months had passed since the Varehain City monster wave crisis ended.
The citizens quickly returned to peaceful lives.
The battles had all taken place inside the dungeon—monsters never reached the city itself.
With zero civilian casualties, getting back to normal was easy.
“The bereaved are still grieving, but thanks to the young lord's orders, their livelihoods are secure. They're thrilled their children can receive education at the main house too.”
“Glad to hear it. I wish I could do more, but it's regrettable that I can't.”
“Many nobles wouldn't even bother with that much. All things considered, I think I picked the right lord to serve.”
Christian smiled.
Martin was far younger than him, but his concern for the people was impressive.
“Spare me the flattery. Anyway, what about the other dungeon cities? I heard the monster waves are resolved.”
“As you said, the imperial capital Raize, Engram, and Hiaice have all escaped the threat. But unlike Varehain, civilian casualties were heavy. Especially in the capital—the mood is extremely volatile.”
“No surprise there. They're too busy with faction infighting.”
Engram and Hiaice were the domains of the Ferdinand and Klaus families, pillars of the three great noble houses.
Unified under one banner, they'd taken damage but avoided major chaos.
The capital, split into three factions, had bickered over blame and hesitated, suffering huge losses.
“The capital's citizens could explode at any moment. Nobles diverted troops to their own districts or siphoned supplies, causing all sorts of problems. Neglect of public order has led to rampant crime too.”
“What about the princes and princess? They can't be ignorant of public sentiment's importance.”
“They were too busy checking each other to act boldly. At least the First Prince and First Princess made occasional appearances for relief efforts. The Second Prince hasn't even been seen.”
“Well, that's par for the course with that guy.”
The Second Prince, Theodore Alteria, had long been infamous for caring only about nobles.
He treated them well, earning good reputation among them.
Inversely, commoners harbored plenty of resentment.
“Either way, it's no exaggeration to say the young lord's fame has spread across the entire empire. Immigration to Varehain is up too.”
“The people's reaction is only natural. The nobles are the real issue.”
“I suspect trouble there. Plenty resent that you didn't help them.”
“That's why I hate nobles. I'm focused on defending my own turf—why are they making a fuss?”
“You poached a ton of their adventurers and nobles. They see it as helping you.”
“Wish all those idiots had died this time.”
“Agreed. Anyway, point is, the nobles will try to pin blame on you somehow. No idea how exactly.”
“Well, time will tell.”
Martin shrugged lightly.
Perfectly stopping the monster wave was something that hadn't happened in his past life.
Regardless of ill will from nobles or the imperial family, predicting exactly what would happen was impossible.
“Probably. So, how's it feel? Everything going exactly as you planned.”
“My plan?”
“Come on. Faction fighting in the capital is escalating daily. Even I, an adventurer, sense civil war brewing—and you couldn't possibly be unaware.”
“What does that have to do with my plans?”
“You're the most prestigious figure in the empire right now. Any faction leader would gain massive support by allying with you—and the Adalbert forces.”
Martin's value had skyrocketed.
Christian was blunt.
Martin just smirked at the words, saying nothing more.
Then.
Knock knock.
A knock came at the office door.
“Come in.”
At Martin's word, the door opened, and Sien entered.
In her right hand was an envelope with an antique feel.
Martin reached out and took it.
One name was written on the front.
“Claudia Alteria.”
Reading the First Princess's name, Martin opened the envelope and checked the contents.
He nodded to himself.
'As expected.'
She'd invited him to her birthday, just as he'd anticipated.
But before heading to the capital, there was business to handle.
'I need to check on the north first.'
He'd straighten out the wavering northlands first.