NOVEL NEXT Chapter 70
Sally Jeffrey accepted the alliance proposal after much contemplation. Jeongjae received the letter from Duke Jeffrey to be sent to Harker’s house with a joyful heart. It was evident that this movement would greatly alter the balance of power in the Empire. Jeongjae hoped it would lead to a positive direction, one that would allow them to better protect themselves.
“Well, the southern nobles are all in the same boat now.”
On the way back to Baron Harriet’s Territory, Jenis lightly evaluated the outcome of the meeting. Jeongjae nodded in agreement as he responded.
“The royal family is struggling to protect themselves. It’s the people of the South who need to defend themselves. With the invasion of Harriet’s Territory looming, it’s shocking and shortsighted that not a single soldier has been sent to help.”
“What did Jeffrey demand as the price of the alliance? Weapons? Economic concessions?”
“There weren’t any special additional requests.”
“That can’t be true. It’s rare for someone like Sally Jeffrey to engage in something that doesn’t benefit her. She must have something to gain by accepting our proposal.”
As Jeongjae maintained his silence, Margaret subtly turned her head to respond.
“That means she judged that the very existence of the alliance would benefit her?”
“In what sense of benefit?”
“It must be political benefit. She’s likely thinking of using the alliance to elevate her influence. Forming unions for power is quite common not only among humans but also among elves.”
At Margaret’s words, Jenis made a bitter expression.
“It sounds as if she’s about to challenge Harker’s authority soon.”
“It’s a bit awkward for you to say that since you’re part of Harker’s household, but really, what does it matter? If Jeffrey isn’t a complete fool, he knows that engaging in political disputes to a degree that hinders the war would only weaken his position. If it’s a political dispute that wouldn’t affect the war, from my standpoint, there would be no need to intervene.”
With Margaret’s words, Jenis sighed and nodded.
“From a moral perspective, it’s indeed a meaningless issue to determine who is stronger between Harker and Jeffrey. I’m Harker’s daughter, but right now, I’m a vassal of Harriet. If the two forces truly collide, I’ll need to think about what can be gained in between. Harriet’s Territory is under Harker’s influence, but in truth, Duke Jeffrey’s territory isn’t that far away either.”
“That’s kind of touching, Jenis.”
Jeongjae, who had been quietly sitting, spoke up casually. Jenis smiled and nodded.
“I can manage that much! Don’t doubt my loyalty!”
“I’ve never doubted it. Margaret, it feels like we’re almost there. How much longer do you think?”
“I’m starting to see the borders ahead. I think we’ll be entering the baron’s territory within 40 minutes. Once we arrive there, it’ll be goodbye for a while.”
It had already been two days since they left Duke Jeffrey’s Territory. If going at the speed of an ordinary person, they certainly wouldn’t have reached Harriet’s Territory in such time, but this carriage had been enchanted with rapid magic by two of the continent’s greatest wizards.
Thanks to the effective utilization of rapid magic, the well-maintained road network and logistics in the Empire, transportation of both people and goods was relatively active for a world without railways. In many cases, using carriages was more efficient than laying down tracks.
In this world, the concept of “trains” had been discussed by a few scholars at the Magic Tower, though it wasn’t something completely unheard of. When Jeongjae, eager to assume the role of “intellectual delivering modern utilities to this backward world” after newly arriving, talked about the concept of railways to the hero, Walter scratched his head lightly and informed him that the project had been stalled for a century.
“You see, I studied this when I was young, but I think it’s difficult to expect such high efficiency in logistics unless you lay down the network across the entire country. It would make sense if a steam train could transport a large amount of grain from Duke Jeffrey’s territory, but honestly, the regional territories are the lords’ lands. If even one lord doesn’t want to lease land for the railways, the Empire can’t just lay them down as they wish. Moreover, the opposition arguing why they should invest in such a large project when they already have well-maintained roads and magical carriages is much stronger. Hmm, to summarize, that idea was rejected a hundred years ago by our ancestors. Sorry.”
This incident foreshadowed the difficulties Jeongjae would face in fully understanding and adapting to the Audrey Continent as an outsider.
In reality, these fast and agile carriages claimed efficiency in supply and transport that was no less than that of trains. The fact that smaller carriages could easily be enchanted with rapid magic compared to the excessively heavy and magic-resistant trains was likely the reason why these carriages were so popular.
Anyway, it was surprising that they accomplished in this little time what would normally take a considerable journey by car. Jenis looked out the window and asked Margaret.
“Princess, you said you need to return now?”
“I’m sure war has already been raging while I was away, so it’s unnatural for me to be lingering here without being expelled from the party. But don’t get too cocky, young lady.”
“Get cocky? I’m just finally letting out a sigh of relief.”
“You two don’t get along well? Why do you talk like that?”
Jeongjae asked, sounding completely clueless. Margaret shrugged her shoulders without letting go of her reins.
“We’re fighting for the same cause. There’s no way we wouldn’t get along.”
The two were indeed fighting for the same cause: the defeat of the Demon King and the salvation of humanity.
“Does that mean you’re so close that you bicker with each other?”
“We’re fighting for the same cause. It’s impossible for us to be so cozy with each other.”
“I really don’t understand what you’re saying at all.”
Jeongjae made a bewildered expression. Margaret sighed deeply with a look as if asking what more she could expect and shook her head.
“That’s why you’re in trouble. You’re not a stupid person, but sometimes you act terribly dense.”
“Right? There are indeed moments like that.”
“At times like this, you really are getting along.”
Jeongjae shook his head as if he couldn’t understand. After a moment, as the carriage reached the border of Harriet’s Territory, Margaret slowly slowed the carriage.
At the boundary, there were two guards stationed, adhering to the newly structured security system. One of the guards, seeing the approaching carriage, rushed over with a spear. Jeongjae recognized his face. Among the guards, the only one who could understand him was Sammy.
“Welcome back to Harriet’s Territory! There will be a brief inspection, could you please cooperate?”
Looking up at Margaret, who was in charge of the carriage, Sammy asked. When Margaret lightly nodded, he approached the carriage, opened the door, and confirmed that Jenis and Jeongjae were onboard.
After completing all the checks, Sammy faced the carriage, bringing his feet together and saluting as he shouted loudly.
“All inspections are complete! Welcome back to the territory, Baron!”
“Thank you. Although it was a short journey, it felt quite long.”
“Ah, Baron! There’s one more thing I need to inform you of!”
Sammy shouted again loudly. Jeongjae leaned out of the window and nodded.
“Report it. What’s the matter?”
“Guests have arrived! They’re transporters sent from the royal family, and they brought a significant amount of weapons, a cannon, gunpowder, and shells! They said they came to deliver weapons at Harker’s request!”
“That was scheduled. But it seems to have progressed faster than expected. Was there anything suspicious?”
“There is something suspicious!”
Jeongjae blinked at Sammy’s overly confident words. It didn’t sound like serious business. If the situation were serious, the guards wouldn’t be so leisurely managing the boundary of the territory.
“Tell me what’s suspicious.”
“The one in charge of this transportation is Bernard Silverpoint, and he has been confirmed as the legendary hunter who used to be a comrade of the Baron! He’s currently staying here with the transporters, claiming he cannot leave until he sees the Baron. They have deemed him a guest and have kept him in the castle, but he hasn’t disclosed his purpose!”
“Bernard?”
Margaret’s eyes widened in surprise. Sammy turned to Margaret and nodded.
“Yes! He is that Silverpoint who was a companion of the princess.”
“Anyway, if they treated him as a guest, that’s good. But if Bernard wants something from us, then why bring the transporters too? Does he need my approval for the inventory?”
“No, it seems that’s not the case. Silverpoint said that sending the carriage away without proper protection is extremely risky. Apparently… there seems to be some sort of ambush around here.”
All three inside the carriage froze simultaneously. The vampire attack that Count Harker had mentioned. They all shared the same thought and quickly concluded they should meet Bernard to hear what he had to say.
“Sammy, keep a close watch on the village border. Under no circumstances should you neglect the border, and if anything urgent happens, you must find me. I’ll be going in now. Thanks for letting me know about this important fact.”
“Not at all, Baron! It’s my duty!”
With a stern expression, Margaret drove the carriage into the inner side of the barony. The very fact that Bernard wanted to see Jeongjae indicated that this was not a typical situation involving common bandits or assassination guilds. Bernard Silverpoint was a hero with superhuman strength and senses. He liked neither seeking others’ help for trivial matters nor needing it.
Margaret originally planned to drop them off at the baron’s territory and then leave shortly thereafter, but this new piece of information slightly altered her schedule.
“I’m sorry, but can I just hear Bernard’s story first before leaving?”
Margaret asked as she got off the carriage. Jeongjae nodded in agreement, accepting her suggestion.
“Then I’m the one who should be grateful. No matter the era, it really feels like one event after another. Even here in the south, far from the war.”
“Do you think this was Walter Hellhound’s intention? To prepare for the storm coming from the South with the arrival of a powerful hero?”
“Who knows? I can’t understand Walter’s thoughts, but perhaps these problems are arising because I’m here. It’s hard to jump to conclusions.”
While the guards patrolling the city took the Harriet household’s carriage directly, Jeongjae, Jenis, and Margaret rushed towards Harriet Castle located at the northern end of the territory.
On the way to the castle, Jeongjae’s party encountered the village chief, Harker.
“Baron! You’ve returned. Just in time, someone has been looking for you.”
“What did you hear about Bernard? What brings him here? Did you take care of the guests?” Jeongjae asked Harker. Harker nodded and replied.
“Yes, he mentioned something simple. Bernard Silverpoint could potentially be the greatest threat looming in the South, warning us that if each territory doesn’t properly arm and prepare, it could lead to danger.”
“If Bernard is saying that, it must be a serious crisis. What’s going on? Did the enemy begin their invasion through the No Man’s Land Mountain Range?”
Margaret asked with an anxious expression. Harker shook his head, indicating he didn’t have that information.
“I couldn’t catch the details. However… I heard there’s something related to vampires. It seems like there’s a vampire crisis rising.”
At this, Jenis turned pale.
“It sounds just like what my father mentioned.”
“Perhaps we should hear it directly. Village Chief, is Bernard inside the castle right now?”
“Yes. He hasn’t come out since he went in, so he must be there.”
“Let’s go. What he has to say could provide us with crucial clues to what happened to my father.”
Hearing Jeongjae’s words, both Jenis and Margaret nodded simultaneously. The three of them quickened their pace towards Harriet Castle, where the world’s greatest hunter awaited their return with bated breath.