Chapter 411: Time is Running Out (2)
Ferdium had been exceptionally peaceful lately.
Though its duty to guard the northern frontier remained unchanged, the savages were no longer rampaging.
Instead, it had become something akin to a trade hub between the savages and the kingdom.
Hiiiiing!
Hundreds of horses entered the Northern Fortress.
They were a tribute brought by Woroqa.
“Ahem, the Wolf of the North, it’s been a while.”
“It has indeed, Woroqa.”
The two shook hands as soon as they met.
Having exchanged what they needed from each other several times, they no longer drew weapons and fought on sight as they used to.
Of course, both were still sharpening their blades internally.
‘I should’ve taken him down last time we clashed on the battlefield.’
‘These people can’t be trusted. Who knows when they’ll stab us in the back.’
Yet, both maintained their smiles, knowing that upholding the current agreement was mutually beneficial for the time being.
Zwalter showed Woroqa the prepared food supplies.
“Here, the promised provisions. This much should be sufficient for this year, right?”
Woroqa swallowed hard at the sight of the stacked food.
As always, he found it astonishing how much food these people had. How could they secure such abundance?
“If only we could produce food like this…”
Then they wouldn’t have to live with a leash around their necks. They could truly build a northern kingdom of their own.
“Couldn’t you… perhaps teach us how to produce food like this?”
After all, in this harsh northern terrain, suddenly achieving mass production was suspicious. There had to be a method. If they could learn it, they could prosper on their own.
However, Zwalter shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
“…?”
“Truly, I don’t. My son discovered the method, but no one on our side fully understands it.”
“Damn it! If you don’t want to share it, just say so!”
Though Woroqa’s expression twisted in irritation, Zwalter was telling the truth. The magical farmland had been created directly by Fenris’s key figures.
And ever since the Forest of Beasts was cleared, Ferdium no longer depended on the magical farmland. The vast area they had cultivated there produced enough food without it.
The yield per unit area was lower than the magical fields, but the land was so vast and fertile that it made up for the difference.
As Zwalter contemplated whether to reveal the Forest of Beasts, he suddenly remembered something.
“You wouldn’t know how to farm anyway, would you?”
“…….”
The Forest of Beasts extended into the savages’ territory as well. But they never considered farming.
To them, farming was a disgraceful task for the weak. Warriors only hunted and plundered.
Even Woroqa, when planning to invade the kingdom, had intended to enslave the people to produce food for them.
After a few awkward coughs, he subtly tried again.
“Then… could you spare just a bit more food? Our tribe is growing larger, and we’re starting to run tight on supplies.”
Woroqa had used food to subdue multiple tribes, forcing a fragile peace.
The other tribes were displeased but couldn’t resist. After all, Woroqa was the only one able to secure food through his dealings with Ferdium.
He was one of the rare savages who could think strategically. That made him equally cautious, which is why he never entrusted the food negotiations to anyone else.
Zwalter firmly shook his head.
“That wasn’t part of our agreement. If you want more, bring something else to trade.”
The once soft-hearted Zwalter had changed significantly. He had suffered too much to be taken advantage of any longer.
“Ugh… You’re really stiff about this.”
Woroqa grumbled.
Ultimately, the fragile unity of his people and the forced peace depended on food.
Even if they wanted to fight, the fact that Ferdium controlled the food supply made it impossible.
“If we raid them again, the food supply will stop… and the tribes will scatter.”
He didn’t want that. He wanted to keep all power in his hands and maintain control over the tribes.
“I need… a different kind of power.”
He had already suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Ghislain once. He had no confidence he could win in a direct confrontation.
And he was beginning to realize that, at this rate, he would never surpass Ferdium.
For someone as ambitious as Woroqa, that was an unacceptable fate.
“It’s him. If I could just get rid of him…”
Concealing his dark thoughts, Woroqa subtly asked Zwalter,
“The Crimson Demon… I mean, is Baron Fenris doing well?”
“He’s a Count now.”
“Ah, right. He was promoted, wasn’t he? I also heard you became a Marquis, Wolf of the North. Anyway, how’s Count Fenris these days?”
The barbarians were bound to receive news a bit later than others. Zwalter explained the situation in detail without much suspicion.
“Oh, you didn’t know? You see, my son recently got promoted to Count. And not long ago, he went up against Marquis Roderick…”
Zwalter’s bragging about his son began. The longer he talked, the paler Woroqa’s face grew.
‘Marquis Roderick? Isn’t he a massively famous great lord? Defeated a hundred thousand troops? With barely any losses? How does that even make sense?’
While cold sweat trickled down his back, Zwalter’s boasting showed no signs of stopping.
“Ah, so back then, I showed up! Huh? We were chasing the remnants of Marquis Roderick’s forces!”
Zwalter eagerly recounted his recent support mission to Ferdium.
At first, he had been extremely worried. Fighting Marquis Roderick was practically the same as taking on the entire western region.
But since his son would eventually have to face ducal families as well, defeating Marquis Roderick beforehand would significantly reduce the risk.
That’s why, as soon as the support request arrived, Zwalter set out immediately to aid his son.
‘That odd fellow Claude suddenly changed the strategy, though…’
The original plan was to wait in a designated area and ambush the enemy at Ghislain’s signal with a surprise attack.
However, Fenris’s Chief Overseer abruptly altered the plan, sending Ferdium’s reinforcements to some strange fortress instead.
‘Well, the battle ended before I even got to do anything.’
The enemy fled the moment they showed themselves. They gave a brief chase, but stopped when the gap widened.
That was it. After waiting a bit, he heard that Marquis Roderick was dead and the war was over. They just returned home awkwardly after receiving a brief thank-you.
He still felt like he had been under some ghostly spell.
‘Tsk, anyway, both my son and his subordinates are truly amazing. To think they even crushed Marquis Roderick. Could Fenris be the strongest in the kingdom?’
“Oh, right! My son’s a Master, you know, a Master.”
“A… Master?”
“You don’t know what that is?”
“N-no way… An Immortal Warrior?”
“Is that what you guys call it? Anyway, he’s a Master.”
The term “Immortal Warrior” was a legend among the northern tribes. Though slightly beyond the commonly used “Superhuman” level in the continent, there was no better term to describe it.
The more Zwalter bragged about his son, the worse Woroqa’s expression became.
‘Damn it! He was already a monster, but now he’s even stronger!’
Even accounting for a bit of exaggeration, it was clear that Ghislain could easily wipe out several tribes single-handedly.
On top of that, his territory could now defeat an army of a hundred thousand.
The northern part of Ritania, which Woroqa had once plundered at will, had become an insurmountable wall.
‘We should’ve seized Ferdium when we had the chance…’
Fenris was already a lost cause, but even Ferdium had become a problem. Every time he visited, it felt like the number of knights was increasing.
“Hey… aren’t there more knights here than before?”
“Oh, you don’t know? It’s thanks to my son. He developed a standard mana training technique and shared it. So we’re constantly increasing our knights.”
“A mana training technique? Isn’t that something you shouldn’t be sharing so carelessly?”
“We’re different now. We’ll spare nothing to grow stronger.”
The knightly class was a means for nobles to maintain their power. That’s why mana training techniques were closely guarded secrets.
The more people who gained power, the more challengers to the established authority would arise.
But Ferdium didn’t care about that. Ghislain had modified his family’s technique so it could be easily learned by anyone.
Though slightly weaker in destructive power, with a bit of talent and hard work, anyone could now use mana.
Of course, its explosive nature remained intact. As a result, new knights had to train like mad if they didn’t want to die.
“Well, it’s not like we recruit just anyone. We at least check for a minimum level of character.”
Hearing those words, Woroqa bit his lips.
‘Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!’
The enemy had more knights and abundant food. As time passed, the gap between them only widened.
Even the northern tribes’ cavalry advantage was fading. Since they had once brought their horses here, their opponents now possessed a large cavalry force as well.
There was no way they could win against this place anymore. At this rate, they would spend their lives offering tribute in the form of horses.
‘I won’t live like that!’
Fenris was far away. Somehow, they needed to destroy Ferdium and take control of the territories within the kingdom.
Ferdium’s food production seemed to have greatly increased, so even taking just this region would provide the northern kingdom with substantial strength.
“Wolf of the North, Zwalter. I’ll be leaving now. I’ll make good use of the food.”
“Leaving already? Why not have a cup of tea like last time before you go?”
“No, I’m busy.”
When they first traded food, Woroqa had seemed quite pleased. After all, he had subdued the other tribes without a fight.
But as time passed, things were turning out exactly as Ghislain had intended. They were growing weaker.
The warriors had grown idle, and they no longer dared to defy Ferdium. The tensions between tribes hadn’t completely faded either, and dissatisfaction was building.
Yet, there was no solution. If they fought, they would be annihilated. So all Woroqa could do was agonize over it.
‘At least… until those people showed up.’
Not long ago, a mysterious group had approached them, introducing themselves as the Salvation Church.
Normally, Woroqa would have driven them away. His people had their own beliefs.
But their offer was far too tempting.
‘They promised us three northern territories, including Ferdium… with Duke Delfine’s support.’
Had their price not been so disturbing, he would have accepted it on the spot. But what they asked in return was unsettling, even for someone like Woroqa, who was called a barbarian.
So he had delayed his decision. The group, however, had chosen to remain close to his tribe, saying they would wait for his answer.
As he returned home, Woroqa was still deep in thought.
‘There’s no other way.’
‘I can’t defeat the Crimson Demon with my own strength.’
‘Even Ferdium is too powerful now. It’s no longer the Ferdium it used to be.’
To fulfill his ambition of establishing a northern kingdom, his people needed self-sufficiency in food.
“Haah…”
Woroqa’s eyes began to burn with a dangerous glint. He turned to the great warrior Monga beside him and asked,
“Monga, how long did they say they would wait?”
Monga spread both hands wide and replied,
“About this long, my lord.”
“……”
After a brief silence, Woroqa spoke again.
“Take me to them. Now.”
“Are you truly going to accept their offer?”
“Yes. If we keep going like this, we’ll be nothing, but Ferdium’s slaves.”
Monga’s face darkened with fear. Even for him, a mighty Great Warrior, the terms of the Salvation Church’s proposal were terrifying.
But Woroqa had already made up his mind.
Before returning to his tribe, he gathered his subordinates and headed toward the visitors’ camp.
There, only a few small tents were set up. When Woroqa announced his arrival, a pale young man in a black robe emerged from one of the tents.
Upon seeing Woroqa, the robed figure offered a pleasant smile.
“Have you given it some thought, Lord Woroqa?”
“Your name was Dentaria, correct?”
“Yes, I am Dentaria, though merely a humble Judge of the Salvation Church.”
“…Are you truly certain this plan can succeed?”
At Woroqa’s question, Dentaria gave a soft smile.
“So long as you assist us, nothing is impossible. After all, we have the backing of the greatest force in the Ritania Kingdom, Duke Delfine.”
“Three northern territories aren’t enough. I want five. Match the numbers.”
Dentaria hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“I do have the authority to grant such terms. Five territories will be yours. And once the kingdom is taken, you will receive the title of Duke.”
“So all I need to do is rampage across the northern Ritania?”
“Yes. We understand it would be difficult for the tribes alone. That’s why we’re offering our support.”
“Huu…”
Woroqa exhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a moment.
It was a monumental decision one he could never take back once made.
But he had already made up his mind. He was just afraid to speak it aloud.
Taking a deep breath, he hesitated several times before finally speaking.
“Fine. I’ll accept your offer.”
“By that… you mean?”
“I will open the Gate you mentioned and attack northern Ritania.”
“You understand the price, yes?”
“Yes. I will offer five tribes as sacrifices to you. Even I can’t subdue all five at once, so help me with that first.”
“Understood. That will be easily arranged.”
Dentaria bowed his head, a cruel smile spreading across his face.