Chapter 57 : Wyvern’s Nest (1)

The warm spring weather had already passed, and the scorching summer was fast approaching. 

Wolfgang stared blankly out the window before turning her head. 

It had already been two months since she entered the kingdom.

During that time, Wolfgang had been staying at the Grand Duchy of Frost, dedicating herself to gathering intelligence about the kingdom. 

Due to the fierce opposition of the nobles, he still couldn’t reside directly in the royal palace. 

Not that Wolfgang herself had any particular desire to stay there. 

She was well aware of the treatment Jakal received in the palace. 

If she were retired, it might have been a different story.

But as the founder of the Vendetta Legion and its leader, Wolfgang had responsibilities. 

Managing the mental health of her subordinates and confronting any unjust treatment directly to prevent recurrence was the right thing to do.

“In the end, it means the commander beat two rookie knights who treated Jakal like a monster to within an inch of their lives, and that’s why you were kicked out, doesn’t it?”

“…”

“Of course, no matter what you do, Commander, I support you. You’re always in the right.”

“It would have been better if you’d just left that part unsaid.”

Wolfgang sighed and nudged Galina, who had been sticking to her side, a little further away. 

She was well aware that violence was a major disadvantage in politics.

Even now, the royal court was using Wolfgang’s violent tendencies as a pretext to call for her removal, while Crown Prince Jaiha was doing his utmost to protect him.

However.

She had no regrets.

Even if she could go back in time, Wolfgang wouldn’t hesitate to act in the same way. 

If the insults had been whispered discreetly, she might have let it slide. 

But blatant disrespect to his face? That couldn’t be ignored.

[Monster that eats people.]

[There is no place for a creature like you in our noble kingdom.]

[Did human flesh taste so good? Why don’t you eat your own if you love it that much?]

What made it worse was that Jakal had said nothing in response, silently enduring their words. 

Unable to restrain himself, Wolfgang had personally intervened and thrashed the two knights.

The result? 

As could be seen, Wolfgang had been expelled from the royal palace and now resided at the Grand Duchy of Frost. 

Wolfgang sighed as she placed a cigarette between her lips. 

She had no regrets, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t in a bad mood.

Still, Wolfgang didn’t let his feelings show. 

Her subordinates already tiptoed around her enough as it was. 

If she openly displayed her sour mood, it would only make things worse.

‘Just because I’m upset doesn’t mean my subordinates need to feel that way too.’

She stubbed out her cigarette carefully and picked up an old book. 

Reading ancient texts while smoking wasn’t exactly a good idea—frankly, smoking anywhere near them was unwise.

“…They all seem to recount countless legends.”

“The common theme is that heroes return when the kingdom faces a crisis.”

“Exactly. Even the old books I found in the royal library mention such legends.”

“At this point, it’s almost uncanny.”

Indeed, as Galina said, it was hard to dismiss these accounts as mere legends anymore. 

If these tales had no substance, it would be strange for so many of them to exist.

If it were merely a matter of rumors whispered among the populace, that would be one thing. 

But the records in the Grand Duchy of Frost and the documents recovered from fallen noble families all told strikingly similar stories.

The problem, however, was that there wasn’t a single definitive record to substantiate any of it.

Despite these eerily consistent legends being told across the entire kingdom, there wasn’t a shred of solid evidence to confirm them. 

All of it was categorized as folktales, oral histories, or myths—stories passed down through the ages.

To make matters worse, the exact locations where the heroes supposedly slumbered varied subtly in each account, making it nearly impossible to pinpoint a specific site.

The most likely place was the royal palace, but rummaging through the kingdom without certainty could lead to even bigger problems if discovered. 

Asking Jaiha about it also felt a bit inappropriate.

[“Crown Prince Jaiha, by any chance, are the legendary heroes resting within the royal palace?”]

[“Why do you ask?”]

[“Oh, no reason, just… a bit of curiosity.”]

That would look unbelievably suspicious to anyone.

Though Wolfgang and Crown Prince Jaiha’s alliance could be considered relatively solid for now, any suspicious actions on Wolfgang’s part could very well destabilize it. 

And if that happened, the alliance would likely crumble before long.

‘Of course, that would just pave the way for the Saintess faction to thrive, but rather than handing over the kingdom, Jaiha would likely choose them anyway.’

In the end, Wolfgang realized she had no choice but to uncover the truth himself, step by step, starting from scratch.

It was while he was mulling this over that hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor, followed by the door being flung open. 

Wolfgang looked at the girl who entered and spoke.

“I’m busy right now, Mirina. I don’t have time to entertain you.”

“Sister! This isn’t the time for that! They’ve arrived!”

“Who has?”

“Just come outside! You’ll see!”

Mirina’s usual carefree demeanor was entirely absent, replaced by urgency. 

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Wolfgang nodded grimly and rose to his feet.

When she stepped outside with Mirina, she saw knights of the Grand Duchy of Frost rushing to escort the townsfolk to safety inside the fortress. Wolfgang frowned, puzzled.

“Who’s attacking us?”

“This is a periodic attack by monsters on the kingdom.”

“Periodic attacks by monsters?”

“Yes. People call it the Wild Hunt.”

The Wild Hunt. That term rang a bell. 

According to the legends Wolfgang had researched here, it was said that monsters, driven by vengeance for the Demon King defeated by the first heroes, assaulted the kingdom periodically each year.

‘So the legend is true. This means it’s highly likely the first heroes are either resting here or left behind some form of legacy.’

“But something’s strange. Normally, the border defenses handle this.”

“The border defenses? Oh, right, weren’t the Royal Guards stationed there as well?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly why the Royal Guards are permanently deployed at the borders.”

In essence, the Wild Hunt was more or less a regular event. 

To prepare for it, the Royal Guards were stationed at the borders. 

But for some reason, this time the defense line had been breached.

Wolfgang briefly entertained the thought of letting the monsters handle all the bothersome nuisances for her. However, she quickly discarded that idea.

If the Royal Guards couldn’t manage it, surely Saintess Jeanne could. She certainly had enough power to handle this situation.

But if Wolfgang chose to stand by and do nothing, it could have unintended consequences. 

In the worst-case scenario, the Saintess’s influence, which she had recently subdued, might grow even stronger. 

Letting the kingdom fall alongside the monsters wasn’t an option either.

“We’ll join the fight.”

“Yes, Commander!”

More than anything else, Wolfgang hated monsters.

The Wild Hunt.

It was a periodic assault by monsters that occurred at least twice, sometimes up to three times a year. 

Although it was a regular occurrence, that didn’t mean—

It was never to the extent that it could truly endanger the kingdom’s peace.

The kingdom had already prepared for the Wild Hunt by training elite forces specifically designated to defend against it: the Royal Guards and the Border Defense Corps. 

In fact, they had successfully repelled the monsters every time without a single casualty.

The one who had contributed the most to these victories was none other than Saintess Jeanne. 

She was the one who deployed the Royal Guards and Border Defense Corps and minimized damages. 

That was why she was hailed as a true saintess.

This time, everyone believed that the Wild Hunt, though arriving slightly earlier than usual, would be handled just as easily by the knights. 

At least, until the massive shadow appeared in the sky.

It was a colossal dragon that began to dominate the airspace above the royal palace. 

Its body was covered in scales most akin to a dragon’s, and on its back, it carried countless eggs of wyverns.

A Sky Wyvern’s Nest.

The moment people realized that the monster hovering in the sky was a Wyvern, their faces turned pale.

Over time, monsters had gradually been subdued by humanity through various advancements:

The development of new weaponry.

The progress of magic.

The discovery of countermeasures, and so forth.

In today’s world, monsters no longer served as absolute symbols of despair as they once had. 

In the past, only heroes or those who had honed their martial prowess to the extreme could even dare to challenge them.

However, there were still rare exceptions, and one of them was the Wyvern.

The corrupted descendants of dragons, they were rulers of the skies—the one domain humanity had yet to conquer.

Sky Wyvern.

Even within the kingdom, encountering a single Wyvern was almost unheard of. 

Yet now, not just a Wyvern but its mother and leader—the Nest itself—had appeared. Jeanne’s expression hardened instantly.

“Why… Why can’t I summon my power…?!”

That day.

Since the day she had been utterly defeated by Wolfgang’s simulacrum.

For some reason, Jeanne had been unable to fully utilize her powers.

That was why her face had gone rigid.