Chapter 73: Hidden Shadows

Two men were talking excitedly at a tavern.

“By the way, have you heard the stories coming out of Loctana?”

“What stories?”

The two men, who had been boasting about their exploits in the war, now switched topics.

It was now a noisy conversation about Loctana.

“First, before I start talking, tell me what you know about Loctana. I need to know where you’re starting from if I’m going to make this interesting.”

The shorter of the two men, Matt, stroked his chin as he spoke.

“Loctana… that’s in Lord Rendor’s territory, right? Ah, right. Rondor, that place, where everyone died and only the daughter was left.”

“That’s right. Vivian Rondor. She was about 13 years old when everyone died.”

“Vivian, huh? That’s a pretty name. So, what? She died?”

Matt asked, flipping his drink.

Since life had been so tough for him day by day, he hadn’t paid much attention to the lives of noble families from other regions.

But even so, he could deduce that a 13-year-old noble girl would have a hard time surviving without her parents’ help.

At 13, she was still very young.

The same age as Matt’s own daughter.

She still seemed so young to him.

But then Baal spoke.

“No, it’s the opposite.”

“…?”

“Apparently, she recently purged her retainers and took control of the territory. That little girl is still alive and even managed to revive the fallen Rondor, they say.”

“…Hmm.”

Matt felt that the story was surprising, but he also realized that he wasn’t really interested.

It was impressive, sure.

If his daughter were left alone right now, would she survive?

…Probably not.

But Vivian Rondor, she must be tougher than that.

A 13-year-old girl who took control of Rondor.

Well, the war had ended four years ago, so now she was probably 16 or 17.

Baal continued.

“Think about it, Matt. Just how exceptional must she be to survive all that? You know about Loctana, right? Its vast territory and influence. There’s no way greedy nobles wouldn’t have coveted it.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But so what?”

“Why do you always sound so… cold?”

“My life’s tougher. It’s impressive, but I don’t really care about some far-off place like Loctana.”

Instead of getting annoyed by Matt’s response, Baal flashed a grin.

It was a look that said things were about to get interesting.

“Listen up, Matt. The most interesting part is how Vivian Rondor managed to take control.”

“…I’m listening.”

“Well, apparently, she’s not just purging her retainers. She’s even started accepting commoners as her inner circle. I’m not talking about maids or soldiers, but… knights, treasurers, spies, you name it… She’s giving important roles in Rondor to commoners. I even heard she’s accepting lowborn people!”

Matt couldn’t understand what Baal was saying.

“…What does that even mean?”

“Loctana has become a land of opportunity for those with talent! If you can prove your worth and pledge your loyalty to Vivian, you can hold a position just like a noble! It’s a chance for social advancement!”

Matt took a sip from his cup and shot Baal a sideways glance.

The moment the word “social advancement” was mentioned, he felt his interest being piqued, but he wanted to hide it.

He had been acting disinterested up until now, but he didn’t want to suddenly seem like a shallow person.

“Isn’t that just a rumor?”

“There’s been a steady increase in people heading toward Loctana. All of them are determined to stay by Vivian’s side. Some of them have even succeeded. This is definitely no rumor.”

“…Hmm.”

“And it’s not just her retainers she’s after. I heard she’s gathering soldiers too. There’s even a rumor that she no longer trusts her own knights, and she’s forming an army loyal only to her.”

“Is she preparing for a civil war?”

“Maybe not a civil war, but the possibility’s there. But think about it—how incredible is it? A girl who hasn’t even reached adulthood is pulling off all these plans. 16? 17? What was I doing at that age?”

“…She must have had help.”

Baal clicked his tongue and waved his finger.

“Do you think someone with a bunch of retainers would gather an army and purge their own people? That sounds like something someone with very few allies would do. There’ve been several attempts on her life already! If you ask me, Vivian’s handling everything herself.”

Baal’s argument made some sense.

“…Maybe.”

As Matt listened to Baal’s words, the more impressive Vivian Rondor seemed, the more her authority and resolve stood out to him.

There’s a vague sense of expectation about how great an achievement it might be if I dedicate my loyalty to her and walk alongside her on the path she treads.

I almost feel like I might want to head toward Loctana.

Someone who likely felt the same as I do must have gone toward Loctana.

“Hey, Matt. You said things have been tough lately. What do you think about heading to Loctana? If you do half of what you claim you did in the war, you’d easily secure a spot by her side.”

Matt let out a dry laugh.

Part of it was a laugh to hide his true feelings.

“But if you go, be careful, Matt.”

“I’m not going, idiot. How could I leave this place?”

“I said ‘if’ you go. But if you do, there’s just one person you need to watch out for.”

“Who?”

“Kailo Alan.”

“…Alan?”

The name of the Alan family was deeply ingrained in the minds of the men who fought in the war of the Delrum Kingdom.

The undefeated knight, Jade Alan.

If you didn’t know him, you probably weren’t involved in the Eastern-Delrum War.

Whenever Jade Alan’s army appeared, everyone would panic and run.

The fear, the overwhelming despair—everyone knew it.

When a battle took place near the Alan family’s territory, every soldier of the Delrum Kingdom wished with all their might that Jade Alan would not show up.

Matt had once experienced this firsthand.

The memory of seeing the white bear emblem, the symbol of the Alan family, still lingered.

When that flag fluttered from a distance and the sound of their horns reached the battlefield, the overwhelming fear he felt was still vividly etched in his mind.

Baal spoke.

“Yeah, Alan. The Alan. The eldest son of that family is apparently caught in Rondor. Even so, ha, I don’t know what runs in their blood… He’s already being called a monster there.”

“…A monster doesn’t just show up anywhere. I can’t accept anyone other than Jade Alan being called that—”

“He hunted a dragon when he was 15. This isn’t just the Alan family’s claim, it’s the claim of their enemies, the Rondor family. Everyone saw it, so it’s hard to deny.”

“…15?”

“…Or was it 16? Anyway, he’s got the same build as Jade Alan, can’t die in fire, and can take on dozens of soldiers by himself… They say he’s a complete psychopath who beheads people with no remorse, no tears.”

“Sounds exaggerated, but I guess cruelty is a characteristic of northerners.”

“Even so, it seems pretty extreme. And to make matters worse, Vivian Rondor’s intense hatred is fully directed at him. If you want to be one of Vivian’s vassals, you need to show your hatred for the Alan family. I heard some idiot once said peace could be achieved with the Alan family, and he was immediately kicked out.”

“What kind of idiot would say something like that?”

“He’s an idiot, for sure, but apparently Kailo Alan was right next to Vivian when that was said, and I guess he was too scared to speak up. I mean, it’s not easy to insult a monster right in front of you, right?”

“Still, he should have said it. You should swear loyalty to Vivian Rondor, not Kailo Alan, right? I can tell they’re both probably bent on hating each other forever.”

“True. I’d hate him too.”

Matt’s cup was empty.

He must have drunk the alcohol like water while using the conversation as an excuse.

When he thought that all the happiness allowed in a day had gone down his throat, a bitter feeling rose within him, and Matt asked curtly,

“Where do you hear all these rumors?”

Baal answered with an awkward smile.

“…Well, I was thinking of heading to Loctana too, so I listened carefully. I even sought out information. You’re lucky, you know? I’ve gathered all this and am telling you about it.”

Behind Baal’s smile, Matt fell into thought.

He was tempted.

…Maybe he should go to Loctana.

He wanted to give his daughter a good life.

But then, there was Kailo Alan…

At such a young age, killing a dragon.

Beheading people.

The enemy of Vivian Rondor who was rebuilding her family alone?

…It definitely seemed like someone to be careful of if he were to be close to Vivian.

Matt shook his head, trying to push aside these useless thoughts.

“Forget it. I’ve finished my drink. I should head back now.”

“Just stay a little longer. Let me tell you more.”

“If I stay any longer, my wife’s going to get mad. I don’t want to deal with that annoying fight today.”

Matt paid for the drinks, left his friend behind, and walked out of the bar without a second glance.

He walked down the dim alley, heading back to the dreary house.

He loved his family, but the thought of supporting them made him want to run away.

It was all about financial problems, in the end.

…If he swore loyalty to Vivian Rondor, would that solve it?

“Excuse me.”

“Ugh!”

At that moment, someone called out to Matt.

In the dim alley.

A place he thought was empty.

He turned around and saw a small figure standing in the narrow path.

An instinctive fear emanated from Matt.

He straightened his pride and asked,

“…W-who are you?”

The figure in the cloak pulled down their hood.

In the dim moonlight, Matt could vaguely make out the person’s face.

An unremarkable appearance.

Slightly shorter than most women.

She had one of those faces that Matt felt he would forget in a day or two.

When he realized the person wasn’t a man, Matt’s tension relaxed just a little.

The woman spoke.

“I found the conversation you had at the tavern quite interesting. Your exploits in the war, the story of Loctana…”

Feeling a little more reassured that this wasn’t a mugging, Matt relaxed further.

He sighed and spoke.

“Ha… if you thought that was interesting, you should ask my friend. Why are you following me like this?”

“I have a suggestion for you.”

The woman didn’t seem interested in Matt’s response.

Then a strange sense of pressure began to rise, and Matt felt his body tense again.

“…Would you consider working for Rondor?”

“What?”

The woman continued,

“My master is fully loyal to Rondor. They’re looking for spies to gather information from various places.”

Ping!

A gold coin fell at Matt’s feet.

The moment he saw the gold coin shining faintly in the darkness, Matt instinctively realized the situation had become serious.

He swallowed and picked up the coin.

“…This is a Loctana gold coin.”

“Correct.”

Matt tried to bluff.

“Who doesn’t know how worthless Loctana gold coins are?”

“Do you think that will be the case going forward? And, no matter what you say, this is still a gold coin.”

The woman said.

“I won’t say anything more. What do you think? Are you interested?”