Ch.117To North (2)

Excessively pale skin.

Silver hair and silver eyes. A cold face devoid of any emotion.

A maid who gave no impression of being alive.

Ruby on the left. Rosalie on the right.

Both looked identical, and most importantly…

They were vampires.

“You didn’t come straight to Windsor Castle.”

“She was quite disappointed.”

“Even silent pressure is an order.”

“Actually, we came because we were frustrated.”

“So, you must come with us.”

They were Victoria’s closest aides and practically family to the Windsor household.

Though they appeared cold, both were secretly tsunderes.

“W-who are these people…?”

“Our house maids.”

Ruide deliberately withheld information.

Strictly speaking, Ruby and Rosalie were classified as “Mine.”

They were beings who must not be discovered in the Empire, which thoroughly rejected other races.

“So the head of the family didn’t directly order it.”

Irene suddenly interjected.

The twin maids turned their gaze toward her.

“Lady Irene. The head of the family is very angry.”

“Why did you go to the island without any report?”

‘She didn’t even report it?’

I hadn’t known that.

Irene looked at Ruide and asked.

“What should we do?”

“…We have to go, of course.”

It had been too long since he’d seen Victoria.

He hadn’t contacted her often through the crystal ball either.

Since she was angry, it seemed better for him to go.

“If that’s what Rui wants.”

Irene seemed to agree.

“Let’s go to Windsor Castle first. Then the problem is…”

The students were staring blankly at them.

So far, only Hersy, Damon, and Ella had entered.

The First Defense Line was quite far from Windsor Castle.

If they left, there would be no one to guide the others.

“Don’t worry about that, young master! I’ll take them there and come back. Safely!”

“Hmm. I don’t trust Charlotte.”

“Captain!”

Charlotte looked shocked.

“Agreed.”

Ruide felt the same way.

Charlotte was doubly shocked.

“You’ll just go off somewhere to play on the way.”

Ruide gave Charlotte a half-lidded stare.

Charlotte was unpredictable.

One shouldn’t be fooled by that seemingly nice smile.

“Then I’ll take them and come back.”

At that moment, Amelia stepped forward.

“Ame will?”

Amelia nodded quickly.

“There’s no alternative, is there? We can’t just leave them here.”

That was true.

Even Damon, the only one he could trust, was sensitive to the cold.

But somehow her reaction suggested she didn’t want to go to Windsor Castle.

‘Why?’

That was strange. Amelia usually showed signs of wanting to return to the North.

‘Did something happen with Victoria… Ah, could it be.’

A certain memory flashed through Ruide’s mind.

A conversation from the past, when he asked to lift his allowance ban.

-W-when did I ever cry like that!

…In short, Amelia seemed embarrassed.

Seeing how she was avoiding eye contact now, it was certain.

Ruide decided to be considerate. As Amelia said, there was no alternative anyway.

“Then I’ll follow Amelia too. I’m also worried about my subordinates left at the First Defense Line.”

Charlotte said, giving a thumbs up.

Ruide nodded and told the students:

“I’ll stop by Windsor Castle briefly, so rest a bit when you arrive. There’s a city at the First Defense Line.”

The twin maids bowed once, turned around, and walked away with steady steps.

Irene and Ruide followed them.

Just then, Damon called from behind.

“Ruide!”

Ruide stopped and looked back with a puzzled expression.

Damon asked with a serious face:

“May I come along?”

“How rude. Uninvited outsiders cannot freely enter Windsor Castle.”

Irene answered immediately.

Her attitude was markedly different from the friendly one she had shown until now.

“I know that. Especially that for security reasons, no one from the Imperial family except the Emperor can enter.”

Irene spoke in a slightly softer tone.

“That’s right. In the past, a foolish prince visited the Windsor family and caused a great commotion by deceiving people as if the Windsors were backing him. Do you understand?”

“Your words are correct. But I am a Kairos. Kairos can never rebel against the Imperial family under any circumstances. My right to succession was revoked long ago. Also, I am not foolish enough to attempt such tricks while visiting Windsor Castle.”

Ruide looked up at Damon and asked:

“Why do you want to visit our home?”

“I want to see it. How people in the North live. That’s all.”

Ruide stared at Damon intently.

His gaze was so pure that it didn’t seem like a lie at all.

‘I suppose Damon has no reason to lie.’

Ruide nodded.

“Alright. Let’s go together then.”

**

“It will only take about an hour, so please wait a moment.”

When they were almost at Windsor Castle.

After hearing something from the twin maids, Irene said this.

“A whole hour?”

“It’s the head’s order. She probably wants me to come alone first because she can’t scold me if Rui is there. Show your friend around the territory in the meantime.”

Irene smiled gently.

Ruide gave her a sympathetic look.

Victoria is terrifying when angry.

“Well then.”

The twin maids put their hands together and bowed.

As they did, space split open and a gate appeared.

A gate leading to Windsor Castle.

“Magic?”

“Rather than magic, it’s an ability. Only those two can use it.”

“…I see. I thought the energy I felt was unusual.”

‘Of course it is. They’re vampires who’ve lived for over a thousand years.’

Irene stood in front of the gate.

“Please enter.”

“We’re waiting.”

“……”

Though she maintained a smiling face, even Damon could tell she didn’t want to go in.

But then.

Swoosh.

A white hand emerged from inside the gate, grabbed Irene’s arm, and pulled her in at once.

Irene disappeared into the gate as if sucked in.

The twin maids followed after her. The gate closed immediately.

Ruide looked at Damon with cloudy eyes and said:

“Let’s go too.”

**

“So this is the North.”

Damon’s pupils trembled as they safely arrived at Windsor Castle.

“It’s big, right?”

“I’d heard rumors, but I never imagined it would be like this.”

That was natural.

Even Ruide was surprised when he first possessed this body.

Especially the developed roads and building styles.

Similar to European architecture, but with one peculiarity—every building was large.

It’s amazing that a city could develop to this extent in the cold, snow-covered North.

“People’s expressions are bright. That means they must be living abundantly.”

“Not abundantly. Crops don’t grow well because it’s cold. But still…”

There’s no crop tax in the North.

If a farmer grows crops and harvests them, they belong entirely to that farmer.

There are other taxes, but they’re minimal compared to other territories in the Empire.

“Is that realistically possible? How does the Windsor Duchy manage the territory then? There must be overwhelmingly more expenses than other territories.”

“Monster corpses are valuable. The North also has quite a few mines. Above all, while our people pay almost no taxes, we collect enormous fees from outside merchants.”

‘Still a profitable business though.’

The North is called a merchant’s paradise.

Items that are relatively easy to obtain in other territories are traded at very high prices in the North.

Because of this, the Empire’s merchants can’t stop coming to the North despite taxes that take more than half their profits.

“…Still, that doesn’t solve the food problem. I heard astronomical sums are spent on food purchases every year.”

“That’s true. But we’re not starving. As you said, we import a lot, and most of our meat comes from monsters.”

Damon flinched.

“Y-you eat monsters?”

“They’re delicious. Want to try some?”

Ruide pointed to a nearby restaurant.

“…I’ll pass.”

“You’ll be in the North for four months. If you don’t eat monster meat, you’ll have to starve.”

Ruide chuckled.

“But, how should I put this… There seems to be something different from what you described. I’ve never seen commoners so full of vitality.”

Ruide raised the corner of his mouth but spoke coldly.

“Don’t call the people of the North commoners. If you do it again, I won’t forgive you.”

Damon’s red eyes stared at Ruide.

“…I think I understand now. Why people’s expressions are good.”

“?”

Ruide tilted his head.

Damon looked back at Windsor Castle.

He saw many things.

People shoveling snow.

Children playing.

Advanced architecture.

Above all—

“The roads are well-paved.”

“Of course, it’s hard to shovel snow if the roads are a mess.”

“People are big too. Is that why the buildings are so large?”

“That’s right.”

‘But why am I so small…?’

Ruide felt wronged.

Just by watching people pass by, you could often see tall people over 2 meters.

“I see many people riding horses too. Are they knights?”

“They’re just regular people. Our territory is vast.”

“I can’t believe that. How can commoners own expensive assets like horses?”

‘Everyone in the North is a commoner to begin with.’

Ruide didn’t bother saying it.

Because Damon soon seemed to realize it himself.

“So my worries were unfounded.”

Damon muttered in a small voice.

He smiled slightly and put his hands in his pockets.

He seems to have adapted to the cold now.

“It’s reassuring to see people living proper lives.”

“You were worried about that?”

“Of course. I am also a member of the Imperial family. If people living in harsh mountainous regions aren’t living properly, I wouldn’t feel good.”

‘That’s unexpected.’

Ruide blinked.

“Oh my, isn’t that the young master?”

Just then, a parent of a child passing by stopped walking.

They recognized him despite his robe, somehow.

She crouched in front of Ruide and said in a very small voice, looking around:

“I’m glad you’re healthy.”

“Thank you.”

“I heard you went to the island. Are you back now?”

She seemed to be asking if he had been expelled quickly like Irene.

“It’s vacation.”

The child’s parent stood up, chuckling.

“Then we’ll be able to see the young master sleeping on the snow again for a while. And young master, your robe is riding up a bit.”

She pointed to the front of his hair.

Ruide awkwardly pulled down his robe.

“Well then, I’ll be going. Have a nice day.”

“You too.”

“Riff, say hello to the young master.”

“Hello!”

The small child politely bowed at the waist.

They waved goodbye with bright expressions and disappeared.

“You interact quite informally.”

“There are few nobles here, and no laws against insulting nobility.”

That’s why people living in the North don’t suffer from the “power abuse” or “unfair treatment” that often appears as clichés.

“And look over there.”

Ruide pointed somewhere.

It was a group of knights who had just finished their duty.

Every passerby bowed their heads in greeting.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you.”

“You worked hard.”

Damon looked at Ruide and asked:

“What’s that?”

“The North’s greeting custom. Originally it was ‘Thank you for your dedication,’ but it was changed recently because it sounded too cheesy. It was also too long.”

“…An uncommon sight. Are knights the most respected in the North?”

“Of course. Several die every day. Someone’s parent, child, friend, lover.”

Ruide’s eyes sank deeply.

“People who greeted us with smiles yesterday might not be seen tomorrow.”

Moreover, this Fourth Defense Line where Windsor Castle is located is where monsters are strongest.

Thirty percent of the population here were knights, are knights, or have family members who are knights.

“That’s why people in our territory give knights as much praise as possible. If someone were to insult a knight here, they’d be ostracized in real-time.”

He once saw it while sleeping.

A merchant who confronted a Windsor knight was stuffed upside down into an orc barrel by the tavern owner, along with the merchant’s mercenary guards.

That owner was apparently a former knight who had served at the Fifth Defense Line.

“…It would be terrifying if war broke out.”

“Right. Give a sword to anyone here, and they’d probably be stronger than most Imperial knights.”

Ruide spoke with subtle pride.

Just then, Damon stopped walking.

He rubbed his face with trembling hands.

He looked down at the ground with a strange expression.

“Was I a frog in a well?”

‘…What’s with this expression like a Joseon envoy setting foot on American soil for the first time?’

Damon’s expression showed that level of shock.

“…Anyway, I love the North.”

Ruide looked around with a gentle smile.

“To protect this place, I’d do anything. Though I wonder who would dare touch the North.”

‘Whenever I say things like this, something dangerous tends to happen.’

Ruide shook his head.

No way, that couldn’t be.