Ch.137King Maker #7

A heavy sigh settled thickly in the office, making the already heavy atmosphere even more oppressive. It felt as if one’s shoulders might be crushed under the weight, or as if an invisible force was pressing down on one’s bowed head.

It had already been over a month.

Helena tapped her fingers on the documents placed on the desk and let out another deep sigh.

“Is the Grand Duke safe?”

“Yes, he’s safe. It seems his dealings with the Beast People are going well. So once the selection ceremony ends successfully, it will be over… but I don’t know when that will be.”

Ellen gazed at Helena as she trailed off ambiguously, nodding as if she understood completely.

Ellen too was wearing thin from the indefinite waiting. It was fortunate that Helena had secretly sent spies to the Beast Nation to receive regular updates; otherwise, she would have been walking around with an indescribably gloomy expression.

“It’s truly a situation that makes one sigh.”

“Indeed. If I had my way, I’d behead them all and be done with it, but if we act too openly, complicated issues might arise.”

“The Grand Duke said the same thing.”

The goal was to provide help from behind the scenes to achieve neutrality, and it was a time when one of them needed to protect the house.

Helena knew him well and understood, but she still couldn’t shake off the lingering attachment like fine dust. Ellen felt the same way, so she empathized with Helena’s words and sighed together.

“Eve, that woman…”

In the midst of their depression and worry, Helena suddenly widened her eyes and muttered.

Her focus, which had been fixed on being separated from Jion, shifted to the woman standing by his side, making her feel jealous without realizing it.

I suppose she has the luxury to feel jealous because she believes he’s safe.

The relatively calm Ellen looked at Helena, who was squeezing her interlocked hands with crushing force, and prayed for Jion’s safe return.

Because if Jion were to suffer any significant harm, a storm of blood would surely follow.

.

Finally, the day to depart for the capital dawned, and preparations were made as thoroughly as possible.

Not only had they honed their skills, but they had also prepared ample combat equipment, magic items, and emergency rations.

It would be best if nothing happened, but that was likely a vain hope.

“Before we depart, let’s review the plan once more.”

Skevin spoke while standing in the middle of the Beast People gathered in a circle in front of the cargo area, behind four wagons lined up in a row.

The fierce glint in his eyes remained, but all of the Beast People, including him, wore stern expressions.

“Although you’ve trained, avoid direct confrontation if possible and move in a way that minimizes friction. I don’t expect much interference on the way… but remain vigilant and stand by. Considering the mental fatigue this causes, form teams and take shifts…”

While the capital might be safe, if they all rushed in together, they would not only attract attention but also give away hints about their numbers.

So only three people, including Skevin, would enter the capital, while the rest would wait outside.

Since the return journey to Beast territory was expected to be dangerous anyway, hiding and trembling in the capital wouldn’t mean much.

Rather, if they were ambushed near the capital, it would mean the journey there was that much safer, which could be seen as a good thing.

“Finally, as agreed with Grand Duke Krauser over there, he will have command until I return from the capital. I hope everyone will follow his orders without complaint.”

“Yes!”

“Good. The discussion is over… everyone get on the wagons. We’re departing.”

As Skevin gave his orders with a resonant voice, the Beast People climbed onto the wagon beds as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Since they weren’t going to war, only about thirty boarded the wagons.

This was considering that their opponents wouldn’t be moving around with large forces either.

“Will it be alright?”

Eve, who had boarded the wagon bed with me, asked with a rather composed expression.

In the past, she would have shown clear signs of anxiety, but she seemed to have grown more courageous.

“We can only hope it will be.”

Clunk. After a brief pause, I opened my mouth only after hearing the sound of the wagon starting to move.

There were several Beast People on this wagon too, but they showed no signs of paying attention to our conversation.

I couldn’t tell if this was out of consideration or because they were tense.

The wagon moved forward without any issues, and there was no ambush despite expectations.

It was surprisingly quiet considering how frustrated they must have been with the Beast People who were difficult to catch.

Skevin’s prediction that they would target the return journey seemed to be spot on.

After driving the wagon for a while, a wide plain came into view.

Unlike Sotern, which was rich in forests with woods scattered throughout, most of the route from the Beast Nation to the capital was flat land.

Such places had no hiding spots and offered wide-open visibility, which was only advantageous when you had large numbers. For those who needed to evade pursuit, it wasn’t very welcome.

Eve might have to work harder if things went wrong.

“Eve, if enemies chase us this far… what should we do?”

“First, we should stop the wagons and create temporary earthen walls to block their line of sight. This would create walls on both sides of the wagons, forming a kind of makeshift fortress. And when the enemy tries to destroy the wagons or walls…”

Eve began pouring out answers to my question as if she had been waiting for it, and the Beast People sitting with us perked up their round ears to listen to the conversation.

It was a natural reaction since they would be the ones swinging swords if what we were discussing actually happened.

As we continued our conversation, the wagon kept moving steadily, and before we knew it, the sun was beginning to set.

“We’ll camp here for tonight! Everyone set up shifts, pitch tents, and make preparations!”

Skevin gave instructions to the Beast People who had stopped in the middle of the plain.

The Beast warriors began bustling about, taking out firewood and camping equipment from the wagons.

Eve and I also blended in and lent a hand.

“No, how can our esteemed guests be doing such menial tasks!”

“It’s fine. I’m used to camping and preparing like this.”

When Skevin rushed over in surprise, I gently reassured him and finished the task.

It was partly due to my habit of setting up camp without relying on others, but also to make a good impression.

Thanks to this, the atmosphere became quite convivial.

“There’s no need to set up night watches.”

“What?”

While taking a break by the campfire, Skevin widened his eyes in disbelief.

It was only natural for him to react that way, as setting up night watches was common sense, even in an area with no signs of other people.

Of course, I was also a person with such common sense, but there was someone with us who made common sense unnecessary.

That was Eve, who was setting up alarm magic around the area at my request.

“Eve is currently laying down alarm magic. Naturally, if anyone steps into the range, a noise loud enough to shake this vast land will sound, and even if they try to dispel the magic, the alarm will still go off.”

“Hmm… magic. I never thought of that.”

“That’s to be expected. Most mages are busy with research in their towers, so it’s rare to have one traveling with you like this.”

Skevin’s surprise was understandable.

There were few mages who ventured outside, and Eve was a woman with exceptional talent even among mages.

After that, he seemed to have nothing more to say and closed his mouth, which led to an awkward silence for a moment.

Fortunately, Eve soon returned from setting up the magic, and the atmosphere became lively again thanks to the people busy with dinner preparations.

After a simple meal of dried fish and the like, we slept and woke up at dawn to head toward the capital.

After traveling diligently for about two days, we encountered a large castle by evening.

It was a massive fortress no less impressive than the capital of any other country.

Fortunately, the area near the capital had plenty of places to hide.

There were areas with thick undergrowth and hills that rose up here and there.

Seeing traces of decaying or rotting palisades scattered about, it seemed they had been used as defensive lines in times of emergency.

“It’s late tonight, so we’ll need to stay in the palace for a day.”

Screech. As soon as Skevin approached me after stopping the wagon, he spoke with a hardened expression. It was understandable given that this was the most dangerous time.

“Will they receive us at the palace at this hour?”

“Yes. We won’t be able to have an audience with the king, but we can enter. Of course, normally it would be difficult to even enter the palace, but the doors are wide open for selection ceremony representatives.”

Perhaps it was a way of showing respect to those representing each race who were eager for the succession to the throne.

Thinking that this made sense, I quietly greeted Skevin and turned my gaze away from his retreating back.

Dozens of Beast People surrounded me, waiting for instructions.

“Huu—. As you all know, I’ve temporarily received command after prior consultation with Skevin. Naturally, some of you may have objections to this, but I ask that you set aside those objections for now. After all, our lives are at stake.”

“Of course.”

The Beast warriors nodded as if it were obvious and promised once again to follow my instructions well.

Thanks to this, I could give orders with a slightly more comfortable mind.

Considering our position behind a small hill, I placed sentries on both sides and arranged the wagons in pairs to serve as walls.

“If news of Skevin’s arrival has reached the other representatives, today would be the best night for an ambush.”

Ambushes are most effective at night.

Moreover, fatigue had accumulated from constant movement, so now would be the best time to strike if I were the enemy.

That’s what I would think and do if I were in their position.

“That’s right. I hope those who entered the capital return quickly with information…”

I sympathized with Eve’s words and prayed for the swift return of the Beast People who had entered with Skevin.

If the enemy wasn’t foolish, they would have hidden forces separately for an ambush, making it difficult to determine their scale.

So I hoped they would at least find out which races were participating.

Crackle.

The sound of the campfire tickled my ears, and the smoky scent mixed with the night sky had been rising for hours.

Perhaps it was because I had grown accustomed to exercising rather than sleeping late at night over the years, but I was holding up quite well.

I was just occasionally yawning out of boredom.

I maintained an appropriate level of tension, but not enough to drive away drowsiness.

This too could be attributed to my mental fortitude.

“Grand Duke!”

Whoosh!

A man who had been pressing his body against the ridge at the top of the hill, with only his face slightly exposed, approached with an urgent expression.

The fact that he didn’t raise his voice suggested he was somewhat composed, but there was a sense of urgency in his voice and gestures.

Inwardly thinking that the expected had finally come, I asked a question.

“Yes, what is it?”

“The man who entered the capital with Skevin is returning. But his condition…!”

Before the man could finish speaking, I quickly got up and ran to the top of the hill.

Going up was better than going around the side, as it allowed me to overlook a wider area at once.

It was natural for the Beast man to come this way since we had predetermined a meeting point, but I had never seen the ones chasing him.

Moreover, seeing the man staggering with his hand on his left shoulder, it seemed that a skirmish had already taken place.

With the situation unfolding so rapidly, I couldn’t afford to remain idle.

So I raised my voice to the man below.

“First, wake up those who are sleeping and arm them. Eve and I will go ahead to rescue him.”

“Yes!”

The man who had been waiting at the bottom of the hill answered vigorously and ran off, while Eve, who had been keeping watch with me through the night, approached as if she had been waiting for this moment.

Perhaps due to her levitation magic, she looked remarkably light as she floated toward me.

Meanwhile, I wrapped a black cloth around my face as a mask substitute and tied it tightly.

“I’ll handle the three in front by myself. Eve, watch out for any others who might be following behind. Save him if you can.”

“Yes. Be careful.”

After instructing Eve to block any potential pursuit, I ran hard along the hill.

It would have been suicidal if the slope had been steep, but it was just the right gradient for running.

—We’re too late… Let’s retreat.

Thanks to the mana I had drawn to strengthen my entire body, I could faintly hear their conversation despite being at a considerable distance from the group.

They intended to flee, leaving behind the Beast man who was bleeding from his left shoulder and leg.

Escape? Not a chance.

I narrowed my eyes like a predator chasing prey with a dildo in hand and charged forward even faster.

Ignoring the Beast man completely, I focused solely on the backs of the three large men.

Passing by the Beast man, I closely pursued those heading toward the capital.

Judging by their speed, which was much faster than an ordinary person’s, they were clearly Beastkin, but they were slightly slower than a human enhanced with mana.

Thanks to this, I was able to gradually close the distance.

But it would be a problem to get too far from the main force.

So I took out three dirks I had stored in my pocket and threw them at their clearly exposed backs.