Ch.2828. Brandy (3)
by fnovelpia
The Duchy of DeHue, a wealthy territory adjacent to the Frankish region, the capital of the Frankish Kingdom, was governed by Duke DeHue, recognized as a leader of the royalist faction.
The grains and various cash crops produced in this prosperous domain fed the territory’s residents and served as the source of their wealth.
Additionally, due to its strategic location as a transportation hub, it functioned as a trade center for the entire Frankish Kingdom.
Based on an environment where money was abundant, the Duchy of DeHue raised and trained a proper army, making it truly a territory of a great noble with solid military power, but…
Perhaps as the price for such wealth, the duchy was home to countless enemies.
Fantasy world predators that targeted carefully cultivated crops, livestock, and the tender flesh of humans.
Bandits and thieves eyeing the purses of wealthy merchants, slash-and-burn farmers, and various races.
Add to that provocations like territorial disputes from neighboring hostile domains.
Such external threats were among the reasons for maintaining the duchy’s robust military.
The ant monster colony recently discovered within the duchy was one such threat, and a particularly dangerous one at that.
Most ant-type monsters have a mental network centered around a queen, and thanks to their maximized colony cooperation, they possess characteristics similar to those cosmic insect races found in various fictional works.
Of course, these creatures lack abilities like adapting to their environment, but giant ants with interconnected minds are terrifyingly dangerous in their own right.
Therefore, the moment this ant colony was discovered in the Duchy of DeHue,
the Duke, without question, dispatched his knights and men-at-arms to suppress them early… which was quite a wise decision.
As monster ant colonies grow larger over time, the likelihood of higher-ranked or more powerful individuals appearing increases, so quickly exterminating them is an efficient choice for the future.
However… this time was an exception. What was considered an extremely efficient choice at the time has now come to be regarded as a fatal mistake.
What does it mean that a river troll has appeared in the river—essentially the core of water transportation—at the very moment when all the main forces were deployed elsewhere?
“…What should we do?”
“I-I don’t know… I’m sorry, Duke DeHue.”
“No, there’s no need to apologize. It’s just… bad luck, that’s all.”
From Duke DeHue’s position, this suddenly appearing river troll was nothing short of a terrible disaster.
This was because there were absolutely no forces remaining in the duchy that could be deployed immediately to exterminate the troll.
Duke DeHue’s pride, the Bluebird Knights, had all been dispatched to exterminate the ants, along with the mid-level mage hired from the magic tower as his advisor and 700 elite soldiers of the domain.
Therefore, the only forces remaining in the territory were the Duke himself, the only mid-level warrior, and 300 elite men-at-arms left behind for maintaining public order.
Though each of the 300 elite standing troops could handle mana, against a troll, they couldn’t penetrate its regenerative abilities and would simply be swept away one-sidedly.
Even Duke DeHue himself, while a mid-level warrior… simply couldn’t guarantee enough combat power to face a troll alone.
From the beginning, the reason this generation’s Duke DeHue inherited the lord’s position was because he showed overwhelming capabilities in administration and management, despite having only awakened his aura.
Risking his life against a troll, which ranked in the upper-middle tier among mid-level beings, carried too great a risk.
‘Haah…’
Therefore, Duke DeHue ultimately concluded that rather than confronting the troll, he would leave it alone even at the cost of suffering losses.
Hoping that perhaps some passing mid-level adventurer might be around, he issued a proclamation for the extermination of the river troll…
“My lord! A passing druid has appeared with the corpse of the river troll he hunted!”
“What?! Well, that’s excellent news!”
The very next day after issuing the proclamation, the Duke couldn’t hide his smile upon hearing the good news that a passing druid had exterminated the river troll.
As a great noble of the Frankish Kingdom, home to the largest druid gathering on the western continent,
from the Duke’s perspective, who was well-acquainted with druids—beings considered almost mythical by the general public—this was certainly a stroke of good fortune.
While they weren’t without their quirks… at least druids maintained a certain level of decorum compared to thuggish adventurers or wandering knights, making them more reasonable to negotiate with.
“Might I be able to meet with this druid directly?”
“Yes. He’s currently waiting for your response… so it should be entirely possible, shouldn’t it?”
Thus, Duke DeHue instructed his faithful attendant to arrange a meeting with the druid who had brought him such great benefit…
And before long, the druid who had defeated the river troll arrived at the lord’s reception room.
※ ※ ※
When the druid entered the reception room following the attendant, Duke DeHue, seeing him for the first time, was deeply impressed by the druid before his eyes.
The druid was undoubtedly human, yet the Duke’s aura-enhanced senses strongly associated him with a beast upon first sight.
From his towering frame easily exceeding 180cm to his muscular physique that could be mistaken for a knight’s.
Apart from the unmistakably wild aura he exuded, he had a youthful face that gave a strong impression of refinement.
The impression was so striking that it etched itself into a corner of the Duke’s mind. The druid soon looked at the Duke and opened his mouth with polite courtesy.
The Duke received a rather peculiar impression from the druid before him, as this man who strongly emanated the aura of a fairy tale sage displayed perfect adherence to the standard Frankish noble etiquette.
“Duke DeHue, it is an honor to meet you.”
“No, the honor is mine. So, what is your name, druid?”
“Gregory Aleinos. Just a druid who set out on a journey to visit the gathering.”
Of course, that was only until the Duke heard the name the druid introduced himself with.
“Aleinos, you say…?!”
“…Yes.”
“Might I ask the name of your master…?”
“Dalia Aleinos. My master and adoptive mother. …Is there a problem?”
Duke DeHue involuntarily swallowed the words that had almost escaped his throat. A problem? Of course there was! None other than being the disciple of ‘that’ Aleinos!
Dalia Aleinos. She was a druid who had lived for so many years that her name was recorded in the history books of the Frankish Kingdom, a hero who had once repelled the demonic forces that invaded this land alongside the first king of the Frankish Kingdom, but…
…at the same time, she was also recorded as someone who, at the height of her fame, captured a noble who showed disrespectful behavior, dismembered him, and used him as fertilizer for plants.
In addition to this, various other ‘impressive’ deeds of Dalia Aleinos were separately recorded in deep-rooted families like the House of DeHue, and considering the lifespan of druids, his master was likely the very person who appeared in those ancient texts.
Therefore, having read all of those accounts, Duke DeHue… now addressed the druid before him with the utmost courtesy possible without compromising his dignity.
“Not at all. Actually, I was somewhat surprised because stories of your master and adoptive mother are recorded in our family’s secret history.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Dalia Aleinos is quite a famous figure. …Perhaps you were unaware?”
“Ah, yes. I haven’t been independent from my mother for long, and she never liked to talk about herself.”
While continuing the conversation with the druid, taking care not to appear disrespectful, Duke DeHue was inwardly satisfied that he seemed to communicate quite well with this druid named Gregory.
“Here, please accept this. It’s a gift of gratitude for personally eliminating the troublesome river troll.”
“This is… Thank you, Duke.”
Of course, regardless of how well they communicated, the Duke had no desire to become entangled with a living bomb and natural disaster incarnate, so at an appropriate moment, he concluded the conversation and presented a ‘gift’ to the druid Gregory.
In addition to a modest sum of money that even a druid, being human after all, would need, he offered a reward that a druid who wielded the power of nature couldn’t help but covet.
The Duke’s true intention was simply to avoid having negative attention directed at himself.
…After all, being the adopted son of someone whom the Duke’s ancestors had emphasized over dozens of times in ancient texts to never antagonize, it wasn’t strange for the Duke, a great noble and leader of the royalist faction, to take a humble approach first.
Again, in a world governed by the absolute principle of power,
it was likely beneficial for longevity to avoid entanglement with someone considered the strongest druid in history.
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