Ch.4040. Preliminary Skirmish (2)

“…I see.”

Grand Duke Quenore stared at a crawler’s head placed on the long table and let out a sigh. The head looked different from that of an ordinary crawler. It was about twice the size, and the black armor covering the crawler’s exterior had many decorations and looked ominous. Like that of a leader guiding its pack.

“So such a creature appeared.”

Grand Duke Quenore tapped the crawler’s head. After staring at the named monster’s head for a while, he turned his gaze to me.

“Did it say anything?”

“It did leave some words suggesting an attack, saying we would soon be crushed under a giant’s feet. Fortunately, it wasn’t a highly intelligent creature yet.”

Despite its low intelligence, the creature wasn’t entirely weak. Its final desperate attacks as it twisted its body in resistance were much fiercer than expected. Of course, it was only strong enough to die quickly under my and Lis’s attacks, but if it had attacked a regular patrol, it could have caused near-annihilation.

“Beyond the boundary line, dozens or hundreds of monsters worse than this one are gathering, I suppose.”

“Yes. They’re preparing for war, almost like humans. The ones they sent today to assess our movements are just expendable trash that don’t even qualify as consumables.”

Grand Duke Quenore picked up the crawler’s neck and handed it to a waiting soldier.

“When sending a request for support to the capital, make sure to present this head as evidence. Any knight commander with discernment will immediately understand the gravity of the situation.”

After the soldier and other personnel left, only the patrol captains, a few vassals, Grand Duke Quenore, Luke, and our party remained in the meeting hall.

“How serious does the situation look to you?”

Lis answered the Grand Duke’s question this time.

“We could observe the edge of the boundary line with the naked eye from the lakeside. I believe it’s due to the giant’s movement. Also, the lake’s water temperature has become freezingly cold.”

“…The patrol area will soon be reduced, then.”

Grand Duke Quenore muttered. He turned his head toward me.

“If we continue to send out patrols, such minor conflicts will continue.”

“…As you know, what makes war with monsters particularly difficult for humans is that we cannot understand their actions with our way of thinking.”

I recalled how incomprehensible monsters were in the original story. They have no concept of rationality. Gain and loss are not considerations, and even the concept of allies doesn’t exist when attacking the same target.

“We must never let our guard down during patrols. You can consider the preliminary skirmishes to have already begun. Fortunately, we can read the monsters’ overall movements and formations.”

“The giant’s movements. Is that right?”

I nodded. No matter how irrational monsters might be, they weren’t devoid of behavioral principles. As long as they worship calamities as godlike beings, they wouldn’t suddenly launch a major offensive without the giant moving. After all, it was the giant that bound the monsters together as one army, not other monsters.

“Ilroy is right. During the war against the third calamity, the Kraken, monsters always moved with the Kraken. The calamity was always their center.”

George nodded in agreement.

“…But we should be careful about approaching their territory. Just because they won’t launch a full-scale invasion doesn’t mean they won’t attack patrols like they did today.”

Grand Duke Quenore nodded resolutely.

“Thank you for your insights. At least it’s fortunate that the residents will have time to evacuate.”

The Grand Duke turned to Luke and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“When the evacuation of residents begins later, make sure you lead the procession. The residents will feel more at ease with Strope blood leading from the front.”

“Grand Duke, I…”

“I understand your desire to fight, but I won’t accept any objections, Luke. It’s not because your skills are insufficient to fight the enemy, nor am I prioritizing you.”

Grand Duke Quenore spoke to Luke in a low voice, as if he had anticipated this moment.

“Evernode isn’t just about our castle and land. I’m entrusting you with the most important thing in our territory. Do you understand, Vice Captain?”

Luke looked into his father’s eyes. After their ice-blue gazes, like frozen lakes, met briefly, Luke nodded.

“…Yes, I understand, Grand Duke.”

After the conversation between father and son ended, an awkward silence fell. Grand Duke Quenore patted Luke’s shoulder a few times and exhaled briefly.

“I’ll join the next patrol myself. There are things one can only understand by seeing with one’s own eyes rather than just receiving reports. Also, make sure the evacuation of residents can begin as soon as preparations are complete. And ensure close cooperation with Evernode’s adventurer branch in the process.”

With that, Grand Duke Quenore concluded the meeting and ordered dismissal. The officials of Evernode all left the meeting hall with heavy expressions. I watched them for a moment before taking steps to leave the hall.

“A moment, Ilroy, George.”

George and I turned our heads toward the Grand Duke who called us. I sent the rest of the party members ahead and approached the Grand Duke.

“Would you mind having a conversation?”

Why are you making me anxious for no reason?

I looked at Grand Duke Quenore with narrowed brows, but he didn’t seem much different from usual. Just calmly facing me with his usual noble eyes and presence. I’ve heard that’s usually the most dangerous sign. Glancing at George beside me, he too seemed uneasy, looking at the Grand Duke with the same concern.

“Well, it’s not serious enough to warrant such expressions.”

Grand Duke Quenore burst into laughter seeing us.

“It’s just that you two are the only ones here who have directly faced a calamity, making you the country’s top experts on calamities, so I had a few questions.”

Grand Duke Quenore pulled out a chair and sat down. Despite saying he had a few questions, he seemed reluctant to voice them. Come on, sir, I thought you said it wasn’t serious.

“Do you think Evernode, this fortress, could repel a calamity’s invasion without external support?”

“…I dare say it’s impossible. If we fail to repel the giant and allow it to approach Evernode, the castle will inevitably collapse.”

“So we must defeat the giant before it reaches this castle. Is that right?”

The scene that came to my mind was Evernode from the original story, desperately defending against numerous monsters. They had no choice but to fight a doomed defensive battle because Ilroy had been defeated.

“How does it feel to directly face a calamity?”

The question seemed to stem from pure curiosity. This time, George spoke up.

“Helplessness, frustration…. But more than anything, what dominated my mind the most was,”

George’s voice seemed to grow colder just from recalling it.

“Fear.”

It’s not just simple frustration. A revulsion rising from the deepest part of one’s body. The instinctive cry to flee. George said that no one tries to confront an erupting volcano, nor attempts to defeat an approaching tsunami or hurricane.

“There’s a reason they’re called calamities.”

Entities that cannot be confronted but are inevitable. Hence, calamities.

“Fear.”

Grand Duke Quenore repeated George’s words while gripping the hilt of his sword. In the original story, the Grand Duke had faced the giant and its army directly several times to delay their advance. How many people in the world could face a calamity alone and delay its advance?

And eventually, Grand Duke Quenore burns his life away to push the calamity to the brink of defeat alongside Aryen. The Grand Duke opened the path, and Aryen beheaded the giant.

“I should practice mental training after a long time.”

The Grand Duke’s eyes were deep as he said this. His blue eyes glistened like a lake under the midnight sun. I had to try not to read death in them.

“Thank you for your answers, Ilroy, George. You may go rest today. We’ll start preparing for the battle against the giant in earnest tomorrow.”

“Yes, Grand Duke.”

George and I left the meeting room together with complicated feelings.

“I thought I would have adapted somewhat after fighting one calamity, but thinking about facing the next one makes my heart heavy.”

George stopped in the corridor and spoke.

“…You’re trying to prove the decision you made back then.”

George said only that and looked at me with a furrowed gaze. By decision, does he mean the conflict between Ilroy and Aryen during the battle with the Kraken?

“I now trust you completely, Ilroy. Unlike before.”

“…What are you saying so awkwardly?”

George gave a bitter smile and slowly moved away from me. I waited for George to leave the corridor first and then slowly followed him.

And at the end of the corridor, I encountered unexpected figures.

“Ilroy.”

Daphne with an embarrassed smile, and,

“…Hero.”

The Iron-Blooded Princess with eyes that were moist and red, as if she had been crying hard.

Karin was holding Daphne’s hand tightly. I looked back and forth between Karin and Daphne, not understanding what was happening.

“What’s going on?”

“She wanted to see you and the Grand Duke, and was caught trying to leave the mansion several times. I happened to be nearby and told her to wait until the meeting was over, so we’ve been waiting like this.”

Sniff.

I heard Karin sniffling. With the sudden earthquake and people running around in panic, it’s understandable she’d be anxious. I smiled bitterly and bent my knees to meet Karin’s eye level. As I carefully wiped her tear-stained face, Karin seemed to calm down a bit, her breathing becoming more regular.

“The Grand Duke will be in his room for a while to train, so would you like to take a walk with me and Daphne until then?”

Karin didn’t answer verbally but nodded her head. I led Karin to the garden behind the mansion. I could hear the sounds of the Strope family members moving busily. Karin kept glancing in the direction of the noise.

“People say there’s going to be a war.”

While walking in the garden, Karin spoke first. Daphne and I looked at Karin with slightly surprised eyes. Karin wasn’t just crying out of shock.

“They said scary monsters will come down from beyond the walls. So the people of our castle have to go fight those monsters. And I have to run away from here.”

Karin’s voice trembled slightly.

“What should I do, Hero? Lis, and Serin, and Hemil. And Father…”

Karin started naming knights she was familiar with one by one, then became tearful again. Daphne hugged Karin, who had started sniffling again, and Karin burst into tears in Daphne’s arms. I waited quietly until Karin stopped crying, then bent my knees again.

“…It’s okay.”

Karin couldn’t stop crying even as I stroked her head.

“Lis, Serin, Hemil, and the Grand Duke are all strong people, so they’ll defeat the monsters and we’ll meet again in Evernode.”

The word ‘strong’ didn’t seem enough to convince this smart child.

“…They say that even strong people die when war breaks out.”

And this child had a vague understanding of war, at least through text. And then I understood why she had been looking for me. I held Karin’s hand firmly and spoke softly.

“Karin.”

Karin looked up. For now, I decided to forget the fact that I was possessing someone else’s body. I just wanted to make a promise to this crying child.

“I’ll protect them.”

Karin blinked. The tears that had been flowing from her eyes seemed about to stop.

“Lis, Serin, Hemil, and the Grand Duke. All of them.”

Karin’s green eyes seemed to regain their light beyond my field of vision.

“You will…Hero?”

“Yes.”

That’s right. Whatever happened to Ilroy in the original story, he’s a hero. And I, who have entered this body, must also live as a hero.

Suddenly, words that “I” had heard somewhere—or rather, someone else had heard—came to mind.

“Because a hero is someone who protects people.”

I wiped Karin’s tearful eyes again.

“Will you promise…?”

At Karin’s question, I nodded and extended my pinky finger.

“Yes.”

Karin’s small finger hooked around mine.