Ch.48The Northern Grand Duchess Has No Friends

Frider van Faelrun.

The princess of the northern Duchy of Faelrun.

Literally, the Northern Duchess.

Faelrun was the frontline that blocked Werebeasts who frequently invaded across the Sky Mountains.

So, excluding the academy professors, there probably wasn’t anyone who knew more about Werebeasts than Frider.

Perhaps she might know even more than the professors.

The problem was that since Ka’har were essentially tribes that could be considered eastern Werebeasts, she showed hostility even toward me…

After looking down at the door that was still slightly vibrating, I casually tried turning the doorknob.

As expected, it was locked.

So she doesn’t even want to face me, is that it?

Well, I expected this level of rejection.

Right, if I’m being turned away at the door and can’t enter, then I just need to get rid of the door, don’t I?

I tore the door off.

With a cracking sound, the hinges shattered and the door was ripped away.

Frider stared at me with wide eyes.

She had taken off her uniform jacket and was wearing only pants and a blouse.

Her reddish-brown eyes trembled with bewilderment.

Ignoring her reaction, I stepped into the room.

“I’m coming in.”

“Are you insane? Ah, silly question. Of course you’re not in your right mind. Get out now, barbarian!”

Frider shouted irritably, furrowing her eyebrows.

Her emotion clearly shifted from shock to anger, transmitting clearly to me.

Her right hand moved toward the desk, seemingly ready to grab a weapon.

She keeps calling me barbarian at the end of every sentence. Better than being called a monster, I suppose.

Isn’t it rather barbaric to be so rude to a visitor by telling them to get out?

Ignoring her, I glanced around the room.

“…Look at this room. Isn’t this truly a barbarian’s room?”

My voice might have trembled slightly at the end.

It was an incredibly savage room.

On one wall, a large bulletin board was covered with all kinds of anatomical diagrams, and on the shelf below were numerous specimen jars containing organs.

On the opposite wall hung more than seven vicious weapons.

A massive saw. A whip and mace covered in spikes. A spear with a strange pump attached.

An axe connected to iron chains, a dagger designed like a harpoon to prevent removal once embedded.

There was even an eye-gouging pincer that I’d only seen in books about torture.

At the head of the bed was a display of skin stripped from Werebeasts, and the remaining body was taxidermied in the corner.

…This is probably what the interior would look like if you put a hunter, an inquisitor, and a vicious murderer in one room.

Every time I see it, I think I understand why she doesn’t have friends, but…

When you dig deeper, new reasons keep appearing like layers of an onion.

“Can’t you understand when I tell you to get out? Or are you looking for a duel with me?”

Frider snapped irritably.

Her pale white skin was slightly flushed with anger.

The fact that she wasn’t immediately drawing a weapon was probably because we were in the academy, and she was showing some restraint.

“That’s not it. I came because I have something to ask, but the door seemed to be broken.”

So I fixed it to open well.

Now you won’t have trouble with the door locking on its own, Frider.

“This isn’t a joke…! You came because you have something to ask? You dare to barge in like this? A barbarian like you?”

“You’re my senior, right? Help your junior out. I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important.”

I sat down on the sofa, trying to appease the furious duchess.

Of course, it was futile.

“Get out, you beast!”

I casually blocked her kick aimed at my head with my right arm.

Perhaps Frider wasn’t truly trying to fight either, as there wasn’t much force behind the kick.

She must be mindful of her behavior in her own way.

After all, causing bloodshed in the academy might bring trouble to the Duke.

Frider fumed as her kick was blocked.

If I provoked her any further, she might actually challenge me to a duel.

Maybe I should stop here, as I already had the magic words prepared to calm Frider down.

“It’s about Werebeasts. Don’t you want to hear it?”

Frider stopped her anger and blinked.

At first, as if she had misheard.

Then, frowning as if doubting what she had heard was real.

Finally, she closed her eyes for a while as if convincing herself, then sighed and opened them again.

Turning her back, Frider walked toward a metal case in the corner of the room and opened it by the handle.

The inside of the case seemed to have a cooling magic spell cast on it, as a cool chill could be felt.

Inside were about thirty bottles of alcohol neatly stacked.

Some kind of wine refrigerator, perhaps. Magic is truly convenient.

Frider took out one bottle, opened the cap, and gulped it down.

It must be quite strong alcohol, as the pungent smell reached me from here.

“Haaaa……”

After emptying half the bottle, Frider roughly placed it on top of the case and turned toward me.

Her face was slightly reddened, and her steps were rougher than before.

Her breath smelled of fruit and alcohol.

Her brow was still furrowed.

Frider sat down on the sofa across from me.

“Fine, I’ll listen. Go ahead and tell me.”

As expected, I knew she would listen if I brought up Werebeasts.

Being from Faelrun, she couldn’t help but be interested in Werebeast-related issues.

The remaining question was how much to tell her…

Let’s think about that as we talk.

—-

“Since you’re from northern Faelrun, you must know a lot about Werebeasts, right? You must have encountered many.”

“Yes. There’s even one sitting in front of me right now.”

“After drinking that much, are you having hallucinations?”

“If only it were a hallucination. Then I could at least tear it apart.”

The atmosphere was frigid.

No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say it was hot enough for sparks to fly.

If Asha were here, she would certainly be excited, saying this was definitely a situation where a fight would break out.

…This isn’t the time for that.

I didn’t come here to fight.

“…It seems like I might have to deal with Werebeasts, so I wanted some advice from an expert.”

“Werebeasts? You?”

Frider questioned with puzzlement.

“You’re not in Faelrun, and why would a first-year in the Empire have to deal with Werebeasts?”

It was a reasonable question.

So, how much should I explain? An issue without proper evidence.

The Academy Attack Incident.

A large-scale attack that occurs during the mid-term practicals, three months after the entrance ceremony.

A secret terrorist organization of Werebeasts infiltrating the Empire, Militchiya, ambushing academy students.

An event that would occur under the orders of Baryachrus, the Werebeast kingdom beyond the northern snow fields.

Three-tenths of the students would die that day.

Even if I cleared it properly as Demian.

So I had to prevent it.

The problem was that if I said such things without evidence, no one would believe me…

Even if I insisted strongly without evidence, even if it turned out to be true later, it would only raise more suspicion.

They would ask how I knew about it.

Should I mix in some bluffing?

“I smelled a beast scent. The other day.”

“Try bathing.”

……Maybe I should just let her die at the hands of Werebeasts.

My recent determination seems so meaningless now.

“No, seriously. Just listen. I went to check out the underground sewers recently, right? I smelled a beast scent there.”

That’s a lie. I didn’t find anything there.

But in the original work, Militchiya did emerge from the underground sewers.

“It wasn’t definitely a human smell, but it wasn’t exactly an animal smell either. It was a strange mix of the two. I couldn’t find the exact location, but…so, just in case.”

“Underground sewers…? Hmm, that seems unlikely…but I understand. So, what exactly do you want to ask?”

Frider’s expression became a bit more serious.

It seems she’s now in the mood for a proper conversation.

“I want to know about the characteristics or weaknesses of Werebeasts. Since I lived in the east, I’ve never encountered Werebeasts before.”

“Characteristics… Height of about 2-3m, appearance mixing beast and human. The closer to pure-blood, the more they resemble beasts; the more diluted their blood, the more they resemble humans. They have superior physical abilities, retain intelligence, and even possess some regenerative abilities.”

Frider tapped her fingers while resting her chin on the armrest of the sofa.

“In short, they’re creatures that combine only the advantages of trolls, ogres, and humans, then amplify them about twice. Each one is a monster.”

I already know that ordinary students can’t even face them head-on.

That’s why I specifically sought out Frider.

“How do you kill them?”

“That’s my specialty.”

She grinned and pointed to the wall where weapons were displayed.

The saw blades, protruding like the teeth of a predator, reflected the ceiling light with a sinister glow.

“It’s the same as trolls. Tear them apart and make them bleed. Until they can’t regenerate.”

“Is that all?”

“Or you could rip out their hearts or cut off their heads? Though that’s much harder.”

Isn’t there an easier, more clever method? This isn’t something I can solve by just going wild on my own.

I need methods that others besides me can use.

“Are there any methods that other students besides me could use? Like a critical weakness?”

“If such a thing existed, we would have made those things extinct long ago.”

That was a valid point.

Damn it. This makes things complicated.

“Silver has some effect, but it’s not a good metal for weapons.”

“What about plating steel weapons with it?”

“We’ve tried that, but it all peels off during combat. Well, it’s better than nothing.”

If it’s better than nothing, I should try it.

“What about magic? Trolls are weak to fire or electricity. Aren’t Werebeasts the same?”

“Well, if you set their entire body on fire, they’ll die, but it’s not really a weakness per se. And they’re not easy targets either.”

I suppose it’s normal for living beings to die when they burn.

So it works, but it’s hard to hit them?

“What about priests’ blessings?”

“Ainzong aren’t magical beasts. The miracles used by Menes’s priests have some effect, though.”

Menes, huh. The god of moon and dreams.

…Since most of Menes’s priests are in the north, this won’t work either.

I guess I’ll have to rely on the skilled ones.

Like Demian or Ophelia.

Ophelia probably won’t be proactive, but if I train with Demian and improve his skills, he might do better than in the original work.

Using them as a barrier, if I forcibly gather the remaining students in one place to deal with it…

“…You’re thinking quite seriously? As if you’re certain that Werebeasts will attack.”

Frider narrowed her eyes and glared at me slightly.

Feeling a bit chilled, I unconsciously licked my lips.

Was she suspicious after all? But at this level, it should still be fine.

“I trust my sense of smell and instinct. If what I smelled was indeed Werebeasts, the reason they’re hiding is clearly because they’re planning something.”

“Werebeasts in the Empire… It’s too far-fetched to believe.”

Frider stood up from her seat.

I guess she means it’s time for me to leave if I’ve said all I wanted to say.

“If you bring proper evidence, I’ll report it to the academy and the north. If it’s true, it’s certainly a very dangerous situation.”

So I need to find evidence within two months somehow…

If I can find evidence, we could summon knights in advance to prepare.

Right, surely I can find something with two months left?