The Border Fortress 3

In this world, battles were generally fought during the day. This did not change, even with the presence of mages. It was impossible for humans to fight in the dead of night with only the moonlight. Only monsters could do that. However, there were those who were active in such pitch-black darkness. Assassins, spies, scouts—and.

(I’ve teleported here for now, but there’s a strange smell. Like burning wood—is that it?)

Liliana, waiting for the people to fall asleep, had infiltrated the enemy camp alone, crossing the river. Below a gentle hill, an outer wall was stretched, and around it, a moat. In the center, a stone keep had been built, simple but large in scale. In the back, residences were lined up in a land surrounded by an outer wall. Since the homes of the domain’s people spread out outside the outer wall, the inside must be the living area for the lord and other important figures. In the old days, the people of the domain would have lived within the outer walls, but the expansion of the walls could not keep up with the population that began to increase as soon as agricultural tools were reformed and agricultural products increased. Therefore, in most domains, the living areas were divided, with the powerful inside the outer walls and the peasants outside.

This castle was no exception. But what was different was that it had been repeatedly expanded and renovated as a base for national defense. The basic structure of the central part was the castle that had been built long ago, but the position of the outer wall had moved outward, giving it the air of a fortress. The parts made of old wood and stone and the parts made of new stone were clearly distinct.

(Does that mean there are also unused secret passages and basements?)

The enemy’s main camp was set up at the bottom of the hill. It was on the opposite side from the area where the domain’s people lived. Therefore, even if they were to launch a surprise attack on the enemy camp, the homes of the people would not be caught in the crossfire. And it was certain that supplies and personnel were being replenished to the enemy camp from the castle where Liliana was now walking.

However, as the knight who had been reporting to the margrave had said, the number of supplies and personnel being replenished was too large for the size of the castle and its warehouses. There must be some trick. But at present, the Kennys Knights had not been able to figure out what it was. Ben and Petra seemed to have started their investigation, but they had not yet touched on the enemy camp or the inside of the castle. At present, they were focusing on exposing and capturing the mages who had infiltrated the enemy forces.

(There probably isn’t much information in the enemy camp anyway.)

The fact that supplies and soldiers were being replenished from the castle meant that there must be someone giving instructions on a case-by-case basis, watching the battle situation. It would be normal to think that this person was in two places, the enemy camp and the castle, but the more important base must be in the castle.

Liliana had snuck into a section of the castle keep.

(【Dispel】)

She entered, dispelling the multiple layers of barriers. Each barrier was not particularly difficult. It was one of the first spells a beginner learns. But even those could become a powerful barrier when layered. However, before Liliana, it was child’s play.

(If the only mages they have are ones who can only use spells of this level, they probably won’t notice even if I dispel it.)

There were different levels of difficulty for barrier spells. A high-level one could not only be dispelled, but could also alert the caster just by someone getting close. But for now, it seemed she didn’t have to worry about that.

She climbed a narrow stone spiral staircase inside the keep. She arrived in a large, open room. Furniture such as desks and chairs had been brought in, creating a comfortable space. There was also simple but good-quality bedding, indicating that a person of some standing was staying there. And the master of the room was sitting on a sofa placed at the end of the room. There was also a figure opposite him.

Liliana remained invisible, maintaining a certain distance, and listened to their conversation.

“How is the situation, Baron?”

“It seems to be proceeding as you predicted, but they do not seem to be as formidable an enemy as was said. In particular, the northern immigrants are nothing special.”

“That is because we are dealing with them. With the northern immigrants out of commission, even the famed Kennys Knights are no threat.”

The faces of the two men, illuminated by the candlelight, were not clearly visible. But the elderly man called Baron was thin and had a nervous-looking face.

The young man, on the other hand, was wearing well-tailored clothes and smoking something like a cigar. There was a conspicuous scar between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand, and a ring on his left middle finger. The clothes he was wearing looked like a knight’s uniform, but she had not seen anyone in the enemy army with similar attire. The uniform was more luxurious than that of a lord’s knightly order, and it would have made more sense if he had been said to belong to the knightly order directly under the emperor. Even through his clothes, it was clear that he had a strong physique, unlike the lord. Sensing an atmosphere somewhat similar to Gild’s, Liliana tilted her head slightly.

(His clothes and atmosphere do not match.)

Though the young man had a handsome face, there was a faint air of coarseness about him. Even if he belonged to the knightly order directly under the emperor, it was likely he was not of the noble class. He had an expression that seemed to be making a fool of the other person, and perhaps because his attitude was irritating, the baron did not seem to be very friendly either. But unable to refuse, the baron shrugged.

“Perhaps so. The story that the northern immigrants are a threat is dubious in itself. They are nothing but barbarians, with no great skill.”

“Yes, it may not be unreasonable for you to think so.”

Though his words were similar to agreement, the young man scoffed. The baron reacted with a twitch, but did not say anything. Instead, the baron tilted his head theatrically.

“Ah… what was it you said, your name? Gerolf?”

“It is Gerulf, Baron.”

“Ah, that’s right. Gerulf. Well, the name is not of great importance.”

He had probably misspoken the name on purpose. His attitude seemed to say that he was an insignificant being, but the young man called Gerulf did not let his smiling expression crumble. However, in his eyes, there was a clear light of contempt for the other person.

Though they were allies—or rather, on the same side—there was no friendly atmosphere at all. From the baron’s attitude, the young man called Gerulf probably did not have a title. Though Liliana had just met the baron for the first time, she could tell that he, as a lord, would not deign to notice someone of a lower status than himself. Normally, the baron would not even bother with a man like Gerulf. The fact that he was dealing with him at such a late hour meant that Gerulf’s backer must be someone he could not ignore. But since he did not completely hide his attitude, the influence of that backer might not be that great.

Gerulf opened his mouth, his expression unreadable.

“We will take care of the northern immigrants. You may do as you please with the rest, Baron.”

“Of course. If the fertile Kennys Border Margravate falls into my hands, a promotion in rank will not be a dream. I would like my baronial house to manage the Ebene Plains, of course—surely His Majesty will recognize the achievements of my family, who have been protecting this border. The other lords have only lent food and soldiers, and their domains have not been touched by the ravages of war. There is no doubt that my family is the most loyal of his subjects.”

The baron snorted. His attitude seemed to say that it was a matter of course. The Ebene Plains were an important base in the Kennys Border Margravate. It was a fertile plain where crops grew well. Therefore, it was said that there had been endless disputes over the Ebene Plains since the dawn of history.

Liliana, still invisible, frowned. The baron’s words seemed preposterous. Even if he were to obtain the Ebene Plains, it was highly unlikely that the emperor would entrust its management to the baron. He would probably send a talented official or one of his own men to govern it.

Gerulf, on the other hand, seemed to have no interest in anything other than the “northern immigrants” and showed no reaction to the baron’s words. He showed no anger, agreement, or pity. That in itself was strange. Normally, one would expect some kind of reaction.

(—No way.)

A possibility occurred to Liliana. The information she had gathered so far was now being connected by a single thread.

The merchants from the Yunatian Empire who were probably looking for the descendants of Alvaldi by selling and distributing cloth with a curse circle on it, as Gild had said.

The merchant who, as Obsidian had told her, had won over Marquis Tanner and secured a route from the kingdom to the empire—probably for human trafficking.

The disappearances of the “northern immigrants” had been a topic of discussion in two places: the Kennys Border Margravate and the Calvert Border Margravate. In these two domains, the “northern immigrants” were listed in the tax registers just like the other people of the domain, and they were given jobs or, if they had the ability, were selected for the knightly order—in other words, in both domains, the talented “northern immigrants” were clearly gathered in one place. In the case of the Kennys Border Margravate, it was the knightly order. She didn’t know what percentage of the “northern immigrants” who had become knights and sworn loyalty to the margrave were descendants of Alvaldi, but it was probably safe to assume that the majority of them were.

Liliana pressed her lips together.

(—Gerulf’s target is the descendants of Alvaldi.)

Though he hadn’t said it outright, it was certain that Gerulf had information about the descendants of Alvaldi. He knew not only how high their abilities were, but also their weaknesses. Liliana still didn’t know the spell that drained the stamina of the descendants of Alvaldi.

But he didn’t seem to have told the baron the details about the descendants of Alvaldi either. The fact that the baron kept repeating “northern immigrants” instead of “descendants of Alvaldi” was proof of that. It was still unclear whether Gerulf recognized them as “descendants of Alvaldi” or simply as talented individuals among the “northern immigrants.”

But one thing was certain: among the Kennys Knights, the “northern immigrants” in particular were being targeted. Of course, Gild was also in danger.

“Well then, I will see you in the morning.”

Gerulf said only that and stood up from the sofa. The baron nodded haughtily without getting up. But without paying him any mind, Gerulf walked towards where Liliana was. It would be bad if he sensed her, even if she was invisible. Liliana hid behind something just in case.

Fortunately, Gerulf did not notice Liliana’s presence and went down the stone spiral staircase. Liliana hesitated, but decided to follow Gerulf instead of watching the baron.

＊＊＊＊＊

After leaving the keep, Gerulf headed to one of the mansions within the outer walls. It seemed he was staying there. Bowing silently to the two guards at the gate, Gerulf went inside. Liliana also entered, erasing her presence and mana. One of the guards’ eyebrows twitched, and he looked suspiciously in Liliana’s direction, but then said nothing and turned his face forward again.

Gerulf entered the room and sat down on the bed with a thud. He dropped the shortened cigar on the floor and crushed it with his foot, then took out a new one. He lit it and smoked it with a look of enjoyment.

(Did cigars always smell like this?)

Liliana frowned slightly. In this world, cigars and pipes were not common. She had read in a book that water pipes were used in a country far to the south, but at least in the Kingdom of Slibegrad, they were not common. So Liliana didn’t know what cigars in this world smelled like, but if she searched her memories of her past life, the cigar Gerulf was smoking seemed to have a different scent.

But thinking about it wouldn’t get her anywhere. Deciding that, Liliana looked around the room.

It was simple and had almost nothing in it. But the pile of bark in the corner of the room created a strange atmosphere. Liliana, wondering what kind of bark it was, turned around at Gerulf’s words that came into her ears in the next moment.

“So, how long are you gonna stay hidden like that? Little missy.”

Grinning, Gerulf stared straight at Liliana. The friendly expression he had worn when facing the baron was completely gone. The man continued to speak to Liliana, who stood perfectly still.

“That’s some pretty fancy magic, but unfortunately, it don’t work on me. Comin’ into someone’s house in the middle of the night, I’d appreciate it if ya showed some manners, ya hear?”

Hearing those words, Liliana understood. Gerulf was probably a descendant of Alvaldi. Gild had said, “Magic doesn’t work on us.” She had thought that if she became invisible, he wouldn’t be able to see her since he could be teleported with a teleportation spell, but it seemed she had been mistaken.

She carefully dispelled the spell. Even when she appeared, Gerulf’s demeanor did not change. Liliana showed a small smile.

“—If you could see me, then it shouldn’t matter to you whether I was using magic or not, should it?”

“It’s a matter of feelin’. It’s our first time meetin’, so ya gotta show some manners like a proper noble and show your face to say hello.”

“I did not think you were one to place such importance on etiquette.”

Liliana let out a small, wry laugh at Gerulf’s words. But he shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. The moment his sarcastic smile disappeared, a chilling killing intent emanated from Gerulf.

“I don’t care about that stuff, but you people do, don’t ya?”

“That depends on the situation.”

But Liliana was not fazed. She met his murderous gaze head-on without changing her expression. Gerulf, who had been staring at her, suddenly relaxed his shoulders. The killing intent that had filled the room vanished. Suddenly, a commotion approached from outside.

“Gerulf-sama!? What is the matter?”

It seemed the guard she had seen earlier had noticed the killing intent Gerulf had released. But before the guards could rush into the room, Gerulf answered, “It’s nothin’.”

“Don’t mind it, get back to your post.”

A timid voice answered his curt words, and the presence quickly moved away. During that time, Gerulf and Liliana did not look away from each other. For Liliana, it was the same feeling as facing a carnivorous wild animal. Her intuition whispered that if she looked away, she would be killed.

The presence of the guards faded away, and silence fell. It was Liliana who broke the quiet air.

“You are someone who is immune to magic, are you not?”

Gerulf’s eyebrow twitched. He tilted his head slightly and looked at Liliana with a searching gaze. He crossed his arms and did not answer. Unconcerned, Liliana continued her questioning.

“The guards did not seem to have noticed, however.”

“—They’re the lowest of the low.”

He spat out those words with a mocking smile. Liliana didn’t know what he meant by “lowest of the low.” But Gerulf seemed to have no intention of explaining further. Instead, he also threw a question at Liliana.

“You’re not from around here, are ya? I don’t recognize ya. Are you from the Kingdom of Slibegrad?”

Liliana’s lips curled up slightly. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. A tense atmosphere hung between the two of them.

“Are you not certain?”

“I’m not certain, but I’m confident. The only thing I don’t get is why a shrimp like you is on a battlefield like this. You’re not one of us.”

Did he mean “one of the people from the Yunatian Empire” by “one of us”? Or did he mean “a descendant of Alvaldi”? Unable to judge, Liliana remained silent. Neither of them moved a muscle. Liliana felt a clammy sweat on her palms.

The next moment—Gerulf, who should have been sitting some distance away, was standing right in front of her. He was impossibly fast. Liliana gasped at the proximity, so close she could feel his breath. Gerulf laughed spectacularly and reached for her neck.

“Hey, missy—you got an interestin’ smell on ya, don’t ya?”

Gerulf’s hand touched Liliana’s neck—in that moment, Liliana had unconsciously activated a spell.

—-

ToC

Chapter 168

(T/N: We also picked the LN version of it. Writing style is more refined and better than the WN, and can't forget about the illustrations which are so good. If you are interested check it out!!)