Chapter 131: The Crisis of the Kingdom of Holtland
I was sipping ale little by little in the Adventurers’ Guild cafeteria when Ted showed up.
“Hey, are Mintz and the others not here yet?”
“Long time no see. Your leg seems to be doing better than before.”
“More or less. But running is still rough, so going back to being an adventurer’s impossible. I’ve heard the rumors about you, and Scott and Mintz are happy for you, too.”
“I practiced hard after being thrown out of town, so I’m managing somehow. More importantly—did you hear what I asked?”
“Yeah. Are you sure someone like me is fine?”
“It’s not fighting beasts—just protecting a house and family. You don’t need to push yourself. Besides, since my family and I are keeping this thing, Count Arclight isn’t going to say anything extra.”
“Mintz said that, but… it’s really true, huh.”
“Once Duke Berlant found out I could fly, he gave me a high-paying job, and I earned plenty. I bought a house with that money. I’ll pay you five gold a month and provide you an apartment nearby. If that’s inconvenient, there are plenty of empty rooms.”
“I’ll pass on that.”
“Then I’ll rent an apartment near the Carinfos Market and give it to you. Please take it.”
“From now on, you—Leon—will be the employer. No need to speak so formally.”
“Please keep calling me Leon. I’ll call you Ted, like before. I’ll show you the house tomorrow morning.”
“Got it. I’ll wait here tomorrow.”
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I met Ted and we took a hired carriage waiting near the market to my house.
“Fantis Street, No. 5 left… it’s practically right next to the market.”
“Yeah. My sister became an apothecary and will be opening her own shop soon, so when we looked for a house with space for a storefront… well, here we are.”
“It’s too big for just your family, and you’ll need guards.”
“That’s exactly it. It’d be too much for you alone, Ted. If you know someone trustworthy, please introduce them.”
“Someone retired… like me.”
“They don’t need to hunt anything—just chase people off. Besides, Count Arclight said Duke Berlant asked him to look after me and my family, so the guards should treat us decently.”
“So you—oh, Leon—is even more impressive than the rumors say.”
“Please don’t. I was planning to stay a carefree adventurer, but Marco made us into a party of three, then getting into a fight with the earl’s sixth son forced us to escape the city.”
“Speaking of which, I heard they call you Leon of the Gentle Breeze.”
“That’s Marco’s fault too. Anyway, come on in.”
Ted looked disappointed that no one was home, but I showed him my rooms on the second and third floors.
“A house this big for just four people, and no one’s here during the day?”
“Mom and Dad say they don’t plan on quitting their jobs.”
Over tea in the dining room, while discussing apartments he could look into, he asked.
“So Marco’s the reason for your nickname?”
I told him how, after getting kicked out of town, I headed toward the capital, and in the adventurers’ guild cafeteria in Rosenne, a drunk guy—Marco—started talking to me. Feeling bold from the drink, he mocked wind magic and gave me the nickname Gentle Breeze Leon.
“So that’s where he drifted off to.”
“Oh, and to thank him for the nickname, I gave him one too—Marco the Bluffer.”
Ted burst into laughter, clutching his stomach until he wheezed.
“You really gave him something incredible.”
“He called me ‘gentle breeze’ in the guild cafeteria, so when I called him a bluffer, he felt insulted and left the city. Since then, everyone calls me Gentle Breeze.”
“I’ve heard your whirlwind and tornado spells are incredible. And you can fly.”
“I’ve practiced ever since receiving magic.”
I gave Ted thirty gold coins as funds to rent an apartment. That should settle our security issues, and I can start helping my sister prepare her shop. Payments to Ted and any future staff will be transferred from Dad’s account, so even if I disappear from the city occasionally, it’ll be fine.
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Now that Ted had started guarding the house, I decided to make a quick flight to inform others of my new address.
From the Blange Road I flew into the Madras Road, crossed the Linjueil River, and headed toward Granbale—the second town past the border area that had been annexed by the Kingdom of Sutherland. There should be a Sutherland fortress halfway to Variant, so I observed it from above.
They called it a fortress, but it was really just a 100-meter square surrounded by high walls with guard barracks inside—more a symbol of the changed border than anything defensive.
As the sun began to set, I arrived in Frangle and headed for the royal castle.
The castle roof had been beautifully repaired, though the patches stood out like a quilt. The walls were in similar condition. As promised, I landed in the courtyard, made a Dome!, and waited. Before long, Rupert, the chancellor’s aide, came. So they were keeping their word.
“Leon-dono! Thank goodness you’ve come.”
Hmm. If that’s his opening line, something’s definitely wrong.
“I only came to tell you my new address.”
“His Excellency the Chancellor will explain the details. Please follow me.”
No suspicious signs in my detection magic, so I followed Rupert.
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“Your Excellency, I have brought Sir Leon.”
He took me to what looked like an office. The moment Chancellor Corbens saw my face, he visibly relaxed. Judging from his expression, something serious was happening to Holtland.
“Sir Leon, we sent a messenger about five days ago…”
Five days—that would’ve been too slow on the Sutherland side, where they can’t use express riders.
“So we passed each other. What happened?”
“Of the four nations bordering us—excluding Sutherland—two seem to be preparing for war. To be specific, the Kingdom of Braden has begun gathering troops near our border. We have ordered our nobles to muster forces, but if we defend against Braden in the southwest, we cannot handle the northern Kingdom of Gilman.”
Holtland’s defeat and the damage to the castle must have looked like an opportunity to greedy nations.
Kick the dog when it’s down, or something like that.
What Holtland tried to do to Sutherland was now coming back to them.
“King Felix wishes to request your assistance.”
“A request?”
“The two countries seem not to believe the demonstration you showed before.”
“So you want me to make them back off?”
“His Majesty will explain in detail.”
That would mean using my power to push back their armies. One army was already gathering near the border. If I didn’t drive them off before battle began, I might be forced to fight directly—so it needed careful discussion.
I followed Chancellor Corbens to King Felix’s office.
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His office was far more luxurious than the chancellor’s, but Felix himself sat there looking somewhat embarrassed. The royal guard standing behind him looked far more imposing, but I guess the king eventually gets used to the job.
“Leon-dono, thank you for coming.”
“I came on a small errand, but I hear you have a request.”
“Yes. Our situation is the opposite of last time. Because the territories of the nobles we punished border the threat, the number of soldiers we can raise is small. We are struggling to respond. Therefore, we wish for you to use your magic to make the enemy withdraw.”
“You don’t want me to fight, correct?”
“Yes. We punished those who instigated—or were tools of—Meredith, and we are barely managing to stabilize the country. If war breaks out now, the damage would be great. But we also cannot ask you to annihilate the enemy.”
“Why not?”
“The tornado, Leon-dono. Corbens described it. It lasted only an instant, but the destruction… If you used your whirlwinds and tornadoes seriously, you could erase one or two armies with ease. But then that country would weaken, then its neighbors would attack, and so on—a chain of chaos. Meredith nearly collapsed the fragile peace we maintained. We must stop it here.”
Hmm. So they understand, and still ask. Meaning they want me to break the enemy’s will without causing casualties. I can do that. And if Holtland falls apart, it’ll affect my life too. Besides, after being attacked, I admit I went a bit too far.
“I understand. I will accept the request to stop Braden’s advance.”
“We are grateful. How much compensation do you require?”
“There will be no battle damage or deployment cost, so… about the same as last time.”
“Thank you. Tell us if you need anything. Corbens.”
“Yes. The map of Braden, the map of their mustering point…”
They’d already prepared everything.
He handed me maps of Holtland, the Braden Kingdom, and a map of the town where their army was gathering. From Frangre, I would follow the Doreans Road to Braden’s capital, Carcas. Past the border, the road became the Jabrier Road. Beyond Jabrier, in the town of Césare, Braden’s army was assembled.
Holtland’s forces were positioned behind the border town of Doreans—only two count armies and three viscount armies. Because of the purge of those connected to Meredith and the resulting instability, mobilizing distant lords would take time. If Braden crossed the border now, they wouldn’t be able to hold.
The only reason war hadn’t begun yet was that Braden was still gathering forces—but they would soon start marching. Which meant they had finally assembled enough troops to crush Holtland’s defenders with ease.