My Villains Chapter 312
56. On the Frontier (5)
‘Piol’ was a wealthy city located in the southern part of the Antrum region.
The scale did not look so large, but it is said to be the most prosperous place among the residences along the Meusel River.
It was only natural that all kinds of trade goods entering the southwestern ports would spread to the west, including Antrum, and to the central provinces, including the royal capital, along this waterway.
This area was the territory of other subordinate lords, but as much as Fiol here was the direct domain of the Marquis of Eabon. Maybe that’s why city officials were waiting for our party at the pier early.
Headed by the mayor, the chiefs of the city, such as the secretary, the security officer, and the port chief, cringed as if to lick the shoes of the marquis.
At first glance, it seemed burdensome, but Marquis Eabon enjoyed the hospitality of his servants with an extremely comfortable attitude as if it were a daily occurrence. Unlike the riverside villages of the past, Piol was surrounded by high fortress walls lined with elite soldiers, and its citizens wore quality clothes made of cotton.
The road was covered with flagstones, but even in winter, there was no trace of snow. It seems that workers or soldiers were mobilized to clean up ahead of the Marquis’ visit.
The escort troops and mercenaries decided to stay at an inn the mayor had vacated in advance. And a few people, including myself, followed the Marquis to the mansion.
Behind the city center building was a multi-story, three-story mansion surrounded by an iron fence.
I assumed it was the mansion of a wealthy man or the official residence of a mayor, but it turned out to be a mansion owned by the Marquis of Eabon.
Although the Marquis visits only once or twice a year in a place that is practically no different from a villa, a dozen or so employees, including a butler, are always there.
The dinner prepared in the villa of the marquis was so luxurious that it could not be compared to what was served in the previous riverside village.
Stew stewed with a rooster and various vegetables in the finest wine from Dandelis Steamed sea bass stuffed with whole roasted lamb roe Dumplings made with flour batter, egg and onion, rolled into a ball and fried in oil All sorts of dishes filled the table, including fresh red cabbage and asparagus with honey and mustard sauce.
In addition, there were 7 types of alcohol prepared, including wine, apple-based local liquor, mead, northern distilled liquor, and mixed liquor with medicinal herbs.
The ones invited to the dinner were me, Heila U Tequay Mungchi, Kabar, the cathedral knight, and six friendly soldiers.
Princess Theodora and Priest Okan were also invited, but they politely declined.
Okan didn’t seem to enjoy hanging out with nobles, and Theodora seemed reluctant to interact with the marquis for a slightly different reason.
Although she cut ties with the world, she is the niece of Duke Abillambus, the elector of Mittergerland.
It would have been a little uncomfortable to sit down and enjoy dinner with the Marquis of Eavon, who had declared that he would stand against him while his uncle was aiming for the west and gathering an army.
“Whoa-”
I suddenly took a deep breath while eating. For some reason, one side of my chest felt stuffy.
The journey so far has been safe and pleasant, like a well-planned tour course. But my instincts longed for those perilous journeys in Leadburn or Marva or Guistol.
I do not know the English language.
“-kyung. Sir Phoenix?” I looked up at the red gravy dripping from the veal steak on the plate, startled. The Marquis of Eavon, who was sitting across the table, was looking this way.
“ah. Yes sir.”
“Are you okay? Is there something inconvenient?”
“No…. I’m admiring the dishes because they are all excellent.”
Responding calmly, he put the properly sliced veal into his mouth. There was definitely blood left, but there was no smell. a little dissatisfied
“Yes, I’m glad… Umm, how far have I been talking?”
“The ‘Amir Alliance’.”
It was Heila, who was sitting to my right, who responded in an indifferent tone to the Marquis’ self-talk.
Although she is a gourmet, she occasionally shows a short mouthed appearance, and today was like that.
It seems that the meal is already over, seeing as she is nibbling on dates brought from a distant foreign country, the Amir Alliance she just mentioned.
“Oh yes. Amir Allies.” The Marquis quenched his thirst with wine and continued.
“It’s already been 10 years since those cultists in the desert crossed the monster-infested sea and started pioneering the southern continent. Thanks to the management of the colony, the sultan and the barons who followed him gained enormous wealth in a short period of time.”
The Amir Alliance is a country that has taken root in the land of martyrs in the southwest of the Mittergeland Empire. It was far from the Milanol Kingdom, and the religion was different, so there was almost no exchange.
For reference, the main ethnic group of the Amir Alliance is the Nudein. It was the Nudan tribe to which the arcane hunter Atalanta belonged.
However, the Amir Alliance is not the home of Atalanta. The ‘Nouvoa’ sect to which ‘Al Qadari’, the clan she leads, belongs, is said to be a descendant of a long-destroyed country and is virtually enemies of the tribes that make up the Amir Alliance.
Well, it seems that there are deeper and more complicated circumstances, but this was all that Phoenix had in his head.
“The electoral princes of southern Mittergerland, who have noticed the success, have recently begun to control the colonial routes. The Amir Allies started a war against the huge toll, but the victory in the first battle was won by the Elector Counts.”
“okay.”
The Marquis’ eyes were mainly on me, so I gave him a chuimsae out of courtesy.
“I didn’t know much about it because it was a story from a very distant place, but the Marquis seems to be very interested in that.” “Of course. To become a good aristocrat, you have to react sensitively to the flow of wealth and power. And you can’t just say it’s a distant story. The kingdom is also a matter of soaking a foot in it to some extent.”
“What if you dipped your feet in it?”
“Who controls the southern half of the continent? Isn’t that the kingdom?”
The Marquis smiled mischievously and added.
“No, strictly speaking, the two dukes of Ireland.”
The two dukes of Ireland? also?
Zahakar and Baluin these bastards are everywhere.
“The former Duke of Ireland- Your Highness, Duke of *Kheum*, made a decision and expanded the family’s sphere of influence to the colonial route. In the process, it is quite famous that the ‘Dokni Fleet’ directly under the Duke robbed the treasure fleet of the Amir Alliance.”
The Marquis’ words reminded me of a scene buried in Phoenix’s memory. The endless procession of carts that led to Ireland’s original city, Tow’s Den.
…Did you even go pirate?
A very proud family. Very prestigious to go.
“There are rumors that the electoral princes of the southern part of the empire turned their attention to the southern continent because of it. I coveted the treasure enough to put an end to old conflicts.”
“Is that why the naval battle took place?”
“That’s right. The Amir allies were attacked by the princes before they could even take revenge on distant Ireland. And as I said before, the victory in the Presidency belonged to the Elector Counts.”
The Marquis smiled as he wiped his mouth with a silk handkerchief.
“While the three Elector Counts in the southern part of the Empire were having a toast, the rest of the Elector Counts fell into anxiety. They must have been worried that if the southern electors succeeded in robbing the Amir allies, they would break the balance of power within the empire based on their wealth.”
“…I don’t think it’s an improbable story.”
“then. The Duke of Avillambus and his father, Alchenberg, are also trying to plot the western part of the kingdom. Seeing the southern electors burning their ambitions for expansion, they became impatient as well.”
Did something like that happen? The Mittergerant Empire is also quite a mess.
“Huh stupid.”
Utequai laughed as he sat down on one side of the table and devoured his fifth thigh.
“Are you stupid? What do you mean?”
Marquis Eabon leaned back on the backrest and smiled with interest.
Unexpectedly, he treated Utequai well, and it was because he admired the fact that he was my comrade and a champion of the steppe.
Rikuwa’s tribe is a tribe that represents the plains, and they deserve to be treated as the third person in the tribe after the chief and the great magician of Daejeon Slope.
“The stolen property is easily lost.”
Either way, Utequai munched on his cartilage and spoke in his usual gruff tone.
“It can be taken away or it can be let go. Mother takes it and prays for it. It is common for people to lose their lives when they lose money like that.”
“Your life is at stake… Yes, that’s right.”
The Marquis giggled frivolously before raising his glass.
“It’s not that bad for us that the electors of the empire don’t have that kind of wisdom. Cheers to this good fortune.”
The chatter of the Marquis continued even after the cup was emptied amidst the enthusiastic response of the servants. This time, it was a story about color makeup, which is in vogue for both men and women in the royal capital.
Of course, it wasn’t an interesting topic at all, and I sat halfway to my left and spread sea bass on a plate of a bunch.
“lol.”
“What are you laughing at? Eat quickly.”
“Yes-”
Ungchi, who had not been able to eat properly for a while because of seasickness, filled his stomach by teasing the tableware non-stop.
He especially liked seafood including fish, eggs, and fried dishes. When I ate salad, I had a habit of dipping olives and boiled beans and then eating vegetables.
They were so cute eating without covering up that I almost pinched my puffy cheeks without realizing it. Eh, even dogs don’t touch you when you eat, so you have to be patient.
“I- By the way, Your Excellency the Marquis.”
By the time the full stomach leaned against the backrest, the elderly mayor, who had been silently listening to the Marquis’ story, cautiously opened his mouth.
“I dare you to ask, do you have any plans to stay in Peol for a few more days?”
“o uh”
Marquis Eavon asked, resting her chin on her chin.
“Why are you curious about that?”
“That’s because I’ve been waiting for His Excellency to visit me for a long time, so I hope to see her leaving tomorrow-” “
Haha stop talking nonsense. It seems that something is wrong?”
“That is.”
After hesitating for a moment, the mayor moistened his dry lips and lowered his voice.
“Actually, there is a minor problem with the road to Lianwell.”
“Minor issues?”
“Not too long ago, there was an outbreak of wolves in Oak Delhi that caused measles. Have you heard of it?”
Oak Deli is a province to the east of Antrum and is famous for its quality cheese. Since it was close to the royal capital, it was also the place where the younger brother of the current king was a lord.
“however? Did that pack of wolves even come over to my land?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Seeing the Marquis’ lips harden slightly, the old mayor tightened his pale face.
“How far is it that the wolves of Oakdelli came all the way here and ran rampant… The barons and my generals, who need to be vigilant, what the hell-” answered calmly.
“So, what is the current situation and what to do about it?”
“The wolves are hiding in the forest at the beginning of Dandeli Hill, and the garrison commander is pursuing them with five hundred soldiers.”
“In front of you. But five hundred people? Did you hire mercenaries?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Did it take so many to drive out wolves or something?”
Sensing that the Marquis was swallowing his anger, the mayor answered with difficulty with a pale complexion.
“Yes, it has hundreds of heads, and the head is a dire wolf the size of a house.”
“A dire wolf?”
The direwolf in this world is a huge wolf weighing over 300 kg and treated as a monster more than a beast. So people feared a pack of wolves with direwolves more than a fair number of greenskins.
“This is neither the North nor the Great Mountains, what nonsense is that a Dire Wolf?”
“There are not one or two people who have witnessed it, and the same story has been circulating in Oak Deli.”
“her.”
The Marquis burst out laughing and tapped the armrest.
“In the north, ogres and orcs are in trouble, and in the south, fishmen and anupas run rampant. This area is full of vampires, undead… and monsters. What am I going to become?”
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency.”
“No, it’s not something to apologize for. Who am I to blame that the years are just questionable?”
The Marquis clicked his tongue and continued.
“Don’t be in a hurry, take it slow. If necessary, a mounted patrol will be dispatched, so don’t overdo it.”
“I will do as you command.”
“And we will leave tomorrow morning as scheduled.”
“yes? Haona, Your Excellency.”
The Marquis shook his head resolutely and interrupted the mayor.
“There are 200 guards, over 30 knights, and even magicians. Don’t worry, it won’t budge even if dozens of ear wolves attack you.”
By the time the story was over, I opened my mouth without even realizing it.
“If you don’t mind, can I go out and check the situation?”
“…Hmm? What does that mean?”
I scratched my cheek at the Marquis’ questionable gaze and answered honestly.
“That—maybe because the trip was peaceful, but my body was itching. If you allow it, I will take a sneak peek at the forest where the wolves are hiding.”
“But soon the sun will fall-”
The Marquis, who was about to say something, burst out laughing.
“No, who am I worried about right now? There’s no way the knight who defeated the creeping dragon’s demon king of death would be defeated by wolves. Do as you wish.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Thank you. Just come back before dawn. Shouldn’t we continue our trip tomorrow?” I replied that I knew, but Utequai, who had been drinking mead, wiped his lips and smiled.
“It’s a night wolf hunt. It’s good, it’s a lot of fun.”
“Are you going too?”
“right. Dealing with wolves is a basic skill of a warrior. I need to brush up on my knowledge after a long time.”
After saying that, Utequai looked back at Suk Heila.
“Heila, I’ll have to borrow your words.”
“I don’t like it.”
“…is it.”
She glanced at Utequai, who was scratching her chin with a puzzled look at her resolute refusal, and Heila turned to me.
“You lend me.”
“uh? I?”
WO ” Heh.
“What are you talking about? I only have one horse.”
“You ride the Altonise. Lend Mr. Hatanka the spot.”
“Can a Spotted Spot Burn Utequai? Aren’t you going to break your back?”
“It doesn’t break. Horses are surprisingly weak, but they are stronger than you think.”
“…Unexpectedly weak, but stronger than expected? What do you mean by that?”
It was an incomprehensible statement, but Heila’s attitude was so determined that I decided to follow her will without saying anything.
After dinner, it was late at night, and Utequai and I left the city with sixteen men and horses.
Perhaps because it was the previous year, I can’t see well even though I lit a torch.
I tightened the reins of my black war horse, hiding a dark smile and ominous excitement in the darkness of the winter night.
