82. Count Alexei

Count Spinel looked at the report from Spinel territory with a serious face.

For now, there hasn’t been significant damage to the territory. Since you, Count, are away leading the army, I’m leaving a detailed report.

It was a subordinate’s report that demonic beasts had appeared in the territory while she was briefly away.

Count Spinel picked up a pen and replied.

It is unusual for demonic beasts to appear at this time. However, as you know, once the forces gathered at Grand Duke Inkheart’s residence inspect the northern mountains, the demonic beasts should quiet down again. Please reassure the territory’s residents to ease their anxiety.

Though she wrote in her reply to her subordinate that there was little to worry about, Count Spinel herself felt uneasy inside.

‘I should discuss this with the Grand Duke.’

Count Spinel immediately went to find Darius.

“This winter is strange.”

“What do you mean?”

Darius looked at Count Spinel and asked.

“Actually, I encountered a demonic beast on my way to Inkheart. It’s strange that a beast would appear before an armed army as if throwing its life away.”

And then came the report of demonic beasts appearing in Spinel territory. Fortunately, the attacks were still manageable with the personnel remaining in the territory, but no one knew when something strange might happen again.

“Grand Duke. Do you trust an old person’s intuition?”

Darius held the higher position. However, Count Spinel had more experience participating in the annual winter demonic beast subjugation.

“Let’s prepare more thoroughly.”

Darius accepted her suggestion.

“Your stay will be longer than planned.”

“Every year, the demonic beasts grow stronger.”

Count Spinel was getting older. But that wasn’t the only reason why controlling the demonic beasts was becoming more difficult.

“We don’t know where the demonic beasts come from, Count Spinel. Even though we’ve lived here all along.”

“Herbalists and hunters…… We need more professional guides, Grand Duke.”

“Even those born and raised here cannot set foot in the northern mountains.”

The northern mountains were an unexplored space that no one had conquered, where even those who gathered herbs and hunted animals at the entrance would lose their way if they ventured a bit deeper.

Therefore, when the subjugation forces went up to the mountains to control the demonic beasts, they could only deal with those living at the entrance of the mountain range.

So without solving the fundamental problem, they could only desperately try to stop the demonic beasts coming down from the mountains, which were called a cursed place that no one could cross.

However, there was one existence that could traverse this infamous northern mountain range.

“The outsiders.”

Darius said.

“It’s said that only the outsiders, who are rumored to have originally lived in the northern mountains, can come and go from there.”

Count Spinel swallowed.

‘But outsiders never cooperate with northerners.’

They were called outsiders because they didn’t mix with anyone. That’s why the northerners had to solve northern problems by themselves.

* * *

“Count Spinel!”

“Count Alexei.”

Count Spinel was troubled by the problem of rampaging demonic beasts.

Not noticing Count Spinel’s dark expression, Count Alexei greeted her brightly. Count Alexei was a person who easily gained favor with women through his splendid appearance and smooth speech.

“You know that my godson, Alexander, visited the North for some business this time, right?”

“I heard about it earlier.”

“I came to express my gratitude. It was a shame to come all the way to this distant North for my godson and then just return, but thanks to Count Spinel’s good opinion of me, I’ve been able to join this northern mountain expedition.”

“You’re too kind.”

Count Spinel responded coldly despite Alexei’s skillful speech.

“Though we don’t have much of a relationship, your reputation precedes you. If that reputation is not false, having a good knight join the army is good for everyone. So there’s no need to specially thank me.”

“Hahaha…… You’re too rigid.”

Count Spinel had seemed less rigid when they were exchanging formal letters.

Alexei gritted his teeth at the fact that this same Count Spinel had suddenly shown trust in Darius.

Somehow, he needed to talk to her today and turn her heart back to having negative feelings toward the Grand Duke.

“Ah! I brought cold medicine as a token of gratitude. The North is cold, so people catch colds easily, right?”

“Is it perhaps a nasal irrigation solution?”

“That’s right. These days, a good nasal irrigation solution is popular in the capital……”

“My goodness!”

Count Spinel’s face crumpled.

“To think that such things are becoming popular in the capital without any knowledge of their dangers. It’s truly terrible. Please research carefully before using it. You might kill someone that way, Count!”

“What? Count, Count Spinel…… What do you…… Please listen to me before you go!”

Leaving behind a dumbfounded Count Alexei, Count Spinel strode away. She had thought of something to add to the letter she was sending to her territory.

First, she needed to arrest the doctors who had poured saline solution into her son’s nose. Re-education was necessary to prevent forcing incorrect treatments on patients who showed no improvement, as the method might not be suitable for everyone.

* * *

“Prince, how long are you going to sleep! Are you just going to eat and play around today too?”

Thwack! An outsider maiden with tanned skin woke up the young man who was sleeping lazily.

“Yaaawn, my sister. If you’re going to wake me up, I wish you’d do it gently with your nightingale-like voice…… Ow, ow, ow, okay! I’ll get up. I’m getting up.”

“Your talk about meeting the lord was all lies! As always, the men of our clan have nothing but smooth tongues!”

The outsider tent, usually cold to people outside their family, had recently gained a new member.

This freeloader had rolled in claiming to be a blood relative during the harvest festival.

〈Hello, family. Though we’re meeting for the first time, the blood flowing in us is familiar to each other.〉

When he took off his cloak, his face was revealed to be tanned like an outsider’s.

The cloak in the man’s hand had footprints on it as if someone had beaten him thoroughly. He looked very suspicious even to the outsiders.

〈Oh, this? Don’t worry about it. I paid back as much as I got beaten behind there.〉

Coincidentally, the day the man appeared was the day the notorious slave market that had been wielding power in the North was overturned.

The man answered while dusting off his cloak, though no one had asked.

〈This probably gives a bad first impression, right? But I’m not a bad person.〉

His bushy, curly black hair was unkempt, and his round eyes like grapes were particularly noticeable. The man smiled broadly, making those big eyes curve.

〈What? Family?〉

〈The prince has arrived.〉

There was no time to deny that they had no such family.

The elder leading the outsider tribe immediately recognized him as a member of the outsiders as soon as he saw him.

〈There’s nothing to be surprised about. He is destined to belong to our group.〉

The elder said. He came here because he had something proper to do.

He was someone who could make prophecies.

However, this mysterious and special person had been busy going out to play every day since the first day he came to the outsider tent, rather than making money by telling fortunes.

What use is a prophecy that doesn’t make money!

“Sister, a hero always waits for the right time.”

“So when are you going to do that job!”

The young man scratched his chin. He thought about the dream he had been having before this outsider maiden woke him up.

“When will that time come…… Now?”

The dream where a woman collapsed in the snow, spilling red blood.

〈Dari……us.〉

The woman who couldn’t even leave her last words.

The slow cessation of her blue pupils was still vivid to him.

A nightmare-like dream where one woman’s death would bring more bloodshed. He had come to prevent it.

* * *

Bang!

“Quaaaack!”

Ta-tang, bang!

The sound of multiple gunshots was heard.

“Huk.”

My shoulders flinched at the loud noise.

“Are you okay?”

Darius hugged me from behind with concern. Count Alexei glanced at us like this and sneered.

“Hmph, I heard northern women are strong, but surprisingly, the Grand Duchess can’t even handle this. Ah, come to think of it, the Grand Duchess isn’t from the North, is she? I apologize for my rudeness.”

“You’d better watch where you’re aiming, Count Alexei. You missed again.”

“Well, it’s just a small matter.”

The man retorted sarcastically.

“Aren’t you watching my prey too eagerly, Grand Duke? I thought you had no interest in hunting since you haven’t caught a single one yet.”

“Should I cover your ears, Anette? Would that make the noise better?”

“I’m sorry, Darius. I’m not usually startled by loud noises……”

“It’s nothing, Anette. I’m just worried that you were startled.”

“The couple is really a matching pair……”

Ta-ta-tang!

Bang! Bang!

“That half-wit needs to stop. Has he no sense?”

I burrowed into Darius’s arms as the gunshots poured out nervously. Despite it being troublesome, Darius comforted me without showing any displeasure.

“I’ll stay by your side as much as you need, so don’t worry too much.”

“But then you can’t hunt because of me.”

“Hunting can be done later.”

Today, a hunting competition was being held by the Grand Duke’s family to warm up before the demonic beast subjugation.

While everyone was enthusiastic, Count Alexei, who had been particularly aggressive, seems to have finally succeeded in his hunt after a series of nervous rapid-fire shots.

The loud gunshots ceased for a moment, and I saw him dragging his prey, which had been butchered by bullets. Seeing the trail of red blood following his path made me feel sick.