Although the long winter was coming to an end, a cold atmosphere still lingered in Sturma.
While this could be explained by the northern characteristic of resisting winter's retreat, it wasn't enough to justify the melancholy that permeated the mansion.
"…There are so many documents."
It was daytime, but the office was dark, and there wasn't enough sunlight.
Rutiger, who was holding a pen there, looked again at the piles of documents stacked on both sides of him, and his face hardened once more.
"It's endless, endless."
Even though he had spent the night resolving matters, more tasks had already accumulated for the day.
Looking at the documents waiting for him, Rutiger rubbed his face with both hands, exasperated.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
The sound of knocking on the door was small but lively.
Rutiger, who had already figured out who was visiting by the sound of the steps, spoke without even raising his head.
"Lord Rutiger, here it is."
"Lately, I'm always here. It seems you've lost interest in me, Dorothea."
He said it jokingly, but the corners of his smiling lips actually seemed bitter.
The tasks increased as the situation changed rapidly.
Dorothea, standing in front of Rutiger, pursed her lips for a moment at his seemingly depressed attitude.
"I have a telegram for you."
"From whom?"
"It's a telegram from Lord Vlad."
That's why she hurriedly mentioned Vlad's name.
Though it felt strange to add the title "Lord" to a young man who barely knew how to ride a horse, Rutiger's surprised expression made her feel the effort was worth it.
"What's happening? Did he ever contact me separately?"
To Rutiger, the name Vlad was certainly welcome, but it was also a name that worried him.
Because he knew very well that the depression currently hovering around the mansion started right next to Vlad.
"…Is it about Joseph?"
"No, it's not that."
Dorothea carefully placed the notes she brought and spoke.
"I don't know why, but he asked about the tribe I was born in."
"Your tribe?"
Rutiger's eyes narrowed at the completely unexpected response.
It wasn't a matter related to Joseph, nor to Radu and Pedro, but something about Dorothea, which was surprising.
"Did you answer him?"
"…There was no reason not to."
Unlike other races living in a fixed place, the beastmen, who had lost their homeland, wandered from city to city.
To find the whereabouts of such beastmen, they inevitably needed the help of tribe members.
"This year they are in the city of Namarka."
The finger pointing at the map spread out on the desk stopped at a place.
The city of Namarka.
A city located near the south of the central region.
However, Rutiger's gaze did not focus on Dorothea's finger but on Vlad's telegram that she had left.
"…I don't know what he plans, but I'm sure he'll handle it well."
As only short text messages could be exchanged, it was a magical telegram that could only write a few words.
Therefore, it was a telegram that had no choice but to be written in detail, but at the end of Vlad's words, there was clearly a greeting to someone.
It was just a few words of greeting, but no greeting could be as comforting as this for Oksana, who had now lost her strength.
***
"Why is it in such a remote place, Namarka or Nimirka?"
The road was filled with mud, as the frozen ground began to thaw.
Even though he was on horseback, Radu frowned and grumbled as the mud reached his thighs.
"If you keep complaining, go back north."
"…"
However, Radu had no choice but to quickly shut his mouth at the chilling voice that came from beside him.
Although he disliked the destination, he preferred it to heading north.
"I was just saying. Are all northerners this extreme?"
"Yes, we are all extreme. So please shut up."
Not only extreme but also very difficult.
However, Vlad was the one holding his life in his hands, so Radu had no choice but to stay quiet.
"I told you to go back north. Why do you insist on walking into the dragon's mouth?"
"It's too late. We can't go now, so what are we going to do?"
The group that left Arnstein's territory was now heading to a southern city, not north.
Pedro, who disliked the direction, also started murmuring, but Vlad clearly had a good reason to come here.
"Marcus told me the road north is already covered by the Duke's men. Will we be able to overcome all that with just us?"
"Damn it. I don't like any of those damned dragons."
"…You're not talking about me, are you?"
The county of Arnstein was located near the center of the central region.
What this meant was that for Vlad to head safely north, he would have to pass through quite a few central territories, and it also meant that it would ultimately be difficult to break through the siege of the Dragon Slayer Knights.
Of course, Vlad had no intention of heading north from the beginning.
"There are properties written by Count Arnstein himself. From now on, we will follow the territories where the Court Duke's faction is located and head north as he told us."
When Vlad said he would follow the most reliable route and only choose safe places, even Pedro had no choice but to nod as if he had no other option.
"There it is! That's Namarka."
"Ah, today we can sleep at an inn."
With a sigh of relief from Radu, the sprawling city was seen through the fingertips of Nibelun, who took the lead.
The city, surrounded by flimsy fences, seemed dangerous, but it was actually a bustling place with lively people inside.
"…Namarka."
Vlad, contemplating the view of Namarka from the hill with Noir, began to laugh wildly at the vaguely strong smell of his hometown.
"Looking over there makes me feel at peace for the first time in a long while."
City of Namarka.
Disputed by three lords who claimed it as their own. For this reason, no one truly dominated it, and the locals called it the city of outlaws.
***
"Where are you going?"
"Why do you care?"
"…I'm a guard."
"Really?"
Vlad, who was passing through a wooden fence that didn't look like a castle gate, looked at the man who grabbed him.
The guard, with several missing teeth, seemed accustomed to Vlad's indifferent attitude.
"Then you should have said so earlier. I couldn't distinguish you from the others."
No matter how crazy a lord was, he would at least equip his guards who watched the castle gates with proper gear.
However, the city of Namarka was filled more with criminal organizations than lords, so the guards' outfits were no different from those of thugs.
"Identification."
"I don't have any."
Although Vlad spoke with such confidence, the guard naturally extended his palm as if knowing he would.
The appearance of the group, vividly recreated by an old veteran from the alley, didn't seem out of place at all compared to the people currently lined up in front of the castle gate, so the guards had no reason to be particularly cautious.
"What are the tolls these days?"
"Pay upfront."
"Oh, you really shouldn't be doing this."
Truly a city of scoundrels.
Vlad scratched his forehead as he combed his tangled hair, seeing them shout to make the first move, which is almost like an unwritten law in the North.
The tall face visible thanks to his raised head was impressive, but the smile with many dark spots seemed so raw that there was no need to ask where he was from.
"Two old men, a cat, and a child..."
The guard, who had let his guard down at Vlad's open attitude, looked at the group lined up behind him.
Looking at the old man coughing loudly and the beastman with cross-eyed pupils, they were a pathetic group of people who seemed to have nothing to eat.
"Three silver coins. The elders simply treat it as such."
"You're doing a good job. Take it."
Vlad, who deftly slipped the silver coin into the guard's arms, quickly let the group in through the gate.
Pedro, trembling with anger, lay down for a moment, but in the guard's eyes, he was nothing more than a tall, thin old man.
"What a disgrace…"
"You have to endure it. This is the way to the next territory."
The scene in Namarka, where Pedro was dragged with much effort, was as chaotic as expected.
"…It's a completely corrupt city. God tests me again today."
Beggars lunging at the slightest distraction, half-naked prostitutes in the alleys.
Moreover, the sight of drunken people lying here and there was so bad that it was hard to tell if they were corpses or not.
"Radu, come here."
"…You call me brother, right?"
Vlad called his blood brother as if he were a dog, but Radu couldn't express any discontent.
If he followed Mirshea, he would die, and if he went north, he might be trapped forever, so only Vlad was his option.
"Take this and stand in the street for a while."
"Hmm?"
Vlad, who didn't know the city's geography well but had found his own way through his experience in the back alleys, was now standing in front of the main street where there seemed to be more beastmen than humans.
The subtly different atmosphere along the way clearly indicated that this was the territory of the beastmen.
"What's this for?"
"Maybe you don't know yet, but northerners have an impatient personality."
"…Yes?"
"Go quickly."
Radu, who grabbed the jingling money bag, stood in the middle of the street without understanding anything.
The sight of Radu standing by the road as if everything was awkward was the very image of an old man who had gotten lost.
"…It seems it's not just the body that's aged."
Vlad, who was observing Radu while standing in an invisible corner, clicked his tongue.
Although he was someone who led the Dragon Slayer Knights, the current Radu didn't even notice the pickpocket who had just passed by him.
"Let's see where he goes."
Even though he was walking among the crowd, he could clearly see Vlad's blue eyes.
The tail of the young beastman was moving a lot, with ears perked up as if he was nervous.
The young pickpocket, who looked around to see if anyone was following, checked the bag he had just stolen from Radu and hid in a dark alley.
***
A pitch-black cat darted out of a dizzying alley.
Although it was breathless, showing how much it had run, the young cat's speed did not decrease at all.
"Damn it!"
It was a young pickpocket who jumped over a wall and hid in a familiar alley, but he soon started at a sound he heard.
"Are you here?"
"…!"
Blonde hair and blue eyes that were clearly visible even in a dark alley.
Vlad's eyes, looking at the pickpocket as if all his running had been in vain, even had a hint of mischief in them.
"Idiot, you followed me all the way here."
Seeing Vlad like that, the young pickpocket laughed.
The surprised expression he had shown before disappeared, and other young beastmen who had been waiting behind the boy with a deep smile began to come out.
"These guys don't know what's coming. They just follow the money without valuing their lives."
"Yes, I know. I did it on purpose."
However, Vlad simply nodded despite the boy's ridicule.
"Aren't there more beastmen to call? If possible, I'd like them to be high-ranking people."
Jorge had said:
The best bait was the one that didn't know it was bait.
Vlad simply smiled at the young pickpocket who led him to the alley where the Lu family was staying.
This alley where Vlad smiled was the territory of the beastmen.
Specifically, the Ruga tribe to which Dorothea belonged.
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