The Crimson Duke of War: Historian In Another World

"Petrify."

Just like that, the wolf became stone once more. Justinian wasn't sure if killing everything with just an utterance of a word was fun or not.

But it sure was efficient.

"Warrior."

The stone turned into another one of Justinian's stone constructs, but this time, this warrior was positioned directly at the cavern entrance.

He'd rather not deal with another wolf somehow getting past the guards he had already positioned just outside the frozen waterfall.

"What else do you think we'll find here?"

Maria snuggled up closer to the campfire, enjoying the warmth it brought as night had now arrived in the mountains.

"Bears, deers, the occasional bandit or two..."

Justinian listed them one by one, but in truth, he was just repeating what he knew was already present based on when Julius took the pilgrimage himself.

He was fully prepared if any of those actually came to ambush them, especially the deer... the mountain itself had fairly unique wildlife that made even the simplest creature a threat.

"That sounds... fun?"

"Now regretting coming with me?"

"In your dreams..." Maria smirked.

[System]

Justinian checked for the time; it was barely even past six, and in a mountain, there was quite literally nothing to help pass the time.

"I'm... kind of bored."

"I can't blame you, I feel the same."

Justinian and Maria continued to look at the campfire, letting the crackling occupy their mind to stave off boredom.

Going outside wasn't really an option; the mountain had no other light source than the moon, and within that darkness would surely be threats..., and while Justinian may be powerful, he didn't have night vision.

"I should have brought a book." Justinian laughed.

"Not as prepared as you thought you were?" Maria asked.

"Yeah... I didn't expect boredom to be an issue."

Justinian leaned back, letting the warmth of the fire seep through his jacket. The soft crackle of flames was almost hypnotic.

Maria stretched, letting out a contented sigh. "You know… this isn't so bad. I could get used to nights like this, without palace intrigue, without annoying brothers… just the mountain, the stars, and a competent tour guide."

He smirked, glancing at her. "You don't have to keep complimenting me, you know?"

Maria laughed, brushing a strand of snow-dusted hair from her face. "What else am I supposed to talk about?"

The firelight danced across her face, highlighting the warmth in her expression. Justinian felt a small, uncharacteristic tug of pride, though he quickly masked it behind a casual sip of tea.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the flames leap and twist. Every so often, a gust of wind rattled the cavern entrance, making the stone warrior outside shift slightly.

"Think you can teach me about controlling my gifts?" Maria asked again, her tone softer now, a hint of curiosity beneath her teasing.

"Unfortunately not," Justinian replied, keeping his tone casual. "Each gift is special to the person, even if you show me how they worked, I'd probably have no idea where to even start."

Maria tilted her head. "So… all that power, all these abilities… and I can't even use them?"

"You were granted them for a reason," he said, looking at the faint glow of his veins beneath his skin. "Give it time, you'll eventually master them."

Maria leaned closer to the fire, her face softening. "You really are kind for a person known as the crimson duke... To be able to say all that, despite mastering your own gifts in an instant…"

She paused, then added with a teasing grin, "You sure you're not just saying that to not make me feel bad?"

Justinian allowed himself a small chuckle. "You can't just let me compliment you without asking me questions, can't you?"

"Nope," she shot back, though her tone was playful.

The two settled back, letting the warmth and quiet fill the cavern. Outside, the snow glimmered under the moonlight, and the lone howl of a distant wolf echoed faintly, reminding them of the mountain's untamed wildness.

Maria leaned back on her bedroll, eyes half-closed. "Do you ever… feel lonely doing all this?" she asked softly.

Justinian considered it for a moment, watching the fire reflect in her eyes. "A long time ago, maybe... but I've experienced far too much to ever feel lonely due to something like this."

He reminisced about his past, years of isolation, living paycheck to paycheck, which reminded him that he should probably pray for whatever gods there are in this world for giving him a second chance.

Maria frowned, and she nudged his shoulder lightly. "Don't get so somber... I couldn't even count how many people trust and love you."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Should I include you as part of that list?"

"Maybe..."

***

Before they even realized it, they had fallen asleep in the midst of their conversation, the warmth of the campfire and their voices being a natural lullaby, knocking them out cold without the slightest hint of resistance.

But outside of the cavern, there was a completely different situation happening.

"What are they...?"

Isildur whispered, crouched behind a rock with the rest of his scouts.

Sent by their chieftain to investigate weird sightings of moving stone men that seemed to suddenly appear all around the mountain's path.

To them, it wasn't just the work of a pilgrim, but likely a powerful wizard that could stabilize their society when they weren't paying attention.

And their task?

To identify the source of the stone constructs and figure out the motivation of their creator.

"According to some of the hunters, it was only two people, one with red hair and another with gold."

Nuriel, the second in command, replied. "Since it's just two, should we ambush them?"

"No, we still don't know what those stone warriors are capable of; we should observe them for now..."

Isildur gestured to the rest of his scouting army, ordering them to position all around the waterfall and to wait for any suspicious movements.

From their movements and efficiency alone, it was clear this wasn't their first rodeo in taking care of possibly dangerous and hostile foreigners in their lands.