Wolves of Hader

The sixth day since arriving at the northern village.

For the first few days, I had difficulty moving due to the aftermath of my illness, but now I had improved enough to walk on my own.

So, I wanted to check for myself whether the 'manufacturing ingredients' actually existed here, but instead, I decided not to push myself and sent the servants on errands.

I just wanted to confirm whether the materials existed in this region. That was yesterday.

"Young master. It's Donnie. May I come in?"

"You may enter."

The door creaked open, and a large figure entered.

This giant was my attendant.

His name was Donnie. He was eighteen years old.

"Young master, shall I wash you?"

"No, it's fine. From now on, I'll wash my face myself."

"Yes."

Donnie placed washwater beneath the bed and stepped back. Then, with his hands clasped, he smiled as he watched what I was doing.

Having a servant felt awkward in the beginning, but I had grown somewhat accustomed to it now.

Donnie was my exclusive attendant.

He stood two meters tall and was so fat that the phrase 'looks like a mountain' fit him perfectly. In contrast, his face was as gentle as could be.

"Shouldn't I start greeting Father in the mornings from today?"

"Yes. Won't it be hard while you walk?"

"A brief stroll should be fine."

"Still, I'll follow you from behind."

"Alright."

I washed roughly and changed clothes.

Children of noble houses are supposed to greet the family head both morning and night, but I hadn't been able to do so because my body hadn't been well.

It seemed enough to just wear simple everyday clothes and go greet the head, but there were so many formalities.

I had to dress in the full formal attire of a noble child in this world and even put on accessories before leaving my room.

However, in the corridor, the 'marquis' was standing.

Together with the knight, Russell.

"Good morning."

"Yes, you look much better."

The marquis looked at my clothes and said,

"From now on, wear something simpler. You do not need to come to greet me before breakfast as you did when we were in the west territory. No—in fact, it's better that you throw away everything you've learned so far."

I could not understand what he meant.

After speaking, the marquis gazed wordlessly out at the village plaza.

Russell, who stood beside him, also kept his mouth tightly shut and only watched people come and go.

I, too, looked out at the village plaza.

Then, I finally understood what the marquis was saying.

My attire did not suit this village at all.

The village itself was hardly bigger than an elementary school campus.

Though called a plaza, the ground was a muddy mess with pigs, chickens, and people all mixed together.

Street stalls were scattered everywhere.

It looked as if buildings and people had been crammed forcefully into a tiny piece of land.

All the buildings were single-story and wooden, and there was no separate castle.

The two-story wooden building served as both the castle and the family head's residence.

Where I was standing was the second-floor corridor balcony of the castle.

If I opened my room door, I could look right down onto the plaza where villagers passed by.

This meant that this castle was not truly a place for nobles to live.

That explained the marquis's somber expression.

He had probably expected exile to be somewhere at least a bit livable, but had not realized how harsh it truly was.

Russell, the knight, spoke.

"The previous lord was granted a low-rank noble title and moved to the central region. It's said there were about thirty soldiers, but all left with their families."

"The current population?"

"According to the locals, about sixty still remain."

"What about the administrators?"

"It seems there were never any official administrators for this village."

"Well, it makes sense for such a small village."

The marquis looked at the massive wall.

"What about wall defense?"

"I've reviewed the duty logs and defense protocols left behind. It may also help to ask the old soldiers for what knowledge is lacking."

"Did they leave any advice regarding the cold snap?"

"Yes."

"This year, the first extreme cold in thirty years is expected, and yet they left without giving any warnings or advice?"

"I find that suspicious as well. If this wall were to break, even the southern cities would be in grave danger."

"They're trying to give me a pretext."

Russell couldn't reply any further.

That "pretext" seemed to mean the marquis's complete downfall or death.

If he failed to defend the wall, there would be grounds for the [final disposal] of him and his family.

"Does it seem the giants could break through the wall easily?"

"I have never seen a giant myself. They're said to be three times the height of a man, and it's said that thirty years ago a single giant broke down a brick castle here, so their strength must be formidable."

"So they never rebuilt a castle afterward."

"Finances were likely part of the reason. The food situation is currently dire as well. It's said the previous lord looted not only the castle's stores but also the villagers' food supplies before leaving."

"I see. Let's solve the food problem first, then."

The marquis and Russell exchanged nods with me and left. I called out right away to Donnie, who was waiting behind me.

"Let's go up onto the wall."

"You want to go up that high?"

"Why? Can't I?"

"You used to dislike high places, young master."

I gently pushed away Donnie, who tried to carry me on his back, and walked on my own two feet.

I needed to keep moving for my health's sake, even if I had to force myself. Though, by the first landing, I was already panting for breath.

Looking up and around from the stairwell, I saw just how massive the wall was.

The stones were hewn into squares, but now they were covered in ice. There was no wall in the Rac game, of course.

Repeating the cycle of climbing and resting, I finally made it to the top.

A strong wind blew in from the north. The wall was about five meters wide at the top, likely ten meters wide at the base due to its tapering.

The moment I looked north, I found myself exclaiming in awe.

This was indeed the north that I knew. To the north stretched an endless, rugged snowy mountain range; to the south was a vast open plain.

Atop the wall was a guard post, with two soldiers watching the north.

It was hard to gauge the wall's length, but if there were only thirty soldiers, perhaps only this section needed to be guarded.

The village lay within a cliff-filled canyon, with the cliffs serving as the fortress walls.

The canyon entrance was narrow, with a rather makeshift palisade and castle gate. Beyond the gate stretched open wasteland.

"Huh?"

As I looked around, I was surprised yet again.

So this was the area near Honey-Sucked Mountain.

The [Racrill] lode!

This really was the north of our guild territory.

And what's more, it was a first-grade security area and most tightly guarded by the guild.

Why?

Because Racrill, the strengthening material for weapons and armor, was found here.

In the early days of Rac, our guild struck it rich after discovering Racrill in this area.

That's why we named that mountain, where we found the huge crystal, Honey-Sucked Mountain.

Furthermore, this place was a natural fortress and incredibly rich in resources.

I knew exactly where all sorts of medicinal plants and Racrill lodes were, and even knew the locations of monsters that gave the best crafting materials.

If you rode south-east on horseback for about a day, you'd reach the sea, which was the capital of our guild territory.

Even here, that place was likely to be a city. I thought I might even know what giant the marquis was referring to earlier.

"Donnie, are the giants' hairs white, by any chance?"

"Yes, they call them white-haired giants."

In the game Rac, they were called trolls.

Here, they were giants.

"What is this wall for?"

"This is the northernmost part of the empire's east. Every thirty years, everything freezes in a severe cold snap, so this wall was built here."

"To block the wind?"

"No, it gets cold enough that monsters head south. So ages ago, our ancestors built the wall."

I had never experienced the cold snap.

Maybe because Rac had only been around for twenty years.

Well, if the trolls come, all the better. They provide the best ingredients for healing medicine.

"But Donnie, did my father get accused of treason?"

Donnie couldn't answer right away.

Maybe someone told him not to tell me.

"The thirty-year cold snap is coming this winter. That's why the family head came here."

"Why did it have to be Father who came to a place like this?"

"It's said there was massive damage to homes when the wall was breached thirty years ago. Maybe that's why our family head came. I don't know the other reasons."

The Hader house had received the [Star of Guardianship] title and was a high-ranking noble family.

The Star of Guardianship is almost equivalent to a marquis title.

The count is called [great lord], but except for the different word origins, the title is the same as 'count'.

In other words, as a bloodline of the imperial family and once the highest nobility in the continent's west, he now came to serve in this remote region.

If the marquis failed to stop the giants' southward advance during the cold snap, it would be a pretext for eliminating the marquis and his household.

With the cold wind, a grand ambition began to surge in my chest.

I didn't know if I'd relive this life or ever make it home again, but since I was here, I wanted to revive the Hader house.

At that moment, I heard a commotion.

Three servants to whom I had given errands appeared.

All three who had climbed onto the fortress wall were smiling.

"Did you find it?"

"Yes, young master. Here."

The servants held out leather pouches.

I hastily took a pouch and checked its contents.

Red moss mushrooms!

They really existed!

The ingredients for the [Strength] potion!

And in great quantity!

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Please tell me those so called potions are easy to craft?

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】