WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
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◈ Prince of Rage ◈
Chapter 98
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Snow lay in a dusting as thin as an eyebrow. Kicked and trampled beneath people’s feet, it vanished as though evaporating once the sun rose.
White traces remained on rooftops and in a few places, but even those were gone by afternoon.
All that remained was a gloomy sky and a cold wind.
“You fool, it isn’t spring. It’s winter now.”
Valerie spoke as he brushed Snow. Perhaps because it was the first snowfall, Snow was unusually excited and kept trying to lick him.
Valerie fed Snow plenty of things Snow liked, such as dried bean stalks and carrots. Then he carefully brushed Snow and stroked Snow’s neck and forehead.
Sometimes, he felt that the eyes of animals like cows and horses resembled those of people. It was enough to make one think they had once known how to speak, only to forget it because of some god’s curse.
Snow’s exact age was unknown, but Snow was around three or four years old. In human terms, Snow was about Valerie’s age, full of energy and youthful recklessness.
Like Snow’s master, Snow was cold toward anyone Snow did not acknowledge. Snow’s nature was bright, but only those close to Snow could know that.
Valerie washed his hands in the water trough, left the stable, and entered the branch building. Warm air wrapped around him, and his slightly frozen facial muscles seemed to thaw.
A fire burned in the hearth, while the body heat of the branch staff mingled to warm the room.
“Branch Manager.”
Valerie called to Wilfred, who had just come out of the kitchen. He had originally been the acting branch manager, but he was now the official one.
“Yes?”
“Has the prince eaten?”
“Ah, yes. He seems especially fond of chicken porridge.”
“That’s good.”
“Still... We are at war, right?”
Wilfred asked cautiously. When he heard war had broken out, he had expected everything to burn and people to die in droves. Since nothing much had happened, he could not help asking.
In truth, such things mostly happened after armies clashed and decided the outcome, when the victor entered the defeated side’s territory.
In other words, during a standoff, it rarely happened anywhere except poorly defended places like rural villages.
“It’s winter, so they won’t find it easy to move either. They’ll probably make a wide detour or seek another method.”
“Another method?”
“If they can’t overwhelm us with numbers, they may hire a small number of specialists.”
Assassins, monster or wild beast hunters, or in rare cases, mages.
To their enemies, Valerie was not merely a strong man. He was being seen as some monster or wild beast beyond common sense, so they were likely trying to find a fitting way to deal with him.
Once they found a proper countermeasure, they could capture Valerie, or at least limit how freely he could act.
Only then could they carry out other operations. Even their enemies knew there was little they could do in the current situation.
Wilfred considered Valerie’s words quietly before answering.
“To the west, they would have no choice but to cross the fields of Aldincaster. To the east, they would have to pass through the County of Burningstone.”
“Is that so?”
Hayden Crossroads was, in fact, the junction dividing the kingdom’s north from its center. Anyone traveling south from the north or north from the south had to pass through Hayden Crossroads.
The only alternative was to make a long detour. The western route was very far and passed through another duchy, while the eastern route meant passing through Burningstone, a county within the Duchy of Nearcaster.
Moreover, passing through another duchy was diplomatically troublesome. Sending an army through without permission was practically an invitation to war, while asking to borrow the road meant offering something in return. Both were headaches.
But the ducal title of Nearcaster was currently vacant. In other words, the duchy had no duke.
“How far is that county?”
“About a day on horseback. Depending on when one leaves, one might need to camp along the way. If one leaves early in the morning, one could arrive by evening. The Count of Burningstone has long collected tolls, so merchants do not often travel that way.”
“How would he respond if the Alliance marched an army through?”
“I’m not sure... I don’t think he would simply let them pass. But if they paid an enormous toll, he would probably allow them through.”
Valerie had been thinking the same thing, but he had been testing Wilfred a little. This much showed that Wilfred possessed ordinary judgment.
“Good. Then we’ll do this. Wear my armor, ride Snow, and linger around the bridge every day. I’ll visit the County of Burningstone in the meantime.”
They had no real troops at present, so Valerie needed some kind of method if he was to move. The answer he had come up with was deception.
If someone wore Valerie’s armor and rode his horse, those watching from across the bridge would think, Ah, that man is still standing guard over there.
But from Wilfred’s perspective, it was absurd and frightening.
“...Pardon?”
“Nothing will happen. You only need to linger around the bridge. Even an hour a day will do.”
“I can’t fight like you, dragon-slayer.”
“Who told you to fight? I said to linger. The enemy won’t dare attack.”
“...”
“It isn’t yet time to strike back. I can stir up the enemy by myself, but that’s all. If I repeat it, they’ll adapt and become a stronger army. I’ve asked those I know for help, so when enough strength gathers, we’ll strike them in one blow and push south. Until then, we stop them as best we can. Do you understand?”
Wilfred understood what he meant, but why entrust such an important task to him? The thought made his heart tremble.
Of course, Valerie had almost no one he could trust at present, so he intended to make use of Wilfred.
As though he would accept no objections, Valerie went upstairs toward the room where the Third Prince was staying.
When he entered, the Third Prince, Ivar, was still lying in bed recuperating, with Eldwin and Ivy beside him.
He did not know what they had been doing, but they were chatting with smiles on their faces. It was a small change that was, in a way, a great one. Aside from Ivy, they had rarely had cause to smile.
They all turned at Valerie’s entrance, and Ivy beamed.
“How is your meal? Are you settling in?”
“Thanks to you. And you?”
“I think I must visit a place called Burningstone. The enemy may make a detour through there. It is a day away on horseback, but I will likely go on foot.”
“...When I look into your eyes, I cannot imagine you losing. Still, I feel as though I am causing trouble.”
“This is for everyone, not merely for you, Brother.”
“I know. It is simply how I feel.”
“In any case, I am glad you seem well.”
“Well. I have a dream now. Someday, I will build a library. I will pass knowledge on to those who wish to learn, regardless of status. What do you think?”
“What use would ignorant peasants have for learning? They would only pretend to know things halfway.”
Valerie was somewhat skeptical of people acquiring knowledge. Still, he was not exactly opposed to it. More precisely, he simply did not consider it very important.
“Every blessing has a curse lurking behind it. A curse, too, becomes a blessing to those who overcome it. Knowledge will be both blessing and curse. Like my long illness.”
“Then you would be spreading a plague.”
It was a joke. Ivar smiled broadly as he answered.
“That’s so. I can’t die alone, can I?”
It was a joke as well, but jokes from the Volsung clan had an unsettling quality to other people.
Eldwin and Ivy’s faces had stiffened. What were these people talking about?
“I will return as quickly as possible once I am ready. Until then, Eldwin and Ivy, take good care of my brother. Do not relax just because the bridge is blocked. A small group can pass through the gorge and infiltrate whenever they please.”
“Have a safe trip. Thank you, Prince.”
“Could I not come with you? There should be someone to run errands, too.”
Ivy spoke regretfully. Knut, Yorick, and Brynhildr had all gone to carry out Valerie’s orders, and it seemed she was unhappy to be the only one left behind.
“When you become an adult, I will give you work as well.”
“But you are not an adult either, Lord Valerie.”
Valerie’s birthday was in March. The year would soon change, and he would become an adult when spring came, but for now he was still fourteen.
“Talking back is not a particularly good habit.”
“Yes...”
“Take good care of Snow. Wilfred will pretend to be me and linger around the bridge every day, so looking after Snow will be your task. And attending to my brother is no trivial matter.”
A lady-in-waiting and a maid were clearly different things. The Countess’s or Duchess’s ladies-in-waiting were all noblewomen, or at the very least women from middle-class families.
Then what of someone who attended directly to a prince? It was not work just anyone could do.
Strictly speaking, a male noble should be attended by a male servant, but their circumstances did not allow it.
Valerie stroked Ivy’s head and pinched her cheek once. After bidding Ivar farewell, he left the room again.
Then he prepared to depart. A gambeson, cloak, belt, one sword, light provisions, and water. That was all he needed to carry. It was not especially heavy.
Burningstone meant burning stone or rock, though even the locals did not know exactly why it had received that name.
There were simply black, jagged rock formations rising from the ground, and rocks that sometimes looked as though they had melted. Perhaps that was why it had been named so.
At a glance, it was not favorable terrain for a large army to cross. The roads were limited, and those limited roads passed through a gorge.
Above that gorge stood a castle, not particularly large but firmly planted there. That one small castle served as a gatekeeper against enemies, whether there were ten thousand or one hundred thousand of them.
It was a very windy place. Wild mountain goats leapt freely across the harsh terrain, as if mocking anyone watching them.
Valerie stood upon that land. He was not tired, but paused as though taking a rest, surveying the surrounding terrain. When he raised his head, the gray sky concealed the sun.
Perhaps because the wind was so strong, it did not feel very cold. Or perhaps it was because the sea was not far away.
His flapping cloak and wildly streaming hair showed how fierce the wind was. To be honest, it was not a good land for people to live in.
Valerie began walking toward the castle again.
Then, at some point, a person suddenly appeared atop a rock and called out a warning.
“Hey.”
Valerie looked up. The person wore light armor and held a crossbow aimed at him.
“Who are you, and what business do you have at the castle?”
“I am Valerie. I wish to meet the lord of the castle, the Count.”
“Valerie? Some foreigner I have never heard of, no... Could you be the dragon-slayer?”
“Yes.”
When Valerie gave his name, the man standing some distance away changed his expression. He examined Valerie more closely before speaking.
“Can you prove it?”
“No. I do not prove myself. If you truly doubt me, bring a Cambrian. Then listen to what they say when they see me.”
If he was a fraud, he was a swindler. If he was genuine, he could not be ignored. The man hesitated between those possibilities before questioning Valerie again.
“Why do you wish to meet the Count?”
“The five forces of the Antler Alliance, headed by the Duke of Edelia, may come this way. When they arrive, do not open the road.”
“Hmm, you do seem to be the dragon-slayer. We heard you were fighting recently. Why did you kidnap the prince?”
“It was not kidnapping. The prince wished it himself.”
“What did the prince wish for?”
“A life freed from restraints.”
“I do not quite understand what you mean. In any event, come with me.”
The man lowered his crossbow and went up toward the castle. Valerie followed him across the rugged ground.
The castle was old and small, but it looked sturdy. Standing alone in a place of fierce winds, it also seemed lonely.
There was no distinction between outer and inner castle. Passing through the gate led directly into the part of the castle where the Count lived. With no courtyard either, perhaps it was simply a large defensive tower.
Logs burned in the hearth within, spreading warmth, but the place felt bleak rather than cozy.
The man with the crossbow went upstairs. Soon afterward, a middle-aged man came down, dressed shabbily for a count. His sleeves were rolled up, and he wore no sword at his waist.
The strange thing was the count’s coronet on his head, a round gilded band. It was the only thing that showed his rank.
As he descended the stairs, he looked Valerie up and down. His gaze was neither vacant nor sharp, but it was clear.
“You killed a dragon? You? You look young.”
“It seems age has nothing to do with killing dragons.”
“Yes, I suppose so. Sit wherever you are comfortable.”
The Count naturally took a chair near the fireplace. Valerie sat some distance away. There were no special formalities, nor much furniture befitting a noble.
“Whatever else, your looks are extraordinary. They do not suit this place at all. Rather than a swindler, you would be better off as a male whore fleecing noblewomen.”
“If you are trying to test me, stop. If you intend to insult me, I will leave.”
“Is that so? Did you not come here to make a request?”
“I did not come here to beg.”
“Fine. You are straightforward. I heard what you said. You want me to stop the southern army from passing through. That is not difficult. I merely need to hole up in the castle. But what profit is there in it for me?”
“Is it not a lord’s basic duty to stop foreign invaders?”
“A basic duty? Then why has the Duke of Nearcaster never guaranteed my rights through the generations? Do you know? Our family was never conquered by the Norsemen. No matter how the world changed, we simply remained here. Yet kings and dukes make a fuss among themselves, demand taxes, and so on. I have never obeyed any of that. So why should I listen to you?”
Simply put, Burningstone was an isolated place beyond the world’s attention. It was not worth invading, there was no reason to meddle in its affairs, and so it received no attention.
Though Valerie had taken an interest in it now because of the circumstances.
“Then do you purely desire money, Count?”
“Yes. What is wrong with that? With money, one can buy food, clothes, weapons, anything that can be bought. Why would I not open the road for money? So if you want the road blocked, you must pay money as well.”
“Very well. Then we can kill the enemy, seize their weapons and provisions, and raise the money that way.”
“...?”
“If you block the road, the enemy will try to pass through even if they must seize the castle. Kill them, and it will make money. It will be far more profitable than collecting a few coins in tolls. It will be a great deal of money.”
The Count and the man with the crossbow looked bewildered, apparently unable to understand what Valerie was saying.
“I believe you are mistaken. I cannot go out and fight. All I can do is stay inside the castle.”
“I will go out and fight. You may keep the spoils.”
“...”
What could this possibly mean? The Count thought for a long while. He naturally knew what a dragon-slayer was, but the realization came to him belatedly.
A dragon-slayer was another name for the bravest and strongest person in the world.
“Hmm. We shall see. If you die pointlessly, I can open the road then.”
“Do we have an agreement?”
“As long as you go out and fight, and remain alive. The moment you die, it is none of my concern. Hey, bring out some liquor and mountain goat meat.”
“Understood.”
“Saxon. I am Count Saxon of Burningstone. And you?”
“Valerie.”
“Valerie the dragon-slayer. Let us see how great the prowess of one who killed a dragon truly is.”
Count Saxon rose from his seat and went back upstairs.
Whether he was easygoing or opportunistic, Valerie did not know. But he thought the Count resembled this land. Harsh and bleak.
In the end, people seemed to be animals that adapted within the fate they were given.
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