Chapter 179

Symbol of Prosperity

Before Valdrova and Ludmilla met each other, Ferda took a leisurely tour of his territory and showed the Purity family around.

“I realize this may be a delicate question.”

When they entered the plaza, Valery Purity, the head of the family, noticed something conspicuous and asked,

“Do you intend to keep that fountain running?”

“Of course. It was a gift from Iorga, the Water Aspect, and her descendants. How could I not use it?”

“Impressive.”

It was not sarcasm, but genuine admiration.

The fact that Ferda intended to operate a fountain when this was still only a small village meant that he was prepared for the prosperity that would come. Although Ferda was remarkably young, Valery had never once thought him to be a man consumed by vanity.

He could already envision the Far East flourishing in the future.

“I also heard that you intend to employ adventurers in the conquest of the Far East.”

“That is correct.”

“What do you think of the warriors of our North?”

The warriors of the North were rougher and less refined than knights, and were often treated as barbarians because of it.

“Isn’t hunting the frost giants beyond the northern wall considered their greatest honor?”

“The days when we hunted the frost giants of the North are long gone. In all my years, I have never once crossed that wall. In truth, even for northerners, crossing it in a human body is nearly impossible.”

“That sounds as though it has something to do with the Ascension Ceremony.”

“In truth, it has everything to do with it. The pride of the northern clans is to be chosen by the descendants of Silverwind and ascend—to become true warriors capable of crossing the wall.”

The most outstanding members of each tribe were selected and offered to the dragon spawn.

If someone was chosen as warrior material, their tribe was said to receive an enormous amount of money and food in return.

In the end, becoming a so-called true warrior was little more than a desperate struggle to keep one’s tribe alive.

What a cruel joke.

Becoming a dragon spawn meant washing away one’s past.

Their memories as humans became nothing more than the remnants of an insignificant previous life, while they formed new bonds as members of a dragon’s lineage.

It was effectively an act of abandoning one’s own people, yet they called it an honor.

“In any case, Silverwind’s death must have had a considerable impact on the North as well.”

“It did, but we do not dwell on it. Had we continued living solely to offer up warriors, we would still be barbarians today.”

It was merely the flow of history, and they had willingly adapted to it.

Valery cleared his throat.

“We have strayed from the subject. In any case, now that there is no longer any reason to cross the Frost Wall, I wished to say that the warriors of the North should be given the opportunity to set foot upon the Demonic Lands and seek new challenges.”

Ferda felt something peculiar in those words.

Waldemar Golt.

It was the same sensation he had whenever that old man spoke.

“Duke Purity.”

“Yes?”

“Are those the words of a warrior, or the words of a noble?”

He asked the question bluntly.

Valery Purity stroked his beard before answering.

“What would you do if I said they were the words of a warrior?”

“I would take them at face value.”

“And if they were the words of a noble?”

“Then I would like us to have a proper discussion.”

Hearing that, Valery understood.

Ferda had already discerned his intentions.

And he also regarded those intentions favorably.

“I hear there are demonic spies within the Arken Empire.”

“That is correct.”

“One was exposed during the Golden Council, and Duke Perry Yurei was also detained under suspicion of being a demonic spy. You were present for that much, so I assume you are aware of it.”

“I am.”

“The problem is that since Perry Yurei’s detention, he has not been treated as a noble. I hear he has been tortured repeatedly like a commoner, until they finally drew blood.”

It was such a vicious act that not only the Heinkel Kingdom, but other kingdoms as well, would have every right to condemn it.

“Do you understand what that means?”

Ferda nodded.

“It is a provocation of war.”

“The Heinkel Kingdom has been placed in an extremely difficult position because of this incident.”

There was no avoiding that predicament.

Perry Yurei’s son, Marcus Yurei, was a follower of the demons. What guarantee was there that Perry Yurei himself was not one as well?

If the kingdom blindly defended him and he truly turned out to be a demonic follower, suspicion would inevitably spread to the Heinkel Kingdom itself.

Yet they could not simply abandon Duke Yurei, either.

If Yurei was not a demonic follower, the incident could be used as grounds to accuse the king of fabricating an excuse to purge a duke.

The Arken Empire was the only party that stood to benefit from this conflict.

The Heinkel Kingdom had enjoyed a long period of peace, and the prospect of confronting the Arken Empire was a frightening one.

This complicated affair presented the Heinkel Kingdom with countless difficulties.

“The veteran hero, Margrave Oldin Rooster, has begun moving troops toward the border near the Heinkel Kingdom. At the same time, King Hudret appears ready to support him and join forces.”

“If two kingdoms set their sights on one, its destruction would only be a matter of time.”

At that, Duke Purity grinned.

“Not necessarily. In fact, King Hudret is intervening to protect the Heinkel Kingdom.”

“What do you mean by protecting it through an attack?”

Ferda did not immediately understand.

“If the Arken Empire were to wage an all-out war against the Heinkel Kingdom alone, the entire kingdom would become theirs. But what would happen if King Hudret intervened?”

“The problem would arise when it came time to divide the spoils according to each side’s contribution.”

“Precisely. King Hudret will move to secure a greater share of the profits than the division would otherwise grant him. And if conflict breaks out again afterward, the Arken Empire would no longer be fighting only the Hudret Kingdom, but all of Cerdes.”

Once, the Arken Empire’s expansionist policies had left countless kingdoms and territories trembling in fear.

They could not allow the lands of the Heinkel Kingdom to fall into imperial hands, because doing so would establish a dangerous precedent.

“Wouldn’t it be possible to isolate the Arken Empire, provided the other nations were determined to do so?”

“In the past, I might have thought it possible.”

Duke Purity let out a faint, complicated sigh.

“But as you know, the imperial legion was annihilated during the subjugation campaign, and the Arken Empire responded by deploying three extraordinary forces.”

Erdes Roton, Silverwind, and Storeus.

They had even mobilized dragons, and the proud descendants of Silverwind had assisted the empire.

“And Princeps Valdrova is here in the Far East as well.”

“She will not move for the empire’s sake.”

“You should not be so quick to conclude that. Since Storeus and Silverwind both acted to save the empire, a terrifying possibility remains.”

From his words, Ferda realized one thing.

Duke Purity did not know that Silverwind owed the Arken Empire some form of debt.

What kind of debt could it have been?

He tried to speculate, but no answer came to mind.

Valdrova remained in the Far East as penance for the countless lives she had taken, but to other dragons, such matters were little more than passing amusements.

It was difficult to imagine a dragon owing anything to a human.

Ferda chose not to reveal that fact.

He was not yet experienced enough to place his trust in Duke Purity.

In any case, the reason the duke had raised the subject was clear.

Should the empire reveal its ambitions, Duke Purity was preparing to respond in kind.

Politics truly is a headache.

At the same time, Ferda found it interesting.

Simply offering assistance did not mean everything would proceed smoothly. Politics was a complex chessboard on which one also had to consider everything that might follow afterward.

Ferda decided to join that chessboard and make a move of his own.

“To answer your proposal, I cannot permit northern troops to be stationed here.”

“That is unfortunate.”

“However—”

Ferda had not finished speaking.

“It may be worth considering the Adventurers’ Guild.”

Duke Purity’s eyebrows twitched.

“The Adventurers’ Guild?”

“Our city was designed for adventurers. If five hundred northern warriors entered, that would naturally give us cause for caution. But if they were five hundred adventurers, we would have no reason to turn them away.”

“Oh?”

“If the number of adventurers from the North increases, some form of supervision will naturally become necessary. That would inevitably lead to active exchanges with the North as well. So long as we make an outward show of finding it troublesome, who could object?”

“That provides more than sufficient justification.”

After hearing Ferda’s answer, Duke Purity gave a faint smile and extended his hand.

“This arrangement will greatly benefit both of us, Regent.”

“Then let us cooperate for the peace and prosperity of the Cerdes Continent.”

Ferda took his hand.

Hestia Village, in the territory of Princeps Valdrova.

As the morning sun rose, the people heading to work found themselves stopping in front of the village square.

Those who had no idea what was happening quietly questioned the spectators who had arrived before them.

“What are they doing today? Why is the administrator standing over there?”

“From what I heard, they’re unveiling something called a fountain.”

“A fountain? What’s that?”

“You see that statue over there?”

“What about it?”

“Apparently, water is supposed to come out of it.”

“Water comes out of it? How?”

“Isn’t that what we’re all here to find out?”

“Good heavens.”

Most of the villagers had been born and raised in tiny rural settlements, so the event came as a genuine shock.

Even those who considered themselves somewhat familiar with city life could not bring themselves to mock the others as country bumpkins. It was simply that rare a sight.

After checking the rehearsals and the stage over and over again, Isabella finally spoke in a voice that rang powerfully across the square.

“We will now begin the completion ceremony for the fountain and the commemorative activation of the water supply.”

The congratulatory address would be delivered by Ferda, Valdrova’s representative.

He walked along the carpet and stepped onto the platform.

“Our Hestia is a village built by people who have gathered here from many different places. The land where we all came together has existed for less than a year. It is a place without history or roots.”

Those were, in fact, words of contempt often uttered by outsiders who came here merely to earn money.

They spoke of Hestia’s residents as nothing more than failures who had fled oppression, turned their backs on their homelands, and run away.

Most of the people of Hestia could not help taking those words to heart.

“But those who say such things have no right to insult us.”

Ferda’s powerful voice swept away the anxiety within them.

“Even without mages, we possess the strength to repel monsters. And after enduring the worst possible moment—when monsters cut us off from the outside world—we rose again. What does that prove?”

They remembered the difficult days when they had been isolated by monsters.

Amid the despair that told them death was inevitable, they had seen a single ray of light.

They had seen the majestic figure of the dragon who protected the Far East.

Ferda clenched his fist and declared,

“It proves that we have become the new roots of the Far East, and that we have planted ourselves so deeply that no one will ever dare disregard us again.”

A spark of hope ignited in the residents’ hearts.

The rising sun behind the young regent standing upon the platform looked like a halo.

“This fountain will become a symbol of our roots, and a promise of the prosperity we shall build from this day forward.”

At the very moment of his declaration, powerful streams of water burst from the fountain.

The cool water scattered through the air and reflected the sunlight, forming a rainbow.

The crowd gazed upon the wondrous sight and said that a bridge of the gods had descended upon Hestia.

—Have you been well?

No sooner had Ferda returned from the completion ceremony than Erika contacted him through telepathy.

“Yes. And how is Blue Eyes?”

—As she always is. I heard that the fountain’s completion ceremony was held today. May I ask how the people reacted?

Ferda answered with an incredulous expression.

“Did you not see it with your own eyes?”

During Ferda’s speech, he had clearly seen Erika watching from the crowd.

She had worn the proud, arrogant expression characteristic of dragon spawn.

—I believe you must be mistaken. I have never gone there. Perhaps you confused me with someone else? Someone named Eri, perhaps. I am Erika, after all.

Erika was clearly dropping a hint.

Ferda let the matter pass with an exasperated expression and answered,

“The response was positive. When they saw the rainbow, they began praying to Alte.”

—So this is what they mean by doing all the work only for someone else to reap the reward. Instead of praising Iorga for creating something so magnificent, they give all the glory to Alte, who did nothing but sit there.

Erika grumbled like a child.

Ferda looked down at Hestia Village through the window.

The wide-open central square and the fountain erected in its center were clearly visible.

Two hours had already passed, yet there was no sign of the crowd dispersing.

An innocent child and a woman worn down by life stood at the same eye level, both staring at the fountain with equal delight.

“Did you contact me merely because you were curious about that?”

—Not entirely. I happened to receive word about something.

“What kind of word?”

—About the high elves.

“The high elves...?”

It was a matter Ferda had forgotten amid his busy schedule.

The writing found in Research Director Rinne’s records was in the language of the high elves, and they needed the assistance of a high elf to decipher it.

Ferda sprang to his feet and asked,

“What did they say?”

—For now, they said they understood the situation and wished to meet.

They had finally reached the starting line.

It was such good news that saying they were already halfway there would hardly have been an exaggeration.

“Understood. When should we depart?”

—They are not leisurely enough for you to use a word like “when.” They are absurd creatures whose work is always infuriatingly slow, yet whose whims change by the second.

“Understood. Then I will have a carriage prepared immediately and depart—”

—No. That will not be necessary.

At that moment, Ferda sensed a strange distortion near the window of his office.

A shape slowly descended from above the window like a curtain being lowered.

It was a carriage painted entirely blue.

This was no ordinary vehicle powered merely by mana.

It was a sky carriage, a means of transportation used only by high-ranking mages.

Erika Iorga, the blue-eyed master of the Magic Tower, leaned her face out from inside.

“Get in. I will guide you personally.”