29. Evernode (3)
We got off our horses and greeted the Grand Duke of the North. Archduke Quenore slowly walked out to the front of the ranks and looked at the party. Seriously, it looked like it had been taken out of the Grand Duke of the North from a fantasy novel. His face, which would have been in his late 30s, in his mid-40s if held high, stood out with blue eyes and long black hair covering his cheeks.
“It must have been a lot of hard work to come this far, hero.”
Archduke Quenore was tall. Illroy would be about 185cm tall, so Archduke Quenor, who could look down on Illroy, would be at least 190cm tall. In addition, the wide shoulders and the fur cape on top of it radiated a terrifying sense of coercion.
It wasn’t just the appearance that was frightening, of course. A deep, deep voice as if resonating in a cave, and above all, a martial artist’s unique fighting spirit that is not hidden at all and revealed without adding or subtracting. Whether it was a warrior or a knight dispatched by the queen herself, they were hovering in the air, trying to crush them all. I cleared my throat and shook my head to give the right answer.
“It must have been a much easier route than going back and forth between the northern part and the capital in winter. He always puts a lot of effort into protecting the north.”
“Will you be the only one who goes on an expedition to catch a disaster? Let’s go inside the castle.”
Archduke Quenore gestured towards the inside of the gates. Like most high-ranking people do, it was a voice that expressed apathy. The soldiers dragged the horses we rode and disappeared somewhere. Probably on the way to the stables. The hand that grabbed the reins of the horse in my hand was pretty rough.
“[Doesn’t sound like a welcoming atmosphere.]”
As the holy sword said, the reaction of the soldiers lined up here was not friendly even with empty words. The proud northern soldiers did not seem to be very pleased with the existence of a hero who made his master go this far. … I never really asked to come out.
“Please understand if the mood of the soldiers is sharp. The North is a place like this.”
Archduke Quenore said, looking proudly at the soldiers. I didn’t want to create unnecessary friction by pointing out the error of this hospitality, so I kept my mouth shut and followed the Archduke.
“[I thought you would argue with your personality.]”
The Holy Sword asked as if it was surprising. You have to do it while looking at the dog. At this point, it was safe to say that there was hardly anyone stronger than the Northern Duke.
“[Was it simply strong?]”
Of course not. Anyway, this is just a kind of rite of passage, a discipline or a declaration ceremony. It is also a characteristic of northerners that often appear in novels. Whatever my reaction here, I did not expect that they would welcome me.
“First of all, since you will be tired, let me guide you to your lodgings first. It’s summer, so you won’t be able to relax very comfortably. Closer to the summer solstice, there are weeks without night at all.”
Archduke Quenore said as if warning. Glancing at Georg’s eyes, it seemed that his mouth was itching to have a conversation with the people around him. Be patient a little bit, old man.
We split into carriages and boarded. The knights and soldiers who came for dispatch were sold separately, and only me, Georg, Daphne, and Marianne remained. Georg got into the driver’s seat next to a soldier, and I sat with Daphne and Marianne in a four-seater carriage.
“The North is going through something. I think it fits with people’s perception.”
Daphne looked out the window and said.
“You never know. It could be that he’s acting on purpose because he doesn’t want to betray our expectations.”
“… Don’t be silly.”
When Daphne frowned, I smiled broadly.
rattle.
At that time, the door of the carriage opened and a certain giant poked his head out. The cloak that was cumbersome to ride was the Grand Duke of Quenore who had left it somewhere. I began to worry that two horses would be able to pull the carriage with Georg in the driver’s seat and me in the cabin. The archduke knocked on the sliding window of the coachman’s seat, and the carriage rattled off.
“Time is precious, so let’s talk about the basics inside the carriage.”
high-handed attitude. Archduke Quenore looked at me. Up close, the Archduke’s face had some pretty impressive scars. A scar across his left cheek, a scar that looks like a crack as if his head was ripped off. Even if it wasn’t, the stern impression became something that children would immediately burst into tears when they saw it.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about you, hero. After hearing that you pulled out a sword from the ruins, the North was also keenly aware of your movement.”
“That is an honor.”
Why doesn’t the word that I’m paying attention to my trend sound positive at all? Well, it can’t be said that the warrior of the warrior party who kept creaking inside had a good reputation. I asked a question while looking at the Grand Duke with an unreliable expression on his face.
“Where is the ‘limit line’ now?”
When I mentioned the word limit, the Archduke looked quite surprised and raised his eyebrows.
“It is moving very slowly, about one step a day from a distance. Once a week, an army of monsters invades from beyond the limit line.”
Beyond the boundary line is a land of ice and blizzards all year round. And it also refers to the fourth plague, the place where the ‘giant’ stays. Giants are not only powerful in themselves, but also beings that drive the north wind and winter. It’s not just calling the end of the world and reigning as a divine being over intelligent monsters. The army of monsters that the Grand Duke is talking about must also be led by monsters with intelligence.
“I heard that they go out to subdue monsters first.”
“once a day. It’s more like reconnaissance to find out the enemy’s movements than subjugation. Subjugating monsters is incidental to the end.”
“Is there anything unusual yet?”
“As usual. It’s so normal that it’s rather disquieting. You will find out when we go out on patrol together.”
Archduke Quenore leaned forward, as if it was his turn to ask a question.
“Hero, can you kill the giant?”
I frowned at the Archduke’s question. The ‘giant’ was not something that could be caught using tricks. Just as the sea was the Kraken’s, the frozen land was the giant’s. If there is a difference from the Kraken, the giant does not become easier to kill by luring it to the pier.
Well, I’m not going to answer with “I can” or “I can’t”. No matter which way you answer, there will be a corner that can be faulted. It’s just that I can ignore it, but it’s not just me who looks down on me, it’s the prestige of the whole party. You mustn’t lose here.
“Do you decide whether you will win or lose before you even fight?”
“You mean you can’t?”
This is a provocation that doubles as a test. You shouldn’t be angry for nothing.
“It means you won’t know until you fight. How can you fight a disaster and fight with confidence that you can kill it? It’s not even arrogance, it’s more like an idiot’s idea.”
I lowered my voice a bit. Archduke Quenor’s eyes shone, but I did not avoid it.
“Fight and win. I didn’t have that kind of confidence when I was fighting the third catastrophe.”
It was fortunate that Georg wasn’t here, so he could talk freely. The Archduke of Quenore didn’t want to further refute my words and kept his mouth clean. The atmosphere that had built me up towards me seemed to have softened a little. Thanks to that, Daphne was barely breathing.
“… yes. You should know better.”
Still, it was nice to see him cut it off neatly without being nasty like the politicians of the royal capital. I was treated like an old man and overheard it, but this is still a difficult place to live. Even if you are sensitive to outsiders who have lived in the comfortable environment of the royal capital, you should understand.
After the short dialogue, there was an awkward silence in the carriage for a while. The silence continued until we reached the annex where we were staying. Archduke Quenore called for me to get off the carriage.
“The nights are short, you won’t get much sleep.”
“Fine.”
“Put blackout on the windows so you can sleep.”
Then the carriage moved away. Georg came to us with a relieved expression, as if he had told us everything he had wanted to say for a long time. It’s the first time I’ve seen him so excited. The military constitution is certain.
“Did you talk well?”
Georg then let out a cough as if he was a little embarrassed. Daphne looked around at the soldiers around her who almost glared at us, then lowered her voice to a whisper.
“I’m staring at you like you’re going to eat me.”
“It takes quite a while to be recognized as a colleague in the North. Well, sooner or later they will have no choice but to admit it.”
Georg shrugged his shoulders and went into the dorm. I narrowed my eyes and looked at the soldiers and knights of Evernode. It’s a rite of passage, but I hope it’s done in moderation.
“[Your forebodings usually come true.]”
Don’t be so ominous that forebodings fit well. If you say that, it’s almost certain.
“[Isn’t it better to know and be hit than to be hit without knowing?]”
I think it’s best not to fit. I left behind the eyes of the knights and soldiers stabbing at the back of our heads and followed Georg into the inn.
—
“How was the hero?”
Fortress of Evernode. A knight approached the Archduke of Quenore as he walked across the corridor. Archduke Quenore shrugged.
“You speak well. I’m not sure how it will be in practice, but it’s not as bad as the rumors say. The relationship with my co-workers also seemed to be very good. He said they were newly chosen colleagues, so it would be really strange if there was a discord among them.”
The rumors of the crazy warrior in the north were only unreliable and disturbing words. Frequent quarrels with co-workers It was consistent with a high-handed attitude, and it is said that it is not very strong for someone with such an attitude. Rumors of being strong made people happy, but rumors of being weak hated them.
Crucially, rumors that he threw out the colleagues he didn’t like and hired only the ones he liked. In particular, the word that he threw out a colleague who was with him here was enough to create a dislike for northerners who value ties more than anyone else.
“The staff won’t jump to conclusions, but I’m concerned that other knights and soldiers might do useless things. Wouldn’t it be better to tell them in advance?”
Archduke Quenore shook his head slowly.
“No, I will make it so you don’t have to.”
Then, he added, muttering.
“Tomorrow I will personally test whether the rumors about the hero were true or whether a trivial fault was inflated and wandering around. And then I will put an end to dissatisfaction in any form.”
—
next day. To be honest, I don’t even know if the day has changed, but the clock’s hour hand said so, so I’ll call it the next day. The Archduke of Quenore left us a message to meet in front of the citadel after equipping our equipment. I muttered a low voice as I followed the driver.
“It’s a big deal. Have you heard the news that monsters are crossing the limit line?”
To my words, Georg replied with his heavy armor clattering.
“Either way, we are sent to help defend Evernode. If you let me do the work, I just have to do it, right?”
I couldn’t help but recall the conversation I had with the holy sword yesterday.
“… yes.”
The Grand Duke of Quenore greeted us in front of the citadel. After exchanging brief greetings, the Grand Duke took us to the parade ground. The soldiers were already lined up under the command of the knights, radiating a seething military discipline.
Archduke Quenore glanced at me and turned to the lined up soldiers.
“Today, I will go around patrol area 1 myself.”
There was no commotion, but they seemed quite surprised.
“… Are you going alone?”
“no. I am with them.”
Archduke Quenore pointed at me. As expected, it seems that the brief conversation yesterday was not enough to bring the Archduke back to neutrality. Or a measure to calm the dissatisfaction of the knights and soldiers who still look hostile towards me.
“Let’s go around the patrol area with a party of warriors and check their skills and mindset. If it is determined that it does not meet my standards… .”
The Archduke’s eyes met mine.
“I will send a letter to Her Majesty the Queen, asking her to reconsider their dispatch.”
Well, it was fine for me.
“Would you accept it, hero?”
I nodded. While holding back the corners of his mouth going up.
The northern episode is the episode I enjoyed reading the most in ＜I’ll Never Go Back＞. I was able to memorize without missing a single word about how Arjen hunted the northern monsters.
“of course.”
This time, it was his turn to see the benefits of the possessor in earnest.
I hope he can unlock the 2nd stage here 😌