EIITAB - Chapter 65 < Return Full Of Doubts >
Even if it is Trampled and Broken
He spoke again and again with an extremely solemn expression.
"Your Excellency, while you were away, I can tell you that there was not a single day when I relaxed my guard."
Wharton's voice was extremely hard. Aslan also nodded with an expression that showed he had no doubts about that point.
"I know. If you're Dean, there's no way you would do that."
Dean, who was slightly exhausted from carrying a beast larger than his size, took a deep breath and started complaining.
"No, why are you tripping me up so unfairly?"
"That's all I'm saying."
"That's right. Why do you speak that way? What do you think of my usual image?"
"..."
Dean questioned in a voice full of resentment, but neither Aslan nor Wharton opened their mouths anymore. Dean's eyebrows drooped even further as the two men remained silent.
"Huh. That's right. Everyone doesn't know me very well."
He grumbled as if he was disappointed, then pursed his lips and left.
First of all, it was more urgent to move the gifts into the castle.
"Well, anyway."
Aslan let out a short breath to change the mood, then opened his mouth again, his cool eyes shining.
"I didn't mean to place blame. Rather, I brought it because I needed to be prepared. And the fur is quite useful."
In fact, Aslan and his knights peeled off the skins of all the wolf-type beasts they had caught and placed them on the cart carrying the prizes. Only one head was brought in without being dismantled to confirm its shape and size.
Since it had been a few days, the condition of the carcass was much worse than when it was just caught. Considering the natural order of things, it would have been normal for the smell to be quite strong, but in a land dominated by winter, even decay cannot speed up at its own pace. At least could say that they benefited from it.
Wharton asked with a frown as he directly examined the corpse of the demon beast.
"Your Excellency, these guys. Where on earth did you catch it?"
"Rolton."
The answer that came back from Aslan was very short, but it had a big impact.
"Yes? Did you say Rollton?"
Wharton's voice naturally grew louder. Rollton was a province in the north and south of the central region. He can't believe the wolf demon moved so far to the southern land.
Wharton, who stared at the snowy mountains beyond the wall day and night, and personally dealt with the magical beasts that attacked from time to time, could not believe it at all.
"They made a surprise attack at night, and Beo, who was on an inspection trip, died. And Jerome almost died too. He hurt his shoulder badly."
"Huh..."
Wharton's face hardened even more when he heard that there had been a sacrifice. No matter how much he didn't know, he couldn't help but feel guilty at the thought that if he had been a little more vigilant on his part, it would have been a sacrifice they didn't have to make.
'After the capital visiting team disbands, I think I'll have to visit Jerome.'
Even if they make a dissolution ceremony, it is not a grand ceremony. Because there is no money or space to do such things here in Kalathi. All they had to do was gather together, give a formal report that they had returned, and unpack their bags.
So, Wharton will be able to meet Jerome as soon as this evening. However, since there was only one doctor in Kalathi and there was not enough medicine, they could only hope that the young knight was not seriously injured.
The moment Aslan saw Wharton's face filled with gloom, he sighed. Aslan didn't know how he was feeling, but now was not the time to offer comfort. He was the owner and person in charge of this ice land.
Therefore, for the sake of the safety of other residents of the territory, the priority was to properly understand the situation and issue orders to prepare follow-up measures.
"Wharton, let's look into the movement routes of the demonic beasts again. There's definitely something we missed. As you know, the mere fact that a wolf demon and not the others have appeared in Rolton is a huge problem."
"Yes."
Wharton, who had been crouching down and examining the beast, stood up. Aslan continued speaking.
"It definitely means there's a hole somewhere. If we don't block that area in the pasture, the demonic beasts will one day cross the wall and spread all the way here."
And the end will be destruction for everyone. Wharton nodded his head with a heavy heart, fully agreeing with the seriousness of his situation.
"Yes, Your Excellency. I will."
As he answered, Wharton sighed repeatedly to calm his confusion. Then he felt something strange.
'What?'
Aslan and his knights were powerful men who had the strength to easily deal with this number of monsters. Besides, didn't two of the three chiefs, Dean and Martin, follow along?
Even if it was a wolf-type magical beast, it was never strong enough to be pushed back.
'Were there any restrictions?'
Even if Beo's death was due to misfortune caused by his carelessness while patrolling alone, it was difficult to understand why Jerome was Injured. He knew better than anyone else that it was not because the young knight's skills were outstanding, but that Aslan had the personality of not being able to ignore it. His own master had a personality that cared more about the bodies of his subordinates than his own well-being.
Wharton, unable to overcome his curiosity, cautiously opened his mouth.
"Your Excellency, by the way. Although wolf-type monsters are high-level monsters... Why did the damage become so great?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wharton's eyes fell on the very rear of the group that arrived with Aslan.
'Speaking of it being a cart... What on earth is that carriage?'
Wharton's eyes narrowed. The style was clearly that of Northern Kalathi.
"And what kind of carriage is that? Isn't that for emergency use at an intermediate base? I remember that when you set off, you only took the cavalry team with you."
Until he asked this question, Wharton thought he would get an insignificant answer. He assumed that he would get an answer like that, as he had no choice but to use an emergency carriage because the wheel of the gift card given by the royal family broke off.
Wharton looked at Aslan with light eyes. And he clearly witnessed his Lord unnaturally avoiding his gaze.
"Oh, that's it..."
Aslan trailed off as if he was embarrassed. He covered his chin and lips with his large hands and played with them. Because the north and south were cut off, he was unable to send a messenger to Kalathi in advance. If they heard the news that he was married, he was sure that everyone would be shocked and upset.
'Even Dean and Martin couldn't completely convince me.'
If Hestia's identity is found out, Wharton's backlash will be formidable. This is because he was also a person who sacrificed himself for Kalathi for a long time.
While Aslan was looking for words to explain to his subordinate, the ebony carriage kept stealing Wharton's attention.
'Martin?'
Martin was seen escorting the person inside and dropping them off on behalf of Aslan, who was directly dealing with Wharton.
"What on earth is this...?"
Wharton looked at him in bewilderment and took a deep breath. What should he say about Martin's appearance...
'Isn't it as if he is perfectly serving a noble lady?'
And that was definitely not a natural thing here in northern Kalathi. It was a land where the entire social world had long since been ruined. In this land, etiquette was as good as dead. Any northerner would rather learn how to fight with a sword or farm implement than learn how to greet, escort, or ballroom dance. This was because it was more advantageous for survival. Therefore, the sight I was seeing at Wharton was extremely unfamiliar and awkward.
"Huh?"
Soon, two women appeared outside the carriage. The two women who came out almost looked like balls. That look was not due to gaining weight, but rather from wearing whatever clothes they had because couldn't stand the cold. In other words, it means that they are not used to the cold.
An ominous feeling slowly began to build up and overflow in Wharton's heart.
'What on earth happened?'
It was really strange. Wharton had a strong feeling that this return was somehow full of questions. Meanwhile, on the carriage side.
"Thank you, Sir Martin."
Martin did not respond in any particular way and instead greeted her with a silent bow. While Hestia was adjusting her appearance, Angela was making a fuss in a whispering voice.
"Princess! Look over there. There's a guy who looks like a bear."
Hestia lightly reprimanded Angela's words with her eyes.
But she, like her maid, was surprised to see the person standing next to Aslan.
'Is he a little smaller than Aslan?'
These were her impressions upon seeing Wharton for the first time. However, his physique seemed to be larger than Aslan's, so she thought he had a good overall figure.
Additionally, there was an old scar near Wharton's chin. The wound was so noticeable that it could be seen at a glance even from a distance. It contributed to a negative impression of Wharton, and of course, Angela was scared of him.
"Angela, don't do anything disrespectful to the knights."
Hestia soon calmly controlled her shocked heart and approached Aslan.
Wharton couldn't help but think that despite the woman's heavy clothing, the lightness of her steps made her seem so light.
Before the distance gets closer. Wharton asked Aslan in a lower, more eerie voice. It was an added bonus that he was still staring at Hestia.
"Who is she?"
He was instinctively on guard.
"Hmm..."
Aslan seemed to be embarrassed and picked at his words for a moment. Frowning eyebrows. Narrowed eyes. Fingertips scratching temples. Difficulty was evident in all his movements.
Meanwhile, Hestia smiled as she approached the two men.
"Aslan."
Wharton paused. Although he was not friendly, Wharton was offended by the behavior of the little woman who so easily called the name of his master who was like heaven to him.
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