Chapter 62 - 6-1
Geraha Wolf.
Yugis Necrat first heard that name, which sounded somehow ominous, in a town called Attaik. The one who told him was the knowledgeable Petu. A middle-aged mercenary with thinning hair, whom Yugis followed in a manner that was halfway to an apprenticeship.
"From what I hear, he's terrifying."
Yugis and Petu were being made to polish weapons inside a dim warehouse.
"Is that so?"
"They say he has a face like a demon. His body is apparently as huge as a northern bear. And he rides a horse like some kind of monster. Leading a cavalry that looks like black clouds."
"That man is the Great King?"
"Seems so. Well, take it with a grain of salt. But still."
He was a man who stood above the Kosa people, each of whom could be called a powerhouse. Regardless of his appearance, Petu said it was better not to think of him as a decent human being.
"Well, he's a monster, I reckon."
Yugis trembled. He loved tales of military prowess, and when he heard them told in Petu's style, he felt a shiver of dread.
"Kosa cavalry move with precision. Like they're linked together, like a single giant serpent. No, like a flock of birds covering the sky descending to the ground and gliding—"
"Hey, that's enough."
A senior mercenary acting as supervisor spoke in a low voice.
"My hands are still movin'," Petu shot back.
Since Yugis had stopped his hands, he hurriedly began wiping the haze off a helmet with a cloth.
A few months ago.
—There's no point in smoldering away in Koroi; let's change shores and go to Attaik.
It was Yugis who had proposed this to Petu. The mercenary groups in Koroi were still in a state of confusion due to restructuring and reorganization.
Petu had lived in a room of a four-story building made of stone and plaster.
'We ain't friends. Go by yourself.'
Petu waved Yugis away as if shooing a fly. Petu was cohabiting with a beautiful woman.
If he was living with a beauty, it couldn't be helped. Giving up, Yugis decided to set out alone and bid farewell to the painter, Matinee.
'Leave the matter of the letters to me. Also—'
Matinee was kind. He pressed a leather pouch filled with silver coins into Yugis's hand.
—I am causing people worry.
Yugis admitted that he was immature enough to make others worry about him.
'I will use this gratefully.'
In this regard, Yugis was the son of a noble. He believed that as long as he was prepared to throw away his life for the sake of the people in his territory, it was not particularly shameful to have his livelihood looked after.
'I will certainly pay this money back.'
'You're being too formal,' Matinee laughed. 'I believe I know why you are so fixated on the Kosa people.'
The purpose of Yugis's life had become fixed before he knew it, and it was extremely simple.
Regardless, the Kosa people would come to Siddim.
Yugis just had to repel them.
If he did that, the eastern region, including his hometown of Carossa, would be permitted to exist. He would be recognized by His Majesty the King as having value. The people of the territory would rejoice. The princess would be impressed. The Thora family would be frustrated, but what did he care?
Once the deed was done, Yugis would share the joy with his comrades. He would drink sake with his father. His mother would be able to boast about her son when Yugis wasn't around.
That would be enough. Everything would go well.
As long as he won against Kosa.
Now that he had come to the south, he absolutely needed to know their hand. If he didn't win against Kosa, nothing would begin.
Yugis parted with Matinee with a handshake.
'I'll come back.'
'Yes. I'm not worried about that point.'
After leaving Master Banja's mansion, he ran into Petu just as he turned the first corner.
'I'll tag along too.'
He seemed to have suddenly changed his mind. He had even prepared his travel gear.
Along the way, Yugis asked why he had suddenly changed his mind.
'Got kicked out by my woman,' Petu said without a shred of shame.
He said that mercenaries, after all, usually begin their trade by becoming a prostitute's kept man. They let the woman feed them, and when war starts, they earn big and repay the favor. They can never stand tall before the woman.
'Until I bring back earnings,' Petu spat on the road. 'She says she won't let me in the house. Women are cruel things. You too, if you buy a woman, don't forget to rub her breasts. If a man doesn't rub them, they'll try to let it end without letting you. Besides, from what I've heard, Attaik is...'
Attaik City was an independent state within the territory of the Koroi Empire. According to Petu, Prince Sitris, the eldest son of the Koroi Empire Emperor Abinail, would enter Attaik leading the regular army. In other words, Attaik would become the front-line base for the war against Kosa. It meant he could get into a war.
'Only thing is, the mercenaries over there are second-rate.'
Petu added this piece of worrying information.
Upon seeing the walls of Attaik with his own eyes, that worry vanished. Yugis lifted his chin, tilted his neck, and arched his back to confirm the height. It was a giant wall. About the same as Malfa Castle, or slightly higher. As for thickness, it was twice as thick as Malfa Castle.
—This cannot be taken.
Yugis thought intuitively. It wasn't a height where ladders could be placed. There was only blue sky above the wall, and the wind blew as if to tear away the large flags.
Having been taught various things by Petu, he was able to join Master Broy's mercenary group. When he thanked him for his help,
'Once it's war, we're in it together. Well, just feel grateful for the favor,'
was the reply.
When war came, the Kosa army would likely attack these walls.
—How will they take it?
Yugis wondered while polishing his gear. If Geraha was a man who stood above powerhouses, he would somehow take this place. But how? Yugis moved his hands while tilting his head in thought.
Geraha Wolf.
While warming that nostalgic name in her chest as if holding a bird chick, Kohal writhed her body. She was inside the underground labyrinth. Since the map of the labyrinth was in her head, tracing it backward was not difficult.
Whether she had gained some muscle or simply gotten fat, the passages felt narrower than before. However, her movement was incomparably faster than before. She had gained physical strength. Like a real snake, Kohal slid forward and soon reached the bottom of a well.
She had brought a rope tied to a hook made by breaking farm tools.
She swung the hook and threw it upward, catching it on the edge of the well. If she put too much weight on it, the edge of the well might crumble. Kohal braced herself against the wall of the well with her legs spread flat and began to climb.
The time was midnight. There was no moon. Kohal was cautious. Without making a sound, she poked her face out of the well, held her breath, and crawled out.
While still holding her breath, in one or two leaps, she circled behind an old woman hiding among the garden trees of the courtyard.
She wrapped her arm around the old woman's throat and squeezed.
The old woman in black didn't make a sound and dropped the chain she was holding. She collapsed just like that.
The chain with a weight coiled at her feet. Kohal picked up the chain and, while moving quickly, flung the weight into the darkness on the other side of the well.
The weight wound around a pole, the circle of rotation shrinking.
The owner of the pole was a sturdy woman with black skin.
Though the chain was pulled with great force, Kohal endured it. The other end of the chain split into three prongs, with a weight attached to each tip. Kohal released the pronged end. The chain with weights spread in the darkness like a flower blooming, entangling the opponent's leg while drawing an unexpected trajectory.
The black-skinned woman's eyes widened in surprise for just a moment.
The woman immediately let go of the pole and sat on the ground to try and undo the chain on her leg.
"Rivet."
Before Rivet could undo the chain, Kohal pressed the tip of the pole against Rivet's forehead.
"I don't want you to follow me."
In the darkness, the white parts of Rivet's eyes were vividly visible.
She must have been wearing that mysterious, sad smile.
"I thought Marvel was growing fast, but to this extent."
"Rivet—"
"If you don't want me to follow, there's only one thing to do."
—I don't want to.
"Because I am Marvel's observer. I will follow no matter what. The only one who can release me from my duty is Marvel."
"I don't want to. Such a thing—"
Suddenly, she felt a presence.
From behind, there was a gaze staring at Kohal. It had to be that green-eyed woman called "Miss."
"Marvel cannot return to the Kosa people. The new Great King does not trust the Roma Church. He will be wary of Marvel, who has learned the techniques, and will capture her. There is no place to return to."
Rivet's gaze was directed at the woman behind Kohal.
"If you absolutely must go, it's after you kill me. If you do that, Marvel can go wherever she likes freely. If you want to be free from the Order of Nuns, do it."
Is it true? Could it be?
She couldn't kill Rivet. Kohal had already killed several people. But Rivet was different from them. Rivet was like family. Was becoming able to kill family easily what it meant to be free?
Wouldn't killing Rivet be following the teachings of the Order of Nuns?
Wouldn't it be moving further away from freedom?
Kohal leaped backward.
She turned around and started running.
Passing through the church's colonnade, she pushed up the bolt on the large doors of the entrance and went outside.
There was the hushed townscape of midnight. The valley of Siddim.
Kohal ran, and by the time she left the valley, she was wearing stolen men's clothes, holding a torch in her hand, and astride a horse.
There was a story she heard in a small town called Torsi. It was from when she had gone to buy materials for medicine a short while ago. It seemed that her father, Sinkuk, and Geraha Wolf had fought for the position of Great King. Her father died, and Geraha became the Great King.
Hearing that, she couldn't sit still. She needed to confirm the truth of the story.
—However.
Rivet's words had been driven perfectly into Kohal's chest.
—If I go, I'll be captured.
Unable to return to Kandasyata, and unable to return to the valley. Kohal was already in a predicament with no way forward or back.
Geraha Wolf.
The one who had a relatively accurate grasp of that man's history was the red-haired Chancellor of the Kingdom of Siddim, Gilma Rigardie.
Meticulous records had been left in the mansion that the Count Necrat of Carossa family owned in Malfa City. There were signs that Urgil Necrat had been buying information from Enagamo peddlers through channels separate from the church.
—The Monster of Wolf.
A nickname that made one's stomach ache was written in the records.
Since the reorganization of the east, Gilma's influence over His Majesty the King had visibly declined.
His Majesty Swad Alish VII had finally designated his eldest son, Yunias Alish, as the Crown Prince. Prince Yunias's mother was Dravia Thora, and his grandfather was Sedias Thora.
Only one person, Sedias Thora, was enjoying the spring of his life.
Now that it had come to this, there was no point in struggling.
He would settle in and think about monster hunting.
First, he should send someone to Koroi to analyze the combat power of the Kosa army. After narrowing down the candidates repeatedly, he put together a plan to organize an inspection team of about fifty people. When he reported this to His Majesty, he received a favorable reaction.
"But, did you show this to Sedias?"
"No, Your Majesty. This is a survey necessary for the calculation of war expenses."
"If it concerns war, consult with Sedias as well."
Gilma smiled elegantly, hiding his inner panic.
The members of the inspection team were a luxurious selection that could not be gathered without a royal order.
"The budgeting is within my jurisdiction. Besides, it is an inspection team of only this scale."
"Is that so. For now, I shall take it under consideration."
Gilma left the detached palace with his shoulders slumped.
The next morning, Sedias Thora immediately stormed into the large hall on the first floor of Malfa Castle. The space partitioned off in the hall was Gilma's office.
"Is Gilma here!"
—Good grief.
He invited Sedias in and offered him a chair, facing him across the desk.
"Don't do unnecessary things. My side will dispatch the inspection."
"Please, by all means. My inspection team has a different purpose than yours."
"It is unnecessary."
"I am sending them because it is necessary."
"War expenses can be calculated once the scale of the enemy army is known."
It was a crude assertion, but one that couldn't be called entirely wrong.
Gilma flared his aquiline nose and ignored him. Gilma's goal was to gather more accurate information than Sedias and take the reins of the royal army. By holding all possible information on the enemy, he would regain the initiative. Not for his own sake. For the sake of Siddim, and for the sake of His Majesty.
"If there are reports from the army and reports from me, the information will be double-checked, and more—"
"I didn't come to discuss or consult. I simply came to tell you that His Majesty will not permit your inspection."
Sedias Thora stood up without showing a single smile.
It could be called a surprising arrogance. Previously, even when he was boastful, he was a man who ended dialogues with meticulous consideration.
"Who are you sending?"
"That is none of your concern."
Gilma wanted to chase after the Commander-in-Chief of the royal army, grab him by the shoulder and shake him, saying, 'What's wrong, wake up.'
—This is bad.
A few days later, he saw the list of the inspection team organized by Sedias Thora.
—This is very bad.
The lineup of the inspection team consisted of people who were valued only by Sedias for flattering him. They would likely drink fine sake in Koroi, embrace beautiful women, and return after making good memories.
The struggle for initiative with Sedias Thora was too disadvantageous for Gilma, who had no backing.
However, it wasn't as if he had no last resort. There was a power he might be able to make an ally of.
A giant power with an organizational network spanning the entire world, the Roma Church, which might even surpass royal authority.
Geraha Wolf was in Hishaku's tent after sunset on the Kandasyata Plateau.
He had his large buttocks in a tub with added hot water, feeling cramped. He was naked. After washing the baby Quimel and putting her to sleep, he had been ordered by Hishaku to take off his clothes.
—If you don't get clean, I won't let you touch Quimel, you know?
She said she would wash his back.
Since being naked was awkward, he had wanted to refuse, but Hishaku briskly prepared the tub and hot water and undid Geraha's sash.
Hishaku also undressed without hesitation, remaining in a single thin garment.
It was fine while she was scrubbing his back with a cloth, but when it came time to wash the front, he didn't know where to look. A female body, exposing its lines, was serving him inside his own thighs, her hips swaying.
The part of Geraha that had already become aroused pulsed as if neighing sadly.
Whether she knew it or not, Hishaku washed Geraha's chest, washed his stomach, and extended her small palm to his lower abdomen.
Being touched in his vital spot, Geraha groaned with surprise and pleasure.
It was a feeling of pleasure so intense it almost caused nausea.
Hishaku was staring at Geraha with large, dark eyes. Their bodies were almost completely pressed together, and Hishaku's both hands were guiding Geraha's sensuality to a single point with some kind of magical gesture, though Geraha couldn't see what was being done.
His large body trembled. The lukewarm water in the tub splashed.
The trembling became too great, and it felt as if the entire tent was vibrating and creaking.
"It's alright. Just let it out."
When she spoke gently, the trembling reached its peak, and there was a splash of water.
The hoop of the tub broke, and the lukewarm water flowed out.
After finishing an ejaculation so long he was appalled by it himself, Geraha breathed like an animal.
While playing with Geraha's still-unsettled erection with one hand, Hishaku smelled the scent of the semen on her other hand.
With a heart mixed with emotion, embarrassment, and desire, Geraha looked down at Hishaku. As he watched, Hishaku, with a thoughtful face, licked a mouthful of the semen.
"I understand your problem," Hishaku said, turning her sincere eyes toward him. "Certainly, this may be a bit too large. However, there seems to be no problem with the seed. There is hope."
—There are people knowledgeable about infertility problems.
Hishaku said.
"Please consider consulting those people."
She smiled brightly while moving the hand that was firmly supporting him.
Geraha nodded many times and hugged his wife, adjusting his strength so as not to break her.
The next surge was approaching, and he didn't want her to leave until she released it.