Chapter 82

# Chapter 82. <Meeting Again?>

“What do you mean?”

Dert asked, even though he knew the answer. Kael was well aware of this.

“Father, what are you afraid of?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Dert was unable to answer immediately. But after a moment, his son replied.

“I’m afraid we might get hurt.”

Dert’s expression softened. It was the same. What he feared was the same as his son’s. Selfish or not, Dert was afraid of his fief and family getting hurt.

“Surely you know that the situation in the Western Continent is on the brink of explosion.”

It was absurd to think that a nobleman who suddenly started repairing the castle walls and investing in the construction of a naval base, regardless of the outcome, knew nothing.

Until Volume 5, the Hennithus Fief had not been involved in any wars. But there was no guarantee that it would remain so in the future.

“I will only tell you, Father. The Crown Prince sent me to the Wiper Kingdom to do something related to one thing.”

Kael deliberately said this. If he spoke this way, Dert, who cared for his son, would not ask the Crown Prince about the secret mission Kael had carried out on his orders.

Kael uttered one word to Dert.

“North.”

Dert, of course, and Mueller, were taken aback. The two of them looked at Kael.

“The North has formed a grand alliance.”

“What!”

Dert’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.

Kael fully understood his reaction. It was important information that would affect the situation in the Western Continent.

There are three kingdoms in the North.

Among them, the northernmost is the Phaern Kingdom. The guardian knight of that kingdom.

He decided to lead his knightly order to the fertile land.

Dert ran his hand over his face and muttered, almost like a sigh.

“...Not the Wiper Kingdom or the Mogor Empire?”

For a moment, Kael was inwardly impressed. Even from a remote fief, Dert had noticed the movements of the Wiper Kingdom and the empire that aimed to become the control tower.

Why would the empire want to be the control tower? Because the East and the North had changed.

“Kael, how will the North cross the gorge? And there’s the Dark Forest.”

Among the five great wonders, there was one that was not actually a wonder. However, its terrain made large-scale movement ‘almost impossible,’ which is why it was included among the wonders.

The Death Gorge.

As its name suggests, the most treacherous gorge on the continent divides the North from the Central region. And at the end of that line lies the Dark Forest. This is why it was difficult for the North to reach the Central region.

However, Kael, the empire, and Crown Prince Alber knew of another way.

“Father, it’s not just land, is it?”

At that moment, a voice from someone they had forgotten was heard.

“...A ship?”

It was Mueller. The half-rat, half-dwarf had a pale face and quickly turned his large backpack to the front. Inside the bag were two rolled-up pieces of paper sticking out.

One was a castle design. The other was a ship design.

Kael nodded calmly at Mueller’s confused eyes, which alternated between the papers and Kael.

“Yes. There’s a ship.”

Ha. A deep sigh escaped Dert’s lips, and he walked to the sofa in the study and sat down. Kael approached and sat opposite him.

‘But the ship is not the end.’

Kael knew one more thing that neither the Crown Prince nor his father knew.

Why did the other two kingdoms form an alliance with the Phaern Kingdom? In a land of barren soil, where the knights pursued only the spirit of martial prowess, the guardian knight had recreated something that was once considered a legend.

The Wyvern Knights.

A means to dominate the sky had been created.

A medium-sized transport capable of easily crossing the gorge and the Dark Forest. It was the most suitable option for long-distance flight magic, which only Rozalin or dragons could achieve.

From that moment on, the three kingdoms secretly began building ships to dominate the seas. This effort has already been ongoing for over five years. Now, the end is less than two years away.

Why did Kael want to help the Uvar Fief establish a navy?

It was because it was not long before. And at that time, a future that Kael did not know would come.

‘It’s a problem because it’s a munchkin story.’

‘The Birth of a Hero’ is a munchkin story. It was a story where an egg turned into a chicken with the turn of a page.

To survive in such a story, Kael had to prepare as much as possible.

“Kael.”

“Yes.”

After a long while, Baron Dert finally spoke. He looked straight at his son.

“As a father, I believe you, but as a lord, I need to verify if what you say is true. That verification will not be easy, as you heard it from the Crown Prince.”

Of course, it would be. What Kael knew from reading the book was not something a mere nobleman could know. Nevertheless, Dert had to try to gather as much information as possible before a major event.

“Let’s try to verify it as quickly as possible. Even if I can’t find anything, I will believe you.”

Dert stood up and walked to his desk.

“Son, I’ve learned something since I started handling money.”

For generations, the Hennithus family had accumulated wealth. Of course, they spent it, but it was minimal compared to what they earned, and Baron Dert had never thought he had spent money properly.

He told his son what he had learned.

“It’s that when you need to spend money, you have to spend it to a surprising degree.”

Money is not a great power during war, but the results of money spent before the war are powerful.

“I’ll contact you soon.”

“Yes, that’s enough.”

Dert answered calmly and called his son, who was heading for the study door.

“Kael.”

“Yes.”

Recalling a recent conversation with his second son, Bassan, Dert spoke.

“Have you ever thought about the succession issue?”

“No.”

The answer was firm and immediate. Dert couldn’t help but laugh at the same reaction as Bassan.

“Yeah, don’t think about such issues.”

“Yes.”

Of course, he had no intention of thinking about it. If he was ever mentioned as a successor, he would just say he would give it up and leave. Besides, Baron Dert was still in good health and could serve as lord for at least another fifteen years, so there was no need to think about it hastily.

“Bassan told me he won’t do anything to worry you.”

“Yes. Bassan will do well for this fief.”

Bassan was a very suitable candidate for lord.

“Yeah. Get some rest.”

Kael confirmed that Baron Dert’s expression was good and left the study with a bright smile.

“Sir.”

“What?”

Mueller, who followed him out, looked around and cautiously asked Kael.

“Is the goal of building the castle and the ship for the reason you mentioned inside—”

“Yes, that’s the reason.”

Kael cut Mueller off, not wanting to hear a long explanation.

The goal was to build a castle and a ship to avoid war comfortably. He didn’t like fighting. Life might be a series of wars, but he didn’t want to live in a real war.

“Think of it as creating a space where we will never die.”

Mueller’s eyes showed a mix of emotions. Kael hung a gift around his neck. It was a gold necklace.

“Then you’ll receive many such gifts while you’re alive.”

“I will definitely create a safe space where we won’t die!”

Mueller’s face was paler than when he faced a cat or a dragon. Kael was satisfied with his loud answer. Indeed, giving gifts and being kind was the answer.

***

A week later, Baron Dert gave Kael a resigned smile.

“I couldn’t get any information about the North.”

If information couldn’t be bought with money, it was either non-existent or so valuable that it couldn’t be compared to money. Dert chose the latter.

‘Anyway, I have a lot of money saved up.’

There was a limit to being frugal. Dert, looking relaxed, as if he had expected this, told his son.

“Son, let’s do it.”

A smile appeared on Kael’s lips. He turned his gaze to the side. Dert had not called Kael alone. Although the youngest, Lily, was too young to be involved in fief affairs, one was possible.

“I’ll work hard, brother.”

“Yes. This is a place for you, your parents, and Lily. Let’s work hard.”

Kael, of course, planned to live a leisurely life in another village, not in the fief. So he excluded himself from the conversation. Bassan nodded vigorously.

“Yes. I want to live for my family and the fief until the end.”

Unlike Bassan, Kael, who wanted to live for himself, nodded casually.

And at that moment, a secret document with a golden turtle seal was delivered to the relevant parties. The plan, with a minimum of one year and a maximum of two years, began.

Kael’s eyes, watching the starting point of the plan, were far from pleased.

“Are you really a half-rat, half-dwarf?”

“Ahem, yes.”

Mueller, standing alone on a chair, cleared his throat and answered the architect’s question.

“Oh, my! You must have incredible craftsmanship!”

“Amazing. The finesse