Chapter 39

Bernardo seemed to have brought takeout from the famous high-class restaurant in the capital, known as the best, and he lined up various dishes on a table in front of the work shed.

Actually, Ricardo wanted to have a chef come and cook here, but he was turned down because the breeding grounds lacked proper cooking facilities. Reluctantly, he had the dishes brought from the restaurant.

From Ricardo's perspective, the luxurious dishes lined up in a small space looked incredibly delicious.

However, the season had turned to autumn, and the days had become slightly chilly. Most of the takeout dishes had cooled down.

The chef had seasoned the dishes to taste good even when cold, but on such a day, warm food was more desirable.

The prince looked at the dishes on the table and seemed a bit disappointed. To him, these were familiar dishes, and the fact that they were cold seemed to dampen his appetite.

Noticing this, General Samuele asked, "Is there no warm food? I'm starting to feel a bit cold and would like to warm up."

Bernardo then instructed one of the servants to bring heated soup and turned his gaze towards Ricardo.

Ricardo, thinking his moment had come a bit early, led the way to the makeshift stove he had set up outside.

On the stove, a large pot and five stacked steamers were placed, and Antonio was monitoring the fire.

"What's this? I see steam rising," General Samuele asked Ricardo, noticing the unfamiliar cooking utensils on the stove.

"These are steamers. We're using steam to cook a new dish. Would you like to try it?"

The prince looked at the steamers with curiosity.

"Hmm, a new dish sounds interesting. I'll try it first," General Samuele said, stepping forward as if to test for poison.

Antonio took the top steamer, placed it on the table, removed the steaming cloth, and served the buns inside onto a plate.

"How do you eat it?"

"Since it's a commoner's food, you can eat it with your hands," Ricardo said, taking a bun, splitting it in half, and showing the contents to the prince and the general before taking a bite.

It was a bit hot but delicious. The sweetness of the sweet potato spread in his mouth. He swallowed quickly and said, "It's delicious. Please try it."

Ricardo prepared green tea by putting the tea leaves he had found a few days ago into a teapot. In this country, the wealthy enjoyed black tea, while the common people drank green tea. Since it was produced in the eastern region, it was rarely seen in his hometown of Unius village, but it was commonly sold in the capital.

Bernardo frowned. "We have black tea prepared as well."

"No, I think green tea goes well with this food," Ricardo said, offering the general green tea and a meat bun. While some might prefer black tea with meat buns, Ricardo felt green tea was a better match.

The general took a bite, tasted it, and quickly finished one bun. After drinking the green tea and nodding in satisfaction, he reached for another.

"Wait a moment. If you've eaten, give your opinion," the prince said, glaring at the general.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot. It was unexpectedly delicious," the general said, though everyone else thought he had completely forgotten.

"It was good, wasn't it?" the prince asked.

"Yes. Ricardo said it's a commoner's food, but it's quite delicious," the general replied. The prince took a meat bun and bit into it.

"Oh," he said, finishing it quickly. He seemed to want a drink and sipped the green tea.

"Hmm, this and green tea are a good combination. What is this dish called?"

"I decided to call it 'Chinese bun.' Depending on the filling, it can be called 'meat bun' or 'sweet bun.'"

"Chinese bun, meat bun, sweet bun... strange names," the prince said, but Ricardo kept the names the same to avoid confusion. He felt a bit indulgent, but it was allowed.

Bernardo also tried a pumpkin sweet bun and sipped the green tea.

"Interesting. It's not fancy, but it's delicious," he said.

The prince, the general, and Bernardo competed to finish the Chinese buns. It seemed the two supporters were satisfied. Ricardo noticed Bernardo rubbing his satisfied belly but decided it was fine.

After the prince and the general promised their support and left, and Bernardo also left the breeding grounds satisfied, Ricardo started to clean up the leftover high-class dishes. Of course, the cleanup destination was his stomach. The employees Dario, Erik, and Fred ate enthusiastically, while Antonio savored the food, thinking he might never have such a meal again.

Ricardo also tried the food. It was indeed delicious. Perhaps because the sea was nearby, there were many dishes made with seafood. While there were no raw dishes like sashimi, the boiled or grilled shrimp, crab, and whole grilled sea bream were exquisite.

A few days later, while Ricardo was performing grafting work to transform the demon tree Kumiri into an apricot demon tree at the breeding grounds, Antonio brought concerning news.

"There were large footprints around the moat."

When Ricardo checked, there were indeed large footprints around the moat, which seemed to belong to a large beast or demon. The footprints wandered around the moat and then disappeared in the eastern direction.

From the size of the footprints, it was clear that the beast was as large as a bicorn armored bear. The breeding grounds were protected by a moat and a wall, so he thought they were safe, but the footprints heading east were concerning.

To the east were the slums and agricultural areas.

Ricardo reported the footprints to the gatekeepers at the Second South Gate. They were soldiers of the capital's guard, responsible for the safety of the surrounding area.

If the guard had quickly investigated the footprints, the subsequent chaos might have been avoided.

Antonio and Ricardo instructed the employees, Dario and others, to secure the breeding grounds and then put the matter out of their minds.

The breeding grounds were well-protected by a high wall and a moat, so most demons couldn't enter. The area with the work shed and utility shed had an even higher and stronger wall, so even a bicorn armored bear wouldn't be a problem.

Three days of peace passed. A luxurious carriage approached the capital of Bizer from the port town of Jibuka in the south.

The passenger was Baron Giorgio Masseria, who had served as the magistrate in Jibuka. After completing his five-year term, Giorgio was returning to the capital after handing over his duties to a new magistrate.

The carriage jolted and stopped unexpectedly.

Giorgio called out to the driver, "What's wrong? Why did you stop?"

Looking at the driver's stand, he saw the driver looking forward with a frightened face. Giorgio leaned out of the window to see what was ahead.

Giorgio's face changed. In front of the carriage was a giant wolf, a gray wolf larger than a horse.

"Why... why is a Nether Wolf here..."

Nether Wolves were said to inhabit only the Demon Realm, and one was about to attack Giorgio's carriage.

The frightened driver tumbled out and fled, abandoning the carriage.

The Nether Wolf ignored the driver and approached the carriage, apparently finding the prey inside more appetizing than the old driver.

A growl like the rumble from the depths of hell was heard. Inside the carriage were Giorgio and two young servants, all of whom were praying to the gods with pale faces.

The frightened horses neighed, and their movements shook the carriage. The wolf's roar echoed, and the smell of blood filled the air.

After a moment of silence, a loud thud was heard as something hit the carriage, causing it to tip over.

Giorgio desperately escaped through the carriage window and ran back the way he came at full speed without looking back.

Behind him, the servants' screams were heard. And... in the next instant, Giorgio's neck was torn off.

The only survivor of this incident was the old driver.

Reaching the capital, the driver reported to the guard that he had been attacked by a giant demon.

Upon learning that the victim was a noble, the guard gathered thirty soldiers and sent them to the scene. This decision was a mistake.

The guard encountered the Nether Wolf, which was leisurely eating its prey. The wolf's fur was so tough that ordinary swords and spears couldn't penetrate it.

The soldiers were frightened by the sight of the giant gray wolf. They realized it wasn't a demon they could handle with spears. However, they couldn't escape.

The commander encouraged his men and had them point their spears at the Nether Wolf.

Seeing this, the gray wolf opened its blood-stained mouth and roared. The chilling roar shook the soldiers.

The Nether Wolf then charged.

What followed was not a battle but a massacre. The thirty soldiers were reduced to six, who returned to the capital in tatters.

Upon learning of this incident, General Samuele requested an audience with King Alchibald to report it.

The king, looking displeased, listened to the report and said, "Bringing such disturbing news before dinner... Isn't it the duty of soldiers to deal with such monsters? General, you are responsible for dealing with it. Understand?"

General Samuele hadn't come to consult the king about demon countermeasures. He had come to discuss the unnatural appearance of a Nether Wolf, which was supposed to inhabit only the Demon Realm.

The general tried to explain, but Baron Alfred, the king's close advisor, said, "His Majesty has entrusted the matter to the general. Wouldn't it be better to leave quickly and take action?"

The general glared at Baron Alfred and then left.

General Samuele sighed and headed to Prince Gaius's office.

Entering the office, the general braced himself under the prince's stern gaze. It was a reflex.

"What are you doing? You have a report, don't you?"

The prince's voice snapped the general out of his thoughts.

"Right," the general said, reporting the Nether Wolf incident to the prince. The prince pondered deeply.

"A Nether Wolf near the capital is too unnatural. It seems someone used summoning magic."

"I agree. But I don't understand the purpose."

The prince felt the same. Summoning a demon in such a place seemed meaningless.

"Was the purpose to kill Baron Giorgio?"

The general said uncertainly, "No, I don't think so. A few days ago, footprints were found at the breeding grounds. It seems the demon was wandering around a few days before Baron Giorgio was killed."

The person who summoned the demon likely failed to control it.

"Come to think of it, there was a similar incident," Prince Gaius recalled.

"Yes. It happened at the Mage Guild. The son of Duke Octavius summoned a bicorn armored bear and failed to control it."

"Was it a bicorn armored bear? Who dealt with it?"

"I remember it was Isarco, a councilor of the Mage Guild, Tania from the Refinement Bureau, and a student named Ricardo."

"Ricardo... the same Ricardo from the breeding grounds?"

"Probably."

The prince smiled. He had laughed upon hearing a familiar name, but to those who didn't know him well, he looked like a conspirator plotting evil deeds. The prince's stern appearance often worked against him.

"We lack information about the summoner. First, we need to deal with the Nether Wolf. What did the king say?"

"To leave it to the military..."

The prince snorted.

"Hmph, he probably hasn't thought it through. Can the guard handle it?"

"The Nether Wolf is a threat level 6 demon. It would be difficult without the assistance of the Royal Mage Corps or the Mage Guild."

The prince frowned when the general reported that the guard had suffered over twenty casualties.

"Are the remaining court mages capable?"

The general looked troubled. There were two types of court mages: those who had earned their positions through skill and those who had used connections without the necessary skills.

Ideally, the latter should have been eliminated in combat, reducing their numbers. However, when Vittorio became the head of the court mages, they stopped being sent into combat.

He established a research division within the court mage corps, assigning these mages to research roles. Apparently, the parents of the mages who had used connections protested.

This led to a decline in the court mages' combat strength. Despite the same budget, the number of skilled court mages gradually decreased.

Enraged by this situation, the prince had once ordered all court mages to be sent into the Demon Realm, with only the survivors allowed to return. However, Vittorio pleaded with King Alchibald, and the order was rescinded.

"The skilled court mages are in the Yorgul region, dealing with the increasing number of demons near the Demon Realm Gate. Only the research division mages remain."

The prince rubbed his temples at the general's report. He had decided to send reinforcements to the court mages near the Demon Realm Gate, as he felt the situation was dangerous, just as Ricardo had sensed in the Demon Realm.

The general suggested, "Should we ask the Mage Guild for assistance?"

"Better than those who used connections. Yes, let's request Isarco, the councilor who dealt with the bicorn armored bear. He seems trustworthy."

At this moment, the prince had no deep thoughts. He simply wanted to request the assistance of someone with a proven track record, like dealing with a threat level 5 demon, which was one level below the Nether Wolf.

The next day, a designated request was sent to the Mage Guild.

Despite it being a demon extermination mission, the request was sent to Isarco, a councilor of the Refinement Bureau, rather than the Extermination Bureau, causing dissatisfaction among the extermination mages.

"Why Isarco? We, the extermination mages, are here."

The Extermination Bureau mainly handled missions like exterminating threat level 3 boar tusk demons and threat level 4 armor worms. Threat level 5 or 6 demons were rare, but they believed they had the skills to handle them.

The head of the Extermination Bureau, Cismond, appealed to the Mage Guild's representative, Jezuardo, to entrust the Nether Wolf mission to them.

Jezuardo called Isarco to discuss the matter.

"Isarco, what do you think? Were you planning to accept the prince's request?"

Isarco was unsure whether to accept. He said so honestly.

"Then, there's no problem if the Extermination Bureau takes it."

Cismond intended to take the mission forcefully.

"However, the Nether Wolf is a threat level 6 demon with impenetrable fur and agile movements. What magic do you plan to use?"

Cismond confidently replied, "We have a few mages who can use advanced magic. Don't worry."

Isarco, feeling a bit uneasy but seeing Cismond's confidence, decided to let him handle it.