Chapter 14 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Grave Robber's Mishap
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It was a time that hadn't yet passed midnight.
Even so, the nobles, who had fallen asleep early due to the grueling training and harsh working conditions, shook off their fatigue and began trickling into the training grounds one by one.
Waiting for them was Silberna Caldias.
She wasn't just shrouded in darkness because of the night—she was genuinely glaring at them with a darkened expression.
Her rigid stance seemed to warn in advance of the hardships to come.
Amid the disheveled nobles who had been abruptly roused and dragged outside...
Sleepy-eyed Jonathan rushed over to Isaac in a hurry.
"Sir Isaac, what's all this commotion?"
"No idea. But it sure looks like big trouble."
"A disturbance like this at the front lines is pretty scary."
As a cold wind blew in, even the flustered nobles shrank back from the chill and fell silent.
Thanks to the yeti-fur hat and gloves that Silberna and Anna had gifted him, Isaac was at least somewhat warm.
Once silence settled, Silberna finally spoke.
"Gentlemen, at around 23:20—about fifteen minutes ago—an outsider arrived at the wall."
A situation from just fifteen minutes prior.
"He introduced himself as a merchant from Holstein, but upon checking, he turned out to be a grave robber."
Holstein was a kingdom particularly advanced in magic.
It had a notorious reputation for grave robbers, who frequently plundered ancient royal or noble tombs using modern magic.
"The bastard had even robbed the Holstein royal mausoleum, and he came here to our kingdom to make a deal."
Sighs erupted from some of the nobles.
They immediately realized it could escalate into a diplomatic incident if mishandled.
"We've caught the grave robber, so can't we just return the grave goods right away?"
One of the nobles raised his hand to ask.
Interrupting the commander during a briefing was absurd, but considering they were still green, Silberna answered without pointing it out.
"The important part is that these guys stirred up a monster horde on their way to the Mallidan Wall."
What followed was obvious.
His fellow grave robbers had all become monster chow, and the treasures were lost.
The enraged monsters were now rampaging toward the Mallidan Wall in attack.
"As a detachment, we need to recover the grave goods the robber made off with. Fortunately, it's not far... but the problem is the monster horde."
Shouts and tremors echoed from afar.
A fierce battle was clearly underway at the Mallidan Wall.
"Avoid combat if possible. If it happens, keep it to a minimum, then return. We're heading out now."
At Silberna's command, the nobles began forming neat ranks and columns.
The escorts who had come with the nobles wore expressions full of complaints, but they had no choice but to follow.
Jonathan, sticking close to Isaac, asked with a bewildered look.
"Sir Isaac, why do we have to go retrieve the grave goods?"
"To avoid a diplomatic frame-up. You think Holstein will just swallow the story that their grave robbers got wiped out by monsters and lost everything?"
"...But isn't that the truth?"
"Even if it's true, accepting it is another matter. Bluntly put, what if they suspect the robber was hired by us, disguised the monster attack to smuggle the goods out of their kingdom?"
"But that's not the truth."
"Right, it's not. But it means Holstein could twist it diplomatically however they want. Especially since they came to our kingdom to trade."
That would make the buyer someone with the wealth to afford Holstein royal grave goods.
Naturally, the investigation would narrow to high-ranking nobles.
A high noble coveting Holstein royal grave goods?
It would immediately become a diplomatic issue, potentially escalating to war in the worst case.
"Ah."
Jonathan nodded as if finally understanding.
"This is part of the margrave's duties—nipping it in the bud before it blows up."
Uldiran Caldias was probably up on the Mallidan Wall right now, swinging his spear furiously.
Meanwhile, they slipped out through a gate unswarmed by monsters.
Jonathan had another question and turned to Isaac.
"But why send the dispatched nobles outside? Isn't it dangerous?"
"Fighting monsters on the wall would be more dangerous."
Kwaaaang!
Something shattered with a boom from the direction of the wall, right on cue with Isaac's words.
The startled nobles whipped their heads around or hunched down.
Jonathan also glanced that way, but Isaac continued.
"That's precisely because you escorts are here. Most dispatched nobles are promising youngsters here to gain combat experience, but the escorts are different."
"Ah!"
"Exactly. Caldias wants to use the noble escorts as combat forces. But strictly speaking, their mission is to protect the nobles under Caldias's command."
By pulling the nobles outside, he could deploy their skilled escorts as frontline troops.
The wall defense was the specialty of the Mallidan garrison soldiers anyway.
"Profound."
Isaac knew Jonathan was hopeless at this stuff, but it was worse than expected.
Even as they passed through the gate, Jonathan still looked dissatisfied.
"We're the victims, yet we're the ones doing all the work."
"Hm?"
"Isn't that right? We were just minding our business, and now grave robbers, grave goods, diplomacy... Feels like we're tiptoeing around Holstein too much."
Jonathan pouted, sticking out his lip.
"If they're trying to pin a false charge on us, can't our kingdom just respond strongly?"
Isaac gave a wry smile as he asked.
"How old are you this year?"
"Twenty-two!"
"Right, Jonathan. I've only lived two years more than you, but I know one thing."
"..."
"If bowing your head a little or going through some hassle can prevent war, it's a small price."
Jonathan furrowed his brow slightly.
Isaac understood a knight's eagerness to swing his sword.
"Wars often spark from minor diplomatic spats. We need to snuff them out early."
"Hmm, I don't quite get it."
Maybe the reason he stuck with Helmunt despite all the bullying was some hero complex or admiration.
Isaac patted his shoulder and gave sincere advice.
"You're seeing it firsthand here. The kingdom's peace is built on their dedication and sacrifices."
"Is that how it is?"
"Protecting peace doesn't always mean drawing your sword, Jonathan."
"...Sounds like something Helmunt would never say."
"That's why Helmunt and I don't mix."
Isaac said no more, and Jonathan followed silently.
He seemed dissatisfied, but he didn't slack on his duty of guarding Isaac.
Before long, they were outside the wall.
With only the crunch of footsteps in the snow and moonlight to guide them, they could move stealthily.
Silberna really does have good night vision.
Just by following her lead, they reached the accident site without incident or combat.
A cart—not a carriage—lay half-destroyed.
It was clear they had planned to bypass the Mallidan Wall via the mountains.
Horses couldn't pull a carriage over mountains, so they'd used a rustic cart, pulled by hand all the way here.
"What a hassle they went through."
"Whoa, total mess."
"Look at the bloodstains."
The churned snow was stained with blood, but no bodies were in sight.
The monsters had probably devoured them all.
Amid clear signs of feasting rather than battle...
A case that appeared to hold the grave goods sat plainly atop the broken cart.
And.
Standing before it...
"Shh."
Silberna, leading the way, swallowed hard with a tense expression.
Grabbing her spear and going on guard, she demanded.
"Who goes there?"
The man noticed the spear tip aimed at him a beat late and turned his head slightly.
"Ah."
Under the dense trees, shrouded from moonlight, his form came into view.
A build around two meters tall.
Broad shoulders draped in a thick vest.
Thick white fur covering his entire body.
Bipedal, but his face evoked a tiger, with a swishing tail and vicious fangs proclaiming him no human.
Finally, the massive greatsword slung on his back.
"A monster?"
"What the hell is that?"
"Doesn't look like a yeti. A tiger in human form?"
Confused voices rose among the nobles.
The northern-dwelling Silberna might know what it was, so everyone glanced at her back, but...
"..."
She gripped her spear with both hands, bit her lip, and assumed a stance.
Her instincts told her a moment's lapse would bring it lunging.
Among them.
The only one who knew its identity...
Was Isaac.
Transcendent Race!
The monsters that had driven humanity to extinction.
Intelligent beasts harboring nothing but hatred for humans.
He'd thought they wouldn't appear for a while yet.
Already active in the north?
Were they involved in this grave goods fiasco too?
Either way.
Dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
Not an ordinary one. Even current Silberna would struggle.
Even with the noble escorts, victory wasn't guaranteed.
That was the nature of the Transcendent Race.
The Transcendent's blue eyes swept over the nobles, followed by a low growl.
"Your luck's run out."
No mercy, no negotiation, not even room for talk—he held none of it.
With a powerful kick from his thick paws, he charged, swinging his greatsword in a massive arc.
KaAAAAAang!
"Grgh!"
Silberna, who met it head-on, was overwhelmed by his sheer strength and forced to drop to one knee.
"Miss!"
Anna, assisting right beside her, thrust her spear desperately.
But he paid no mind to the spear jabbing at his side.
Its tip couldn't pierce his thick hide and merely slid off.
Kwaduk!
A fist smashed down on Anna's spear shaft, snapping it in two.
Then, like swatting a bug, a backhand sent her body flying into the snow.
"Pathetic humans."
His blue eyes turned back to the nobles.
"I'll slaughter you all."
With a snarling warning, the hunt began.
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