Chapter 148 – Deep into the ridge

[Do I want to reset the Mercenaries of Lopes and try to get the card at the Draw Phase?]

Brendel thought for a while. Her sudden disappearance signified a serious issue and he needed information to assess the situation.

[No…… If I resummoned them, then the people I placed in Trentheim w—]

– Dia of the Mercenaries of Lopes has entered the graveyard.

“What?” He could not help but express his shock.

But this event allowed him to communicate with Dia who had entered the graveyard. He assumed that she was in grave trouble, but the timing of it still made him feel guilty and wary of his surroundings.

“Dia, did you encounter another Warg?”

“No, my lord. But I died a painful death! It’s so horrible!” Dia said.

Brendel consoled her and she began to roughly explain the situation where she met up with the Kirrlutz nobles and a strange woman. When the youth heard that the weapons and magic artifacts turn into rust and lost its mana, his heart skipped a beat.

[The woman you encountered has purple features, you say…… Then there’s only one possibility.]

Mistress of Withering Decay, Andesha, one of the twelve leaders of the Tree Shepherds.

[The Element Power of Decay isn’t that powerful if you rank it, but the damned faction is just one cut below the strongest powers in the continent. Why is that woman here?]

Brendel’s heart was beating fast when he realized the answer. He was the cause of the Divine Resonance. Attracting the attention of the wizards from Galbu and the Holy Cathedral of Fire was already ridiculous. But even the Tree Shepherds was here.

Was the Lionheart so appealing to them?

[Perhaps the Tree Shepherds know that the Lionheart used to be a part of Dyrnwyn…… A Divine Weapon might get them to act. The Four Sages in the past were considered to be one of their sworn enemies. Perhaps they want to prevent their weapons from surfacing again. This explanation is acceptable.]

Brendel felt a little sorry for Dia. It seemed like her great luck in getting great loot was somehow balanced by attracting bad luck. She was braver than he expected though.

[Rono and Elman’s deaths are not that surprising. Even ten of them would not be enough to even hit her little finger. The reason why Faena is alive…… is that she wants to threaten the Kirrlutz’s ambassadors? Veronica’s level is probably 80-100. Even though she mastered her Element Power, she should not be a match for Andesha. Which means the Kirrlutz Empire’s forces are even stronger than I imagined.]

The military forces of the Kirrlutz Empire are split into several categories. The Knights, Court Wizards, Star Seers, and the Holy Cathedral’s faction. Since the Holy Cathedral of Fire sent in an official group, then the Kirrlutz Empire would have at least sent in a couple of grandmaster wizards for Andesha to move so cautiously.

[The leader of the Kirrlutz Empire’s force is still Veronica. It would be interesting to see Andesha fight with Veronica and whatever forces that she brought along— in the game. I might even get some loot drops in this world, but I’m feeling so much danger in my heart that I feel I should leave this place right away.]

Brendel’s gamer soul itched, but he thought that he would at least have to die ten times before he got something. Dia’s death only reinforced this chilling thought.

“Lord Brendel, lord Brendel!” Austin raised his voice.

“…… I’m sorry to say this, Count Austin, but I’m not going to search for Faena and the others. We have to leave for the Loop of Trade Winds, now.” Brendel came back to his senses and replied.

He was not saintly enough to try and rescue the girl who tried to get him killed in the first place.

Perhaps if Brendel was the old Brendel from Aouine, he might have tried to rescue Faena regardless of the danger out of loyalty. A war between Kirrlutz and Aouine might break out if things were handled poorly.

But the current Brendel knew what Aouine’s future would be if he failed to reform the kingdom. In addition, if he failed to light up the Fire Seed in Valhalla, the Druids, Centaurs, and Tree Elves would all be killed. That would include all his men as well.

“You must consider the aftermath of this situation—-” Austin’s tone was severe as he tried to beg him.

“The answer is the same, Count Austin. I will not search for them, and your repeated insinuations to use the royal throne and influence me will not work here.” Brendel was smirking coldly in his mind.

Perhaps he should just bring out the silver brooch that the princess gave to shut him up.

The brooch was the symbol of the Royal Knights, and ordinary members were forged with brass metal. The captain of a squadron was given a silver brooch, while the commander of the knights was given a gold-plated brooch. A knight who was given a silver brooch was usually assigned to a royal family member. In terms of relationships, they were much closer to the throne compared to these delegated members of the Royal Faction.

[…… But this is wishful thinking. Even though Gryphine secretly gave this to me, it’s clear that she doesn’t want to expose the relationship between us. If I go around showing off this brooch, it will definitely leave a bad impression on her.]

Even though there was no real need to care about what she thought and use it freely to gain an advantage, he was unwilling to do it because of how much he admired her.

He decided to ignore the nobles. They would not leave his group despite pleading for him to search for the Kirrlutz’s nobles. The twenty-odd men that they had would not survive the wolves, and there were other monsters lurking about as well.

Austin’s mind was still clear. Since he saw that the youth was adamant in his decision, he did not demand Brendel to escort them back like Dolant did, and instead attached their men to the centaurs’ protection unabashedly.

Everyone started to move out. Brendel rode ahead and observed the Aouine’s ambassadors from halfway up the mountains. He revealed a mysterious smile before looking at the starless night sky.

After a moment, he peered at the road ahead of him—

The mountainous road was uneven with ups and downs. The Wall of Flowers were south of the mountainous ridges that formed broad hills. Once they passed the hills, they would start to enter the Karanjar mountains that led to the north.

[Since we’re in the mountain ridges, I can say that we have reached the outer areas of the Loop of Trade Winds.]

The surrounding mountainous dark forest was covered with a thin veil of white mist that resembled cotton. If the Wind Scar did not occur across the clouds over the Loop of Trade Winds, the area would have been flooded with a thick fog.

When Brendel stared closer into the night sky, he realized that the dark clouds completely covered the sky and blocked the stars from being seen. It was the same no whether which direction he looked at, and he felt infinitely small by being enveloped in this endless trail of clouds.

The stunning scenery caused him to be at a loss for words.

The blue Mana amongst the trees were full of purity, but they eventually turned into a black color, which then formed into the shape of a monster. The Waves of Calamity was starting again, and the air was fraught with danger, overwatched by a silver moon that lit up the forest.

[Perhaps a fake silver moon? How does logic work here again when I can’t see the stars?]

He sighed and went back to thinking about Andesha’s presence. That woman would not have thought Dia’s death would have revealed her presence instead. If he knew that she was acting in this area, the threat would be much smaller since he had knowledge in dealing with the Tree Shepherds. He even fought a few of them personally and knew them well.

“Will it be fine?” Dia asked in his mind: “That woman seems to be incredibly powerful.”

“Don’t worry. If I didn’t know about her presence, it would be much more dangerous. Thank you very much, Dia.”

The Wild Elf smiled sweetly.

“What’s wrong?” Amandina was looking at him with concerned eyes, making Brendel feel awkward. Did he stare into space again?

[Why are you paying attention to me all the time?]

“Nothing at all. Is there something?” He asked.

Amandina let out a huff: “Wydall has been asking for you for hours. You looked like you were deep in thought so I told him that, and he dared not to disturb you— I think they discovered other adventurers ahead. You should take a look.”

“Hmm?”

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