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Translator: FusionX

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If the North were to be divided into regions, it could be largely split into 3 parts.

Most of the North unified by Adele’s mercenary group, the area people referred to as the ‘North’, could be said to be this region.

In addition, there was the undeveloped area where people couldn’t enter, and the remaining one was the land of the tribes they were going to subjugate now.

“Although the territory is very small, there’s a reason I couldn’t subjugate them all myself.”

As Adele spoke, Bunta nodded in agreement.

The land where the tribes lived was a dangerous place among dangerous places.

It was a land where people couldn’t easily set foot, and those without wolves couldn’t even move.

Looking at the tribes who had built their base under the mountain range, Adele recited in a low voice.

“I’m planning to handle them all this time. Because at least the territory of the North should be controlled by our power.”

Handling meant the surrender of the tribes.

In the past, it was close to a massacre, but wasn’t what Adele was leading now a proper army?

There was no need to kill everyone by force.

If only the warriors of the tribes were dealt with, the rest could be brought in and used as resources.

The North was a place that could never be completely unified.

Although it looked like Adele was somehow managing it now, there was no way this place with so many minority races would be united as one.

Wasn’t it a characteristic of people that they couldn’t be melted like a melting pot?

Considering just Adele’s deputies, they all had distinctive appearances, so it would be very difficult to govern everything as one.

So what Adele chose was to move forward while acknowledging everything.

Not to confine them within a fence and bind them as one, but to tolerate whatever they did as long as they operated within the stage of the North.

However, the tribes they were trying to subjugate now refused even that, so they were a force that needed to be erased as quickly as possible.

“I think we could rush in tonight and end it right away.”

“I think they’ll notice an ambush. It might be better to do it during the day.”

As Adele answered Lothos’ words, Lothos, who had been fiddling with his glasses for a moment, opened his mouth.

That gaze fell on me, as if blatantly expecting my performance.

“I think it would be better to launch a surprise attack right now. Our mobility isn’t reduced, and even if only a few of us go in, we can handle them except for the elite of the tribes, right?”

“If I handle the elite warriors, who will catch the chief?”

“We have a new deputy, so we should make use of him at times like this.”

How could he say that so confidently?

Although I had anticipated this situation when I came, I felt offended when Lothos said that.

Was he still unpleasant, now and before?

Realizing my expression was unusual, Lothos, who laughed awkwardly, added.

“No, your skills are good, right? I think you’re the best force to use at times like this.”

“You’re not wrong, but I think it would be better for me to take the lead this time too. If you get hurt again this time, there won’t be a handkerchief to lend you.”

“… Didn’t you cut that yourself?”

As I asked back, Adele avoided my gaze and pretended not to know, moving on with the conversation.

Come to think of it, did I already receive an apology for that?

I smiled slightly, recalling Adele who had come to see me before going to sleep on the first day I arrived in the North.

I thought it would end with just returning the handkerchief, but perhaps it bothered her quite a bit.

I thought it was a rather unique experience.

It wasn’t a common scene to see her apologize like that herself.

After laughing like that for a moment, I followed the others and looked down at the foot of this mountain range.

With the wolves baring their teeth and growling, the first battle of the subjugation would probably begin soon.

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The most important factor in the subjugation of the tribes was speed.

Even if one couldn’t wield a sword well, with the mobility of the wolves, destructive power could be produced as much as desired.

To catch the tribes moving freely in this rough terrain, it was important to keep up with their movements.

Swish-

The tribal warrior cut by the sword fell.

As the seamless strikes continued like flowing water, someone else fell again, and the wolves that seemed to be rampaging left and right were showing quite precise movements.

It wasn’t being done by another veteran deputy or Adele herself.

It was the appearance of Robert, who was participating in his first battle today.

The deputies, each engaged in battle, could only blankly watch that sight.

It was certain that today was his first time taking the lead in battle, but what was it about his ability to freely control the wolves?

It wasn’t an easy task even for those who had grown up with wolves since birth.

In the central region, he would even ride a horse instead of a wolf, so why did Robert… seem familiar with this kind of battle?

“Isn’t it amazing?”

Around the time Adele was watching Robert and appropriately handling the remaining tribesmen,

Lothos, who had approached from the side, asked.

Lothos had been watching Robert since the start of the battle.

Anyway, since his role here was to clean up afterwards, it was possible for him to have more leeway than others.

The Robert Taylor that Lothos knew was a rather peculiar man.

If judged only by rumors, no one would say anything even if he was expelled right away, but the person he actually met was rather firm and skilled.

Look, even now, didn’t he handle tribesmen at almost the same level as Adele?

Especially the way he freely used mana as he wished was not something easily seen even among the knights of the central region.

“He seems familiar with fighting alongside us. It must be his first time fighting, but still.”

“It must be talent. There are occasionally people like that.”

Adele retorted as if it wasn’t a big deal.

From Adele’s perspective, it was rather satisfying to see Robert fight like that.

Why would she have made him her deputy for no reason?

If he met her standards, she was going to bring him along and be with him somehow, and the appearance she had seen so far was excellently meeting that standard.

… And, in many ways, ambiguous thoughts were coming to mind.

She still wanted to watch him for some time.

It was Adele who had judged that if Robert couldn’t get along with the deputies, she would have to boldly kick him out.

She thought the group’s solidarity was more important than what drew her interest, but Robert so far had been treating them quite well.

“If it’s talent, it must be that, but it’s still amazing. Because he’s a completely different person from who I thought he was. Is that why you like him?”

“What I saw was different, but it’s similar.”

The reason Adele took an interest in Robert was originally for a different reason.

The somehow detached appearance, and the calm demeanor even when she held a sword to his throat.

But the most annoying thing was his attitude of being composed even in the face of imminent death.

It wasn’t a lack of fear. It was the appearance of accepting death.

Eyes that were indifferent even if he died right away, as if he would gladly accept death.

Those hollow eyes had not changed at all even as time passed.

What did he see to not harbor emotions in his eyes?

What did he experience to be detached in the face of killing intent?

It was an attitude that even Adele, who had lived in a rather rough place, saw for the first time, so she naturally couldn’t help but take an interest in the man named Robert Taylor.

And fortunately, an opportunity arose.

Meeting at the Full Moon Festival and spending time together, and even coming to the North like this.

In the course of those encounters, emotions were gradually emerging in her.

Deeper than interest, but something she couldn’t identify,

She was concerned.

The anxiety she felt whenever she saw Robert still remained with Adele.

Even though he was clearly in front of her, it felt like his gaze was looking far away, not at her.

As if he would disappear just like that if she didn’t hold onto him, Adele deliberately gave him a room near where she stayed so that she could frequently run into Robert.

He wouldn’t disappear.

Adele knew that too.

Unless a person was wind or dust, there was no way they would disappear in an instant.

She reassured herself like that several times.

She didn’t know why she was acting this way.

He was just a guest who had come to the North, so why was her mind getting so complicated?

Tying her hair often at his words that it suited her, and grumbling at his concern for the princess.

It was not the behavior she usually showed, and confusion began to rise.

What on earth… did she want to hear from Robert?

It caught her eye.

Even when cutting down the tribes like this, her gaze turned to him, wondering if he might be hurt.

Even when she tried to focus solely on slashing in order to steady her mind, whenever she came to her senses, she found herself looking at Robert.

Out of worry, out of concern.

No, it wasn’t for that reason.

Then what was it?

Adele knew Lothos was staring intently at her, but she let out a hollow laugh at the rising emotion.

It wasn’t her business if Robert was interested in the princess or the saint.

But she sulked for no reason and told him not to worry in front of her.

The embarrassing memory that suddenly came to mind seemed to bring heat to her face.

What kind of unseemly behavior was this?

Adele’s mind was just confused.

Because she was overwhelmed by an emotion she felt for the first time in her life, she didn’t even notice Robert approaching.

“I’ve handled everything. If we keep going forward now-”

She was startled.

Adele’s body trembled greatly when she heard Robert’s voice.

She was quite surprised herself, so Adele, who barely suppressed the voice that was trying to escape through her lips, closed her eyes tightly.

She had been thinking about him until just now, so what was she supposed to do if he suddenly showed up like this?

Fortunately, composure was Adele’s specialty.

When she opened her eyes again with a nonchalant expression, Robert was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

He had a gentle face befitting a young master.

To the point where it was unbelievable that he had single-handedly dealt with the tribesmen beyond.

Killing people for the first time… no, did he smell the scent of blood last time too?

‘How on earth did he live his life?’

He was different from the typical nobles of the central region.

That calmness, and maintaining composure even in this situation.

Adele, who had been watching Robert, then slowly moved her lips.

“There’s no way you handled everything. The tribes in the west are not few in number.”

“I know that, but this is all that’s here.”

Robert also felt something strange.

Temuzin was nowhere to be seen, when normally he would have shown up and clashed long ago.

But he didn’t appear even after handling all the tribal warriors, so he had asked Toby to scout.

Looking around, there were no living tribesmen in sight.

Why was that, the reason Temuzin, who usually treated his subordinates terribly, had not appeared until now?

He thought Temuzin would definitely be waiting for a confrontation with him, but could it be that he appeared faster than expected and their paths got twisted?

… No, that possibility was low.

Their reason for moving later after declaring the subjugation was to draw out Temuzin’s reaction.

He thought Temuzin would definitely respond in the west, but around the time he was thinking about where he had disappeared to, Lothos muttered something with a serious expression.

“The northwest.”

The atmosphere changed at that word.

Bunta, who had been boasting about the success of the earlier subjugation, and Adele, who had been slightly confused, hardened their expressions coldly and stared intently at Lothos.

The probability of them going to the northwest was extremely low.

There were many directions to head from this west, so he judged that if Temuzin were to confront him, he would fight in the rough terrain further west rather than here.

“There’s a possibility he went to the northwest.”

“That prideful guy went there? I don’t think there’s a high probability of that.”

He was a guy who would grit his teeth and charge even if it was a losing battle.

Even if he fought, was there a reason for him to fight so desperately to the point of taking the imperial family hostage?

To Adele, who questioned like that, Lothos responded with a slightly gloomy expression.

“… It’s winter, isn’t it? They’ll be short on food. It must have been a rather desperate fight.”

“So he threw away his pride? Deciding to strike the northwest where the imperial army is stationed?”

“The number of imperial soldiers there is almost negligible. Didn’t Her Highness the Princess come in a way similar to a secret expedition?”

Lothos also thought the probability of that was low.

He had no grudge against the imperial family, so he was just considering the worst-case scenario.

If such a thing happened, they would have to change direction immediately.

Considering the time they wasted here, there was a high possibility that Temuzin had already reached the northwest.

Although soldiers were deployed in the northwest, wouldn’t they definitely be broken through if Temuzin attacked with full force?

Thump thump-

Their anxiety gradually began to grow.

The possibility of ‘what if’, but if that was true, the situation would turn worse.

As Adele’s complexion turned serious upon seeing Toby rushing fiercely from afar, Lothos clicked his tongue and began to give out orders to the army.

When Toby came with that expression, it could only point to a single situation.

“We need to change direction right away.”

“… The reason is.”

As Adele asked, Toby answered in a low voice.

“A request for salvation has come from the northwest.”

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