◈ Episode 578: To the center of the battlefield (1)
The House of Ulburg was located in the northern part of the empire.
Although it had a large territory, the largest portion of it was the dense, dense coniferous forest.
Many animals live in the forest, and rumor has it that even spirit beasts live there.
Freuden Ulburg entered his family again.
“Confucius has arrived.”
As I opened the door and entered, the knights of the family lined up and bowed their heads respectfully.
Wearing uniforms with the wolf symbol on them, they were the wolf knights who protected the family.
Although the hospitality seemed burdensome, Freuden nodded with a natural expression.
This wasn’t just a day or two; he had more important things to do.
“What about the matriarch?”
“You went to the forest as usual.”
“is it.”
“I will guide you.”
“No, that’s enough. “I can get there by myself.”
Freuden headed alone to the forest behind the mansion.
Under the sky covered with soft gray clouds, the forest had a pure atmosphere.
Every time Freuden walked, the branches and leaves on the ground made a rustling sound.
The smell of the forest, the sounds of insects, and the intense dynamism of life breathing.
In it, Freuden walked in a straight line for a set goal.
Although it was not a forest where a path was built, it was a place I visited several times.
Freuden eventually arrived at a place where the view beyond the trees was wide and the lake spread out.
The quiet Blue Lake came into Freuden’s field of vision with the sound of birds flapping their wings.
It was a beautiful scenery, almost like a painting, but Freuden’s eyes did not stop at the lake.
Freuden’s eyes were drawn to the back of a man sitting alone at the edge of the lake.
On the shore of a lake in this lush forest, a man sits alone without a guard and casts a fishing rod.
Freuden called him.
“Matriarch.”
The answer came right away.
“I told you to call me father.”
“That’s it.”
“Or, would you like to call me dad?”
“The head of the family is comfortable.”
“Anyway, he seems like a heartless guy.”
The man looked back and smiled.
The man had a face so similar to Freuden that I wondered if he would look like that when he got older. The hair was just a little longer.
However, unlike Freuden, who was cold and blunt, he seemed somewhat bored and relaxed.
Even though they had the same face, it seemed strange that their tendencies were completely opposite.
David Ulburg.
The head of the Ulburg family, which symbolizes the wolf, one of the three major ducal families of the empire.
“okay. “Why did my blunt son come to see me?”
“I want to find someone.”
“Because he is a person… … .”
“Please lend me the people of your family.”
The reason Freuden came to visit his father, David, was to free people to find Line.
The knights of the Ulburg family have been very good at tracking and exploration since ancient times.
Just as wolves follow their prey by scent, they too have tendencies that match their family symbol.
Even if they were in another country beyond the empire, there was no one they couldn’t find if they set their minds to it.
And the same goes for this man who is currently casting a fishing line like Hanryang.
Although he seemed to welcome us with a smile on the outside, the man who created this tight information network and managed it thoroughly was David, the head of Ulburg at the time.
That is why Freuden had the shame to ask for help even though he did not have a good relationship with his father.
“haha. As I live, I experience all these things. “My son did me a favor.”
David burst out laughing as if he was happy about that fact.
Freuden was a son whom it would not hurt to see.
Although the pressure of being the next head of the family must have been intense, he overcame it well and is still showing himself as a great wolf.
“But you’re still immature.”
“… … “Do you mean me?”
Freuden asked, squirming slightly.
immature Because he had heard similar words from Ludger, Freuden had no choice but to react a little sensitively.
“Are you saying that I am immature?”
“Having that reaction is evidence of immaturity. But more importantly… … “You hide your feelings too much.”
“… … “It’s natural to hide your emotions.”
“okay. of course. But you hide it too much. “That’s the same as showing that you’re hiding your emotions in public.”
Freuden was speechless at David’s words.
“Not showing your true feelings prevents the other person from even realizing that you are hiding your feelings.”
“Matriarch, are you saying that is possible?”
“I don’t have to hide it anymore, so I don’t. But son. You are not yet.”
David cast his gaze back to the fishing rod.
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The float floating on the quiet lake showed no sign of movement.
“So you came here to ask me a favor like this to find someone?”
“… … “It’s my personal matter.”
“We are family, so is it okay for me to know?”
“It’s not something the matriarch would care about.”
“It seems like you care about that commoner girl.”
“… … !”
Freuden’s eyes widened at David’s words.
Freuden glared at David’s back as if wondering how he knew.
Even though David didn’t look back, he burst out laughing as if he knew what kind of expression Freuden was making.
“Did you think I didn’t know about such things? It seems you underestimated this father too much. “That’s a bit disappointing.”
“… … “It was Henry’s doing.”
“Arthur. Henry intentionally kept his mouth shut to protect his friendship with you. I have many listening ears and seeing eyes other than Henry. Well, I also got some help from a nasty old guy.”
David chuckles and laughs frivolously, unbecoming of his position as the head of the family.
He eventually wiped his smile and slowly stood up from his seat and looked back at Freuden.
“It’s already been a while. It’s been almost 10 years, right? “The day you were kidnapped.”
“… … .”
Freuden did not respond, but recalled the same incident.
When Freuden was young.
He had been kidnapped back when he was a brat, much more c*cky than he is now, and drunk on aristocratic authority.
The reason was also my own, and the root of the problem was that Freuden, who was originally going on a carriage ride for an outing, did not want to take the same route as usual, so he forced himself to take a long detour.
The Ulburg family was one of the three major ducal families, but there were many families that kept Ulburg in check.
With Freuden in their sights, it was obvious what would happen next.
The carriage was attacked, and Freuden was kidnapped by unknown people.
That day was an unforgettable day for Freuden.
It was the first day in his life when he realized the harsh reality outside his family, but that misfortune turned around and gave him an unforgettable bond.
“You were kidnapped and rescued by someone, and more than a month later, you were returned to my arms.”
“… … .”
“But in that one month, you grew from a kid who didn’t know anything to a more manly man. “I was disappointed about that, but I was also proud of it.”
“… … “Why are you telling me such things?”
“I have a gut feeling that it will be the same this time too.”
Seeing David smiling and talking, Freuden realized why he disliked his father, the head of the family.
His behavior was not that of a noble family.
It was somehow light and frivolous, and even when I washed my eyes and searched for it, I couldn’t see any trace of dignity.
“Son. “Make love.”
David spoke gently to Freuden as if advising him.
That’s me.
To love. Isn’t this something that sounds like something out of a romance novel?
Nobles cannot even love carelessly.
They are beings tied to their family.
For the sake of her family, she was destined to enter into a loveless, arranged marriage.
“Do your best to be with the person you love.”
This is especially true if it is Ulburg, the third ducal family.
The greater the family’s reputation, the greater the pressure it exerts.
However, David was telling Freuden to fall in love, not enter into an arranged marriage.
“Even if it fails.”
David nodded as if it was okay.
“Wouldn’t the fact that you were in love remain in your heart?”
Freuden realized the cause of the discomfort he felt while looking at David.
That was self-loathing.
When I look at the ugly head of the family, I always tell myself that I shouldn’t end up like that.
In the end, he realized that he was the son of such a family head and that he was not much different from him.
I deceived myself and wore a mask.
I thought this was right, this was natural.
So, when I looked at David for his honesty, I thought I was jealous of him, but I suppressed that feeling.
“Now you can finally face yourself properly.”
David, who realized the change in Freuden, burst into a wide smile as if he was amazed.
“… … “I just realized that I’m still a kid.”
“okay. It’s all like that. That’s how you grow step by step. But to realize at this age, he is our son after all. “Let’s hug each other sometime.”
Freuden waved his hand as he saw David approaching with his arms wide open.
“That’s a bit…” … .”
“Hmm. After all, it’s still too early to hug, right? Still, it’s good to hear that you’ve made up your mind. “I will attach a helper as you requested.”
“Are you going to send the knights?”
“He’s a better guy than that.”
Awww.
A wolf howl was heard from afar.
Freuden had a moment of doubt at the sound of an animal coming from deep in the forest.
“This… … ?”
I could see dark blue shadows moving swiftly through the dense coniferous forest.
As Freuden raised his guard, countless packs of wolves appeared around the lakeside.
“Don’t be scared. “These kids will help you.”
“What on earth are these wolves?”
“My friends. And the children who will become your friends in the future.”
As soon as David finished speaking, a wolf appeared through the pack of wolves.
Its size is three times larger than that of other wolves and its body is agile. Even the deep navy blue fur that looks like the night sky in the early evening.
The sight of the magic flowing gently over the fur and scattering around like a haze was quite spectacular at first glance.
“Youngsu?”
“He is the guardian of our family and an old friend of mine. This must be my first time seeing it in person. “I was planning to introduce you later when I hand over the position of head of the family, but I never thought the opportunity would come so early.”
“That spirit, is he guiding me?”
“okay. This child will find the person you are looking for. “Wherever that place is.”
Even if it’s the end of the continent.
David approached Youngsoo and gently stroked his neck.
Youngsu closed his eyes and felt David’s touch.
“request. friend.”
At David’s words, the wolf spirit opened his eyes like starlight and nodded.
The wolf spirit lowered his body. Freuden, who was staring at the figure, gathered his courage and climbed on top of it.
“… … thank you.”
Before leaving, Freuden thanked David and disappeared like the wind along with the spirit.
David, who had sent his son away with the wolf spirit, sat down by the lake again and cast a fishing rod.
“In my life, I have heard people say thank you to their son. “Is this what being a father deserves?”
His grinning expression turned cold.
“The situation has changed. From the Holy Kingdom of Bretus to the Pablo family and several other schools of magic. Above all, Lumos, are you finally moving too?”
His eyes looked towards the calm surface of the water.
“I don’t know what is going to happen to the empire, but I hope it will be a great blessing.”
* * *
“Not long ago, there were a lot of warlocks.”
“After hearing the news from you, I have been trying to contact the warlock in my own way. “What is especially important is the curse class, so I searched for a warlock with deep knowledge in that field.”
“So you found it?”
“I found it. Ancient Curse School. It’s not just the name. It actually has a long history, and its origins are rooted in magic that goes back hundreds of years. It’s just that it’s more vicious than the modern curse and Haeju, so it’s treated like a warlock, but the result is the same. And the current head of that school is estimated to be at least 5th rank.”
“5th rank. “It’s not bad for a warlock, but it might not be enough.”
“I said it was minimal. “It’s not very visible to the outside world, so considering that warlocks usually hide their power beyond what is known, it can be considered a 6th rank.”
“A person of that caliber is hiding on an island like this?”
“Because it’s around Isla Machina, that’s why so many people come.”
On Isla Machina, the society of warlocks was structured in great detail.
The New Magic Tower, the actual power of Isla Machina, is not letting them go for nothing.
The money that warlocks bring is money, but the biggest reason is that it is not easy to eradicate them.
“But then a problem arose. “The pipeline that was barely built was in disarray due to the forces that have recently emerged.”
“You mean those pale-skinned people.”
“okay. “I don’t know what they did when they suddenly appeared, but they swallowed up several schools of warlocks and became enormous.”
Ludger nodded.
Considering that the Hell Magic School actually lost this fight and ran away, it was a set procedure.
‘It’s an army of experiment subjects under Nikolai’s control. I understand why he’s chasing me. I don’t know how he knew I was here, but he must have thought it was a chance for some genius to kill me, whom he had always had a deep grudge against.’
Nikolai acted as if he would dominate the darkness of Isla Machina by devouring the forces of the warlock.
However, the warlocks were not easily defeated.
Feeling a sense of crisis, they formed a coalition, different from their usual individual actions.
“Currently, the Warlock Alliance and its emerging forces have reached a lull, but it is like a time bomb that may explode at any moment.”
“I guess I’ll have to reconnect the pipeline with that witch doctor.”
“Well, there’s a real problem.”
Gariel paused for a moment and spoke.
“They say there is a lull now, but the fighting continues. But, unfortunately, the ancient curse school got caught up in it.”
“Is that really why they said the pipeline was in disarray?”
“that’s right.”
“You’re not completely wiped out, right?”
“It’s not completely ruined yet. “But it’s not like they’re coming out to make contact with us.”
Gariel muttered, looking at Linne with a sad gaze.
“So we have to go find it ourselves.”
To the middle of the battlefield.
They had to move it themselves.
