Chapter 42:
Destroying It!
THE MAN ON THE OTHER SIDE of the call—Albert Crossman—did not look well. The typically majestic and immaculate crown prince slumped in his chair, his hair a disheveled mess.
“It pains my heart to see you like this, Your Highness.”
“Bullshit. You—” Albert held his tongue, noticing that Cale didn’t look too good either. Instead, he got down to business. “We have intel that Faern’s knights have entered Norland.”
Faern, Norland, and Askosan were the three kingdoms in the northern alliance. Norland in particular was north of the Dark Forest. If not for the forest, it would share a border with Rowoon.
“After delivering the report, my informant destroyed his communication sphere.” The spy sent to Norland was one of the crown prince’s dark elves. He had to be in dire straits if he’d smashed his communication device. “His elemental hasn’t returned, though, which suggests he’s still alive.”
“He’ll come back safe.”
Albert smirked at Cale’s response, then returned to the topic at hand. “I’m collaborating with Brek to see if some of Faern’s knights traveled to Askosan as well.”
Askosan was the closest kingdom to Brek, with Death Canyon separating them.
“That seems likely.”
“Indeed.”
The prince’s informant had said the troops numbered in the dozens. Faern had a reputation as the northern kingdom of knights, but even a nation with legions of knights wouldn’t send out so many. Albert found the whole thing suspicious.
“There’s something fishy going on here. It’s still too early to cross the sea… What could they be thinking?”
There was a reason Rowoon and Brek had prepared for a springtime assault. Although Askosan and Norland were the southernmost nations of the north, they sat higher than Rowoon in the northeast; their shores were probably still frozen. This was especially true in early February, some of the coldest days of the year.
If the knights are on the move, the soldiers will soon set out too.
If Rowoon’s leadership hadn’t known about the northern alliance’s goal, they might have thought Faern’s knights were merely doing some training drills.
“Any attempt at sailing would be premature. Some of the ice will melt by mid-February, but they’d need a lot of manpower to clear it. That would be a waste.”
So why move now? Did the northern alliance want to declare war so soon?
Albert bit his lip; the alliance’s decision surprised him. Other countries had been bound to notice that Faern had sent dozens of knights to both of its allied kingdoms. Yet Faern had chosen to do so openly regardless, so there must’ve been a reason for its confidence.
He thought about the construction of the naval base on Rowoon’s northeastern shores. This information had already spread throughout the continent. Though they’d kept it under wraps for as long as possible, something like that was difficult to contain indefinitely. Most people believed that the naval base was still in its initial stages, but this was a misconception: Rowoon had completed dozens of ships. Mages kept them concealed with spells in preparation for the war.
That’s all thanks to this punk too, Albert thought, watching Cale closely.
There was also Cale’s subordinate, the dwarf-rat fellow. Before returning to Henituse territory, he had lingered on Uvar shores to look over their blueprints. With his help, they’d been able to start building the ships earlier than expected. Nevertheless, their timetable assuming a springtime conflict needed to change—especially now that the informant in Norland had been exposed.
What did I miss?
Albert realized that he’d overlooked a single unknown factor—just one thing. He couldn’t organize the jumble of information in his head without knowing this crucial point.
“Can you figure it out, Cale?” Albert asked, voice rough with frustration as he yanked his tie loose from his throat. Cale was the only person to whom he could reveal his aggravation. He’d called Cale in hopes that the young noble’s trademark detachment would soothe his nerves, but soon he chuckled in disbelief. “No, how could you know?”
“Wyverns.”
Albert stopped laughing. From the other side of the screen, Cale saw the crown prince staring at him with a piercing gaze.
“The wyvern knight brigade has been revived.”
Albert’s eyes widened. The Guardian Knight of Faern’s legend, and the wyvern knight brigade he commanded…
His mind cleared at once. “They’re airborne.”
They weren’t using ships. No, they would use ships, but not until later. First, they would travel through the sky. But what could Rowoon do about that?
Troubled, he asked Cale, “When did you find out?”
“Did you hear about the fire in Faern’s lake?”
“Was that your doing?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I found out then, but I forgot to report it.”
“You son of a…” As Albert heaved a sigh, Cale shrugged. The casual gesture reinforced something for Albert—Cale seemed a bit too calm. “I needn’t inform our brilliant Lord Cale that if they come by air, they’ll be flying over the Dark Forest. Will Henituse territory be okay?”
The corners of Cale’s lips twitched. He had been waiting a long time for this. At first he’d been flustered because things didn’t match what he’d read in the novels, but this was already a completely different world from the Birth of a Hero Kim Roksu knew. That was why he’d doubly prepared for the upcoming days.
He had no reason to wait any longer.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“Please draft an order giving me command of the northeast region’s military.”
“Ha!” Albert barked a laugh. Cale had asked for something outrageous in such an offhanded manner. Yes, this is how it should be. This is the Cale Henituse I know.
Cale piled on his requests. “Also, please put together a knight brigade and one of your mage brigades for me as well.” He grinned. “And then just wait.”
Albert swept a hand across his eyes. Just wait, he says? Did that mean Cale intended to stop the wyvern knights on his own? Crazy bastard.
Smiling, he asked, “Just what the hell have you been up to?”
Cale answered his question with another shrug.
“You cheeky bastard.” Contrary to his choice of words, Crown Prince Albert grinned brightly. As he combed his fingers through his messy hair, he realized what he needed to do. “So there was a reason you called that necromancer back to your side. Do whatever you need to do. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“You focus on gaining power, Your Highness.”
“Don’t worry. Once the war begins, everything will be in my hands.”
Seemingly back to his usual self, Albert plotted a way to push his plans forward with a clear mind. He was so deep in thought, he missed Cale’s flinch.
‹They want to destroy our house while riding some stupid wyverns? Really?› Raon’s voice echoed in Cale’s head.
The dragon’s intensity chilled Cale to the bone. He did his best to ignore the six-year-old dragon’s mutterings.
“Anyway, I’ll do what I must, so you take care of your business.”
Click. Cale abruptly hung up and leaned back on the couch, eyeing the communication sphere. Once again, he had plenty on his plate.
The next day, he promptly set out for home with the Wolf King’s remains in his possession.