Chapter 102. Gorge Where Even Tears Dried Up (2)
Emilia wrung out a towel and placed it on the old man’s forehead.
“……Still, it is fortunate to see welcome faces before dying…….”
“Do not say such things.”
Valone, whose both legs were cut off, became weaker by the day after meeting Blanc.
As if he had been forcibly holding onto his life just to meet Blanc.
Emilia, who had worked at the Cadmus mansion for a long time, reddened her eyes remembering the strict but deep-hearted former scribe.
“The old era sets and the new Black Wolf has returned, so…….”
Valone looked out the window with blurry vision.
There, soldiers holding flags with a black wolf painted on them were moving.
Perhaps his grandson Jerome and the newly became lord Blanc Cadmus would be there.
Though invisible to his old eyes that had lost their luster.
“Since I have seen that appearance, I have no regrets even if I die now…….”
But in Valone’s eyes, that appearance seemed clearly visible.
The appearance of the Black Wolf standing proudly under the brightly shining sun.
Valone let out a thin sigh.
“Lord Pallard…… Cadmus has continued…….”
The loyal subject of Cadmus who endured harsh pain and disgrace breathed his last.
However, a quiet smile was drawn on his lips.
Quiet weeping echoed in the Cadmus lord’s manor.
Blanc, leading the army, turned his head back for a moment as if he heard a familiar voice, but soon straightened his body again and looked forward.
“Advance.”
“All troops advance!”
The Black Wolf did not stop.
The new Lord of Norington, Blanc Cadmus.
The army receiving his order was moving, leaving behind the weeping of the blonde maid.
Their destination was Monshau, the land where his father’s enemy was.
***
Blanc headed to Vicious leading the soldiers who were formerly called the Brass Helmet Mercenary Corps and the Thornbush Mercenary Corps.
Now they were formally organized into the Cadmus army.
Ulvent, who had not been formally appointed but naturally rode the flow to become a Centurion of the Cadmus army from a mercenary captain, skillfully led the soldiers who were his members.
It had been several days since Blanc advanced to Monshau with his knights and Centurions Wiseman and Ulvent.
“It is Vicious Castle.”
Finally arriving at Monshau, a half-burnt castle stood bleakly in front of the Cadmus army.
As if they dared not think of repairing it, the castle gates were still wide open, and they were controlling entry only by setting up a wooden fence.
Besides that, it was the appearance of Vicious Castle revealing its hideous flesh as it had not recovered at all from the scars of war Blanc created.
If not for the Vicious flag waving shabbily above the castle, there would be nothing to say even if one mistook it for an abandoned castle.
“It was truly awesome…….”
Franz, seeing the blown-away castle gate, was admiring the result he created.
Blanc, seeing Franz’s twinkling eyes, briefly recalled the scene from that time.
Because even himself, a Regressor who had gone through all sorts of hardships, was very surprised to see fragments of the castle gate flying right next to him.
“Ominous.”
However, the eyes with which Blanc was looking at Franz right now were not exactly kind.
Because Duven was chatting excitedly next to Franz.
Blanc looking at the future explosion mage and the master of mechanical devices with narrowed eyes.
Was not refusing Franz, who insisted on following him saying he wanted to avoid his younger sister’s nagging, the beginning of the problem?
Since both were people skilled at devouring money, it was a situation understandable enough for Blanc to look at them with wary eyes.
“Baron.”
Hansen called Blanc, who could not relax his wariness looking at the two money-grubbers.
Awakened from his thoughts by Hansen’s call, Blanc turned his gaze and saw people coming out from inside Vicious Castle holding a white flag.
They dared not even make eye contact with the Cadmus soldiers.
Filled with fear, they were the Vicious retainer group expressing their intention to surrender.
“Let’s move.”
Blanc, who became a righteous conqueror from a righteous avenger, entered the castle following the white flag.
In the shabby castle that was half-burnt, there was no one left who could block the shining Black Wolf.
The Vicious flag, dirtied and burnt to become shabby, was watching that appearance.
The movement of the flag fluttering at the highest point of Vicious Castle was simply futile.
***
“Dare not make eye contact with me.”
It was a bleak hall.
In the castle that was a wreck with traces of burning everywhere not yet erased.
The Black Wolf was sitting at the highest place, looking down at people arrogantly.
“The only reason I do not kill you right now is one. Because I highly bought your sense of responsibility and duty.”
When some retainers could not hold back their antipathy towards Blanc and showed rebellious eyes, Blanc warned strongly.
“Do not test my patience. Would adding a few more drops of blood matter in this place already covered in blood?”
One Vicious retainer, receiving Blanc’s anger squarely from the front, could not handle the momentum and was trembling his whole body like an aspen tree.
He was offering a tray containing the surrender document while bowing his head in front of Blanc.
“W-We, the retainer group of Vicious, realized that it is unreasonable for us to rule Monshau by ourselves any longer.”
It was as the retainer said.
All Vicious family members died, and there was no one who dared to succeed them.
Most retainers took as much of the remaining Vicious wealth as they could and fled in all directions to avoid the approaching Black Wolf’s anger, but.
Even so, there were a few people who tried to fulfill their responsibilities to the last.
Blanc quietly quelled his anger looking at the old man handing him the surrender document with trembling hands.
His anger was intense and vicious as he had harbored it for a long time, but Blanc knew well that it should not be wielded indiscriminately.
Blanc picked up the surrender document the retainer was holding and signed it roughly.
It was an arrogant posture as if he had come to his own home, but no one here could point out his attitude.
“With this, Monshau has become a territory ruled by the Cadmus family. Those with complaints, come forward now.”
Blanc’s quiet declaration spread quietly throughout the burnt Vicious Castle.
However, there was not a single person who dared to step in front of Blanc.
With this, Blanc became the sole lord ruling Norington and Monshau.
“I will decide on your treatment over time, so everyone behave carefully and reflect on yourselves.”
Blanc highly appreciated the spirit of the Vicious retainers who tried to take responsibility until the end, even though they helped his father’s enemy.
Since he had already exterminated Vicious, the true enemy, he had no intention of executing the remaining retainer group unless they caused major problems.
However, the Monshau retainers, unable to guess Blanc’s inner thoughts, had no choice but to bow their heads deeply while trembling at Blanc’s frost-like command.
“And.”
Blanc pointed out one retainer who had just handed over the surrender document and said.
“I need materials on the Gorge Where Even Tears Dried Up.”
“……Pardon?”
As a completely unexpected place name flowed from Blanc’s mouth, the pointed-out retainer was flustered.
“If you show me your usefulness, wouldn’t my mercy increase a little more?”
The Monshau retainers who understood Blanc’s words bowed their heads.
They would search for information on the Gorge Where Even Tears Dried Up even if they had to stay up all night, if only to survive.
Blanc made a meaningful expression watching the Vicious retainer group hurriedly leaving the lord’s hall.
Blanc, the Regressor, was a person who pursued efficiency.
His steps to somewhere were always intended, and he was a person who was not satisfied with bringing only one benefit with a single movement.
Through this campaign, Blanc intended to take over Vicious and at the same time retrieve Ulrich’s arrangement that would be sleeping in the Gorge Where Even Tears Dried Up.
***
Late at night.
“Nothing special…….”
Blanc was reviewing the materials brought by the Vicious retainers through the moonlight coming over the window and the candlelight placed on his desk.
The contents written in those materials were not much different from the information he knew when he was in the Liberation Front.
“In the end, I’ll have to go and see.”
Blanc had investigated whether anything had changed due to the existence of Ulrich arriving 190 years ago, but he had found absolutely nothing.
A gorge where clear water flowed and fertile farmland existed just a hundred years ago, but now a desolate wasteland.
The Gorge Where Even Tears Dried Up, where everything had dried up and only red sand floated in the wind.
There was a man who shed a single tear in that gorge.
“…….”
Blanc’s gaze moved following the flag faintly shining receiving the moonlight.
Behind the Black Wolf crest, there was a pattern shining with blue light.
‘Night Watchers.’
They were still watching beyond the dark night sky.
***
“I know everyone has a story, but isn’t it a bit much not to even tell me your name?”
Men using the collapsed Continental Lighthouse as a windbreak.
They were the Night Watchers looking at those stained by the Void wriggling beyond the darkness.
A scarred man grumbled and grabbed his collar, shrinking his body at the seeping cold wind.
However, the pointed-out person just smirked and avoided answering.
“……Well, is that important? Not a great name anyway…… Just call me Captain.”
The Captain habitually rummaged through his inner pocket looking for rolling paper but took his hand out again with an ‘oops’ expression.
“Do you know what my dream is, Blanc Scar?”
The Captain asked Blanc with a playful smile.
“What is it?”
There was no way a warm reaction would come out from the mouth of Blanc, who was crumpled up unable to even straighten his body properly in the already cold weather.
“My dream is…….”
The Captain, who eventually rolled the rolling paper and held it in his mouth despite the situation where fire could not be lit.
The unlit cigarette was cooling down rapidly by the cold wind.
“To smoke this guy incessantly and die of lung disease.”
Blanc answered as if dumbfounded looking at him talking about death with a grin.
“Is there much difference between dying like that or getting killed by those guys? Dying terribly seems the same, doesn't it?”
The Captain turned his head at Blanc’s counter-question and looked at him.
“Why is there no big difference? There is a very big difference between the two.”
A smile hung on his lips.
“The difference is that I chose it.”
***
Blanc, who was looking at the flag emitting blue light, took something out of a drawer.
Blanc sprinkled dried leaves on it, carefully rolled it, brought it to his mouth, lit it, and inhaled deeply.
“Cough.”
Blanc ended up coughing at the acrid smoke coming deep into his lungs, but still, he finished smoking one cigarette to the end.
The man called Captain eventually could not die of lung disease, but he succeeded in choosing his own death as he wanted.
Every time he swung his sword towards those stained by the Void, Blanc Scar could move one step further.
He chose to gain Blanc’s one step instead of dying painfully.
“Why smoke something like this…….”
Perhaps due to the spicy smoke from smoking the unfamiliar cigarette, a tear flowed down from Blanc’s eye.
White smoke exhaled by Blanc filled the dark office.
Even in that smoke, the white flag was shining blue receiving the moonlight.
It watched over the night.