Chapter 19
The situation had finally come to an end. Soldiers from Belrus Barony, summoned by Caron, arrived to round up the deserters.
"Hurry up, you bastards! Move it!" one of the soldiers said.
"From now on, you won't have a single moment of peace. Get ready for it, you trash!" another soldier added.
The villagers of Belrus Barony, who had been imprisoned in the stronghold, were also freed.
"Father!" a child exclaimed.
"My son! Oh, my dear son! Thank goodness you're safe!" his father replied.
Another child called out, "Mother!"
It was a successful subjugation. A few deserters had attempted to flee, but after Caron severed one leg of each of those who tried to escape as an example, the others soon became compliant.
And thus, Caron and Leo's first mission came to an end.
As they made their way back to the castle of Belrus Barony, Sabina glanced at the bulky man following them and asked, "Caron, why are you bringing this one along? He could have been thrown into the Belrus Barony prison with the rest of the deserters."
Caron slightly smiled and replied, "It's fate. I'll have him do some menial tasks. As you can see, he's quite strong."
He glanced backward at Urhan, who was dragging along his former boss, the bound and unconscious Michael.
Urhan caught Caron's eye and bowed repeatedly, then said, "Young master! I, Urhan, will serve you loyally until my dying breath! Thank you so much for sparing my life!"
"Is that really something to be thankful for?" Caron muttered.
"Pardon?" said Urhan.
"I was just talking to myself. Your measure will be decided once we get back to Azureocean Castle. It's all thanks to the people of Belrus Barony. Do you understand?" said Caron.
Many of the captives at the stronghold had vouched for Urhan.
"He brought us medicine when we were sick. Please show him mercy..."
"He's not such a bad person."
It seemed Urhan, despite his intimidating appearance, had a soft heart.
Thud!
"You bastard! Treating my life like a piece of luggage? You're a bad person. A bad person!" Urhan shouted as he suddenly kicked Michael's back, letting out his frustration on the unconscious man he was dragging.
Sabina watched the scene with disapproval and shook her head, then said, "Even if he cooperated with us, his crimes won't just disappear. You understand that, right, Caron?"
"I know, but he did lead us to their base and was very cooperative during the search. Shouldn't we consider that when deciding his measure?" Caron suggested.
"Hmm. Well, we do need a witness... I understand for now," Sabina conceded.
"Now, can you tell us what you meant earlier? You said things had gotten complicated," Caron said, having already deduced that the bandits had backing.
In response to Caron's question, Sabina lightly shook a pouch containing someone's severed head and said, "This is the head of Ted Delarh, a 6-Star dark mage and a second-class wanted criminal of the empire. I took him down in one strike when he tried to escape the stronghold along with two Dullahans."
Caron recalled reading about Ted Delarh in the news. He was an infamous criminal known for horrific human experiments, kidnappings, murders, and more. He was a man wanted for numerous crimes. Considering that the very worst criminals fell under first-class, second-class criminals were undoubtedly vicious as well.
"Quite a lot of people came to rescue him. There was even a Death Knight among them," Sabina continued.
"That loud noise earlier... Was it from fighting a Death Knight?" Caron asked as he pieced things together.
"It took me some time to handle them. Neither yours nor Leo's skills would have been enough, so I took care of it myself," Sabina explained.
"Good thing we didn't come here alone," Caron said.
Sabina eyed Caron's sly expression with a hint of shame and said, "I did think about letting you face him, Caron."
"Me?" Caron asked.
"Strength grows by facing strong opponents. Do you think fighting mere deserters has made you any stronger?" Sabina asked rhetorically.
There weren't just one or two implications that were suspicious. Such a discovery couldn't have been made without inside help from within the empire. Azureocean Castle would thoroughly investigate this incident, and a team would be sent to Belrus Barony as well.
Look at his face, Caron thought as he observed Rohan. A sudden windfall such as this was a blessing for a barony in a very difficult situation. A land so barren it couldn't even sustain proper agriculture was now on the brink of immense wealth.
"So, I have a proposal," Caron said, building up to the main point. Caron continued with a gentle smile, "Since we're old friends coming to help, it wouldn't feel right to just take money. Instead, how about sharing some of the stake in developing the mana stone mine? In other words, a joint venture."
Developing a mana stone mine required significant investment. While the deserters had been using crude equipment, minimizing loss meant employing the best tools and facilities. That included storage facilities for the stones and security forces to protect them.
Rohan quickly did the mental math. With the help of the Leston Duchy, all those needs could be met.
"I'll have to report this as soon as we get back. But with the Leston Duchy holding a stake in the mine, I'm sure no one will dare to encroach on it. Belrus Barony might even request the official deployment of the Oceanwolf Knight Order as a security measure," Caron said.
Intrigued, Rohan asked Caron, "You mentioned a stake. Do you have a specific percentage in mind?"
"Oh, that's something you'll need to discuss with my father. It's a matter that's too weighty for someone my age to handle. I was just proposing the idea," Caron replied.
He was laying out the framework, but he left the details to be negotiated by the actual person in charge. The possibility of requesting the deployment of the Oceanwolf Knight Order was particularly appealing. Belrus Barony couldn't expand its military force at the moment, but the presence of the Azure Wolves would provide substantial deterrence.
Rohan looked at Caron and let out a small exclamation. He realized it was a proposal that satisfied everything needed by the Belrus Barony.
Is this boy really only thirteen years old?
Rohan couldn't believe it. The youngest of Azureocean Castle had already surpassed an extraordinary level. He saw the smile on Sabina's face as she quietly listened, and that alone made it clear that the proposal had a high possibility of success. Thus, he quickly made his decision.
"I'll discuss this with my father and contact you shortly. It won't take long," said Rohan.
"Then I believe we've covered everything. We'll head back to Azureocean Castle," Caron concluded.
"Are you leaving right away? Although it's small, we were preparing a victory celebration," Rohan offered.
"Let's postpone the celebration. We need to take the prisoners to Azureocean Castle for interrogation. We'll be back soon enough," Caron replied.
Rohan nodded with a bitter smile and said, "Let me at least escort you all to the station—"
At that moment, a man burst into the room and exclaimed urgently, "Young Baron Rohan! We need your help to control the situation. Things are getting chaotic with the people..."
With a perplexed expression, Rohan sighed and said, "Oh no..."
"It seems something came up. You should hurry and go. We can find our way back on our own," said Caron.
"It's not proper to send our benefactors off without a proper farewell..." Rohan continued.
"These are chaotic times. You need to be where you're needed," Caron reassured him.
Rohan bowed deeply and said, "Thank you again. I hope to see you soon."
Rohan and the man hurried out, leaving Sabina, Caron, and Leo alone in the reception room.
As soon as Rohan left, Sabina turned to Caron and said quietly, "You didn't have to make the proposal first. Why did you bother with such things?"
Caron grinned widely and replied, "It's a gift for Grandfather."
"A gift, huh? A mana stone mine is indeed a valuable present. But is that all there is to it? I think there's more to it," Sabina said.
Caron chuckled and said, "Well, I don't know. The adults have to handle the complicated stuff."
Sabina looked at her shrewd grandson and smiled. She knew he had already considered the intricate political structure.
Belrus Barony was a gateway that had to be passed through in order to advance into the empire's inner region. During peaceful times, they would maintain good neighborly relations, but things were different during turbulent times. It could easily have become a wall that blocked off the Leston Duchy. Having a legitimate reason to station the Azure Wolves at Belrus Barony would be an invaluable asset for her brother, who was likely concerned about the volatile continental situation.
"We're going to gain something far more valuable than the mission fee. You really are Fayle's son," Sabina remarked.
"Why are you mentioning my father all of a sudden?" Caron asked.
Sabina chuckled and said, "There is something like that. In that aspect, you resemble your father."
What was supposed to be a simple bandit extermination mission seemed to be yielding substantial rewards. Sabina stood up slowly and addressed her grandsons, saying, "Alright, let's hurry back to Azureocean Castle."
Following her lead, Caron and Leo also stood up. Their first mission was complete. It was time for them to return to Azureocean Castle.