Chapter 168 - The Legion Commander of the Border

[Bloodstone Charge: 60.2%]

A satisfying value.

Inside the train heading to Gate 1, the Youngest Son, who had been beating down swarming monsters and had sat down for the first time in a while, smiled.

“You seem to have gotten what you wanted.”

The Gatekeeper, who had been watching from the outside without lifting a finger, asked.

“I got it, but I didn’t get enough. It might have been different if you had helped a little.”

“You seemed so at peace that the guard couldn’t find a moment to intervene.”

“So this is my fault?”

“Yes.”

The Gatekeeper ended the conversation with a one-word answer and changed the subject.

“We’re arriving soon.”

“What kind of person is the Legion Commander?”

“I don’t know much either. Faking one's death is not a leisurely act that allows for a handover.”

“Useless.”

“However.”

The Gatekeeper’s words were not yet finished.

“She won’t be an easy person to win over with a few sword swings like the soldiers on this train.”

The Youngest Son smiled lightly.

“It seems you’ve figured out my other purpose.”

“You were fighting on the train roof with a blank expression, trying to look so cool. How could I not know?”

“Since you say I was trying to look cool, I guess I did look cool.”

The Youngest Son hadn’t lifted a finger on the roof.

He had only used his consciousness to move the Bloodstone and the blood stream, taking out dozens of monster swarms.

It didn’t matter whether those monsters were land beasts or winged beasts.

Giant insects that rose from the ground and hungry large bears were all consumed by blood.

“It only looks impressive to those who don’t know. In the end, it’s just a bluff.”

“For a leader, even that is an important quality. Humans and beasts alike are fond of cool things.”

He subtly gestured towards the back of the train.

They thought they were talking quietly, but the Gatekeeper and the Youngest Son could hear everything.

-Did you guys see that? The Fifth Son-nim even deflected a surprise attack from behind.

-Of course I saw it. I’m no slouch myself, but today I really hit a wall.

-You crazy bastard. You’re already done for by Master Sergeant Walter.

-I-I bet Master Sergeant felt the same way I did. He’s a genius acknowledged by the Legion Commander-nim, but that person was on a different level.

-That must be what it means to be a Millesdusk clan member. Shit. The thought of deserting is completely gone.

The Youngest Son’s bloodshot eyes turned to the Gatekeeper.

“See? I won the soldiers’ hearts before the sun even set on my arrival at the border.”

“Good for you. Are you going to take them as your concubines later?”

“Stop being so sarcastic. I’ll make sure what you’re worried about doesn’t happen.”

“No. What I’m worried about will definitely happen.”

The Gatekeeper, who had his arms crossed, met the bloodshot eyes with his own eyes behind the helmet.

“You, Young Master, intend to take the soldiers of the foremost border under your command and use them in the clash with Wisdom.”

“I just want to hold my ground in the first clash with Wisdom. To do that, I need the pretext of knowing the border well, and right now, I’m creating that.”

“The soldiers of the border will fight unnecessary battles in your arbitrary actions, Young Master.”

The Youngest Son understood the Gatekeeper’s words.

The underlying meaning of his words was the same as the reason the Gatekeeper had been angry since he came here.

“I will treat their lives as my own. I promise.”

“I do not trust the promises of a clan member.”

The head that had been in the bloodshot eyes turned to the front again.

The former Legion Commander of the border had guarded this place for half his life and had looked after the troublemakers who came here.

Even among the humans that the world spat on and called trash, there were pearls.

Those pearls, perhaps because they were in the darkness of the border, shone much brighter than other pearls.

“The clan members seem to value the border the most, yet they disregard it the most.”

“I am not like that.”

“I think so too. Seeing you come all the way here. However, it means you don't have to say things you don't mean.”

The Youngest Son chuckled.

“You still don’t know me very well.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I may lie all the time, but I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

“Aren’t they the same thing?”

“It’s a little different. If you know the meaning.”

The Gatekeeper’s brow furrowed. In contrast, the Youngest Son was still nonchalant.

Soon after, the driver knocked on the door between the train cars.

“Young Master! It’s Walter!”

Among the loyal subjects in the train, driver Eddie Walter was also included.

“We’re arriving soon, so I came to escort you to the Legion Commander-nim myself.”

“If you’re here, who will stop the train?”

“I’ve applied the brakes, so it will stop on its own.”

He said it easily, but it was by no means easy.

It meant he had aligned the hoof tip to the line with just a single pull of the horse's reins.

Chiiiiiiiiiiiiik─

As Walter said, the train stopped on its own.

It aligned perfectly with Gate 1, the largest of all the gates.

At Gates 1, 15, and 30, there were bases where the trains were professionally maintained and the soldiers lived.

The gates in between were supply depots and places where the on-duty border guards lived.

“The train stops at Gate 1 and Gate 30 in order. We rest here until noon, go to Gate 30 again, rest again, and repeat this.”

It was a truly insane schedule.

And there was more than one train.

When another train was resting, another train would depart from Gate 30 over there.

Only then could they meticulously inspect and manage this long wall.

When the driver got off and the soldiers got off, someone who had been waiting at Gate 1 met Walter.

“Master Sergeant Walter! Thank you for your hard work on the mission! Congratulations on your safe return!”

“Yes. Good work.”

“Yes, sir!”

A young man who looked younger than Walter entered the engine room and moved the empty train.

“That soldier separates the arriving train car by car and parks it further inside. It’s hard to see properly when it’s this long.”

“I see.”

The soldiers kept glancing this way, but when Walter glared at them, they whimpered and disappeared.

“Let’s go. I will guide you to the Legion Commander-nim.”

The Youngest Son exchanged a brief conversation with Walter as they walked.

It was mostly the clan member asking questions and the soldier answering, but this was enough.

“Does that train have a nickname like the Femur?”

“Its official name is the Black Iron Armored Train, but we just call it the Moray Eel.”

“Moray Eel?”

“Ye-Yes. Because the guys inside are so dirty and fierce.”

The Youngest Son smiled faintly, and the superior’s smile relieved some of the tension.

So Walter was able to guide him more comfortably than he thought, without even thinking about protocol.

“That’s the food storage over there, and across from it are the supply storage and the armory. Everything else is fine, but lately, the monsters’ aggression has suddenly increased.”

The problems that arose from that were obvious at a glance.

The soldiers carrying large boxes to the armory struggled with their frozen hands to fill the interior.

“It hasn’t been long since the supplies arrived, yet we’re already breaking out new weapons. Creatures whose hides are difficult to pierce even with large-caliber guns appear quite often.”

“And yet the weapons that come as supplies will be the same.”

“Hoo…. That’s right. There’s a limit to how much our soldiers can learn curses on their own, and in the end, we have to rely on gunpowder weapons.”

“It would be much easier if the firepower problem were solved. And the problem of individual skill as well.”

Walter laughed the loudest he had since they met.

“Would it just be easier? If only those problems disappeared, we could definitely protect the gates of Millesdusk. This Walter would even throw his body to block it.”

“That word. I will remember it.”

Even at the somewhat eerie answer, Walter still laughed heartily.

The succession competition was not over, and he didn’t think the youngest of the family could do anything.

He thought it was a promise made in his young heart.

But he was grateful even if it was just words.

“This is the place.”

They arrived in front of a worn but sturdy door.

Thump-thump─

Even with a light knock, a thick sound was produced.

“Legion Commander-nim. It’s Eddie. I have brought a guest.”

“Show them in.”

A surprisingly young voice was heard. Furthermore, his expectations were betrayed several times.

‘A woman’s voice.’

He knew, but it was still a voice he couldn’t imagine.

It was quite exotic in the border, which was filled with the smell of men and unwashed men.

As befitting the Legion Commander of the rough border, she wasn’t elegant, but compared to Eddie here, she was a songbird.

Creeak─

The door opened with a small scream from the hinges.

“I heard the news that you visited our border early on. Fifth Son-nim.”

She, who had been standing behind a large wooden table where the Gatekeeper must have also sat, walked forward.

She was a strong-looking woman with abundant ivory-colored hair tied up high.

“My name is Emma Kisius. I am the Legion Commander of the border.”

“I am the Fifth Son of this family, Dante Black Millesdusk.”

“Yes. I am well aware of your reputation, Fifth Son-nim. I can’t believe that a name that has reached even this distant border has personally visited.”

Emma spoke with all due respect, but she couldn’t control her eyes. The same went for her heart.

Unlike her mouth, her mind was suspecting the Fifth Son with all its might.

The reason she had postponed her judgment was probably because of the voices of the soldiers who had returned from their mission.

Everyone praised him and even revered him.

Legion Commander Emma couldn’t grasp the Youngest Son’s intentions and was only busily turning her head.

That appearance was so similar to the Gatekeeper standing behind her that a smile naturally formed.

“Those from the border are very suspicious. And they make quick judgments on their own.”

“……”

“…I do not know what you mean.”

“You don’t need to know.”

Both the Legion Commander and the Gatekeeper looked at the Youngest Son with hardened expressions.

In contrast, the smiling clan member clasped his hands behind his back and continued.

“I plan to stay here for one day. And I would like to ride the train once more tomorrow.”

“Who in this East can stop the decision of a clan member? Do as you wish.”

The Legion Commander’s pale purple eyes turned backwards.

“Walter will guide you to your room. Do you have any separate orders or desires?”

The bloodshot eyes stared at Emma.

Emma Kisius. As a member of a fallen noble family, the reason her family fell was soon to be a clan member.

To be precise, the reason was the First Son, who did not hesitate to wield a sword even among the clan members.

“Legion Commander Emma.”

“Yes. Young Master.”

“I am not my Older Brother. It would be best for you not to be mistaken and to correct your thoughts and attitude.”

“……”

This time, her answer was slow.

Her face, which had at least remained expressionless, was now tinged with bewilderment and anger.

This was a bit more interesting. That cold expression didn't suit someone who loved her subordinates like fire.

“Walter. Please guide me to my room. It seems the Legion Commander is not in the mood to talk with me.”

“Th-That is….”

The subordinate’s legs trembled between his supreme commander and the direct-line clan member who was much higher in rank.

He was frozen between two beasts on a single-plank bridge, unable to go forward or backward.

“Haa….”

The Legion Commander, who loved her subordinate, let out a deep sigh and stepped back.

“…I apologize. Young Master. Please forgive me for my blindness.”

“Forgiveness is not necessary. I wasn’t even angry in the first place. I just thought it was a justifiable emotion.”

“……”

Emma Kisius glared at the Youngest Son without a word.

However, her eyes were no longer just filled with suspicion.

Slightly, but she had let down her guard and a gap, a willingness to listen, had formed.

That’s where it starts.

“Walter. Step outside for a moment.”

“E-Yes. Legion Commander-nim.”

“You too, Gatekeeper, go outside.”

Unlike Walter, he didn’t seem to like the order much, but he went out without a word.

The room was left with only the two of them.

The fireplace crackled pleasantly, and above it hung the head of a wyvern.

It seemed it had been taxidermied not long ago, as the smell of blood had not yet dried.

It seemed to be a similar species to the wyvern that the First Son rode.

The meaning of cutting off the neck of such a wyvern and hanging it in one's room was clear.

“Do you want to hang my Older Brother's neck on that wall too?”