[The Magic Beast Incident of Half-Horn City I]

Chapter 20: [The Magic Beast Incident in Half-Horn City I]

Solskja's laboratory was in the south, since his research leaned toward fire magic.

In the hot southern climate, the natural fire elements were clearly more abundant. It was not that one could not study fire magic amid the ice and snow of the north, but doing so would be rather like asking for a beating.

Once Du Wei made up his mind, he acted quickly.

Solskja was immediately released from the dungeon. His mage robes, his equipment, bottle after bottle of powders, magic crystals, and parchment scrolls containing magic spells were all returned to him.

Naturally, the mage robes were newly made.

At first, the old steward of the castle had been greatly surprised that this young master had actually recruited a mage as a subordinate. But once he learned that Solskja was merely a level-one mage, the old steward was relieved... So that was it.

The old steward could not refuse Du Wei's request to travel far. Besides, that very morning, he had suggested that Du Wei visit some of the family businesses throughout the territory and inspect them himself. It would be far more intuitive than staying in the castle and staring at dreary account books.

Before long, the carriages, horses, and luggage were all prepared. This time was quite different from the shabby procession when they had headed south from the Imperial Capital. The old steward had arranged things much better. After all, it would be rather embarrassing if the Roland Family's eldest young master traveled too shabbily within the family's own territory.

Made was still serving as Du Wei's accompanying steward, but this time he had ten additional castle servants under his command, responsible for tending to the young master along the way.

Two cavalry squads were detached from the castle guard to accompany and protect Du Wei. Moreover, the deputy captain of the castle guard, a proper knight with considerable martial skill, would personally lead the party. This deputy captain, Robert, was a genuine knight, certified by the Knights' Association and bearing an official level-four knight badge!

Of the two accompanying cavalry squads, one was Robert's own direct unit. Du Wei personally selected the other from the men who had originally traveled south with him all the way from the Imperial Capital.

This level-four knight named Robert looked tall and imposing, with broad shoulders, a powerful build, and a square face. At a glance, he was clearly a forthright sort. The knight treated Du Wei, his young master, with great respect. He seemed to be a straightforward man of arms, and Du Wei had a good impression of him.

Besides these people, there was also a female knight among the party—naturally, Ruolin, the first direct subordinate Du Wei had recruited under his command.

As they left the castle and traveled south, Robert carried out his duties with great diligence. He carefully arranged for scouts to ride ahead and organized the guard details whenever they stopped. Occasionally, when Du Wei was suddenly in the mood and suggested camping outdoors for the night, Robert raised no objections. He merely nodded silently in agreement, then went off to meticulously arrange the night watch and defenses.

A very typical soldier.

That was Du Wei's assessment of Robert. This fellow had clearly served in the army before. As retainers of the Roland Family, a martial family of distinguished military service, many of the family's knights had records of military service.

Compared with that old steward whom Du Wei found somewhat irritating, this loyal and dutiful knight was far more pleasing to the eye.

Seven days.

Traveling and sightseeing as they went, it took Du Wei's group a full seven days to reach a town at the southernmost edge of Kote Province. Beyond it lay the border of Kote Province—in other words, they would be leaving Roland Family territory.

Overall, Du Wei was extremely satisfied with the state of the Roland Family's lands. Across the Roland Plain, blessed with excellent geographic conditions, he saw vast stretches of farmland, prosperous farmsteads, and leisurely farmers all along the way. Even when they occasionally passed through one or two slightly larger towns, it was obvious that the people here lived well.

When their convoy passed a farmstead on the road, some farmers would often stand by the roadside. Upon seeing the knights carrying the Roland Family banner, they would wave their hats from afar in salute.

It seemed that the Roland Family was deeply beloved here.

Robert could see it too: this young master had not come out to inspect any family businesses at all. He had simply brought people out to roam the mountains and enjoy the scenery.

But that was hardly strange. Considering the young master's age, Robert also felt that a thirteen-year-old boy could not possibly manage family businesses for real, could he? In any case, that was not Robert's concern. He only needed to fulfill his duty and serve as a good protector.

When they reached this small town at the southernmost border of Roland Family territory that day, Du Wei suddenly proposed continuing south. Although Robert found the request rather strange, he did not object.

Since they were traveling for pleasure anyway, and the young master was interested, they could simply follow his wishes and continue south.

Furthermore, south of Kote Province lay the Empire's Lier Province. The governor of Lier Province was very friendly and respectful toward the Roland Family. If the Roland Family's young master came to tour Lier Province, he would surely receive some care and consideration. There was nothing to worry about.

Du Wei quickly came to like this obedient knight. He could also see that Knight Robert was highly respected among the cavalrymen. Whenever they camped, some of the younger cavalrymen would often seek his guidance in martial skills.

Robert's martial skill was quite outstanding—at least in Du Wei's eyes. This knight could wield an enormous broadsword, and his arm strength was astonishing! When instructing the young soldiers, even seven or eight men together could not get close to him.

Even Ruolin's retainer, that barbarian warrior, held Robert in great respect. During one sparring match, Robert had knocked the barbarian warrior down with a single slash while gripping his sword in only one hand.

A level-four knight truly possessed formidable strength.

Under such circumstances, Du Wei could not help feeling an itch in his heart, and he asked Robert to teach him some martial skills. Robert was rather surprised by this request from his young master. According to family custom, if a son of the family head like Du Wei wished to learn martial arts, he would certainly seek out the most skilled knights in the family as teachers. It should never have been the turn of a minor cavalry captain like him.

Robert readily agreed. After all, what he practiced was a method of cultivating battle aura taught by the Imperial [***] Army. It was hardly some great secret. Yet, just like the assessment once made by the captain of Count Raymond's guards, after a brief period of instruction Robert had no choice but to tell Du Wei that he truly had no talent for martial arts.

Du Wei's current body had always been frail since childhood, and he had even suffered a serious illness. He was constitutionally deficient.

Du Wei was not particularly disappointed. He had never expected to become some kind of master. He merely felt that he needed to exercise his body a little. Even if he could not become an expert, it would still be good to train his body into becoming stronger and healthier!

And so, under Robert's instruction, Du Wei began learning the most basic martial techniques, mainly methods for strengthening the body. This, in turn, slowed their southward journey by a few more degrees.

On the ninth day of their journey south, the group arrived at a small city on the northeastern edge of Lier Province in the southern Empire... Half-Horn City.

It was a strange name, because the city stood beside a valley shaped like a half horn.

This small city lay along an important trade route in northeastern Lier Province, where merchant caravans frequently passed, and was therefore quite prosperous. In this little town, Du Wei and the others even encountered a mercenary group of around twenty people! The mercenaries were escorting a merchant caravan northward and happened to check into the same inn as Du Wei's party.

Lier Province was not the domain of any noble family, but a province directly under the Empire. There were no high-ranking officials in a small city like this, and Du Wei had no desire to deal with local officials. Staying at an inn was more free and easy as well. Thus, the arrival of their party did not alert the local authorities.

At lunchtime, Du Wei and his group were in the inn's main hall, while the other caravan occupied the other side of the hall. Suddenly, hurried hoofbeats sounded outside the inn. After a burst of commotion, the doors were pushed open, and three knights in standard local garrison armor entered.

The leader wore a knight's medal on his chest, signifying that he too possessed the rank of level-four knight. His armor and military insignia made it clear that he was a senior officer in the local garrison.

He strode in, surrounded by several subordinates, and first approached the merchant caravan. In a loud voice, he announced, "Everyone! I am Knight Span, captain of the Second Cavalry Squad of the Half-Horn City Local Garrison! Under the Empire's 'Local Military Preparedness Law,' I hereby requisition your guards on behalf of the Half-Horn City garrison! We currently lack sufficient troops and require your guards to assist us with a mission in Half-Horn Valley outside the city. Under Imperial law, you may not refuse."

His voice was loud and his attitude resolute. Then he glanced at the caravan guards. "I know you are all mercenaries. I am requisitioning you to join my ranks for this mission. The Imperial [***] military will pay you afterward. You now have half an hour to organize your equipment and horses! In half an hour, I need everyone assembled outside the inn."

Although the mercenaries serving as caravan guards were somewhat unwilling, Imperial law stood like a mountain. They could not refuse something like this, and they would be paid anyway.

The merchant caravan, however, grew anxious as they watched the guards they had paid for being drafted away. One sharp-eyed fellow immediately hurried over, apparently hoping to persuade the officer to make an exception...

"No!" The knight refused crisply. "My apologies, but your journey will be delayed. However, I guarantee it will not take long. At the latest, your guards will return by this time tomorrow. You may choose to remain in the city for one additional day, and the military will cover the cost of your lodging at this inn for that extra day! Please say no more. This is a military mission, and I cannot make exceptions. And please take back your gold coins. Bribing an officer is a serious crime!"

With that, the knight left the caravan leader behind and turned toward Du Wei's group.

He had originally intended to announce the requisition of Du Wei's attendants as well, but after taking two steps closer, he suddenly noticed the attire of several attendants beside Du Wei, as well as Du Wei's own clothing... More importantly, he saw Robert and the others behind Du Wei!

The armor Robert wore was clearly not standard-issue Imperial Army equipment. It looked more like the gear of a noble's private troops.

Requisitioning another noble's private army was not authority that a mere captain of a local garrison cavalry unit could possess!

Knight Span glanced at Du Wei several times. He hesitated, but he truly had too few men at hand, and the mission was too urgent to delay. At last, he gritted his teeth and strode toward Du Wei. He first bent at the waist in a knight's salute, then said in a deep voice, "Honored sir, I..."

At that point, Span's voice suddenly caught in his throat. He had not noticed earlier, but now he saw clearly!

Pinned to the breastplates of the light armor worn by the guard cavalrymen behind Du Wei were, unmistakably, the crest of the Roland Family!

Originally, he had intended to use some means to borrow some of their guards. But people from the Empire's famed martial nobility were not people he could simply borrow at his whim!

Damn it! People from the Roland Family? Why would people from the Roland Family come to Half-Horn City? How was there not the slightest word of it...

Span sighed helplessly to himself.

"Please, continue, Sir Knight." Du Wei smiled, raised his cup, and took a light sip. This mild ale tasted rather good going down, somewhat like the rice wine from his previous life.

"Um... honored sir, forgive my presumption, but may I ask whether you come from the great Roland Family?" Span's voice became even more respectful, and he unconsciously bowed a little lower.

"That's right. We come from the Roland Plain." This time, it was Robert who spoke. He stepped forward, his burly body half a head taller than Knight Span's. "This is my master, Young Master Du Wei, eldest son of Count Raymond of the Roland Family."

Span immediately saluted again. The son of the Roland Family's patriarch possessed a status equal even to that of a provincial governor.

"Sir Knight, may I ask what trouble you have encountered?" Du Wei asked with a smile.

"Yes..." After weighing the matter in his heart, Span decided to tell the truth. "I have just received an urgent mission requiring around a hundred soldiers. But it is currently the season of spring drills, and most of the garrison soldiers in Half-Horn City have been sent two hundred li south for spring exercises. At present, fewer than twenty men remain under my command. Therefore, according to the Imperial local military regulations, I can only temporarily requisition warriors from within the city to serve the military on the spot."

Du Wei nodded. "Oh? Then were you also planning to requisition my guards?"

"No, no, I wouldn't dare!" Span was startled. That had indeed been his intention, but after recognizing their identities, how could he dare do such a thing?

Who was Count Raymond? He was the second most important figure in the Imperial Army! Requisitioning his son's guards? If something happened to this young master because he lacked guards at his side, even having his head chopped off a hundred times would not atone for such a crime.

"Then what exactly has happened?" Du Wei asked curiously. "After all, we are here as well. If something has happened in this place, please tell me, so we can be prepared too."

Knight Span thought for a moment, then spoke. His expression was both helpless and troubled. "It is a strange matter. Half-Horn Mountain outside Half-Horn City has always been calm and peaceful. The mountain is not tall, and its forests are not deep. In the past, there were not even any particularly large wild beasts there. And even if there were, our local garrison would go hunting up the mountain every few days and wipe them out! But yesterday, out of nowhere, a... Magic Beast suddenly appeared!"

Du Wei's eyes lit up!

A Magic Beast?

"Yes. Although we still cannot determine what kind of Magic Beast it is, we can be certain that it is a large one, because hunters in the mountains saw its footprints with their own eyes. There can be no mistake. What is puzzling, however, is that Magic Beasts generally do not live near cities inhabited by humans. Even if they do, they should be in the wilderness forests along the Empire's southern border. Moreover, there has not been any news of Magic Beasts appearing anywhere in the entire Lier Province for decades. No one knows where this thing came from." Span gave a bitter smile. "My men and I have been ordered into the mountains to hunt and kill it. But by my estimate, to kill such a large creature, we will need at least twenty soldiers. And Half-Horn Mountain is so vast—if we are to encircle and capture it within the mountain, I fear fewer than a hundred men will not be enough."

A Magic Beast... It sounded rather interesting.

Du Wei could not help but feel tempted.

In fact, ever since he had found a sliver of hope that he could learn magic, he had developed an intense interest in practically everything related to magic.

A rare Magic Beast had actually appeared in the heartland of the Empire's south! How could he not go and join in the excitement?

"Excellent! I brought forty guards, every one of them an elite cavalryman of the Roland Family. And this captain of mine is a fourth-level knight. I am willing to let them accompany you into Half-Horn Mountain to carry out this mission. After all, standing by and watching a Magic Beast run rampant would not accord with my moral principles." Du Wei spoke those words with great righteousness.

Span froze. "You mean... you are willing to lend me all your guards..."

"Master, that will not do." Robert voiced his opposition for the first time. "You cannot be left without protection at your side. If we must go, I will take twenty men."

Robert was quite willing to help. After all, he too was a proper knight and believed in the spirit of knighthood.

"No, no, there is no need to worry about me being without guards." Du Wei smiled. "Because I will be going with you. I think staying by your side will be safer than anywhere else, won't it?"

Now both Robert and Span wanted to object.

Span in particular! He was beginning to regret telling this young master of the Roland Family about the matter at all!

Take him along? Whether they could catch the Magic Beast was a minor matter! But if this young master met with even the slightest mishap after going up the mountain, then he would truly be finished!

"Neither of you needs to object." Du Wei made his decision decisively. "Do not worry about my safety. Don't forget, I have an exceptionally capable mage at my side!"

He pushed Solskja forward.

Solskja was somewhat helpless. Though he could hardly be called exceptionally capable, his identity as a mage was genuine beyond doubt.

Span's eyes lit up!

A mage? If they had the assistance of a highly skilled mage, then this mission should present no problem!

But... this young master's safety...