Arrival at the Camp

"No panicking! Anyone who runs dies!" Silver Claw, the cavalry captain, brandished a long saber and roared in an icy voice.

What baffled Tate was that the cavalry had no intention of attacking the Corpse Ghouls. Instead, they loosely surrounded the slaves as though herding sheep, looking ready to slaughter them at the slightest provocation.

What vicious cavalrymen. But what about the Corpse Ghouls? The question sprang into Tate's mind.

A deep blue light flashed, and a black giant wolf leaped out. Without pausing, it darted through the zombie horde, casually swinging its claws and crushing or slicing the zombies apart with ease.

Everyone stared, dumbfounded, forgetting even their fear. Had there been a giant wolf in their party? They had never seen it before.

Amid flames that surged like electrical arcs, a stream of blue fire poured from the giant wolf's mouth, then expanded exponentially as the dragon-breed wolf swept it back and forth. The crackling of burning flames rang in everyone's ears like firecrackers, and the charging horde was wiped out.

"What's going on?" Tate felt overwhelmed by all this information. His brain could not keep up.

"It's Ashina, the Chosen One contracted to me." Field patted the stunned Tate and pointed at Ashina, who stood beside him dressed as a maid. Then he told Tate, "Go get the slaves in order. We need to move as quickly as possible."

"But, then, I..." Tate could not find anything to say, stumbling over his words.

Field actually had a Chosen One as his maid?

Even the wealthy Mapleleaf Territory had only one Chosen One, the Peerless Dancer. What had Field used to attract a Chosen One's allegiance?

No wonder Baron Field dared enter the Nightfall Territory. He had a Chosen One protecting him.

"As my lord always says, you haven't seen anything yet." Field's maid Scissors burst out laughing. The easygoing maid narrowed her eyes. "Even I'm not worried. You're a man, so what are you scared of?"

Tate scratched his head awkwardly. Being mocked by a maid was mortifying.

"Pull yourself together. The more efficiently we move, the less likely we are to be surrounded by the horde." Field glanced at the Mini-Map. Countless Skull Markers were stirring all across the map, giving him an uneasy feeling.

The hordes were becoming more active!

Damn these corrupted creatures. It's like there's no end to them.

"Hurry up. We have to get the slaves moving!" Field's tone grew firmer. "Breaking through the horde is dangerous, but staying here means waiting to die."

Tate gritted his teeth. He could no longer afford to worry about anything else. "Yes, my lord!"

Countless Corpse Ghouls charged out of the Gray Fog, only to be burned to ash by the dragon-breed wolf. More followed, wave after wave, like moths rushing into a flame. There was no end in sight.

Field's fears came true. By the time they reached the Grand Winery, thirty-nine people had died in attacks by Corpse Ghouls and monsters. One warhorse had broken a leg in a collision, two packhorses had been bitten to death, and seven goats had been used to lure away the Corpse Tide. Their losses were considerable, but fortunately, they had lost no food, and none of the cavalry had died.

Tate's face was so dark it could almost have passed for burning coal. This journey had already surpassed all the terrifying moments of his life combined. His wife and daughter climbed down from the wagon, trembling with fear. Their legs gave way, and they tumbled to the ground. Even after sitting dazed for a long while, they still clung to each other and shivered.

It would have been a lie to say he did not regret entering the Northern Frontier Province.

The attacks by Corpse Ghouls had barely stopped throughout the journey. If entering the Gray Fog had not left him with no way out, Tate would have slapped himself twice, turned around, and left.

Once they arrived, Tate was stunned by the "territory" before him. He had thought the Northern Frontier Province was bad enough, but Field's "castle" was just as awful. Strictly speaking, it looked like a large winery with drafts coming in from every direction. Fine, it was a winery!

Fortunately, the armored, well-armed guards and the formidable strength of Ashina, the Chosen One, gave him a sliver of hope.

Field was not in a particularly good mood either. Compared with his first trip, this supply run had cost him far too much. After all, he had no human shields this time. Back then, Connor's entire order of knights had been wiped out, allowing Field to reach the Grand Manor safely.

"I got too greedy this time. Three hundred people were too many. I couldn't protect everyone when we came under attack." Rubbing his brow, Field tried to take it in stride. "Still, bringing all the food back makes it worthwhile."

The good news was that despite Field's long absence, the territory had not been attacked.

The slaves were already digging in the fields. The first batch of farmland had been purified and immediately put into production.

Although the soil was poor, it was still far better than leaving it unused.

"Without plows, the work is far too slow." Field rode toward the Grand Winery, looking from side to side. The slaves were haphazardly digging holes in the fields with hoes or their bare hands, a sight very different from the farming Field remembered. The lack of ridges meant they knew nothing about ridge-and-furrow farming. There were not even boundary ditches between the fields. "The Nightfall Territory has several cattle. With plows, they could work the land quickly."

Still, it did not matter much. There was not much farmland, and the slaves could finish the job with manpower alone.

It also gave everyone something to do, keeping them from harassing women or getting into fights once their bellies were full.

"The entire Nightfall Territory... is made up of slaves?" Tate was stunned. Field was the most unusual lord he had ever met.

"Not entirely. I set aside a small patch of open ground south of the Grand Winery for the freemen. There are a dozen or so of them. I lured them here." Field made no attempt to hide it. The Nightfall Territory had few secrets. After all, without a Mist-Driving Lamp, ordinary people could forget about escaping.

Tate's mouth hung open wide enough to swallow an ostrich egg.

"That's why this place suits you. It's like a huge prison, and the fog is the cage. Your job is to serve as my adviser on internal affairs, prevent slave revolts, and assign them work."

"It really is much like a prison." The corner of Tate's mouth twitched.

"There is a difference, actually. They're people too. I plan to set aside some of their working hours for rehabilitation, such as teaching them new skills or correcting bad habits." Looking at the excrement on the ground, Field frowned again. "Especially relieving themselves wherever they please."

The ban he had issued earlier seemed to have had little effect.

Fortunately, the weather was not warm. Otherwise, Field might have struggled even to sleep.

Tate had recovered from his earlier fear and was also looking around.

When the slaves working nearby saw Field riding his tall horse, they immediately dropped their work, ran over, and knelt before him in greeting. Then the patrolling guards and Kao, who had been wandering through the farmland, spotted the returning party and hurried over excitedly.

"Thank heavens, Lord Field! You've finally returned." Kao was so overcome that tears streamed down his aged face. He could barely resist rushing forward to kiss the horse's hooves. He had been terribly worried that Field might slip away alone or die on the road. If that happened, he would be finished.