The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 38

Baron Family’s Second Son – Episode 38

“Under any circumstances, this place, the Terra Barrier, is not to be overlooked. Wasn’t this the reason for the autumn expedition? Sending an investigation team is a natural course of action to ascertain the exact truth. Any objections?”

How could there not be objections? One might consider a hypothetical situation to a certain extent, but to dispatch an investigation team—in the dead of winter, no less—to confirm a truth that seems straight out of an old tale? If there were no objections, one would have to question the mental state of those attending the meeting.

“Right away… are you saying?”

“We must go right away. That’s the only way to find even a trace.”

“It’s impossible! Look outside. Winter has already arrived. You know very well how harsh the winter is here. Even the Terra Barrier is like this; sending an investigation team into the Monster’s Land is as good as telling them to die!”

Winter is a harsh season. However, the winter at the Terra Barrier was even more severe than anywhere else on the continent. Blizzards raged frequently, and temperatures easily dropped below -30 degrees Celsius. The Terra Barrier, which could be considered the entrance, was like this, so the north was beyond words. No matter how skilled the knights and mages were, it was not an environment to be taken lightly.

“Of course, the cold is a problem, but the snow also severely limits visibility. If caught in a blizzard, there’s a high chance of getting separated from comrades and lost. Moreover, monsters are also having a harder time finding prey, making them even more ferocious. Sending an investigation team in such conditions is no different from abandoning them.”

Using the extreme expression of abandoning comrades, Unos, the commander of the 1st Knight Order, strongly objected. Frankly, since it was Marquis Ziek who suggested sending the investigation team, he was putting it mildly. It wouldn’t be strange if he cursed, asking if he was planning to kill the entire investigation team. Others didn’t say it outright but expressed their agreement with Unos through their eyes, looking at Marquis Ziek.

“Even if we send an investigation team, it should be after winter has passed. We don’t know how many days have passed since that incident. Besides, it might take several days to return to that place. In the meantime, several snowstorms will have swept through.”

“It will be too late by then.”

“Even if we send an investigation team now, it’s already too late.”

Even though Marquis Ziek countered once, Unos didn’t back down easily this time. The hardships the investigation team would face were too dangerous, and the reason for the dispatch was absurd.

“What do you think?”

“If I had to choose, I would also oppose it.”

After watching the two clash and carefully organizing my thoughts in response to Ild’s question, I answered quietly. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Laurent’s words, but I knew how harsh the winter in the Monster’s Land was.

Knights and mages can accomplish things that ordinary people cannot. Knights rely on their physical abilities, and mages rely on the supernatural power of magic. However, that ability required a price: magical power.

Without the raw material of magical power, a knight is just someone who is slightly more physically capable than an ordinary person, someone who can swing a sword a bit. Mages are even worse; they are no different from ordinary people who spout useless knowledge.

The problem is that magical power consumption is inevitably higher in winter than usual. The help of magical power was essential to move for a long time in temperatures approaching -30 or -40 degrees Celsius. No matter how useful the map is, there was no guarantee that the investigation team would not end up like Laurent’s group in the worst-case scenario.

“The timing is terrible. If dragons really exist, that’s a problem in itself, but there’s no worse scenario than the investigation team we sent not returning.”

Choose the lesser evil over the worst, the better option over the lesser evil, and the best over the better option. No matter how I thought about it, sending an investigation team without any countermeasures was just a poor choice. The worst would be believing Laurent lied and doing nothing.

“Your Excellency! Please reconsider!”

“May I say something?”

Marquis Ziek and Unos were running parallel, neither giving up their claims. Of course, if Marquis Ziek forcefully pushed, he could dispatch the investigation team, but perhaps because he knew the risks, Marquis Ziek didn’t force it. So, it was time to come to a conclusion. If the current situation continued any longer, resentment might arise in each other’s hearts.

“You?”

“Yes. If you give me a chance, I have something I want to say.”

“Go ahead.”

“First of all, there is some truth to the statement that it will be similar whether we send an investigation team now or after winter has passed. It’s not just because the snow has fallen and traces have disappeared, or because the group may have moved. Laurent expressed what that being said like this:

[Enraged by the intrusion into its territory.]

Quiet. If that being is really a dragon and has its territory around it, it will not move its territory just because a few humans have come.”

There is a chance, just in case, that the being is a dragon and has moved its territory. But if that’s the case, there’s even less to worry about. If it’s so afraid of humans coming that it moves its territory, it doesn’t have the tremendous power shown in fairy tales.

“I think the best option is to prepare thoroughly for any possible situation during the winter and send an investigation team after winter has passed. Please reconsider.”

“Please reconsider!”

As if my words were a trigger, the voices of the people gathered in the conference room united as soon as I finished speaking. No matter how powerful Marquis Ziek was, it was unreasonable to push forward with something everyone opposed, and he wasn’t the kind of person to do such a thing. After all, Marquis Ziek couldn’t lead the investigation team himself.

#

“How’s your body?”

“Not bad. I still can’t believe my left arm is gone… I’m just glad to be back alive. It wouldn’t have been strange if I had died there.”

I took charge of Laurent, who had been forcibly put to sleep and then awakened. We were close, had the same status as colleagues, and I personally had some questions.

“While you were asleep, a meeting was held about the investigation team.”

“…What happened?”

“It was decided to dispatch the investigation team after winter has passed.”

Laurent’s disappointment was evident. But he probably knows that there’s nothing he can do about it. As he experienced, wandering around the Monster’s Land at this time of year is very dangerous.

“But… was there really a dragon?”

“Do you also think I’m lying?”

Before Laurent could misunderstand my words, I quickly added. If there were any unnecessary misunderstandings, it could be inconvenient to proceed with the story in the future.

“It’s hard to believe, but I don’t think you’re lying. If you were really going to lie, there would have been dozens, hundreds of more convincing lies.”

A lie must be convincing to be believed. If Laurent’s statement is a lie, it’s one of two things: either he’s incredibly stupid or he’s incredibly brave. He can confidently tell a lie that no one would believe.

“So please tell me. Was it really a dragon? The more information we have, the more the investigation team can investigate.”

“…That’s right. That’s why they somehow kept me alive, and a dragon… To be exact, I can’t be sure.”

“What do you mean you can’t be sure?”

“Because I’ve never actually seen a dragon. But it was a different dimension from the subspecies I’ve seen so far. It wasn’t just the appearance, but also the atmosphere around it.

Moreover, when I combined the fact that the surrounding monsters were obeying the being and that it had the intelligence to express its intentions to us, there were many similarities with the stories that have been passed down about dragons.”

Laurent’s words meant that only a dragon could show such a sight. So that being is a dragon. I didn’t think it was a wrong inference either. Even if it was a race with a different name than dragon, that being could only come to us under the name of dragon. I began to ask about other things I was curious about.

“So the dragon didn’t move directly and only gave orders to the monsters?”

“…That’s right. At least I didn’t see it move directly.”

“Why did it do that? Laurent said the dragon was angry that its territory had been invaded.”

“Well, I’m not a dragon, so I can’t be sure, but I wonder if it judged that it wasn’t worth taking action itself. It’s usually portrayed as a very proud being. It’s like Marquis Ziek wouldn’t personally step in to catch orcs.”

“That could be true.”

After that, I continued to talk with Laurent. From the situation at that time to what happened on the way here. In the process, I realized that it didn’t seem like a fabricated story, at least. There were no loopholes in the story.

#

“What do you mean a dragon? What’s with that all of a sudden…?!”

Evan, who had temporarily left the Terra Barrier and headed to the capital for the development plan of the magic stone mine, returned. After persuading the officials with a detailed plan, he returned to the Terra Barrier, and this news must have been like a bolt from the blue.

“Does that make sense? A dragon? Are you telling me a story straight out of a fairy tale!”

“It’s what Marquis Ziek has decided.”

“Huh. The plan has been approved and we’re ready to start…”

The mine development was also suspended due to the intrusion into the territory. Although there was quite a distance between the place where Laurent was presumed to have discovered the dragon and the mine, Marquis Ziek’s policy was to prohibit all external activities until the exact truth was revealed.

Evan, who arrived at the Terra Barrier, met with Marquis Ziek to persuade him, but he was as firm as a rock and eventually had to step back. Anyway, we’ll know the truth by summer at the latest, so if we take that time as a preparation period, it wouldn’t be a big waste.

As time passed, the weather was also gradually improving. Fortunately, there were no special events in the meantime. As always, monsters attacked and we defended, and soldiers also died. I don’t know if it’s because we just shouldn’t invade the territory, or if there’s another reason, but there were no variables, so it was pointless to strengthen the defense more than usual. And finally, spring came.

“Please include me in the investigation team!”

“Take care of your body first. Where are you going when you can’t even use magic properly!”

“I saw that guy. I still remember that place clearly. I won’t be a burden, so please include me in the investigation team!”

The investigation team began to move in earnest.

Baron Family’s Second Son – Episode 38 – End