Chapter 218: The East (3)

"Then, the key question is—where does the Mad Dragon Festival connect to? Where could it be?"

Theo narrowed his eyes.

"Could it be the head of House Gardner?"

Kinkarnon shut his eyes tightly.

He had heard that the Relic of the Primordial Dragon was filled with countless mysteries beyond comprehension.

If so, it was not at all strange that it might possess the ability to discern truth from falsehood.

As expected.

"That’s enough."

Theo slowly rose from his seat.

With this, his next target was decided.

Thud!

The spot where Theo had been standing. As the prison door closed once again, darkness descended.

Kinkarnon could not move an inch.

The darkness and silence seemed to symbolize his life—fallen and stripped of everything.

* * *

A command was issued to the White Armored Dragon Cavalry in its entirety.

-It has been determined that House Gardner not only actively participated in this coup but is also linked to the remnants of Troyban. They are hereby designated as enemies, and their subjugation is ordered.

Subjugation (討伐).

The weight of that word in the North was not to be taken lightly.

It meant that all those involved would be completely eradicated, without leaving even a single blade of grass behind.

In some cases, it could mean the complete expulsion of the Gardner name from the Six Snow Families, so everyone was moving frantically.

Kyaaaak!

"Move out!!"

The Wyverns, clad in armor, let out shrill cries as they soared into the sky.

With Amore leading the charge, the rest of the unit followed in formation, creating a breathtaking spectacle.

-Oh my goodness! What in the world is happening?!

-They say Lord Kinkarnon was the mastermind behind the coup. And now, suspicions have also fallen upon House Gardner.

-What is going on? When did the war with Troyban even end…?

As the sky filled with hundreds of wyverns, people could only hope that no further chaos would unfold.

Bang! Bang!

While the subjugation force moved out, Theo had gone elsewhere—to the Vasque Workshop.

"…What the hell is this?"

Kirsion, who had been smoking from a long pipe, scowled as she eyed the greatsword Theo was casually presenting.

"Exactly what it looks like."

"Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to make this…?!"

Kirsion clutched the back of her head, struggling to suppress her rising frustration.

"This is because of the same reason as those things flying up there, isn't it?"

She was asking if it was because of the coup.

Theo scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Yes. So, wouldn't it be better to take out your anger on the ones we're about to capture?"

"Honestly, that damn mouth of yours…!"

Kirsion took the broken halves of Drake’s Blade, fiddled with them for a moment, then grimaced even more.

"You crazy bastard. This is beyond repair! It’s useless! No matter how I try to piece it together, it’ll never function the same way as before!"

Drake’s Blade wasn’t made solely from Lesser Drake materials.

It had also incorporated several rare and valuable ingredients in Kirsion’s possession, making repairs impossible.

Unless they melted it down and reforged it from scratch, that is.

But of course, that would be like making a mountain out of a molehill.

However—

"Would repairs still be difficult even with this?"

"What else did you bring… Huh?! T-this is—!"

Kirsion, in the middle of ranting, suddenly froze. Her eyes widened in shock as she clung to the material Theo presented.

She touched it as if handling a priceless treasure, her trembling fingers carefully stroking its surface to avoid damaging it.

This texture, this feel, this density—!

Ah! Where else in the world could one find such a perfect material?!

"Hehehehehe. Slurp!"

Kirsion was practically drooling without realizing it.

『…Tell that filthy elf to get away from it immediately. I can’t take it anymore.』

"Hehehehehe."

『Now! Right this instant!!』

As Kirsion’s saliva nearly dripped onto the material, Lodbrok panicked and tried to push Theo closer to Kirsion instead.

Kirsion was clutching it tightly in her arms, caressing it like some kind of pervert.

It was a piece of rib that Lodbrok had plucked out last night while shedding tears the size of chicken droppings.

『Do you have any idea how much I suffered pulling that out?!』

‘Technically speaking, you just scraped off the outer layer of your rib, didn’t you?’

『Does that make it hurt any less?! It really hurt, you know! And besides, partner, have you already forgotten how you pestered me to coat it with enhancement spells and reinforcement techniques?!』

Simply handing over a rib fragment would result in nothing more than a high-quality weapon.

So Theo had demanded that Lodbrok apply every enchantment and spell she knew to transform it into a true artifact.

This meant that not only did she have to extract a piece of her rib, but she also had to hole herself up deep inside her nest for days to refine it—something that had severely stressed her out.

But every time she tried to refuse, Theo would retort with things like, "Well, I guess I’ll just have to get hurt, then," or "I suppose your recovery will be delayed as well," constantly blackmailing her.

She was about ready to explode from frustration!

‘Life… no, a dragon’s life is just like that, isn’t it?’

『Ever since I met you, it’s only gotten worse!』

She was certain that things hadn’t been like this at the beginning.

But the more time passed, the more she found herself getting tangled up in Theo’s sly schemes.

"Where the hell did you even get this?"

Kirsion had spent a long while grinning foolishly while hugging Lodbrok’s rib before finally coming back to her senses.

However, judging by the way her eyes were practically sparkling like ‘$_$,’ she had clearly caught the scent of a lucrative opportunity.

"It’s difficult to explain in detail, but let’s just say it’s a special supply route exclusive to the Young Lord."

"The quantity? How much of this do you have?"

"Hmm."

『None! There’s no more left!』

"Well, as much as you need?"

『You bastard!!』

"Ooooooh!"

"It’s not as much as you’re hoping for, but I do have other materials as well."

"Wait, wait, this isn’t all of it?"

"Fingernails, claws, scales, hair—I should be able to get my hands on just about any Ancient Dragon material."

『Hey!』

Still in her spectral form, Lodbrok glared at Theo as if he had lost his mind, but he simply grinned in response.

"T-That so? T-Then, c-could I, um, p-perhaps s-see it…?"

Lodbrok’s hands and feet trembled like she had developed some kind of nerve disorder.

"You’ll have to fix the sword first."

"R-Right! Of course!"

"When should I come back?"

"A week! Come back in a week!"

"Can’t it be done a little sooner?"

"You brat! Do you want me to stay up all night slaving away—?!"

Kirsion was about to snap, but when she saw Theo smiling so innocently, she forced a laugh instead.

"-But of course, I should do whatever it takes! Absolutely! Our Young Lord is a very busy man, after all, so how could I not help?! Of course, I’ll help! Definitely!"

"How many days will it take?"

"Five days!"

"I’ll come back in three."

"…H-Hahaha! Of course! No problem!"

"Oh, and include the Dragon Spirit’s Cursed Blade as well."

"……Now the workload just doubled! Hahahaha!"

Theo chuckled.

‘As expected, I like how easy it is to negotiate with Kirsion.’

『You mean to say it’s not blackmail?』

Lodbrok grumbled beside him.

But, naturally, he ignored it completely.

* * *

Three days later, both the Dragon Spirit’s Cursed Blade and Drake’s Blade were fully restored.

It was around the same time that the White Armored Dragon Cavalry returned after completing the subjugation of House Gardner.

The head of Algon, the lord of House Gardner, was impaled on a tall spear and displayed at the entrance of Winterer—a warning to all enemies of Ragnar.

And along with it came a series of new announcements.

- For acts of treason, Lord Algon of House Gardner and his vassals are sentenced to death.

- Selperd Gardner is appointed as the new lord of House Gardner.

- As a disciplinary measure, House Gardner’s promised rights and privileges are reduced by half.

- Additionally, House Gardner is demoted to sixth place among the Six Snow Families, and a Rank Competition will be allowed for the next month.

A Rank Competition.

Being part of the Six Snow Families didn’t simply mean being among the noble houses that served Ragnar most closely.

It meant being a designated ruling house recognized by Ragnar, granted authority over a portion of the Northern territories, along with tax collection rights.

Naturally, many sought after that position.

And if one were to fall behind in the competition, another house would replace them in the Six Snow Families.

In short, the announcement boiled down to a simple message:

- Selperd, clean up the mess your father left behind.

Selperd, who had never once considered Algon his father, wanted to throw everything away on the spot.

"Here, take this."

"What is it?"

"What do you think? It’s a letter from your future lord."

Selperd took the letter that Amore handed him and clenched his fist tightly.

- Right now, things must be difficult, but please endure as much as you can.

The first official command from his new lord.

It was a plea—no, an order—to hold on and lend his strength.

"It’s impossible to expect help from the White Armored Dragon Cavalry, isn’t it?"

"The Rank Competition forbids interference from major houses. You already knew that, so why ask?"

"I know… I just feel frustrated."

At present, House Gardner was in shambles, with all of its key figures executed.

Nearly forty percent of its middle-ranking officers were also gone, causing considerable unrest among the lower-ranking retainers.

If not for the positive impression Selperd had left on the vassals and the growing rumors that he was Theo’s right-hand man, the house would have collapsed already.

But the real question was—how long could he hold out with this remaining strength?

Thanks to Theo’s consideration, the Rank Competition period had been shortened from one year to one month.

Even so, just imagining the flood of rival ruling families that would challenge him made Selperd’s chest feel unbearably tight.

"But don’t worry. Your future lord left behind a little gift."

"……?"

Selperd tilted his head in confusion, unable to understand what Theo’s ‘gift’ was.

However, Amore merely gave him a cryptic smile before leaving with the White Armored Dragon Cavalry.

Fortunately, he discovered what that gift was the very next day.

"It’s been a while since I last visited this place. Has it been ten years?"

Suddenly, hundreds of swordsmen appeared, setting up a military camp in front of House Gardner’s estate.

The vassals tensed up, fearing that the Rank Competition had already begun.

But then, some among them recognized the banner fluttering above the camp—and let out screams.

- It’s Ranque!

- The lord of House Ranque has come for revenge!

Very few people in House Gardner could see the arrival of Bracken Ranque, who had long been at odds with Algon Gardner, as a good sign.

But an even bigger problem followed shortly after—another noble house appeared, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

- Bacchus! House Bacchus is here too!

- Naban Bacchus himself has mobilized…?!

- I heard House Bacchus lost a lot of influence because of the previous incident. Are they trying to claim Gardner’s holdings for themselves…?

Sure enough, House Bacchus, one of the Six Snow Families, had arrived.

Ranque and Bacchus—though their lords had never met before, they exchanged friendly greetings.

Creak!

Soon after, Selperd opened the gates of the estate and stepped forward to meet them.

- W-what should we do?

The vassals of House Gardner anxiously stomped their feet, fearing that Bracken and Naban had come to harm their lord.

At the same time, they were stunned by Selperd’s composed demeanor—he showed not the slightest hint of intimidation as he greeted them.

And then—

What happened next left everyone in shock.

"So this is Theo’s gift. Thank you for coming to House Gardner."

"Haha, it’s good to see you again here. Allow me to formally introduce myself—I am Bracken of House Ranque."

"This is our first meeting. I am Naban of House Bacchus. Our cursed lord’s orders forced us to rush here on short notice, so my men are quite exhausted. Might we rest here?"

"Of course."

Selperd shook hands with both of them.

This was the first official gathering of what would later be known as the Theo Alliance.