༺ Mountain Lord ༻
“Mountain Lord.”
The Master of the Mountain.
This name could otherwise be used to refer to a tiger, which was considered to be virtually extinct from the vocabulary of the rigid 21st-century society, due to advancements in technology and industry.
But in reality, Mountain Lords still existed.
My shaman grandmother had even told me about the time she had performed a sacrificial rite for the esteemed Mountain Lord of Baekdu Mountain.
Obviously, they were not real animals.
They were spirits who took on the form of tigers and were said to be guardian deities.
And in her old age, my grandmother spoke about various things and had told me about the Mountain Lord’s favorite foods and how to perform the rite during that time.
[Hast thou come to me again, boy?]
Being 28 years old, Deus was far too old to be called a boy.
But if the Mountain Lord, who had lived for thousands of years, addressed him as a boy, I couldn’t complain.
“This is Deus Verdi. I have come to greet you after three months as I was away from home.”
…Along with the Mountain Lord’s favorite warm wine and rice cake.
The wine that was warmed by the maid had cooled due to the cold of the Norseweden Mountains, but yellowish mana gently wrapped around the bottle and warmed it up again.
The first time I climbed the mountain range and met the Mountain Lord was about a month after I had become Deus Verdi.
At that time, I was trying to flee.
I struggled to learn magic, etiquette, and the karma of a scumbag like Deus was too much for me.
And above all that, I was tormented by the evil spirits in the mansion.
For some reason, the number of evil spirits inhabiting the Verdi’s mansion was quite high.
As I hadn’t learnt necromancy at the time, I had no choice but to pretend that I couldn’t see the evil spirits, but the stress got to me, and I fled.
Then, I met the Mountain Lord.
The Mountain Lord, who attacked the evil spirits chasing after me, took pity on me.
“I bought some wine and rice cake that Mountain Lord might like. I hope it’s up to your taste.”
[……….]
The Mountain Lord’s mouth opened wide and a blue-colored spirit body emerged, wrapping itself around the wine and rice cake.
The offerings naturally disappeared, as if they were absorbed into the spiritual body.
It wasn’t obvious from his expression, but he seemed to enjoy it because the oppressive feeling that had been pressing on me vanished.
[This is a first.]
“………….”
I did not interrupt him.
I nodded and listened attentively to his slow, unhurried words.
[For thousands of years, I’ve been a source of fear. This is the first time a human has come this close to me.]
“That is because the Mountain Lord saved me.”
[……….]
An awkward silence filled the air.
I knew that he didn’t intend to actually protect me five months ago.
Why would the Mountain Lord protect me, a mere human being pursued by evil spirits? He only tore them apart because he didn’t like the fact that evil spirits had entered his mountain, but he had no intention of saving me.
‘But why did that matter?’
No, it did not matter.
I was going to take advantage of this relationship.
Even if he said he didn’t have such thoughts, I was going to forcibly create a connection between us.
‘It’ll become a leash.’
[I know you didn’t come for the sole purpose of greeting me.]
It was a deep-sounding voice. It was time to get to the main point.
“The truth is, I decided to visit Mountain Lord in advance as I thought you might be feeling uncomfortable.”
[……Those ignorant barbarians are rampaging on my mountain.]
“However, we do not have the strength to defend this mountain.”
The Mountain Lord’s blue eyes gleamed. My body stiffened as if struck by a cascade of water in the dead of winter, and the pressure overwhelmed my entire body.
[So, you have come to ask me for help? How dare you!]
“Mountain Lord.”
I took a deep breath and slowly rose up and took a seat, meeting his gaze.
I knelt down to set the table for bargaining, offering my gifts.
Then, I took a seat on the other side, certain that I had what he desired.
I had no intention of giving up the initiative in this negotiation to a tiger who slept alone in the mountains…
…I raised my hand and pointed to the east.
“The desert in the east, named Sahar, has now become a human outpost.”
This time I pointed in the opposite direction, to the west.
“To the west, in the waters of Parlair, I heard they have built underwater tunnels and undersea fish farms.”
Finally, I raised my hand up and pointed to the sky.
“Beyond the mountains, a flying tool called the Glider has been developed by the Clark Republic.”
[What are you trying to say?]
I apologized and carefully placed my hand on my chest.
“A thousand years ago, the Sahar Desert was a cursed land for humans. It was said that the flesh would be taken away in one day, blood in two days, and life in three days.”
[…………]
“However, today, humans are planting potatoes there. I’ve heard that the potatoes that have adapted to the climate don’t rot easily and are hard, making it easy to store them and the number of recipes has increased.”
Mountain Lord’s eyes narrowed as if he understood what I was implying. He looked like he would tear me apart at any moment, so I used the staff to support myself.
I would have been on my knees if it hadn’t been for it.
I couldn’t show it though.
I maintained the same tone and enunciation throughout.
“The infamous Leviathan and Kraken in the waters of Parlair. Humans have driven them out and coveted their underwater resources. It is said that a handful of salt there is worth a fortune in gold.”
[……………….]
“Mountain Lord. Just a thousand years ago. Did you think humans could fly? Savage humans who had to diligently walk for a month to reach a distance that you, Mountain Lord, could reach in a single leap.”
His white breath obscured my vision. But thanks to that, the Mountain Lord’s appearance was blurred, which helped me endure.
“Mountain Lord, don’t you find it quite interesting? How the savage humans are taking away the homes of spiritual beings one by one.”
[Are you threatening me?]
Thud.
The Mountain Lord took a step forward.
The white tiger standing on the mountain ridge walked through the snow and came right up to my nose, growling and baring his teeth.
For a split second, I couldn’t even blink.
[My breath can tear you apart; bring a hundred men, and they’ll all be dead with a swing of my tail.]
[Bring a thousand men, and my claws will tear them apart, one by one.]
[Bring ten thousand men, my teeth are eternal; they will not decay, they will not break.]
It was a bold declaration.
In fact, it would be possible if it were in the mountains.
“I will bring ten thousand men on the first day.”
However, I did not back down.
“And the next day, another ten thousand men will come.”
[……………….]
“On the third and the fourth day, twenty thousand men will come. And they will all perish at the feet of the mountain. Carcasses will pile up, and the mountain will no longer be covered with trees, but with flesh and bones.”
The reason the Mountain Lord was strong was because he was on the mountain. But what if the mountain became sullied?
“Five days.”
I declared, stretching out my fingers.
“In just five days, Mountain Lord will fall.”
[……………….]
“Mountain Lord.”
My outstretched hand came down naturally. As if asking for a handshake, I reached out to the Mountain Lord.
“I, Deus Verdi, the second son of the Verdi Household, swear here. I will protect your home.”
[………You.]
“It will never be trodden by humans. And if anyone dares to plant a human flag here, I will kill them myself.”
[……………….]
“So, Mountain Lord.”
The voice was blunt, but no less cold. The temperature of Norseweden seemed to affect me as well.
“Please help me.”
* * *
Findenai, who was resting at the Norseweden Mountain outpost, felt a strange sensation as she lit her cigarette.
It wasn’t mana, but a tingle that brushed the nape of one’s neck.
A normal person would have dismissed it as their imagination, but Findenai was different.
With senses comparable to those of a beast, she scrambled to her feet, snatching up the axe from her side.
Her companions, shaking off the fatigue of battle and plotting to plunder Norseweden, asked with a puzzled expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“What is it?”
Even though Findenai was the leader of the Resistance, Scrapyard Nomads, they were all like a family, so there was no formality.
In the first place, if there were to be a formality among former slaves, wouldn’t it look like a back alley child’s game imitating adults?
“Something is approaching.”
Findenai stepped outside, blowing out a deep puff of smoke from her cigarette. Her comrades at the post followed her, clutching their weapons.
It was just a hunch, but they had absolute faith in her ‘hunch’.
“Ha, the follow-up team should be here anytime soon.”
“We’ll just bide our time. Did the stupid Margrave ask for reinforcements after all?”
The Scrapyard Nomads were surprised that Darius Verdi had chosen the people of Norseweden over his Household, but Findenai ignored them and looked away.
She snuffed out the cigarette in her mouth. She hadn’t even taken a few puffs, but she knew it wasn’t the time for that.
“It’s not like that,” she said, turning her neck to gaze at the sight of a man walking through the falling snow.
“It’s only a single enemy.”
“One?”
“Huh?”
One of the unit members, who was holding a sniper rifle, raised his scope to his eyes and shouted, “It’s true! A man in a coat, holding a staff, is coming this way by himself!”
“Is he here to surrender?”
“Or is he thinking of negotiating?”
At the mention that it was a single man, the members of the Scrapyard Nomads relaxed, but Findenai gripped her axe tightly as if she was more nervous than ever.
And the sniper’s report continued.
“Oh, it appears to be a mage! Every time he moves forward, the accumulated snow melts on its own!”
“A noble mage.”
“If you look at it, all the Griffin aristocrats are young people who only know how to look cool, right?”
“For a guy who came here to surrender or negotiate, he’s already making a bad first impression.”
“You brainless people, get a grip.”
Findenai retorted angrily at her comrades who still hadn’t grasped the situation.
“I said ‘enemy’.”
“…………….?”
Just then, a searing ball of flame flew in. A sphere that was neither huge nor threatening.
Findenai didn’t care at all and swung her axe, cutting the lump in half with precision.
“…………………”
Her attention was drawn to the split fireball.
It split in half, and the fireballs merged back again.
Then it changed its path mid-air, crashing down on Findenai once more.
[Kyahahahaha!]
With a terrifying scream.
Whoosh!
The fireballs split apart once more. But as if it hadn’t been hit, it merged back together.
From that point, large and small balls of fire poured out from the mage.
[Kill! Let’s kill! Ahh!]
[Freedom! Dammit, freedom!]
[Let’s moisten our throats with blood and fill our bellies with flesh!]
[Barbarians! Get the mace!]
“What, what!”
“The magic speaks! Ge-get in formation!”
“Even if you slash it, it merges again! Stand and defend!”
The fireballs filled with various voices were randomly circling the sky as if they had a will, swallowing the falling snow.
Meanwhile, Findenai’s bloodshot eyes glared at the mage in a coat, who strode toward them without a break.
“Necromancer……!”
The guy’s true identity. Findenai growled as if she were about to bite him.
Deus Verdi didn’t even look at her, instead clicking his tongue in a low voice as cold as the mountains.
“Go and eat them all up, you damn evil spirits.”
