Chapter 176: Who Stole My Bones? (7)

On the day when a letter arrived from the Kingdom of Kanburk, Pablo hastily began assembling the warrior monks of his order. Their purpose was clear: to attend the Calun Conference. Once prepared, the large procession set off for Calun, the capital of the kingdom.

Two days later, Kendrick stared at the armed warriors trailing behind them and couldn’t help but wonder aloud, “What’s all this about? Are we going to war instead of a meeting?”

With over two hundred armed warriors present, his confusion wasn’t unfounded.

Pablo responded matter-of-factly, “The Calun Conference was originally conceived as a gathering to prepare for war against demonic forces. Over time, this has morphed into a display of power rather than simply attending with one’s military might. It’s just how things have evolved since its inception.”

“Is it like a battle of wills among the elders?”

“You’re right. Since all the nobles loyal to the Kanburk Royal Family gather here, numerous conflicting interests intertwine and spark rivalries. This is why Calon Conference is such a contentious event.”

“But why do we need to be involved in this?”

“Among the nobles, there are some who hold the Order in little regard. We must assert ourselves against them, even if only symbolically.”

“Huh? Why would the nobles be displeased with the Order?”

“Although the Order’s territory is part of the Kanburk Kingdom, its affiliation is independent. This is due to an agreement between Lokan II and myself, which guarantees the Order perfect autonomy.”

“Ah! And in other words… does that mean you don’t pay taxes?”

“Cr-ha-ha! You’ve got quite the knack for picking up on hints, don’t you, junior?”

“Well, I’ve got some experience when it comes to money matters. Heh-heh.”

“Ha-ha, taxes are one thing, but the real issue is the Order’s power. That’s why, even as allies, we have some folks keeping an eye on us.”

“What fools! What’ll they do if the Order turns against them?”

“Well, it’s only a tiny minority of nobles. The royal family and many great nobles want to maintain good relations with the Order. Anyway, we couldn’t move elsewhere, so we had to keep on good terms with the Kingdom of Kanburk.”

“Couldn’t you just move away?”

”…That’s the problem—we can’t.”

“Why not?”

“That… you’d have to ask Louis about.”

“You mean… Mr. Louis?” Kendrick’s gaze shifted towards Louis.

Under the weight of all eyes on him, Louis shrugged nonchalantly. “What about me?”

Pablo bristled at this indifferent expression.

Isn’t it all because of that Promise Tree you planted here that we can’t even move?!

To the Order, the Promise Tree was both a divine gift and proof of the existence of the Pantheon. Who would abandon such a tree to travel elsewhere? In other words, Louis had firmly bound the Order with his actions.

Of course, Pablo didn’t have the courage to confront Louis directly. Instead, he muttered timidly, ”…No, it’s nothing.”

Kendrick and Tania raised their eyebrows, observing Pablo’s dejection and Louis’s unwavering confidence.

Pablo cleared his throat awkwardly, diverting attention from the questioning gazes of his juniors.

“Uh-hem! Well, the Calon meeting is generally like that, but it has a tremendous influence on the eastern half of the continent during winter. We’re on our way to participate as members of an alliance.”

“It’s more…important than I thought,” Tanya and Kendrick nodded in agreement.

For this brother-sister pair raised in the mountains, just being part of an event involving several countries was fascinating enough. It felt like they were on the verge of something big.

Of course, there was one who found nothing remarkable about it all.

“Hey, Pablo.”

Pablo flinched slightly at Louis’s slightly antagonistic greeting.

“Huh? What?”

“Why is this road so horrible?”

“Uh, well… this is a shortcut.”

“But ‘shortcut’ my foot! When will we ever get there?”

“We’re arriving soon!”

“For crying out loud! What kind of meeting is this, anyway? It’s not like we’re being exiled or anything.”

It had already been two days since they’d left the headquarters of their order and the promised land. Yet, they still hadn’t arrived at the place where the meeting was to be held.

Pablo answered Louis’s grumbling with an awkward smile. “The Callun Conference is being held in Callun, the capital of the Kanburk Kingdom. Callun is situated on the far eastern edge of the Winter Continent.”

“Far eastern edge? Isn’t that right next to Maha? Why would a capital be placed in the most dangerous location?”

“The predecessor to the Kanburk Kingdom was the Duchy of Kanburk, which served as a bastion against the Maha invaders. When Lokan I ascended to the throne as the first king, he chose not to relocate the capital. Instead, he declared the ancestral lands of the former dukes as the site of the new royal capital.”

At Pablo’s explanation, the twins interjected.

“Isn’t that just plain stupid?”

“If the capital gets attacked, won’t that put my own position at risk?”

“Not necessarily, my dear prince.”

“Why not?”

“Heh-heh, you’ll understand when we arrive. We’re almost there, so please be patient. It’ll be more fun if you experience it without knowing everything beforehand.”

The twins raised their eyebrows in confusion at Pablo’s mischievous snickers. Louis and his flame-haired sister had identical expressions.

And… their questions were naturally answered an hour later.

Clack-clack-clack.

The snow horses gradually slowed their steady trot.

As the lead slowed, the procession naturally halted. The shortcut Pablo had guided them through led to a high ridge. From this vantage point, the view before Louis and his companions stretched out clearly, leaving them agape.

“Wow…”

“Absolutely amazing…”

The city sprawled across the vast landscape, its considerable size befitting a national capital. While impressive in itself, it wasn’t what truly astonished the group.

There was something else that left the Fire siblings, Louis, and the twins absolutely dumbfounded.

“What… a city wall?!”

“That whole thing… is the city wall?!”

It was an incredibly long and gigantic wall that stretched endlessly. While typically, a castle wall referred to those surrounding both cities and castles, what stood before them now was different. Behind the city, a tall wall extended for quite some distance.

This sight caused Louis’s eyes to widen significantly.

It bore a striking resemblance to a structure from his previous life.

This is insane! Is this the Great Wall of China?!

The endless stretch of this barrier indeed conjured images of that ancient wonder. Meanwhile, Kendrick’s voice took on a dreamy quality as he muttered,

”…What in the world is that?”

“The Callon Barrier. The people of the Winter Continent call it the Shield of Winter.”

“Did humans… construct that wall?”

“We’re still building it, you know. Heh-heh.”

Kendrick’s gaze remained fixed on the Callon Barrier, transfixed.

“How far does that thing go on for?”

“It seems endless, doesn’t it?”

Pablo chuckled at the twins’ awestruck question.

“To the east of the Winter Continent lies the long stretch of the Mac Mountains, which block the icy winds and demons of Maha. People refer to this as the Blessing of the Mac Mountains, but there are regions that do not receive such blessings.”

”…?”

“The Baekji Mountains are interrupted in the middle by a 500-kilometer gap. That’s the location known as Caloun Great Ravine. All the demonic beasts invading the winter continent enter through there, and the Grand Duke jej Ange has been guarding this Caloun Great Ravine for generations.”

“Then surely that must be…?”

“Yes, that’s correct. The Great Wall has been under construction for over 200 years, spanning the entire Caloun Great Ravine.”

“Then it’s not completed yet?”

“That’s true, but they say it will be finished either this year or at the very latest by next year. Didn’t I tell you? The Kingdom of Kanburk is already spending an astronomical amount of money on it.”

“Is that what it is?”

“Exactly! When Kanburk first announced plans to build a wall in Caldon, people dismissed it as impossible. Not only would it require immense human labor, but also a staggering amount of capital. It wasn’t a project a newly established kingdom could realistically undertake.”

“But look at it now, it’s coming together,” observed Pablo with satisfaction.

Louis interjected, “It is indeed impressive. But where did Kanburk Kingdom get such an enormous sum of money?”

“Well…” Pablo began hesitantly, “…there are numerous theories about Kanburk’s financial resources. Some claim they discovered an inexhaustible vein of gold, while others insist they found a vast trove of ancient treasures…”

“Oh?”

“The truth is, there’s no way of knowing which story is correct, but one thing we do know for sure is that the Kingdom of Kanburk is pouring a great deal of money into benefiting the Winter Continent.”

Louis gazed at the capital city of Kanburk and its magnificent Great Barrier with interest. Suddenly, he cocked his head, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.

Wait…?

He couldn’t put his finger on what it was, but something seemed familiar about this terrain.

Have I seen these landmarks before?

No, it was more than just a sense of familiarity—he had definitely seen these mountains before.

Then a tall mountain appeared before Louis’s eyes. It stood so majestically that it seemed to pierce the heavens. He had seen something like this in the past.

“The Right Fang of Earth…?”

As the thought crossed his mind, the landscape began to look entirely different.

To be precise, it was as if certain past geographical features were being projected onto the present landscape.

Could this be…?!

Louis asked Pablo to confirm his suspicion.

“Pablo.”

“Yes?”

“You mentioned that the Kanburk Kingdom used to be a duchy or something, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“So when did it become a kingdom?”

“Under King Lokan I. It was a duchy in the past, but apparently, the birth rate in the duchy surged the year King Lokan I was born. After that, its size gradually increased until it eventually gained independence from the kingdom it was previously part of.”

“Ha-ha!” Louis couldn’t help bursting out laughing.

His eyes gleamed with amusement as he took in the distant scene unfolding before him.

“What is it?”

“What’s so funny?” The twins approached Louis and called out to him.

“Khan, Kani, Fin.”

“Yes?”

“What?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I think this is where we’ve been searching.”

“Where?”

“Oh!”

Khan remained skeptical of Louis’s claims, but Kani seemed to sense what was going on.

She eagerly asked, “Is this where we found the nice Madam?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Realizing he’d been left out of the loop, Khan quickly feigned knowledge and chimed in excitedly, “Oh! I remember now! It’s that man who lost his child, right? He was so depressed!”

The twins chuckled at the shared memory of this moment from the past. No wonder they found it amusing, as this place marked their first encounter with a comfortable home during their time traveling.

“Woah… look how much it’s changed since then.”

“Fascinating.”

Louis and the twins gazed around with expressions that spoke to their newfound understanding of the kingdom’s true History.

“What is it?” Pablo’s curiosity was piqued.

“Oh,” Fin replied with a smile, “once, Louis and the twins gave a child to the couple who had lost their own many years ago.”

“…you created a child for them?”

Having met Fin after she left the Duchy of Kanburk, Pablo had no way of knowing what mischief Louis had been up to before their paths crossed.

“Heh-heh. Something like that.”

The Flame Siblings whispered amongst themselves as they watched Fin snicker.

“Seriously… how old is our teacher?”

“She must be at least hundreds of years old, right?”

“Would you still marry our teacher despite the age difference? I mean, it seems colossal!”

“So what if they’re older? Love knows no age boundaries!”

“But… why doesn’t age matter?”

“It doesn’t. At least not for me and Louis-oppa!”

”…Come on, doesn’t it bother you at all?”

“How can our Roys-oppa look hundreds of years older? Doesn’t our teacher seem younger than you? Shouldn’t you pay more attention to appearances before questioning someone’s age?”

“That may be true… but doesn’t it sound a bit harsh? Are you trying to kill me? Is that what you’re after, bro?!”

“Kill me? Who’s always been the punching bag for my brother?”

“T-That was me being benevolent towards my little sister!”

“Then how about giving it a proper go?”

“Well, not here, though…”

While Kendrick retreated with his tail between his legs, Pablo once again took hold of the lead rope of the snow horses.

“Let’s continue on. We have a meeting tonight, so we need to settle in and make preparations.”

Pablo set off again, leading the procession that had been halted.

In this manner, thirty minutes passed. As they descended from the rolling hills and approached Callon, the capital of the Kanburk Kingdom, the vast crowds surrounding the city came into view.

Kendrick scanned their surroundings and, finding something unusual, asked a puzzled question:

“What’s with these soldiers? Why aren’t they inside?”

As Kendrick had said, countless soldiers were set up in tents around the city walls.

“Only the garrison and the royal guards are allowed to stay in the city. No matter how high their rank, no one else can enter.”

“So even the Order’s warriors can’t go in?”

“Of course not.”

While Pablo and Kendrick talked, the Order procession passed through the encamped soldiers. This drew a lot of attention to them.

“It’s the Holy Order!”

“Those war nuts again.”

The commotion grew as people recognized the Order’s banner.

Pablo and the others, used to such reactions, immediately gave instructions for their next move.

“Find a place and set up camp.”

“Understood.”

Following Pablo’s orders, one of his men led the warriors to set up camp on the open ground. With practiced efficiency, they quickly erected tents and organized their encampment. Soon, a large main tent wascomplete, and Louis’s group entered its cozy confines.

Louis couldn’t help but question this arrangement. “Why are we here? Why not go inside the castle?”

“The Caloun Meeting is not held within the castle grounds.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me… Is this how you treat your guests?”

“Well… The tradition of the Caloun Meeting stems from an outdoor gathering at the Caloun Grand Canyon long ago… So, it’s always conducted outside as a nod to history.”

“What kind of bullshit tradition is that?”

“Honestly, there are more than a few inconveniences, but since King Kanburk himself stays in a similar tent, no one can really complain, can they?”

“This wretched place is…” Louis scowled as he surveyed the tent.

“We’re stuck here because of that infernal tradition? For how long?”

“It depends on the meeting agenda, but you’ll need to be here for at least.. .a week.”

Louis’s expression soured even further.

“Out here in these tiny tents?”

“I know it’s uncomfortable, but if you could just bear with us for a mo—”

“Forget it.”

Although this tent was bigger than most, it still lacked more than it offered. Pablo noticed Louis’s displeasure and discreetly got up.

“Well then, I’ll leave you to rest. I’ll come back if anything unusual happens.”

“Where are you going?” Louis’s call froze Pablo in mid-step.

Pablo avoided Louis’s gaze as he replied softly, “Ah, well… I have a few things to attend to, so I’m a bit busy…”

“Hmm…” Louis’s eyes immediately turned cold.

Feeling beads of sweat form on his back, Pablo quickly added, “B-because the tent is quite cramped, I thought it might be more convenient for everyone if someone as big as me found another place to stay.”

Pablo’s eyes darted around like a cornered animal.

It was all too clear that he wanted out of there.

I’d rather sleep outside with my eyes covered than spend the night here, trying to read Louis’s every move!

Seeing right through Pablo’s reluctance, Louis waved his hand dismissively. “Very well.”

“Yes! I-I’ll go then…”

Pablo’s face lit up at the granted request, and he quickly made to exit the tent when…

“Let’s tidy up first,” Louis said with a simple wave of his index finger.

A black aura emerged from the tip of his finger, swirling throughout the tent.

“Huh?!”

As soon as Pablo felt the space within the tent distort, a remarkable transformation occurred.

Swish.

The cramped interior suddenly expanded, now comfortably fitting the size of ten square meters.

Louis’s voice promptly followed, “Fin, set things up.”

“Yes, sir!”

In response to Louis’s command, Fin began extracting various items from the pocket dimension—beds, desks, fireplaces, lamps, and more. The belongings meticulously prepared for this journey started appearing within the tent, quickly turning the once barren space into a cozy home.

The twins, accustomed to such occurrences, swiftly produced two beds from their pocket dimension and set them down in adjoining spots.

“I’ll take the one next to Louis!”

“Then I’ll have this one!”

As they watched enviously, Louis spoke up.

“Fin, bring out their things too.”

“Right away!”

No sooner had Louis given the command than Fin produced two more sets of bedding.

Despite now having five beds and various household items, the space remained ample, with enough room to play a game of ball if one wished.

Pablo stared blankly at what could rival the bedroom of a nobleman, all seemingly conjured in the blink of an eye.

Louis’s voice brought him back to reality.

“What are you loitering here for?”

”…”

“Go on. You’ve got ‘other things’ to attend to, didn’t you?”

“Oh… right. That’s right.”

At Louis’s sneer, Pablo well up with tears and left the tent.

The kids watched his slumped shoulders as they remained in the tent, wasting time.

How much time had passed?

Swish.

The tent flap opened, and Pablo entered.

“Sir Louis, the meeting is about to start.”

“Is it?”

“I’m afraid only you and I will be able to attend. No one else can come inside.”

“Why not?”

“The rules state that only the person with speaking rights and one assistant are allowed to participate…”

“I see. There’s nothing we can do about that, then.”

“And…there’s more.”

“What now?”

“I’m the one with speaking rights, and you’re my assistant…”

“Oh, never mind me. Of course, I understand. You’ve been handling those meetings as our representative anyway, haven’t you? I’m not that inflexible. Just go ahead.”

“Th-thank you.”

“And I did mention before, right?”

“What was that again?”

“My concept is that of a strong yet compassionate leader.”

“…” Pablo’s eyes hardened.

He watched Louis chattering excitedly and desperately prayed to God.

Please… please make him behave just this once.

Pablo could only plead with God because he lacked the power to stop Louis himself.

“C’mon! Let’s go! Hurry up!”

As Louis eagerly led the way…

“Yes… coming,” Pablo replied.

He followed Louis like a calf being dragged to the slaughterhouse.