The Kingdom Alliance
The crow of a rooster at dawn pulled Woojin from sleep. It was common—yet unfamiliar.
"Are they raising chickens now?"
Raising livestock in a frontier city was difficult. The environment of the demonic realm unsettled animals; no matter how carefully they were tended, they often died off before long.
But recently, the rift core in this region had been purified, and the murky energy had subsided. It seemed that raising livestock had finally become possible without issue.
Just as Woojin turned over to resume the sleep he'd missed, the rooster crowed again.
"…No point trying to sleep more."
He opened his eyes and rose from bed. After returning from yesterday's journey, he had planned to lazily sleep until noon… but thanks to that rooster, it was impossible.
He stepped out onto the street.
"Over there, I suppose."
His destination wasn't far—a small restaurant with a chicken coop attached. The owner was sweeping in front of the shop, likely preparing to open for the day.
Woojin addressed him.
"Are you open?"
"Of course!"
Woojin glanced toward the coop. Right on cue, a large rooster crowed without a hint of tact.
"I'll have that one."
With his menu decided—
He took a seat inside. After a short wait, three chicken dishes were placed on the table.
Stir-fried chicken innards, fire-grilled chicken, and a hearty stew served with wheat bread. It seemed they had made full use of a single bird to prepare several dishes.
"A fine place."
He had found a restaurant worth frequenting. After finishing a satisfying meal, Woojin stepped outside and strolled leisurely like a man with nothing urgent to do.
His next destination was already decided.
"I should go see Elder Bow."
A man without early-morning sleep—he was likely meditating at the training hall by now. Woojin headed there to confirm his guess.
What he saw was unexpected.
"…What are those fellows doing here?"
Bow stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Before him, the wolves were running busily. The combination was so unlikely that Woojin approached in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"With you gone, the wolves were becoming too lazy. I'm putting them through their paces."
Bow replied evenly. Taking a closer look, Woojin noticed large sandbags strapped to their ankles.
The wolves were undergoing training.
It was an idea Woojin had never considered. He watched with quiet admiration.
"They follow your training remarkably well."
"They have no choice. Any that ignore my instructions or try to cut corners receive separate punishment."
Bow jerked his chin toward the corner.
A red wolf was harnessed there—Rex—pulling a cart like a sled dog. The cart was piled high with heavy sand sacks, forcing him to strain with every step.
"Whine…"
Rex let out a pitiful sound and looked toward Woojin, as if pleading for help.
Woojin snorted softly.
"He picked the wrong master."
When Rex slacked off before, Woojin had usually let it slide without much thought. Naturally, those bad habits surfaced during training—but Bow was not the type to tolerate such things.
The monk had dealt out a harsh example. Having witnessed it, the other wolves continued their drills in rigid discipline.
"Is the training effective?"
"It's too early to say. I only began recently."
"Then we should keep it up for a while. They've nothing else to do anyway."
At that, the wolves' expressions filled with despair. They had likely hoped Woojin would put a stop to this grueling regimen.
But it couldn't be helped.
"They need to earn their keep."
After riding the leopard, the difference was stark. Even if all the wolves attacked together, they wouldn't be a match. Rex might endure for a bit—but the other three would surely be torn apart in a single strike.
If skill was lacking, they had to compensate with their bodies. Better to build stamina through training while there was time. Woojin couldn't continue babysitting them forever.
While watching the wolves train, he explained the purpose of his visit to Bow.
"There's something I'd like you to examine with Mind's Eye."
"Something you brought back from your recent journey?"
"Yes. The matter unfolded strangely. I'm unsure how to proceed."
Woojin recounted what had happened—the banquet, Duke Edwin, the witch…
Bow, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interrupted.
"Wait. Edwin and Conrad have joined hands?"
"That's what the circumstances suggest."
"Incomprehensible. What is Conrad plotting now?"
Bow sank into thought. It was exceedingly rare for a high-ranking priest to display private familiarity with a noble.
"Do you know anything more? We need to gauge how the situation is developing."
"The information is inside the witch's head."
"Then we must go at once."
Bow immediately halted the wolves' training. He appeared unusually urgent. Woojin accompanied him to the manor.
Cindy opened the door promptly.
"You're here early."
"It turned urgent. Where is Rachel?"
"In the living room."
Cindy led them inside. The witch lay asleep on the sofa. Sensing visitors, Rachel wiped the drool from her mouth and sat up.
Bow's expression shifted subtly.
"…You've picked up something truly peculiar."
"What do you see?"
"I'll explain the general impression. She's a being I've never encountered before, so I cannot speak in detail."
Bow waved his hand. Rachel's gaze followed his fingers. As always, her two eyes moved independently.
"This woman is currently a chaotic blend of two personalities—the leopard and the witch. It seems they fought for control of the body… but for reasons unknown, both abandoned life."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly that. They chose mental suicide. I have never seen such a case."
The moment the witch used her transformation technique, her personality split into two—leopard and witch.
As the two struggled for dominance over the body, Woojin's rain of fire descended. The pain was so overwhelming that… both personalities relinquished the body and chose self-destruction.
The shattered remnants of those personalities fused, giving birth to a new being—neither witch nor leopard, but something in between.
"She is in an extremely unstable state. Interrogation through torture would be difficult. Excessive pain might shatter her personality again."
"Then what should we do?"
Woojin voiced his concern, but Bow answered calmly.
"The Order's Alliance is not foolish. Conrad acted openly—by now, they will have nearly completed their investigation."
Archbishop Conrad and Duke Edwin had hosted a banquet together. To anyone's eyes, it was far from ordinary. The Order's Alliance would thoroughly investigate whatever secret the two were hiding.
Before that, it was also highly possible Conrad had submitted a report to the Alliance in advance.
"Conrad is not a bold man. I doubt he would act in secrecy alone. Before long, a messenger from the Alliance will arrive to explain the situation."
If they simply waited, the Order's Alliance would share the information. There was no need to forcibly interrogate the incomplete witch.
Woojin asked one final question.
"What should we do with the witch?"
There were several safeguards in place, but killing her outright would be the simplest and cleanest solution. When he said as much, Bow answered without hesitation.
"Spare her. That will prove beneficial."
…An unexpected reply.
"I thought you, of all people, would insist on killing her. Why do you judge it that way?"
"I have a feeling there will come a day when she is needed. She seems to be the rare heir of some legacy… You won't regret keeping her alive."
That was Bow's conclusion after examining the witch with Mind's Eye. At that, Woojin completely abandoned the idea of killing Rachel. The witch herself was untrustworthy—but Bow's judgment was not.
The old monk's insight had proven exceptional time and again.
And as proof, six days later—just as Bow had predicted—a messenger from the Order's Alliance arrived at the Third Frontier City.
"Read it aloud."
Bow was blind and could not read. He handed the freshly delivered letter toward Woojin.
Woojin broke the wax seal stamped with the Alliance's insignia and scanned the contents.
…The news was rather unexpected.
"It says the second expedition is about to begin."
Bow sounded doubtful.
"The expedition will resume? That cannot be… preparations are not yet complete."
The timing was wrong.
The aftermath of the first expedition had not even been fully resolved, nor had the new defensive wall been constructed. How could another campaign begin under such conditions?
The letter provided the answer.
"It will not be an expedition led by the Order's Alliance. It will be composed of Duke Edwin's personal army."
The Order's Alliance had been spearheading expeditions to reclaim humanity's former territories. Duke Edwin harbored private resentment over this arrangement.
The reason was simple.
The lands where the frontier cities now stood had once belonged to the Kingdom of Leventor—ruled by Edwin's ancestors.
Historically, the frontier territories were his. Yet to openly assert ownership now would be shameless. It was the Order's Alliance that had cleared the demonic realm and built the cities from nothing. To try and claim credit would surely invite the Pope's wrath.
Thus, Edwin set his sights on a greater objective.
"He intends to personally assemble an expeditionary force and reclaim the fallen kingdom's former capital. He likely plans to occupy the land first, then assert ownership."
The restoration of a ruined kingdom. It sounded grand—but there was one practical problem.
"How does he plan to purify the rift core?"
Without the Order's Alliance, reclaiming territory was impossible. Purifying a rift core required a large number of holy knights and priests.
So Edwin presented three justifications in his request for support from the Alliance.
First: The Duchy of Leventor had donated enormous sums to the Order's Alliance over the years. Therefore, the Alliance ought to assist in the Duke's great undertaking.
Second: The Five Kingdoms and the Order's Alliance were bound by military alliance. In the past, the kingdoms had provided troops to halt the southern advance of the demonic realm. Now it was the Alliance's turn to aid in the restoration of the kingdom.
Third: If the Duke's expedition succeeded, it would benefit everyone. The reclaimed land could serve as a forward base, making future campaigns into the demonic realm easier.
…However, the Order's Alliance did not welcome this development. Bow shared the sentiment.
"If troops begin peeling away like this, it will never end. The moment one precedent is set, nobles everywhere will scramble to pursue their own interests…"
"It's already begun."
To pressure the Alliance, Duke Edwin had already formed alliances with like-minded nobles.
"They're calling it the Kingdom Alliance."
"…The mountain only grows taller."
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Bow inferred the rest of the letter's contents without reading them.
"Is that why he joined hands with Conrad?"
"Yes. Conrad is serving as his advisor. With archbishops and nobles shielding the Duke—and with the justifications sounding reasonable—the Alliance finds it difficult to refuse."
Duke Edwin's ambitions were taking shape. The recent banquet had merely been the opening signal.
"At a time when unity is needed most, they think only of securing their own bowls…"
Bow sighed repeatedly, clearly displeased.
"…What do you make of this?"
Woojin gathered his thoughts before answering.
"I don't believe it will end well."
"And why is that?"
"It seems the Duke and the Archbishop are underestimating the demonic realm. From their actions, they look as though they're simply going to collect money owed to them."
He had never seen men with that attitude prosper.
"They'll likely fail."
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