Chapter 16: The Demon Baron (2)

On a rolling green plain stood a towering castle wall, draped in the kind of gentle spring sunshine that feels like a warm blanket fresh from the line. It was the kind of light that brought new life into the world.

But the soldiers couldn't bring themselves to appreciate it. Standing atop the walls without a shred of shade, the sun was nothing more than a tactless light bulb that only made them thirstier. Each of them kept pebbles in their mouths, hoping to coax out even the slightest bit of moisture.

A senior soldier with two stones tucked in his cheeks gave his junior a lazy kick and mumbled something unintelligible.

"Hyah, Shkeldon. We've been shitting here for four monthsh now. Shtop shlacking and keep watsh. What if they attashk?"

Four months of sitting on our asses and he's worried about an attack? Yeah, right...

Despite his internal grumbling, the junior soldier sluggishly got up and scanned the area outside the walls.

Nothing had changed. The Adlen Family's banners fluttered in the breeze. Roughly four hundred soldiers were scattered around the perimeter of the castle. They looked as lazy as sloths, but the moment those gates showed any sign of opening, they'd pounce like rabid dogs.

It had been four months since they were besieged by Viscount Adlen's forces. The state of affairs in Molden showed no prospect of changing.

Early on, there’d been a few skirmishes that almost looked like a proper siege. But it didn't take long for Viscount Adlen to switch tactics to just surrounding the castle and playing the waiting game. With Molden hopelessly outnumbered, they couldn't launch any offensive, so the stalemate was bound to happen.

And things were getting progressively worse for Molden. The winter food stores were a distant memory, and a long sunny spell had left them short on drinking water too. To make matters worse, this was prime planting season, meaning their future was looking just as bleak as their present.

If it weren't for their lord, the soldiers would've lost all morale and surrendered long ago.

As the junior soldier surveyed the outside, his gaze drifted to the interior of the castle, and he suddenly let out a startled gasp. He spat out his pebble and shook his senior's shoulder frantically.

"Ptooey! Delton, Delton! Spit out that rock and get up, now!"

"Wha... why're you makin' shush a fussh..."

"The Baron! The Baron's coming up to the walls!"

"Ptoo, ptooey! What?!"

The lounging soldiers scrambled to their feet and snapped into defensive formation with surprising coordination. Soon, a middle-aged man with a magnificently groomed mustache poked his head up from the stairs. Delton, nominally the highest-ranking soldier present, immediately saluted.

“Reporting, sir! No abnormalities during watch! The enemy forces haven't made any suspicious movements! We’ll report any changes the second they happen, Lord Baron!”

“Ah, relax, relax, hahaha! Look at you, Delton, a real soldier now. You’d make your parents proud. Ah, don’t mind me. I just brought this up so you boys could have a drink and pace yourselves....”

Baron Molden hefted the leather water bag he'd been carrying and dropped it heavily on the ground. The soldiers' eyes went wide in unison.

“My Lord, you shouldn’t have! You could’ve just sent one of us to do it…”

"Hey now, those guys deserve a break too, don't they? And what’s the big deal about hauling a little water? Staying alert all day not knowing when the enemy might attack—now that's the hard part, right? Haha!"

Delton and the soldiers looked away sheepishly, but the Baron paid it no mind and smiled warmly.

“I am so sorry for what I’ve put you all through. You’re suffering like this because of me. If you didn’t have such an unworthy lord, you wouldn’t be in this mess…”

“N-No, My Lord! It is those treacherous Adlen scoundrels who are at fault, not you, My Lord! For us, it is nothing less than an honor to be able to follow you!”

"Haha... I appreciate you saying that, I really do. But I can’t let young men like you go through this anymore. I started this, so it’s my duty to finish it.”

"Sir? What do you mean by that...?"

Instead of answering, the Baron just gave him a gentle smile.

After that, Baron Molden went to encourage the soldiers one by one before departing. Watching his retreating figure, Delton muttered in a daze.

"...What's he planning? Skeggron, do you know something?"

"Not a clue..."

"Man, I just hope he's not thinking something stupid... Where else in the world would you find a lord like him?"

“Tell me about it. I just don’t get how those goddamn Adlen scumbags can spread lies calling a man that good the ‘Demon Baron’…”

The junior soldier glared daggers at the Adlen Family banners. If only lightning would strike them down.

It was then, as his eyes swept the horizon, that he saw them.

A massive giant of a man and a smaller guy with a bag slung over his shoulder.

The two were approaching Molden.

"Uh... Delton? You seeing this?"

"What? The Adlen idiots just sitting on their asses?”

“N-no. Beyond them. It looks like someone is heading this way…”

"Leave 'em. Probably vagrants or clueless tourists. Once they see we're surrounded, they'll take the hint and leave. Unless they've got a death wish..."

Sure enough, the two spotted the military encampment and changed direction. They circled around the castle.

Delton figured they were just taking the long way around and would disappear behind them.

But they didn’t. They walked the whole circle and ended up right back where they started.

"...What the hell? What are they thinking?"

Delton scratched the back of his head, completely baffled.

***

The room of Baroness Molden was so spartan it was hard to believe it belonged to a noblewoman.

To put it generously, the furniture and bed were antique at best, ancient at worst. They were the kind of stuff that went out of style in the capital and major cities years ago. The rough brick walls had no decorations whatsoever. It looked less like a noblewoman's room and more like an abandoned castle.

Knock, knock, knock.

A rhythmic knocking echoed through the room.

"May I come in?"

Without waiting for permission, the uninvited guest walked right in.

Baron Molden was drenched in sweat from hauling water bags around. He plopped down on an old chair and started fanning himself with his hand, not caring one bit how he looked.

"Phew, it's getting warmer by the day. At least we won't have to worry about firewood anymore."

The Baroness, noticeably thinner lately, glanced at her husband.

“...What is it? I doubt you came here just to make small talk about the weather.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. Hey, you remember those tulips you planted last year?”

Tulips? Now? When everyone's starving? Despite her incredulous look, the Baron continued.

"You said the area around the inner castle looked too bare, so you ordered twenty bulbs of each color from that Alliance merchant, remember?"

"...I did."

"They would've been beautiful in bloom. I always thought the place looked too empty too, I just never thought of that solution. Your aesthetic sense really is something. If we lived in a big city instead of here, you could've made a garden that'd rival the imperial palace. Haha!"

"..."

"Let's see... you bought red, purple, yellow, and... what was the other color? Blue? If they'd all bloomed, it would've been so colorful and lovely. Haha..."

"...Did something happen to them?"

Her gaze was heavy with melancholy. The Baron hesitated, then finally admitted the truth.

“...On my way back, I saw the castle’s children picking the buds and digging up the bulbs to eat them."

"..."

“They were using their bare, bony hands. They didn't have a shovel or anything. Just… digging in the dirt with their hands until their nails cracked, so they could eat.”

"..."

“When they saw me, they were startled and began to tremble, yet they still frantically crammed the chunks into their mouths. They must have been thinking that they would fill their starving bellies now, and accept a scolding when it came.”

"So... did you punish the children?"

A sad smile crossed the Baron's face.

"No. How could I? They're suffering like this because of me. I summoned Meldin to make sure the children wouldn't get sick from eating them."

"That was the right thing to do. But Meldin..."

"Yes, I know. He's a quack. But what choice do we have? Borghen, our only real doctor, passed away last month."

"..."

Old Borghen had starved to death after repeatedly giving his meager bread rations to his grandson. And he wasn't the only one. Countless parents and elderly were withering away right now, giving their food to their children.

What was even more horrifying was that there were also parents stealing their children's rations to fill their own bellies.

But even when you caught them, how could you punish them? The Baron took a deep breath in, then slowly exhaled. After rubbing his face for a long moment, he finally got to the point.

"My dear. I have a confession."

"..."

“As I am a man who is both lacking and devoid of virtue, I have always pondered where I should make my final resting place. But today, I realized it. There’s a glorious grave site waiting for me, right here and now. One that can save so many people.”

"..."

"Listen carefully. Today, I'm going to end all of this and die with honor."

The Baroness's head snapped up, her eyes wide. A faint smile played on the Baron's lips.

"Once I'm dead, Viscount Adlen won't have any justification to keep besieging this place. The children can eat soft bread instead of dirt-covered bulbs, and the young men can hold ploughs instead of spears. This drawn-out battle ends with the death of the 'Demon Baron.'"

“But that's not the real reason they're here! You have nothing to do with demons..."

"..."

Just for a second, his cheek jumped. He quickly smoothed his expression over.

"The truth doesn't matter. What matters are practicality and justification. If they really cared about the truth, they would've called in the Order's Paladins from the start."

"..."

"If Viscount Adlen doesn't withdraw even after my death, send word to His Majesty the Emperor and spread rumors. And if His Majesty still turns a blind eye to these atrocities, then just defect to the Alliance and seek their help."

"..."

"I'm entrusting Molden's future to you, my dear. It won't be easy, but please lead the territory more wisely than this foolish country bumpkin ever could."

Her lips trembled. The Baroness had so much to say that in the end, she couldn't say anything at all. The Baron shook his head as if to say no words were necessary and left her chambers.

It was a statement that needed no answer, the back of a man walking to his grave.

After the sudden visitor left, only the cold chill of the brick walls and hollow silence remained in the room.

For a long while, the Baroness’s gaze remained distant and unfocused.

Then, with a resigned expression, she opened the wardrobe and pulled out faded funeral clothes.

***

"M-my lord? What are we going to do now?"

"..."

Kadim chewed on his lip.

The enemy soldiers were spread out pretty evenly around the castle. He'd checked from a distance to see if there were any gaps to slip through, but found nothing. Then again, if such a place had existed, Molden would have fallen long ago.

At this point, there was no other option. He'd have to use a more... forceful solution.

"Merchant, find somewhere safe to hide nearby."

“Y-Yes?”

"I'll go to Molden alone. Once I find the treasure marked on the map, I'll come right back out."

Duncan should've been getting used to this by now, but he still couldn't help being horrified. That meant Kadim was planning to break through the forces head-on and scale the walls!

"B-but my lord... even you can't take on several hundred soldiers alone..."

"I'm not saying I'll slaughter the entire force. If I cut through their lines under the cover of night, I'll only need to deal with a few sentries. But getting you over the walls would be difficult, so you wait nearby..."

...Grrrrrrrr...

A low vibration started up.

Kadim stopped mid-sentence and suddenly turned his gaze and Duncan looked in the same direction.

What they saw was hard to believe.

The iron gate was sliding up. The main gates of Molden Castle were swinging open.

"Huh? Wh-why is the gate opening now...?"

"..."

"Don't tell me... is Baron Molden launching an all-out attack?"

Even Kadim didn't have an answer to that question. But unlike the merchant, whose mind had frozen in confusion, the barbarian made a quick decision.

He absolutely would not let this opportunity slip away.

He opened his canteen and downed the remaining blood in one gulp. Then he loosened his muscles and hoisted Duncan up.

"Hold on tight, merchant. This might get a little bumpy.”

"...Huh?"

Tucking the merchant under one arm and gripping Mosquito in the other hand—

BOOM!

Kadim kicked off the ground like a gale and charged toward the gate.

WHOOOOOSH—

He moved faster than any horse could run. The wind roared in his ears, and the world blurred into a smear of color. With each stride, the gate loomed closer.

"Uh, uwaaaaaaaah..."

The merchant's screams announced their approach. Every eye that had been glued to the gate swiveled in their direction. All the soldiers just stared at the barbarian barreling toward them with dull, glassy eyes.

SHUNK—CRUNCH!!!

His sword, powered by his insane speed, went straight through a soldier’s helmet and head. The helmet folded like cheap tin, and his skull was turned to mush. Kadim yanked the blade free with a flick, and the gushing blood just seemed to vanish, sucked right into the sword.

SLASH—THUNK!!

He cut down another soldier in his path. A wet, meaty sound erupted as the man's arm and upper torso were severed instantly. The severed chunks tumbled across the ground, leaving bloody streaks behind them.

WHAM!

He didn’t even bother using his sword on the next guy. Kadim just just shoulder-checked him and the soldier went flying like he’d been hit by a battering ram, coloring the sky with red dye as his shattered bits scattered like a firework.

"..."

It was a brutal, bloody charge, and there was no stopping it. Everywhere the barbarian passed, mangled bodies piled up like garbage.

But the weird thing was, the soldiers didn't even try to get out of the way.

They didn't move or scream. They just stood there staring at the barbarian with vacant, unfocused eyes.

Kadim felt a disquieting sense of incongruity upon seeing this.

'Their comrades are dying like that right in front of them and they're not reacting at all?'

But he didn't have time to analyze the cause. The gate could close at any moment, and the merchant tucked under his arm was thrashing around hysterically.

"Uwaaaaah, urk, ugh, bleh!"

In the end, Kadim just cut down the soldiers directly in his path and charged past the encampment.

Before long, he reached Molden's main gate.

"..."

"..."

What greeted him there was not the army of Molden preparing for an all-out battle. There was only a single, middle-aged man clad in chainmail, sporting a splendidly grown mustache.

The middle-aged man looked completely horrified by the blood-soaked barbarian and just gaped at him.

Kadim frowned and grunted.

"Who are you?"

"Uh, um... I'm the lord of this place, Baron Molden..."

"Ah, so you're the Demon Baron?"

“Erm, about that… I’m afraid the rumors about me and a demon aren’t exactly true. It’s a bit of a long story…”

"Is that so? We can discuss the details inside. This isn't a good place for conversation."

"N-no, haha, wait... I don't know who you are, but I came out here to give my life for Molden. I can't just go back..."

"Die later."

The Baron had no say in the matter.

The barbarian grabbed the back of his armor and hoisted the Baron up. He was carted off like a kitten being carried by its scruff. Duncan, already tucked under the other arm, gave an awkward little wave.

"Uh... hello, Lord Baron...?"

“Hahaha, my, this is awkward… Ah, hello. And you are?”

"D-Duncan, Duncan Wheelad, Lord Baron..."

"Ah, fine name. You don't seem to be from around here. Are you from the Alliance, perhaps?"

Duncan thought to himself.

Never in my life did I imagine I'd be having small talk with a suicidal lord while being carried like luggage by a barbarian.

Life really was full of surprises when you lived long enough.

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