Chapter 44: Go to war
Alistair watched the little maid, bathed in a soft luminescence, his heart filled with astonishment. He could feel a gentle, life-giving power emanating from her.
It seemed this was the ability hidden within Abby’s bloodline.
Alistair stroked his chin thoughtfully. Based on the feeling it gave off, it was likely a restorative power.
Does this mean I’m about to acquire a private healer?
Alistair imagined himself carving a path through a horde of players. Just as his health was about to bottom out, a gentle little maid behind him would raise a delicate hand and heal him back to full.
A vicious smile spread across his face at the thought.
Time ticked by. The glow around Abby gradually faded and disappeared. Alistair knew this first communion was coming to an end.
A moment later, Abby opened her large, pale-red eyes. She stared blankly at Alistair, as if gazing upon an existence beyond her comprehension.
"Ma-Master... you are?"
"Ahem. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My full name is Alistair. Source of the Wild. Goldenlion. And you, my dear, have just experienced the power of the Breath of the Wild." Alistair’s face was grave and serious as he spoke, but he finished by giving the little maid in his arms a playful wink.
Abby giggled. Her face flushed as she once again dove into Alistair’s embrace, burying her small face in his chest. She didn’t understand why she could perceive the power of nature from her master, nor did she understand the changes happening to her own body. All she knew was that he was her master. As long as she could stay by his side and hold him so freely, that was enough.
"Ma... Master, Abby is getting sleepy. I suddenly feel so tired, I want to..."
Before the little maid could finish her sentence, her body went limp, and she drifted into a deep sleep.
Alistair’s heart tightened, worried that something had gone wrong. He quickly and carefully used a wisp of his Aura to check the girl’s physical state. He let out a breath of relief when he found she was merely exhausted.
He deduced that using her innate talent to commune with the Breath of the Wild was mentally taxing. Furthermore, the Breath of the Wild emanating from him was different from that found in nature; his was the purest essence, requiring no refinement. That was why Abby felt so tired—the dose she’d received all at once was simply too potent.
Alistair gently laid Abby down on his bed and covered her with a blanket. As he turned to leave, he realized the girl’s hand was still gripping his trousers tightly.
The problem was, he couldn’t pry her fingers loose.
Fearing he would wake her, Alistair didn’t dare use too much force. His only option was to take off his trousers.
"My Lord! My Lord—!"
Goodwin came bustling to the door of Alistair’s room. He looked up and saw Alistair standing in nothing but his underwear. Then his eyes fell on the little maid lying on the bed. The words immediately caught in his throat.
I’m doomed, he thought frantically. I’ll be on laundry duty for a year.
"Shh!"
Alistair shot Goodwin a ferocious glare, gesturing for him to be quiet. He then pointed to his desk and beckoned him over.
"What is it?" Alistair sat down in his chair, fixing his cold gaze on the profusely sweating Goodwin. His expression promised dire consequences if the reason for this interruption wasn’t a good one.
"My Lord, some farmers have discovered an iron mine!" Goodwin did his best to calm himself, but his voice was soon filled with excitement again.
Ever since arriving in Frostcrest, he had thrown his lot in completely with the Lord of Frostfell. The Lord’s interests were his interests. The more he learned, the more anxious he became for Frostfell’s future and the more he worried for his Lord.
Frostfell was poor. It had a small population and no special resources to speak of. How many gold coins could they possibly earn from barley and sour beer? How could he not be thrilled at the prospect of an iron mine?
"An iron mine?!"
Alistair was pleasantly surprised. An iron mine was an excellent asset. Many superior forging materials were made by mixing iron with other metals. It could be used not only for armor, weapons, and arrowheads, but also for crafting powerful siege engines.
As the most widely used metal on the Continent of Destiny, possessing a sufficient supply of iron was equivalent to possessing war potential. The main reason Alistair hadn’t expanded his army was a lack of equipment.
Most importantly, iron was valuable. Alistair might have over ten thousand gold coins now, but that money would vanish in an instant if invested in developing the domain.
"Where is the mine? How far is it from Frostfell?"
This was Alistair’s most pressing question.
But at this, Goodwin hesitated. He stammered, unsure how to phrase his answer.
"Cat got your tongue? Spit it out!"
"Well... My Lord, the iron mine is not far from us, but... it is not within Frostfell’s territory. It’s on the border between Frostfell and Ravenwood."
"And..." Goodwin added with difficulty, "it’s actually a bit closer to Ravenwood. Rumor has it they already know about the mine as well."
Alistair’s brow furrowed at the news. Ravenwood was a viscounty of the Valedorn Empire. That nation’s laws differed from those of the Pyrian Empire; Ravenwood was under the protection of its superior earldom. The current relationship between the Valedorn and Pyrian Empires could be described as "not outright hostile, but prone to constant skirmishes."
According to convention, a resource like this, located in a border region, should belong to the party it was closer to.
But Alistair had no intention of abiding by convention.
He stared at the border map on his desk for a moment in silence. Then, he picked up a quill and added a single stroke to the parchment. He looked up at Goodwin and grinned.
"The iron mine is ours now. Deliver this map to the Viscount of Ravenwood. If he disagrees..."
Alistair paused, a ruthless glint flashing in his azure eyes. His voice turned to ice.
"Then we go to war."