Chapter 120: Whispers of the Dark Moon (Part 1)
In Black Fort, Baihao City, the main hall was buzzing.
Duke Skarlij hurried back to the castle, still looking sharp in his long black hunter’s coat, his hair perfectly groomed. As he rushed, he was accompanied by a burly bearded hunter who was enthusiastically reporting updates.
“… A new batch of civilians made a break from Chielis City and are now temporarily under the care of the Third Army at Erin Castle. By the time we hit daylight, most of it was sorted out. There were a few rascals who didn’t want to play by the rules and were itching to stir up trouble, but Annie has already rounded them up and is currently investigating if they were sent by the palace to mess with us…”
“Also, the cavalry from New City of Kaliye, responsible for the northern defenses, sent word that they intercepted a significant haul of war supplies heading for Royal City yesterday. We’re talking about steel and herbs across thirty-six carts, seemingly shipped straight from Lanyiel City on the border. Still verifying this… They took a risky route through a narrow mountain pass; if it hadn’t been for some unexpected hiccups, we might’ve completely missed them…”
“Why would they go unnoticed?”
Duke Skarlij frowned, taking in the details. “We’ve routed enough manpower to the mountain closures, carefully checking all pathways to the imperial city. How can there still be a slip-up? What part failed us? Is it the maps or the personnel? Hoover, you need to investigate this immediately.”
“Right away.”
Hoover nodded, keeping up with the pace. After a moment, the duke added, “As for those troublesome civilians… Once we confirm their identities, it doesn’t matter if they intended to cause chaos or not, we shouldn’t be too harsh on them. Tell Annie, we’re not the city guard; let’s not misuse royal interrogation methods on the people of the empire.”
“Understood.”
As they ascended to the second floor through the echoing, dimly lit corridor, Hoover finished updating Skarlij, who fell silent for a moment before asking, “What about the Church? Any new moves?”
“Not… Not really noticing anything unusual.”
Hoover hesitated, his expression solemn under the flickering firelight, then added, “The hunters I dispatched to watch the church have been on high alert, but… they haven’t spotted anything odd. After today’s meeting, Archbishop Anseier did his usual prayer session with the public… and then just settled there. Their commander joined him later, so it seems they’ll be sleeping there tonight. The vice-captain isn’t with them, but there’s been no sign of heading for the royal city.”
“Hmm…”
Lost in his thoughts, Skarlij nodded.
“Oh, but there is one matter.”
Suddenly, Hoover seemed to recall something. “Last night, two caravans from the church rolled into the city. They were bringing food supplies and, um… probably some missionary gear as well. Just your run-of-the-mill trading company. There were people from the currency exchange among them, but not many, and their positions weren’t significant… But the guards at the gate said there was one guy in the convoy who looked like he could hold his own—worth keeping an eye on.”
“…Competent, you say?”
“Yep, definitely! He’s a man under forty and his physique screams strength from the get-go. Very alert, wearing armor but wrapped up tightly in a cloak. Because he’s from the Church, it was a bit tricky to inspect him, but our guys noticed the callouses on his hands; noticeably thick sword callouses… Despite his crew trying to keep it under wraps and treating him with respect, our folks caught on…”
“Accompanying the cargo?”
“Exactly. Said to be guards from the Holy City. With the war going on, it’s expected they’d deploy such fighters… But they didn’t specify their exact purpose. I doubt they’re just your run-of-the-mill church knights. Still, the caravan also had quite a few healing nuns, probably for safety—seems like they sent down a strong arm from some family in the Holy City…”
“……”
Duke Skarlij fell silent again.
When Skarlij was quiet, Hoover knew better than to chatter on. He understood the duke was deep in thought and ready to let him stew in it, so he silently followed him through the hallway, up a spiral staircase, and into the third floor of the castle, where the generals relaxed. The duke would be resting here whenever he was in Baihao City, too.
At the end of the hall, a guard opened the heavy wooden door for them. The warm glow of the fire illuminated their faces, and Hoover waved his hand, signaling everyone to return to their posts. Glancing outside at the darkening sky, he prepared to excuse himself: “Duke, I’ll just—”
“Come with me.”
Much to his surprise, the duke insisted he enter the room.
With a creak, the door shut behind them, and the duke casually shed his outer coat, hanging it on a rack by the door. He ambled over to the desk, reclined in his chair, rubbed his forehead, and let out a long ‘ahh’ as he closed his eyes in relief.
“Feeling tired, Duke?”
Hoover noticed his master was a bit worn out and began searching for a teacup to pour some warm tea—perfect for shaking off fatigue.
“You’ve told me you don’t want to bring some of the servants from Shanter Castle to keep an eye on your daily needs, and look where that got you: no lady and…”
As he rummaged around, his words trailed off as he glanced toward the door, then relaxed when he saw it was still closed. His voice dipped to a whisper: “With the lady and Miss Bella away, you don’t even have anyone to serve you tea… What a bother this is! Ugh—”
He sighed softly, searching through cabinets, only to realize he wasn’t very familiar with where things were. Just as he was starting to feel awkward, he heard the duke speak up: “Enough! You’re not going to manage this at all, you klutz. Come here; I need to talk to you.”
“Ehehe…”
Hoover cheerfully stepped down the stairs at his own pace, deciding against looking anymore, and returned to stand in front of the duke’s desk, grinning like an eager child: “I was just trying to help the lady out since she hasn’t come back yet… What do you want to talk about, Duke? Surely, you don’t suspect the Church is stealthily sending strength to the royal city for a sneak attack on us, right? That would be ludicrous…”
He thought the duke must’ve called him in just to discuss his earlier concerns, but Hoover didn’t see that as a real issue.
“Ugh! Just a couple of fighters… How strong can they be, really? You shouldn’t worry too much about it. They won’t send Pope Knights to help those old coots in the palace plot how to attack us, right? That’s utterly ridiculous…”
However, Skarlij didn’t respond to him.
The man, whose name was Hoover, originally a captain in the Shanter Army, now led the Wolf Hunting Army—and boy, he was fearless on the battlefield. He always delivered on his raiding missions, making him a reliable asset to the duke. But his one glaring flaw was that he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed; he wasn’t exactly great at pondering things, and everyone was well aware of it.
“Hoover, listen.”
For a man who had been at his side for years, Duke Skarlij trusted him without hesitation. He valued loyalty above all else.
So…
The most critical tasks were best entrusted to him; that way, the duke felt at ease.
