Chapter 121: The Sound of the Dark Moon (Part 2)
“Hoover, listen up.”
The Duke’s voice was a bit serious, making the man named Hoover’s heart sink slightly. His goofy grin vanished as he focused on his master—the hero of the Northern Region, who in his eyes was as imposing as a mountain. Even after spending the last two years on the battlefield, it had been a while since this serious tone was directed at him.
“I’ll have someone else take care of the mountain closure. You won’t need to go to Annie for now. I have something more important for you.”
“What’s that…”
“Tonight, I want you to select three hundred elite members from your Wolf Hunting Army… No, that’s too big of a crowd. Just pick out one hundred of the most trustworthy hunters. When Lady Catherine returns shortly, I’ll have her inform you. You’ll take your people and escort her out of the city tonight and head straight to the Eagle to find Lafael and Pagos. Make sure they’re ready, but no matter what happens, don’t rush into things. Stay calm and wait for me or Her Majesty the Queen’s message.”
At these words, Hoover blinked in surprise and then widened his eyes. “My lord—”
“Don’t interrupt, let me finish.”
Duke Skarlij waved his hand, cutting off Hoover. “You don’t need to worry too much; this is just a precaution. But remember, you can’t make a fuss about leaving the city. Arrange your people discreetly, equip each with a Horned Horse, and gather them in the side chamber of the castle hall. Catherine will be waiting for you there. Tonight, you’ll leave together, and remember, don’t let any rumors slip out, especially…”
“Wait, wait a minute, my lord!”
Feeling a bit antsy now, Hoover exclaimed, “You have to tell me what’s going on! Why are we escorting the Lady out of the city? There’s a large shipment due the day after tomorrow, and if she’s not here, who’s going to take care of it? Bella and the others don’t even know the inventory!”
“I have that covered, you don’t need to worry.”
“And you? Are you just going to stay here?”
“Yeah, myself and Bella will be here; you only need to take the Lady away.”
“… But why—”
The man was utterly confused.
Deep down, he knew something bad was bound to happen. The more the Duke tried to avoid explaining, the more serious it felt. Though he didn’t know the specifics, Hoover was not keen on leaving without getting answers.
“My lord, please tell me what’s going on! Is the Royal City plotting something, or is that old man from the Church pulling another one of his decrees? Just say it, I’ll listen. The Shanter Army isn’t frightened easily; what could possibly scare us? I don’t believe it—”
“Hoover.”
Seeing the rugged man getting a bit too worked up, Duke Skarlij couldn’t help but chuckle.
He knew this stubborn fellow would be a tough nut to crack if he got too riled up, so he feigned nonchalance, raising a finger and giving him an exaggerated side-eye while smiling: “You and your impatience! When will you learn to chill out…”
“My lord—”
“Nothing is being plotted against us. The Church hasn’t shown any movement lately, so you don’t need to think too much. Our enemies remain cowardly and weak; how could the scurrying rats hiding in the palace possibly threaten us? It’s the New City of Kaliye I’m truly concerned about right now.”
The composed man paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully: “The war dragging on has some people getting restless… I didn’t even want to bother notifying them about today’s meeting, for fear it would turn into a ruckus and we’d have no way to negotiate with the Church anymore…”
“I get that, but…”
“No buts.”
Duke Skarlij’s attitude suddenly grew stern, showing clear impatience. Half-jokingly, half-seriously, he slammed his hand on the table: “I’m telling you, Hoover, when did you turn into such a momma’s boy? Just do what I say; do you doubt my orders?”
“Of course not!” Hoover immediately retorted, getting flustered. “My lord, in my heart, you’re… you’re like a mountain, like a huge tree! The kind that’s really high!”
He had intended to express his absolute admiration with some grand metaphor, but clumsy as he was, he could only think of mountains and trees. After those words tumbled out, he felt they missed the mark and, in his panic, was at a loss for how to elaborate: “But this time, uh, the situation is different… Why not let Bella escort the Lady out of the city…”
“Hey, what are you talking about? Are you complaining about being tasked with escorting the Lady? Look at that unwilling face of yours.”
“I’d rather face the enemy with you! When trouble comes, I’ll defend you with everything I’ve got—”
“Skarlij—”
Suddenly, the door creaked open with a forceful push. Lady Catherine, cloaked in raven feathers, swept in. Hearing their conversation, she was slightly miffed, and with a finger pointed at the Duke, she huffed, “No matter what’s going on, I don’t care what’s in your mind; you will not send me away!”
Her commanding voice caught both men off guard, and Hoover quickly turned to gawk at the flustered Lady as she stormed past him and stood before the Duke, glaring. “It’s always like this! Whenever something happens, I’m the first to be tossed aside, and everything’s arranged without me involved. You send me out of the city, and you feel safe? What about me?”
“Ah, come on, Catherine… Don’t be angry! If you keep that up, you’ll get wrinkles.”
Faced with his wife’s accusations, Duke Skarlij seemed to transform into a different person. The dignity of a lion was gone, and all he could do was offer a sheepish laugh while eyeing Hoover to close the door. “I wouldn’t dare make decisions without consulting you first. I just hadn’t had the chance to tell you, you know, when you get back…”
“Chance to tell me? You’ve already assigned tasks to Hoover! Don’t think I didn’t hear! Are you tired of being around me and just want me gone?!”
“Not at all…”
“Then what’s the reason?” After Hoover cautiously shut the door, the fuming Lady dragged a chair over, plopping down across from the Duke. She pointed at the table, “Let’s hear it! What’s going on while Hoover’s still here?”
“Uh…”
Skarlij forced a smile, feeling somewhat trapped.
“Actually, it’s nothing much…”
With a sigh, he expressed his frustration: “It’s just that I discussed things with Her Majesty the Queen regarding the various agreements the Church has reached with the palace. She’s a bit more in the loop than we are. Recently, she’s told me multiple times that what they desire over there has mostly been met. My pathetic royal brother agrees to whatever they say. As a result, the Currency Exchange has gotten out of hand and is becoming unreasonable…”
“Moreover, what was supposed to be peace talks in the meeting is essentially just stalling for time. We’re stalling, and they’re stalling, waiting for the moment when the Royal City descends into chaos. Meanwhile, the Church aims to apply more pressure on the palace to secure more favorable terms for themselves… We all know this, yet it seems… we may have underestimated some people’s appetites.”
“To consume the entire Empire whole and regain control over the finances here, once they achieve what they want from the palace, the Church will very likely turn their weapons towards us… While it may not be a direct attack, what happens behind the scenes, based on the Queen’s and my estimations, doesn’t look promising…”
“So you think it’s dangerous and want to send me away first?!”
As she listened, her anger intensified; her eyes were turning red. “Do you think I’ll hold you back, or do you want to play the hero all by yourself?!”
