I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 114

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[114] Kaldheim Duchy #1
With thorough preparations complete, we hastened our steps northward.
As we journeyed, Nia asked with curious interest.
“By the way… what kind of place is the Kaldheim Duchy? I spent most of my time in the Forest, so I don’t know much about it!”
“It’s a territory ruled by Dwarf Dukes. The temperature is mostly below freezing, but there are volcanoes scattered throughout, and high-quality iron ore is abundant.”
Moreover, the Dwarves are renowned for their exquisite handicrafts and weapons.
Even Radi’s crossbow was imported from the Kaldheim Duchy.
The language has northern dialect mixed in, but fortunately it’s not drastically different from what we’re accustomed to.
“The kingdom of Dwarves… I’m quite curious about it. We rarely see Dwarves in our Kingdom.”
“Well, Dwarves aren’t really all that different. …We’ve arrived. That’s the Kaldheim Duchy Border Checkpoint right there.”
I stopped, brushing through the snow beneath my feet and pointing toward the structure revealed beyond the mountainous terrain.
Between towering cliffs stood an enormous Stone Bridge, and beyond it, a thick fortification stood resolute.
Dwarf Soldiers bearing spears lined the bridge and city walls in dense formation, with massive ballistae positioned throughout.
An iron fortress of vigilance.
Radi squinted, peering beyond the cliff.
“So that’s the Checkpoint… The security is no joke. Is the border always like this?”
“No, it’s usually quite relaxed. The diplomatic relations between the Kaldheim Duchy and our Kingdom aren’t poor.”
In my memory, this place was where carriages laden with supplies and trade goods passed ceaselessly.
Unless relations between the two nations deteriorated catastrophically, borders were typically left open.
They must have sealed it because of the epidemic.
“A frontal breakthrough doesn’t seem feasible. The opposite cliff is too far to cross with a Darkness Leap. …How long would it take to go around?”
“We’d need to travel at least another half day. And there’s no guarantee that route isn’t blocked either.”
“Then we absolutely must pass through this gate… What do we do?”
“We’ll have to figure it out now.”
A reckless frontal charge across the narrow bridge would result in my body being pierced by the powerful ballistae, ending in instant death.
And it would be impossible to cross the cliff without using the bridge.
Nia spoke with slight uncertainty.
“Hmm… should I try drawing their attention? If we’re lucky, I might be able to dodge a few shots…”
“No. I’ve thought of a better plan.”
As I explained the strategy, Radi looked at me with eyes full of doubt.
“Is that really possible?”
“It’s the most realistic method we have right now.”
“Understood. Just imagining it is horrifying, but…”
Radi reluctantly agreed.
The plan was simple.
I would transform into a Giant Spider, carry both of them, and hang beneath the bridge to cross it.
Radi and Nia removed unnecessary baggage from their packs, then wrapped my webbing around their bodies like harnesses to connect with me.
I avoided the guards’ sight, transformed into a Giant Spider, and carefully placed my legs against the cliff.
As I crept along the precipice toward the bridge, the log window updated.
「You are crossing the Stone Bridge connecting the Valeria Kingdom and the Kaldheim Duchy!」
“Normally, you’d simply pass through after a basic identity verification procedure, but due to the recent epidemic outbreak, all exchanges between our two nations have been suspended!”
‘…It was fortunate that I absorbed the spirit’s power.’
In the past, I wouldn’t have been able to support the weight of two people.
I began moving slowly while hanging upside down beneath the bridge.
Every time the cold wind swept through my fur, I felt Radi holding her breath and gripping my body tightly.
Above the bridge, I could hear the dull voices of soldiers.
“Did you hear? As of today, the Eastern Territory has been sealed off too….”
“I even heard there’s a village where all the residents are infected. At this rate, we’re all going to die, aren’t we…?”
─…Click.
When I activated my [Vibration Detection] ability, the positions of the soldiers above the bridge became vividly clear to me.
I stopped in sync with the timing when the patrolling soldiers paused their steps.
A brief silence would pass, then footsteps would resume, and I’d crawl forward again in the same pattern.
Once I safely reached the end of the bridge, I lowered Radi and Nia onto the Arched Platform.
But crossing the bridge wasn’t the end of it.
“Hmm… the top of the wall is completely exposed, so there are no shadows to see. It seems impossible to cross using Darkness Leap…?”
“Then I’ll go up first and help! In exchange, Doran, draw their attention for me!”
Click─!
I clicked my mandibles in response, then abruptly revealed myself before the guards.
“What the—suddenly… a, a monster appeared!!”
“Damn it! Where did it come from?!”
“The soldiers, startled by the sudden monster’s appearance, fall into great panic!”
“Several soldiers are blowing alarm horns! All their attention has focused on you!”
“Due to [Chaos], your agility temporarily increases by 10, and your exoskeleton’s defense rises by one tier!”
In an instant, the checkpoint erupted into chaos.
A Dwarf Soldier lunged forward bravely with his spear, but I seized it and snapped it in two.
Warriors wielding massive hammers rushed at me, but they were struck by my webbing mid-charge and crashed to the ground.
I rammed the soldiers with my body, sending them flying, and drove my claws down to pierce holes through their shields.
Without hesitation, I rapidly scaled the City Wall, causing the Dwarves to shriek in terror.
“It’s coming this way! Fire the ballista!!”
“We can’t get the angle!”
“Damn it! Then shoot anything to stop it!”
The archers fired crossbows in rapid succession, but as long as it wasn’t a ballista, I could withstand it easily.
I swiftly subdued the charging Dwarves, then suspended them with my silk and hurled them outside the Castle.
As I wreaked havoc, tormenting the Dwarves dangling upside down and screaming, I caught sight of Nia and Radi in the distance.
Nia was nearly running up the vertical wall, pulling the silk rope to hoist Radi up.
She waved her hand, signaling that it was done.
‘Time to make my exit.’
One last time, I inflated my body greatly to terrify them, then extended my webbing and threw myself down the Cliff Bottom.
“Wh, what?! It suddenly jumped down!”
“Don’t let your guard down! Maintain your vigilance until the very end!”
Leaving the soldiers behind as they haphazardly scanned the Cliff Bottom, I quickly traversed the cliff face toward a corner beyond their line of sight.
As my feet touched the ground on the opposite side after climbing over the rampart, the log window refreshed.
Ding—!
“You have entered the Kaldheim Duchy!”
“A land of volcanoes and snowy mountains ruled by Dwarf Dukes. The Duchy is renowned for its high-quality minerals and exquisite forging techniques, but now the terror of plague blankets the earth.”
“The average monster level is higher than in the Valeria Kingdom where you were active! Exercise caution!”
After reuniting with my companions and swiftly leaving the Checkpoint, the temperature began dropping rapidly.
A cold utterly different in magnitude from the chill of the Primordial Forest.
Snow that had accumulated sparsely in shaded areas now completely blanketed the Surface, and canyons and mountains became far more prevalent than open plains.
The trees transformed from lush deciduous varieties to conifers, and from beyond the Snowy Mountain came the occasional howling of wolves.
Once I returned to human form and dressed, Radi gazed at the setting sun and asked.
“We managed to cross the border somehow… but do you have a destination in mind?”
“Yeah, roughly.”
I’m uncertain where exactly to resolve the plague, but I have one clue.
‘This epidemic is being deliberately spread by some organization cultivating parasites.’
Their goal must be to infect as many people as possible and drive Belheim to ruin.
However, parasites cannot survive long without a host.
To breed them in large quantities means constantly supplying new hosts.
That means their base is likely near where people gather.
A place with high foot traffic, frequent outsider access, and where infection spreads without easy tracking.
In Kaldheim, such conditions would almost certainly point to the vicinity of a major city ruled by the Dukes.
After hearing my explanation, Radi nodded in understanding.
“That’s a sound deduction. How far is the nearest major city?”
“We won’t make it today. We’ll need at least another day or two of travel.”
“Then we need to find somewhere to spend the night!”
The sun was already beginning to set, and the temperature was dropping noticeably.
Attempting to camp in such snowy mountains would consume far too much stamina.
Fortunately, the mountainous terrain meant isolated villages were common here, so surely some had escaped the plague.
Just then, a small Mountain Village came into view beyond the ridge.
Smoke rising from chimneys, faint lamplight leaking from every window—a small settlement.
“No signs of combat… and at first glance, there are no visible infection symptoms….”
“Should we go check it out? Whether the residents will welcome us is uncertain, but….”
Remote villages like this often shun visits from outsiders.
Especially with plague spreading across the entire nation.
But when we reached the Village Entrance and knocked on the palisade, the response we received was quite different from our expectations.
“Guests! We have guests in our village!”
“Welcome! We have warm food and lodging prepared for you!”
The villagers grasped our hands eagerly and smiled brightly.
As if they had been waiting for us all along—an unexpected welcome.
Completely different from other villages that barred outsiders and fired arrows first.
As they guided us deeper into the village, Nia followed along with a bright smile, but Radi and I exchanged suspicious glances.
‘Something feels off.’
‘More than a little, if I’m being honest.’
It was possible that with the recent border closure, they were desperate for outside spending, but this situation was suspicious by any measure.
“For now… let’s act naturally.”
We couldn’t very well turn back to the snowy peaks with snow falling so heavily just because something seemed odd.
With the sun already set, we might need to travel several more hours to reach the next town anyway.
Radi and I smiled as naturally as we could and accepted their invitation.
As we stepped through the door of the Inn they had guided us to, the warmth radiating from the Fireplace thawed our frozen hands and feet.
The Restaurant on the first floor was filled with the aroma of food, and travelers already seated were chattering away merrily.
Their faces were wreathed in smiles.
Radi glanced around with a puzzled expression and whispered.
“Huh…? There are other guests besides us. Quite a few, actually?”
“…No.”
Seeing this scene, I became certain of my suspicion.
These people are not visitors.
“…Why? Their clothing seems normal enough, and I don’t see anything particularly odd about them…”
“They’re not wet.”
If they had crossed the Snowy Mountain like we did, their pant legs should be soaked, yet I could find no trace of wet clothing on any of them.
Their complexions were far too healthy for people who had just come from the cold into warmth, and some of the food had grown cold, white fat floating in oily layers atop the broth.
They were people who had been sitting here all along, merely disguised as visitors from outside.
“Don’t let your guard down.”
There is definitely something in this village.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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