Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 42

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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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Chapter 42

Chapter 6. The Follower Beast’s Eyes

At that moment, everyone around me—myself included—turned to stare at the knight.
Fei, who had been preparing to strike at me, froze mid-motion.
“What’s happened?”
Dylan, who had risen to his feet, approached the knight and asked.
Had someone caused an accident somewhere?
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come rushing in like that, out of breath.
I moved toward Dylan’s side as well.
The other knights didn’t seem particularly alarmed.
They appeared to think it was either some exaggeration of something unimportant, or perhaps an amusing bit of gossip.
One knight even stretched lazily, as if thinking, ‘What is it this time?’
“What is the matter?”
At Dylan’s question, the man caught his breath and spoke quickly.
“Last night, the fortification wall outside the West Gate of Elcard was destroyed.”
Hearing this from beside him, I furrowed my brow.
What? Why?
Why would the fortification wall outside the capital’s West Gate collapse?
This was far graver than I had anticipated.
The fortification wall of a territory, by nature, serves as a basic defense against war and Beasts, protecting the town.
Especially the fortification wall of the capital—it was tall and sturdy enough that collapse was nearly unthinkable.
And it shouldn’t have happened at all.
The capital is where the Emperor resides.
A breach in the one wall that should have been most impenetrable signaled something gravely wrong.
There are four entrances to the capital of Elcard.
The East Gate, West Gate, South Gate, and North Gate, each standing distinct.
Elcard, positioned at the exact center of the Empire, is perfectly balanced, with each gate equally accessible to the constant flow of people—merchants, travelers, ordinary foot traffic alike.
Even if it collapsed at dawn, the likelihood of casualties was considerable.
There would be no such quiet war, so it was likely a Beast attack.
Any Beast capable of destroying the fortification wall would have come in at least a mid-sized pack. Certainly not just one.
What worried me more was that the West Gate was built with a double wall, and even that had been destroyed.
Among the four gates, the West Gate had once collapsed during a major Beast attack long ago.
Afterward, panic-stricken residents had it rebuilt with reinforced strength, constructing it with a double wall for added security.
If that double wall—and not some other wall—had been destroyed….
How far is it from the Imperial Palace to the West Gate?
My own thoughts aligned with what I’d heard at the Guild meeting: the number of Beasts was rising, and now I was facing the consequences firsthand.
“What of the casualties?”
The question spilled from my lips before I could stop it.
The knight startled, glancing between Dylan and me in surprise.
When Dylan gave a slight nod, the man bowed respectfully toward me.
“We’re still in the recovery phase, so a complete damage assessment is still being compiled.”
“Report what you have so far.”
Dylan replied.
“Yes! Approximately one-quarter of the stone wall has collapsed, and the Guard Tower was destroyed as well. Four carriages entering the capital were crushed beneath the rubble. Casualties total about twenty, including the gate guards, and the soldiers stationed at the entrance are in poor condition.”
“…Four carriages buried?”
At my question, the knight’s complexion darkened further, his expression one of deep sorrow.
“It appears they were loaded with cargo and proceeding in formation when the collapse occurred, burying them entirely beneath the debris. We’ve been told they were merchants.”
“Why did the wall collapse?”
I was already half-convinced this was the work of a Beast.
“There was a Beast attack.”
As expected.
“So what of the Beast now? Did it breach the interior?”
“No signs of entry into the city have been found. According to witnesses, the Beast dispersed like dust. That part still requires further investigation. However….”
The knight hesitated for a moment, then leaned closer to Dylan and spoke in a low voice, just audible to me.
But it was quiet enough that I couldn’t hear it either, which meant the other knights certainly couldn’t.
Only Dylan’s expression had gone rigid.
What had he heard to make his face turn to stone like that?
“First, you keep gathering intelligence. I need to see the Crown Prince. Kevin! You and Fei head to the other Training Ground right now and confirm the situation there. Go to the 2nd Knight Order and 3rd Knight Order first and brief them. If the commanders are there, tell both of them to come to the 1st Knight Order Conference Room. If not, send the vice-commanders instead. For the other orders, just give them a preliminary briefing.”
“Yes! Yes, understood!”
At Dylan’s shout, a knight named Kevin, who’d been moving leisurely, suddenly tensed and bolted toward the other Training Ground.
“Me too?”
Fei, who’d been standing there bewildered, belatedly bowed and hurried after Kevin, disappearing in a flash.
“Yes, Vice-Commander! If there are further developments, I’ll send word here immediately!”
The knight who’d brought the news dropped his arms to his sides, bowed sharply, and rushed off.
I grabbed Dylan’s arm.
“What’s wrong? Why that look? Were there really that many of them?”
“Apparently a whole swarm of them.”
“I don’t think that alone would make you make that face.”
Dylan let out a short laugh, but it faded quickly and his expression hardened again. His head whipped back and forth as he barked out urgent orders.
“You’re sharp. I suspect there’s a Follower Beast mixed in with them. Someone reported seeing a Beast with a violet Mana Stone embedded in it.”
Dylan’s voice grew quieter, and by the end, even I was so startled my jaw dropped.
“…A Follower Beast appeared?”
Follower Beasts weren’t ordinary Beasts.
They were high-tier creatures with devastating destructive power.
The real problem was that Follower Beasts possessed intelligence—and depending on the type, some had intellect comparable to humans.
Because of that, they could control and command other Beasts.
“We need to confirm it. Since it was spotted at dawn, there’s a chance they were mistaken. But if it was humanoid as they said, they probably saw it correctly. If it’s a Follower Beast, things get complicated.”
“More than that—if a Follower is involved, we can’t be sure it hasn’t already penetrated the city. If worst comes to worst and it used Teleport, things get really bad. Since there haven’t been any other reports yet, we know it hasn’t reached the center, but…”
“Right, you’re correct. If the scout didn’t miss anything, since there are no other reports coming in, we just have to hope it hasn’t penetrated the city before we start tracking. Everyone else stands by for immediate deployment. Execute! And Lux—go get the Tracking Device.”
“Okay!”
“Truly. There’s never a moment’s peace.”
Dylan rubbed the back of his neck and muttered quietly.
Then he patted my shoulder.
“Hazel.”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry for hitting you with bad news the moment you arrived.”
I shrugged.
“Why apologize to me? It’s not like you caused it.”
“Wait here for a moment. You can stay in my office if you’d like. I’ll go report to the Crown Prince and come back once I’ve confirmed everything.”
Dylan seemed to be doing his best to appear composed for my sake.
What made Follower Beasts truly dangerous was that they served their master—the Final Dark Force I’d mentioned—and were born with the hope of resurrecting him.
That Final Dark Force who’d sent Ginger Perian, his lover, and countless knights in this place to their deaths.
The lord of evil.
The Final Dark Force as depicted in the original work was nothing less than the embodiment of malice itself—if I had to name it in my own terms, calling him a Demon King would be fitting.
“…Understood.”
Dylan relayed the situation and issued the assembly orders to the other knights, then moved with swift efficiency.
Within moments the area was empty. The only thing left behind was the faint dust of their rapid departure.
“Sigh.”
Contrary to Dylan’s words not to worry, I was very worried.
Of all the times for a Follower Beast to show up, why now, when I’m here?
But with casualties already reported, I couldn’t just leave.
If this escalates, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Knight Orders—and likely others—will join the search, so I decided to stay put and wait for word.
I didn’t show it to Dylan, but I was grateful that no reports of kidnappings had come in yet.
Follower Beasts, unlike other Beasts, exist to serve their master, the Final Dark Force, and were born with the hope of his resurrection.
Which meant what?
Unlike most other Beasts that move on instinct alone, they move with purpose—to gather Sacrifices.
Beings that gather strength for their master’s descent into this world.
What counted as Sacrifices on the mortal realm was predictable.
Simply…

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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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