NOVEL WEB Chapter 21: Trial Countdown.
Magnus muttered, his brow furrowed, as a video played on the crystal he held. "That bastard still has human slaves. Seems like my father's death has emboldened him." It was a recording crystal he'd given Kael earlier to document Nutgrove and his men's treachery. He was now reviewing the footage.
"He has many other human slaves locked up, Lord Magnus," Kael said, standing beside him.
Magnus frowned at this news. One of the agreements his father, Arthur, had made with Gaylord during their alliance forbade slavery, but it seemed Gaylord had ignored it, simply ensuring Arthur remained unaware.
"That bastard," Magnus cursed, but quickly composed himself and continued watching the recording.
The more he watched, the deeper his frown became, his teeth clenching, his fist slowly tightening.
Although he had only transmigrated into this world a few days ago and had no personal connection to Arthur or his men, the previous Magnus did. When he inherited the body, he also inherited its memories and emotions. Witnessing Nutgrove's betrayal, which led to the deaths of so many, Magnus felt a burning rage. He yearned to tear Nutgrove and Gaylord apart, but restrained himself.
The recording continued, capturing all the conversations, including the one between Gaylord and Krogg after Nutgrove and his men departed. Finally, the video flickered and died, plunging the room back into darkness, illuminated only by the orange glow of a nearby lamp.
Silence descended as Magnus considered his next move.
"Lord Magnus, what should we do next?" Kael asked after a moment.
A smile played on Magnus's lips. "Now we wait."
Kael received further instructions and left, leaving Magnus alone in the room.
Once Kael was gone, Magnus's brow furrowed again. "Territory Status," he muttered.
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[Territory Status]
Rank: Unranked
Trial Status: (0/10) ==> Next Trial: [118hrs]
Area: 35 Square Kilometers
Population: 43,000+
---[Army Strength]---
Total Troops: 1,250 [Weak]
Troop Morale: Very Low
Training in Progress: 47
---[Resources]---
Mining, Hunting, Farming
---[Quest]---
Main: Evolve your territory into a holy land.
Side: Find the lord's seal and complete the first trial.
Side: Deal with Gaylord's spies.
Side: Defeat Gaylord and conquer his territory.
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Magnus frowned at the display. There were a few changes, such as the increased number of people in military training. Today's events seemed to have motivated a few more to join, though morale remained very low. That could change, however. The change that worried Magnus most was the countdown to the next trial.
Midnight had passed two hours ago.
Magnus's brow furrowed. He had less than five days to deal with everything before the trial arrived. He massaged his temples as a headache began to form, brought on by the daunting tasks ahead. He still needed to find the lord's seal, which he knew Gaylord didn't possess. It must be somewhere within his own territory, but where?
They were severely short on manpower. He had a temporary solution—summoning more troops. The summoned troops all started at F-rank, far more powerful than the unranked soldiers of his territory. With Vorax continuously hunting, his evolution points continued to grow, and hopefully, he would be able to summon more troops before the deadline.
"I'll worry about this tomorrow," Magnus muttered to himself before lying down and falling asleep.
-----
The next morning, a knock on his door awakened Magnus. Helen and the other maids had returned to attend to him.
"Greetings, Lord Magnus," the maids, led by Helen, greeted him with a bow as they filed into the room. Their ample breasts bounced beneath their light robes.
Magnus held his breath, forcing himself not to stare. This was pure torture.
They escorted him to his prepared bath. Again, Magnus insisted on bathing alone, but this time he remembered to bring his change of clothes and a towel.
After his bath, he returned and quickly ate his meal before leaving his room.
After leaving his room, Magnus made a round of the shelter, inspecting the infirmary, the walls, and other areas to ensure everything was running smoothly. With the trial approaching, the intensity of beast horde attacks on the territory would increase, so Magnus needed to confirm everything was in order. He also visited the farm to check on the people there.
Elena beamed when she saw him. It seemed his conversation with Augustus yesterday had resulted in more water being allocated to the farm. Now, however, he had to address the overall water supply issue. This meant confronting Gaylord about his obstruction of the territory's water source.
Magnus sighed. Dealing with Gaylord wouldn't be a major problem, but the recording crystal's revelations had given him pause. He now considered digging wells within the territory to secure their own water supply. This way, they wouldn't rely on an external source that could be blocked, poisoned upstream, or otherwise compromised.
He knew it would take time, but his summoning skill could mitigate the difficulty. He could summon Golems, Naiads, Gnomish tunnelers, and other races adept at digging and locating water sources.
Putting that matter aside for now, he headed towards Augustus. The memorial and mass burial for the fallen soldiers was scheduled for that evening, and he needed to finalize the arrangements with Augustus.
Midway through their conversation, Nutgrove and his men arrived.
"Greetings, Lord Magnus!" they chorused. Their faces were etched with exhaustion.
"I heard you took your men south. How was it?" Magnus asked.
"Tiring," Nutgrove lied. "We investigated some beast activity there. It's not looking good. We discovered hordes and hordes of beasts."
'This bastard isn't even trying,' Magnus thought. Of all the areas surrounding the Lancaster territory, the south was the least likely to be threatened by beast hordes. Yet, here was Nutgrove, lying through his teeth.
Magnus remained unfazed. Nutgrove and his men still underestimated him. They wouldn't know what hit them.
"Oh, you and your men must be tired," Magnus said with a faint smile.
"Tired is an understatement, Lord Magnus," one of the men behind Nutgrove chimed in. "We were dealing with beasts all day yesterday. Our entire bodies are aching."
"The territory appreciates your hard work," Magnus said with a smile. "I'll have the women prepare a nice feast for you. And be sure to visit Margaret in the infirmary for any injuries you might have sustained."
"Lord Magnus is truly generous," Nutgrove said with a smile. He then turned and left with his men.
"Beast hordes in the south? Must be because of the approaching trial," Augustus muttered, his brow furrowed, as soon as Nutgrove and his men departed.
"Must be. The trial is in five days, so I'm not surprised," Magnus replied. There was no need to hide it.
"What!" Augustus exclaimed, his voice grave. "This is very, very bad."
"It is indeed very bad," Magnus agreed, his brow furrowed.
After a few tense moments, they resumed their conversation. Once finished, Magnus left to attend to other matters requiring his attention as lord.
As he walked, Magnus contacted Kael through their mental link. He had sent Kael to assist Vorax with its hunting to help accumulate more evolution points.
Kael stood within the Silent Forest, near Vorax, who was still in its semi-combat state after a recent battle. Suddenly, a voice sounded in Kael's head, startling him. He realized it was his master.
A look of shock crossed his face. How could his master communicate with him from such a distance? After a moment, he sighed. His master, despite being an unranked human, was the strangest person he had ever met. He seemed to possess many secrets—secrets Kael couldn't fathom an unranked human possessing. Like this creature standing before him, a Celestial beast.
Though still in its infancy, its power was terrifying. Even Kael had to be wary of it. How had his master acquired such a pet? When told he would be joining his master's pet to hunt, he had expected a lowly beast, not a Celestial—a creature known for its immense strength and pride. They didn't bow to anyone, even in their infancy. Their Celestial bloodline wouldn't allow it. How had his master managed this?
Kael sighed again. He couldn't comprehend his master. He focused on the voice and grasped the information being transmitted.
Nutgrove and his men were back in the territory. It was time for the next stage of his mission.
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[A/N_ I apologize for the slow chapter release. I'm currently experiencing some difficulties with releases. I hope you understand. Thank you for reading.]