Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 130

Chapter 130   The Sacred Mountain in the Midst of Winter

In the mid-December of the Unified Calendar 568――.

A grand strategic meeting was held at the manor of the Cade Confederation’s lord.

All the vassals were in attendance, and Princess Fie announced the opening of the meeting.

“We must first raise our forces and strike down Paulo, who is stationed at Barcy!”

“That’s right, that’s right!” “No objections.”

Right at the start of the meeting, everyone advocated for the suppression of the rebel forces. There was no one who opposed this idea.

“…So, what about our preparations against the demons of Levin? Without a plan to deal with the griffons, we cannot win!”

This was stated by Viscount Alvin. He had successfully placed my chancellor in office, effectively making him the second-in-command of the house.

“For now, our only option is to deploy enhanced crossbows for long-range combat.”

“Can such things really fend them off?”

“Then do you have any other ideas?”

“Come now, let’s not quarrel among allies!”

Baron Guma, a senior member, stepped in to mediate, as the debate about how to counter the griffons grew heated. The main forces of Cade consisted of cavalry and dragonet riders. The griffons, which could neutralize them, were a serious concern for everyone.

“Regarding that, it is said that the dragon god resides atop the sacred mountain south of Jiff. What if we sought the dragon god’s help?”

“Old Guma, do you really believe in such nonsense?” “Indeed, indeed, it’s likely to be a wasted effort.”

“How would we even scale such a treacherous place?”

“…Hmph, you fools!”

In the end, it turned into a bit of a joke, and with that, drinks were brought in, and the meeting turned into a banquet. Afterward, a ceremony to honor the loyal retainers was held, and thus, the year-end meeting came to an end.

◇◇◇◇◇

Early the next morning――.

I had decided to head toward the summit of the sacred mountain I had heard about the previous day, accompanied by Pokorina and Kumama.

“Are you really going?”

“Yes.”

“Please take care.”

“Of course. Give my apologies to the princess for the delayed New Year’s greetings.”

“Understood.”

I mounted Comet and swiftly left the town of Ram. After moving some distance away from the town, I drew a magic circle and summoned the mithril golem, Gau.

“Gauuu…”

“Poko~♪”

The enormous figure appeared, even larger than before. I wondered how it could grow so big without eating anything. Pokorina was delighted by its size, but Kumama, terrified, wet himself.

“Gau, I’ll entrust you with the luggage!”

“Gauuu!”

With the load lightened, I urged Comet onward and made a dash toward the sacred mountain we had spoken of. Along the way, we took brief breaks in small villages, but continued through the night, aiming for the foot of the mountain.

◇◇◇◇◇

On the morning of the third day――.

We stood at the base of the sacred mountain.

The sky was overcast, and cold snowflakes were drifting down.

In front of us stretched a dense forest. In fact, the trees were so tightly packed that finding a path through the underbrush was a struggle.

“…Is this the place?”

“Poko?”

I dismounted from Comet and began cutting through the thick bushes with a sickle to make our way forward.

The work was so laborious that, even in winter, I found myself sweating from the effort. However, midway through, an idea struck me.

“Gau, clear a path as you move forward!”

“Gaugau!”

In a small unit like ours, there was a preconceived notion that the leader had to be at the front. But magical creatures like golems don’t get tired. Letting him take the lead was the best decision.

After about two hours of progress, we found ourselves waist-deep in freezing swamp water. Honestly, it was so cold it felt like my brain was freezing. I recalled the words of the nobles who had said it was impossible to climb this treacherous mountain.

“…S-so cold.”

Unable to bear the cold any longer, I climbed back onto Comet’s back. When I looked to see how Pokorina and Kumama were doing, they were sitting comfortably in a boat made from large leaves.

…So unfair.

It was probably some kind of magic.

Covered in cold mud, I used blankets and magic to warm my freezing body. I felt like the most miserable chancellor in the world…

After a while, the forest opened up, revealing a place where a pure spring bubbled up from the ground.

I washed off the mud there, built a fire, and enjoyed a warm meal.

We pitched our tent and spent the night there. Tomorrow, we would tackle the mountain’s foothills.

◇◇◇◇◇

The next day――.

A fierce blizzard raged.

The freezing wind battered my body.

Though we had made it out of the forest, we now faced a barren landscape of lifeless rocks. With nothing to block the blizzard, the cold bit even harder.

“Hey, Gau. Stay upwind.”

“Gau?”

I positioned the massive, cold-resistant golem upwind to shield us from the worst of the storm. Still, my hands were numb, and blood seeped from my joints as I clutched at the rocks.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

When I finally paused to look up, what loomed above was a sheer cliff face—an unforgiving 90-degree incline.

“Damn it!”

I gripped a mithril dagger in each hand, driving them into the cracks in the rock. Right, left, right—using the daggers as footholds, I slowly climbed the cliff.

“Whoa!?”

Since it was a cliff, there was nothing to block the wind. As Pokorina was nearly blown away, I pulled her close, only to have Kumama latch onto my face.

…I can’t see a thing.

“…Ugh, I can’t go on anymore.”

The cold of another dimension.

It felt as if my brain and heart were about to freeze.

My hands and feet had lost all sensation and wouldn’t move. Despite having taken significant precautions against the cold, it seemed hopeless now.

“…Huh!?”

Looking down at my feet, I realized I had climbed quite a distance—at least 300 meters above ground. If I fell, there was no way I would survive.

…Is this it?

Just as I thought it was over, I glanced to the side and saw Pokorina and Kumama clinging to the back of the mithril golem, Gau.

…What a mistake!

I should have done that from the start.

I, too, climbed onto Gau’s back, and somehow, we finally made it to the summit of the sacred mountain.