Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 338 Raging Fire
Jiangbei Province, Lumu County, Gaoling Fort.

The Alpad family’s old house is over half a century old and is a truly “old, dilapidated, and small” place.

It wasn't that the ancestors of the Alpad family were short of money, but rather that when the old house was being built, the Palat people were still living in the shadow of the Hed tribes, and almost every autumn, barbarians would come to raid for their crops.

Therefore, to balance defense and warmth, the doors and windows of the Alpad family mansion are few and small. The core areas, such as the storerooms, armory, and stables, are all enclosed within thick walls. After entering the gate, one must pass through a long corridor riddled with arrow slits and gun holes before finally entering the interior.

The entire complex is more like a small fortress than a place of residence.

For designers, sturdiness and safety are the most important requirements, while comfort and aesthetics are obviously not priorities.

For this reason, as soon as the terrifying threat from the wasteland was eliminated, the members of the Alpad family couldn't wait to move out of the damp and cold building.

The Alpad family's old house was left unused, with only a few elderly and frail servants responsible for maintaining it.

Until [Alpad Duyom] returned to Jiangbei Province.

……

On the night of the bloodshed at Kingsburg, when the Crimson Rose Faction members jointly signed the order to arrest Major General Arpad Duyom, they certainly did not anticipate that the situation would spiral completely out of control.

Even though some members of parliament felt uneasy and apprehensive beforehand, they still signed their names and stamped their seals with trembling hands.

Unfortunately, there is probably nothing in this world that is certain, except for death... and taxes.

As autumn approached, both the [Palatu Provisional Military Government] and the [Palatu Second Republic] had to accept the harsh reality that while they might achieve victory, the cost would far exceed their expectations.

The dream of a quick victory has been completely shattered. It has been proven that hoping for the enemy to surrender without a fight or to crumble at the first contact is nothing short of delusional.

The agitators who once clamored that "as long as we do this and that, the other side will do this and that" have all fallen silent.

Even the optimists who believed the civil war would be decided quickly realized that the war had only just begun.

Calls to "end the civil war" began to emerge and grew louder. These calls came not only from within the Paratist Empire, but also from its allies.

The chief state secretary of the Republic of Vane publicly wrote to the Republic of Palatine and the Republic of Palatine, calling for a "negotiation to resolve the war."

The massive raids by Hart's forces this autumn provided an opportunity for both sides in the civil war.

Thirty years later, the iron hooves of the Hed barbarians once again trampled into the land of Palatour. Even the Red Rose and Blue Rose, who were killing each other just moments before, couldn't help but feel a strong sense of shared hatred.

What happened next need not be elaborated upon—the Red and Blue Roses each repelled the raiding groups of Hart's tribes, tacitly avoiding hindering the other side. After that, the two armies rested and reorganized on opposite sides of the river, without any further major actions.

As autumn turned to winter, the situation seemed to have taken a turn for the better.

The Fortress of Kings publicly wrote to the National Assembly of the Republic of Van and Major General Alpad Duyom, taking the lead in expressing its willingness to accept the mediation of the Chief State Secretary of the Republic of Van and agreeing to "end the de facto division of the Republic of Paratú through negotiations" and "no longer let a single drop of Paratú blood be shed in vain."

This beautifully worded open letter was signed by [Grove Magnus, President of the Grand Council of the Republic of Palatine].

At the same time, Arpad Duyom left the army, the front lines, and the center of power of the military government, and returned to his hometown, Highridge Castle in County Rum.

He did not stay in the residence prepared for him by municipal officials, nor did he move into the spacious and comfortable new mansion. Instead, he returned to the place where he spent his childhood and adolescence—the old house of the Alpad family.

……

Winter days are short, and the Alpad family’s old house is poorly lit, so it is already shrouded in darkness before five o’clock.

The servant quietly entered the study, placed the candlestick, and then silently withdrew.

Arpad stared intently at the corner of the study, completely unaware of the servants coming and going, until another old servant carrying a tray pushed open the wooden door of the study.

"Your dinner is here." The old servant stopped at the door.

Arpad nodded slightly, and the old servant then stepped into the study.

Dinner was simple, consisting of only bread and soup.

When the old servant saw the young master—now the master—return home, he happily cleaned the dining room until it was spotless.

However, Arpad Duyom had been a professional soldier for over thirty years, spending more time in the military than in his old mansion, and had long forgotten any semblance of aristocratic manners. Therefore, the restaurant has remained unused to date.

As the old servant was setting the table, Arpad suddenly asked, "Do you see that cabinet?"

"Yes, sir."

"There's a hidden compartment behind that cabinet, probably left by the stonemason. You have to push the cabinet open to see it. Besides me and Klein, no one else should know about it."

The old servant knew who Klein was, of course, but he didn't know how to respond. Klein Heisler—Alpad Duyom's closest brother—had already died in the bloody night at Kingsburg.

“Master,” the old servant changed the subject, bowing his head to report, “Captain Bode requests an audience.”

Arpad, lost in his memories, returned to reality and gave the old servant a cold look.

The old servant hurriedly explained, “I have already informed Captain Bode that you are not receiving guests. But he insists on seeing you, and he has brought something with him—your things.”

After saying this, the old servant took out an object from his bosom and presented it respectfully.

It was a square wine pot, a very exquisite one. Unfortunately, it was no longer usable because half a lead bullet was embedded in it.

……

An old servant with gray hair sat by the door of the reception room, staring at the ground like a puppet.

Apart from the old servant, Winters was the only person in the large reception room, along with a row of armchairs against the wall.

Winters observed the murals on the wall with great interest. The murals had no theme, only some decorative patterns. Moreover, the painting was poorly done, probably the work of some amateur painter.

Instinctively, Winters was far more interested in the fortress-like mansion than in the murals.

On his way from the second door to the reception room, he noticed a courtyard in the center of the house.

Plato's houses rarely had courtyards for winter insulation. Winters could only think of one plausible explanation: to collect rainwater.

Why do ordinary residential buildings need to collect rainwater? To cope with a siege?
Considering the location of the residence, Winters speculated that the Alpard family's ancestral home was a transitional building between a castle and a residence, and its construction could not have been too early.

Although there were many sentries and guards, Winters felt that the defense capabilities were still not strong enough.

Gaoling Fort is not the capital of Rumm County, nor the administrative center of Jiangbei Province; it is merely a small town under the jurisdiction of Rumm County.

Arpad returned to Highmountain with very few followers, but the military government could not allow this leader to return to his homeland alone.

Following closely behind Alpad, the guards and military and political officials who arrived at High Ridge Castle almost filled the small town to capacity.

Fortunately, Winters' entry into Highmountain Castle went smoothly without any questioning.

He didn't need to disguise himself, because he was a genuine commissioned officer; his uniform, his "inter-provincial accent," and every part of him served as the best proof of his identity.

He only brought one Dusak bodyguard—Vashika, who was also a genuine Dusak.

Winters also wrote himself a pass, forged a signature based on the commendation order issued to him by Alpard, and finally spent half an hour carving a stamp.

For Winters, the biggest risk of traveling in areas under military rule was being recognized by a senior or classmate.

The so-called "academic" officers are actually a very small group. When two graduates meet, they only need to exchange a few words to expose all the lies.

So Winters and Vahika deliberately avoided towns that might be garrisoned, traveling day and night to reach Highmountain Fortress.

The door to the reception room opened, and another elderly servant with gray hair slowly walked up to Winter and whispered, "Please come with me."

At the end of a dimly lit corridor, the old servant opened the door for Winters, and Alpad Duyom was sitting behind his desk.

Compared to the spirited, energetic, and valiant cavalry general Winters remembered, Alpad Duyom now made it easier to perceive that he was already approaching his twilight years.

As Winters stared at Alpard, Alpard was also sizing up Winters.

"You married into the family?" Arpad frowned, asking abruptly. His voice wasn't as loud as before, but it was still full of energy.

The old servant tactfully withdrew from the study and closed the door.

Winters hypothesized that in many conversations, none of them began with "You've married into the family."

Arpad and Winters were far from close or familiar with each other; the former was a high-ranking major general and corps commander, while the latter was just an insignificant centurion.

Therefore, Winters was baffled by Alpard's question and had no idea how to answer it.

Alpard gestured for Winters to sit down: "Bord Gates has a daughter."

Winters, without any hesitation—he was no longer Arpad's subordinate—sat down in front of Arpad: "I was just borrowing Colonel Bode's surname."

Alpard didn't continue the topic, instead asking, "Do you have any news about Bode Gates?" "Yes, he's still alive." Winters carefully chose his words: "Currently... Colonel Bode should be in Maplestone City."

Arpad frowned slightly, then sighed as if relieved, and stopped frowning.

Winters recalled that Colonel Bode's original rank was Chief Battalion Commander of the Sixth Army. In other words, Colonel Bode was Arpad's second-in-command. Their relationship was probably closer than Winters had originally thought.

Arpad didn't inquire further about Colonel Bode's recent situation. He glanced at Winters and said, "The New Reclamation officers sent me a letter of reprimand. Adams said you've become a bandit."

Arpad sneered, "He even held me accountable for this, demanding that I send someone to deal with you."

Winters expected to be angry, but he actually showed no emotion: "Oh? How did you reply to him?"

“How should I reply to him? I’ll tell him—I’m glad to know Winters Montagne is still alive.” Alpard said dismissively, “Adams is a two-faced fool, you don’t need to be afraid of him.”

Winters vaguely sensed that if the former Alpad was a blazing fire, then the current cavalry major general was like boiling lava churning in a volcano.

He didn't respond because he didn't consider himself close enough to Arpard to judge the man.

However... perhaps it is precisely because Arpad has no direct vested interest in him that Arpad is so incredibly honest with him.

He had said everything he wanted to say and asked everything he wanted to ask. Alpad took out his pipe, gently pressing down the tobacco, and asked directly, "So, what do you want?"

Winters didn't want to beat around the bush, and a simple and direct conversation suited his tastes better: "One of my men has been arrested by your military police and is now being held in Xiaolu City."

"What crime?" Alpard frowned slightly.

"deserter."

"Any more?"

"My other subordinates from Wolf Town."

"Wolf Town?" Alpad frowned slightly.

“A very remote, very remote town,” Winters said calmly. “I am the resident officer there.”

Alpard gave Winters a deep look: "No problem, you can take them all with you."

Winters nodded in thanks.

"that's it?"

"that's it."

Arpad shook his head with a half-smile, picked up a pen and paper, and wrote out a pass. Then he slowly heated the sealing wax, took off his ring, and sealed the pass with the wax.

“This pass will allow you to travel freely north of the Ember River.” Alpard handed the folded pass to Winters: “Stay here for the night, and I’ll send someone to help you gather your old men tomorrow.”

Winters took the communication pass and carefully put it away—it was genuine—and nodded again in thanks: “I have a place to stay.”

Arpad took a puff of his pipe, as if to say, "Whatever."

Winters got up to leave.

"Are you really not asking for anything else?" Looking at the young man's retreating figure, Arpad finally couldn't help but remind him, "This kind of opportunity won't come again."

Winters touched the storage pass through the clothing: "This is enough."

Arpad picked up the flask, which was almost pierced by a lead bullet, and stared at every scratch and chip on it: "Just a little bit more."

“Yes.” Winters suddenly felt like laughing for some reason: “Without it, I should be dead by now.”

With a flick of his wrist, the flask arced through the air and Winters caught it with ease.

Since Winters entered the study, it seemed to be the first time that Alpard smiled like he used to: "It's no longer useful, but I'll leave it as a memento for you."

"Thank you."

Winters walked to the door, but before he could even touch the handle, the old servant waiting outside opened the door as if he had foreseen it.

His boots had just stepped out of the study when Alpard's voice suddenly rang out behind him: "Wait..."

Winters stopped in his tracks, and Alpard stood up and walked towards Winters: "I don't know when we'll meet again, or what the circumstances will be. I'll see you off."

Even the puppet-like old servant couldn't hide his shock when he saw "Master" escorting a mere captain out of the drawing room.

The atmosphere became relaxed as Winters was seen off.

Arpard casually asked, "Have you seen Grove Magnus's open letter?"

"The letter calling for negotiations?"

"Yes."

I just saw it a few days ago.

"what do you think?"

"It's so well written that it's being talked about everywhere—in taverns, inns, and everywhere else."

"What's so good about it? It's all flowery language and utter nonsense! Grove Magnus is a despicable, shameless, and treacherous man who loves to play power games. Anyone can say nice things, but I don't believe a word he says, not even the punctuation."

Winters wanted to ask more, but doing so would be like spying on Alpard's intelligence, so he didn't respond.

After venting his frustrations, Alpard suddenly asked Winters, "Do you have a legal wife?"

Winters answered without changing his expression, "Yes."

"Captain Montagne."

"General."

“If you marry Colonel Bode’s daughter legally, you’ll be half Paratus.” Arpad sighed softly. “Do you understand what I mean?”

"I understand, but I'm already married."

"Then you'll always be a Veneta."

Winters replied solemnly, "I thought I was a citizen of the Union."

“I used to think so too, we all used to think so.” Arpad, the fiery general, revealed a hint of sadness: “But reality is much crueler. The republics are irreconcilable, and the great alliance is ultimately just a beautiful dream of Marshal Ned.”

Winters remained noncommittal, but his expression said it all.

Whether out of regret, admiration, guilt, or envy, Alpard said to Winters, word by word: “You are a Veneta, which means you can never settle in Palatour. You will have to return to Veneta sooner or later. You can make this decision now or wait until it is absolutely necessary. But the sooner you make this decision, the better it will be for you.”

Thank you for your suggestion.

The conversation ended there, and the two walked out of the room.

As they walked down the long corridor riddled with arrow slits and bullet holes, Alpad, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked, "Did you kill Sackler?"

Winters has never given a direct answer to this question to anyone else.

But he gave Arpard a straightforward answer: "Yes."

"Was his death painful?"

"It's not painful."

"I'll leave you here." Alpard stopped.

The night was dark, and Winters couldn't see Alpad's expression, only hearing a calm "thank you."

Winters raised his hand in salute and walked toward the door.

Suddenly, he remembered something: "Excuse me, I have another request."

"explain."

“I have another subordinate, who was also brought from Wolf Town. However, his identity is somewhat special, and I would like to ask you for a guarantee that I may take him with me.”

"Special?" Alpard frowned. "What's so special about it?"

Winters smiled. "He... is a cook."

[Updated Chapter 1... I'm going to break all the millstones in the production team today! Aaaaaaah!]
[A reader reminded me that the leave request revealed my personal information, so I deleted it.]
[I announced the result but didn't update... How embarrassing!]
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(End of this chapter)