Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 148: Forest Fire

Chapter 148: Forest Fire

"Aideen, it will be safer this way. You must travel in the carriage; I insist!"

A deep frown formed between Tillian’s eyebrows, his expression turning colder as he tried to convince his wife to take the carriage instead of riding a horse. Aideen, however, stuck to the opposite opinion.

"No, we must only take the caravans with food and other supplies while I will travel on the horse. It is much more efficient this way! Only the caravans are built strong enough to make such a long trip around The North, but they are not good for transporting a person. I will be alright, I promise."

The Duke pressed his lips together, utterly unsatisfied with the princess’s decision. However, much like with everything else, when it came to his wife’s stubbornness, although reluctantly, he had no choice but to accept whatever her decision was. Mostly because he knew that she would still do the opposite of his.

"Fine, I give up. But promise me that you will tell me right away if you are tired or cold!"

"I promise, I do!"

"Very well then."

Tillian’s final instructions were for Ahspid and Sir Stanis to remain in the castle and guard his people, ensuring that nothing would harm them while he was gone. Having received their confirmation, Duke and Duchess Valentine left for their long trip.

***

Under the vast expanse of the northern sky, Aideen and Tillian embarked on a journey through their fiefdom, accompanied by the Raven Knights. The landscape unfolded like a painting of ancient lore, with distant towering mountains clad in veils of mist, their peaks seemingly piercing the heavens. As they moved through the rugged terrain, the wind was their constant companion, carrying the scent of pine and earth.

Aideen couldn’t shake off a bizarre feeling that loomed over her like an invisible cloud. She had to use more of her mana to help her mind paint the picture of what was ahead of them, only to be left somewhat disappointed and even a little upset.

What unfolded before her was nothing but a seemingly never-ending emptiness. The expansive fields covered in snow stretched infinitely with occasional dead gardens and frozen lakes scattered here and there, framed by the distant outlines of the Dragon Mountain and the dead forest which was the den of the magic beasts. It was the destination to which only Tillian and his knights were allowed to venture.

Turning to her husband, the princess inquired,

"There is absolutely nothing here... How are people surviving in these lands?"

The Duke hesitated before responding, taking a few moments to survey the emptiness around them. Then, he released a long exhale and explained,

The Duke hesitated with a response, taking a few moments to look over the emptiness around them. Then, he released a long exhale and explained,

"Ever since its creation, The North was an unclaimed, independent land. Anyone could come and stay here for as long as they wanted by due to the harsh climate and the danger of the beasts, the only people who dared to come here were occasional nomads and traveling bandits. It was only after my grandfather, Caleb Valentine, that The North was claimed by Geraldion and included as its territory.

You see, King Caleb, too, wanted Geraldion to become an Empire and for that, the territory of the kingdom must be gradually expanded. My grandfather saw The North as the stepping stone. Still, even after these lands were included in our border, The North stood predominantly empty; my father, King Aster Valentine, too, did not rush to send people here.

The mercenaries and knights dispatched with the duty to guard it, lived in the castle, but there was no ruler per se, thus, inhabiting these lands seemed like a redundant idea. It was only after King Euris Ruan captured the throne that poor commoners who lost their houses and farms on other territories, were sent to live here instead of going to prison for unpaid debt. Their initial punishment was to do the mining of the Dragon Mountain and collect wood to send it to the Capital.

And... It was only after I was appointed as the Lord of The North that I made the people living in the villages stop doing all these incredibly difficult jobs; I only accepted their labor if they wanted to help. Eventually, I paid off their debts too, and a lot of the villagers are still doing whatever they can to help us with trading and mining."

Aideen listened to Tillian’s story in awe. Every time she learned something new about The North, it only added to the air of mystery and tragedy surrounding it.

’King Euris pretended to show these people mercy by sending them here, but in reality, their fate was still no better than that of prisoners. They had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do; they were simply sent here to survive.’

Shifting her glistening eyes to the Duke, the princess felt a slight sense of relief and couldn’t help but smile as her thoughts resumed their flow.

’He’s an amazing man. Thanks to him, The North can no longer be associated with something bad. Ever since he was young, all he wanted to do was help people, and he worked incredibly hard to achieve that goal. Tillian did an astonishing job of making people’s lives better here, and he deserves to be called the true ruler of The North. The true ruler of the Kingdom... And even the whole Empire.’

As they continued their journey, the day gradually turned into night, with only the stars and the bright silver disk of the moon lighting the travelers’ way. At last, the first village was already showing the sporadic dark shadows of its houses, the warm orange glow emanating from their windows inviting them with the promise of a well-deserved rest.

However, before they could even approach the village, their horses had to be stopped as one of the scouting knights rode towards them, the look on his face marred with urgency and distress.

"Your Grace! The forest! It’s on fire!"