Chapter 50
Chapter 50: Monster Wave (7)
Varehein City Square.
It was always a bustling place, but today, it was beyond crowded.
There were so many people that the square and surrounding roads were packed, leaving barely any room to move.
What was even more remarkable was the silence that hung over the massive crowd.
Apart from the occasional sound of children fussing, most people were completely silent.
Yet, it wasn’t out of fear of the knights lining the roads.
Everyone had their gaze fixed on a single point—the entrance to the dungeon, just beyond the Adventurer’s Guild.
As the day grew hotter, the sun beat down mercilessly, and sweat began to soak through the crowd.
Despite the discomfort, no one moved. In fact, more people kept streaming into the square.
How much time passed was unclear, but at some point, the eyes of the gathered citizens sharpened, and a strange heat filled the air.
They had all noticed it.
A figure was rising into the air from the direction of the dungeon entrance.
Though it was difficult for the common folk to make out the details due to the distance, no one seemed to care.
Because they all knew—it was Martin Adalbert approaching them.
The white uniform he usually wore was now tattered from the fierce battles he had endured.
His face showed signs of exhaustion, yet a subtle, powerful aura still radiated from his entire body, more than enough to overwhelm the crowd.
The citizens of Varehein City erupted into cheers as they laid eyes on Martin.
“Woooah!”
“The heir has returned!”
“The hero of Adalbert is here!”
“Bless the savior of Adalbert!”
After the death of the former family head, the citizens of Varehein City had been gripped by a deep anxiety that the Adalbert family might collapse.
For 1,000 years, the Adalbert family had reigned as one of the Empire’s three great noble houses.
The idea of such a great house falling into ruin terrified the citizens. A collapse would undoubtedly plunge the region into chaos, and no one wanted that.
Of course, they understood that the branch family could replace the main family.
But the branch family was still the branch. They couldn’t expect it to suppress the ambitions of rival houses and stabilize the territory with overwhelming strength as the main family had always done.
However, as their fears grew, Martin overcame his tragic fate.
Not only had he awakened his unique ability, but he had also swiftly dealt with the traitor Valdemar von Rustal.
That alone was impressive, but now he had accomplished something even greater.
He had resolved the Monster Wave that had erupted simultaneously across the Empire’s four major dungeon cities—doing so with the least damage and the fastest results.
He had also boldly waived adventurer fees, increasing the number of adventurers by a large margin, and succeeded in rallying the nobles by offering the former territory of the Rustal family.
As a result, Varehein City was the only dungeon city among the four to avoid any direct damage from the Monster Wave.
Thus, the citizens welcomed their ruler and hero with all their hearts, chanting their pleas:
“Let’s make the heir our family head!”
“Ascend as family head, heir!”
“Only you can protect our home!”
Everyone in the square was united in their fervor.
As Martin observed the crowd, he nodded slightly.
‘Good.’
He could see that the hearts of the people were now fully with him.
The tide had shifted completely in his favor, and no one would be able to stop his ascension as the family head.
Though pleased by this, Martin didn’t show it outwardly.
It wasn’t yet time to celebrate.
Thud.
At last, Martin landed in the square.
Infusing his voice with mana, he began to speak.
“A month ago, the dungeon turned into a hellscape. Monsters were not only born endlessly, but they grew stronger by devouring each other. The creatures that became exponentially more dangerous displayed intense hostility toward humanity and attempted to break through to the surface. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this was the most dangerous moment in the history of humanity’s exploration of the dungeon.”
“But we have won. The warriors of Varehein City have prevailed. It was thanks to those who fought to the very end, disregarding their own lives.”
“Let us observe a moment of silence. So that the souls of the fallen may find peace.”
With that, Martin closed his eyes and bowed his head.
The citizens followed his lead, paying their respects to the fallen.
Amid the widespread silence, the sound of weeping could be heard—those who had lost family members, friends, or lovers mourned their loved ones.
“I, Martin Adalbert, will never forget the sacrifices of the fallen. That is why I make this promise. The Adalbert family will take full responsibility for the livelihoods of their surviving families.”
“Wooooah!”
“Glory to the Adalbert family!”
Martin’s declaration sent the crowd into an ecstatic frenzy.
Meanwhile, the heads of the branch families, save for Vincent, watched the scene from above with complicated expressions.
‘We’ve been played perfectly by the heir.’
Mateus von Gustin closed his eyes.
Throughout the Monster Wave crisis, neither he nor his comrades had gained anything.
On the contrary, they had lost many of their finest knights, weakening their forces considerably.
The losses didn’t stop there.
When Mateus reopened his eyes, he glanced across at the other side of the platform.
There stood Elder Aren and Elder Marius, both of whom watched the crowd with conflicted expressions but made no move to approach.
Martin’s clever manipulation of the Rustal family’s former territory had succeeded in driving a wedge between them.
‘They know they’ve fallen out of the heir’s favor, yet they still waver…’
It was a foolish mistake.
But Mateus couldn’t openly blame the elders.
After all, unlike the heads of the branch families, who already had their own territories, the elders had no such foundation. Their only option was to cling to Martin for survival.
‘It wasn’t just the elders who faltered.’
One of the branch family heads, Wilhelm von Fezek, had suffered massive losses during the crisis.
As a result, he had abandoned any ambition of independence or becoming the family head. Now, he was only concerned with protecting what little he had left.
By comparison, Oliver von Bitenfeld fared better.
He hadn’t given up on his ambition, but the damage he sustained meant he would have to lie low for the time being.
‘Cooperation with them will be difficult for the foreseeable future.’
Mateus realized that without a guaranteed reward, none of them would take significant action.
“And the Fire Dragon Sword, Christian Havertz, along with his band of adventurers, has pledged their allegiance!”
“Wooooah!”
Meanwhile, in the square, Martin had just announced that he had personally destroyed the core of the dungeon.
The citizens reacted with intense excitement to his latest achievement.
‘It’s time to make a choice.’
Mateus could no longer delay his decision: either submit to Martin and live under his rule, or abandon the facade of neutrality and pursue his own ambitions.
But it wasn’t a difficult choice. The answer had already been decided.
Squeeze.
Mateus clenched his fists tightly.
—
Three months passed after the resolution of the Monster Wave crisis in Varehein City.
The citizens quickly returned to their usual routines.
This was unsurprising, as the battle had been confined to the dungeon, and no monsters had reached Varehein City itself.
With no civilian casualties, it was easy for people to resume their normal lives.
“The bereaved families are still grieving, but thanks to the heir’s orders, their livelihoods are secure. They’re also pleased that their children will receive education from the main family.”
“That’s good to hear. I wish I could do more, but it’s difficult.”
“There are many nobles who don’t even bother with this much. I’d say I’ve chosen my lord well.”
Christian smiled.
Though Martin was much younger than him, his consideration for the citizens left a strong impression.
“Enough flattery. How are the other dungeon cities faring? I heard the Monster Waves have been dealt with.”
“As you said, the capital Raize, Dungeon City Engram, and Dungeon City Hyasis have all escaped the threat of the Monster Waves. However, unlike Varehein, they suffered significant civilian casualties. The capital, in particular, is in a very turbulent state.”
“Well, that’s not surprising. They’re too caught up in their factional struggles.”
Engram and Hyasis were the domains of the Ferdinand and Klaus families, two of the Empire’s three great noble houses.
Because they were unified under strong leadership, while there had been losses, there wasn’t much chaos.
In contrast, the capital, Raize, which was divided into three factions, had suffered heavy losses as the factions blamed one another and hesitated to act.
“The citizens of the capital are on edge, and an explosion of unrest seems imminent. There have been numerous reports of nobles diverting troops to their own districts and stealing supplies. As a result, crime is rampant, and law enforcement is failing to maintain order.”
“What about the princes and princesses? They must know the importance of public opinion.”
“The first prince and the first princess have been seen helping with relief efforts from time to time, but the second prince hasn’t shown his face.”
“That guy was always like that. No surprise.”
Theodore Altaria, the second prince, had always been known for favoring the nobility.
His reputation among the aristocracy was stellar, as he always ensured their interests were well taken care of.
Naturally, this came at the cost of his standing with the common folk, who resented him deeply.
“In
in any case, it’s safe to say that the heir’s fame has spread throughout the entire Empire. More people are moving to Varehein City as well.”
“The citizens’ reaction doesn’t matter. The real issue is the nobles.”
“I suspect there will be trouble on that front. Many nobles are already bitter that the heir didn’t help them during the crisis.”
“That’s why I hate nobles. Why are they making a fuss when all I did was focus on protecting my territory?”
“Well, you did take a lot of adventurers and nobles for yourself. In their minds, that was the same as helping them.”
“I wish more of those idiots had died during the crisis.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Still, the bottom line is that the nobles will likely hold the heir responsible in some way. How, I’m not sure.”
“Well, time will tell, won’t it?”
Martin shrugged lightly.
Successfully preventing the Monster Wave was an unprecedented achievement.
Despite the nobles’ and royalty’s ill feelings toward him, it was impossible to predict how events would unfold with certainty.
“True enough. By the way, how does it feel? Everything seems to be going exactly according to your plans.”
“My plans?”
“Oh, come on. The factional conflicts in the capital are getting worse by the day. Even I, an adventurer, can sense that a civil war might break out soon. There’s no way you haven’t realized that.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“The fact is, heir, you are now one of the most esteemed figures in the Empire. Whichever faction leader aligns with you will gain enormous support—especially with the power of the Adalbert family behind them.”
Martin’s value had skyrocketed.
Christian wasn’t one to mince words.
Martin merely chuckled at his straightforward comment, offering no further response.
At that moment, there was a knock on the office door.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
In response to Martin’s call, the door opened, and Sien stepped inside.
She was holding an envelope with an elegant, antique design in her right hand.
Martin reached out and took the envelope.
The name on the front was clear.
“Claudia Altaria.”
Martin read the name of the first princess and immediately opened the letter to check its contents.
He nodded as he read.
‘As expected.’
Just as he had predicted, the princess was inviting him to her birthday celebration.
But there was something Martin had to take care of before heading to the capital.
‘First, I’ll deal with the north.’
He would straighten out the northern territories that were currently in disarray.
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