Chapter 175: Level 5 Demon Beast
When Duane heard from Kaelon that Simone was injured, his first thought was that the prisoners had ambushed him.
But on second thought, that didn’t seem right.
After all, he had already taken the strongest prisoner, Garrot, away. Among those who remained, the most powerful was Blake, the Vice Commander of the Gale Corps.
Even in his prime, the Human Tier Warrior might not have been a match for Simone, let alone now, when he was injured and exhausted.
So Duane could only think of one possibility. "Was he attacked by a Demon Beast near the mines?"
"Not exactly at the mines."
Kaelon answered, "In his search for Red Sun Grass, Simone ventured deep into the Hot Spring Mountain Range and ran into a Level 5 Demon Beast—an Ash-tailed Mountain Cat!"
A Level 5 Demon Beast!
A chill ran down Duane’s spine. That was equivalent to an Earth Tier Warrior.
Moreover, feline Demon Beasts were known to be incredibly swift and extremely dangerous.
Simone was only an Advanced Warrior; it was hard to imagine how he could have faced such a Demon Beast head-on and escaped in one piece.
As if on cue, Kaelon said with lingering fear, "Fortunately, the Mountain Cat seemed to have overeaten and was sluggish. If it had been on an empty stomach, I’m afraid Simone wouldn’t have made it back."
"How are his injuries? Is his life in danger?" Duane asked urgently.
"Don’t worry, my lord. Simone’s condition has stabilized under Dr. Ronald’s care."
"However, the deep gashes on his abdomen, chest, and arms haven’t healed. He probably won’t be able to move around freely for some time."
Hearing about deep wounds in so many places, Duane instantly understood the severity of his condition.
He couldn’t help but marvel again; Simone was incredibly lucky to have made it out of the Hot Spring Mountain Range alive.
"I bought a Special Healing Potion on this trip. I’ll take it to him later and see if it helps."
Duane mounted his horse. As much as he wanted to go see Simone, he had to make arrangements for Baron Jick first.
The man was a Baron, after all, and was here representing Count Kais.
It would be rude for Duane to simply ignore him right after arriving back in his territory.
"My lord!"
Kaelon called out to Duane. "Simone may be badly injured, but he brought back valuable intelligence—he found the Red Sun Grass you were looking for!"
Duane froze for a moment, then his face lit up with joy.
After achieving Perfection with the Fire Source Beast Bone Soup, he had discovered a way to improve the recipe further, and Red Sun Grass was the key ingredient.
With it, combined with specially prepared Fire-attribute Demon Beast meat, he could concoct a broth that would be effective for Middle-Level and Advanced Warriors.
Duane now had twenty-two Ordinary Realm Warriors under his command. To rapidly increase their strength, he needed an auxiliary ingredient like Red Sun Grass.
"Simone has performed a great service!"
Duane said, "He must be rewarded handsomely for this!"
"He certainly did an excellent job!"
Kaelon also acknowledged Simone’s great contribution.
Without his exploration, the discovery of the Red Sun Grass would have been pushed back even further.
Furthermore, the dangers of that place could have been fatal to any future exploration party.
After all, based on existing intelligence, everyone believed the strongest Demon Beasts in the Hot Spring Mountain Range were merely Level 3 or 4. Who would have expected a Level 5 Demon Beast like the Ash-tailed Mountain Cat to be there?
In a way, Simone’s discovery had indirectly saved the Baron from future losses.
"We’ll go see him together later."
Duane mused for a moment, then said, "For now, we need to hand the prisoners over to Baron Jick so he can take them back to the Silent Shore."
Duane briefly explained the situation.
"Ride back ahead of me. Inform Selena and Brison of the situation, and gather all the prisoners."
He added in a low voice, "Remind them both—especially Brison—to act like normal prisoners. Don’t blow their cover."
Since Selena had received special treatment, she wouldn’t look as miserable as the other prisoners.
And thanks to his relationship with Selena, Brison would be in better shape as well.
Still, Duane wasn’t too concerned.
After all, the couple consisted of a Baroness and a Knight. Both were members of the nobility, so it was perfectly understandable for them to receive slightly better treatment, even as prisoners.
"I understand!"
Kaelon immediately spurred his horse and galloped toward the castle.
Baron Jick sat in the carriage for a short while before getting out and asking for a horse to ride.
It wasn’t that he particularly enjoyed riding; the road was simply too rough, and the jolting of the carriage made him uncomfortable.
Along the way, under the pretext of admiring the scenery, he looked around and saw nothing but signs of backwardness.
’Just as I thought,’ Jick mused. ’While Duane himself is outstanding, his territory is a complete disaster, even worse than a typical rural town.’
Jick couldn’t help but remark, "For His Majesty to grant you Black Forest Island as your fief... it’s a bit of a waste of your talents."
"Given your abilities and your father’s meritorious service, you could easily have been granted a town in Grant Province. Even the worst of them wouldn’t be as bad as this place."
Duane’s expression was relaxed, without a hint of resentment.
He might have looked down on Black Forest Island at first, but he had since changed his mind.
Black Forest Island had mines, Magic Plants, and arable land, with potential for sericulture. Best of all, it had no border disputes. It was the perfect sanctuary for him to grow his power and had helped him through his most difficult period.
"Without Black Forest Island, I probably wouldn’t even have had the chance to cooperate with the Count."
He said with a smile, "It may be a bit lacking, but it has its opportunities. If I were on the mainland, we wouldn’t have this chance to demand compensation from the Akutas Kingdom."
Jick nodded at his words.
"That’s true. Once the issue of sea travel is resolved, this place is no different from the mainland. It’s just less comfortable in the beginning, but that can be changed in a few years, or maybe a decade or so."
’A decade or so?’
Duane silently shook his head.
’A decade is too long. There must be significant changes within five years at the most!’
The two chatted as they rode, arriving at the castle in Forest Village a little over an hour later.
"This castle of yours..."
Jick struggled to find the right word. "...its design is certainly... rugged."
Duane smiled without a word.
This was the castle primarily built by Bard of the Broken Wave Gang; aesthetically, it was far inferior to the one Daniels had built.
"The conditions are a bit poor. I’ll have to ask you to put up with it for a couple of days, Baron."
By this time, the butler, Ralph, had already heard the news of the Baron’s safe return from Kaelon and had prepared a welcoming party with the servants.
Amid their enthusiastic cheers, Duane ushered Jick into the castle.
After enjoying some fruit and Hot Spring Mountain Tea, the two men made their way to the castle’s rear courtyard to inspect the prisoners.
Jick immediately spotted Selena among the group of prisoners.
"That must be Baron Torre’s wife, correct?" he whispered to Duane, gesturing toward Selena.
"Yes. She’s a twenty-three-year-old Level 4 Mage. Quite talented!"
Jick’s eyes lit up. "You’ll receive a hefty ransom for her, then!"
Duane smiled faintly. "That’s why I’ve had my men take good care of her."
’Selena and Brison are my people now.’
’Baron Jick won’t mistreat them, but as their master, I should still say a few words to ensure they’re cared for, especially in front of them.’
"Once you reach the Silent Shore, please remind your subordinates, Baron, to give special care to Selena and the Knight beside her, Brison. They are both nobles; Viscount Freddy and Baron Torre will definitely ransom them."
’If Baron Torre failed to ransom his own wife and one of his knights, it would be a tremendous loss of face for him.’
"You can rest assured on that front. We always take special care of nobles who are likely to be ransomed!"