The so-called "White Whale" was no stranger to Anastasia and her team. In fact, this monstrous entity could be considered the lifelong enemy of many merchants.
The White Whale was one of the three Great Witchbeasts, created over 400 years ago by the Witch of Gluttony, who imagined "a large creature with a lot of meat that could feed many people." However, instead of becoming a blessing, the Whale was imbued with the essence of Gluttony, and for four centuries, it would sporadically appear, consuming large quantities of people and goods.
Large cities, though densely populated, had formidable barriers and defensive strength, leading the intelligent White Whale to avoid them as targets. Because of this, trading caravans—high in numbers yet weak in defense—became the preferred targets of this beast.
The reason it was called the "Fog Witchbeast" was because of its ability to emit thick fog. Whenever it attacked, a dense mist would envelop the surroundings, concealing its movements and allowing it to launch attacks without revealing itself. This strategy made the White Whale elusive, difficult to track, and nearly impossible to defeat.
Apart from its troublesome abilities, the Whale was incredibly powerful, with monstrous magic and combat capabilities. The previous Sword Saint, Theresia van Astrea—Reinhard's grandmother—had once attempted to slay the beast, only to lose her life in the battle.
No one knew the details of Theresia's battle with the White Whale, but many suspected her demise was linked to the fact that young Reinhard had received the Astrea family's "Sword Saint" blessing. The Astrea family blessing differed from others; it could only belong to one person at a time. When Reinhard inherited it, Theresia had to die.
However, this was just speculation. Even if Theresia died fighting the Whale, it wasn't surprising. As the strongest among the three Great Witchbeasts, the White Whale's strength was not to be underestimated—it had wreaked havoc for over four centuries, and countless hunting parties had vanished without a trace. Many people didn't even know what it looked like or what abilities it possessed.
This time, the missing goods were extremely valuable—intended to win over noble families in the Royal Capital and build new connections. If this cargo couldn't be recovered, it would be a significant blow to the Hoshin Company.
Additionally, the "Iron Fang" mercenaries assigned to protect the goods were also unaccounted for. Maintaining a private mercenary company was costly, and the members sent from Kararagi to the Capital were among the best.
In short, the sudden disaster threw Anastasia's plans into disarray. Without the cargo and the elite mercenaries, her chances of winning the Royal Selection would become even slimmer.
"Tell me the location of the incident. With the strength of our 'Iron Fang' elite, even if the opponent is the White Whale, they shouldn't be wiped out instantly. If I head there now, I might still be able to save some people and recover the goods."
The Fog Witchbeast was only interested in food; if the cargo wasn't edible, there was a chance it could be retrieved if they acted quickly enough.
Wilhelm understood how important this shipment was to Anastasia, and he couldn't ignore the fate of his trapped mercenaries. He began gearing up, ready to leave for the incident site.
"Do you intend to go after the White Whale with just a handful of people? That's nothing short of suicide!"
Seeing Wilhelm grab his weapon and make for the door, Julius stepped forward to stop him. Though Julius had never faced the Fog Witchbeast, its reputation was too great to be ignored. Since the previous Sword Saint had died to it, Julius doubted Wilhelm could defeat it alone.
"Even if it means dying, I will go to save my comrades! Sir Knight, stay here and protect Lady Anastasia; I never asked you to join me in death."
The "Iron Fang" was composed almost entirely of beastmen, and Wilhelm, as their leader, was both respected and beloved by his people. Now, with his comrades' fates uncertain, the bold and honorable Wilhelm couldn't simply stand by.
Julius, half amused and half frustrated by Wilhelm's words, began to question his choice of faction. Anastasia's insistence on targeting Emilia was one thing, but now her mercenary leader seemed to be just as headstrong.
Still, Julius had sworn loyalty to Anastasia as her knight and would never betray that. So, instead of responding to Wilhelm's provocations, he explained calmly, "I'm not against rescuing your comrades or retrieving the cargo. I just think charging in blindly is foolish."
Wilhelm wanted to retort, but Anastasia raised her hand to stop him and gestured for Julius to continue.
"As I mentioned earlier, the former Sword Saint, Theresia van Astrea, died at the hands of the White Whale. From what I know, her husband, known as the 'Sword Devil' Wilhelm, has spent his life chasing the beast, seeking vengeance for his wife.
"To this end, he left the Astrea family and became Crusch's butler."
The tragic love story between the Sword Saint and the Sword Devil was well-known in the Capital, and Julius was no exception.
When Julius brought it up, Anastasia quickly understood what he was getting at. "You're suggesting we tell the 'Sword Devil' about the White Whale and draw Crusch's faction into this?"
Seeing Anastasia voice his thoughts, Julius nodded subtly. If he overlooked her tendency for sibling overprotection, Anastasia's intelligence was indeed commendable.
"Correct. Crusch holds Wilhelm in high regard, and if he wishes to hunt the Whale, Crusch is likely to support him.
"Moreover, the White Whale, being one of the three Great Witchbeasts, has long endangered merchant caravans traveling through Lugnica, causing immense suffering for merchants.
"If Crusch's faction succeeds in slaying it, their reputation and achievements in the kingdom will skyrocket. Supporting her subordinate and gaining an advantage in the Royal Selection—Crusch won't let such an opportunity pass, even if she knows we're using her."
If they could ally with Crusch's faction to hunt the White Whale, the power of House Karsten would significantly increase their chances of success.
Even if Crusch's reputation reached new heights as a result, it wouldn't be a loss for Anastasia's faction. They were planning to go after the Whale anyway, and now they could team up with Crusch, boosting their chances of success while gaining some of the credit and salvaging the Iron Fang members and lost cargo.
From a long-term perspective, eliminating the White Whale would greatly benefit future Hoshin Company trade routes.
Raising their odds, earning credit and reputation, rescuing their people, and retrieving the goods—this was a fourfold win.
Even Anastasia had to admit Julius's idea was brilliant. He wasn't called the "Greatest Knight" for nothing.
Due to the situation with the lost cargo, Anastasia temporarily abandoned her plan to target Emilia, and instead, began preparing supplies for the Whale hunt.
Though most of the cargo had been taken, with her long-established connections and eloquence, Anastasia was quickly able to gather resources for the Iron Fang.
Wilhelm and the three Mimi siblings set out to rally the Iron Fang mercenaries. Meanwhile, Mimi, ever playful, slipped away from her brothers when they weren't paying attention, sneaking off in a certain direction.
Julius, acting as an envoy, headed for House Karsten to negotiate their collaboration for the White Whale hunt.
Compared to the bustling preparations of Anastasia and Crusch's factions for the major undertaking of hunting the White Whale, Emilia's faction was slowly but steadily making progress.
Wood, Rem, and Emilia spent several days hunting dangerous creatures and bandits around the kingdom, earning them official commendations from the Knights of Lugnica.
Though the results were modest, they did help change public opinion about Emilia, gaining her a small number of supporters.
These newfound supporters were mostly families of those harmed by Witchbeasts and bandits. Emilia avenged them, and in return, these families chose to support her purely out of gratitude.
Ram accompanied Wood and the others during these expeditions, but in reality, she was already investigating Roswaal in secret.
To be fair, Roswaal had been good to her, and she shouldn't act against him. Yet what Wood had said earlier still nagged at Ram.
For a devoted sister like her, she could endure anything—even give up her life with a smile. But harm her sister, and all bets were off. Even if it were God Himself, or her own parents, they'd have to answer for it.
"Sir Wood, the magic techniques you've taught me have been incredibly helpful. I never thought ice magic could be manipulated through shape to suit different situations.
"And I never imagined that the reactions between different spells could enhance their power, as you explained with those 'physical reactions'."
During their hunts, Wood took time to share magic techniques with Emilia. Though both were from magical worlds, the magic of the "Mushoku Tensei" world and this one had notable differences.
In this world, only those who possessed the right magic attribute could use the corresponding spells, whereas in the "Mushoku Tensei" world, anyone with magical talent could learn any spell, though they would have a natural affinity for a particular element.
Most mages focused on their most compatible magic—for instance, Rudeus excelled in water magic, with his first mastered Saint-tier spell being of the water element.
Wood, on the other hand, specialized in fire magic. Under the influence of the "Heart of God," he could even barely cast something comparable to a Divine-tier fire spell.
However, this world's magic had its own strengths. It required shorter chants, making spellcasting much faster—a boon, though less relevant to Wood, who could already use silent casting.
There was also another major advantage: in the absence of sufficient personal mana, mages could directly draw mana from the atmosphere, which wasn't possible in the "Mushoku Tensei" world.
Wood, being blessed with magical talent, could use both fire and wind magic. So during their expeditions, he also exchanged insights on magic techniques with Emilia.
More accurately, Wood sought advice from the spirit Puck. Though Puck appeared to be a cute mascot anyone could pet, Wood recently learned from Rem that Puck was known as the Great Spirit of Fire, feared by many as the Beast of the End.
By learning fire magic from the Great Spirit of Fire, and wind magic from Ram, Wood's mastery of local magic improved by leaps and bounds.
As a gesture of goodwill, Wood also taught Emilia some combat techniques, helping her make up for her lack of battle experience.
Rem, seeing Wood patiently instructing Emilia, also wanted to learn. However, unlike Emilia, who had strength but lacked experience, Rem's skills and combat experience were already excellent—she didn't need further training.
Feeling snubbed, Rem turned to Ram, who in turn confronted Wood with a scowl.
She pointed out that since Puck had taught Wood fire magic, and he had shared his combat knowledge with Emilia, and she herself had taught Wood wind magic, why hadn't Wood taught anything to Rem?
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Don't forget to give Power Stone
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