Chapter 1556: The Fenrir Legion
While both sides were throwing insults back and forth, and we were getting impatient, the Intelligence Manager finally brought up the intelligence the Princess had asked him to gather. It was a battle report from over twenty years ago.
“An attack by the Northmen?” they looked at the battle report, which documented an unprecedented Viking raid. A large number of Viking warbands invaded along the Elbe River, burning, killing, and looting along the way. Battle scars marked the entire territory of the Holy Roman Empire.
I instantly recalled the werewolf girl in the commoner district. She had also been bitten by a werewolf from a Viking warband, but it was a much longer time ago.
Some of the courtiers had not experienced what happened twenty years ago, but some still remembered it vividly. Since the Hesse Duchy was a relatively southern duchy, the fact that even this place was attacked was enough to show how critical the situation was.
“I still remember that great battle. I hadn’t inherited my title yet, and I was a commander under the Duke, participating in that battle. At that time, there were indeed many werewolves climbing over the city walls to attack civilians and loot nearby villages, causing many people to turn into werewolves,” an old Count, a vassal of the Hesse Duchy, said.
“So, was that werewolf left behind from that time? Was she the Duke’s… pet?” an uninformed official asked. He didn’t dare to directly say that the werewolf was the Duke’s lover, so he could only hint at it, though I had also speculated as much.
“No, she might be the Duke’s illegitimate daughter,” the Intelligence Manager revealed shocking information.
“What?!” Everyone was stunned. Was that something that could be said casually? But even though they knew the topic was dangerous, they couldn’t resist their desire for gossip.
The Intelligence Manager had given up. His dereliction of duty had led to the Princess being cursed, which meant he was destined to be held accountable by the Duke. Now, he could only reveal the intelligence so that everyone could make more accurate judgments.
“Perhaps the Duke captured a female werewolf during that war, and because she was too beautiful, he kept her and had a child with her?” an official speculated. Such things were not uncommon among nobles.
“I don’t think so. According to the intelligence, the Duke ordered our Intelligence Manager at the time to fully track and search for the Viking warband that attacked our city-state and to focus on information about werewolves. He also hired doctors at a high price to treat werewolf infections,” the Intelligence Manager said.
“So, it sounds like one of the Duke’s lovers was bitten by a werewolf, and the Duke wanted to save her, so he went to search for clues,” a Civil official analyzed. The reason for suspecting it was a lover was that the Duke’s original wife was still alive and well and was a normal human.
“Yes, and she was pregnant because among the doctors hired at the time were also those who assisted in childbirth,” the Intelligence Manager added.
Some people here had experienced those events and had some impression of what happened then. As soon as the Intelligence Manager spoke, many people recalled that they had indeed investigated werewolves at the time.
We listened silently. So far, their deductions were similar to my own, but there were still several crucial unsolved mysteries.
First, who was the werewolf’s mother, and where did she go? If she had been transformed into a werewolf, her vitality should have become very strong, and it shouldn’t be a problem for her to survive until now. Was she purged as an Otherworldly being?
Second, where did the divinity in the werewolf virus come from? Ordinary werewolves absolutely would not possess such divinity. The werewolf that bit her was definitely not an ordinary werewolf.
These were all explained in the next piece of intelligence. An old official said, “I also participated in the investigation back then. It wasn’t difficult to trace at all. I think you all probably know this more or less – that legion that worshipped Fenrir.”
“Ah, yes! I remember it too, it was that Fenrir Legion. They raised white wolf banners and had a large number of Wolf Riders, wearing wolf pelts over their coats and riding direwolves. Their Wolf God priests could transform people into werewolves,” the Count, who had personally participated in the war, quickly recalled the past.
Twenty years is neither too long nor too short. Even people who didn’t personally participate in the war were likely adults and lived within the territory of the Hesse Duchy, having some impression of the war of plunder initiated by the North Sea Empire at the time.
The impression of the Fenrir Legion was unforgettable for those who had seen it. Many people’s expressions became somewhat unnatural as they recalled the howling wolves in the night, the attacks on villages by Wolf Riders, and the nightmare of people being bitten and turning into werewolves.
“The Fenrir Legion, one of the strongest legions of the North Sea Empire at that time, marched south to the walls of Darmstadt City. Finally, during the decisive battle, their commander was killed by the Duke with a Rune Sword, and only then did they retreat. Since then, the National Stabilizing Artifact of the Hesse Duchy was renamed the Giant Wolf Slayer,” the historian said.
This piece of history was the pride of the Hesse Duchy and a glorious moment for the Duke. Many people knew about it, and I also understood why the National Stabilizing Artifact had a special suppressive effect on werewolves.
Fenrir, the giant wolf from Norse mythology, was a child of the evil god Loki, the elder brother of the death goddess Hel and the world serpent Jörmungandr. Legend had it that when it opened its mouth, its upper jaw could touch the sky and its lower jaw could touch the earth.
Its two children would chase the sun and moon, and finally devour them at Ragnarök. Fenrir would break free from all restraints and devour and kill the All-Father Odin. This was the legend of Fenrir.
The commander of a legion that worshipped Fenrir must have been a chosen one of the Wolf God. I had seen a large oil painting in the palace of a majestic man holding a sword carved with runes, cutting off the head of a giant white wolf.
At that time, I thought it was a scene of an ancestor of the Hessen family fighting a magical beast. Nobles often did this, painting their ancestors’ most famous achievements for future generations.
But I never expected that this was the Duke’s own achievement. This oil painting must have depicted the moment he killed the commander who had transformed into a giant wolf.
“As you all may not know, the commander of the Fenrir Legion, nicknamed the Wolf King, placed a curse before his death, causing important people around the Duke to be cursed by the Wolf God.” At this moment, a voice came from outside the door.
“Hmm?” Everyone turned to look outside and saw an old mage with white hair and beard, wearing a blue robe, adorned with various celestial patterns on metal plates, holding a celestial orrery-like magic circle, walk in.
“Master!” All the courtiers bowed. He was the Duke’s advisor mage, who had served three generations of Dukes of the Hessen family, and his status was extraordinary.
“I also experienced that catastrophe back then and personally fought against the Wolf God priests. Afterward, I also participated in the treatment of that cursed girl, but I didn’t expect…” The old mage looked at the Princess, hesitating.
“What misfortune! I didn’t expect the curse from back then to still linger.”
