Darion leaned back slightly in his chair as Garren thought for a moment.

The older knight frowned faintly, clearly trying to organize the long list of debts in his head before speaking.

"We owe seven thousand gold coins to Thandor," Garren finally said, starting with that. "A Barony similar in size to Percvale. Not too far either. Half a day’s ride if travelling normally."

Darion nodded once, motioning for him to continue.

"That was the first debt Percvale ever took," Garren explained. "I was still a regular knight at the time, not involved in the kingdom’s administration directly, but I remember the situation well enough. The then Baron borrowed the money in an attempt to stabilize Percvale after the first major decline."

"The first decline?" Darion asked.

Garren nodded slowly.

"The beginning of the collapse. Before things became... what you saw when you arrived."

Darion scratched lightly at his beardless chin while thinking about it.

"So how were the coins spent?"

"Well," Garren hesitated slightly, "I don’t know every detail. Back then I wasn’t important enough to sit in those discussions."

That was true. Regular knights had no business with the discussions that went on inside the castle about building the Barony.

Just like current Percvale, ruled by Darion. When he made decisions and plans for the future, he did them with Garren, there was no business with the regular knights.

And when they wanted to head into battle at Valdenmoor, he had just called on the ’Senior’ knights and not the regular ones.

Garren knowing some things about how the money by the then Baron had been squandered, was saying something.

He paused briefly before continuing.

"But from what I learned later, part of the money was used properly. Seeds were purchased. Livestock too. The Baron at the time wanted to restore the farmland and recover Percvale’s food production."

"And the rest?" Darion asked.

Garren’s expression flattened.

"They were quandered."

Darion snorted faintly.

Of course.

It almost felt traditional at this point. Every story about Percvale’s previous rulers somehow ended with either incompetence, greed or stupidity.

"The Baron spent heavily on himself," Garren continued. "Personal comforts, entertainment, unnecessary luxuries... things Percvale couldn’t afford even during good years, let alone while collapsing."

Darion shook his head slowly.

"And the farmland efforts?"

Garren gave a single negative shake of his head.

"They failed."

"Why?"

"The soil was already badly damaged by then. Crops barely grew properly even after the seeds were planted." Garren folded his arms loosely. "And winter arrived early that year."

Darion frowned slightly.

"Winter?"

"Not the harshest winter possible," Garren clarified. "But harsh enough. The cold came quickly. The ground froze faster than expected."

He paused.

"And then the Ice Wolves came."

Darion looked up immediately at the name.

"Ice Wolves?"

Garren nodded.

"Winter creatures. Large ones."

He raised a hand slightly above waist level.

"Bigger than normal wolves. Their fur grows upward like spikes during winter seasons. White fur mostly, thick enough to blend into snowfields."

He paused briefly before adding:

"And vicious."

Darion could already imagine it.

A starving, weakened territory trying desperately to rebuild while giant winter wolves tore through livestock during freezing weather.

That sounded absolutely miserable.

"They attacked the farms?" Darion asked.

"The livestock first," Garren replied. "Goats, cattle, horses. Anything they could catch."

He looked away slightly as if remembering something unpleasant. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"They ripped through entire pens during the night. Ate what they could and left the rest scattered."

"And humans?"

The answer came immediately.

"Several villagers died trying to defend the animals. Some knights too. They... lost their lives."

’Yikes.’

Darion leaned back slightly.

"So they’re creatures that only appear during winter?"

"Yes," Garren replied. "They’re built for cold climates. Heat weakens them considerably, so during warmer seasons they stay hidden deep in forests or high mountain regions where temperatures remain low."

"But when winter comes..." Darion muttered.

"They come down," Garren finished. "And hunt."

The great hall became quiet for a moment.

Darion processed the information carefully.

Back on Earth winter meant inconvenience.

Cold weather. Snow maybe. Transportation problems.

In this world winter apparently meant monsters.

Actual seasonal predators emerging from forests to attack territories already struggling against starvation and cold.

Wonderful.

His thoughts drifted briefly toward Percvale itself.

When he first arrived, the air had already felt colder than expected. Not freezing, but enough to notice constantly.

Signs that winter was approaching.

At the time he hadn’t cared much because he was too busy dealing with starvation, debts, collapsing infrastructure and not dying immediately after reincarnating into this seemingly miserable life.

Now he realized something unpleasant.

Winter wasn’t just weather here.

It was a threat.

Another problem to prepare for.

And judging from Garren’s tone, Percvale in its weakened state would not survive a bad winter comfortably if preparations weren’t made beforehand.

Darion exhaled slowly.

Back in the Imperial Palace he never really experienced any of this.

The capital was protected by enormous walls, standing armies, mage defenses and enough resources to ignore most seasonal difficulties entirely.

Winter there had probably meant warm fireplaces, thicker clothing and nobles complaining dramatically about cold mornings while servants handled everything else.

Meanwhile border territories like Percvale were apparently fighting off monster wolves in frozen farmland while starving.

No wonder his previous self had dreaded being sent here after failing his awakening.

Honestly?

The old Darion probably would’ve died within months.

The current one might too.

Darion rested one arm against the chair thoughtfully.

More things to prepare for.

Food reserves. Castle repairs. Animal fencing. Military growth. Winter preparation.

The list never ended.

Still, compared to when he first arrived, Percvale at least had resources now.

Money changed things. Not instantly, but significantly.

With enough preparation they could survive winter properly instead of barely crawling through it like before.

Maybe even profit during it somehow if handled correctly.

His eyes shifted back toward Garren.

"Well," he said, returning to the original discussion, "How did Thandor react when Percvale stopped paying the debt?"

Garren’s expression shifted slightly, thinking of answers.

"And how are they likely to react now?" Darion asked.

"The Baron then was a new Baron," Garren started slowly. "Just became a man not long before it happened. Young, like you."

Darion leaned back slightly in his chair as he listened.

So Thandor’s Baron had been young too when Percvale first borrowed from them.

Not some old noble sitting safely behind walls counting coins while people starved somewhere else. Instead young.

Which somehow made the story feel more interesting already.

Garren continued.

"He lent us the money because he heard about Percvale’s condition after the invasion. He came personally to see it himself."

Darion raised an eyebrow slightly at that.

"He came here?"

"Yes."

Garren nodded once.

"He saw the burned farms. The dead animals. The starving people." Garren paused briefly before continuing. "At that time, Percvale was already collapsing badly. Food shortages, people leaving and houses abandoned."

The older knight looked down at the table for a moment as if remembering it clearly.

"The Baron of Thandor saw all of that himself. He said no territory should fall that low while neighbors stood and watched."

Darion stayed silent.

That was... surprisingly decent.

Especially for this world.

Back on Earth people loved talking about helping others, but actual large-scale assistance usually came with contracts, expectations, hidden motives or political gain attached somewhere underneath.

But from what Garren described, this sounded almost genuine.

"He gave the seven thousand willingly," Garren said. "Told Percvale to recover first and repay when able."

Darion exhaled quietly.

"So he genuinely tried to help."

"Yes."

Garren’s expression remained calm.

"He believed Percvale could recover if it was given enough support."

"When Percvale failed to pay," Garren continued, "he first assumed there was some sort of problem. He sent people to ask questions. Wanted to know how the money was being used and why recovery wasn’t progressing properly."

Darion could already guess where this was going.

"But by then," Garren said, "the Baron had already fled."

The older knight’s voice carried visible disappointment even after all these years.

"He abandoned Percvale completely. Couldn’t handle the pressure anymore."

Darion frowned slightly.

Weak. He had worsened the situation and now left.

Abandoning the territory entirely?

Leaving everyone else to suffer while he escaped?

That part disgusted him.

"When the Baron of Thandor learned Percvale’s ruler had fled," Garren continued, "he stopped pressing the debt."

Darion looked at him.

"Just like that?"

Garren nodded.

"He still kept an eye on Percvale afterward. Watched the new Barons who came after." He paused briefly. "But over time, he saw the same thing everyone else saw."

"A dying territory," Darion muttered.

"Yes."

The great hall became quiet for a moment.

Percvale’s reputation truly had been horrible.

A failed Barony. Starving people. Endless debts. Weak rulers.

Just a bad reputation.

Probably the kind of place neighboring territories spoke about with pity at best and mockery at worst.

Darion honestly couldn’t even blame them.

If he had seen the Percvale he first arrived in from the outside, he would’ve assumed the territory was beyond saving too.

And yet here they were now.

Twenty thousand gold coins secured inside the castle. Farmland is recovering, military strength growing too and debt disappearing little by little.

The difference between then and now was absurd.

"He’s still ruling Thandor?" Darion asked after a while.

"Yes," Garren replied.