Chapter 37.3

The mountain dwellers looked at each other, all in doubt, trying to process what they had been told. Eirwen and Red simply circulated their mana, Red to recover from the show he had given, Eirwen to better observe every person's physical and mental state. A bit over a third actually found their theory plausible, a fifth was in utter disbelief. Good, she could work with that.

One of them cleared her throat, then looked straight at her. "Your Grace. This is an interesting theory, but it is not something we can help with. The idea that there is some form of king of giants, who has been plotting against us for decades, is something that is hard to consider anything but a fairy tale. We cannot act on such a vague idea."

Eirwen smiled in turn. "Of course. I'm not asking you to form an army and help me hunt down every giant out there. I need you to understand something is coming. I need you prepared. So that if we turn out to be right, or at least partially, you know how to act and can help prevent massive panic. And so that you can calm the people when we start taking action, help make clear that we're not just trying to take over."

She gestured at the table, showing once more the villages that had been attacked in the past years. "Old memories are hard to work with, so we cannot establish in detail how the past few times went that the Frost Giants came and tore through the mountains. But both their surveillance and their violent acts have grown in intensity the past years. Even if we ignore the theory of a ruler, it still is a clear sign that something is coming. The risk is there. I simply need you aware of it."

The woman nodded, then turned her eyes towards Red. "Red, you have studied the giants a lot, to the point where you not only learned how to turn into one yourself, but also had a sword made that you could grow. So I do admit that you know a lot about them. But why are you expecting larger giants to exist?"

Red smiled playfully. "Let me ask in turn, Nóinín. What was the main lesson you taught me about fighting giants?" Ah, that explained why she was willing to speak up. Familiarity with Red would indeed bolster one's courage to question him.

Nóinín frowned at that. "To never stab their hearts... Because there is a good chance of failure, due to petrification surrounding it." Eirwen could tell she was understanding what Red was insinuating.

"That's right. Because a crystalline structure forms around their hearts. Where the wolves develop sturdier bones, with the giants the main manifestation surrounds their heart. A structure that I am able to sense, which feels far too familiar to mana stones. Hence my theory. And unfortunately, we actually have proof."

He nodded at Eirwen, who used the crystal to show them the form of an older man. She could tell that some people recognised him. "This man helped us with his memories. He was here, twenty-three years ago, when Frost Giants seized control of Bealach na Caisteal. He helped arrange supplies for those who didn't dare flee the town, and he managed to get many people out when the town burnt at the hands of the sixth Duke. Afterwards, he entered the town to see if there was anyone left to safe."

The man's image turned younger. A memory shaped by a limited amount of sensing, which was around the level of a less-skilled knight. And at his feet was the torched corpse of a giant, one larger than normal, with its chest torn open by flames. Within that chest rested a damaged crystal structure surrounding the burnt heart.

Eirwen moved the memory around, showing corpse after corpse. All giants were larger. Where the ones she had faced were up to thrice the size of a person, these were up to four times instead. The damaged buildings helped make very clear this wasn't just a poor recollection, but a measured memory.

"These memories match what old records say, people claiming that the giants that tore through this town and others were larger than normal giants. With these memories to support those claims, I cannot help but find Red's theory plausible. At the very least, it confirms that the semi-generational invasions in fact originate from giants that manage to grow larger."

She turned the image into one of giants observing the main road from a distance, eyes narrowed as they kept their eyes on a small caravan passing by. "We see the signs of a pending invasion. But just like how you cannot act on just a vague idea, I also cannot stay here forever. I must return home before winter, to show my people I am still there to rule them. And I will not leave Red behind. So once we get an indication that our theory is correct, we're going to try to accelerate the plans of our enemy."

Giuthas rose a hand. "How would that work? You say you're not going to lead a hunt, then how could we convince them to speed up their invasion?" Good, the man had recovered. He was on board with their plans himself, as were his companions, judging from their observing looks.

"Before I answer that, let me ask you all. What is the most terrifying thing you can think of in the history of the mountains?" Over half the people's eyes shot towards Red. "That's right. Burning. For generations, the Flamehearts have at times come to the mountains and have burnt down everything in their way. But those flames are now gone. There is no Flameheart left in the world. And if we assume the giants fear the flames, then its absence will lure them out."

She shook her head when people looked in Red's direction. "Giants do not follow our names, so the act of discarding or forfeiting his name won't matter to them. But he never used flames in the mountains, no? Sure, he used flame mana, but he didn't torch things. Even when he fought in despair, he did so in the shape of a giant, not as a flaming berserker. And his father only came here a few times. As far as the giants know, no Flameheart has graced the mountains with their presence in nearly two decades. The only thing left is for a sign that another ruler has taken over. Me."

They gave her incredulous looks, but she just shook her head with a smile. "Like I said, the giants don't work the same as us. I'm not talking proclamations or anything. A different organisation method would suffice. The locals stay inside fortified walls, while the Flamehearts would rally and venture into battle, their leader holding the center on their own. Such is the fate of a flaming berserker, whose techniques interfere with those of allies. But I don't fight that way. An organised group setting up defences to help protect refugees would be enough to come across as different."

A smirk. "They take offence to organised groups. If we mess with their attempts to cause terror, I wouldn't be surprised if they start picking fights with us. All the while, if they have any of these older giants nearby, those will likely observe from a safe distance. During my times gigantified, I noticed my senses stretched wider. If the same applies to them, those unknown larger giants could observe beyond the expected range."

"I'm sorry, gigantified?" Nóinín wasn't the only one surprised. Even Fang had her mouth open in shock. "Did Red teach you that, your Grace?"

"He did. I needed to understand it to be able to use it. It also let us improve the technique. I did use Crimson for it at first myself. It really helps with keeping the mana flows stable."

"I see. So when you say your senses were better, that means the larger giants likely can act as scouts at a distance we don't expect. That's good to know, as it means we need to be more wary. You say you're expecting refugees. Will that serve as your indication that the giants are indeed planning an invasion?"

"Correct. We will not act before then, because we don't want to endanger the people. Only once the giants go on the offensive, will we make our move. I can only hope it will convince the giants to act before their time."

They all discussed quietly, but nothing that could hide from Eirwen's senses. If they had wanted to, no doubt they could have, with privacy tricks such as what Fang and Red could use. But now she could tell, they were beginning to believe her. 

Nóinín finally asked an important question. "Red, why didn't you ever tell anyone about this theory? The idea of a ruler of giants is one that we could have looked into the past years."

"I didn't know?" He shrugged. "I had theories on them consuming the pits, which I kept secret to not cause a massive hunt and fatal experiments. Crimson was made with those theories in mind. But I didn't suspect anything more until recently, when I realised something was wrong. That there were signs of outside interference. Only then did I form my full theory."

He looked at Eirwen and Nantgate. "I did my best to come across as infallible during the war and ever since, but I still have my limitations. I simply built on what others provided me with. Despite it all, I'm still not a proper mountains veteran. That one year wasn't enough to catch on. Only now do we have evidence."

Eirwen took over from him. "As said, I don't need you to act obedient. But I trust you to keep the snowplum pits a secret, and to remain ready for if refugees begin arriving." They nodded in response to that. Good. Truth be told, she wasn't sure if she wanted to be right or wrong.

Three days. That was all it took before a full village arrived, their home now destroyed. She had hoped for five. But unfortunately, three was to be expected. With a curse, her new allies set out, taking care of the people. Meanwhile, Eirwen told her own to prepare for war.