Chapter 129: Their War 3

“Haaaaah!!!”

-Thwack!-

With a sharp sound, the practice dummy was shattered into pieces.

Witnessing this, she…

Durst Andreas, a princess of the Andreas Family, started to breathe heavily.

“Huff… huff… huff…”

Panting heavily from the exertion, Durst nonetheless ignored her body’s demands for rest and let out another battle cry as she swung her sword.

“Uaaaaaah!!!”

-Thwack!-

The mana-infused blade struck the dummy, reducing it to fragments once more.

With that, the mana emanating from Durst’s body dissipated like an extinguished flame, and she collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by a profound sense of exhaustion.

“Huff… huff… huff…”

Feeling lightheaded, Durst carelessly tossed her sword aside.

Yet even after expending every ounce of mana and strength, she could not quell the seething emotion burning within her at this moment.

Durst Andreas.

She had been in a foul mood lately.

‘To think Queen Sister was taken captive… How could that happen to her, of all people…’

Queen Andreas was one of the people Durst adored most in this world, someone she secretly looked up to.

The fact that this woman, a formidable archmage even her father could not underestimate, had been taken by unknown adversaries was a profound shock to Durst.

Those capable of abducting Queen, who wielded such extraordinary power, could not be ordinary foes.

In this regard, many, including Durst, strongly suspected the Holy Empire’s Emperor was behind this act.

‘To dare abduct my sister, of all people… That vile, contemptible Emperor. I will sever his head with my own hands!’

Durst’s innermost self burned with furious rage.

However, separate from her emotions, neither she nor her capable elder brother, let alone anyone else, could decisively chart a course of action at this moment.

Durst yearned to march on Vienna, where that despicable Emperor resided, without delay.

Her father and family shared this sentiment, but Santana, effectively overseeing Bohemia’s affairs, advocated a cautious approach.

The primary reason was the lack of concrete evidence, despite their suspicions.

Unfortunately, the information Bohemia had gathered on the assailants was too scant to definitively implicate anyone.

Apart from their use of the blasphemous soul-manipulating magic, nothing else was known.

Even their facial features remained obscured in darkness, leaving no one to apprehend or interrogate for clues.

Some speculated that the use of soul magic implicated the pagan empires of the East, such as Dragonia or the Turkic Empire.

However, basing such accusations solely on the magic’s nature was unreasonable. Crucially, those two nations had been longstanding adversaries of the Holy Empire.

As the saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” – they were potential allies unlikely to perpetrate such acts against them, according to the prevailing opinion.

Especially in the case of Dragonia, which had secretly promised support, the possibility was even lower.

The Turkic Empire was engaged in a protracted standoff with Benetsa, lacking the capacity to intervene in this matter.

Ultimately, through a process of elimination, only the Holy Empire possessed a clear motive, yet circumstantial evidence remained a limitation.

Officially lodging a protest on such grounds was not a straightforward matter.

Moreover, another crucial factor was the current situation of Bohemia and the Heretical Alliance.

Having finally rallied the alliance and forged foreign connections, they had only just managed to catch their breath and brace for the Emperor’s onslaught.

However, this merely enabled them to withstand attacks, not launch offensives, which was an absolute impossibility at present.

Even now, Generals Tilly and Spinola’s forces occupied the Palatinate region, their watchful eyes fixed upon them.

In such perilous times, carelessly squandering the hard-won strength they had barely mustered could plunge them into grave crisis.

For these reasons, Count Turen had no choice but to set aside his anguish and temporarily suppress this incident from public knowledge.

Of course, efforts to locate his missing daughter would continue behind the scenes, but any official accusations against the Holy Empire would have to wait until they made the first move.

And regarding her elder brother and father’s decision, Durst could only feel profound anger and frustration.

While she understood their rationale, her heart still could not accept the situation.

However, with her limited power, there was nothing she could do.

She could not even ascertain her sister’s whereabouts, let alone rescue her.

Thus, unable to find answers through her own strength, Durst could only vent her rage on practice dummies, passing one day after another.

But today…

Someone had come to visit her as she vented her solitary fury.

“Durst?”

“…! Ah… Elder Sister Estelle?”

A familiar voice from behind.

Durst rose to greet the esteemed guest who had sought her out.

“Yes… it must have been truly difficult for you…”

“Yes, Elder Sister… Although I understand Brother’s words, my heart aches too much… If something has truly happened to our dear Queen Sister, what shall we do?”

“It’ll be alright… Don’t worry too much. As you know, Lady Queen is a formidable woman…”

Expressing her sorrow and anxiety over her missing elder sister, Durst’s words were met with Estelle’s calm reassurance.

While Estelle had already heard from Santana, Queen Andreas’s whereabouts remained unclear.

Coldly considered, her disappearance effectively removed a potential threat to Santana’s succession for Estelle.

However, at this moment, Estelle set aside such considerations and focused on comforting Durst.

There was no need to reveal the truth and create friction with Durst, who admired and followed her well.

Moreover, Estelle had come here intending to subtly exploit Durst’s circumstances.

In such a situation, it was necessary to cater to the other’s sentiments as much as possible. Thus, Estelle strove to console Durst, expressing concern and sorrow over her missing sister, with soothing words.

“As you know, considering Lady Queen’s status, they would not dare mistreat her recklessly. Even if they have some ulterior motive, they would convey their demands to us beforehand.”

“But… there has been no word until now? What if Sister has already…”

“On that point, it’s highly likely there was a disagreement among them, causing the delay. Unless they’re fools, they would not fail to utilize someone as formidable as Lady Queen.”

Providing plausible reasons, Estelle alleviated Durst’s anxiety.

Hearing her words, Durst began to feel her worries, apprehensions, and restlessness dissipate.

“…Thank you, Elder Sister. I feel somewhat calmer now, thanks to you.”

“I’m glad I could help. If you ever feel worried like this, share it with me. As I mentioned before, I am Lord Santana’s fiancée, so we are like sisters.”

“Yes, please let me know if you ever need help too, Elder Sister Estelle. I will assist in any way I can.”

With a more relaxed expression, Durst spoke willingly.

Seeing this, Estelle adopted a more serious demeanor and carefully addressed her:

“I appreciate you saying that, for in truth… there is something I wish to ask of you.”

“Yes? What is it? Please, tell me.”

Durst expressed keen interest in Estelle’s words.

Seeing this, a slow, deliberate smile spread across Estelle’s lips.