Civil Servant Marigold

18.

“Gueeeh…”

“You’re off the booze starting today.”

Marigold complained of nausea every time the horse cut through the woods.

He wanted to stop right away and let her get her bearings, but the situation didn’t allow it.

“Catch him quickly!”

“Flank him and block the road!”

Dozens of cavalrymen were chasing after them.

If they stopped now, that number would swell to hundreds.

Even Lancel would have a hard time dealing with that many at once. They weren’t a ragtag bunch, but all trained knights.

“Hyah!”

He spurred the horse again.

Whoosh!

Something whizzed past him, making a tearing sound. A total of seven crossbow bolts were embedded in the trees and the ground.

“Shoot him!”

“Avoid the woman! His Highness ordered us to capture the woman alive without a single scratch!”

‘That’s a good tip.’

In that case…

“Administrator Mary, it’s your turn to shine.”

“Hyaaah!”

Lancel lifted Marigold up and moved her behind him.

Marigold suddenly found herself in a position where she was hugging his waist from behind.

“Hold on tight, shield! No, Administrator Mary!”

“W-What do you mean…”

Behind her bewildered back, he set up a wooden shield. It was the last consideration Lancel could give.

“Using a woman as a shield…!”

“D-Don’t shoot!”

“T-T-That crazy bastard!”

“Are you even a knight?”

Lancel glanced back and shouted.

“I never thought I’d be lectured on chivalry by rebels! I’m off!”

Lancel increased the horse’s speed in an instant.

Fallen leaves kicked up by the hooves were scattered behind them. The pursuers’ vision was momentarily obscured.

Lancel, taking advantage of that moment, quickly pulled on the reins. He disappeared from the pursuers’ sight in an instant.

“What! Where did he go?”

“We lost him!”

“Damn it…!”

-Gueeeh!

Only the faint sound of retching echoed in their bewildered ears.

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“Just one person.”

Fifth Prince’s expression turned cold as he heard the news.

“You’re telling me you couldn’t catch just one person and came back empty-handed like this? Am I hearing this right? You’re telling me I have to sit here and listen to how you messed things up because you couldn’t catch just one person? You useless bastards!”

The knights couldn’t lift their heads. Fifth Prince’s scolding had been going on for over an hour already.

“You stupid fools!”

“Excuse me, Your Highness.”

A low voice was heard.

“Is there any particular reason why we must capture Administrator Mary alive?”

“Count Lunter.”

As the elderly lord approached and asked, Fifth Prince ran a hand through his hair and calmed his anger.

“It’s because I need her. Because that woman is someone I need, so I intend to keep her alive and well by my side.”

“I see.”

Count Lunter didn’t ask further.

“In that case, I will immediately order the troops to guard the surrounding area. Lancel Dante will have no choice but to show himself eventually. The only place for someone who entered this forest to escape is the granary area anyway.”

“You mean…”

“Aim for the moment he comes out into the plains. There’s nowhere to hide in the open fields, so you’ll be able to secure Administrator Mary without difficulty.”

“…Alright. That should work. There was no need to rush. No matter how skilled he is, he won’t be able to escape in the plains.”

Fifth Prince seemed to be regaining his reason. This was their territory. A de facto new nation guarded by hundreds, thousands of troops.

No matter how outstanding a knight Lancel Dante was, it would be difficult for him to escape this land safely.

“We’ll catch him soon. Unless Lancel Dante intends to hide and live in this forest, he will surely reveal himself in the plains…”

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“Then shall we hide here for a while?”

Lancel muttered, stretching his back.

19.

“This is a rebellion, Lancel.”

“Now you tell me?”

It was the day Marigold recovered from her hangover.

It was the second day since she started living in the forest with Lancel when she suddenly spoke with a serious face. It had been at least 30 hours since Fifth Prince had completely discarded the imperial reinforcements.

“Rebellion! It’s definitely a rebellion! Here, if you just block the road that passes through by train and the road that crosses the plains along the mountain range, it becomes quite isolated from the empire, so it’s good to use as a base, right? That’s why there were always so many bandits around. In short, it means it’s a land where the imperial reinforcements have difficulty projecting their power.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Marigold continued to chatter while munching on the stew Lancel had roughly cooked.

“He’ll probably send troops to the border after winter and completely take over the western part of the empire. We have to report it right away before it’s too late. The Imperial Capital will be turned upside down for sure! And I’ll get another promotion!”

She was burning with ambition, but right now, she was living her second life as a natural woman, Marigold. Stuck in the forest, unable to go anywhere.

If you glanced around the forest, you could always see two or three guards riding horses around the area.

Fifth Prince was deliberately waiting for them to appear. He was aiming for the moment they came out into the plains outside the forest.

She didn’t know why he was going this far, but she knew one thing for sure. Fifth Prince was serious.

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—Favorability Event! Fifth Prince Erwin Cole Phrygia’s favorability has increased. The current favorability stage is ‘Affection.’

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The first day.

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—Favorability Event! Fifth Prince Erwin Cole Phrygia’s favorability has increased. The current favorability stage is ‘Possessiveness.’

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The second day.

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—Favorability Event! Fifth Prince Erwin Cole Phrygia’s favorability has increased. The current favorability stage is ‘Obsession.’

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Next week.

Even while Lancel stayed in the forest, Fifth Prince’s heart was drawn more and more to Marigold. He didn’t know if that could really be seen as favorability or affection, but in any case, Fifth Prince’s feelings for her were genuine.

‘He should be doing this when aiming for the Empress Ending.’

The guards and pursuit became more and more strict as each day passed. In the end, Lancel had been living a primitive life in the forest with Marigold for ten days now.

There was no need to rush.

It wasn’t like he didn’t have a plan.

“Lancel! Look here! Winter strawberries! Ehehehe!”

“Nice. Where did you get these?”

“Hehe, winter strawberries are vines that grow on moss in shady places. You can find them easily if you look around a bit.”

“Good job. Come here!”

Lancel ruffled Marigold’s hair and put the strawberries into his mouth one by one.

Their dwelling was a dugout made by digging under a tree root. It was so cleverly camouflaged that even the guards who occasionally roamed the forest wouldn’t notice it.

The only problem was that it was a bit cramped.

“Why are you lying so far away? There’s not much space.”

“I, I thought I might smell… I haven’t been able to wash for over a month now.”

“It’s okay, my nose has already lost its sense of smell.”

“…What do you mean by that, Lancel?”

“Leave it to your imagination.”

“That’s too much!”

The only food they had was dried food and jerky, and things they foraged in the forest and ate raw. They had to be careful when lighting a fire, too.

Life was full of inconveniences.

But neither Lancel nor Marigold had any major complaints.

Two weeks passed.

“By the way.”

“Yes?”

“You sometimes mutter to yourself, why is that?”

Lancel probed her, pretending not to know anything.

The Spirit ‘Pina’ was an existence that was invisible to anyone other than her, so it would be strange if he knew about it.

“That… I have a friend that only I can see… I guess you could say…”

Marigold mumbled, twirling her hair.

“I, it’s weird, right?”

“It is weird.”

“Ahaha… No, Pina! Don’t say such bad things to Lancel… Ah! It’s nothing! Yes!”

“…”

What the hell is that gnat saying? Lancel felt a little uneasy about the unseen being’s unheard slander.

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—Favorability Event! Fifth Prince Erwin Cole Phrygia’s favorability has increased. The current favorability stage is ‘Very Strong Obsession.’

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One month passed like that.

Finally, Lancel witnessed a procession of flames covering the entire forest.

It was estimated that more than hundreds of people were searching the forest with torches raised. The acrid smell of burning beeswax and oil stung the tip of his nose.

He didn’t know how many hunting dogs they had released, but the sound of panting animals could be heard incessantly from all directions. Fifth Prince was determined to find them, even if it meant staying up all night. Well, to be exact, Marigold.

‘It’s time.’

Lancel and Marigold finally finished preparing to leave their beloved dugout.

“Shall we go now?”

“Yes, Lancel.”

It had already been half a year and a month since he had set out on his expedition. Lancel sensed that the time he had been waiting for was finally approaching.

“Enemy attack! Everyone retreat to the main camp! Enemy attack! Everyone return to the main camp!”

Before long, a series of loud shouts erupted. The soldiers who had entered the forest were retreating in a bewildered state.

It was then that they realized that the night sky was brightly lit by an unknown light.

“Administrator Mary.”

Lancel turned to Marigold and opened his mouth.

“How far can an administrator who contributed to preventing a rebellion be promoted?”

20.

“If no report arrives even after half a year, send a second reinforcements… Today is that day, what do you think, Chamberlain?”

The Count Palatine bowed his head at the voice of the person beyond the curtain.

“It seems that Your Majesty’s judgment is correct.”

“Don’t just give me obvious answers.”

The person beyond the curtain crossed his legs.

“I’m asking for the Chamberlain’s honest opinion right now. If you were me, how would you regard the letters from this impudent young knight and administrator? Would you listen to them? Or would you ignore them?”

“…If I were…”

The Count Palatine paused for a moment before continuing.

“It is certainly concerning that all the messengers who went to the western part of the empire have lost contact. If I were you, I would believe their letters, but if it turned out to be a wild goose chase, I would hold the Dante Family responsible, Your Majesty.”

The person beyond the curtain finally uncrossed his legs and stood up.

“I think the same. This impudent young knight must have left the letter considering that as well.”

The person beyond the curtain smiled.

“Send the second reinforcements. I wonder if they’ll arrive in about a month?”

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“E-Enemy!”

“Imperial reinforcements! Why are the imperial reinforcements here…!”

Fifth Prince’s rebels.

The second imperial reinforcements.

Two camps were facing off in the vast plains of Lunter’s territory. They recognized each other as enemies as soon as they saw each other and drew their weapons in an instant.

“Charge!”

“Block them!”

The fight broke out in an instant.

No sooner had the war begun than the fertile granary area of Lunter’s territory began to burn fiercely. The dark night sky was swallowed up by the red fire, lighting up the area like a late afternoon.

It was the opening of the war.

“What a state the country is in.”

Lancel didn’t care who won among them.

It wouldn’t be decided today anyway. The war would continue to repeat itself for a while until this entire area turned into a land of death.

He just wanted to get out of here while he had the chance.

“Let’s run!”

“Y-Yes!”

He and Marigold escaped the forest in an instant.

From now on, they had to break through the chaotic Lunter Plains, which were in the midst of war.

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—Favorability Event! Fifth Prince Erwin Cole Phrygia’s favorability has changed. The current favorability stage is ‘Deep Affection, Deep Hatred.’

※The elite knight order of Lunter’s territory is chasing Marigold.

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‘What is this now?’