Chapter 93: If you want – 1

“Your body is in tatters, a total wreck.”

As I dried myself after a wash following training, the trio approached and commented.

Gone were the days when they still had a youthful, boyish look.

Valon was no longer fat, Wallace was no longer skinny, and Martin’s once messy acne had long vanished.

Their bodies, shaped by years of soldiering, had taken on a fine form.

I’d heard that whenever they visited brothels in town, they were wildly popular.

Sometimes, they even bragged about getting free services.

Valon circled around me, inspecting my scars.

It had been a month since I woke up.

Preparations for war were in full swing.

Wallace chimed in.

“Rather than tatters, it’s more like you’re an ogre. Look at your recovery rate and your sheer size. I’m convinced—someone in the Alan family must’ve had relations with an ogre ancestor.”

“This bastard keeps taking cheap shots at my family, as always.”

“You try it, then. Though I don’t have any family left to insult.”

He smirked, his demeanor now suggesting he had long come to terms with the deaths of his family.

His smirking face somehow made it clear he had moved past his family’s demise, even turning it into a source for casual jokes.

As I dressed, Martin came over and lightly tapped my ear.

“What’re you gonna do about this ear of yours? You’ve lost half of it. Forget about being loved by a woman anymore.”

I briefly thought of Vivian but brushed her from my mind, offering a half-hearted retort instead.

“You think I need love? As the eldest of the Alan family, women line up for me. You guys should worry about yourselves instead. Stop clinging to whores.”

“The guy who can’t even return home has a lot to say, huh?”

Valon, Wallace, and Martin exchanged jokes, laughing and slapping hands in agreement.

I, too, let out a hearty laugh.

Their rough banter didn’t bother me for one reason:

Ever since I woke up, I could feel their genuine concern for me.

Though their words were harsh, they went out of their way to follow me to the bathhouse, checking my scars.

Sometimes, they’d bring food and water to my bed without being asked.

At night, they’d sneak in to make sure my blankets were properly covering me.

I’d heard that after I collapsed, apart from Vivian, it was this trio that struggled the most.

After laughing for a while, Valon dropped his playful tone and tried to comfort me.

“Hey, Kailo. But really, it’s fine, isn’t it? Even if you’re not loved by women. There’s one person, right? I may not know much, but it’s obvious now. Something’s going on between you and Lady Vivian.”

I deflected the topic.

It still felt secretive, as if forbidden, so I kept quiet.

“When you collapsed, she was so worried. She’s even risking a war… If that’s not affection, what is it? And your sickbed was in Lady Vivian’s room, wasn’t it?”

Martin shrugged.

“That’s just because he was a guest. It was a political move. What if Kailo had died?”

“Would someone like Lady Vivian go to such lengths just because of politics? Does she seem like someone so afraid of the Alan family?”

Wallace shoved me.

“You can just tell us yourself. Spill it. Is there something or not? Wow, does this mean we’ll end up serving Kailo?”

Martin remained skeptical.

This guy, clueless as ever.

“Are you dumb? How would that even work? Kailo and Lady Vivian? Have you forgotten they’re sworn enemies?”

“Honestly, it was a family feud, wasn’t it? There’s no real personal grudge between them.”

“If it’s so easy to separate like that, why did you give Kailo such a hard time during his initiation?”

Valon and Wallace fell silent.

Sensing he had the upper hand, Martin didn’t stop.

“Besides, Lady Vivian is solidifying her political footing. Tying herself to Kailo? Even if there are feelings, it’s impossible. Her supporters probably hate the Alan family. Look at Lady Kelsie—she despises Kailo. In Delrum Kingdom, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t. If she gets involved with Kailo, everyone would turn their backs on her.”

…Clueless but sharp, wasn’t he?

My impression of Martin kept shifting moment by moment.

Martin let out a short, ironic laugh and continued.

“Even putting politics aside, just look at them. It doesn’t match at all. Sure, Kailo’s decent-looking, but his body? Covered in scars, burns, and half an ear gone—he’s a monster. Lady Vivian, though? She’s perfect. Have you ever seen anyone like her? Her face, her figure, her proportions…”

“Enough, enough! Kailo, you talk! Say it yourself—who’s right? Don’t just sit there quietly!”

Perhaps irritated by the messy conversation, Wallace clamped a hand over Martin’s mouth and shouted.

All their eyes turned to me.

With a sigh, I replied.

“There’s nothing like that. She and I… We’re sworn enemies, just as you said.”

“See!”

Martin exclaimed, shaking off Wallace’s hand.

It didn’t matter what the truth was.

I was a man destined to leave.

I just wanted to stay quietly and leave quietly.

“…What’s that?”

As we were returning to the barracks, we noticed a commotion among the soldiers.

Not just the 4th Knights Unit, but members of all the other knight units had gathered with urgent expressions, engaged in hurried discussions.

Normally, units kept to themselves, so such a scene was rare.

Something significant had clearly happened.

“What’s going on?”

Me and the trio pushed through the crowd, squeezing between people.

At the center of it all, Yanes looked up at me with a bewildered expression and said,

“Kailo, did you hear?”

“…Hear what?”

“Count Corrode.”

“What about Count Corrode?”

Blinking, Yanes replied,

“He’s dead.”

The Eight Knights had fallen, and Count Corrode had perished.

Their arms and legs had been severed, and even their head was missing.

Without anyone needing to say it outright, we all understood.

…The war was over before it even began.

The Corrode family wouldn’t be foolish enough to continue fighting Rondor.

***

Vivian and I mounted our horses and headed toward the plains of Loctana.

Behind us, soldiers who had finished preparing for war followed in a long line.

“…Is your hand still like that?”

As we rode, I asked Vivian, glancing at her left hand.

Vivian looked down at her left hand and nodded.

Ever since I collapsed, Vivian hadn’t been able to move her left hand properly.

She still had full sensation, and the physicians found nothing wrong, but she couldn’t apply strength to it like before.

She often dropped things she tried to hold, and now, she could barely grip the reins.

I could only sigh.

What on earth was this?

I had been the one stabbed in the left hand, but it was Vivian’s hand that was ruined.

…It was enough to make me wish it had been my hand instead.

“…It’ll come back eventually.”

Vivian spoke nonchalantly.

I found myself worrying more about her body than she did—a strange situation.

On the plains of Loctana, the Corrode family awaited us.

There were no soldiers, only a few old men and a young man who seemed to be in his early twenties—slightly older than Vivian and me.

Ten in total.

It was a posture that clearly signaled surrender.

-Thud!

I dismounted first and extended a hand to Vivian.

Without strength in her left hand, she relied on me completely as she dismounted.

Then, holding Vivian’s hand, I walked toward them.

The old men bowed their heads first, followed by the young man a step ahead of them.

“Greetings to the Sun of Rondor. I am Rob Corrode, head of the Korrod family…”

It seemed he was the son of the late Count Corrode.

In truth, he was the appropriate one to represent them in surrender.

Vivian maintained her regal posture, showing not a hint of courtesy.

She looked down at Rob Corrode with cold eyes and spoke.

“…I didn’t start this fight. You understand that, don’t you?”

“…It is our Corrode family’s fault for attacking the guest of House Rondor. We… we apologize now, even if it’s late.”

Vivian turned to me.

“What do you think, Kailo? They’re apologizing. Should we accept it?”

I looked at Rob and replied,

“We’ll accept it.”

As Rob began to straighten his back in relief, Vivian interjected sharply,

“An apology is an apology. War is war—don’t forget that.”

Rob hurriedly bowed again, speaking nervously.

“Of… of course. But… we…”

He chewed on his lips for a while, as though the next words were too hard to say.

“…We’ve lost. Continuing the war will only create innocent victims. To appease Rondor’s wrath, we’ll offer a gift. If we can restore the previous peace, we would be grateful.”

“I agree. While we could continue to fight, there’s no need to increase innocent casualties. The Corrode family was in the wrong, and you must bear the consequences.”

“Y-yes… of course.”

At Vivian’s snap of her fingers, Lady Linne approached and handed over a document.

I had seen it before.

It outlined the terms Rondor demanded in exchange for peace.

The conditions included a complete transfer of the Corrode trading company’s management rights to House Rondor, as well as a substantial portion of the Corrode family’s immense wealth.

It also stipulated that the disputed territory between the two families would be annexed to House Rondor.

As Rob took the document, his hands trembled.

He looked up at Vivian as if pleading for mercy.

However, seeing Vivian standing resolute like a beast, Rob couldn’t hold her fiery red gaze for more than a few seconds before lowering his eyes.

He swallowed hard and said,

“…I’ll sign.”

For a time, the plains of Loctana were filled with praise for Vivian.

She had stabilized commerce and expanded Rondor’s territory.

And all without spilling a single drop of blood.

As for Count Corrode’s death, many speculated that the God Las was protecting Vivian.

Having suffered so much in her childhood, it felt like everything was finally coming full circle as a reward.

And the fact that she, who everyone thought would easily crumble, had risen to her feet and subdued the Corrode family—it felt like a fairy tale, which made people like her even more.

Whenever I entered a tavern, phrases like “To Vivian Rondor!” were commonly heard, and the citizens, who were finally beginning to thrive thanks to her policies, even composed songs for her.

Watching all this, I couldn’t help but smile under my helmet.

As Vivian’s position became more secure, so did her safety, which brought me peace of mind.

So much had changed.

From a time when she couldn’t trust a single adult to the present day, when she was supported by the people of her domain.

Honestly, I hadn’t dared to hope such a transformation would come.

Of course, there was still work to be done.

This wasn’t the end.

But I couldn’t deny the sense of pride swelling within me.

It seemed Vivian felt the same.

She often stood on the ramparts, gazing down at Loctana, and even smiled faintly more frequently now.

Her long-held dream of reviving her family’s legacy was slowly coming to fruition.

And as she watched the rising prosperity of her domain, it was clear she couldn’t suppress a sense of pride.

“…Does it make you that happy?”

Watching her smile as she looked out over the city, I asked.

Vivian didn’t deny it in the slightest.

“It was my dream.”

“…To be able to preserve our family’s legacy… it means so much…”

She trailed off, her voice heavy with emotion.

I didn’t press her further.

Clatter, clatter!

At that moment, a rider approached the castle wall at full speed.

It was Duran.

Today, his duty was patrolling Loctana’s domain.

“Lady Vivian! Kailo! We have a guest!”

“A guest?”

I looked at Vivian.

She shook her head, indicating she wasn’t expecting anyone.

Since it was hard to shout from the wall, I called out in her stead.

“Let them in!”

“Well, uh… it would be better to go out and meet them!”

“Who is it? The royal family?”

We soon found out.

Arriving in haste was a carriage, its creaking wheels audible even from afar.

Escorted by a small group of soldiers.

Their black hair and black eyes stood out.

And then we saw it—the large white bear emblem engraved on the carriage.

The carriage came to a halt before us.

“…Vestor.”

I whispered, looking up at my old swordsmanship master, now aged.

Once strong and unyielding, Vestor now seemed softened with age, and his eyes welled with tears as he looked at me.

“You’ve grown so much, Lord Kailo. I’ve followed the rumors closely, and every time… my heart ached so deeply.”

I glanced at Vivian.

She was staring at the carriage and me in confusion, her expression blank.

Vestor continued.

“But before I could…”

Bang!

The carriage door burst open.

A lady with silky black hair appeared, her head peeking out.

Though her adult frame was now entirely different, her face had matured gracefully, retaining the cuteness I remembered.

“Ha.”

A dry laugh escaped me.

But as she looked at me, tears rolled down her cheeks just as freely as Vestor’s.

I jumped down from my horse.

She, too, hurriedly leaped down from the carriage.

As I spread my arms after so long, she dashed into my embrace.

“Sob…! Brother!!”

Holding her tightly, I spun her around twice on the spot.

“When did you grow up so much?”

I asked.

It was my younger sister, Kayla.