Ch.112Chapter 112. Now You Are…

* * *

Southern Karelia Army, Tepelo Castle.

A deep concern was etched on the face of castle lord Lunarian Ineanne.

“So… they’re dead?”

“Yes, my lord.”

About 30 soldiers had been publicly executed for violating military law.

Luna’s opinion that execution was excessive had apparently been ignored.

Of course, violating military law was wrong.

The problem was—the punishment seemed far too harsh by any measure.

It was incredibly cruel for a life to be taken over such a minor mistake.

Moreover, recent recruits were literally any man with functioning limbs who could move, conscripted almost without exception.

Naturally, morale was low, and their level of training couldn’t be high.

All of this was supposedly the will of her lord, Makana Karelia—

No, Luna knew well enough by now that this wasn’t actually her will.

‘It’s the strategist Vanessa’s will.’

Since she had taken complete control of the nation’s military authority, the application of military law had become strict and training intensity had become extremely rigorous.

A strong army—it was a good concept. Luna also thought it natural to emphasize the strictness of military law during wartime.

But—

Wasn’t execution for being just 30 minutes late going too far?

Among the other dead soldiers, few had committed crimes deserving death.

Even flogging would have been controversial, let alone taking lives for what were, by any measure, minor infractions.

It was almost a reign of terror.

Vanessa’s reign of terror, backed by Karelia’s authority.

Despite various rumors circulating within the Karelia army, everything was buried under the pretext of “preparing for war.”

There was also a plausible justification that they needed to raise the morale and training standards of soldiers and commanders, which had fallen in the southern continent where war had been avoided through a continued balance of power.

“Castle Lord.”

“…Speak.”

“Our lord doesn’t seem to think highly of Castle Lord Luna. She says that a castle lord shouldn’t have unnecessary compassion.”

Luna responded to the male commander before her with a bitter tone.

“Is that our lord’s will?”

“…Her will is essentially the same as our lord’s.”

The male commander also knew this was Vanessa’s intention, not Karelia’s.

But he couldn’t say anything else. Vanessa had everyone’s idol, Karelia, standing firmly behind her.

“I understand.”

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

After the male commander left the audience chamber,

Luna, having finished her daily duties, made her way to the mansion where she was currently staying.

“Welcome back, Lady Luna.”

Upon arriving at the mansion, Cain’s relative, the golden-eyed girl Charlotte, greeted Luna who had returned from the royal castle.

Seeing no need to share her worries with the girl, Luna put on the brightest expression she could manage.

“How was your day?”

“I feel I’m improving with the sword. Though not as skilled as my brother, of course.”

The three children Cain had asked her to raise.

Francis, Charlotte, and Violet.

Just as Cain had said they would “certainly be helpful,” the three had quickly adapted to Luna’s mansion and were showing remarkable talent.

Francis with his spear.

Charlotte with her sword.

And Violet, whose potential as a civil official was clearly evident.

Francis possessed such overwhelming talent that he could be considered the reincarnation of Kremton Al Caski, who had once made a name for himself with the spear in the former Empire.

He had already surpassed the level of regular soldiers and could hold his own against several commanders serving in the Karelia army despite his young age.

Charlotte was no less impressive in this regard.

Tifa, who was acting as her mentor, constantly praised her, saying she would surely become a great general who would surpass herself when she grew up.

Given Tifa’s straightforward character, incapable of empty flattery, Charlotte must truly be talented.

While her brother and sister showed prowess in martial arts, the youngest, Violet, demonstrated excellence in strategy and tactics.

In fact, since her prediction that “Serpina’s army will no longer attack Brans’ army,” not a single battle had occurred between the two nations.

From Serpina’s perspective, she had argued that rather than occupying territory, leaving the front line as it was would inflict greater damage by preventing the Brans army from concentrating their forces elsewhere.

“I see. Have you thought about what I mentioned before?”

“Yes, I have, and all three of us came to the same conclusion.”

Charlotte bowed her head deeply as she spoke.

“We don’t need to enroll in the academy.”

Lunarian wanted to send them to the academy.

She thought it would be a more valuable experience for them to study with many others rather than just staying at her mansion as retainers.

“Why not? While it’s true you all have exceptional talent, experiencing as much of this wide world as possible would be beneficial. Don’t worry about tuition fees.”

“That may be true… but Uncle told us we must protect Lady Lunarian. He said we need to be of help to Lady Luna when the moment of opportunity comes, whenever that might be.”

By uncle, she must mean Cain.

Luna responded with a slightly embarrassed smile.

“Still, if I think about what’s best for you all…”

“It’s really fine, Lady Luna. Tifa is being an excellent mentor to us, and Violet is convinced that developing an eye for situations by your side will be more helpful than accumulating theory at the academy. Please consider our wishes.”

“…If that’s what you all want, I won’t force you. But please let me know if you change your mind. I have sufficient funds to support all three of you studying at the academy.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

With the somewhat heavy conversation concluded, Luna brought up a lighter topic.

“By the way, you’re dressed quite nicely today?”

“Ah, well…”

Charlotte showed a girlish expression and spoke shyly.

“There’s a festival in the square today.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

She seemed to have heard something similar.

There had been suggestions that this festival should be held more grandly to soothe the uneasy atmosphere caused by excessive conscription.

“So, if you would permit me to go—”

“You don’t need permission for something like that. Go ahead.”

“Th-thank you.”

Though Charlotte was quite mature for her age, moments like this showed she wasn’t quite an adult yet.

After sending Charlotte off—

Luna quietly sank into thought.

A festival.

Come to think of it, they had held something like a harvest festival at Zeilandt Castle too.

It was the first proper harvest after a typhoon had swept through, and all the domain residents’ faces had been filled with happiness.

At that moment… holding his hand.

Dancing while holding Swen’s hand.

Though considerable time had passed since then, Luna had never once forgotten that moment.

The golden wheat fields swaying in the wind.

The air, atmosphere, smells of that day, the food the domain residents offered her to eat.

And Swen’s face as he danced with her, holding her hand…

‘Lord Swen…’

Was Swen still with the Brans army?

She had always been worried since hearing that the Brans army was being overwhelmingly pushed back by the Serpina army… but she believed he would be alright.

Because he had promised he would definitely return.

So she shouldn’t waste time worrying unnecessarily.

If an opportunity came, she had to seize it no matter what.

Only then could she face Swen with dignity.

‘Please… stay safe and survive.’

As Luna was thinking this, a question crossed her mind.

What might Lord Swen be doing right now?

* * *

Knock knock knock.

“Come in. You don’t need to knock.”

At my words, with the sound of the door opening—

The golden-haired absolute ruler appeared.

With her distinctive hairpin and shimmering, flowing hair.

A woman who looked nothing like a tyrant, closest to the word “goddess.”

“You look quite relaxed, Swen.”

“Lady Serpina has been surprisingly accommodating.”

“Surprisingly, is it.”

Serpina let out a small chuckle.

Even that laugh appeared so beautiful it seemed almost unfair.

That day.

From the day a messenger was sent with the offer to “release Anima in exchange for Swen”—

Irene, Reika, and I had been spending our days confined in separate private rooms in a detached building prepared by Serpina.

Though we were confined, it was tolerable. Everything was fully equipped, including private baths and toilets, and meals were served regularly.

There was a window to see the light, and the bed was soft and comfortable.

It was definitely much better than being dragged to an underground dungeon.

The only downside was not knowing how Reika and Irene were doing.

“So, what brings you here today?”

“I came to fulfill your request and also have something to tell you.”

Request.

Yes, I had made a request to her.

“Irene Juliette and Reika Nighthart are doing well. They’re also curious about you.”

“What did you tell them?”

“I just told them you’re heartbroken, refusing food and starving yourself.”

As she said this, the corners of her eyes curved into crescent moons.

This woman can make frivolous jokes too, surprisingly.

I didn’t care much about myself, but I was worried she might harm them, though it seems my concerns were unfounded.

“…As long as they’re both doing well, that’s fine.”

“However, now that I’ve granted your request, I’d like you to answer my question.”

“I’ll answer if I can.”

“Reika Nighthart. I didn’t know Ginor had such a young daughter.”

The Nighthart family must be quite famous.

There’s definitely an age gap. It made sense since she was an adopted daughter.

Of course, she hadn’t brought this up just to discuss such trivial matters.

“Is she perhaps a ‘magician’?”

I almost lost my composure at the sudden question that struck at the core… or so I thought.

“You’re quite startled.”

“…”

I thought I hadn’t changed my expression, but how did she notice?

“It’s nothing special. Recently, a wall of Hispil Castle collapsed. It was due to an unexplained explosion. I heard testimony about a pink-haired woman being seen at that time. It was your doing, wasn’t it?”

“That’s quite a joke. A magician? How could such a thing exist in this world?”

“It’s quite amusing to hear that from a man known as the White Magician.”

She said this and laughed again.

It was an extremely seductive and feminine laugh.

“And if she is a magician, I understand why she bears the name ‘Nighthart.’ Ginor must have recognized her talent and taken her in as an adopted daughter. It’s such a predictable story.”

Hearing her words, I was honestly surprised.

She was right.

Serpina was definitely a shrewd person.

I could understand why she unified more than half of this game.

It was impressive how flexibly she applied her thinking, even in an era where magicians hadn’t yet prominently emerged.

Nevertheless, the foolish thought crossed my mind that she might find it unfair that it was her charm, not her intelligence, that was shaking my mind.

“Anyway, that’s your answer.”

“It is.”

“Well, it’s not a satisfactory answer… but I suppose it’s fine. We’ll have plenty of time for deeper conversations now.”

What?

Momentarily surprised, I looked at her face.

And she… came closer to me and brought her face right up to mine.

The strong scent of her perfume fiercely assaulted my nose.

“You’ve lost, Swen. This match is mine.”

“…!”

The result of our bet disguised as a match…

“Baranga Yurie Aeshus has abandoned you. You know what that means.”

Whispering into my ear as I stood shocked.

With a smile so beautiful it dazzled the eyes, mixed with deadly poison—

As if promising to bloom and wither together for eternity.

Like a bride who had promised marriage, she whispered:

“Now you belong to me.”