Ch.175175. War Preparations

Returning to her lodging, Camilla collapsed onto the bed.

It was an undignified action that would have earned her a scolding from her lady’s maid, but she was alone in the room.

After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, she frowned as if remembering something, then abruptly rolled over onto her stomach.

After lying quietly with her face buried in the bedspread, she suddenly flipped over again to stare at the ceiling.

After repeating this behavior for about ten minutes, she began pounding the bed while lying face down.

She was writhing as if recalling something embarrassing.

“Why did I do that…!”

Sitting up abruptly, Camilla ran her fingers through her flowing hair. Since returning to her room, she had been tormented by memories of what had happened with Gilbert.

After finishing her morning training, Camilla had gone looking for Gilbert to have lunch with him.

Her purpose was to encourage Gilbert, who had recently been racking his brains over suppressing the New Resistance.

As expected, Camilla found Gilbert deep in thought, likely due to the New Resistance suppression mission, and stood before him with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Fortunately, seeing her comical appearance, Gilbert showed a rare smile.

Although it was closer to a hollow laugh than genuine amusement, it had served Camilla’s purpose of making him forget his worries for a moment.

Yes, if only it had ended there!

If it had just ended there, everything would have been perfect.

While talking with Gilbert, who had set aside his concerns, his question was the root of the problem.

Gilbert asked why she, who generally didn’t pay much attention to others’ feelings, was behaving this way.

Camilla knew that she treated Gilbert differently from others.

She couldn’t help it.

After all, she knew what her feelings were.

However, as if under some spell, she had blurted out everything she had been keeping hidden in her heart.

Having spoken without holding anything back, there was no room for misunderstanding.

Camilla had simply expressed the feelings she harbored for Gilbert, and as soon as she realized what she’d done, she forgot all about her lunch plans and returned straight to her room, where she was now pounding on the bed.

How am I supposed to face Gilbert now…?

Though Camilla had lived her life pursuing whatever interested her, she still had the sensibilities of a girl her age.

For whatever reason, she had confessed to Gilbert. In contemporary society, it was generally men who initiated courtship, but there were plenty of exceptions.

Among nobles who valued appearances, there was a tendency to look unfavorably upon women expressing their feelings first, but even that changed when the woman in question possessed exceptional abilities.

Given that Camilla’s skills were rapidly improving, she was just barely reaching that threshold, so there was no need to worry about others’ opinions.

Of course, even without that, Camilla wasn’t the type to care about what others thought anyway.

What worried her now was facing Gilbert after confessing without any mental preparation.

Since realizing her feelings after their dinner date, she had been gradually nurturing those emotions.

In the midst of that, she had suddenly blurted out a confession, making it awkward to face Gilbert even for someone like Camilla.

If there was any consolation, perhaps it was that Gilbert hadn’t shown any signs of dislike.

Looking at it that way, perhaps the confession was fortunate. Objectively speaking, Gilbert was an attractive man. Brynhild, whom Camilla called “muscle woman,” had already left her clan and enrolled at Demeia Academy with the intention of marrying him.

While Camilla hesitated, Brynhild might snatch Gilbert away.

Though they were always bickering, Camilla didn’t deny that Brynhild was an attractive person.

Despite her muscular physique, her perfect proportions and pretty face made even Camilla, another woman, envious.

Camilla herself was no slouch in the looks department, but her frequent eccentric behavior diminished her charm.

Moreover, with her aggressive personality, Brynhild was constantly appealing to Gilbert. He seemed indifferent now, but there was no guarantee that would last forever.

This confession had been unexpected, but timing-wise, it might have been a good choice.

Come on, pull yourself together, Camilla! You were going to do this anyway.

Lying on her back looking at the ceiling, Camilla opened her eyes wide and slapped her cheeks with her palms. She hit herself with such force that her cheeks turned red and stung.

As Camilla felt the heat in her cheeks, she felt her enthusiasm rising. Though she felt embarrassed thinking about Gilbert, her desire to be with him grew even stronger.

It was the moment when Camilla’s personality—pursuing whatever interested her regardless of consequences—raised its head.

***

Seraphina sat alone in her office after dismissing all her attendant maids and even Yanik, who had been standing guard. Lost in thought, she stared into space without even blinking.

A suffocating silence settled in the office. The quiet surroundings suddenly filled with an explosive tension. At the center of this energy was Seraphina, who had maintained silence until now.

How irritating.

For the first time, her expressionless face showed a change.

It was a minimal change—just a slight furrowing of her brows—but because of her ice-cold demeanor, even this small change seemed significant.

What appeared on her face were fragments of annoyance, anger, and some indecipherable emotion.

Despite Seraphina’s excellent emotional control, right now she couldn’t manage her feelings as easily as usual.

The reason for such emotional turmoil from this intellectual woman was simple and clear.

The conversation between Gilbert and Camilla.

Specifically, Camilla’s confession to Gilbert was the cause.

After receiving Gilbert’s report about Horizon, Seraphina had immersed herself in work.

Reorganizing troops for the upcoming expedition and arranging personnel appointments for commander positions consumed her time instantly.

Skipping even meal times to focus on work, Seraphina had stepped outside for a brief rest.

As always, accompanied by her guard knight Yanik, she was taking a walk when she happened upon Gilbert and Camilla talking.

Just as she was about to suggest lunch during her break time, she overheard Camilla’s confession—something she shouldn’t have heard, or rather, didn’t want to hear.

After hearing the straightforward yet heartfelt confession, Seraphina returned to her office with her mind blank.

And until this moment, she had been alone in the room, unable to hide her discomfort.

Why am I so displeased and angry?

Objectively speaking, there was no reason to be upset.

The strengthening bond between two people in her faction should have been something she welcomed.

Especially if Gilbert, whose loyalty was virtually guaranteed, formed a connection with the unpredictable Camilla, it would greatly increase the chances of Camilla remaining firmly in her faction.

By all accounts, this was a favorable situation for Seraphina. There was no reason for her to be so sensitive.

Yet Seraphina still couldn’t calm her heart. Rather, as time passed, the fragments of that indecipherable emotion grew larger.

If that emotion were to be expressed in color, it would be black.

Not the deep black of the night sky, but a murky, sticky black like gazing into the abyss of hell.

The perceptive Seraphina immediately recognized what this emotion was.

An emotion she never thought she would experience in her lifetime.

Jealousy.

A princess feeling jealous? The future ruler of the Empire?

Seraphina didn’t want to admit it.

She couldn’t understand why someone destined for the highest position would feel jealous at the thought of losing a mere man.

But there was no better word than jealousy to describe this feeling. Though it was her first time experiencing it, she wasn’t foolish enough not to recognize it.

Seraphina’s fingers drummed on the desk, indicating her deep contemplation.

After tapping the desk for about the time it would take to drink a cup of tea, she suddenly stopped. Her chaotic thoughts had finally settled.

The conclusion she reached after much deliberation was remarkably simple.

So the feeling I have for the priest is not merely admiration.

Seraphina honestly acknowledged everything.

She accepted without denial both her feelings for Gilbert and the emotions she had just experienced.

This allowed her to face the emotion deeply rooted in her heart, which had been obscured as if by fog.

A fact that even she had only just noticed:

Seraphina, the First Princess of the Infractus Empire, was in love with Gilbert Lionheart.

***

Despite finally understanding the cause of Seraphina’s increasing distortion value, Gilbert felt no joy.

More accurately, it wasn’t that he wasn’t happy, but that he didn’t know how to handle the situation.

The increase in her distortion value was due to her fondness for him. Seraphina’s desire for talent seemed to have developed into an obsession with Gilbert, who had shown outstanding results multiple times.

That obsession, through some interaction, had evolved into affection for Gilbert, and his actions had begun to directly influence her distortion value. The rapid increase in Seraphina’s distortion value after witnessing Camilla’s confession corroborated this fact.

Gilbert could only sigh deeply. He had discovered the cause, but the solution remained elusive.

Initially, he thought joining her faction and satisfying her desire for talent would be enough, but that wasn’t all.

To use a Tactical Combat analogy, it was like unlocking Seraphina’s romance route—something that had seemed impossible to achieve.

This is maddening.

Gilbert irritably pushed his hair back and leaned against his chair. He felt all motivation draining away.

The romance route that could never be opened no matter what he did had now opened in reality. And it was in the worst possible form—one where failure meant a guaranteed doom ending.

In truth, he had no idea what standard to use for “clearing” a romance route. It wasn’t something that could be resolved by simply promising eternal love.

Moreover, the problem was compounded by his hope to return to his original world.

If he were to return to his original world without any consideration, this world would likely face destruction.

Additionally, Seraphina wasn’t the only Seeker in the forcibly accepted sub-scenario.

His mentor Briana was also among the Seekers, as well as someone else whose identity remained unknown.

Though it was mere speculation, if Seraphina’s romance route had opened, there was a high possibility that Briana and the yet-unknown person were under the same conditions.

Given Tactical Combat’s notorious difficulty, this guess probably wasn’t far off.

And then there’s the Camilla issue.

Gilbert wasn’t a fool.

He had noticed that Camilla had been fond of him for some time, but he hadn’t realized it would develop into romantic feelings.

He had thought she was simply excited about finding an interesting friend.

Of course, the reality was that she harbored deeper feelings, and she had gone ahead and confessed those feelings outright.

In a way, it was typical of Camilla to act before thinking. That was separate from the headache it gave him.

Gilbert frowned as he thought about Camilla, Seraphina, and Briana. His mind, which worked so efficiently when defeating enemies, was of no help in this matter.

“Commander Gilbert.”

“Is that you, Angelina?”

Lost in thought, he belatedly noticed Angelina who had entered to give a report. He straightened his disheveled clothes and sat up properly.

“You seem deep in thought.”

“I had some things on my mind. More importantly, have you found any movement from Horizon?”

“There was hardly anything to find. Horizon doesn’t seem to have any intention of hiding himself.”

“…Has he declared war?”

“Did you anticipate that?”

“I could tell from the materials he left behind.”

Gilbert quickly skimmed through the report Angelina had given him.

As he had expected, Horizon seemed to have given up on hiding himself. Just from the materials he had left behind, it was clear he took great pride in being a descendant of the Lion King.

Gilbert had predicted that he might try to follow in the Lion King’s footsteps, and coincidentally, that prediction seemed to be spot on.

“Horizon is gathering his forces, including New Resistance members scattered across various regions, into one place. The common opinion among intelligence analysts is that he will soon reveal himself with an army in tow.”

“I see. If he were to show himself first, where do you predict he would advance to?”

Gilbert had one place in mind, but instead of voicing it, he asked Angelina.

“Obitus, where the Lion King is said to have met his end. That’s our prediction.”

“I see.”

It was the same place Gilbert had anticipated.

For someone with such strong self-awareness who wanted to follow in the Lion King’s footsteps, it was natural to first try to claim the place where the Lion King had met his end.

“Understood. I’ll report this to Her Highness myself.”

“We expect Horizon to begin his actions in as little as two weeks, or at most a month. We need to complete preparations before then.”

“Understood. I’ll convey that as well.”

After Angelina left and Gilbert finished reading the rest of the report, he set out for Seraphina’s office.

Although he didn’t want to meet her while his thoughts were still unorganized, now was the time to prepare for the imminent war.