Ch.24380. Everything Went Backwards (2)

Everyone talks about peace, but that’s just nonsense spouted by those who don’t understand the situation.

Conflicts and wars are disasters that can occur from the slightest error or mistake.

In that sense, since the Empire’s territory is so vast, those living in individual provinces or districts might not realize it, but from the perspective of those overseeing the entire territory, incidents and accidents never truly cease.

If issues don’t escalate into major problems, they can be resolved simply by issuing directives or orders. When that’s not enough, actively considering support in the form of talented personnel or resources usually resolves most problems.

The problem arises when situations can’t be resolved by these means.

“This is why being big is problematic.”

Muscular, thick bare legs.

A woman who casually placed one leg on the table, resting her left foot gently on her right ankle.

With peculiarly mixed black and white short hair, she surveyed the room with pale eyes, as if the entire world was rippling and swaying, and let out a small yawn.

With her lower garments practically missing and even her top revealing her bare midriff, any man would likely turn his gaze away.

But the man before her seemed to find it distasteful rather than sensual, inwardly frowning.

“A warehouse needs to be stocked to provide aid at any time. Having a large warehouse isn’t a flaw.”

“Were you one of those relief supplies stocked in that warehouse?”

Sitting with her chair tilted halfway back, maintaining her balance in this swaying interior was quite a feat in itself.

“Not recently, but about half a year ago? That idiot Bariel came and went then, you know?”

“Is that relevant to our current conversation?”

“Listen, kid. I’m talking here.”

The woman waved her hand, cutting off the man who had interrupted her.

At first glance, he appeared to be a handsome young man or a dignified youth who had just reached adulthood.

His mysterious appearance, with white hair like golden treasure, had long been established as a defining characteristic symbolizing his existence within the Empire.

“As you know, that idiot always hangs around me pretending to rest.”

“…”

“But sometimes his gaze is suspicious.”

“That again?”

The Knight of Radiance, Blood of Radiance.

The Seat of the Nine Heroes.

And.

The Empire’s pride, known as the Great Hero in foreign lands, the Golden Swordsman and Commander of the Golden Dragon Knights.

The hero, Rueld Brendiar, was now facing an old comrade.

Among the six heroes of the Empire who were still active, it was essentially just him and her.

“Even though he left because he couldn’t abandon his family, I don’t know what lingering attachment makes him still lust after me when he has several children.”

“Nedes. You didn’t actually reject him, did you?”

“I did reject him! I’d offer it to someone else before I’d do it with that guy.”

What she meant by “offering” required no imagination.

“I’m thorough when it comes to contracts and agreements.”

“…”

The western continent.

Its end, as always, is nothing but the sea.

They say there are small islands and various archipelagos, but regardless, it’s the sea.

While the Empire can project overwhelming power on inland and land territories, its presence at sea is mostly nominal.

The reality was that if countries located outside the continent to the northwest began to seriously operate naval forces, it would become quite troublesome for the Empire in many ways.

There, Nedes, known as the Island Witch, Nedes Germansia, stood out.

Even during the Demon King’s invasion, she had a record of making the Demon King’s army suffer in various ways with guerrilla tactics of hitting and running based on naval power.

Moreover, her prowess in eliminating sea and underwater monsters, and unilaterally eradicating aerial forces, earned her the reputation as the nightmare of the seas.

The Nightmare of the Island Witch.

The Witch Island had quite a notorious reputation.

It was one of several islands in the maritime region below the southeastern part of the Berk Empire, located quite far from the Empire in terms of position.

It was closer to Dabas, but Dabas, unlike its ancestors, had somewhat insufficient interest in maritime affairs.

Perhaps because the proportion of the Ice Sand people was surprisingly less than three out of ten.

The locals at the time were thoroughly inland people, so unless they were engaged in commerce or fishing, they had no reason to sail ships, and it took considerable time to establish positions on the coast and at sea.

In fact, if there was a will to do so, it wasn’t impossible, but…

…Historically, islanders were much rougher and more resistant than sea people, and this was beyond resistance—it was called a disaster, so they couldn’t dare to attempt it.

Even the Empire was trending toward recognizing them as a trading partner and ally through agreements.

…That’s why Nedes patrols the western and northern waters of the Empire, assisting in maritime defense.

She didn’t have to, but she volunteered to do so, and as a result, most of the talented individuals from Witch Island either admired her or followed in her footsteps to establish their own positions.

…Not that everyone did, but…

“I can’t have a family or children. Thanks to inheriting the curse of not aging.”

“Nedes.”

“What’s given up can’t be taken back. That’s my motto and life philosophy, Rueld.”

The same applies to what was given up on, what was frustrated.

The difference is whether it was voluntary or involuntary.

Rather than having her fate decided involuntarily, she chose to voluntarily bury her fate at the bottom of the sea.

The curse of immortality was both a blessing and a curse that she voluntarily bore after defeating the Demon King.

“When Kuriga died, my future ended with him in that sense.”

“…”

“But did you all need to be so dejected about that?”

“Dejected? Me?”

Rueld narrowed his eyes as if surprised.

“You’re carrying a sense of debt, aren’t you? I heard you’re looking after each of Kuriga’s clan members.”

“So are you.”

“I have the right to do so.”

What right?

Would I get hit if I asked that?

“…This won’t do. That habit of yours, focusing on one thing and not listening to anything else, is still the same, I see?”

“I just don’t postpone what needs to be done.”

“Is that so?”

Nedes snorted and lowered her legs from the table.

On the surface, she looked like a woman who had just reached adulthood, but she was senior to both Rueld and Ermina.

“…But while I understand myself, why do you seem to get younger as time goes by? Even though your child is all grown up, you’re having another one.”

“…Is that so.”

He couldn’t help but recall what he hadn’t particularly wanted to remember, thanks to her pointed remark.

That was probably her intention in some sense.

She spoke with a sigh, as if making a conclusion.

“The deep-sea monster, tentatively named Sharit, has been dealt with, that’s for sure.”

“What about its connection to the fifth monster king, Ritan?”

“How would I know? Do you think I shared drinks with it or something?”

At her reluctance, Rueld simply nodded calmly.

“I heard there have been more problems popping up inland than there?”

“Yeah.”

“The Reborn Demon King faith. All sorts of pseudo-religions are emerging. At least the Devil Cult has a long history, so I wouldn’t say much about it.”

“…”

Rueld closed his eyelids momentarily at Nedes’s words, which contained a hint of mockery.

“So your conclusion is that the main purpose was to distract and tie down you and the Empire’s main forces by dispersing them here and there, rather than…”

“That’s what I think, and apparently quite a few others who’ve been watching the developments feel the same way.”

“If this had emerged during a new Demon King’s army invasion, would it have been a huge problem?”

“…It might already be a problem.”

Then, attack or invasion?

At least it’s clear their target wasn’t us.

“Will you tell me a little about what you know about this? Or not?”

“You know about it?”

“I found out when a letter carrier flew to Loroana. She said it was inconvenient to come to me directly, and joining by ship was difficult due to the location.”

“…”

If that’s the case, the news must have reached the Imperial Palace by now.

Loroana chose to stand opposite the Empire rather than joining it.

She said that if even she belonged to the Empire, the world would truly fear it.

So if the Empire were to abandon justice or exercise evil…

…she would deal with it herself, even if they were old comrades.

Of course, the same applied in reverse.

If there were any insane lunatics trying to start a war, she would deal with them first, she had said.

In fact, on the opposite side of the continent, stories and rumors about a mysterious figure who punished the unjust and distributed their wealth were spreading, knowingly or unknowingly.

…Given her meticulous personality, she always investigated thoroughly until she was completely certain about her targets, so her actions were always slow, but…

“It seems a new Demon King and a Legion Commander descended upon Ardisus. It wasn’t a full-scale attack, so it was ambiguous… but the serious part is that the Legion Commander was overwhelmingly stronger than the Demon King. I heard that Gazef and Loroana, along with… some mythical angel and eventually a lake dragon joined forces, but the result was barely holding them off?”

“…Demon King.”

Has it really come again…?

If so…

“She said not to worry about the Demon King itself. They stopped and dealt with it.”

“…How?”

“The content was too long, so she only wrote down the key points. But seeing that some context is missing, there might be something she’s trying to hide or defend?”

“I see…”

At least one major question has been answered.

“The damage must have been severe.”

“Big if you call it big, small if you call it small. I don’t know the details. Such information would be top-secret there, so they wouldn’t easily share it.”

“On the other hand, if they want to raise their voice in continental politics by revealing their achievements, it’s a necessary step. There would also be the purpose of honoring the victims.”

“…Widely announcing the achievements and heroic deeds of the victims. That’s human thinking. The idea that someone needs to know for satisfaction or to resolve grudges, you know that’s utterly useless to some, right?”

“…I believe it’s a necessary process, if only to impart lessons to those left behind.”

“Not everyone who’s left behind is grateful. Do you think everyone has a straight human nature like you?”

“It’s not about being straight; it’s about what’s right and proper, isn’t it?”

Nedes sighed openly, saying, “You’re still the same.”

“Do you really think there won’t be garbage who mock, ‘What stupid fools! They died like dogs! Hehehe’? Or trash who think, ‘They must be weakened now! This is our chance!’?”

“…”

“Seeing you keep quiet there, you’ve grown a little. Well done!”

With that, Nedes rose and approached Rueld.

She mercilessly slapped his back.

Unlike her sturdy lower body, her upper body was relatively feminine.

Is this what it means when they say the upper and lower body don’t match?

Even so, due to the overall harmony of her body, if one’s preferences aligned, this too could offer extreme charm.

‘I wouldn’t know.’

Bariel used to love it, going crazy over it.

And then after Kuriga’s death, he tried to take on Nedes out of a sense of debt but eventually escaped by taking on his family.

After defeating the Demon King, who was both enemy and goal, Nedes was in a terrible state, so she was half-swayed by Bariel.

Perhaps it would have been better if the two had ended up together.

Honestly, I’m not sure about that.

As a joke, I was told several times to take her on myself.

Even Ermina gave her permission.

In the end, she chose to wander the seas with various intentions.

Slap! Slap!

Each time she hit his back, the impact made his moderately sized chest ripple, inadvertently reminiscent of waves on flesh.

“By the way, our Kariel. He used to say he’d marry his aunt when he grew up, but I couldn’t see him when you had Elimion, and somehow I couldn’t see him even when I went to the islands later.”

“…”

“Why did I have to hear about his disappearance only half a year ago, from that idiot Bariel’s mouth? Ah, I know you had no obligation to tell me. I understand you probably had your dignity and felt like you’d done something terribly wrong, so you couldn’t bring yourself to speak and kept silent. I understand. I really do.”

As casually as with just a small fish bone,

She swiftly stabs at the heart.

“I also have the excuse of being busy and not seeing the kids’ faces. I often avoided situations where I’d meet them unless necessary, because seeing the kids would make me feel regretful and sad… but still! No matter what, you… ah, let’s stop talking. I’ll just frustrate myself. You and Ermina must be going crazy and insane.”

“…”

“You are going crazy, right?”

Rueld bit his lip, then nodded with his eyes closed.

“I’m going to accompany you when you go to the islands.”

“…How did that happen?”

“I don’t know the reason. But I think you might know. What could it be?”

Nedes’s pale eyes urged him to answer.

“I can tell something is going terribly wrong. The currents, you know, the sea currents have been strange lately, making me lose sleep at night.”

“Something big has happened. You’ll find out when we get there.”

“Are you planning to confess with your own mouth?”

“…I can’t because I’m too ashamed.”

“What shame are you talking about? You’ve gotten older and only gained age and belly fat.”

She swung one leg behind her back, held it with both hands, and twisted her body as if stretching.

“Ugh! Anyway, it’s good. While I’m there, I need to hear everything, whether I want to or not. I need to know how time passes on the ship.”

“Come to think of it, it’s almost that time, isn’t it?”

“Yes. There’s about a year left, so it’s all the more a time to step back and watch.”

Her contract with the Empire, or more precisely with the Emperor.

Its term was nearing its end.

“My juniors and siblings will fill my vacancy, but… there will be power struggles and commotion for a while due to my absence.”

“…Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Kids grow by fighting. Without fighting, how can you peacefully determine who’s first and who’s second? That’s only possible if one side unilaterally yields or is considerate… does that make sense to you?”

They say power and authority can’t even be exchanged for children or siblings.

“It’s better to fight it out and then compromise.”

“…”

If it were simply a matter of capable individuals fighting, he wouldn’t have said anything.

The problem is that they’re the witches of Witch Island.

While they might not be on Nedes’s level, Rueld himself had experienced many times that her sisters and juniors were no ordinary individuals.

“Remember when our El purged the opposing side, beheading nobles, confiscating property, and exiling them abroad? That was all necessary.”

“That was…”

“Back then, the justification was you, Ermina, and Kariel, wasn’t it? Kariel comes up again here?”

“…”

It seemed he would be tormented by this issue throughout his captivity with her.

In a way, it was a problem he naturally had to face and bear, so Rueld couldn’t refute or deny it.

He was usually unobstructed in any situation.

But for some reason, everything about Kariel became tangled.

When did it start?

When the child left the islands in his childhood?

Or after retrieving him from the elves’ grasp and returning to the islands?

“Nedes. Since we’re on the topic… what do you think I should do?”

“How would I know? Is someone else the kid’s father besides you? Did you pick him up somewhere?”

“…”

And.

Even while shooting these remarks and pushing Rueld just enough but not too much,

Nedes never mentioned some of the content that Loroana had included in her letter.

It could be considered consideration.

…Or if it’s malice, there might be no room for excuses at the moment.

‘I should have seen it first.’

No skill, terrible luck, and in many ways, so clueless about their own happiness.

‘How far things have gone wrong… I’ll judge when we get there.’

If things have truly gone awry.

To the point where sincerity, apology, and even communication become meaningless.

…Then we’ll just have to stab at each other a bit.

Even so, he didn’t think Rueld would be at a disadvantage.

Even if he suffered fatal or serious injuries, as long as Ermina was there…

‘It will work out somehow… but I’m not sure if that will lead to reconciliation.’

He didn’t want to care about others’ family matters because it was tiring.

But because it involved these particular people, he couldn’t help but care.

‘Kuriga. Look at me, voluntarily going through hardships because of the kids.’

You irresponsible man.

Why did you have to leave first…