Ch.321321. Starting Point (3)

Kelnur’s dark whispers grew increasingly meticulous, and he was easily succeeding at deceiving people one by one, twisting and distorting the truth.

His goal was singular: the downfall of Junon.

Now that the executives had disappeared, if he changed his target and informed Dusen of this fact to incite division, yesterday’s enemies could become today’s allies.

However, despite Kelnur’s cunning whispers, Dusen didn’t believe him. He clearly recognized that artful trickery was being employed by that mouth.

Why? There was nothing special about Dusen. Like the executives, he had initially maintained neutrality while assessing the commander’s capabilities. Being the former captain of the guard gave him no special reason to avoid being deceived. Unlike Professor Muniher or Professor Jake.

The reason was simpler than expected. He knew in advance. Someone had mentioned that Kelnur would say those words.

In other words, he had prior knowledge.

Let’s go back to when Kelnur approached Dusen to report the executives.

When Dusen was about to move immediately with his soldiers after learning about the whistleblower, he met Senia.

“Hmm? Why are you here?”

“Is it strange that I’m here?”

“Strange… that’s a somewhat awkward expression. It would be more accurate to say I didn’t expect you to be here.”

“Because I’m a key force of Tembris. Because each person is an important asset. So you find it awkward that I’m stationed here. Is that what you mean to say?”

“Haha. You’re a woman who sees right through people. Well, I won’t deny it. Though I’ll still ask just in case…”

“Don’t worry. It’s not desertion or anything like that. I was assigned here because Junon said I wasn’t suitable for this operation.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Dusen laughed, saying he still couldn’t figure out the commander’s intentions.

Then Senia broke the calm atmosphere with a direct question.

“What do you mean? That the whistleblower actually harbors ill will toward the commander?”

Anticipating that it would sound unbelievable, Senia made a proposal.

“Would you like to make a bet with me?”

“A bet?”

“Yes. About whether Kelnur truly has malicious intent or not.”

Dusen was still perplexed. How could one know such a thing?

“If I just say it like this, I’ll seem like a terrible person. That’s why I’m proposing a bet.”

“…”

No matter how skilled one is at conversation, no matter how well one can read people and guide their answers, if someone is determined to hide something, it’s not impossible to avoid answering.

But Senia confidently proposed the bet. As if she were certain.

“Alright. Let me hear what you have to say.”

Senia smiled broadly at Dusen’s response.

She detailed how Kelnur would act going forward, excluding the more unbelievable aspects.

The more Dusen listened, the more his eyes narrowed.

In the end, this bet would be decided by whether Kelnur would say one specific thing to Dusen or not.

When Senia finished speaking, Dusen carefully asked her:

“May I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“There was a nasty rumor circulating about the commander. I hate to ask, but… is that related to this?”

Senia didn’t respond to the question. But Dusen could tell.

This non-response meant affirmation.

If that was true, her statement wasn’t a simple bet but a prophecy predicting the future.

“…I’ll look for Miss Erika first, as you suggested. Punishing Count Belmehof’s side can wait a little longer.”

“Then, shall we discuss the rest as we go?”

“Let’s do that.”

***

It was a painful memory.

A past that couldn’t be denied.

It reflected the worst version of herself, beyond any words to express.

Even after returning to reality, the vivid and intense scenes left Erika’s mind blank.

“What… what should I do?”

No matter how hard she racked her brain, Erika couldn’t understand the meaning of the last telepathic message she had received.

Was “don’t die” all there was to it, despite learning that Junon was Alcaide?

“No. That can’t be all. At least… at least…”

It must have meant for her to clean up the ashes she had scattered.

“Right. First, I need to go to the duchy…”

She had no concrete plan. What she needed to do wasn’t decided. Erika Sherpen, with her mind a blank slate, prioritized only returning to the duchy to find him.

But the horse she had tied up was gone.

“Where’s the… horse? Did I come to the wrong place?”

That couldn’t be. Though slightly faded, the horse’s hoofprints were still visible on the ground. She had even drawn a large mark to make it easy to identify, so the fact that she had tied a horse here remained unchanged.

It was unlikely someone had taken the horse tied here. They wouldn’t have known about this remote ruin, so how could anyone have passed by in such a short time? It didn’t make sense.

Yet the horse’s disappearance meant it had broken free and escaped on its own.

Soon, Erika touched the liquid flowing from a tree and realized why the horse had broken free and fled.

“This is… Iord tree sap…”

How much time had passed in that ruin? The secretion that Iord trees release as they prepare to welcome spring after enduring winter was visible.

When she first arrived here, the trees were standing with only bare branches, enduring the cold. Now they were exuding sap.

This meant quite a long time had passed while she faced her past in that ruin.

‘Still, if it’s Junon, he should be with the duchy’s army.’

Because that’s how it was in the past.

.

.

.

‘Not only no carriage, but no horse either?’

When she urgently tried to head to where Junon might be, she couldn’t find any transportation.

Previously, she had no trouble renting a carriage just by paying money nearby, but now even borrowing a horse was difficult.

With no choice, she approached some nearby sentries and asked if she could borrow a horse.

The soldiers looked at her as if she were an unworldly child and firmly said it was impossible.

With no other option, all she could do was walk on her own two feet.

From this remote Sirach to where the duchy’s army was stationed would require quite a long walk. As she walked, catching her breath, she heard a clattering sound nearby.

‘Hoofbeats…!’

If they were heading in the same direction, perhaps she could fortunately catch a ride.

She shouted at the top of her lungs, trying to catch the attention of the passing rider.

“Wait, please─!!”

Fortunately, her voice reached them, and the horse’s head turned. Erika showed herself to them, panting.

But somehow, she saw a familiar face. Though not as famous as Professor Muniher, he was quite well-known, having survived battles alongside him.

“Are you perhaps Lord Dusen?”

“I am.”

“…! Then, could you possibly take me to the duchy? If you’re going in a different direction, you can let me off along the way. Please!”

Erika joyfully asked Dusen to let her ride on his horse.

“…Get on.”

“Th-thank you! My destination is…”

“I cannot go to the duchy. I’ll take you only as far as the front lines.”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

“Look. Can’t you see that all the defensive objects of Lebrant Academy have been turned off? Or do you not know that the duchy’s army is currently at war?”

“Ah…!”

Come to think of it, the trees were preparing for spring.

She had completely forgotten that so much time had passed.

“…So it’s true.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing. Since you seem to know neither, I needn’t answer.”

“Oh, I see…”

Erika was about to ask what today’s date was, if it wasn’t impolite, and express her intention to join the duchy’s army, but there was no need.

Dusen took the reins and galloped toward the front lines without any intention of questioning her further.

“I might be mistaken about who you are, so let me ask. Are you Miss Erika Sherpen of the Sherpen County?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’ve heard about you quite often. The holy magician of Tembris, a healing magician who saved countless lives. But what the duchy’s army and the people of this country need right now isn’t a gentle healing touch.”

“What do you mean by that…”

“What they desire is the breath of a hero who can shatter even the miserable reality of this world.”

Was this criticism or advice? The words were meaningful, but she couldn’t understand their exact meaning.

After that, Dusen said nothing more and rode quickly.

This wasn’t the place she wanted to be.

Although soldiers were densely positioned here, she couldn’t see Junon, whom she was looking for, anywhere.

“Lord Dusen. Could you possibly lend me a horse?”

“I cannot do that.”

“…Pardon?”

“I cannot send a noble lady to the front lines.”

Cannot send her? What did that mean? Was she supposed to just stay here quietly?

Erika rebelled against this contradictory attitude.

“I’m a healing magician heading to the battlefield. To recover injured soldiers, and as a holy magician and buffer. Moreover, I can temporarily fill any position except the vanguard, depending on the formation and tactics. Though I may not be as capable as Lord Dusen, I believe I can fulfill my role adequately.”

“I already told you once. The people don’t desire a gentle healing touch.”

“Could it be that you were referring to me with those words? As I said before, I don’t understand what you meant by that at all. I would like an answer as to what you meant by such words. Along with a reason I can accept.”

Then Dusen silenced Erika with one resolute dismissal.

“Aren’t you the one who tried to bury Junon, this duchy’s only hope, based on a mere rumor?”

-Along with that man named Kelnur.

As he added this, Erika’s face turned pale.