Ch.60Chapter 60. Lin, Enraged

After finishing her bath with the help of attendants, Rinasien returned to her room, breathing heavily.

As she closed the door, ready to let out a frustrated cry, she was startled to find Rainford waiting for her.

“Morgan?”

Rainford whispered, bringing his nose close to her still-damp hair.

“Your Highness, fresh from the bath, is the very embodiment of purity.”

“Mmph…!”

“Am I being irreverent for saying such things?”

She shook her head quickly, her face flushed red.

This haughty woman became completely flustered only in front of him.

Rainford found this gap in her personality irresistibly charming.

“But there must be a reason you waited for me until this late hour?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

When the Shield Knight straightened his posture, the Imperial Princess likewise sat up straight.

From this moment on, they were lord and vassal, not lovers.

“The Saint and the Archer have grown complacent. Since we failed to achieve our objective, the delay in fulfilling our contract has reached its limit.”

“That was supposed to be compensation for the contract. Because of their incompetence, we neither secured the Hero nor did anything go as planned. Why should we give them anything? Regardless of their grievances, contracts must be executed as specified in the documents. We give only when we receive.”

“Not everything proceeds by reason alone. Trust and doubt belong to the realm of emotion. And emotion can suppress reason depending on what actions we show to others.”

“For example?”

Rainford smiled leisurely.

It was time to teach the Imperial Princess.

And to demonstrate it personally.

Near dawn.

Arsil arrived at the fortress wall of the Imperial City after receiving Rinasien’s summons.

On the wall, still tinged with blue as the sun had barely risen, Arsil found Rinasien and Rainford waiting for her.

“Again without escorts.”

“When I’m with Morgan, I need no other guards.”

“Even just having numbers can be a great help.”

“Hmph, Morgan alone is strength enough.”

You’ve forgotten.

What Arsil said was what Lee had told her.

Words that Lee had drilled into Arsil’s ears, not just on the day she was cornered while wandering alone.

Rinasien must have heard them too, but she showed no reaction.

“The Saint has a point. I’m rather surprised. For someone who always stands at the vanguard to say such things.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“It’s pure admiration.”

“Spare me the pleasantries. Why did you call me here?”

Rainford pointed to the area below the wall.

There were ten loaded wagons.

Arsil saw workers loading food supplies and daily necessities.

The work was nearly complete.

“I thought we hadn’t been paying enough attention to our partner.”

“Meaning?”

“All those wagons are headed to your hometown—the Sewage Alley, was it?”

Arsil snorted.

“Ha, after all your fancy talk, now you do this? I know you’ll just put those wagons back in storage.”

Despite her curt response, her eyes remained fixed on the wagons.

That amount would be enough to live comfortably for at least half a year.

She recalled the faces of her old friends when she left.

Spirited children, but all skin and bones.

Arsil fingered the hairpin in her pocket.

Mocking her, Rinasien clapped her hands.

At the sound echoing in the quiet dawn, the workers looked up and efficiently finished loading all the supplies.

Ten drivers climbed onto the ten wagons.

“Depart!”

Starting with the lead wagon, strong horses began to gallop away.

The fortress gates opened, and Arsil stared blankly as the procession of wagons left the Imperial City.

“Actions build trust.”

Though she disliked Rinasien’s confident manner, she couldn’t stop the lump forming in her throat.

“Why are you suddenly doing this?”

“After the Grand Council ends, we’ll set off again as the Hero’s party. Your role will be crucial there.”

So that’s it.

Additional contract terms.

But the image of the wagons heading to her hometown still lingered in her mind.

As Arsil remained silent, Rainford stood facing the outer wall, deliberately showing his back.

“Subduing the Hero after our journey is a task for all of us. But there’s someone who’s rapidly gaining prominence at this point.”

The Porter.

The name appeared in Arsil’s mind without being spoken.

“Not only did he suddenly rescue the Hero, but he also claimed that the Magic Hero is a medium to resurrect the Demon King. Whether true or not, we need to keep him close.”

“He’s inseparable from Lucy anyway.”

“No, merely keeping him close isn’t enough.”

With perfect timing, Rainford turned around.

“Arsil, you need to find out exactly who the Porter is.”

“It was the Imperial Family who appointed him to the Hero’s party. His identity should be fully documented in the imperial archives.”

This time Rinasien spoke up.

“Only the Emperor or his proxy can access the archives. As you know, Father’s condition isn’t good. Recently, he can’t even maintain consciousness. He’s lucid for only a few hours at a time. It’s barely enough to get his approval on pending state affairs.”

Moreover, the Emperor would lose his mind and babble incoherently whenever the archives were mentioned.

Whether intentional or not, she couldn’t press him about it in front of the ministers.

“If you accept, we’ll send regular supplies.”

“Hmph, the Church also sends support every month.”

Rainford extended his hand.

“Arsil, the whole world knows the Church has been suffering from poor harvests for several years. It’s easy to see that support from devout patrons is barely enough to sustain your clergy.”

Therefore, aid had been cut off for over a year already.

The last Arsil had heard, Sewage Alley was barely getting by, conserving what had been sent before.

Stung by this painful truth, Arsil clicked her tongue and took the Shield Knight’s hand.

“Don’t forget. Both the Church and you. Our contract includes not just simple aid, but building an academy there and sending teachers.”

“I always keep that in mind.”

The sun was rising behind Rainford.

The brightness prevented Arsil from looking directly at him.

“But only when we achieve our objective.”

His face, obscured by the backlight, wore a smile mixed with superiority and arrogance.

And so the morning of the Grand Council dawned.

The Imperial Princess and the Shield Knight invited Naidrian and the Elven Council of Elders to an early breakfast.

This time, they had taken proper care to prepare a table full of vegetarian dishes, including salads.

The elves enjoyed their breakfast, satisfied with the fresh fruits and vegetables they hadn’t had in a long time.

“How do you find the food?”

“It’s very delicious.”

Delicious food softens people.

An eternal truth that transcends races.

Rinasien tapped her wine glass to get everyone’s attention.

“Since the defeat of the Demon King, we’ve had a series of unfortunate events. Losing the Hero, demons continuing to appear despite the Demon King’s death, and finally the Magic Hero’s party.”

The Council of Elders and Naidrian tensed.

The opening seemed to be an indirect criticism of their insufficient assistance.

But when they saw the certificate that Rainford produced, they could barely contain their excitement.

“I’ve kept this hidden for preparation, but I must express gratitude to the elves who have actively helped me, Rinasien Karrun.”

Rainford unfolded the certificate and read each word with authority.

“The Karrun Empire recognizes that our mutual cooperation partners, the elves, are facing a racial crisis, and in accordance with our mutual defense treaty, takes the following measures.”

Finally!

Naidrian watched Rainford’s lips intently, her eyes sparkling.

“First, the Empire cedes the vast forest beginning from the southern outskirts of the Imperial City to the elves as their homeland for the preservation and prosperity of their race.”

Small exclamations erupted.

Naidrian looked around with a bright smile, but no one acknowledged her efforts with a gesture or word.

Embarrassed, she awkwardly turned her head forward.

“Second, the Empire recognizes the elves’ autonomy over the forest and acknowledges that ownership of everything growing in the forest belongs to the elves.”

The elders nodded at each other with great satisfaction.

They were filled with joy at their achievement, but still no praise for Naidrian.

“However, all of this will be given as compensation only when the contract between the Empire and the elves is successfully fulfilled.”

Suddenly, all the elders looked at Naidrian.

This wasn’t the kind of attention she wanted…

The archer timidly lowered her head.

Rinasien gestured to the servants, and wine was poured into everyone’s glasses.

“Soon, the Hero’s party will embark on a new journey.”

She raised her glass high and continued.

“At the same time, it’s a new challenge to achieve our objective.”

“But isn’t Naidrian actively cooperating on that?”

“Yes, we all tried together, but heaven was merciless, and we failed.”

At this firm statement, the Council of Elders had to remain silent.

“So we’ve decided to proceed step by step. We’re preparing other methods besides force.”

“What other methods?”

“The Hero still enjoys strong public support. We need to reveal the truth about the Hero and show that she is not righteous.”

Speaking at length made her thirsty.

Instead of drinking the wine, Rinasien took a deep breath.

“Everyone already knows the Hero is arrogant, but the public doesn’t care much. So we must first reveal that her close associates are not righteous.”

“By close associates, do you mean the Porter?”

Surprisingly, Naidrian was the first to agree.

And very opportunely.

“That’s right. That person wouldn’t rescue the Hero and stay by her side without any benefit. We’ll discover his scheme and question the Hero about why she associates with such a person. The Hero will surely respond violently, and the public will turn their backs on her.”

“So, in short, we need to find flaws in the Hero or the Porter?”

“Exactly, Naidrian.”

“I’m confident! Leave it to me!”

Everyone was surprised.

They had never seen Naidrian so proactive and confident.

She must know something already.

Rainford was certain that Naidrian’s confidence wasn’t unfounded.

Rinasien also joked casually.

“My arm is getting tired from holding this up. And my throat is dry.”

The elves raised their glasses one by one.

Naidrian’s particularly high raise was irritating, but it didn’t matter.

‘No problem. I clearly saw the Porter disposing of the Hero party’s spoils as he pleased last time.’

Clear embezzlement.

She just needed to gather evidence during their new journey.

However, Naidrian was completely unaware.

The fact that the Porter doesn’t receive any support funds from the Hero’s party.

“To the prosperity of the Empire and the elves.”

“To prosperity!”

It was very successful.

All these achievements had been made from dawn to morning.

On the very day of the Grand Council.

“When did you prepare such strategies and arrangements?”

Back in their room, Rinasien expressed genuine admiration.

“If you thought I was just repairing a broken shield for the past day and a half, I, Morgan Rainford, would be truly disappointed.”

“I… only knew that carriages with young ladies were coming and going frequently.”

Rainford sighed.

“I had requested help from other houses for preparations, but for some reason, they kept sending young ladies. It was quite distracting while I was working.”

Of course!

Rinasien happily embraced him.

She knew Rainford wouldn’t look at anyone else but her.

Ravin, that fool.

Appearances can be deceiving.

One must look deep inside to truly know a person.

Mocking the shallow street-smarts of others, Rinasien steeled herself to execute her final plan.

If she could succeed as splendidly as Rainford had this morning, she would surely be recognized and revered as a true Imperial Princess.

Then Rainford would see her as more mature and worthy of becoming Emperor.

In the Shield Knight’s arms, Rinasien couldn’t stop the smile that kept spreading across her face.

—

“This is what happened.”

And all these events were relayed to Rin and Lucy through Ravin.

Lucy instinctively checked Rin and Ravin’s expressions.

After finishing the story, the atmosphere between the two seemed unusual.

“Wagons? Ten of them?”

Rin spoke with a somewhat sarcastic tone.

“They went all the way around and back in through the rear gate?”

Ravin giggled.

Lucy could tell.

“The vast forest beginning from the southern outskirts of the Imperial City.”

Rin was…

“No wonder the forest seemed endless. Yet right beside it, everything was urban.”

Ravin was…

Extremely angry.

“No wonder! No one knew! They wouldn’t believe me when I said there was a slum in the forest, let alone a place called Sewage Alley.”

“It was truly a forgotten place.”

An excited Ravin and a dejected Rin.

Particularly, something ominous was happening in Rin’s heart.

Crack!

Numerous chains that had been wrapping around something.

One of them corroded black and fell to the ground.

Crash!

The chain shattered into countless pieces as it fell.

Simultaneously, uncontrollable anger engulfed Rin.

“Rinasien…!”

His voice was like a snarl.

Even Ravin approached him anxiously, concerned by this change.

“To give our alley… to the elves…!”

As blood flowed from his bitten lip, a startled Lucy pressed a handkerchief to it.

“Calm down, Rin! This isn’t like you.”

Ravin joined in, but Rin could hardly contain his anger.

Though understandable given the situation, his demeanor was disturbingly unfamiliar.

But,

Far away, the Magic Heroes who were monitoring Rin’s emotional state through the Demon King’s magic energy couldn’t have received better news.

“Finally!”

Loneliness trembled with joy.

“Woo~. I hope Rin doesn’t suffer too much…”

Sloth worried about him.

“Yes, it’s beginning now.”

Forced Falsehood could barely contain her excitement.

“You’re doing very well, Ravin.”

Recruiting her had indeed been the right decision.

Though unfortunately they couldn’t make her a demon, they could still use her in other ways.

“Go, Denarua. It’s your turn.”

“Eh?! The Dual Swordsman again? That’s two in a row!”

“I’m disappointed too, but Rin chose it.”

“If that’s the case, I have no choice…”

The Illusionist, Adora, felt his heart with a deep smile.

“Yes, that’s how it should be. Don’t suffer alone, show everything you’ve been holding back.”

Yet numerous iron chains still bound his violently turbulent heart, calming it.

“Show it. Your wounds and your anger.”

The day he can fully embrace his anger,

Rin will surely join them.

Now soon,

It was time for the Grand Council to begin.