Chapter 37 – Flower of the North Sea (9)

After parting with her only loyal servant, the butler, Adela quietly left the dormitory.

Her pockets were light. She carried an extra pair of gloves and a handkerchief for the ball, as well as a small earring she hadn’t yet worn.

Holding up the hem of her long dress to keep it from dragging on the ground, she began walking through the night streets.

The South Street, Dehatan Club.

The location of the ball that Count William had informed her about.

If she made it there, she wouldn’t have to worry about her family’s watchful eyes any longer.

Under the dazzling chandeliers, all she had to do was dance lightly with him and promise deeper acquaintance. With that, she would take one step further away from Rochear’s grip.

Once engaged and married into the Clove Count family, Rochear would never be able to take her heart—she would have achieved her purpose at the Academy by playing the fool and surviving.

The golden light from the gas lamps transformed her blue dress into heavenly beauty.

Adela, in that moment, was a debutante who could draw admiration from anyone who saw her.

“Sigh… It’s really far.”

After walking for a while in her stiff shoes, she finally saw the Academy’s front gate in the distance.

The bright lights of the city beyond announced the night in Farencia.

She reached out towards it, almost touching it, before turning her body quietly.

And there, in front of a dark three-story wooden building, she smiled.

“I made it.”

***

Despite the door being locked, Adela approached quickly and retrieved a key from beneath a small potted plant at the entrance.

A cactus with sharp thorns was planted there, a touch that reflected Louis’s personality, and it made her laugh.

She unlocked the door and entered the store.

The quiet interior, with no customers or staff, evoked a strange sense of nostalgia.

The floor, which had likely seen many visitors today, was spotlessly clean. A few notebooks and writing instruments that hadn’t been put back on the shelves lay on the counter.

The leftover bread, covered in a large sheet of paper under a glass dome, emitted a faint aroma, and Louis’s coat was draped over a chair.

Adela slowly walked around the store, her slender fingers brushing dust off the shelves, counter, and stairs, bringing back memories of Louis.

With a light smile, she lifted the hem of her dress, which was illuminated by the moonlight.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, greeted herself like a noblewoman, and danced awkwardly around the store.

Surely, the teacher would think she looked beautiful too—

Adela wondered what expression Louis would make if he saw her like this when he returned.

Time passed, the lights in the Academy buildings where late-night experiments were conducted went out, and Adela, left alone, sat quietly at the counter. Hungry, she had eaten a few pieces of bread.

She had no intention of attending the ball. Even though marrying the Count could free her from Rochear, she had no desire to do so.

Her heart belonged solely to Louis. Even if her heart were to be taken, she wished her final feelings would be for Louis.

“Ah… teacher.”

Would she be able to convey this feeling once more?

“I hope you come back soon.”

***

Morning came. The apprentice priests at the Temple of Light, the first to awaken, rang the bells of the clock tower while rubbing their eyes.

It was a morning with faintly shining morning stars. The street cleaners began their work, and the city guards yawned and removed their helmets as their shifts changed.

Spring had long arrived, but today, a particularly cold wind blew.

In the central city of Farencia, Pennheim Kingdom, at the west gate.

The new guard, having just completed his shift change, saw a group of figures approaching in the distance.

Still groggy, he rubbed his eyes, thinking it was just a merchant caravan coming to collect milk from the nearby ranch.

But as they came closer, he saw neither wagons nor the winged shoe insignia of the Alipas trade company.

Instead, what became visible were black military banners.

The geometric intertwining triangles of the Three Originals.

The Four Laurels emblem. The Grand Dossier.

“Wha… wha… what…?! Why are they here?!”

The guard’s eyes widened in shock. His trembling hand gripped his spear as he shouted, and a massive cold front swept over Farencia almost simultaneously.

“It’s Rochear—!!! Rochear’s knights are here—!!”

The nightmare of Senlir. The guardian of the frozen lake.

Pennheim Kingdom’s sharpest spear and the blue-armored slaughterer, comparable to the Twelve Alliances of the Lavierre Mountain Range in the Great War.

Unseen by anyone, Rochear’s Blue Rose Knights, having frozen the North Sea for fifteen days to cross it, had landed in Farencia.

Their numbers weren’t large, but their overwhelming power rendered resistance futile.

The knights who entered through the west gate headed straight for Farencia Academy without hesitation.

Reincarnation Duke Lehel Darard was absent. The lord of Farencia was also not present.

There was no one to stop them as they stormed in nearly unopposed.

“What do you think you’re—urk!!”

Mark Butterball, who had drawn his sword upon seeing the sudden arrival of the knights, was sent flying into the outer wall by the commander’s strike.

Ignoring the pale faces of the nobles who watched them, Rochear’s knight commander—Siegfried Steiner—gave orders to his men.

“Squad 1, to the dormitory. Squad 2, to the Privy Hall. No killing. Only subdue.”

“Yes, sir!!!”

After dividing the squads to search for Adela, Siegfried walked towards the suspicious building in the middle of the academy.

He broke through the glass door without hesitation when he saw the person waiting inside.

Crash!!

Adela, dressed beautifully in a gown, stood there with a bitter smile as she faced the unwelcome visitor who had arrived with the dawn.

So, this is how it ends.

In a way, it might be fortunate. No matter how strong her teacher was, he wouldn’t be able to oppose the mighty Rochear family.

“Long time no see, young lady.”

“Long time, Sir Siegfried.”

Adela gracefully greeted the middle-aged knight who had entered.

“Impressive. You’ve managed to deceive the head all this time.”

“My sister doesn’t care much about me. It wasn’t difficult.”

“That may change now. You will come to understand the head’s intentions. Now…”

Understand—?

She had no desire to understand the thoughts of a heartless person.

But Adela could no longer run or continue her act.

The large hand lifted above her head.

The pommel of the sword hilt came down on her head.

***

— What’s the situation?

— No fatalities. However, the soldiers guarding the west gate have severe frostbite and need treatment from the temple.

— Frost on the nearby pastures has killed the crops. The same goes for the Aldran area beyond the western forest.

— Mark Butterball, the academy’s guard captain, is in critical condition and unconscious.

— Record all property damage and injuries caused by the attack. Send an official protest to Rochear and lock down all gates.

By the time we arrived, the academy was already in chaos.

Ignoring the voice of Darling, who was handling the situation, I headed towards the store. My home, which I returned to after a few days, was a complete mess.

“Boss! The store… ugh!”

Liv, who had arrived to open the store as there were no classes on holidays, was already there. She flinched upon seeing me.

I said nothing and walked past her into the store. Inside was a complete wreck, with footprints of melted snow and dirt everywhere.

Curtains were torn, shelves and counters were all in disarray.

Bloodstains were everywhere, marking the signs of a fierce struggle.

In a particularly large pool of blood, I found a single blue sapphire earring.

“….”

A cold chill ran through my body. I headed to the basement.

Clearing away the scattered items on the floor, I found an old pickaxe. Picking it up, I headed to a small room in the basement and stood in front of a tombstone I had made when I first arrived.

Clang!!

The sound of the pickaxe striking the stone echoed as I broke through the hard surface.

Clang! Clang!!

With a few more strikes, the ground began to give way.

Clang—!!!

“Boss!!!”

Just as I was about to start my work in earnest, Liv shouted from behind. She was trembling as she grabbed my sleeve desperately.

“You can’t do this.”

“Let go.”

“Drop that first. Hurry!”

“I said let go.”

“There’s someone important buried there! No matter how angry you are, you can’t…”

“No one’s buried here.”

“What?”

“Who would be buried here? I’m not a murderer. Why would I bury someone in the basement?”

“Then… this is…”

“Old equipment. I’m taking it out.”

“What about your… former comrades…”

“What are you talking about?”

“I told you. They’re doing fine. I’m here to get my sword and shield.”

Yes. What does a hero summoned to another world need? The holy sword to defeat the Demon King.

Of course, I didn’t return the equipment after beheading the Demon King, so my gear was still buried here.

And now, it was time to retrieve it.

“Step back. Rocks will fly.”

I resumed swinging the pickaxe. The sound of breaking stone echoed in the basement.

Time passed, and eventually, the tip of the pickaxe hit something solid inside.

Just a little more to go, I thought, when an enormous shock made my arm jerk back.

Rumble—!!

“Huh?”

The pickaxe flew out of my hand and embedded itself into the wall, disintegrating into dust.

I saw the brilliant glow seeping from the spot I had struck, and I paused to think.

“Why did you stop?”

“Damn.”

“What?”

“I buried it too deep.”

“…”

“I placed the sword below and covered it with the shield. It was a good idea at the time, but it’s like a perfect lid now.”

Liv’s expression turned icy.

This was tricky. The sword and shield were part of the hero’s three holy artifacts. With a third of my power embedded in the ground, it would be very difficult to retrieve them barehanded.

“Should I try using magic?”

“It has incredibly high magic resistance. It might work if you blow up the whole store… Damn… I shouldn’t have watched John Wick when I was younger.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a movie that fits this situation perfectly.”

Resigned, I dusted off my clothes and stood up. If I had no teeth, I’d have to chew with my gums. Weapons weren’t absolutely necessary. It might even be better to leave the holy artifacts buried, as they were what the holy country had been searching for.

“I’m heading to the North Sea for a bit.”

“The North Sea…?”

“Yes.”

I walked up to the first floor. Looking at the empty bread basket, I spoke.

“If she steals bread one more time, I’ll definitely come after her.”