Rogi & Agnes (2)

It couldn’t be called a fight.

A more appropriate expression would be beating or one-sided assault.

It happened in an instant.

Levi approached Agnes close enough to feel her breath.

When the opponent tried to quickly raise her sword, Levi struck her wrist with the handle of the whip to make her drop the sword, then

-Smack!

Kicked her leg hard to knock her down.

“Ugh!”

As soon as Agnes was incapacitated, Levi wrapped her right leg with the whip,

-Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

And slammed her left and right against the ground in rhythm.

The deep forest Agnes planting operation that continued for a while ended after about 20 thuds.

“…Is she alive?”

“Yes, after all, Ethan-nim told me not to kill her.”

‘Even though her head was planted in the ground?’

When Ethan went to check directly, she was still breathing.

He examined to see if her neck was broken, but it was fine.

‘Is this what they mean by a knight is a knight?’

Judging by how skillfully she was using aura, she’s at least an expert mid-tier.

“She’s unconscious.”

Maybe it’s because of the mana blocking and debuff,

She was subdued by Levi in an instant.

‘It might be difficult to gauge her skills with an opponent of this level.’

After praising Levi, who was smiling brightly, for doing well,

The two returned to the office.

“Welcome back, boss.”

“Ah, wait a moment. Leave the magic tool for now.”

Ethan took out a pen and paper from the office and scribbled something, then

Went back to the portal.

And he left a potion bottle and a note next to the unconscious Agnes.

“I hope this clears up the misunderstanding a bit.”

After saying that, Ethan passed through the portal.

The split space closed seamlessly as if nothing had happened.

A carriage carrying the unconscious woman headed towards the mansion.

Passersby glanced at her as she was being loaded, but

Most of them clearly seemed to be pretending not to notice.

‘I feel like we’re getting strange looks.’

Albert, who was riding along, seemed burdened by those gazes too and tried to change the subject.

“Ah, boss. Have you heard that news?”

“What news?”

“Recently, a volunteer group started activities in the Free Market.”

Although he had a bad feeling,

He continued listening to Albert’s explanation.

“Thanks to them helping beggars while saying they’re spreading good words, the Free Market streets have become quite clean.”

“…It’s not some strange religious group, is it?”

“Well, from what I hear, it might be. Ah, I think that’s it over there.”

Where Albert’s finger pointed, there was a huge crowd gathered.

‘There should be some church forces that have advanced into Serdin.’

However, their influence was so small that it wasn’t worth worrying about much.

‘The Etre side was the strange one.’

Although the church acts tyrannically in their home base of the Holy Spirit Realm,

They tend to be relatively docile when proselytizing in foreign countries.

It’s the epitome of the saying ‘Look before you leap.’

Rather, groups like the secret order in Etre were on the strange side.

“There were quite a few beggars who were coldly ignored and starved to death on the market streets, but thanks to them, there haven’t been any corpses to clean up lately.”

“They must be wonderful people.”

Ethan didn’t pay much attention.

He had an immediate headache to deal with sleeping tied up in the back.

As the carriage moved away towards the mansion,

Volunteer activities were in full swing in a corner of the market.

“Oh, thank you, priest!”

“Don’t push! There’s plenty of food!”

“Could you read this while eating?”

Ethan had no idea that the ones constantly ladling stew from a large pot

Were David and Elyssia.

And,

The madman Michel, who was avoided even by beggars, staggered as he stood in line.

“Hey, get lost!”

“Where do you think you’re lining up?”

Beggars naturally pushed Michel away and stepped on him.

“How is this idiot still alive?”

“I guess he’s been eating garbage or something.”

“Hey! No fighting!”

At that moment, Elyssia rushed over.

“Are you alright?”

“Oooh?”

Michel, with his tongue twisted, couldn’t even speak properly.

He went mad for a moment when he lost his position as an aide,

And because of that, he got involved in an unfortunate incident.

He tried to return to his family home, but they turned their backs on him.

Soon after, due to the king’s massive purge of nobles, the Garad Viscount family also suffered near-extinction, which was a blessing in disguise.

Michel, who had no one to rely on materially or mentally,

Something snapped in his head.

Michel became a wreck and lived day by day in a corner alley of the Free Market, unable to die.

No one pitied him.

Because rumors were already widespread that he dared to try to harm Him.

But today,

“Please eat this at least.”

A beautiful young girl,

With bright sunlight behind her, held out bread and stew to him.

It was food imbued with pure goodwill.

“Ooh.”

“It’s okay if you find it hard to speak.”

“Oooh…”

How long had it been since his last meal?

Michel ate everything, scraping the bottom of the bowl while shedding tears.

The girl silently gave him another bowl.

‘An angel!’

Michel was moved, and

Accepted the pamphlet the girl offered without hesitation.

And,

‘Ah, what a warm doctrine this is.’

He was saved by the phrases engraved in it.

His tongue, which had been twisted and unable to utter words, gradually loosened.

His firmly closed heart opened little by little.

“If it’s alright with you, would you like to join our next meeting?”

“C-Can I really?”

“Of course! Everyone is welcome.”

He answered that he would to the girl who smiled brightly.

Without knowing that the phrases in the pamphlet were part of the doctrinal study book written directly by Ethan, whom he had hated so much,

That the girl was Elyssia, Ethan’s protégée,

And that the meeting was a kind of religious gathering (heresy),

Michel felt like he had gained a new life.

Agnes laughed helplessly.

When she opened her eyes, she had been left alone in the darkened forest.

A small potion bottle and a briefly written letter were gently placed by her head.

[I am neither a rebel nor a foreign spy.

I have no acquaintance with the person you were chasing.

I had to use force unavoidably, so please understand.

I’m leaving one bottle of potion.

I hope this clears up the misunderstanding.

If you have any questions, please send a mana messenger ball to this address.

I will answer sincerely.

The coordinates are…]

Later, the search party found her,

And Agnes carefully tucked the potion and letter into her bosom before returning.

She explained what happened to the enraged Senate Speaker and

Placed her hand on the crystal ball offered by someone called a researcher.

Though not clear, her memories were output as per her testimony.

“The lady said she was supposed to meet that man.”

“How on earth…”

The Senate Speaker looked at the man in the crystal ball with fear.

The researcher was the same.

Their expressions were similar to mice facing a cat.

Agnes watched their reactions and opened her mouth.

“But hearing that man’s answer, it didn’t seem exactly like-“

“That’s enough.”

Someone interrupted as the door opened.

It was an elderly man in a neat uniform with impressive long white mustaches grown on both sides.

“Senate Speaker, Your Excellency.”

“…General Freyt.”

It was Freyt Rosenbail, the current Chief of Staff of the Republic Army.

He first greeted Burgo, then

Immediately turned and glared at Agnes.

“How dare a mere sword offer opinions to her master. Is that how I taught you?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“There should have been no gaps in the lady’s escort. Today’s incident is all your fault. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Go back and reflect.”

Agnes left the Senate Speaker’s office.

She heard ‘General, you seem too strict with your daughter-‘ from beyond the door, but didn’t pay attention.

She was just a sword, and

Her opinions weren’t important at all.

In that respect,

This man was somehow different.

‘He’s telling me to ask what I’m curious about?’

Agnes, who had returned to her room, crumpled the letter.

At best, he was a foreign spy, or a rebel agent trying to seduce and abduct the lady.

Yet he was considerate and kind.

Maybe that’s why.

She felt strangely intrigued.

“Right, gathering information is important.”

Even a tactical novice knows the truth that knowing your enemy is advantageous when engaging in battle.

Convincing herself like that,

Agnes picked up a pen.

Agnes’s memory witnessed by Senate Speaker Burgo and Peniola.

“No matter how I look at this…”

“Yes, Mr. Speaker.”

It was clear no matter how many times they rewatched it.

“Has he joined hands with those citizen faction bastards?”

He had already brought the radical revolutionary Kaidel Count under his command.

On top of that, he even created a portal near Heines to infiltrate.

He disappeared with Rogi on the way back.

After thoroughly crushing Agnes who tried to stop this.

From the fact that he spirited away the daughter of ‘them’, the symbol of the citizen faction,

It was evidence that he was already well-versed in the inner workings of the republic’s upper echelons.

Senate Speaker Burgo Selud trembled as if he had been thrown naked onto a winter mountain.

The general, puzzled by this, opened his mouth.

“Mr. Speaker, are you alright?”

“General, what if…”

The Senate Speaker continued speaking without even turning his head.

“What if there was a being who could use Kaidel Count like a limb and was hostile to the current republic, would we have a chance?”

“You mean that fellow?”

“Yes, if there was a terrifying being with many other strong people cooperating…”

General Freyt evaluated it like this:

“I guarantee, the situation is worse than when that damned Estel launched a simultaneous declaration of war against three countries.”

“Should we enter a state of total war starting now?”

“Well. To be frank, we might be able to stop Kaidel Count alone with the sacrifice of the entire republic army. But if there are more strong people besides him, the republic will be cut to pieces.”

General Freyt pointed to the map on the wall.

The entire republic was painted in various colors as if different paints had been spilled.

“Citizen faction remnants, Church faction, Pro-Sergafield separatist alliance, Southern landowner alliance, Old local nobility faction remnants, Holium province independence faction.”

Burgo’s expression crumpled.

But the general continued his explanation calmly.

“Even excluding the citizen faction remnants that we’re continuously rooting out, there are five major forces that could be a threat. If we include smaller but still threatening forces, there are over 30.”

The forces from various regions that were loosely united under the royal family’s leadership.

They were torn apart when the Obyek royal family fell.

They united during the invasion of the three neighboring countries, but

The war ended, and they became antagonistic again.

“The current republic army is already struggling just to control these forces.”

“We can’t give more power to the military.”

“I agree with the Speaker’s opinion as well.”

There were over 4 military coups in the early days of the republic.

But when they weakened the military, it became difficult to prevent the rise of anti-republic forces.

A situation where they could neither do this nor that.

On top of that, they’ve become hostile to someone called a hero.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Just as Burgo was pressing his temples,

“I-I have a good idea, if I may.”

Peniola raised her hand gently.

[Your parents are great traitors.]

[But I’ll be considerate and let you atone for their sins instead. How about it?]

[If you behave as my daughter without causing problems, there’s no need for everyone to get hurt. I guarantee it on my name.]

[So you can be happy, Rogi.]

[No, is it Rogi ‘Selud’ now? Hahaha!!!]

“Huff!”

She trembled for a while, grabbing her shoulders with both hands from the nightmare she had after a long time.

Terrible memories rose from the depths of her unconscious.

“…Huh? Where is this?”

An unfamiliar ceiling.

It wasn’t her room.

Her last memories were hazy.

Her clothes had been changed into clean pajamas,

And the clothes she had been wearing were neatly folded.

Rogi carefully got out of bed and opened the door.

She gaped at the endless corridor stretching out.

“Oh my, you’re awake.”

A woman in a maid’s uniform greeted Rogi with a bright smile.

“The master is waiting for you.”

She felt a strange sense of incongruity from the sincere smile.

‘Ah.’

Rogi, who had lived her whole life watching others’ reactions, could tell.

The other person wasn’t really welcoming her,

But just pretending to do so.

Deep anger was embedded in those crimson eyes.

At the same time,

She recalled what she had done the day before.

“Ahaha…”

The perceptive Rogi felt like she wanted to die a little.