episode_0066

66. After the Dark Night

I brought the two children to the place where the four elders were gathered.

Serena, born a spirited and athletic girl who takes after me so much, and Iris, clever but perhaps because of her young age, still childish.

Fortunately, all had assembled without any casualties, and I thanked the gods while preparing a seat.

“So, what now, Father?”

A genius girl with orange hair and purple eyes.

The first time I met her was none other than sixteen years ago.

Back then, as Oh Young-jae’s tyranny grew worse by the day, I was suppressing rebellions and earning merit.

I was a self-made knight—surviving by handing out bribes, bestowed the title of baron, and rising swiftly through the ranks.

At the time, by sheer luck, I was invited to dine with the prestigious Lowell family.

‘Huh? They must’ve been born around the same time as our child!’

‘Ah… yes!’

‘Speak comfortably! Since we’re already here, why don’t we just become friends?’

‘…Pardon?’

The Lowell couple was neither authoritative nor distant—they were incredibly warm.

As a result, the relationship between the Lowell and Steelwint families grew remarkably close.

Iris, exceptional from an early age, spent more time at our house than at the Lowell estate due to their busy business dealings…

‘Hey! Let’s play football.’

‘That’s something only little kids do.’

‘Scared?’

‘……Best of three.’

Being of the same age, the two girls stuck together like sisters.

Eventually, Iris, too, came to call me Father—effectively becoming my adopted daughter.

But her genius was genuine, so when she requested to join this war, I brought her along, and she proved to be a great asset.

So without hesitation, I laid out the problem before Iris.

Even if she’s young, I’ve never once regretted following her advice.

“That bastard Cedric cut off our supplies.

As a result, we were defeated… What do you think, Iris?”

At my question, Iris pondered deeply.

“Cedric likely didn’t want us to lose.”

“Then why would he cut off our—ugh!”

I covered my daughter’s mouth before she could interrupt further.

“Cedric is a man with nothing but money and justifications.

At the same time, he lacks competence and virtue, surrounding himself with sycophants.

If we exclude Father’s forces, he practically has neither capable generals nor proper troops to fight with.

No, he has enough troops, but their quality is hardly commendable.”

“So?”

“…Hard as it may be to believe, my guess is that it was mere whim.

All he wanted was to grab the leash of your rising army and shake it, reminding you who the master is.

But Father’s style is swift, striking before the enemy can react.

Unaware of this, he tried to pull the leash—only to accidentally choke it to death.”

I had been thinking along similar lines myself…

But hearing Iris put it like that made my blood boil even more.

That foolish successor’s single misstep could have cost me my precious family and army.

Perhaps thinking the same as me, Serena clenched her fist and stood up.

“Dad! Let’s gut that bastard! Cut his throat, take his fortune, and we won’t have to beg anymore!”

“That’s impossible.”

“Tch….”

When I firmly rejected the idea, Serena pouted.

If I were to betray Cedric and turn on him?

In chaotic times like these, making enemies would only invite disaster—that much is obvious.

Moreover, as idiotic as Cedric may be, he holds high status as the prominent heir to the Lacxia family.

Even without outstanding generals, they possess overwhelming numbers—my forces wouldn’t stand a chance.

And politics is endlessly convoluted.

My half-sister Cecilia, practically my nemesis, might mobilize her army under the pretense of gratitude.

Nor should we dismiss Erika, who could take advantage of defeating us traitors to seize Arcadia.

Beyond that, if we abandon Cedric, we wouldn’t even have land or money to fall back on.

“Father, even a rotten lifeline must be held onto.”

“Right… We must return to Cedric.”

As frustrating as it is, the losses from this defeat can only be covered by Cedric himself.

But thinking about it another way…

“Cedric Lacxia is a dull and undeserving man incapable of seeing past his own nose.

Cecilia Lacxia and Erika Grace are monarchs of real ability.”

“Aha! So in other words, Cedric’s the only one weak enough to gut?”

“Congratulations, Serena—you’ve finally reached toddler-level intelligence.”

Another round of bickering began between the two girls.

Midway through, Serena suddenly turned to me with a question.

“Oh, right—Dad. You said you found someone for me to marry.”

“I did.”

“What’s he like?”

I closed my eyes in silent reminiscence.

A young man I’d met during the imperial ball.

A genius nicknamed Heaven’s Gift, effortlessly churning out brilliant inventions.

Unlike other geniuses, he wasn’t eccentric—he had a sound mind, which was a bonus.

He also lacked greed for money or power, making him an ideal groom.

“His name is Cain—a commoner.”

“…Huh? Not a noble?”

“Do you dislike that?”

“No. If Dad chose him despite that, it makes me look forward to it even more!”

Serena, ever cheerful and optimistic, beamed brightly.

Just as she stood up, preparing to gather her things for the return journey…

Iris, who’d been staring at me blankly, suddenly trembled and spoke in a hushed, urgent voice.

“Wait… Did you say ‘Heaven’s Gi—’”

“Yes. Do you know him too?”

“He’s *famous*?”

Iris grabbed my arm and shook it violently.

“F-Father! I want to meet him too!”

“Why so formal with a commoner?”

“Shut up for a second! Among intellectual noble families, he’s already a legend!”

I patted both girls’ heads to calm them down.

“He’s favored by Erika Grace.

If we’re lucky, we might meet him when we join the allied forces besieging the Dragon’s Nest.”

“Father, let’s go now!”

“Hehe… Iris, did you land on your head during the retreat?”

Leaving the bickering girls behind,

the Steelwint army marched to join the allied forces.

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I rose from the stiff makeshift bed.

As usual, I washed my face with clean water from a pitcher.

Throwing on my modest, far-from-regal robes, I stepped out of the tent.

Outside stood Luna, looking even more disheveled than before.

“M-My lord… Did you rest well?”

“I did. Still no progress?”

“My apologies. My incompetence is to blame.”

Head bowed deeply in genuine shame, Luna stiffened as I gently patted her shoulder in reassurance.

“It’s been 68 days, 5 hours, and 28 minutes since I last saw our fox.”

“……”

“The siege has dragged on for four weeks… This war will soon stretch to two full months.”

“My abilities are…”

After ruffling Luna’s hair, I headed for Cecilia.

Gloomy, obnoxiously tall, and well-endowed—but at least she was the noble I could speak to most freely.

Cecilia sat gracefully sipping tea from an antique cup in front of her tent.

Straining to mask her fatigue, she maintained the dignity befitting her status.

“My friend, must you forgo all decorum even in wartime?”

“Screw off.”

“Oops….”

I grabbed the porcelain teapot from her set and gulped straight from the spout.

Cecilia merely smirked at my uncouth behavior, long accustomed to it.

As the lukewarm tea flooded my mouth, the burning thirst finally eased.

“Pah… Now I feel alive.”

“Erika.”

“What? You mad?”

When Cecilia suddenly called my name, I stuck out my lip defiantly—

a subtle signal asking if she was seriously upset over something so trivial between us.

But Cecilia’s expression remained solemn as she posed her question.

“The nobles governing Callemos have withdrawn.”

“…Again?”

Four weeks of futile siege had seen nobles gradually abandoning the cause.

The hastily-formed allied forces deemed breaching the Dragon’s Nest—a fortress famed as impregnable—impossible.

To make matters worse, our financier (read: cash cow) Cedric was testing the waters to gradually withdraw support.

With no word from the Steelwints—arguably his strongest forces—his retreat seemed inevitable.

Even focusing solely on defending behind unbreakable walls would be grueling enough,

yet Blackthorn’s forces harassed us relentlessly.

The duo known as Fork and Knife—Ryke and Targon—constantly struck at our flanks.

Whenever we attempted trenches or tunnels, Carthra’s female-led forces would raze our camps before retreating.

The situation grew increasingly dire.

The only silver lining was…

“The Steelwint army has returned.”

The return of the Steelwints, who had performed brilliantly thus far.

Though admittedly, their forces were packed with disgustingly talented individuals…

“Where’s my fiancé?”

“Hey, you brat!! I apologize for Serena’s rudeness.

We’d heard of his reputation and grew curious—it’s a shame he isn’t here.”

My interest plummeted the moment the two brats opened their mouths with such arrogance.

The fact that they were taller than me at just sixteen also grated…

Just a little.

Even the Steelwints couldn’t breach the impregnable fortress in an instant.

The only semi-viable plan came from the orange-haired brainiac brat.

“We load corpses into catapults to spread plague.”

“Too time-consuming. Rejected.”

“Then fire attack—”

Catapulting oil jars before showering fire arrows.

While plausible, the odds were slim…

Even if successful, the enemy need only refuse to open their gates to render it useless.

Time passed without progress.

Amid the stagnant siege, Cecilia whispered to me:

“Two days.”

“A time limit?”

“My disgrace of a half-brother—questionable if we even share blood—will withdraw support.”

“That idiot…”

Blinded by achievements and eager to cement influence within the alliance, Cedric had volunteered as financier.

Despite his stupidity, having received noble education, he now ordered funding suspended—

an inevitable decision with no progress and only his wealth draining away.

Worst for me, but perfectly logical for him… or so it seemed.

“Does that bastard even have a brain?”

“I find myself sincerely questioning the same.”

Why had we formed this alliance?

For the image of loyalists reclaiming the throne usurped by Blackthorn.

Even at a loss, maintaining that righteous image required continuous fighting.

To retreat now, like the deserting nobles, required justification.

Yet Cedric, lacking any pretext, weighed personal gain like a common merchant.

A surefire way to cripple his political future.

“A fool for a leader, enemies too mighty….”

Cecilia muttered, gazing across the battlefield.

Following her sightline revealed only devastation.

Our soldiers died helplessly against unreasonable walls.

With nobles abandoning the alliance, morale sank further.

“Dammit…! Why did I join this war?”

As defeat loomed, soldiers voiced regrets.

“Love, please… say it’s a lie! Open your eyes…!!”

With both sexes conscripted, lovers inevitably emerged—

now a woman wailed over her fallen partner.

“It hurts!! It hurts so much!!”

Soldiers bore scars and mutilations they’d never forget.

Pendleton I, the first emperor and brilliant strategist of the Frontier Empire, once said:

*A war lost physically can be reversed—but one lost in spirit cannot.*

True to his words, our army’s spirit dwindled to nothing.

In a whisper, I clung to hope—

for the fox speeding toward us upon receiving my letter.

“If we had airships… No, if only he’d arrive…”

“Impossible…

Even with airships, the fortress holds peerless warriors and elite troops.

Breaching the walls wouldn’t guarantee victory.”

At Cecilia’s words, I clenched my fists.

Just a little more.

One final brushstroke to perfection if only we seized the Dragon’s Nest.

Fingers tightening in vexation, Cecilia placed a hand on my shoulder.

“My friend. We are defeated.”

Her words weighed heavily.

Cecilia—prideful, clawing her way up from bastard status—

had just uttered *surrender.*

Coming from her cunning, gloomy self, it was as good as fact.

But…

Yes, but…

There was always one man who proposed solutions where none existed.

A man who viewed the world through an entirely different lens, as if from another realm.

Who made the impossible possible.

“Our fox…”

As I murmured, my escort Luna suddenly knelt behind me.

Her stoic face softened into a rare smile as if sensing something, whispering:

“At last…”

As she knelt, distant drumbeats echoed—

signaling something approaching from afar.

Even in disarray, Luna maintained a commander’s dignity, curling one lip before reporting flatly:

“He’s here.”

Drums reverberated across the battlefield as I turned.

The rear guard, stationed with their backs to a high hill—

Atop that hill, bright as dawn after a dark night,

six horses pulled a steel bell-shaped construct.

An elongated cylinder? No—a bell-like device with its opening aimed forward.

Upon that carriage stood the man I’d longed to see.

“Sorry I’m late! The new invention was too heavy…!!”

Our fox shouted worriedly, as if fearing we wouldn’t hear from this distance.

Gazing up at him, I smirked.

“I’ve been waiting.”

The dark night had passed—and a new sun rose.