episode_0074

74. The Promise

We had finally arrived at Redmain.

The city of Frezia, now as familiar to me as my own home.

The soldiers’ cheers rang out as they truly grasped the reality—the war was over, and they had returned home safely.

And in the distance, a large banner unfurled bearing a welcome message for the soldiers.

[Welcome to the Guardians of the Imperial Family.]

“We really made it…! We came back alive!!”

“Hahaha! Looking back, it wasn’t really that bad, was it?!”

Pride in knowing they had fought on the side of justice.

Joy in the outcome of victory and sheer survival.

Anticipation for the thrilling rewards to come and the rise in their own worth—these emotions swirled among them as they celebrated.

This was all just a show to boost the soldiers’ morale, of course.

But isn’t all politics like that anyway?

Their jubilation, however, was short-lived.

The soldiers soon sensed something off about the city they had returned to.

“What’s that over there?”

“A tower?”

“It’s… so tall.”

The apartment complex I had constructed before leaving for the warfront.

A monumental structure standing at 45 meters—far taller than any church steeple or fortress tower.

For those who had lived their entire lives in medieval times, such a height was unimaginable.

“Hoho… This is truly hard to believe.”

Even Erica, who had nimbly leaped down from the carriage despite her short stature, was visibly amazed.

Leaning her petite, delicate frame against me, she posed a question.

“Is this why you were so disappointed when you saw the results of the cannons?”

“Yes…”

“Well, I can certainly understand, given such an impressive achievement.”

Erica, as if reading my mind, pinpointed the exact sore spot and offered understanding.

Then, after patting my rear, she added:

“Don’t fret. Even if you end up limbless like a Daruma doll, I’ll treasure you all the same.”

……

That had to be just an extreme metaphor, right?

A chill ran down my spine, but surely she wouldn’t actually do that.

She wasn’t the type to go so far as amputating limbs and locking someone away.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, a woman approached us.

“You’ve returned… my lord, Your Grace.”

“Indeed. Have you been well, Alice?”

It was Alice, dressed in an intellectual style with glasses and a refined administrative uniform.

She had initially accompanied us to the battlefield, only to return midway, claiming she was of no use in war…

But it seemed she hadn’t been idly resting—dark circles clung beneath her eyes, and even her usually neat hair was disheveled and tangled.

“My lord, regarding the proposal I sent you from the battlefield…”

“Ah, the city planning document?”

“Yes.”

City planning.

Frezia was undergoing rapid growth.

Jobs were sprouting left and right, drawing in so many people that the population had swelled beyond capacity.

That was why the topic of constructing apartment buildings had come up in the first place…

Erica immediately grasped the issue at hand.

“The land adjacent to Frezia, owned by that old marquis, won’t be feasible. That old wo—no, that bastard wouldn’t agree to merge territories without something in return.”

“Precisely. We tried negotiating, but…

Our condition was sharing the knowledge we—no, His Grace created, but he refused.”

“Ha! Ridiculous. A greedy profiteer like him would just sell that valuable information elsewhere.”

The old marquis.

From what Erica had told me, he was the noble who had once advocated for my exile.

A titled aristocrat ruling territory within Redmain.

According to her, he was a shrewd and unscrupulous old man who never turned down a profitable venture.

“Above all, merging land with that marquis is absolutely out of the question.”

“A sound judgment.”

“The best solution would require our fox’s help, but… across the wide river…”

The wicked company president was about to dump another task on me.

But before she could finish, a man cut in.

Alvaren, the White Horse General, who had returned alongside us after the war.

“Pardon the interruption, but should we not grant our soldiers some rest?”

“Ah, my apologies. There’s just been so much to do.”

“Understood a hundred times over.”

“I’ll vacate half the barracks for my troops. Your White Horse soldiers may stay there.

As for your lodgings, General, we’ll have them prepared.”

Alvaren’s territory, Nigrem, bordered Redmain directly.

Having fought together and sharing the return route, they had decided to rest briefly in Redmain.

Given the Imperial lands were six times the size of the Chinese mainland, such considerations weren’t unreasonable…

“Keep your mouth shut.”

Erica brushed past me, whispering just loud enough for me to hear.

While Alvaren might truly be concerned about his soldiers, he could also be after our technology.

If he conquered the north, Redmain would be next on his list…

Later, Erica personally escorted Alvaren and the Liriana sisters to their quarters.

With little else to do, I followed along…

At one point, Erica addressed us.

“We’ll hold a banquet to celebrate our victory. Nothing grand—just a meal together.”

“A most gracious offer.”

Alvaren readily accepted the hospitality.

The Liriana sisters, too, showed no sign of refusing.

“Even our fox deserves a break now and then, no?

Looking back, I feel ashamed for trying to assign work the moment we returned.”

“*Cough*…”

For a brief moment, I was moved to tears by Erica’s consideration.

Had she finally grown a human heart?

For those words to come from the wicked company president herself…

And so, for the first time in ages, I retrieved my tear-stained resignation letter—only for Erica to receive it with a smile.

“Perfect kindling for the cooking fire. Truly, no one thinks of me quite like our fox.”

Some things never change.

One day, I *will* quit.

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The city of the former Duchess Erica Grace still evoked revulsion in me.

Yet as I took in the sight of Frezia, I could only describe it this way:

“What an astounding city.”

“Indeed… Just as my sister said, it’s a place brimming with the laughter of its people.”

“Little Sister’s right! Our brother-in-law’s city is always cold, full of starving folks.

Dragging people in by force, hoarding military provisions while letting others starve…”

Even my stubborn sisters couldn’t deny it—this was a fine city.

Citizens walking happily with their families amidst abundant jobs.

A lively place where cheerful songs rang out everywhere.

A vibrant monetary economy, with people spending their earnings after work.

If there was one drawback, it was that the city felt overcrowded…

But Cain could fix that.

By constructing buildings like that apartment complex ahead…

“Still, it’s so tall… Think you could shatter it with one hit, Little Sister?”

“I recall forbidding blasphemous remarks, Tesh.”

“Tch…”

Despite my distaste, there was no denying Erica Grace’s prowess—nor Cain’s genius.

Together, they created an overwhelming synergy.

Defeat and helplessness washed over me.

While those two surged ahead, my sisters and I had merely been freeloaders.

Even Erica, the so-called “Cruel,” had done more for the people’s happiness than I had.

But…

“Cain…”

“Hm? Liriana, what brings you here?”

I visited Cain at his workshop.

Though he looked annoyed initially, his face brightened upon seeing me.

Silently, I glanced around his living space.

A workshop that could be called neither spacious nor cramped.

Inside, the smell of iron and smoke filled the air, alongside a tiny side room.

A room so small that just a bed, desk, and wardrobe would fill it completely.

“You live here? What about a house?”

“I just eat and sleep here. Why?”

“…You.”

Pity stirred in my chest.

Cain, hailed as a heaven-sent genius responsible for unfathomable inventions.

That such talent was confined to this tiny room…

“Do you at least have money?”

“Want to borrow some? I’ve got about 300 gold…”

By all logic, creating so many inventions should have made him extravagantly wealthy.

Yet Cain only had a meager 300 gold to his name.

To me, it was a fortune—but for someone who had repeatedly achieved such feats, it was absurdly little.

Seeing it firsthand confirmed my suspicions.

The laughter of the people, Erica Grace’s rise to power—it was all built on the sacrifice of one man’s life.

Rumors even said he had been dragged off by a merchant named Vivian before returning here.

I couldn’t even fathom the horrors he might have endured.

“You haven’t… been…”

Five years and eight months ago—when we first met.

A young boy, smiling brightly while tinkering with something in a small shed.

If I had asked him to come with me that day, could I have spared him from the Grace household, worse than beasts?

“Liriana? What’s wrong? Why’d you stop?”

“It’s just…”

Another dilemma lodged in my heart.

What if I tried to save Cain now?

With my meager abilities… Could I, a mere freeloader, make him happy?

The answer was an undeniable no.

“Cain…”

“What is it? Something bothering you?”

But…

If I were to someday obtain land of my own…

If I could take responsibility for the man before me…

Forcing a smile, I spoke—no, *promised*—to his innocent face:

“Just wait a little longer.”

I *will* save you.

Unbeknownst to Cain, who wore a puzzled expression, I swore it in my heart.

And with that vow came a small, secret desire—one even I hadn’t fully recognized yet—to one day claim him as my own.