episode_0077

After what happened with the Empress that day, things related to the engagement progressed quickly.

I had a strong feeling that I was going to finish it quickly because I was going to do it anyway, but that didn’t mean I was half-hearted in preparing.

I also thought that the royal family would consider their children as property, but it was a bit different from what I thought.

“I said I agree with the engagement! Oh my!!!!”

“Ah, Agnes.. I am all for you..”

It was a bit shocking to see the empress of the empire, who maintained her authority and sent me to live with her, struggling to appease her daughter, the princess.

‘Well… I guess that means he cares for Agnes that much.’

If Agnes had originally been the type to love children, the princesses who were older than Agnes would have already married off to other kingdoms, so it is not strange that her heart would be drawn to Agnes, who is with her now.

This is also one of the reasons why the youngest son or youngest daughter is loved the most on Earth.

“Hey.. Agnes?”

“.. Hmph.”

Damn…

The Empress, who had become as hard as stone upon seeing me turn her head at her call, creaked and looked back at me.

The Empress is reluctant to ask for my help, but she is looking at me with earnest eyes as if it is her last resort.

‘how will we do it.’

Should I pretend not to know and say, “You should try it too,” or should I help you and wash away the image of me going down to the bottom of the abyss?

I probably would have chosen the former if the target wasn’t the empress, that is, my mother-in-law.

“Let’s relax a little. Still, the engagement was successful, right? 3 Princess.”

“.. Is that so?”

Agnes, who is twitching the corner of her mouth, is even more delighted with my unusual way of speaking.

Although she didn’t express it clearly, it seems she had no desire to be treated as a princess.

The princess, whose expression almost changed into a bright smile, cleared her throat once and then looked at the empress again.

The Empress’s smile was already cracked in Agnes’s behavior towards her and her behavior towards me.

“Keuhm.. Because of Berador’s words, I will especially forgive you!”

Quick..!

With Agnes’ last words, it was completely broken.

Agnes, who didn’t know that, approached me with a triumphant expression.

“Agnes..?”

“Uh, wow?”

“It’s been a while since we had to spar.”

“Oh, no..!”

The Empress, who had veins on her forehead, grabbed her by the back of her neck and disappeared somewhere in the blink of an eye.

“Pfft..”

Bea, who had been quiet next to me, turned her head and suppressed her laughter.

I couldn’t hide my shaking shoulders.

The only people left in this spacious room are me and Bea, who is laughing breathlessly next to me.

Since the empress was the one who left first, there seemed to be no need for us to be there any longer.

‘Anyway, it’s the North…’

A little while ago, I first heard about the North.

I also asked about the demons in the north, wondering if I could get help from Reese.

“The demons in the north are largely divided into two types. A green-skinned monster with green skin and a bat-winged vampire who deals with blood.”

“.. Do we have to kill the devil to drive them out?”

“Okay. But Lord, killing the demon lord of that race is close to impossible.”

‘Hmm.. wasn’t the devil on the road…’

It’s a little different from the novels I read on Earth, but it was a fiction anyway, so even if it’s different from the truth, it’s not a big deal.

If anything, it would be even weirder if it were the same as what I read in the novel.

“Recently, there has been news that invasions by demons have suddenly become more frequent, so it would be good if you… or someone, could stop it.”

“…”

For this reason, it was already decided that I would go there.

I guess that won’t be the case until the vacation ends or the demons retreat.

If you go north after the engagement ceremony, what you have to do is obvious to anyone.

‘Killing (殺生)’

Although they are called demons, it cannot be denied that they are also vague creatures.

Despite my strength, I can count on one hand the number of lives I have lost.

Most of it was just sparring or training.

‘.. a little..’

There is a need to mentally prepare before arriving in the north.

While I was thinking about it, I went back to the room with Bea, who had stopped laughing, and then headed to the next room.

*

“Northern…Northern…”

When my mother heard the news, she closed her eyes and repeated the word ‘northern’ as if she was reminiscing.

“Have you ever been to the North?”

“Okay. It was only in the old past.”

Mother nodded and agreed.

If it was a long time ago that my mother said, it would have happened before I became the commander of the kingdom’s knights.

My mother’s head stopped cheering, her eyes were still closed and her mouth opened.

“Even if it was a long time ago, there won’t be much change in the north. To get there, you have to pass through about four to five territories.”

“.. You mean four to five territories..”

I was surprised that the distance was farther than I expected, but maybe that’s natural.

Since the capital of the empire is surrounded by the sea at the southernmost tip of the territory, it would not be easy for the demons to invade with a large army.

On the contrary, the North is literally at the northern end.

Since it borders other kingdoms and is close to the demon world, it is said that every day is a war.

“The northern part is currently guarded by a count family.”

A count is guarding such a place?

I don’t know how powerful the count family is, but if everything I heard is true, at least five count families would have to unite to make this possible.

“It is natural to wonder if only one family can protect it.”

“.. Ah..”

“It’s okay. I thought that too when I was young.”

A calm smile appeared on my mother’s face, as if she had found something similar between herself and me.

“Of course, they are strong because they fight every day, but if you consider strength alone, there are quite a few people who are stronger than that family.”

“Then why..”

“In battles with demons, the important things are not only strength and experience. Assuming that the opponent is a demon, the family that is most suitable for battle against them will be that family.”

I could only tilt my head as my mother continued to explain in detail.

However, my mother kept her mouth shut, as if she had no intention of saying anything more.

‘It is most suitable for dealing with demons..’

Do the demons have something they are vulnerable to?

Otherwise, the expression ‘suitable’ would not be used.

“Let them hear it directly. It is unbecoming of a noble to recklessly reveal other people’s secrets. No matter how much of my family it is.”

“.. Okay.”

I wanted to close my eyes again right away, but when I saw my mother’s eyes opening from closed, I completely gave up on that thought.

I could read in my mother’s eyes that she would not tell me no matter what happened.

‘Something optimized for demons..’

Do you have any sexual powers?

Even thinking about it, I almost laughed because it was so absurd.

Holy power is not something that everyone has, and only extremely well-trained believers can obtain it.

Northerners have that kind of holy power?

It may be enough to heal wounds, but can it cause harm to demons?

“.. sigh..”

“What are you thinking that makes you so funny? I’m a little curious about this ending too.”

“I was just imagining something ridiculous.”

I forcibly pulled down the corners of my mouth that had risen in a hurry and asked what I had been curious about since I first came to the room.

“By the way, where is your father?”

My father, who I thought would be in the room, didn’t show up even after the conversation with my mother was over.

“Well.. he must be caught by some other woman..”

“…”

My mother glanced at the door with burning eyes.

I was horrified by that sight.

‘..Father…cheer up…’

I meditated for a moment on my father’s future, which was clearly visible before my eyes.

The saying goes, ‘If a woman harbors resentment, frost will come even in May.’

There was nothing wrong with that statement.

*

Even though it is summer in the Empire, pure white snow is falling from the sky, and in the northern part of the country, snow is piled up and stained red from blood.

Phew!

“Kruk..!”

“.. Phew..”

The sword was dug into the neck of the last living green skin orc.

A man whose entire body was stained red with blood saw the orc’s eyes turn gray and pulled out the sword stuck in its neck.

Phew!

A fountain of blood came out from the neck of the orc where the sword was inserted, staining the dirty floor once again.

About the time the body of the dead orc fell backwards and hit the floor.

Chiiik!

Only a handful of ashes, which was the orc’s corpse, remained there, and even that was blown away by the blowing wind.

“.. Thank you all for your hard work.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Count!”

“Wow!!”

The man who looked at the spot where the orc was for a moment turned his back and announced that today’s war was over. After a while, the soldiers’ shouts were heard.

Wow!

The man called the Count cut the air, scattering the blood on the sword, and only then did the sword regain its original silver color.

People who thought the sword was red in the first place were surprised because it had been stained with blood for so long.

“Phew..”

It has already been more than 20 years since I saw this scene after the war ended.

In that time, he has cut down tens of thousands of demons, experienced thousands of wars, and faced two demon lords.

Unfortunately, I was unable to kill him due to my low level, but just defeating him was quite an achievement.

Due to the demons that invaded 350 days out of 365 days a year, the time spent killing the demons was longer than the time spent with the family.

“Haa..”

There is a similar reason why he sighs whenever he gets the chance.

Even though his daughter returned from the academy, the reality of not being able to see her face felt extremely frustrating.

Perhaps because the other soldiers felt it as well, the surroundings became a little quiet.

“Count, are you okay..?”

“.. Okay, don’t worry about me, just relax.”

The knight commander, who was looking at him closely, began to feel conflicted as he remembered the girl’s request to keep his arrival a secret.

A moment later he was standing in front of the count.

“Keuhum.. Count.”

“Why are you doing this, Sir Dave?”

“A customer came to visit.”

“Hmm..?”

The count’s steps on his way back to the castle stopped for a moment and he looked back at the knight commander.

“You’re a guest… I can’t come see you right now…”

“The war ended today anyway, so it will be okay. Guests are waiting at the castle.”

“Hmm.. I understand.”

Since Dave did not urge him as usual, the Count felt puzzled and headed to the castle a little faster than the others.

There was a person standing on the castle wall in the distance.

The count opened his eyes to see who it was and approached the castle wall with all his might, forgetting that his body was stained with blood.

A woman who looks exactly like the wife he lost many years ago, with black hair like himself, with a sharp expression that would seem cold to someone who doesn’t know her.

“It’s been a while, father.”

Sola von Curtro was waiting there.