episode_0274

* * *

The story takes place shortly after the destruction of the Lunarian army, which had made Zeilant Castle its stronghold.

One day, a few weeks after he had taken refuge in the Karelian Army in the south, believing the advice of the white-haired strategist who had saved him by performing miracles several times,

Luna was busy working in the fields with the farmers.

It might have seemed a bit ridiculous for a long-lived person to do the farm work that only the local people do, but Luna paid no attention and did her best.

There were many people in this place who were wary of themselves.

Although he managed to gain the favor of the monarch, Karelia, and accept him, he ultimately had to gain the trust of others, not just the monarch, in order to continue to live here safely.

The method Luna chose to do so was nothing more or less than simply working hard and honestly.

It’s okay. If you persevere, an opportunity will come eventually. Because that’s what he said.

One day, while Luna was devoting herself to farming, someone approached her and spoke to her.

“Haha, you worked hard today too, Luna-kong.”

“Ah, you are my lord.”

The person who spoke to Luna was Lord Karelia.

Judging from their attire, they seemed to have come out on an inspection tour.

“It seems like you have a great talent for farming.”

“Talent? That’s nonsense. I just work hard at what I can do.”

“No. It’s not just empty words. If you think about farming, which requires a certain amount of strength… … Luna-kong, you may have a rather solid body despite your appearance.”

Karelia says so and laughs loudly.

Luna is no longer flustered, as she now knows that she often jokes with her subordinates when she leaves the temple like this.

“Yeah, how are you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Adaptation to our military.”

Luna bowed slightly to Karelia and said.

“Thanks to your consideration, I am doing well without any problems.”

In fact, things weren’t going so well.

Except for his lord Karelia and his closest friend Cecil, there was not a single person who would accept as a comrade a person from outside the southern part of the continent, and even a person who had previously been a lord, even if it was from a small country.

Luna was definitely on the outskirts of the Karelian army. It was not because she had no desire to be at the center, but if she had been an ambitious person, it would have been frustrating.

“Is that so? All your friends have been transferred to Tepelo Castle, so I thought you would have some difficulties.”

“No. The residents are all full of energy, and I feel that my colleagues are very considerate. Once again, thank you for accepting me as an outsider.”

“No. No matter what you did in the past, if we share the same goal of overthrowing Serpina and bringing peace to the continent, aren’t we comrades?”

Karelia says so, and raises her head to look up at the high sky.

Her cerulean eyes quickly filled with sky blue.

“Here, Madlan Castle is very peaceful. However… …The continent is constantly in turmoil. You must understand that the oppressive politics of the Eingart royal family will never bring about an era of peace, right?”

“Yes.”

Luna spoke with determination and without hesitation.

The reason she decided to become a vassal, even with her limited abilities, was because she could not ultimately hand over sovereignty of the continent to Serpina.

In the end, things didn’t work out well and she ended up like this, but she never gave up on her dream of unifying the continent for even a moment.

“Yes. Stopping Serpina is important. The color of the flag covering this continent is secondary. Anyone is fine. It could be Navidos Ohana, or Theta Roland, or Asuki Hesna, or Varanga Yuuri Aishus. Lynn Branth… … Well, she’s not my type of person, but I think she’d be a much better ruler than that villainess. ”

I cannot entrust the continent to Serpina, the great villainess who killed all of her own blood relatives and massacred the innocent people of the territory.

In fact, it would have been the common thought of all the princes who raised their flags not only in Karelia but on the continent.

“That’s what I think. Even if I die and disappear, and the day comes when our Karelia Army is destroyed… … If the boots that trample our army are not those of the Eingart Imperial Family, then there will be hope. If not, I sincerely think that it doesn’t matter who destroys my country.”

“My lord… … .”

Karelia, who had been speaking seriously, soon bursts into laughter and puts on a good-natured expression.

“Well, if the bookworm had heard this, he would have definitely said something else. Luna, I believe you will keep the secret.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

When we say a librarian, we are probably talking about Vanessa Trinity, the national librarian here.

Of all the people here, she was the one who was the most wary of herself. It was she who insisted that she should never be accepted as a subordinate, and at the very least, that if she were to be accepted as a subordinate, she should keep three people away from her.

Since they are people who receive a salary from the same monarch and their relationship cannot go beyond that, there would naturally be no reason to share personal stories.

“Anyway, if you share the same desire to overthrow Serpina, then you and I are comrades who transcend the relationship of lord and vassal. So, don’t worry too much about what others think. They’re all just worried, but they’re not bad people at all. I just wanted to tell you that it’s hard to accept you, a stranger, in this day and age.”

Only then did Luna seem to understand why Karelia had come to see her.

Perhaps, it is because you are concerned. The fact that my name keeps coming up in the center may have had some influence.

Considering that this is something that a monarch would not normally do… … Certainly, Karelia was a person with a very kind personality, as rumored.

“Thank you for your concern, my lord.”

“No, it’s not. It’s hard to say that I put in any special effort, so don’t feel too burdened.”

Karelia said that and then looked at Luna with a bright smile on her face again.

“Luna Princess. No matter what anyone says, you are my precious comrade. Please don’t forget that.”

* * *

And, I――

‘… … killed him.’

Makana Karelia, killed.

Karelia disappeared into the dew of the execution ground together with Vanessa.

To confirm the deaths, Luna had to check their supplies.

One is Vanessa’s, and… … one is Karelia’s.

The dead Karelia was smiling until her last moment. It could be said that it was her typical ending.

‘I killed him… … .’

――When I close my eyes, I remember Vanessa begging for her master’s life.

And, on the contrary, there is also the image of Karelia cutting off her own neck.

Sometimes they reach out to you, grabbing you by the ankles, to drown you in the swamp of despair.

As I try to shake off that ‘illusion’, the words Karelia said before she died come to mind.

Karelia said, “Don’t make the same mistakes as me.”

So, to avoid making a mistake – Luna simply made a ‘rational’ choice.

In the process of conquering the southern continent in the future, it was certainly a logical inference to think that Karelia might strike at any moment.

This was a problem unrelated to Karelia’s character. It was foolish to think that those who had ambitions and dreams of their own, and who had risked their own names to lead armies in troubled times to achieve those dreams, would obediently work under others.

No, before that― the solid evidence that proves that hypothesis is none other than yourself.

Even if Vanessa had brought it upon herself, it was true that she had rebelled.

In the end, Karelia was destroyed by a weak mind that could not handle itself.

No, before that – it was also true that so many wrong decisions were ultimately her fault as the monarch.

Still.

Tears keep flowing without drying.

The fact that I killed the person who trusted me with my own hands continued to torment Luna.

‘I am…….’

Do you regret your decision to kill Karelia?

‘……no.’

I don’t regret it.

Luna asks herself deep in her heart. The answer comes quickly.

I would never regret that. Even if I went back in time, I would make the same choice.

He will cut off the neck of Karelia, which accepted him. For his dream? For his ambition?

No… …to keep a promise.

When the opportunity comes, don’t miss it!

You won’t miss it, Swen.

I will definitely come back to you!

For the sake of Swen’s return, I will never miss it.

So, I don’t regret it…

‘I am…….’

Luna, who had been crying for a long time, slowly opened her eyes after stopping her tears.

‘I… … will somehow save Swen from Serpina. To do that, I have to become even… stronger.’

She erases the image of Karelia’s face that remains in a corner of her mind.

‘You said you’d come back to me… … Until then, I will never… … miss the opportunity given to me by making a choice swayed by feelings.’

Then, he erases himself from sobbing when he executes Karelia.

‘Swen-nim, sacrificed himself to save me. So now it’s my turn. I have to do it for Swen-nim. Even if it means sacrificing myself… … !! So, I, for Swen-nim… … !!’

What remains is Lunarien Inian, the ideal monarch who prioritizes efficient selection.

A rising star from the Southern Continent who ‘never misses an opportunity, no matter what happens.’

What was contained in her slightly darkened ruby eyes was neither despair nor regret, nor anything else.

that—

‘No matter how many people, how many dozens of people――I won’t hesitate to get blood on my hands.’

――It is gloomy rather than noble, dark rather than bright, damp rather than refreshing, and sticky.

The one and only very human emotion contained in Luna’s eyes.

adhesion.

It was, clearly, an obsession with that man.

* * *

“Arriving at Eingart Castle!”

As time goes by-

Finally, the carriage carrying Reika and me arrived at the capital city of Eingart.