< Chapter 113 - As You Wish #3 >
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The next afternoon.
Kallium, the capital of the Kingdom of Seilun.
Count Chase smiled happily, looking away.
“But why? Is there anything good?”
At Count Bayer’s question, Count Chase smiled again and shook his head.
“There’s nothing special. It’s just······.”
Count Chase, whose words had been trailing off, laughed again.
It was very rare for him, who was usually synonymous with strictness and seriousness, to laugh so continuously.
“For some reason, I keep laughing. It feels like something I’ve been wishing for has finally come true.”
“Hmm… I don’t know. But you’ve always had a good feeling. Maybe something good happened to Uder or Cordelia.”
“Maybe so.”
Even now, when I think of the two of them roaming around the lands of the empire, I feel a little uneasy with worry, but I am sure that they will do well wherever they go.
Count Chase, who had calmed his mind by laughing, looked straight ahead again.
The garden of the villa where I stayed during last year’s National Foundation Day celebration was beautiful this year as well.
‘Is it war?’
King Henry III of Ceylon made an astonishing claim based on the ‘heavenly voice’ that his Crown Princess Daphne could hear.
The Empire is about to embark on a civil war, and the Chancellery has already been taken over by demon followers.
The Empress Dowager, who is the regent of the empire, can hear the voices of the heavens just like Crown Princess Daphne, so the kingdom and the empire must work together to eradicate the demon followers.
It was an unbelievable story.
But that doesn’t mean it was an unbelievable story.
There was already a case of a guardian deity in the kingdom.
Even the national hero who dedicated his life to protecting the Kingdom of Cailun was unable to resist the temptation of the demon followers and ended up becoming corrupted, so there was no law that prevented the prime minister of the empire from becoming a demon follower.
‘Collaboration through the voice of heaven······.’
Henry III and his daughter Daphne claimed that the celestial voices came from the distant heavens, the home of the sun god Solari and other gods.
It wasn’t a completely unbelievable story.
The Cailun royal family was a clan of so-called divine blood, having inherited the blood of the founding king Richard, who was no exaggeration to say a demigod.
Thanks to this, everyone was born with special abilities, so it was not surprising that Crown Princess Daphne had such abilities, and that her voice was heavenly.
If it was the voice of the devil, the guardians stationed throughout the capital would have already struck down the voice itself.
‘But cooperation is only a celestial logic.’
I don’t know how it would look in the eyes of God, but the kingdom and the empire were enemies.
They were sworn enemies who had been fighting over the Silates Plain for over a hundred years, so while it was possible to temporarily join hands, it was impossible to enjoy permanent peace in the future.
‘What’s important is what happened after the civil war.’
Coincidentally, the land controlled by the public enemy, the Chancellery, bordered the Kingdom of Cailun.
In other words, the Prime Minister’s Office was caught between the Emperor’s forces located in the northern part of the continent and the Kingdom of Cailun located in the southern part.
In that case, it would have been possible to pressure the prime minister from both sides.
The emperor would advance south, and the kingdom would advance north.
So what happens after the civil war?
Will His Majesty the King return to the Emperor the lands of the Empire that were seized during the civil war?
From here on, it was a question of succession.
And Count Chase thought that the war with the Empire would continue, whether long or short.
“If you ask me what I’m thinking about so intently, it’s obvious what I’m thinking about.”
At Count Bayer’s words, Count Chase snorted with excitement and then searched through his arms and said:
“Enough with the nonsense, brace yourself. Tonight will be another night of war.”
What Count Chase offered was a ticket to the Maeve Auction, one of the royal capital’s famous attractions.
Although it was said that the northern nobles were weak in the royal capital, the Maeve Auction House was something that even the heads of the twelve northern families, who were renowned and powerful, could not even look at without a ticket.
“I’ll take it since you’re giving it to me, but is there anything you’d like to get?”
“This will probably be the last auction before the war. I want to grab a few things.”
“hmm······.”
Are you planning on buying a bunch of stimulants again?
Of course, Count Bayer also wanted to see his grandson, so he had no intention of stopping him.
‘I just feel like it’s not necessary.’
After the last battle in the royal capital, Gale became the possessor of physical abilities that rival those of the water race.
Should we say that he has become a being similar to Fenrir, the divine beast from the legends of the South?
‘Even on the first night, I didn’t come out for three days······.’
Count Bayer was always more worried about Adelia than Gale.
As the two counts continued to dream different dreams, a familiar voice was heard from behind them.
“Your Excellency the Count.”
“Maya?”
Maya Tantalot.
The Bayer family’s maid who grew up with Yuder since childhood, so much so that it would be no exaggeration to say that she practically raised him.
No, now she was the head maid of Count August Bayer’s family and a real power broker with strong influence in the Damos Mountain area.
But for Count Bayer, she was a child he had known for a long time, and to put it a bit more, she was like a daughter to him.
A smile naturally spread across my face at the joy.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, I’m glad you’re well.”
Actually, it wasn’t that long ago.
I saw it at Gail’s wedding.
But still, it was a pleasure to see Count Bayer, whose smile never left his face even while Maia was paying her respects to Count Chase.
‘Come to think of it, Maia also needs to find a spouse soon.’
It wasn’t because she was a precious child, but because she was truly as beautiful as a flower. Even though her impression was a bit cold, her heart was very warm, so no matter who she met, she would be loved and live well.
‘Euuum······.’
I wonder if there’s a decent guy out there.
While Count Bayer was pondering his old manly concerns, Count Chase asked a more realistic question.
“But what are you doing here? And Dahlia too.”
Actually, it wasn’t strange at all to hang out together.
Dahlia was the captain of the August County, which was ruled by Uther and Cordelia, so it was only natural that they would work together to protect Maia, the head maid and the real power behind her.
“Yes, it’s nothing else… I came to see you two because the young master asked me to do something.”
“Udera?”
“Yes, there is something you left for me before you left.”
To be exact, it was something that was left on the desk along with the letter.
“What is it?”
At Count Chase’s urging, Maia took out a small pouch with a hand gesture that anyone could tell was neat and tidy.
“He left a letter telling you to open it in front of the two counts if something like this happens again.”
If Cordelia had seen it, she would have said something like, “What are you, Zhuge Liang or Cao Cao?” But there was no one here who knew about the Three Kingdoms.
“Udera?”
“That guy······.”
However, since the two counts already knew enough about Uder’s extraordinary abilities, they did not take it lightly.
Count Chase asked before opening his pocket.
“What was the situation he was talking about?”
“When tensions between the Empire and the Kingdom intensified. When rumors of a civil war in the Empire were heard. When contact with the young master and young lady who had left for the Empire was lost for over a month.”
“indeed.”
Did that guy, Yuder, foresee that a civil war would break out in the empire?
“Okay, let’s open it. Alex?”
“You open it.”
At Count Bayer’s words, Count Chase nodded heavily and lifted the pouch that Maia had been holding in her palm.
I opened my pockets while everyone was watching me.
&
“ah?”
As soon as Cordelia opened her eyes, she let out a blank sound.
sky.
Clear sky.
afternoon.
It doesn’t seem like morning, but it’s daytime anyway.
My head was dizzy and my whole body felt weak.
Lethargy itself.
No, it’s a state where you’ve squeezed your stamina to the limit and there’s nothing left… that kind of state.
Cordelia, who had been blankly blinking, finally began to think.
“Ugh.”
You lost consciousness again.
Because I lost consciousness several times from the overwhelming joy that kept coming and the endless intensity.
My head was a mess so I couldn’t remember it properly, but one thing I was sure of was that it was incredibly good.
‘It feels like I’m going to die.’
It’s good, but it’s too hard.
“Ugh.”
Cordelia, who was lying there shivering without even the strength to stretch, tried to force herself to raise her upper body.
But that was just then.
“Our princess, are you awake?”
Cordelia, who flinched involuntarily at the affectionate and soft voice, rolled her eyes following the voice, and soon saw Yuder standing in front of her.
‘Doesn’t he get tired?’
That is the very definition of sanity.
No, rather, it seemed like it had more power.
His face was also full of life.
“Are you hungry? Let’s eat.”
Cordelia nodded faintly, for it was true that she was hungry.
Then, Uther gave Cordelia a potion. It was a fairly powerful health recovery potion, and although it was terribly expensive, it was also very effective.
“Whoa······ Now I can live a little.”
Cordelia, who had barely managed to speak, first raised her upper body. Looking around, she saw that, as expected, it was daytime, not morning.
“Okay, I prepared some porridge that’s easy to digest.”
They prepared the food on low tables from wherever they came from, and served it one by one. The variety was truly diverse.
Porridge, soup, grilled, stewed, fried, etc.
It was full of foods that looked good for your health at first glance.
“Hey, isn’t this a mandrake?”
“Oh, right.”
“That’s ginseng.”
“That’s true too.”
“Is that an eel?”
“Correct answer.”
“This is a mushroom that is incredibly good for the body, right?”
“You have great taste. These foods are good for your health.”
Cordelia narrowed her eyes at Uther’s shameless explanation, and Uther caressed Cordelia’s cheek and said.
“Our princess seems to be very weak, so I prepared this specially for her. Let’s eat this and gain strength, okay? Oh my, look how her cheeks have sunken in and she looks so emaciated.”
When Uther spoke with a worried expression as if he was sorry, Cordelia, instead of shedding tears of emotion, spoke with a lukewarm expression.
“Excuse me, it’s not that I’m weak, it’s that you’re ridiculously strong.”
Even the characters in Caesar’s book… that is, the characters who are full of fantasy, can’t do things like you?
And who made you so emaciated?
Huh? Who made you look so emaciated!
Uther ignored Cordelia’s reasonable protests and scooped up a spoonful of gruel and offered it to Cordelia.
“Okay, try it. Ah.”
“Oh really.”
But why is that?
I want to open my mouth wide and say, “Ah!”
Cordelia glanced around to make sure no one was around, then opened her mouth.
Melissa wanted to say that she was there, but she kept her mouth shut for fear that doing so might embarrass Cordelia.
Anyway, ah.
“Yeah, yeah, he eats well. My baby eats well.”
This is real.
What did you say when I left you alone?
But, apart from the irritation, strangely, one side of my heart started pounding again.
As if the current situation is so enjoyable.
“Here, another bite.”
Uther pours it and Cordelia eats it.
Maybe it was because I was hungry, but it felt like everything I was given was going into my stomach in a strange way.
And when it was finally finished.
Uther asked, wiping Cordelia’s mouth with a handkerchief.
“How is it? Is your hair feeling better?”
It seemed like they had put poison in the rice.
“Umm… how much?”
I definitely felt like I had regained my stamina.
In game terms, it’s like spending a night at an inn or drinking a full recovery potion?
“Okay, okay. Let’s work out and eat more healthy foods to build up our stamina.”
“···How about using recovery magic instead?”
Or using healing and recovery together.
Uther’s eyes lit up at the suggestion that was made without much thought. Cordelia was taken aback and said,
“No, later. Uh, later.”
Not now, but later.
It’s good, it’s so good, but right now I feel like I’m being dragged along too much.
Should I say that I feel like I’m just being taken advantage of?
‘I can’t lose.’
I can’t just take it.
We also need to hone our skills and counterattack properly.
It was when Cordelia, whose competitive spirit was triggered in a strange place, was steeling her resolve.
“Then I guess I should practice?”
“uh?”
“Didn’t you just think that?”
As he said that, Uther hugged Cordelia’s waist. When he came to his senses, he found himself sitting close to her again.
“No… That… Ah! Practice! After practicing. Oh, right. After practicing.”
“How are you going to practice?”
“uh?”
“No, you said you were practicing. Then how are you going to practice?”
It was a one-sided affair.
It was too much to do alone, and it was even more impossible with others.
“Uh··· That··· Uh······.”
While he was hesitating with a red face, he was soon laid down again. Yuder’s large body blocked the sky.
And then there’s this little whisper I hear.
“Do you know how much I… endured?”
From the wild lands to now.
Cordelia swallowed dryly.
A chill ran down my spine, but at the same time, my heart was pounding with anticipation and excitement.
“Ha, just this once. Okay?”
Because there are things I absolutely have to do today.
I have to meet the fire fairies and see Garius’ tomb.
When Cordelia spoke timidly as if to soothe him, instead of answering, Uther gently bit Cordelia’s ear. He caressed Cordelia’s collarbone, who instinctively flinched, and turned into a beast once again.
&
[The posterity, the posterity are really beasts.]
There was bone in Belencia’s voice.
It’s similar to when someone asks how you can wield two swords at the same time.
Added to that was a little bit of – no, just a huge amount of shame and embarrassment.
But Uder listened to it for a moment and then looked at the star graveyard spread out below the hill.
In the west, the sun was slowly setting.
Once again, as the sunset spread, the fire fairies appeared one by one, each emitting their own light.
‘As expected… It doesn’t seem like they’re just playing around normally.’
Rather, it would be more correct to say that he was guarding the tomb.
‘It was worth the wait.’
In fact, it was Uther who went down to the Star Tomb alone in the morning while Cordelia was sleeping.
However, I could not find the door leading into Garius’ tomb.
As if it were hidden by some powerful force.
[Hmm, that’s right. So that’s why you just waited during the day. Is that it?]
Yuder did not respond to Belencia’s lukewarm words this time either.
I didn’t want to lie, you know.
Anyway, the time has come, the fairies have appeared, and now it’s time to really get down to business.
Champion Garius.
A great knight of the Solari Order.
The last secret of the Solari cult hidden in his tomb.
“I feel a little strange.”
It was Cordelia’s voice.
She stood next to Uther, tied her hair back, spread her angel wings, and continued speaking.
“I have a strange… feeling.”
I have obtained many treasures on my way here.
I’ve also found a few hidden places.
But this time, it felt different.
Something – the feeling of approaching a hidden secret.
I have a feeling that I’m going to open Pandora’s box.
“Are you okay? Can you rest a little longer?”
“I’m really tired because of so-and-so, but I drank a lot of potions, so I’m okay.”
“Okay, let’s practice every day from now on.”
Cordelia kicked Uther’s buttocks with her foot as he spoke nonsense, then took a deep breath after adjusting her grip on Moonlight.
“let’s go.”
To extort – no, to obtain – the protection of the Fire Fairies and open the way to Garius’s tomb.
And the secret hidden there.
Uther and Cordelia did not delay any longer. They walked side by side under the pouring moonlight.
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< Chapter 113 - As You Wish #3 > End
