Episode 50. His Existence Becomes Known on the Continent (1)
*
After Luna repeatedly greeted Karelia and stepped back.
In the audience room, where only the two of them remained, Vanessa finally opened her mouth.
“Master.”
“I know. I know what you’re going to tell me. It’s okay not to say it.”
Karelia spoke in a playful tone, but Vanessa replied in a very serious manner without a smile.
“I think I should tell you because it’s not okay not to. Do not trust Lunarien Iniyan too much. She was once a feudal lord. She is not someone who will be satisfied being under someone else.”
“…….”
When Lunarien first begged Karelia to take her in along with Cain and Tifa.
There were people, including Karelia and Cecil, who were in favor, but there were also people who opposed the idea of taking them in.
Vanessa was a representative figure among the opposition, arguing most strongly that taking in someone like Lunarien was like taking in a tiger’s cub and should absolutely not be done.
Of course, she thought it would be better to kill Lunarien, who had come crawling on her own, right here, but she did not say so because she knew that Karelia would never accept such a proposal.
In fact, Vanessa still did not trust Lunarien at all.
Hearing this, Karelia sighed briefly and then looked at Vanessa with a somewhat calmed expression.
“Vanessa. Do you know about the rumors coming from the place where Lady Luna has been working?”
“I know. The people who worked with her unanimously praise her, don’t they?”
“Yes. In a short period, she has the capacity to win people’s hearts just by working with them. Not only that, but in agriculture and commerce, fortification repairs, and even training soldiers, she has shown outstanding results.”
Just before, Luna said, “I might not achieve the results.”
But that was really just a problem with the weather; her ability itself was so excellent that she could do anything well.
Not only was her ability outstanding, but wherever she went, she naturally won over people’s hearts.
“Tepello Castle belongs to the forefront of our army, and its significance for the future is very high. With Lady Luna’s abilities, she can wisely manage Tepello Castle. Wouldn’t it be a great loss for our army not to use such a talented person?”
“It could also become a great threat. The hearts of the people in the estate, in our Karelia army, should only have a place for Karelia alone. I think there should not exist a second-in-command under the absolute master in this country.”
“As the country grows, that will become difficult, won’t it?”
“It doesn’t matter. I intend to make it so.”
“……Well.”
In most countries – in fact, the role of the country’s second-in-command was played by the national advisors.
They were the ones closest to the master, helping with the most intimate decisions, after all.
But Karelia’s army was different.
Her advisor, Vanessa, wanted to remain strictly in Karelia’s shadow without seeking power, and even if she achieved merits, she made sure it all went to Karelia.
In running a country, not everything can be solved with virtue. Getting one’s hands dirty was also part of Vanessa’s job.
Naturally, Karelia’s army was solidly running as a one-person regime known for Karelia’s virtue.
And in this process, all the credit for Karelia’s untarnished reputation went to her.
From Vanessa’s point of view, Lunarien had some overlapping qualities with her master, Karelia.
That’s why she thought she should not be given a chance to grow even more.
However, Karelia chuckled awkwardly and then said in a calm tone.
“It’s okay. Rather, if someone like Lady Luna stands up to take the world in her hands, and if she becomes a greater feudal lord than me, then I don’t think it would be bad for her to create a world. If this world can become peaceful, what does it matter who reigns over it?”
“……The only sky I wish to serve is you, master. Such words to me are just another reason why I must protect your side. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“……Is that so?”
Karelia smiled a few times pleasantly.
She certainly had a somewhat soft nature.
The fact that she could expand and solidify her influence in the south to this extent was also largely due to Vanessa’s efforts, which she acknowledged.
“Let’s change the subject. Did you hear about it?”
“What are you referring to?”
“They say a man who performs miracles has appeared in Brans’s army.”
“That story… Are you talking about the incident where a giant rock fell from the sky and crushed Serphina’s army?”
“You knew about it too, so the rumor has already spread.”
“It was quite an incident.”
A rock suddenly fell from the sky.
Up to that point, okay, but during the process – a man with white hair was performing a strange ritual, and this was becoming a topic of conversation.
Since the news reached as far as Karelia’s army in the southernmost part, probably no feudal lord on the continent hadn’t heard about it.
“A man with the power to drop rocks from the sky, what kind of person do you think he is? I wonder if a magician from the legends has finally appeared.”
“Well… I can’t believe it without seeing it with my own eyes, but I think differently.”
“Differently?”
“Suppose, instead of using a power similar to magic to drop the rock, he just knew the rock was going to fall and conducted a ritual to make it seem like he arranged it… That’s what I think.”
At those words, Karelia’s green eyes shone.
“Ho, that’s an interesting view. Why do you think so?”
“It’s simple. There’s no way magic that drops rocks from the sky could be possible, right? Magicians are just beings from legends. Excluding the impossible, it just seems more plausible that he somehow knew the timing of the rock fall and acted accordingly.”
With Vanessa’s words, Karelia once again harbored doubts.
“Then, on the contrary, ‘knowing the timing’ means? I think that’s already quite remarkable, even if it’s not magic.”
“…….”
Certainly.
By this point, Vanessa had no choice but to be at a loss for words.
Whether he summoned a rock from the sky or accurately predicted the timing and location of its fall – both were almost miraculous abilities.
In the first place, she had mentioned some method, but honestly, she didn’t even know what that was.
“I’d like to meet him once. I heard he’s a young man with white hair.”
“If someone with that ability had been in Brans’s army, given Lynn Brans’s nature of liking to show off, wouldn’t he have put him at the forefront long ago…?”
“Maybe he uncovered a talent that was hidden away, like when I met you. If we talk well, maybe he’ll share our sentiments, right?”
“…….”
Vanessa thought.
Whether it’s magic or knowing the timing, meeting someone who can perform such ‘miracles’ –
It would be safer to kill rather than tame and handle him.
A person with that level of ability wouldn’t be satisfied being under someone else.
“We should be careful when we
confront Brans’s army in the future.”
There were priorities for her and her country.
The southern conquest.
The matter with Brans’s army could wait for later.
“I will surely make our master the unified monarch.”
Though slightly soft in nature, the only feudal lord who sincerely thought about the well-being of the estate people and the peace of the continent.
From Vanessa’s standpoint, a world where Karelia doesn’t unify is just as wrong as any other.
*
“Then, shall we depart now?”
Just as she finished preparing to leave and was about to go to her horse.
A conversation between soldiers reached Lunarien’s ears.
“Did you hear? A magician has appeared in Brans’s army.”
“He summoned a rock from the sky?”
A magician?
Come to think of it, although she hadn’t listened in detail because she was focused on her work… there had been rumors that a ‘magician’ had appeared in Brans’s army.
The miracle he caused didn’t match any magic from legends that remained in stories, as far as she heard.
For Lunarien, Brans’s army brought to mind something a bit different than rumors of magicians.
“Swen… are you doing well?”
Swen, who was practically sold to Brans’s army.
She was very worried about whether he was doing well under Lynn Brans.
Then.
A phrase she couldn’t ignore reached her ears.
“A young man with white hair, they say. He performed a ritual towards the sky.”
“……!!”
Young men with white hair were exceedingly rare on the continent.
At least among the people Lunarien had encountered, there was only one young man with white hair.
“Excuse me! Excuse me, please!”
“Whoa! Lu, Lunarien…?”
Recognizing Lunarien, the soldiers hurriedly bowed and said.
“Wh, what’s the matter?! Did we do something wrong…?”
“Are you sure about the man with white hair?”
Briefly unable to hide their tension at the mention of “the man with white hair,” they soon relaxed and answered.
“Oh, you’re talking about that rumor. Yes. From what I’ve heard, it’s a man with white hair. He performed a ritual towards the sky.”
“After performing the ritual, the sky suddenly writhed, and a giant rock, as if it were divine punishment, fell directly on Serphina’s army.”
“Is that so…?”
The young man with white hair belonging to Brans’s army, who caused an unbelievable miracle.
For some reason, she was certain he was the person she knew.
“Swen… you were alive…!”
Caused a miracle?
It wasn’t particularly surprising.
Swen always did that. Even when he was with her, hadn’t he caused things that could only be called ‘miracles’ multiple times?
So, if someone had accomplished such an absurd feat – it couldn’t be anyone but Swen.
“Um… Lunarien, since we have places to go, would it be alright if we leave first?”
“…….”
“……We’ll take our leave first then. Please forgive us for any rudeness.”
With that, the soldiers left, leaving Lunarien behind without her noticing as she slowly sat down right there.
“Swen…! You’re safe, so very glad… Swen…!”
How long had it been since she heard news about Swen?
Because she believed in his words that he would “definitely return to her side,” she hadn’t worried much… but still, it was true she felt uneasy.
Thinking about it, Swen was always confident when stating his beliefs. She knew well that such a demeanor could be seen quite negatively by others.
Especially, given Lynn Brans’s notorious arrogance, she often thought it might be dangerous if he showed such a demeanor in front of him.
But it seemed he was alive. Alive and, like when he was under her command, causing another unbelievable miracle.
He summoned a giant rock from the sky.
It was an absurd story, but once she knew it was Swen who had done it, she didn’t harbor a single doubt.
She firmly believed Swen was the one who had summoned it.
He always was that kind of person.
“This is what I’ll do” “This will happen” – he would bring up unbelievable stories and then accomplish them, one after the other.
Lunarien slowly stood up.
Her ruby-colored eyes were fiercely ablaze.
Now that she knew Swen was alive –
Hesitation would only be a sin for her.
“…I must prepare in advance, so I can face Swen with pride when we meet again.”
When the time comes.
When an undeniable moment arrives.
She would definitely grasp that moment.
For Swen, who had lived until today.
“…….”
With that, Lunarien, carrying a great resolve in her heart, mounted her horse and moved towards her new destination, Tepello Castle.
She would have to tell Tifa and Cain about Swen’s news too.
For the first time since losing her country, her heart was beating fiercely.
* * *
And.
The person who lost her senses at the phrase “a young man with white hair” wasn’t only Lunarien in the southern continent.
“Is that true? A young man with white hair and gray eyes?!”
“Kk…ugh.”
Serphina was interrogating Field Marshal Julian, clutching his collar.
Uncharacteristically, she was in quite a panic.
In the battle where she sent 33,000 men, absurdly, over 30,000 soldiers were killed by a rock.
Only about 3,000 men managed to return alive under the command of Julian.
Moreover, astonishingly, a man was performing a ritual on the fortress towards the sky before this giant rock fell.
That alone was bewildering, but now, what mattered to her wasn’t that.
“White hair and gray eyes… that person is…!”
Serphina had almost never seen a young man with white hair before.
If there was one time – it was just once.
In her dreams.
