Chapter 229
Chapter: 229
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 229
>Chapter Title: Defense Battle (2)
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'…I hope nothing bad happens to Mores and Logan.'
For some reason, an inexplicable anxiety lingered today, refusing to fade.
Feeling her hand tremble finely as she turned the pages, Amelia finally slammed the book shut and sank deep into the armchair, closing her eyes. She fiddled absentmindedly with the small wooden statue on the table, a habit of hers.
'I should have told Mores to come back right away. No, I should have sent more reinforcements…'
All futile thoughts.
For the prince of the Holy Empire to abandon his territory in crisis and return? Even if he was young, what would the people think of him?
The same went for reinforcements. No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn't come up with anything better than the Lilium detachment.
"Haa…"
Amelia let out a quiet sigh.
Rationally, she knew she'd made the right call. But her heart wouldn't follow suit.
Mores—that child—was right in the middle of dangerous magical beasts!
At times like this, Amelia regretted being the eldest daughter of the Holy Imperial Family. If she'd been in Hernia's position, she could have thrown a tantrum and begged Father to send the entire Holy Knight Order.
"Lady Amelia, look at this!"
Just then, her exclusive maid Mirabel entered the study, cradling a large bouquet.
"That handsome prince of Rohan sent these beautiful flowers again."
"Leonard…"
Amelia furrowed her brow slightly.
That trash, convinced he'd gained a foothold with her since his birthday, had been persistently clinging to the capital, showing up at banquets and social gatherings.
The reason Amelia hadn't cut him off decisively despite hating the sight of him.
It was partly to lay groundwork for future moves in Rohan, but more importantly, to draw out his hidden confidants into the open.
Romain. The man with the half-mask.
The closest aide and strategist to Leonard, who gripped the Rohan royal family in one hand and wielded bizarre talents at times.
'And the [key] that Romain possessed…'
An artifact that allowed him to command bizarre like limbs.
If she didn't uncover its nature and prepare in advance, it would pose a massive threat to Delcross in the future.
Lost in deep thought, Amelia heard Mirabel ask excitedly.
"Where should we put this? How about decorating the study so you can glance at it while studying?"
Such a horrific suggestion.
"Just throw it in the trash."
"Oh? Why?"
"Roses every time? How dreadfully cliché."
"Hehe. Young ladies usually swoon over a gentleman's wit and erudition. But Lady Amelia, a true and noble gentleman is always steadfast and constant."
Amelia blinked at her maid's subtle implication.
"…Mirabel, you like him?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't I? He's so devoted to our princess. The more I see him, the more he seems like such a refined, handsome prince. Watching him makes me think it might not be so bad to go to Rohan with you someday."
The words sent a chill down her spine.
For a fleeting moment, the image of Mirabel smiling with the red bouquet overlapped faintly with the gruesome phantom of a blood-soaked woman.
-You're a monstrous demon, Leonard! I curse you! Even in death, I'll curse you forever! Aaaah!
Screams. Those screams.
Until her tongue was severed and her vocal cords ruined, reduced to the wails of a mere beast.
"……!"
Amelia squeezed her eyes shut without realizing it.
"Ah! Of course, no matter how dashing, he's still no match for our princess."
Noticing the blood drain from the princess's face, Mirabel fumbled awkwardly with a bewildered expression.
"…Yeah, Mirabel. It's a bit early, but I think I'll head to the Pearl Palace for lunch now."
Unable to fully shake off the horrific past vision, Amelia picked up the pointed-hatted little Saint Aurelion figurine carefully and spoke gloomily.
"You brought yours too, big sis Amelia."
A lonely lunch with only two siblings left.
The little saint across from her placed her wooden statue on the table—a bald old man adorned with white lace.
"I felt strangely anxious today too. Couldn't focus on training at all, so I came back early."
They all fussed when she said she was tired, escorting her all the way out of the training grounds. Even waved her off. I thought Saint Marthias's inquisitors were all scary, but they're surprisingly kind.
Sisle muttered as much.
Crunch, crunch.
Even as Sei from Cadmos mode shoveled food beside her ravenously, Amelia hesitated to touch hers for a while. The terrifying phantoms still haunted her mind.
Watching her quietly, Sisle offered comfort.
"Don't worry too much about big brothers, big sis Amelia. Actually, I had a good dream last night."
"A good dream?"
Amelia straightened up, listening intently. Everyone in the imperial family knew about her occasional prophetic dreams.
"Yeah. A good one. Bells rang above my head, and then Saint Aurelion himself appeared before me! Wearing a red pointed hat, with long white beard for some reason. He smiled kindly, ho ho ho."
Amelia tilted her head.
Pointed hat? Beard? Ho ho ho?
Somehow different from the common depictions?
"He smiled and told me: If the children of the Holy Imperial Family stay good and keep praying hard for big brother Mores, he'll give him great help soon."
"Help…"
It seemed too clumsy for a prophetic dream. Still, it was some small comfort.
As a faint flush colored Amelia's face, Sisle clenched her fist toward her.
"Plus, now I have this, big sis Amelia? They say I've got talent lately. I'll get as strong as big brother Logan soon and protect our whole family."
Amelia finally burst out laughing—pfft—at the sight of that tiny white fist.
What could that dainty hand, perfect for wielding a steak knife, even do?
"You're still a long way off, Sisle. You need to get much stronger."
"From here?"
"Of course. You see the palace knights every day, right? To be like them, you need to be way, way stronger than now."
"Hmm…"
Earlier, she'd swung her flail and shredded a scarecrow with wind pressure alone. The knight commander said even most squires and low-rank knights couldn't match that power.
But after a brief ponder, the little saint reached a clean conclusion.
Well, anyway, the stronger the better, right?
"Got it. Keep striving harder from now on? Leave it to me!"
It was a conversation that would horrify the Saint Marthias Knights if they heard, but the sisters smiled warmly at each other.
* * *
Meanwhile, Logan, who had set off for Sigismund Territory, was now riding alone.
'Not much farther now!'
Sigismund was far away. A leisurely trip from the capital took at least half a month.
Though he'd urged the detachment to hurry from the start, Logan couldn't hide his persistent unease.
-Don't worry about us, Your Highness. Go on ahead. We'll catch up soon.
In the end, the Holy Knights who'd departed with him suggested as much.
The Lilium detachment, seasoned in long travels, were Holy Knights with exceptional stamina. Using their innate holy power freely, they could move at over twice the speed of ordinary folk.
But even that didn't satisfy Logan.
The youngest Decaron Knight and Sword Master on the continent.
Logan's aura control let him constantly draw in and materialize ambient aura, making the horse barely feel his weight.
Plus, his strong holy power flowed ceaselessly to the horse. Thus, he could push through endless forced marches with almost no rest, sleep, or food.
-See you at Sigismund!
Normally, Logan would spare the horse such grueling pace, but circumstances differed this time.
Anxiety.
The unease that had grown since leaving the capital now gripped his body tightly.
"Sorry, Roxana! Just a bit more this time!"
Patting the white mane reassuringly, his spirited mount neighed softly—hiiing.
'It's not like what Sis or Sisle feel. This isn't just a hunch.'
Logan knew well the exceptional intuitions the Holy Imperial children sometimes showed.
He'd thought himself far removed from such things, yet now his heart raced oddly, mouth parched with tension.
He knew exactly where this feeling came from: when a massive battlefield awaited ahead.
-If you bring Mores back safely to the capital, I'll give you all the remaining subjugation funds as pocket money.
The Holy Emperor's parting words echoed relentlessly.
The more he mulled them, the more ominous they felt. He'd said not "aid Sigismund," but "bring Mores back safely"!
'Yi Sungjin already has a track record of rash actions.'
Who knew what that wild guy was up to right now?
'Please don't do anything reckless until I get there, Yi Sungjin!'
Hiihiiing!
Channeling holy power once more, Roxana accelerated with a mighty cry.
* * *
"Uwaaak! Glacier Troll!"
"Don't panic! It's friendly!"
The familiar scream and following explanation.
Sungjin turned to Orden with a weary face.
"How long are you gonna keep startling at the same thing? Didn't we send word to the territory ahead?"
Orden yelled back at Sungjin, red-faced for once.
"We're moving faster than messenger birds, Your Highness!"
Ah, right.
Used to Earth's radios, I'd forgotten this era's tech level.
Thud thud!
Ice Beast No. 1 charged relentlessly. Scenery blurred past with each step; low hills were mere strides for its long legs.
"…Your Highness, I really feel like I'm dying."
Vallery, the knight endlessly self-healing with holy power, groaned from behind.
Rushing like this, Sungjin's group covered half a day's walk in under an hour.
"Uwaaak! Glaci—!"
With the usual cry, a narrow ice wall appeared—nearly as tall as the ice beast, but the entrance barely wide enough for one person.
"That's the final gateway to the territory!"
"Good!"
Sungjin gripped the ice heart, focusing his mind.
〚Fuse entity 1?〛
Yes!
"Halt, Young Duke! You'll crash into the ice wall!"
Ignoring the panicking soldiers, Sungjin mentally swiped the scroll.
〚Temperature Scroll: Active (Ice Separation) -----/- Dormant (Ice Fusion)〛
Kwang!
The ice monster slammed into the wall and froze solid, fusing.
Crack.
By then, Sungjin's group had leaped atop the wall. Soldiers gaped as they soared high.
Before gravity pulled them down, Sungjin initiated separation.
〚Entity 1 is fused with ice. Separate?〛
Of course!
〚Temperature Scroll: Active (Ice Separation) -/----- Dormant (Ice Fusion)〛
Rumble!
The wall split, revealing Ice Beast No. 1 again. As the group landed on its shoulder, the beast resumed its storming charge.
Thud thud!
"What in the world…"
The dazed soldiers stared up at the wall.
It now bulged outward in the beast's shape, hollowed inside like a mold of the ice monster, standing eerily empty.
"If the enemy could pass the ice wall at that speed, not just the ice wall base—the whole territory…!"
Orden muttered worriedly at the fearsome display. Sungjin shook his head lightly.
"Nah, that won't happen!"
The real target was likely the canyon fortress.
They'd slowly gathered Lycanslopes over days at the third ice wall, drawing all territory forces to the base.
Even if they'd pierced it like this, they couldn't break through the massed troops at once.
But the empty canyon fortress was different. If they could assault like that, they'd reach the territory in a flash.
"Yet the one that hit the fortress had crap control? And that was probably their main force."
"…Indeed."
Sungjin shrugged confidently at Orden's eased expression.
If I may brag, few wield an ice heart like me.
And they finally reached the territory entrance.
Hundreds of soldiers stood in formation—likely the fourth levy called by the guard captain.
"Young Duke!"
Startled by their arrival atop Ice Beast No. 1 but quickly composed, Sebastian greeted them.
Then delivered grave news.
"The ice wall base has fallen! Sir Vincent and the Wolf Knights remain in the rear, holding the enemy while our forces retreat!"