Ending Maker Chapter 132
Ending Maker Chapter 132
Chapter 49 — The Journey to the Royal Capital #2
An invitation to the Founding Anniversary celebration.
The Founding Anniversary itself was obviously a major event, but it was also true that it came around every year, making it a relatively common occasion.
Because of that, provincial nobles often skipped it, and the royal family likewise did not go out of its way to encourage the provincial nobles to attend.
But this time, the situation was different.
After all, it was the grand 300th Founding Anniversary.
Amusingly, people always attached meaning to numbers that landed just right.
Like 10, 20, or 30.
But this time, it was a whopping 300.
In practical terms, 299 and 300 were really the same thing, but it was impossible not to feel differently about it.
'For one thing, the fact that the kingdom has lasted 300 years is already remarkable.'
It was not some small frontier state in the middle of nowhere, but one of the two great powers of the continent, a nation of renown that had endured for 300 years.
It could truly be called a magnificent achievement.
'All the nobles in the country will be gathering.'
After all, invitations had been issued even to the minor nobles of remote backwater regions.
For the Count Bayel Household and the Count Chase Household, both belonging to the Twelve Northern Houses, to bow out of such an event was, quite literally, out of the question.
"I will leave the house to Sir Victor. Gale, Yuder, and I will go to the royal capital."
No one raised an objection to Count Bayel's declaration.
For the sake of managing the territory, the normal response would have been for either Count Bayel or Gale to remain behind, but this Founding Anniversary was a different case.
In the Count Chase Household as well, it was decided that Count Chase and his heir Edward, not to mention his youngest daughter Cordelia, would go to the royal capital.
'This has changed quite a bit from the original.'
It had been about four and a half months since starting the Cordelia route.
At this point in the original, Yuder had still been sickly and bedridden, and Cordelia had been missing, so neither count household could have decided to set off for the royal capital in such high spirits as they did now.
'In the Count Chase Household, only Edward went to the royal capital as their representative.'
In the Count Bayel Household as well, only Gale had gone to the royal capital, because there had been intelligence that the situation in the Wild Lands was unusual.
'Originally, around this time, Haragen would have nearly taken control of the western Wild Lands.'
But everything had changed, and the two count households had decided on the journey to the royal capital as if setting out on a pleasure trip.
"You mean the two of you will set out separately...... first?"
"Yes, Father."
The Count Bayel Household and the Count Chase Household were planning to pack together and depart for the royal capital.
However, the journey to the royal capital was long, and on top of that, preparing gifts to exchange with the nobles of the capital took a fair amount of time in itself.
"I must discuss matters with the Guardians of the Holy Cross and the situation in the Wild Lands. And decisively...... I have arranged to meet my master."
Landius the Iron Man.
When his name was mentioned, Count Bayel had no choice but to take a step back.
Yuder, who clearly possessed tremendous talent, had inherited the martial arts of an outsider instead of the Bayel household's swordsmanship. Normally, that would have warranted an outburst of fury, but this outsider was a special case.
Landius the Iron Man was always mentioned whenever people discussed the strongest on the continent. And if Yuder had inherited the martial arts of an ancient Immortal said to have defeated an Infernal Lord, what else was there to say? They could only tell him to learn well.
"I understand why you must depart first. But for Lady Cordelia to accompany you......."
When Count Bayel slightly trailed off, Yuder signaled with his eyes to Cordelia, who was standing beside him. Cordelia put on a slightly aggrieved expression, then soon blushed and spoke.
"Th-that...... I, I...... love Lord Yuder so, so much......."
"The same goes for me. I want to always be with her."
As Cordelia squirmed and barely managed to continue, Yuder cut in smoothly and spoke without hesitation, and a smile spread across Count Bayel's face.
"Hmm, well...... if you put it that way, I have no choice but to allow it."
What adorable kids.
As Count Bayel's gaze, now full of satisfaction, turned to Cordelia, Yuder also wore a pleased expression. Cordelia let out an awkward smile, then glanced back at Yuder.
'Hey, is this really the only way?'
'There isn't exactly another one, is there? And it works.'
'Ugh.......'
Why was it that when they said equally embarrassing things, Yuder was perfectly fine while only she was left so flustered?
It felt like all the embarrassment was hers alone.
'Anyway, let's wrap this up. Smile, quickly.'
At Yuder's signal, Cordelia reflexively smiled, and Count Bayel continued.
"If Count Chase permits it, I shall permit it as well. But there is one condition."
"A condition?"
"Yes. Report your whereabouts regularly and contact the main house. I cannot permit a journey like the previous unauthorized departure. Understood?"
"Yes, Father."
"Yes, Father."
That much was nothing.
When Yuder and Cordelia answered obediently, Count Bayel smiled again and sent the two of them out, saying they would speak again after obtaining Count Chase's permission.
And a few days later.
Around the time Soluzia learned of Yuder and Cordelia's journey to the royal capital.
"Things are going smoothly."
Inside a two-horse carriage driven by a single coachman, Yuder gazed out the window with a relaxed expression.
Because after Count Bayel, Count Chase had also permitted the two of them to travel.
'And he gave us a generous amount of travel funds, too.'
As expected of my father-in-law.
I truly love him.
'For now, things are going smoothly.'
Departing first was one thing, but the most important thing had actually been getting permission to set out on a journey alone together.
'Because if other people tag along, clearing the quests gets harder.'
They weren't going straight to the royal capital but had to stop here and there along the way, so having companions would inevitably create various complications.
'Like having to explain why we need to detour somewhere, or how we know about such places.'
But fortunately, they had been allowed to travel alone together, and Count Chase's help had been significant in that.
'Hmph, I still don't like how scrawny he is...... but if it's the two of you, I suppose it'll be fine. I permit it.'
Count Chase, with his usual stern and solemn face, had said that and, as always, had even prepared gifts for them.
'I am always grateful, Father.'
Yuder, expressing his gratitude anew, gazed out the window with a smile on his face.
Perhaps because the problem he had been worried about had worked out, the world looked especially beautiful to Yuder that day.
And across from him.
Cordelia sat curled up, her lips pursed, lost in anguish.
'Ugh.......'
Because the conversation she had shared with Dahlia the night before their departure kept weighing on her mind.
Narrowing her brow and closing her eyes, Cordelia recalled yesterday's conversation once more.
"My lady, remember what I said. You are not yet formally married, so you absolutely must not cross the line. Understood?"
"What are you talking about? Cross the line? What line? Nothing like that is going to happen."
First her sister, and now Dahlia too—what kind of delusion was this?
When Cordelia reflexively protested strongly, Dahlia narrowed her eyes, touched her chin, and spoke.
"Fine. In exchange, I'll allow up to kissing. Don't cross the line, just up to kissing. Understood?"
"I-I said it won't happen! Y-Yuder is a gentleman, you know?"
"I'm sure he is. A gentleman, sure. But he's still a man, isn't he? A wolf, isn't he?"
"A-a wolf?"
When Cordelia, who had only been protesting, showed curiosity, Dahlia quickly nodded and leaned her face closer as she spoke.
"My lady, even to another woman's eyes, you are incredibly pretty, cute, and lovable."
"Are you trying to make me mad?"
"It's true. Anyway, so how do you think you look in Lord Yuder's eyes? You're practically an angel to him, right?"
"Hmm......."
Well, she actually was an angel.
Since she had undergone Ancestral Regression too, after all.
"Lord Yuder is probably holding back a tremendous amount too. So at least allow him a kiss. That much is...... well, you're seventeen now, so it's something you could do."
"Wh-what are you talking about? Allow him what? A-and if what you're saying is true, that means Yuder wants to kiss me."
"He probably does. Desperately, even?"
"Th-that's ridiculous."
"No, why is it ridiculous? It makes perfect sense. Lord Yuder is a man too. A man. A person. A person made of flesh and blood, not a statue. A person."
At Dahlia's impassioned speech, Cordelia flinched and drew back.
But instead of protesting, she pursed her lips again and agonized.
Because somehow, it seemed to make sense.
"D-do you really think so? That Yuder really...... with me......."
"Absolutely. No matter what. One way or another."
When Dahlia clenched her fist and emphasized, Cordelia unconsciously clenched her own fist as well, then soon pursed her lips again.
"Anyway, still, only up to kissing. You know you absolutely must not cross the line, right?"
That was the entirety of last night's conversation.
Having finished her recollection, Cordelia covered her face with both hands to soothe her newly reddened cheeks, then thought.
'It really is ridiculous.'
What a delusion.
Cordelia forced a scoffing laugh, lowered her hands, and glanced over at Yuder.
Yuder was gazing out the window with such a pleased expression that Cordelia wondered what had made him so happy. And now that she was looking, he really did have handsome lips.
"Cordelia."
'The color is pretty. They look soft, too.'
"Cordelia."
'Still, they're just lips, so they're probably similar to mine, right?'
"Cordelia."
'Why are his lips so close.......'
"Cordelia."
"Eek?!"
Right in front of her.
Startled by Yuder's face, which had come close enough for their breaths to touch, Cordelia threw herself into the corner of the seat, and Yuder narrowed his brow and tilted his head.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing! I wasn't thinking anything like that! I wasn't staring at that spot!"
At Cordelia's vehement denial, Yuder narrowed his brow again.
"Thinking anything like what? That spot?"
"I don't know! Anyway, what do you want?!"
"You don't have a fever, do you? Should I check your temperature?"
When Yuder leaned in again to place his hand on her forehead, Cordelia flailed her arms and legs in panic and said.
"I-I'm fine. I can just cast Recovery."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really. Ah, I'm fine. I don't hurt at all. Recovery is the best. The best."
"But Cordelia."
"Huh?"
"Why won't you look me in the eye?"
"That's not it. I'm just closing my eyes because I'm tired. It's not that I can't look at you."
Anyone could see it was a flimsy excuse, but Cordelia was quite desperate.
Because if she met his eyes now, she had no idea what thoughts might spill out.
Cordelia hummed to herself with her eyes closed, and Yuder narrowed his eyes but soon decided to let it go.
'If I call her cute here, she'll get mad.'
Though that would probably make her even cuter.
But instead of teasing Cordelia further, Yuder sat back down in his seat and continued.
"Anyway, let's talk about the schedule."
"The schedule? We already talked about it."
"We did. That we're heading to the Temple of Life as our first destination."
The first destination Yuder and Cordelia had decided on was the temple of Aeris, the Goddess of Life.
Unlike the Solari Order, which had at least maintained its lineage, the Aeris Order's line had completely died out, so now there was not a single person who even knew the location of the temple.
'Except for us.'
Like Solari's temple where Leisegang was sealed, it was a temple hidden deep in the mountains, so even in the original, its location could only be learned after going through a special event.
'But we have Yuder Wiki.'
It was a little embarrassing for him to call it the Yuder Wiki himself, but Cordelia used the name so often that it had stuck, so there was no helping it.
"We'll go to the Temple of Life and secure the Orb of Life. Opening a new gate of the Nine Heavens Nine Gates requires an enormous amount of life energy. If we use the Orb of Life, we should be able to open the Fifth Gate without difficulty."
"And I can raise my angel level there too?"
"Right. If you absorb the holy power remaining in the temple, you should be able to raise your angel level. If we're lucky, you might even obtain a holy relic."
Just as the northern barbarian invasion had ultimately ended in the defeat of the Saelun Kingdom in the original, the incident in the royal capital had also ended in the Saelun Kingdom's defeat.
After all, a catastrophe had occurred in which the royal family was annihilated and more than half of the royal palace collapsed.
"As you know, the level of the enemies in the capital is actually higher."
"Even if everyone else falls, the Duke Protector is there......."
Duke Antarius.
One of the Ten Great Swordsmen that the Saelun Kingdom boasted of, a swordmaster of the current era.
Moreover, he was also a war hero who had achieved distinguished merits in the war against the Argon Empire.
"We need to become as strong as possible."
In the original, there had been no occasion to fight the Duke Protector at all.
Because if they did fight, there would have been no way to do anything—it would simply have been death.
"The Duke Protector...... your plan is to bring First Sword over to our side and have him deal with it, right?"
"For now."
The man called First Sword, as he was the first sword of the Sword Gate.
Also known as the Sword Saint of Light, he had not been in the royal capital on the day of the Founding Anniversary.
'But we can change history.'
It was the same principle as saving Red Gale, who had been fated to die, and having him lead the eastern army.
"Either way, in the end, we are the main players. First, we have to become stronger."
"Yeah. Let's get super, super strong."
When Cordelia clenched her fist and spoke, Yuder smiled without realizing it and brought up the immediate problem.
"Either way, it's about time for them to come."
"You mean the Devil's Hand?"
"Oh, you knew?"
"Hmph, who do you take me for, an idiot? Of course I knew."
Cordelia crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders as she continued.
"Soluzia personally made a move last time. They've probably just been waiting for us to return to the north."
"And the reason they haven't touched us until now?"
"Because my father was with us on the way home. And for a while after that, we both stayed at home."
Attacking on Emma Pikers's birthday would also have been too much for them.
In the first place, that had been a day trip.
"But now we've set out on a long journey to the royal capital. And on top of that, we're traveling alone together."
"In other words, it's the perfect time to attack."
If Count Bayel and Count Chase had known how obsessed the Devil's Hand was with Yuder and Cordelia, they would never have permitted the two of them to travel alone.
"Anyway, at this point, you have a plan, right?"
"A plan?"
"Don't play dumb. You're not the type to sit still when an attack is expected."
"That's true. You know me so well."
"Because I see you every day."
"Right, every day."
Yuder nodded as if realizing it anew, then gestured to Cordelia and said.
"First, come closer."
"Trying to whisper again?"
"Well, it's important."
"There's no one listening anyway. You always do this."
Grumbling but obediently moving to sit beside Yuder, Cordelia perked up her ears, and Yuder brought his face close to her ear.
"W-wait."
"Why?"
"No, um. Never mind."
Cordelia swallowed hard to calm herself and, for some reason, even closed her eyes. Yuder tilted his head but soon brought his face close again.
And so began the usual conspiracy.
"So? Do you like it?"
"Yeah, I love it."
A bright smile spread across Cordelia's face.