Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Results
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A breeze slipped through the gap in the window of the Argent citadel's office, fluttering a single sheet of parchment on the desk.
The paper, steeped in the scent of ink and leather, bore the vivid imprint of Roselia's royal red rose emblem.
Lilia picked up the letter with her gloved hand. The cool texture of the paper brushed against her fingertips.
Her blue eyes quickly scanned the contents of the missive.
[The two nations shall resume friendly exchanges, and the deposed emperor's transgressions shall be pardoned under the following conditions.]
[1. The imperial family shall cede the Black Forest directly governed territory to the Kingdom of Roselia.]
[2. The deposed emperor shall be confined to the Black Forest.]
Lilia's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. She set the letter down on the desk and tapped the emblem with her finger. Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Reasonable."
she murmured softly.
On the surface, it was perfect.
Queen Helena had secured two spoils of war: "territorial acquisition" and "confining the emperor on her own soil." This would quiet the dissatisfied factions at home who had mobilized armies and restore her prestige.
From the empire's perspective—or rather, her brother Duke Karls' perspective—it was a result that claimed both the "justification" and "practical gains" they desired.
But a sense of unease lingered in Lilia's mind.
Queen Helena, that firebrand, settling for conditions like these?
The Helena she knew was a woman whose pride pierced the heavens. Her way was to demand bloody vengeance from anyone who sullied her honor.
Yet she had sheathed her sword for a mere den of beasts like the Black Forest and the confinement of a deposed emperor? After standing in silent standoff before the castle walls for three whole days?
Something was missing. A deal hidden behind the lines not written in the letter. Or some unavoidable circumstance that forced Helena to accept these terms.
Did my brother persuade her? Or did that emperor in the dungeon pull off something else?
Lilia rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Memories from the imperial palace that day resurfaced: the sticky gaze, the clammy touch.
Did that seemingly incompetent man truly have the skill to negotiate with Roselia's queen?
Knock knock.
The heavy silence of the office was broken by a knock.
"Come in."
At Lilia's permission, the door opened, and a messenger hurried inside.
His clothes were caked in dust, and his breath came up to his chin. He dropped to one knee before Lilia and caught his breath.
"Lady Lilia, urgent news."
"Speak."
"An incident has occurred in Roselia."
The messenger pulled another letter from his bosom and presented it. Lilia took it and unfolded it. The handwriting was scrawled hastily, reeking of urgency.
"Last night, the cathedral of the church order on the outskirts of Roselia's capital, Elysium, exploded."
Lilia's hand froze.
"Exploded?"
"Yes. It wasn't a simple fire. An explosion from mana overload started in the cathedral basement, collapsing half the building."
The messenger swallowed dryly.
"And the nearby cemetery was completely ransacked. Corpses were found missing or desecrated."
Lilia gripped the letter tightly. The paper crumpled with a crunch. A cathedral explosion and cemetery desecration.
The scale was too vast for a mere accident or grave robbers. And the timing was too perfect.
With Helena leading her army across the border, for something like this to happen in the homeland capital at this very moment.
Internal sabotage? A third party? Or is Helena rushing back to save face because of this incident?
Lilia turned her gaze toward the Black Forest. Beyond the window, the dark green woods were still shrouded in gloomy mist.
How were the events unfolding in Roselia beyond that forest connected to Argent here?
"Does Queen Helena know about this?"
"We're not certain."
Lilia calculated coldly. A crisis at home. Helena no longer had the luxury to linger here.
Negotiations over the Black Forest would accelerate.
But Lilia's instincts warned her. This explosion was not the end, but the beginning.
Something coiled like a black serpent in the shadows was just now raising its head.
"Strengthen the watch. Monitor not just the Roselian army's movements, but the Black Forest as well. Report any strange signs immediately."
"Understood."
The messenger withdrew, leaving Lilia alone again. She smoothed out the crumpled letter and placed it on the desk.
'The cemetery was ransacked.' Those words stuck in her mind, refusing to fade.
She rose from her seat and approached the window. Her reflection in the glass was calm, but deep in her eyes, uneasy ripples stirred.
The next day dawned.
Morning sunlight filtered through the bars, illuminating the dust motes on the floor.
Duke Karls, descended from above, stood before the iron bars, looking down at me.
A low sigh escaped his tightly pressed lips.
"Batanias."
He called my name—not as emperor, but as a man.
I looked up at him from where I sat on the floor.
The tension and fatigue of the past few days hadn't vanished entirely, but a sense of relief had taken root in one corner of my heart.
Karls fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"In a few days, a carriage from Roselia will arrive. You'll board it and head to the Black Forest."
His voice was businesslike, but his eyes held complex emotions.
The negotiations with Queen Helena, and the conditions I had proposed.
All of it must have exceeded his expectations.
But he asked no more. He knew better than anyone that results justified the process.
"Patrol Captain Adella has recovered."
Karls added.
"We must send an escort for the deposed emperor as well. I'll assign her."
I nodded casually, feigning indifference. Adella. Her as my escort.
Had Karls judged her too deeply entangled with me?
Or had she volunteered? Either way, it wasn't bad. It added one more piece to my survival game.
"And."
Karls paused briefly.
"Roselia will be busy for a while. They won't come to kill you anytime soon."
He faltered for a moment.
"Our relationship isn't good enough for me to wish you luck..."
With that, he turned away. His silver cloak fluttered in the air, cloaking his retreating figure. Clack. Clack. The fading footsteps shattered the underground prison's silence.
Clang.
The heavy iron door shut, and I was alone again.
"I did it... Success."
I murmured softly.
The Black Forest.
That would be my new stage. A shithole crawling with beasts and poisonous plants, but with me there, even it could become paradise.
"Paradise..."
But my murmur lacked strength.
A deflating sound leaked from my mumbling lips. Paradise. As the word circled my tongue and scattered, a wave of emptiness washed over me.
The floor's chill pierced my thin prison garb, stabbing into my buttocks. I scraped at the moss in the stone cracks with my nails and gave a wry smile.
The Black Forest.
On maps, just a dark green blotch. Like some imperial administrator had spilled ink in frustration trying to erase a headache.
People called it a hell teeming with beasts and toxic weeds, but deep within that forest lay a door to somewhere else.
'Dimensional Stone.'
The one real escape route in this damned game Atria Continent Chronicles. The essential item for the fugitive ending.
The decisive reason I had proposed the Black Forest to Helena after racking my brains all night.
The problem was getting there.
For a deposed emperor without a single combat skill, the difficulty was hellish.
"Ha."
A deep sigh bubbled up from the depths of my lungs. I brushed off the moss dust from my hands. The damp, slimy feel was unpleasant.
Still, better than here.
I looked up, staring into the darkness beyond the bars. Somewhere in that gloom, Duke Karls might still be seeking justification to cut my throat.
And the rats could be brewing another poison.
Their breaths constricted this underground prison like an invisible net. At least in the forest, I could breathe.
"Herbalists survive there too, after all."
I muttered, consoling myself.
Even on the fringes—no, toward the heart of the Black Forest—herbalists risked their lives digging for rare herbs, and veteran hunters prowled for beast hides.
If they could survive and return, there was a path. And if there was a path, I could take it too.
Of course, they were free men, while I was an exile. A minor difference.
I drew up my knees and rested my chin on them. Unwashed for days, my matted hair tickled my cheek.
The musty smell from my hair lingered in my nostrils. The lavender scent from the emperor's bedroom was now a forgotten memory.
As I huddled, my stomach growled. I'd already devoured the hardtack Karls had left.
"Paradise."
I chewed the word once more. It was bitter in my mouth. But behind that bitterness, there seemed to be a faint trace of sweetness.
Perhaps because Helena's red tent and sweat-soaked dress came to mind.
I closed my eyes. The prison's darkness seeped behind my eyelids.