Chapter 184: Amelia Claris Orsia (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 184: Amelia Claris Orsia (2)
Amelia Claris Orsia.
She was the only child of the Grand Duke who ruled the Orsia Duchy, and the sole heir to the Grand Ducal family of Orsia.
However, when the Grand Duke suddenly fell into a coma, her once-solid position began to waver.
The nobles who had been suppressed by the Grand Duke rose in rebellion, and the Orsia Duchy was engulfed in the flames of a civil war that no one had anticipated.
For Amelia, who happened to be staying in Count Marvil's territory to recuperate, the news was a bolt from the blue.
With the rebel army laying siege to the castle, a situation where it could fall at any moment, she decided to gamble with her fate.
She used Arca, a bound artifact passed down to the heir of the Orsia Grand Ducal family.
On the surface, it appeared to be nothing more than a beautiful sapphire necklace, but it was a top-tier artifact with multiple abilities.
After many trials, Amelia managed to use Arca's power to escape from the Marvil territory.
However.
“...Where am I?”
The place she arrived was not the neighboring Santala Kingdom or the Nivia Kingdom, but somewhere in the Veilhaven Republic.
Amelia, who had expected to be transported to the ducal castle in the capital, couldn't comprehend the situation.
After all, the ability she had used was supposed to move the contractor to a safe location in times of danger.
“...First, I need to calm down. I have to find the cause, somehow.”
Her panic was brief. Amelia calmly began to think.
First, she dismissed the possibility of Arca malfunctioning, as there were no such cases in its entire history.
Instead, she considered the hypothesis that the ducal castle might not be a safe place for her.
Before her father's ascension, the Orsia Duchy had been rife with all sorts of corruption.
A purge was inevitable to save the already decaying nation.
The capital was stained with blood, and nobles rebelled almost daily.
Despite this, the duchy eventually regained stability and entered its second golden age since its founding.
But not all corrupt nobles could be executed. They had to prevent the paralysis of the state at all costs.
They had been vetted time and again, but could she truly be certain that not a single person within the ducal castle had joined the noble alliance?
Organizing her thoughts, Amelia looked at the city visible beyond the fields.
The city was shining brightly.
This was Arca's second ability: Light-Dark Perception.
It was a power that made things helpful to the contractor appear bright, and conversely, things that posed a danger appear dark.
Amelia walked toward the light.
For three months, she traveled across the Veilhaven Republic.
The arduous journey was taxing, but thankfully, thanks to Arca's ability, she was never in any danger.
However, the seemingly endless journey was gradually wearing her down mentally.
Above all, the occasional news of the rebel army's victories and the fact that her father had yet to make a public appearance made things even harder for her.
What will be at the end of this light?
No, is there even an end?
Should I return to the duchy now?
'Could I even cross the border safely in the first place...?'
Amidst her worries and anxieties, Amelia arrived in a city called Mayfield.
As one of the most prominent breadbaskets in the southern continent, the streets were full of life.
But Amelia, as usual, walked silently through the city, following the light.
She kept her head bowed low, afraid her hood might be blown off.
How long had she been walking?
When she came to her senses, she was standing in the middle of a deserted alley.
“Hah... not again...”
Perhaps due to the immense stress she had been under, she would sometimes lose herself and wander the streets.
Fortunately, she never forgot to follow the light, so she had never run into any trouble.
But this time was different.
She felt presences and stares from her surroundings. Men were approaching her, closing in as if tightening a net.
Sensing something was wrong, Amelia immediately ran toward the light.
“Get her!”
“If we lose her, we're all dead!”
“The net! Throw the net first!”
She was out of breath in an instant, but Amelia wasn't particularly worried.
As long as she followed the light, she would be safe.
She safely escaped the alley and reached the main street, but she didn't seek out the guards as one might expect.
The light was pointing elsewhere.
She had been chased by the men for several dozen minutes.
'How much longer do I have to run...?'
Amelia grew increasingly anxious.
Considering she hadn't been in any danger for the past three months thanks to Arca's ability, this situation felt strange.
A wave of anxiety washed over her.
What if, for some reason, Arca wasn't working properly?
What if being dropped in the middle of the Republic instead of the ducal castle was a malfunction from the start?
What if her safety until now had been purely a matter of luck?
“Hah, hah...!”
Her mouth was so dry it tasted sweet from exhaustion, but Amelia couldn't stop, nor could she go to the guards now.
If she escaped danger that way, it would be like admitting that Arca, her guide until now, had malfunctioned.
For Amelia, who had endured the past three months relying solely on the artifact, that was the worst possible scenario, incomparable to anything else.
She had no choice.
All she could do now was flee from the men chasing her.
There were dangerous moments, of course, but she managed to shake off her pursuers for a short while with magic.
However, she was not yet a mage who had properly formed a circle.
Since she was using magic with the help of Arca's auxiliary ability, the backlash was bound to be greater.
Amelia clenched her teeth as her legs trembled precariously, as if they would give out at any moment.
But then.
“...A dead end?”
A wall soon appeared, blocking her path.
It was startling, but she could overlook it.
There had to be another way.
But what truly bewildered Amelia was that the light had completely vanished.
No matter where she looked, her guide was nowhere to be seen.
Amelia's eyes trembled faintly.
But she quickly clenched her fists.
She couldn't give up now. More than anything, she remembered the faces of the duchy's people and her vassals, who were trusting and holding on for her.
'...With Arca's auxiliary ability, I should be able to handle four or five of them.'
Her magic was nearly depleted, but if she pushed herself a little, it wasn't entirely impossible.
Of course, she was worried about the aftermath, but she didn't have the luxury to think about that.
“Hoo, finally caught you.”
“Running away without even realizing we were luring you into a dead end. I guess not all mages are smart.”
“Don't let your guard down. If she shoots some magic, we'll each get a hole in our heads.”
“What mage? Can't you see she's a total rookie?”
Watching the men who had now surrounded her, Amelia took a calm, deep breath.
'Hoo...'
She decided not to dwell on the vanished guide anymore.
Her stamina was gone, and her heart pounded as if it would burst.
Her fragile magic circuits screamed from the overuse of magic.
But as the heir to the Grand Ducal family of Orsia, she had no intention of showing weakness in front of these lawless men.
“Just be a good girl, and we'll introduce you to a nice master soon.”
“Yeah, such gentle people—”
The moment she tried to squeeze out her last bit of strength to cast a spell.
CRASH!!
Something fell from the sky, and beyond the scattering dust, she saw something familiar.
“That master you mentioned.”
For a moment, Amelia couldn't believe her eyes.
“I'd like you to introduce me, too.”
The guiding light, which had never shown an end for the past three months, now hovered beside a man as if it had finally reached its destination.
“K-Kill him!!”
“What the hell is that?!”
“That bastard killed Rick!!”
“Vitals! Aim for the vitals!!”
The swords and blunt weapons flying from all directions couldn't even graze the man's clothes.
It was like a knight dealing with children.
An insurmountable, overwhelming gap in skill existed between the man and the thugs.
After a few blinks, the thugs were rolling on the ground like dust.
'Ah...'
Amelia's gaze naturally turned to the man standing there as if nothing had happened.
His knight-like build and somewhat fierce impression caught her attention for only a moment.
Seeing the faint streams of light flowing around the man's body, Amelia was certain.
“I was just helping, so you don't have to worry...”
This man was the hope she had been searching for.
Amelia's consciousness faded there, but even as she fell, she made a firm resolve over and over again.
She would secure his cooperation, no matter what it took.
*
After dinner, I came to understand how a mailbox feels.
The table in my room was a mess, cluttered with letters brought by a server.
For the record, it wasn't a bill for what I'd broken. I had already paid more than enough for that with gold coins.
They were letters from nobles.
It wasn't particularly strange. The inn we were staying at was an exclusive establishment for nobles within the noble district.
The ones who witnessed the commotion at the restaurant earlier were nobles, so it was only natural for rumors to spread from their mouths.
A rumor about a wandering knight who could wield aura must have been circulating.
But even considering that, the letters were arriving too quickly. It had only been two hours at most.
“'As we welcome the season of fresh petals dancing in the wind...' What the hell is this?”
As expected of nobles, about ninety percent of the letters' contents were useless flowery language.
But the main point was always the same.
To summarize, it was basically, "We'll give you money, and if you want, you can have our daughter. Won't you be our family's knight?”
Naturally, every letter I read went straight into the trash.
“They could have at least enclosed a photo.”
Even a hedgehog thinks its own child is beautiful.
It seemed these shameless bastards were trying to lure me in using their daughters—who knows how they look to others—as bait.
“Trying to get something for nothing.”
I crumpled the letter as my reply.
As I was reading the letters to kill time, I was surprised to see the name 'Clifford Lansing Gail' written as the sender.
For reference, we were currently in the Gail Marquisate.
I hadn't expected it, but the marquis himself had sent a letter.
“Same flowery language... but no mention of giving me his daughter.”
Well, a marquis would probably have several knights already.
More importantly, he wouldn't want to marry his precious daughter off to a knight with an unknown pedigree.
Unlike the desperate letters from other nobles, I could feel that this one was written with a 'take a shot, and if it doesn't work, oh well' attitude.
“Hmm, rejected.”
In the end, not a single noble had sent a picture of their daughter.
Of course, they might not have photographs, but they could have sent a portrait.
Before long, the trash can was overflowing with letters from nobles.
The cleaning staff would probably be surprised when I checked out tomorrow, but that wasn't my problem.
“By the way, where on earth did Sylvia go?”
I had come up to my room after finishing dinner, but Sylvia was nowhere to be seen.
She must be hiding on purpose.
Hiding like that won't solve anything.
Knock, knock—
Just as I was pondering what to make Sylvia do using the video as leverage, someone knocked on the door.
“...Sir Hyun-woo.”
It was Amelia.
Feeling like the inevitable had arrived, I opened the door to find Amelia standing there, her hood pulled over her head.
“What can I do for you?”
“Um... I have something to tell you. Could you spare me a moment...?”
She couldn't meet my eyes, staring only at the floor, and an air of anxiety was palpable from her.
After a moment's thought, I nodded.
“Yes, please come in.”
Once inside the room, Amelia finally took off her hood and sat demurely on the sofa.
High nobility was certainly different. Like Iris and Sylvia, even her minor actions exuded a sense of grace.
“What are those...?”
Amelia was looking at the letters that were overflowing from the trash can.
“Ah, it's nothing... just letters from nobles.”
I handed an uncrumpled letter to Amelia.
“They're offering immense wealth, marriage to their daughters, and asking me to become their family's knight... but they're all pretty much the same, so I was just getting rid of them.”
“Ah...”
Amelia lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers.
“...Um, Sir Hyun-woo and Miss Iris are a married couple, right?”
“Pardon? Well... yes, I suppose so.”
“Then, may I ask what your relationship is with Miss Sylvia...?”
I wondered why she was suddenly asking this, but since there was no reason not to tell her, I answered truthfully.
“She's scheduled to be my second wife.”
“Pardon?”
Of course, Sylvia would have a fit if she heard that.
“Uh... Sir Hyun-woo, are you a noble?”
“That's also scheduled. I'll be a noble soon.”
To be precise, not a noble, but royalty.
The royalty of Peledeia.
At my words, Amelia hesitated to reply, looking as if she didn't understand.
“So, what brings you here?”
Sensing the atmosphere was getting strange, I changed the subject.
But as soon as I finished speaking, Amelia broke into a cold sweat and seemed to grow even more tense.
“...It's about the request I mentioned. I was wondering if you could possibly reconsider?”
It was exactly as I had expected.
“Of course, I have nothing to offer you right now... but if you just take me to my destination, I will grant you anything you desire!”
Amelia looked desperate.
But my thoughts hadn't changed.
“I'm sorry, but...”
“Wh-what about me!”
“......?”