Chapter 79
Chapter 79
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: The Duke's Lady Hides Her Identity
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“The knights of Cligrove have returned!”
The news of their return spread like wildfire through the army. And so did the fact that elf ears were dangling from their waists.
“Actually, those elves aren't such a big deal, are they?”
“Tsk! But with Count Sterling...”
Duke Northmond, eager to boost the army's morale on this occasion, had even prepared a grand welcome ceremony.
“Ooh! The heroes have finally arrived!”
It was a meager achievement for true heroes, but that hardly mattered now. The roughly hundred elf ears hanging from their belts and the twenty warhorses they'd brought back were hailed by the nobles and a few sycophants as proof of a resounding victory.
“Drink up!”
“Long live Cligrove!”
By the duke's command, alcohol and food were lavished without restraint on combatants and noncombatants alike. Their power succeeded in lifting the army's spirits, which had been at rock bottom. But...
“It's just a temporary fix.”
A temporary fix. The man who had just been smiling as he handed out food and drink to the soldiers instantly changed his expression and turned to Lenia.
“Of course, I won't forget the lady's contributions. Sterling Count's army was completely wiped out?”
Lenia nodded at his words.
“Yes. No one survived.”
Murmurs rippled through the nobles at her response. Some pointed to the elves' unexpectedly formidable forces. Others decried the elves' brutality in slaughtering even nobles without mercy. But the duke decided to assume the worst.
“Then we must assume they command at least ten thousand strong. Or possibly even more.”
The duke judged that pressing forward any further was impossible. Scale aside, if that many elves had gathered, there had to be some central figure uniting them. But how to find that linchpin? That was the problem.
The northern plains were vast. And elves didn't settle in one place to live. “Elf subjugation” sounded fine in theory, but the duke now realized just how absurd it was.
If the elves had already massed enough to vaporize an entire army, this was no longer a matter of burning a few tribes and heading home.
Full stop. The hundreds of thousands-strong army halted its march. All they did now was set up camp and send out occasional scouts. No one knew what the duke was thinking, but Kyle was certain of one thing: the duke was feeling real pressure from the elves.
But that wasn't what mattered right now. The very first thing he'd checked upon returning was the duke's crest—and it looked strikingly similar to the one on Rahil's sword.
He'd briefly considered the slim possibility that Rahil had stolen it from the duke's household, but who in their right mind would swipe a sword emblazoned with the duke's crest?
“Fetching wash water...”
The guy who fetched wash water like a servant was the duke's son?
The duke has one daughter, gotten late in life, and he dotes on her fiercely.
Sir Karon's words from not long ago flashed through Kyle's mind like a montage. The duke's child—and a daughter at that. Not just any daughter, but his precious only child, born after years of waiting. What would happen if he learned she was waiting hand and foot on another man?
He wouldn't confront another noble directly, but he'd surely make things petty and miserable—or worse, squeeze the life out indirectly. With that in mind, Kyle resolved to start currying favor with the duke's daughter from now on.
“I'll tell her she doesn't need to fetch wash water anymore starting today...”
As Kyle mulled this over, someone came looking for him.
“Lord Lucas?”
The visitor was a soldier who occasionally brought him army news. A familiar face, so Kyle greeted him warmly.
“What is it? Another meeting?”
The soldier shook his head.
“No... There are people here to see you, my lord.”
Meanwhile, Hilia was working with an even brighter demeanor than usual. For instance, she'd float flower petals in the wash water or put extra shine into polishing his gear, which she did daily anyway.
The reason for her sudden diligence was something that had happened at dawn. Hilia's gaze drifted to the cloak draped over the cot.
“Hmm... When should I give this back...”
At dawn today. Shivering from the plains' chill as she slept, she'd suddenly felt a soft warmth envelop her. When she woke in the morning, she found a familiar cloak covering her.
A plush, beautiful cloak shimmering silver. It was the one her employer, Kyle, always wore.
“He's such a strange man. A noble who doesn't act like one... Maybe because he's from a mercenary background?”
Muttering to herself, she set down Kyle's armor, which she'd been polishing diligently. She didn't enjoy wearing the helmet all day either, so Hilia was bare-faced at the moment, naturally.
“It's shining extra well today.”
Kyle's armor and helmet gleamed twice as much as usual. Having lived as a mercenary, she'd learned to find satisfaction in small things, so she carefully set them aside, mindful not to let any dust settle.
This was a simple, perilous life—but it was the one she'd dreamed of. Rather than a flower in a greenhouse, she'd always yearned to be a wildflower on the plains. Especially after yesterday's battle...
“May I come in?”
“Eek?!”
A familiar man's voice came from right outside the small tent assigned to her—the entrance, no less—startling Hilia into a small scream as she hastily flipped the helmet over her head.
“Lo... Lord Lucas?”
She was so flustered she couldn't even control her voice. She'd been lost in thought, sure, but to not notice someone right in front of her tent! She checked to make sure the helmet was on straight, then cracked open the flap.
As the flap opened, Kyle appeared. She'd never paid much attention before, but now he struck her as rather handsome... Clutching her pounding heart, Hilia looked up at him.
“May I enter?”
“Y-Yes...”
Once Kyle stepped inside, the cramped tent felt utterly filled by just the two of them. It had always been snug, to begin with.
“What were you doing?”
Kyle spoke first.
“J-Just... polishing your gear, my lord...”
At Hilia's words, Kyle's gaze drifted downward. There, on a clean cloth, his equipment gleamed. From this alone, she seemed nothing more than a diligent mercenary. But in truth, she was the duke's daughter.
“Why does my lord...”
“Did the cloak I lent you at dawn keep you warm?”
Ah! Only then did she realize why he'd come. To retrieve the cloak from dawn. What a blunder. Not only had a noble lent his cloak to a mere attendant like her, but now he'd come to collect it himself.
A typical noble would have shown clear displeasure, but Kyle didn't. Never dreaming he'd already uncovered her identity, Hilia chalked it up to his unique nature. She hurriedly fetched the cloak she'd stowed away and handed it to him.
“I should have returned it sooner... I'm sorry.”
“No matter. More importantly, some people arrived from my territory. Help them settle in for a day or so.”
People from Viscount Lucas's lands! Her curiosity piqued, Hilia's eyes lit up at his words.
****
“Brother!”
The visitor from the territory was Cutter. Spotting his long-lost face, the guy waved and bounded over, but his gaze shifted to the figure beside me, and his voice dropped.
“Who's that next to you...?”
Even to him, Hilia's gear looked no ordinary kit, so Cutter whispered while glancing at her.
“A mercenary I hired in the capital. Treat her with respect—she's from a good family.”
“No wonder! That armor's top-notch. Must've cost a fortune.”
Cutter was now decently equipped himself, so Hilia bowed in greeting. To her, he probably looked like a knight or low noble.
“I'm... Rahil...”
After the brief introduction, I glanced aside to see fully armed soldiers standing at attention. Equipped with pikes, swords, and crossbows, they stiffened like mannequins the moment my eyes landed on them.
“How's the territory these days?”
“Not bad... Not just not bad—it's way better than before. And Gringem sent a letter with all the details.”
Handing over the letter, he chattered on about how much improved things were. Mercenary business booming, new watermills going up, and so on.
“Hmm... Rahil. Please show Cutter around.”
I asked Rahil to guide Cutter for now, then returned to my tent and unfolded the letter. It wasn't fancy, but sealed with wax and my signet. Inside, Gringem's meticulous handwriting detailed the territory's current state.