269. Foundation Building (3)
269. Foundation Building (3)
- 1 -
The capital of the Kiza Kingdom, Kishuker.
The market square before the royal capital, once shining with golden roofs, was now nothing but ashen ruins.
This place had flourished as a center of all manner of maritime trade.
The streets, once filled with the scent of exotic spices and the lively cries of merchants, now bore only the scars of war.
'To think that the place called the "Golden Market" just a month ago has changed this much.'
Disguised as a market merchant, Haley rearranged the fruit in her cart and muttered.
Normally she only disguised herself as a noblewoman, but after receiving the ability to transform into entirely different people from her master, she had been practicing taking on various human forms.
That had proven its worth today.
"Huu..."
She looked around with a weary expression similar to the other market merchants.
More than half of the buildings had collapsed, and smoke was still rising from some of them.
Refugees huddled in the streets, and young children stared blankly into the air, unable to even cry.
Clang!
The sudden sound of something shattering rang out. Haley reflexively lowered her body.
"Stand back! This area is royal territory!"
Soldiers carrying the White Dragon banner, symbol of former King Clayvan's rebel army, swept through the streets.
The blue stripes covering their cloaks and the blue insignia on their armor were striking.
However, their armor was not properly fitted, and most carried an assortment of weapons that looked looted.
"Royal territory, my ass... they did this to us all just to save their own skins!"
One of the market merchants muttered quietly.
Fortunately, the soldiers didn't seem to have heard him.
Haley lightly touched the magical recording device hidden beneath her stall.
A magical tool her master had personally given her.
It was recording all surrounding sounds and images, and could transmit them instantly.
"Royalists or rebels... we're all just dying anyway."
An old man stopped in front of Haley's cart and spoke.
His eyes held no trace of life left in them.
"I'll buy some fruit."
"Yes, elder. How much do you need?"
Haley naturally handed over the fruit while surveying her surroundings.
Black smoke rose from the northern part of the city.
It was where Hiscliff's army had attacked the city gate the day before.
'The expeditionary force and the rebels... neither of them cares about the people.'
Both claimed to be acting for Kiza's sake, yet the rebels had looted the royal palace as soon as the fighting started, and Hiscliff's expeditionary force regularly hurled catapult stones into the capital.
The people suffered no matter which side they were on.
"Is there anywhere to take shelter?"
Haley asked the old man.
But in truth, she already knew.
The city was already completely surrounded, and there was no way out for the refugees.
"I'm trying to find a way out and head south. They say Orbis's territory is... very peaceful."
Before the old man could finish speaking, a commotion arose from across the street.
"It's Hiscliff's army! To the walls!"
The rebels carrying blue flags fell into chaos.
They ran about without any proper command structure.
Only a few, those sent by her master, were actually running toward the walls.
But they would not engage in proper combat. Their job was already done, having allowed this capital to be captured.
Haley felt her heart race for a moment.
Her survival instinct screamed at her to flee, but her mission was to gather information here.
'As my master instructed...'
The image of Libertas rose in her mind.
Those gentle, calm, and deep eyes—and at the same time, a gaze that always seemed to see through everything.
"I must complete the mission."
Haley felt her heart pounding.
The fear of death crawled down her spine, but she bit her lip and suppressed her emotions.
She pushed her cart and advanced into the chaotic streets.
Her body flinched every time the sound of explosions struck her ears, but her steps did not stop.
'The greater the chaos, the more valuable the information.'
Because the most crucial moment for an intelligence agent was precisely at a time like this.
"Drive out Hiscliff's rebels!! The capital must be defended!"
A knight in polished armor shouted, leading the charge.
Haley transformed into a soldier this time.
She slightly activated the recording device hidden within the armor, capturing the state of Hiscliff's army across the way as well.
The difference in strength between the two armies, the command structure, the state of their weapons... she had to record everything without missing a single detail.
What to ultimately use was up to her master.
Her job was to record everything.
The sound of blades clashing, screams, the smell of fire.
From atop the wall, Haley witnessed all of it.
"Aaaagh!"
A scream came from within.
A boy stood frozen in the middle of the road.
Behind him, a collapsing building; before him, an incoming catapult stone.
'Oh no...'
Haley hesitated for a moment.
If she used magic, her identity would be exposed.
But she couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Danger!"
Fortunately, a young man ran out from an alley and saved the boy.
Haley let out a sigh of relief.
Fully weaving new magic would risk detection, but giving the charging young man a slight push on the back was nothing to worry about.
"Damn."
Watching the young man embrace the boy and suffer abrasions from the building debris, Haley muttered a curse that didn't suit her.
It was the first time in her life as a noblewoman that she had seen war firsthand on the ground.
But even this war, which she watched as a complete outsider, was this horrifying.
'This really can't go on like this.'
To end all this war, a third party had to intervene.
Someone with the power to suppress both armies at once.
- 2 -
"It was an interesting book."
Chancellor Cromwell sat reading a book in an armchair before a wide window.
A forest stretched beyond the window.
This was his villa. The place where he had been confined to his residence.
Outwardly, he was under house arrest, but the interior maintained its refined comfort.
Not flashy, but a dignified study.
Thousands of books filled the room, and the afternoon sunlight streaming through the window illuminated the mahogany desk.
"I have brought your tea, Your Excellency."
An old servant entered, carrying a porcelain teacup on a silver tray.
He was one of the servants Cromwell valued above even his attendants, and recently he had also become a reliable informant handling communications with Countess Philia.
"Thank you, Lawrence. Leave it on the table."
Cromwell spoke without taking his eyes off the book.
The servant set down the tea and quietly withdrew.
Once the door closed, Cromwell lifted his gaze from the book and took a sip of tea.
The subtle fragrance of verbena seemed to add to his composure.
"What news of the civil war?"
Cromwell suddenly asked the empty space.
There was only him and the tea with its lingering verbena scent in the room.
Silence.
A subtle flow of air was felt between the bookshelves.
And then...
"How did you notice?"
Admiration and surprise intermingled in Haley's eyes as she emerged from the shadows.
The jewels on her dress sparkled as she returned to her noblewoman's appearance.
"I may have aged, but my senses are still alive."
Cromwell looked at Haley with hardened eyes.
In any nation's political world, the royal palace was a den of demons for those in power.
He was a great man who had survived there for over twenty years.
"The capital is nearly recaptured. But even if one side wins, it will only be temporary."
Haley concisely conveyed the information she had gathered.
"Clayvan's army lacks training, their mercenaries have no motivation, and Hiscliff's army is exhausted and divided."
Cromwell nodded.
He had anticipated this situation to some extent.
The current political structure had been unstable, and the seeds of civil war had already been sown.
Though it had been someone else who had confirmed that prediction.
"What has become of Marcus's army?"
"They are continuing their northward advance. He is sticking to his original expedition plan."
"Foolish."
Cromwell let out a sigh.
Marcus was young and had too much ambition.
That was why he had opposed placing him in the archduke's seat, but there had been no alternative.
Because there had been no collateral royal as young and passionate as Marcus.
Aiden Cromwell paused in silence, then carefully asked a question.
Because it was a question about the people suffering from his neglect.
"What of the common people?"
Haley was silent for a moment.
Her complexion remained unchanged, but her demeanor darkened slightly.
"It is the worst. Food is scarce, and looting has become routine. The physicians who should care for the sick are only attending to the military."
Cromwell's eyes narrowed. Behind his calm expression, anger was simmering.
"...And the neighboring countries?"
"Both Kakia and Eldrieniesh are moving their armies to their borders. They are each preparing to seize the territories this nation promised them."
Cromwell rose from his seat and walked to the window.
The capital could be seen in the distance. The black smoke rising from it split the sky vertically.
"My homeland... is falling to ruin."
His voice was low and heavy.