Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: White Dragon Knights (2)
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Cecilia headed straight to the Basque Workshop as soon as morning broke.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
Their interactions had suddenly increased lately, it was true.
But Cecilia and Kirson had been so estranged over the past decade or more that they hadn’t even exchanged proper greetings.
So this sudden visit caught her off guard.
“Could we talk for a moment, Mother?”
“Talk...?”
Kirson flinched involuntarily for a second.
‘What are they up to now?’
Having been relentlessly tormented(?) by Cecilia and her son lately, it was a natural reaction.
Cecilia caught on to Kirson’s inner thoughts and let out a snort.
“It’s not that, so don’t worry. If you’re too busy, I can come back when you have time.”
“Ah, no. Everyone, clear out for a bit.”
Kirson shooed all the researchers outside, then lit her pipe.
Puff—
Only then did she realize her adopted daughter had come with firm resolve.
“Alright. What’s going on?”
Cecilia waved away the tobacco smoke with her hand.
“Lend me some money.”
“Money...?”
Her attitude was as bold as if she’d come to retrieve a consigned item.
Kirson was dumbfounded but decided to hear her out a bit more.
“What for?”
“I’m thinking of starting a business.”
“A business? You?”
“Yes.”
“After over ten years lounging around as Kyle’s concubine. What skills do you even have?”
Kirson still felt some lingering guilt toward Cecilia.
But that made her even more stringent.
In her eyes, Cecilia just seemed to have gotten delusions of grandeur from her son’s sudden rise.
She even wondered if some con artist had latched onto her.
“Don’t mock me. It’s true I was busy raising your son all that time, but I’ve always worked hard to keep my senses sharp.”
Cecilia replied confidently as she opened the bag she’d brought and pulled out a stack of papers to hand to Kirson.
“It’s a business plan.”
“...!”
“Take a look and decide if you’ll lend me the money.”
“...”
Kirson began flipping through the plan meticulously with her deeply set eyes.
Cecilia’s business idea was simple.
A boutique shop.
A store offering expensive clothes and accessories—fashion items.
“I think you know my eye for this better than anyone, Mother. I plan to hit the streets myself.”
Cecilia’s impeccable taste was obvious just from the clothes she dressed Theo in.
But the follow-up surprised Kirson.
“Yourselves?”
“Yes. There are plenty of skilled but unknown talents scattered across the Empire. I plan to meet them personally, talk things over, and support the ones worth investing in. Then arrange the dresses they make along the customers’ flow of movement in the store...”
Cecilia continued her explanation in a calm tone.
Flawless, as if she’d rehearsed it dozens or hundreds of times.
“And it’s not just flashy dresses I have in mind. Check the last page?”
“...”
“I plan to do haute couture myself. I’ve already scouted designers and couturiers willing to join me.”
Haute couture.
Custom clothing for nobles and the upper class.
It required exceptional fashion sense and eye—indeed.
The skill of the tailors and designers was paramount, and the twenty names listed in the plan were all people even Kirson had heard of at least once—reputable figures.
Some were ones Kirson herself had tried and failed to recruit.
‘How on earth did she...?’
“No lies in this, right?”
“Why not send someone to verify?”
“...”
“Since you’re so suspicious, here’s a hint. Those people listed? They were originally my team members.”
“What?”
“Even though I retired, I didn’t cut all ties.”
“...!”
“We kept in touch sporadically, and I’d offer advice or help when they needed it... Luckily, they were talented, so they grew well. And gratefully, they’ve expressed willingness to work with me again.”
Easy to say, but these were people who had already solidified their own positions.
For them to abandon that and come—proof of Cecilia’s enduring prestige.
“I think this business would benefit you too, Mother. You could tie it in with that jewelry shop you just acquired to build the brand together. It’d synergize well with the name value of your workshop. And above all... haven’t you always had an interest in high-end fashion?”
Kirson clenched her pipe tightly.
She still remembered a casual remark from long ago...
“...You’ll use Theo as the model to build the name.”
“Exactly. And not just because he’s my son—there’s no one as buzzy as him right now, is there?”
Kirson couldn’t really argue.
‘The brooch Theo wore at the appointment ceremony sold out in a day, after all.’
Cecilia and her son might give Kirson headaches, but their influence was undeniable.
Looks, style, buzz—everything in spades.
“Well, every outfit I wore in high society always sparked talk too.”
‘...Damn, obnoxious even as a daughter.’
“That’s what I mean—my boutique will lead the trends. Isn’t that enough potential?”
In that moment, Kirson felt Cecilia shining dazzlingly.
It reminded her of the awe when she first spotted Cecilia as the prima donna on the theater stage in her youth.
‘Yes. She sparkled that beautifully back then.’
The clothes she wore, the songs she sang—closing her eyes still brought them vividly to mind.
‘So fragile she might shatter if touched, cherished and protected endlessly, the most brilliantly sparkling jewel in the world... That’s the girl she was. And you, Kyle—you ruined her.’
Kirson gnawed on the pipe’s stem.
‘But now she’s sparkling again. No—sparkling even more beautifully.’
Kirson closed her eyes tightly.
The deeper her thoughts went, the more something surged up from her chest.
“...Mother?”
Oblivious, Cecilia called out cautiously to Kirson.
Wondering if she’d botched some part of the pitch.
Soon, Kirson slowly opened her eyes and rose from her seat.
As if resolved to something.
“Wait here a moment.”
Kirson vanished without waiting for Cecilia’s reply.
Moments later, she dragged two large chests from a corner of the room.
Thud!
“What are these?”
“Open them.”
“...?”
Cecilia tilted her head in confusion at the suddenness, then opened the first chest—and gasped.
“Th-this is...!”
“Things you left behind when you left home.”
The chest was filled with jewelry and high-end dresses from Cecilia’s performing days.
Kirson had kept them all this time, never selling.
“None of what you used was cheap, so selling these alone should net a tidy sum. While you’re at it, open the second one.”
Cecilia swallowed dryly and lifted the lid.
Creeeak—
It brimmed with gold coins.
“That was meant as your inheritance.”
“...!”
“I’d set it aside separately, but now it finds its use. Take some now and go ahead. Does it make sense for Kirson of the Workshop’s daughter to go borrowing money?”
“...”
“If it’s not enough, say so. I’ll invest as much as needed.”
Cecilia pressed her lips together.
Emotions long swallowed now stirred again.
-Mom.
-Mom!
-Mom...
A word she hadn’t uttered since cutting ties.
Why did that bright, smiling call linger on her lips now?
“...Why go this far?”
“Just came to borrow money, and you’re helping this much?”
Cecilia nodded silently.
Her eyes faintly reddened.
Kirson averted her gaze, pretending not to notice, and bit down on her pipe.
“Who in the world wouldn’t help their one and only filly of a daughter when she asks?”
“...!”
At those casually tossed words,
Cecilia’s head dropped lower, overcome.
Puff—
Kirson lowered her pipe and abruptly left the seat.
“You’ve got work to start—get going.”
Left alone in the room, Cecilia’s shoulders shook several times.
* * *
White Armor, White Sword, White Dragon.
The snow-white plate armor, blade, and ironclad winged dragon symbolized the White Dragon Knights.
To the northern folk, hope;
To enemies, terror.
That name now darkened the skies in droves.
A 33-man detachment.
「I’ll now explain the outline of our mission.」
At that moment, Evelyn’s telepathic voice rang in the ears of Squad 5’s members.
Those who remembered Evelyn like Selphard and Arin looked shocked.
‘They said she broke her sword, but far from weakened, she’s grown stronger...!’
‘Her mana control is so natural. How does she send such clean telepathy mid-flight?’
‘As expected of the Captain’s old right hand!’
Evelyn, reclaiming her old prowess and beginning to master the Wind Lord’s secrets, was growing at a fearsome pace.
「Seven days ago, former Squad 5 Leader Trainer Isben perished with 14 detachment members during an attempt to rescue hostages from the Ceres Merchant Group.」
Those already aware bit their lips; the unaware paled in shock.
Erica and Holkus were the same.
News of Ragnar’s elite all perishing wasn’t easily dismissed.
‘So the hostage crisis escalated, as expected.’
Theo, his prediction confirmed, sank into thought.
‘How do I recover Balmung?’
Solo action mid-operation was impossible; he needed another way.
Meanwhile, orders continued.
「Thus, we have only one mission to fulfill.」
All eyes turned to Evelyn.
「Extermination.」
“...!”
“...!”
“...!”
「Leave no survivors. No negotiations with the enemy. Remember: slaying and exterminating all involved is our top priority.」
Beneath Evelyn’s calm tone simmered thick rage.
Fury at those who dared harm her comrades.
The squad clenched their fists.
「Hostage rescue is secondary. If it conflicts unavoidably with enemy extermination, prioritize the latter.」
Then, a magic tool projected a holographic map before the squad.
A fortress atop a hill.
Red points dotted key spots.
「The enemy occupies the old Blanqui Fortress and is hunkered down. Marked points are Black Snow’s intel on their main positions. We’ll strike them all at once, severing their lifelines in a single blow.」
‘Figuring out such secrets from espionage alone... Black Snow lives up to its name.’
Theo inwardly clicked his tongue.
Then, a blue point appeared in one inner corner.
「Additionally, this is where the hostages are held. Use the enemy’s chaos to rescue them. Selphard, Arin—you two take the three rookies.」
Selphard and Arin nodded gravely.
「As stated, extermination is paramount. Make it clear to the enemy.」
Just then, a lonely, weathered castle stood atop the distant hill.
Blanqui Fortress.
An abandoned old citadel.
「Who we are.」
「Glory!」
「Glory!」
「Glory!」
In that instant, Evelyn’s eyes gleamed coldly beneath her deep helmet.
「Charge!」
The 33 White Dragon Knights launched their assault in unison.