The Proclamation
After Jamie declared that he would not attack Urwurt Castle, the soldiers who followed him no longer exuded a demonic atmosphere. Once they set out on an expedition, they would transform into bandits for a month and leave De Pruna behind, which was no small hardship. From the next expedition onward, however, they disguised themselves as a passing mercenary band under Jamie's leadership. As the captain of the mercenary band, Jamie helped rebuild Urwurt Castle under the pretext of relief work, taking on odd jobs and atoning in whatever small way he could. The other soldiers were no different. Gradually, the same thought began to form in their minds.
“Training every day in De Pruna is exhausting. Even if the work here is a bit tough, isn't it better when people cheer you on and smile at you?”
“At first I felt terribly guilty, but seeing everyone living so well now makes me happy.”
Jamie, who had overheard the soldiers' thoughts, felt exactly the same. He still helped the people of Urwurt with a heart full of atonement, taking on the hardest tasks, yet somehow his mind felt lighter than it ever had in De Pruna. A month would pass in that manner before they departed for another expedition, only to return to De Pruna afterward. In their reports they claimed to have properly destroyed Urwurt Castle. Gruon would smile broadly, thank them for their hard work, and tell them to rest. Even if it was only words, it was becoming increasingly difficult to lie and claim they had tormented Urwurt Castle.
That routine repeated for a year. The people of Urwurt gradually came to regard Jamie's mercenary band as family. They no longer saw them as the ruffians who had once destroyed the castle and killed soldiers. The fact that they held such pure feelings only twisted the knife deeper in Jamie's heart.
It happened then. While Jamie was resting in a corner, a woman approached him. Though her yellow dress trimmed with white lace was dirty, she was beautiful. She walked up to Jamie and asked,
“Mr. Jamie, please try this.”
Jamie, who had refused help from anyone until now, rejected her at once. In truth, during his entire stay in Urwurt he had never once accepted assistance. If he was the one helping, then he helped; the idea of receiving help from others never crossed his mind. When he shook his head, the woman pouted and forcibly grabbed his chin.
“Mmph, what? What are you doing?”
She shoved a potato into his mouth. The dry potato crumbled between his teeth and felt rather unpleasant at first, but soon a clean, simple flavor spread across his tongue—the true taste of a properly steamed potato. Jamie removed the potato from his mouth and began eating it properly. The woman smiled as she watched him. For a moment Jamie was so captivated by her beauty that he nearly lost himself. He quickly came to his senses and spoke.
“Please do not treat me so kindly. I am not someone who deserves it.”
Still atoning, Jamie believed he should not receive anything during the month he spent here. The woman replied,
“Mr. Jamie, you may be living as a mercenary now, but because of you when I was young, I was able to hold a funeral for my father. I still carry his keepsake around my neck. You found something that would have been lost forever.”
Listening to her story, Jamie realized she had lost her father in the war. It had happened on the very day De Pruna's Silver Eagle Legion occupied Urwurt Castle. When he looked at her, tears welled in his eyes. She clearly knew who he was.
“I-I am sorry. I am a man who deserves to die……”
She gently wiped the tears from his eyes.
“Is there anyone in this world who truly deserves to die? No matter how great the sin, one should not die for it. So please keep living. And I do not resent you.”
“No. You must resent me. You know who I am.”
“Soldiers dying in war is common. It was simply my father who had the misfortune. How many people survived that same war and are still protecting their families now? If anything, I resent the heavens. Sometimes I wonder why it had to be our father.”
Jamie could not stop his tears after hearing her words. How could a woman who had lost her father at such a young age walk through the world with such strength? Even though she said it was not his fault, Jamie could not hide his guilt. Strangely enough, the potato soaked in tears tasted incredibly good.
After that, he grew closer to her with every expedition. Her name was Kaina. Jamie thought she was the most beautiful and resilient person in Urwurt. Their relationship gradually deepened until they fell in love. Both the soldiers who followed Jamie and the people of Urwurt celebrated the news. Though they never held a full wedding, a small gathering was arranged to honor their love. A year later, Kaina became pregnant. Jamie was overjoyed and eagerly awaited each new expedition. His double life grew deeper with time.
The child was born healthy—a boy who resembled both Jamie and Kaina in many ways, filling them with wonder. Now, in addition to protecting De Pruna as a member of the Silver Eagle Legion, Jamie had something else he needed to protect: his family. Life was too harsh for a mother and child to survive alone. There were moments when Jamie's strength was absolutely necessary. As the child grew, Jamie's salary alone became insufficient to support his family. This was also Jamie's own desire. He wanted to give them more, to make them happier, so he always felt he lacked money.
At that moment, someone approached him.
“Lord Kaibolg, what brings you all the way out here?”
Kaibolg was the butler closest to Toprak Urwurt, the new lord of Urwurt. Toprak Urwurt was the son of the previous lord, Meldin Urwurt. During the war he had been attending the academy in the capital, so after Meldin died he inherited the lordship. Yet the head butler Kaibolg had come to find Jamie late at night.
“I have something to discuss.”
And he had come to Jamie's own home. Kaina and the child were asleep.
“It is an important matter, so let us speak outside.”
At Kaibolg's words, Jamie stepped outside with him.
“I know you are actually a soldier from De Pruna.”
Jamie grew wary at the direct statement.
“You seem quite on guard. I did not come to scold you for settling down here. There is something only someone from De Pruna can do, and I came to ask for your help.”
“What is it?”
“I understand that the Epiteth flower blooms in the mountains near De Pruna. Unfortunately, it does not bloom once you cross the border.”
Jamie knew the flower well. As a member of the Silver Eagle Legion, he had often seen it while patrolling the nearby mountains. Its beauty and the fact that it bloomed year-round had left an impression. Yet the flower was also said to be highly toxic; touching it was rumored to cause poisoning, which made it even more memorable.
“That is correct. I know of that flower.”
Still, he wondered what Kaibolg intended to do with it.
“Do you need the Epiteth?”
Jamie wondered if the man planned to make poison.
“No. There is a rumor that if you properly refine the Epiteth and brew it into wine, it produces a heavenly taste.”
“Does refining it remove the toxicity?”
“Although the Epiteth is difficult to obtain in the Sog Kingdom, one of the alchemists in this territory knows how to neutralize its poison.”
Jamie was beginning to understand.
“You want me to learn the method and bring back the wine.”
Kaibolg nodded.
“Is it possible? Of course, if you agree, I will ensure Kaina and the child live without worry. The child's name was Abram, was it not? Should you not think about his future?”
Kaibolg knew exactly how to tempt Jamie. Right now, nothing mattered more to him than his wife and child.
“……I will do it.”
In the end, Jamie agreed.
“A wise choice. Starting tomorrow, I will provide living expenses immediately.”
“Thank you.”
Thus, Jamie took on the task of producing and transporting Hwanju.
“From this moment onward, I, Gruon de Kairos, by the authority of the royal family of Seiros Kingdom, hereby proclaim: As lord of De Pruna, I shall punish the nobles of the Sog Kingdom who have abandoned human decency! I shall also abolish the slave system and punish the traitors who have forsaken the will of heaven!”
Listening to Jamie's story, Gruon thought to himself,
“Then you are saying De Pruna no longer holds a place in your heart.”
“……Lord Gruon.”
Jamie could not deny it. Suppressing his anger, Gruon spoke.
“If you wish, I will allow you to live the rest of your life in the Urwurt territory.”
Strangely, Gruon seemed willing to let Jamie go. Jamie's eyes widened.
“Is that true?”
“However! From this moment on, you will be my enemy. The same applies to the other soldiers who followed you!”
“H-how can you say that!”
“From this moment onward, I, Gruon de Kairos, by the authority of the royal family of Seiros Kingdom, hereby proclaim: As lord of De Pruna, I shall punish the nobles of the Sog Kingdom who have abandoned human decency! I shall also abolish the slave system and punish the traitors who have forsaken the will of heaven!”
This was a clear declaration of war. Jamie, who had never expected things to turn out this way, stared blankly into the air. At that moment, the young man and the elderly butler who had been present moved.
“So you are Gruon de Kairos, lord of De Pruna. In that case, you have walked straight into enemy territory.”
The young man was, of course, Toprak Urwurt. The elderly butler followed.
“Seize the enemies!”
Soldiers who had been hiding somewhere quickly surrounded Gruon.
“Let us go, Miren.”
“Yes, my lord.”
They left their seats. Gruon, now surrounded by soldiers in an instant, could no longer suppress his rage and released his mana. Daphne stepped in front of the surrounding soldiers, raising a massive shield. Her will to allow no attack through was unmistakable.
Meanwhile, Bagan, who had also been surrounded and was in a difficult position, thought about the two who had fled.
Jamie definitely called the butler Kaibolg. And just now the lord called him Miren…… Then that butler is Miren Kaibolg?!
Miren Kaibolg was no ordinary old butler of Urwurt. The matching name might have been coincidence, but now that he looked closely, even his appearance was similar. His true identity was a black mage of Demonia—the organization that gathered, nurtured, and served as a religious group for demon worshippers and black mages. Bagan had never imagined that Miren Kaibolg was the mastermind behind the Hwanju incident, but now it all made sense.
If it is Demonia's Miren Kaibolg, then I must capture him first.
With that thought, Bagan acted immediately.
“Arien, can you create a clone to help with this situation?”
After asking Arien to create a clone and assist Gruon, Bagan took his main body and Sally to pursue Miren.
“Gruon, I have something to do. Once it is finished, head to De Pruna first.”
Gruon nodded as Bagan departed. After confirming Bagan had left, Gruon began casting a spell. He demonstrated the miracle of life's birth and germination.
“O vibration of the heavy earth, O wave of water that will bloom life, in the name of mana I command, sprout vigorously. Take root with the momentum to chew the earth, grow with the momentum to seize the sky. Go forth, miracle of germination.”
⟨ Yggdrasil ⟩
After finishing the incantation, Gruon gently planted the mana he had gathered into the ground.
“Yggdrasil.”
Kugugugugung!
The tree roots that had sprouted earlier now emerged as enormous roots capable of forming saplings, pushing the earth apart and causing an earthquake. Watching this, Jamie knew the power of Gruon's magic all too well and reluctantly raised his sword and shield.
“Please stop at this point!”
“Silence, traitor!”
“We cannot allow any more meaningless sacrifices!”
Once again facing the threat of Urwurt's destruction, Jamie and the Silver Eagle Legion soldiers who had followed him stood in Gruon's way.
“I hold no resentment. Those who have deviated from the will of Seiros Kingdom shall be executed on the spot.”
Gruon's eyes, as he spoke, held no emotion whatsoever.