Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: The Commander's Return
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The reason he'd volunteered to go to Ferrara came to mind again, but they had only just narrowly averted a catastrophe.
This was not the time to be thinking about merits and rewards.
Forcibly regaining his composure, Loan spoke.
“On my way here, I could feel that the Royal Guard is the heart of Ferrara. Shouldn't the praise go to Lord Gordon and the Royal Guard?”
It was a mature answer, filled with sincerity.
Gordon seemed quite surprised by Loan's response, his forehead wrinkling as he nodded.
“They said your skills belie your age, but it seems your character and speech do as well. I am truly impressed.”
Richa nodded, a satisfied smile on her face.
“No, Loan is right. After receiving the report by messenger, I was only able to decide to blockade this place and hold a siege because the Royal Guard was here. Though our numbers were few, the Commander of the Royal Guard played a huge role in this brilliant outcome.”
It was a statement with its own political calculations.
Gordon, seemingly flustered by the repeated praise, cleared his throat and waved his hands in dismissal.
“If we’re going by that logic, isn’t Deputy Commander Richa’s contribution the greatest, for holding firm even in Commander Garcia’s absence?”
It was a pleasantry made possible by the battle's complete victory, but it too could be interpreted with political significance.
The Duke was dead, and the attempt to form a council had failed.
To quell the immediate chaos and bring stability to Ferrara, mutual cooperation between the Royal Guard Commander, acting as the surrogate Duke, and the Union was absolutely essential.
Richa and Gordon had thus reaffirmed their common ground.
With a smile, Richa asked Loan.
“You said you took a look around. How did it seem?”
“I think the strategy to blockade Felsina was key.”
The enemy had planned to lie in wait and launch a surprise attack to retake Felsina, but since they had been countered with this knowledge, it was as if the enemy had walked right into a trap.
Richa nodded and added.
“Having all the minor nobles, including the five great noble families, gathered in one place has also provided a good foundation for drawing a bigger picture for Ferrara’s future stability.”
Hearing her reasoning, it certainly made sense.
Revealing to the world that the Vascini and Nostra were one and the same, singling out the Greaves in front of everyone, and executing them all at once.
Detecting the activation of a large-scale magic spell that encompassed the entire city and dealing with it beforehand.
Transforming magic in the most bizarre way—by cleaning clothes and smoothing out wrinkles—to confuse the enemy.
And through this, forcing the hidden Greave faction to surface so they could be wiped out.
For Loan and the Union, who had carried out the plan, it was a natural flow of events. But for the nobles who had only witnessed and accepted the results, these were events that made them realize the Union's information network and power.
Depending on one's position, it was also a rather terrifying experience.
Richa continued.
“The interrogations are ongoing, and everyone is being cooperative. We should have a clearer picture by tomorrow morning, after which Lord Gordon will preside over a meeting. Is there anything else we should know, Loan?”
Loan, having been asked the question, briefly gathered his thoughts.
The time and place were not right to reveal the key piece of information he had learned from Virna—the king's name.
He judged it would be better to discuss that matter when the Governor-General, the Commander, the Bureau Chief, and Commander Adrian were present.
Therefore, he focused on the issue that could provide a thread to follow regarding the Greaves in the current situation.
“The monument built on the first floor of the Parliament building and the towers built in the basements of each civilian district are made of the same substance. It’s a material not commonly seen, which I’ve identified as ‘Dark Mana Stone.’”
Loan explained the information he had discovered in an easy-to-understand manner.
Richa and Gordon listened in silent admiration, seeing the issue from an unexpected perspective.
“...For that reason, in the current situation, it seems important to investigate where and how these Dark Mana Stones were brought in, who fashioned them into the shape of towers, and to trace their distribution process to follow the trail.”
“Hmm, that certainly needs to be investigated. As it happens, this incident appears to have started with the reconstruction of the Parliament, so we’ve already detained those involved. It would be good if we could get some useful information.”
Having gained the consensus of Richa and Gordon, Loan decided to investigate the detained individuals by himself.
Naturally, Richa and Gordon also departed to finish stabilizing and organizing the city and to confirm the full details of the incident.
Time passed.
The flames that had risen here and there were completely extinguished, and the smoke cleared.
In the meantime, Loan, with Aul's help, finished investigating the workers.
Richa identified the nobles who had collaborated with the Greaves, and Gordon finished arresting the remaining Nostra remnants within the city.
By the time the corpses of those who had tried to overturn Felsina were moved outside the city, and the blood they had spilled was washed away, flowing down into the underground sewers where magic circles were drawn…
Night fell upon the chaotic Felsina, and with it, Sienna arrived.
Loan and Richa, who were resting after completing their respective tasks, greeted her.
“Sienna, how did you get here so quickly?”
“That’s not something for you to say.”
As Loan greeted her in surprise, Sienna replied in a flat tone.
Despite her words, her expression was bright.
She, too, was incredibly happy to see Loan in one piece and as radiant as ever.
“The city was unusually quiet. I was hoping nothing had happened yet, but it seems I was just very late.”
“Just as we expected, they did try to start something. Thanks to everyone’s hard work, it was resolved without much damage.”
“Is everything really alright? After sending you flying like that, Commander Garcia and I were so worried…”
“No, it was actually great. The experience of flying through the sky isn’t exactly common, is it? It would have been nice if you had flown with me.”
Just thinking that wasn't normal.
But then again, when had Loan ever been ordinary?
Sienna suppressed what she wanted to say and replied with an awkward smile instead.
Richa welcomed Sienna with a hug.
Normally, Sienna would have lightly dodged or pushed her away, but this time, she didn't.
“Welcome back. You worked hard.”
Sienna looked worn enough to deserve such words.
Feeling uneasy after sending her junior off alone, she had departed immediately and rushed here at full speed.
Seeing how quickly she had arrived, she must not have rested at all.
Her mana felt so unstable that it was clear how sincere she had been, without even needing to ask.
Unable to relax her awkward expression, Sienna said.
“Worked hard? I think you had it much tougher than I did.”
“Tougher? When has our work ever been easy?”
“That’s true.”
With that, the two finished checking on each other.
But the most important topic had been omitted.
“What about Commander Garcia?”
The words Richa couldn't bring herself to ask.
But the one thing she wanted to know more than anything in the world.
At Loan's question, Sienna's expression hardened slightly, making Richa's heart sink.
Sienna spoke with difficulty.
“The Commander is…”
By trailing off, she only amplified the worry. Just as Richa’s patience reached its limit…
“He’s safe.”
She finished her answer with those short words.
Richa’s heart was immediately filled with relief.
She knew he was a superhuman man who would eventually recover as long as he didn't die instantly, but she had been more worried than anyone.
Of course, it would have been better if Sienna’s answer had ended there.
“But…”
Sienna trailed off again, making Richa anxious once more. Richa couldn't hold back and pressed her.
“Why are you being so hesitant? It’s not like you. What is it?”
Even when pressed, Sienna wouldn't give Richa the answer she wanted.
Then, finally.
“I don’t think me explaining it will do any good. He should be able to arrive in Felsina by tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow morning? I heard he was seriously injured, how could he…”
“It’s hard to explain. Well, you’ll probably understand when he gets here.”
“You’re really…”
Richa glared at Sienna for a long time for not speaking plainly until the end.
Despite this, Sienna remained unshaken and held back any more information about Commander Garcia.
Thanks to her, Richa’s night was very long.
***
The next morning.
Richa, who had spent a sleepless night, received welcome news from the western guard post.
A messenger reported that some of the committee members who had gone to Vascini were returning, and Commander Garcia was with them.
Richa, hastily accompanied by Loan and Sienna, went out to meet them, only to be so shocked at the sight of her commander, her husband, that her jaw dropped.
Could Garcia truly be described as being in one piece?
She had never seen anything like it.
He was inside a large, pure-white device, but it looked like more than just something he was riding in.
Garcia’s entire body was connected by what looked like tubes, as if he had been born that way.
The tentacles had fused with him, which was why Richa, unaware of the circumstances, could only stare with wide eyes.
“So this is why Sienna was so reluctant to say anything…”
Garcia joked.
“It’s fine. There must be a reason I’ve managed to stay alive like this.”
“…”
After a moment of silence, Richa's eyes reddened as she listened to Garcia's lengthy explanation.
Garcia regretted that he couldn't wipe the tears welling in Richa's eyes with his own hands.
Richa, saying that being alive was all that mattered, regained her usual cool demeanor, concluding their reunion.
Only then did Loan find an opening to step in, circling around Garcia and examining the device from every angle.
“Have you become completely one with it?”
At Loan's question, Garcia answered in a much softer voice than before.
“I wonder. Intent? That alone wasn't enough. It seems we ended up like this while sharing each other's power. It won't separate, but I can transform it as I please.”
As if to prove his words, Garcia transformed the device into various shapes.
From its current four-legged palanquin form, modified for swift movement, to its original form that fired ballistae, and even a two-wheeled close-combat form.
“Wow… The magical and mechanical engineering aspects are exquisitely combined.”
Loan marveled at the device that changed shape without any apparent magical implementation.
He looked like a child with a fascinating new toy.
Garcia didn't miss it.
“The way you’re looking at me is unusual. That's exactly how Magda was, like a mage who's gotten her hands on a rare material. You look like you're about to start researching me right now.”
“Ah, well…”
“Haha, it’s fine. In fact, I’d like to ask you a favor. I don’t think the Deputy Commander would be very happy if I have to live like this forever. We need to be able to separate for the sake of our marital…”
“That’s enough.”
Richa quickly cut Garcia off.
Her face was flushed bright red, and Loan broke the subtle atmosphere by chiming in.
“There might be some kind of magical solution. If you give me some time, I’ll look into it.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it. But before that, we need to wrap things up here in Felsina. May I have a situation report, Deputy Commander?”
Garcia’s order, as he reverted to his professional commander persona.
Soon after, a joint meeting began, attended by the Union, now gathered together after a long time, and the Royal Guard Commander, Gordon.
It was a meeting where the fate of those who had collaborated with the Greaves would also be decided.
The bound heads of the Vascini, Scala, and Correr families, along with the Parliament reconstruction workers Loan had requested as witnesses, appeared in the conference hall one by one.