Chapter 154: War(1)
Chapter 154: War(1)
Kerry left the White Witch's bedroom.
The White Witch had said her seal was a type of artifact, just like the bracelet Kerry was wearing.
[My seal is among the finest of all artifacts. It was a treasure even I had great difficulty obtaining.
However, I was unable to acquire the master key that unlocks it.
If only I had that key... I could at least modify this place to be more tolerable.
Kerry. If you wish to free me from this place, finding that master key must be your priority.]
But with so few clues, there was nothing he could do for now.
He decided to focus on the immediate task at hand.
The priests of Elena were scheduled to arrive at noon. Despite their busy schedule, Lina's party had agreed to wait for the Goddess until lunchtime.
“No one’s coming.”
They had already finished a hearty lunch, yet there was no sign of the Goddess, let alone her priests.
Arwen spoke with an anxious expression.
“Maybe she’s angry because we were too rude to her...”
What can a goddess like her do even if she is angry?
Of course, he couldn't say that to Arwen. He just felt sorry for her as she nervously tapped her foot.
“We can’t wait any longer.”
Lina, too, seemed to have little interest in currying favor with the Goddess.
Even when they first met the Goddess, Lina hadn't seemed to like her very much.
It seemed there was some history there, likely connected to her past life.
In the end, at Kerry's strong urging, the party hurried on their way. Their schedule was already packed; there was no reason to sit around anxiously waiting for a goddess who might never show up.
She’ll find a way to track us down, no matter where we go.
Kerry was confident the Goddess would find them one way or another. Of course she would. Her daughter was here, after all.
For the first time in a while, the party hired a carriage.
“My lords and ladies, I'm too scared to take you all the way to the border region. I don't know why you'd want to go to such a frightening place.
The rumors say a war is about to break out any day now. It'd be best if you didn't go either.”
Lately, rumors of a potential war were so rampant in the Empire that finding a carriage willing to go even near the border was like trying to pluck a star from the sky.
Lina stared out the window, clenching her fists.
It was obvious what she was thinking. She must be feeling the responsibility to stop the war.
If you could see the pressure she was under, you'd see a boulder the size of a house resting on her shoulders.
Hang in there, Lina. I'll help you out.
If a great war broke out, it might be hard to find a place to stretch my legs and sleep in peace.
My rose-colored isekai life is finally in sight, and I'll be damned if I let them ruin it.
Just then, the horses up front began to rear.
Heeeigh- heeeeigh!
“Whoa, whoa, settle down.”
The driver was trying to calm the horses. Kerry thought it was nothing, but then a commotion started outside the carriage.
“Aaargh! Help me!”
“Turn the carriage around! Run! Quickly! No, take me with you and run!”
Before Kerry could say a word, Lina shot to her feet.
“Lady Lina!”
“Sir Kerry, please stay inside!”
In an instant, Lina leaped from the moving carriage. She was always so impatient.
Kerry peered outside.
Soldiers in uniform were fleeing from up ahead. What's going on? Are they deserters?
But they looked far too terrified for that. Their faces were pale, as if they’d seen something they shouldn't have.
“You people, run!”
one of the fleeing soldiers shouted. Lina ran toward them, asking, “What happened?”
“Un-undead!”
“The dead have returned!”
“!”
Lina sprinted in the direction the soldiers had fled from, moving much faster than the carriage.
Lina’s heart pounded.
Has it already reached that stage? Things are progressing much faster than in my past life.
The reason for the accelerated timeline was obvious. The only variable was the regressor herself.
But this is too fast. Does this mean they’ve already finished their preparations?
As someone trying to prevent the Holy War, she couldn't help but worry. Her hands began to tremble.
The horrific Great War from her past life was seared into her mind as a trauma.
Before long, Lina returned to the carriage.
“Lady Lina, did you find anything?”
Lina shook her head.
Lina, you look terrible.
She looked just as terrified as the soldiers had, not of some undead, but of the colossal fear that was the future.
“Let’s hurry.”
A week passed after they encountered the fleeing soldiers. During that time, they traveled at an absurdly grueling pace.
Lina obsessively pushed to reach the border faster, going so far as to switch carriages repeatedly, worried the horses would collapse from exhaustion.
Thanks to her efforts, they finally arrived.
At the border between Astria and the Empire.
A tall, heavily guarded fortress wall came into view. They had followed Lina here, but the atmosphere was far more tense than he'd expected.
“Who goes there! Approach the wall any further and we will consider it an act of aggression and open fire!”
Such a sharp reaction, even though they were approaching from within the country.
Even for a contentious border region, the tension was abnormally high.
The atmosphere felt as urgent as if they were already in the middle of a war.
Lina stepped forward and removed her hood. The party often wore hoods because of their superior looks.
The moment Lina took off her hood, gasps of admiration came from the top of the wall.
And for good reason.
As she removed the hood, her blonde hair fluttered beautifully in the wind. An elegant grace flowed naturally from her gait and poised posture.
Above all, there was something in Lina’s forthright, emerald-green eyes that inspired awe.
If they had seen her up close instead of from the top of a wall, they wouldn't have stopped at mere gasps.
Lina shouted to the soldiers on the wall.
“My name is Lina Knightly! I am the hero chosen by the Goddess, tasked with the salvation of the world!
Inform your commander that the hero has arrived! I have urgent matters to discuss with him!”
Something to discuss with the commander... It must be about the Holy War. Is it related to those deserters from before?
The moment the word “hero” left Lina’s lips—a claim that would normally be met with ridicule and accusations of impersonation—a silence fell over the wall.
Among them, some even nodded as they looked at Lina. How long had they been waiting?
A man who appeared to be the commander emerged on the wall.
“I am the commander here! Are you the self-proclaimed hero?”
Kerry, who had been standing a little behind Lina, shouted, “Not self-proclaimed, she’s the real hero!”
“That is merely your claim. Do you have proof that you are the hero?
We have received no word from above about a hero’s arrival.”
In truth, the best way would have been to ask the Imperial Palace for help to smooth things over, but that wasn't an option.
Lina absolutely hated getting involved with the palace—no, with the Emperor.
“If you truly are the hero, we might open the gates, but we cannot do so without proof.”
“....”
Kerry could understand the commander's position. Especially in such a tense atmosphere.
Just then, the Saintess, who had been wearing her hood, stepped forward.
“Hmph. It can’t be helped. The hero hasn't been active for long, and she hides herself too much.
I suppose I shall have to step in.”
Kerry nodded.
The Saintess was a celebrity on par with the Emperor. Moreover, she often made public appearances in the capital. If there were any soldiers here who had lived in the capital, they might recognize her.
Feels like the first time the Saintess has been useful for something other than her breast milk.
The Saintess threw back her hood.
“I am the Saintess of the Empire. Is there anyone here who recognizes me?”
Her orange hair cascaded down beautifully.
It seemed she wanted to show off her fame, but the reaction she received was not what she expected.
“Is that the Saintess who is said to care for all people?”
“Her clothes, for a saintess?”
“I’ve seen her face in the capital! That’s really her! But she wasn’t dressed like that back then.”
The uproar was because of her outfit. A short skirt that looked like a modified nun’s habit. Tight-fitting clothes that emphasized her naturally voluptuous figure.
And on top of it all, a see-through fabric that seemed to flaunt her massive breasts.
In a place teeming with rough, bandit-like men, it was impossible for their eyes not to pop.
The Saintess didn't seem to mind the soldiers' reaction. In fact, she shot Lina a triumphant smile.
Competing with exposure is cheating.
It wasn't that Lina was in any way inferior to the Saintess. The soldiers were simply cheering for the Saintess's revealing clothes.
Just then, a soldier shouted.
“Are the other ladies beautiful too? Please take off your hoods and show us your faces!
I’m about to puke from seeing nothing but these hairy bastards’ faces every day!”
“Why the hell are you looking at my face when you say that, you bastard! You think you’re so handsome?”
“Wahahaha!”
Suddenly, the atmosphere was turning into the Miss Korea pageant.
Kerry looked at the commander. This was the moment he should have charismatically stepped in to control the situation.
Damn it. Seeing him blush like that... the commander's just another one of these guys.
I feel sorry for them, though, thinking about them standing guard out here all the time.
“Please, just once, show us your faces! It’s my lifelong wish, heroes!”
Just when I thought the Saintess was being useful for once... she just had to stir up more trouble.
Kerry shot a look at the Saintess, who was still proudly showing off her figure, telling her to knock it off.
There was no helping it now.
“Let’s just take off our hoods. These soldiers are working hard out here on the frontier.”
As someone who’d gone through two years of hell in the military back in his beloved homeland, he could sympathize.
These guys might even spend their whole lives here. Suddenly, I feel fucking sorry for them.
“Natasha, can you take off your hood?”
“Ye-yes! Husband.”
Natasha removed her hood. Red hair and ruby-red eyes.
Her charming face, with its cute features that contrasted slightly with her intense coloring, was captivating.
“Waaaaah! This one’s a total knockout too! This really is the hero’s party!”
“These people are the real deal! They have to be the real heroes.”
Why is being a hero proven by your face? Natasha blushed, embarrassed by the men’s boisterous reaction.
“Is it my turn now?”
Victoria stepped forward without being asked. Her hood came off, and her signature long, blonde hair fluttered.
Her clothes weren't as blatant as the Saintess's, but Victoria possessed a superb, unconcealable sex appeal.
“Waaaaah! This time it’s a sultry older sister!”
“I love you, ma’am!”
“Hehe. What cute soldiers.”
Victoria didn't seem to mind the soldiers' reaction either.
It feels like I’m at a fan signing with a group of idols. Does that make me the manager?
Arwen asked in a trembling voice, “D-do I have to take off my hood too?”
It made sense, since this was probably the first time Arwen had ever revealed herself in front of so many people.
“You don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable, Princess.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll do it!”
Arwen removed her hood. Her face was revealed, along with her pale, lime-green hair.
She looked adorable, her pure face shyly darting its eyes about.
For a moment, silence fell over the wall. Then, an explosive cheer erupted.
“An elf...? It’s an elf! Aaaah! Of course the hero’s party has an elf companion!”
“What! A real elf? Where?”
“Her ears are really pointed!”
Most people were lucky to see an elf even once in their lifetime, so it was no surprise they’d react this way after seeing one in this backwater region.
They’d probably faint if they knew she wasn’t just any elf, but an elven princess. After showing her face, Arwen shyly put her hood back on.
Now, everyone in the party who was going to show their face had done so. Lina shouted, as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
“Is that sufficient? Now, Commander, please speak with me for a moment. I have something urgent to discuss.”
As Lina was speaking, a soldier interrupted.
“There are still people who haven’t taken off their hoods!”
“We’d be grateful if the others in hoods would show us their faces too!”
“You are all so beautiful, heroes!”
The soldiers’ fervent cheers made the party blush. After all, hundreds of men were shouting for them. It was all because the hero party’s beauty was just too superior.
Finally, the old hag took off her hood too.
“Were you all that eager to see an old woman’s face?”
“....”
The soldiers were flustered by the unexpected sight. But their gazes soon focused on Kerry, who still hadn't removed his hood.
Kerry took off his hood.
“Whoa, the guy is handsome too! This really must be the hero’s party.”
“A handsome face... and a party full of beauties. He’s got it all. He’s got it all.”
“I’m so jealous! I’m stuck on guard duty with a guy who looks like a bandit every day!”
“I know! Why do you keep looking at me when you say that! You think you’re some kind of looker?!”
Jealousy is for losers, you bastards.
Now, everyone in the party had removed their hoods.
But the commander remained silent. Is he going to pretend he doesn't know us now that he's seen everyone's face?
But our dear regressor wasn't about to just stand by and watch.
“Commander William Baltner! I know you to be a devout follower of the Elena Church!
Surely you do not intend to disrespectfully leave the Goddess’s hero and saintess waiting outside the gates?”
“How do you know my name...”
Because she’s a regressor, of course. For Lina to remember his name, that guy must be someone important.
The hesitant commander seemed to mouth something to the soldiers beside him.
Not long after, the heavy fortress gates began to open with a ponderous groan.
As expected, our Lina is the absolute best.