Chapter 124 - She Calls You (2)

The sun beating down was warm, and the wind blowing past was cool.

Before he knew it, as summer had come with the season, the white snake of Deirmar decided to climb down beneath the tree for the first time in a while.

There could be no better weather for enjoying a sunbath.

Atop the hill, lonely in its silence.

Looking at the gravestones that did nothing but keep silent, the white snake quietly closed its eyes.

Its tail swayed gently with the blowing wind.

HISS?

In that instant, the white snake, which had only just settled into place, quietly lifted its head as if it had sensed something.

A distinct sensation approaching from far away.

It was a sensation he had not felt in a very long time, so the white snake sniffed the air just in case.

HISS!

The white snake’s eyes flew open when it recognized the scent.

The fragrance of flowers was coming from far away.

The fragrance of very young flowers.

It was a scent he had briefly forgotten because he had not felt it for so many long years, but it stirred the longing embedded in his soul.

As if he could not believe it, the white snake raised its body high and looked farther away.

Beyond the Heinal manor before him, and even beyond the territory.

As the white snake widened his gaze that far, the figure of a familiar man began to form in his sight.

From far outside the territory, there was a blond knight coming straight toward this place.

With a sword made of stars carrying the breaths of children in abundance.

The children who had ridden in on the knight’s sword were speaking in one voice.

The possibility of the World Tree had not yet died.

Recognizing the young children, the white snake’s tail began to tremble violently.

* * *

“... I knew it would turn out like this.”

The Heinal manor was small and old, but it was meticulously maintained.

From the office prepared at the highest point of that manor, a drained voice was flowing out.

“I knew it would end up like this.”

As if seawater had been poured over it, a wealth of water-blue hair was rippling across the desk.

Alicia Heinal.

She was currently collapsed over her desk as if overcome by an exhaustion she could do nothing about.

It was a sight in contrast to the white snake outside the window, who was excitedly bobbing his head all over the place.

“Did you not prepare as much as you knew, my lady?”

Although it was not a posture befitting a noble young lady, Duncan, who could guess what was in her heart, merely soothed her in a quiet voice.

“Prepare?”

At Duncan’s words, Alicia quietly lifted her head.

Her face, hidden by her abundant hair, looked somewhat eerie.

“You know very well that this level of preparation won’t be nearly enough.”

“...”

At the self-mockery that was not quite reproach, Duncan found himself at a loss for words.

“Hoo.”

Looking at the silent Duncan, Alicia sighed and slowly swept up her hair.

By her head, where she had been lying face-down, lay a sheet of paper covered in dense writing.

It was a report organizing the composition of the Heinal Family’s forces.

“... We can’t stand against Gaidar with only seven hundred men.”

They were forces she had gathered with the feeling of wringing out a dry rag, but they numbered only seven hundred.

If it were an ordinary Territory War, perhaps that would be one thing, but their opponent was Gaidar, the conqueror of the West, and even the children in the neighborhood would know they could not stand against him with numbers like these.

“What about mercenaries? I heard their prices have gone up a lot lately.”

“That is correct, Lady Alicia.”

The end of Alicia’s words scattered like a sigh.

Duncan knew very well how crushing a burden she was facing, but on this day of all days, he could not offer Alicia any words to encourage her.

“Not only us, but signs of war are stirring everywhere. Because of that, mercenary prices have risen greatly, and...”

Gaidar’s objective was clear, and there was no avoiding it any longer.

A battle that would decide not only their territory but the fate of their family was approaching, and Alicia intended to struggle with all she had for it.

“I did meet separately with some renowned mercenary captains, but it seems they are all reluctant to stand on our side.”

“... I suppose they would be.”

But unlike Alicia’s resolve, the world was not easily extending its hand to her.

A poor ruler.

And a powerful enemy.

Even mercenaries who moved in search of opportunity would not want to board a sinking ship.

“In the end, we won’t even be able to prepare a thousand on our side.”

“That is correct.”

At Duncan’s answer, the shadow hanging over Alicia deepened.

According to the information Joseph had sent, Gaidar was moving north together with the houses that followed him.

Their forces would number five thousand in all.

With her own soldiers, who numbered only seven hundred, they would simply be overwhelmingly outnumbered.

“Still, they won’t come at us all at once, will they? They lack justification to strike us.”

“That is correct. The central authorities will not stand by, and we also have Bayezid as an ally.”

Unlike the West, where factions had been tangled together through all kinds of pretexts because they bordered one another, Deirmar was a territory belonging to an entirely different sphere of influence.

If they invaded Deirmar without proper justification, not only the imperial family and the central authorities, but countless houses would condemn them.

“Lady Alicia. Guests have arrived.”

“Guests?”

A butler entered with a polite knock.

Alicia’s office had been filled with a heavy atmosphere until now, but fresh air was blowing in through the door he had opened.

“They are people from Bayezid.”

“Bayezid!”

At the butler’s words, Alicia sprang up from her seat, briefly forgetting even her dignity.

Her knee struck the desk at the sudden movement, but delight came before pain.

“Show them here at once.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Without hesitation, Alicia invited the people who had just arrived at the manor into her office.

Because now, when everyone was turning away from Heinal, they were the only ones extending a hand.

“It seems Lord Joseph is watching this situation as well after all.”

“That’s a relief.”

Alicia leaned deep into her chair as if a weight had been lifted from her mind.

“Will I finally be able to breathe a little?”

No matter how formidable Gaidar was, he could not ignore Bayezid.

Bayezid, one of the pillars of the North, was certainly a family with that much power.

‘He must have come with them.’

But Alicia was looking forward to something other than the welcome news they would bring.

In this situation that felt blocked on every side, she was waiting for someone who might let her breathe for a moment.

As Alicia thought of him, a small smile had already formed at the corners of her mouth.

“They have arrived.”

“Tell them to come in.”

At the butler’s report, Alicia quickly swept her hair back, and before long, she had returned to the bearing of a proud noble as she received her guests.

Her eyes, now restored, sparkled brightly toward the door that would soon open.

“It has been a long time, Baroness.”

The door opened along with Alicia’s expectation.

Through that door came a man who bowed his head politely.

A knight sent by Joseph, a man who was often scolded by him, but who always guaranteed results.

“I am Vordan, from Bayezid.”

“... Ah.”

The old knight kept wiping away sweat with a handkerchief as if the heat were too much for him while he greeted her.

Seeing him, Alicia found herself pouting without realizing it.

Outside the window, the white snake was still holding his head high, bobbing it about restlessly.

* * *

Men wearing black hoods.

Vlad and the Thorn Tree Mercenaries were heading to Deirmar with them.

“Did you come all the way down here because of me?”

“... You shouldn’t ask me things like that.”

The scarred man did not give a clear answer to his question.

Looking at him, Vlad could tell that the man had some mission other than escorting him.

Perhaps, as with Endre Heinal, he might be aiming for someone else’s head.

“Then what should I call you? Senior?”

He did not know the man’s identity, nor his intentions.

Vlad’s behavior, as he kept trying to draw information out of this man full of questions, could be called a natural attitude born from his survival instincts.

“Hmm. There was the matter of what to call me.”

Hearing Vlad’s words, the man in the black hood stroked his chin and began to think for a moment.

“Senior is a bit much, I suppose. It would be better if you acted like you didn’t know me, if possible.”

“Why?”

“Because nothing good will come of us knowing each other.”

With the man’s smile, the scars filling his face twisted.

The unidentified man was quietly warning Vlad through nonverbal signals not to dig any deeper.

Vlad caught the warning he was sending and quietly nodded.

“Just call me by name.”

“What is your name?”

The man fell silent for a moment at Vlad’s question, then soon opened his mouth as if it had come to him.

“Let’s make it Marcus. From now on, you can call me Marcus.”

“... You make it sound like you weren’t Marcus until just now.”

“Coming up with names is the hardest part. This one came out pretty well.”

The man in the black hood did not bother hiding the fact that he had just made up a name.

The man he now had to call Marcus turned his head and looked toward where Stefan was.

“We were short-handed as it was, and you brought them along at just the right time. Are they hired?”

“No. Not yet.”

“I’ll provide the funds. Hire them.”

It had not been intentional, but seeing Vlad bring along a group of mercenaries, Marcus smiled in satisfaction.

Though to those who saw it, it was a hideous smile that made them feel intimidated.

“The Thorn Tree Mercenaries are not a bad choice. Their skill is one thing, but above all, they have a good mission completion rate.”

“Is that so?”

Vlad nodded as he listened to Marcus.

Knights had honor, and mercenaries had trust.

These were the foremost virtues by which each proved his own worth in his own domain, and Stefan was proving his trust through his high mission completion rate.

“No wonder they didn’t run.”

“Really?”

Having spent a brief time in the mercenary trade, he knew it well.

Mercenaries were the sort of bastards who would run at the drop of a hat.

But the Thorn Tree Mercenaries had not run even during the battle against Auguste.

Vlad had liked that attitude, and even though he had noticed their shallow intentions, that was why he had kept taking them with him until now.

“If you’re thinking of keeping them with you from now on, warn him to be a little careful about women.”

“What?”

Marcus merely shrugged at Vlad’s question.

“There is always a reason a man with skills like that is still wandering.”

“... Aha.”

The former brothel errand boy understood Marcus’s words perfectly.

Vlad turned his head and looked at Stefan, who was following him from behind.

Stefan, who happened to be looking at him, quickly smiled and winked as soon as his eyes met Vlad’s.

The fact that his other eye did not even twitch showed it was not a trick he had tried only once or twice.

“Hmm?”

As Vlad was engaged in a meaningless staring contest with Stefan, a crow began circling above his head.

“It seems there is something urgent.”

The crow circling in the sky landed on Marcus’s forearm in a familiar manner when he extended his arm.

‘Not a pigeon, but a crow.’

Even the message tube tied to its ankle was painted pitch-black, making it seem as though no one would ever realize this crow was a messenger bird.

“Hmm...”

Vlad’s eyes were sparkling with curiosity as he looked at the crow, but Marcus’s expression only grew stiffer and stiffer as he read the news the crow had brought.

“We part ways here.”

“What?”

Marcus and his group had said they would go with him all the way to Deirmar.

But now, as if they had left something behind, they were hurriedly turning their horses around.

“Did something happen?”

“... I told you, you shouldn’t ask me things like that.”

Marcus clicked his tongue inwardly as he looked at Vlad, who was once again asking so brazenly.

This bastard was cunning.

Because while pretending to be innocent and pretending not to know, he was once again crossing the line Marcus had warned him about.

As expected, I should have asked Lord Peter to give me this one.

“Understood.”

Vlad looked at the heavy gaze Marcus sent him and nodded.