Kapitel 145: Chapter 145: Incomplete (2)
To read until the final episode p.atreon.com/tengri02
A subtle, off-putting burnt smell filled the air.
Those who had been shouting and charging towards the Ernes Empire's group had vanished entirely. The only trace they left behind were faint charred footprints on the floor, indicating they had been there only moments ago.
'My fingertips are shaking a little...'
Ferzen wondered if the poison mixed into the scented candle was perhaps a paralytic agent. If that were the case, neutralizing it would be relatively straightforward with an antidote.
With this thought in mind, Ferzen motioned for Isabel, who stood nearby, to act.
Nobles who had been standing near Isabel's coffin were startled and quickly retreated.
She opened the coffin herself and lay down inside. She laid perfectly still, her hands folded neatly on her stomach.
It was difficult to believe that the figure lying there was not a living person but a corpse. The sight was both beautiful and alluring.
The nobles, shocked by what they had just witnessed, couldn't help but remember why Isabel was known as the most vicious witch in the history of the Ernes Empire.
"Your Highness, should we begin cleaning up?"
Ferzen approached the stunned Second Prince and spoke after retrieving the coffin, with Isabel within it, into a subspace.
"Yes, we should…..."
"Are you troubled, Your Highness?"
"As a person... I'd be lying if I said I'm not troubled at all. Even if they were just powerless pawns swayed by empty words, it's difficult to refute their intentions."
"..."
"However, as a member of the Imperial Family, my feelings are different."
"Is that so?"
"Yes…..."
Even if it meant gaining notoriety in other nations.
As long as what he believed to be doing was right for his country and his people...
"I'm prepared to be called a tyrant by them."
The Second Prince lightly patted Ferzen's shoulder and spoke in a soft voice.
"It appears you blame yourself for what happened at the banquet. But... to be honest, I'm glad this incident occurred."
"..."
"The Imperial Family owes Brutein a great debt. It's an honor to be able to repay even a fraction of it."
He couldn't speak on behalf of the entire Imperial Family, but at the very least, Raymond genuinely felt that way.
"Thank you…..."
Ferzen knew there was not a single lie in the Second Prince's words, so he quietly lowered his head in gratitude.
"Now, call for a doctor…..."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Crack!
Just as the Second Prince was about to leave, the building's ceiling suddenly collapsed.
At first, Ferzen thought it might be because the building couldn't withstand the impact of Isabel's magic.
However, he quickly realized he was mistaken when he sensed a large number of people from the other side and saw the knights accompanying them reacting swiftly.
Indeed, the most elementary and effective way to launch an attack was to strike when the enemy felt secure.
Creak!
However, this tactic only worked when there was no vast difference in power. After all, if a group of rabbits attacked a sleeping lion, would it even make the lion flinch?
So, Ferzen didn't react much when he saw an enemy landing in front of him.
Even Princess Elizabeth merely took out a fan to protect herself from any potential blood splatter. How could they make a fuss?
Even though the enemy unsheathed his sword in front of him, Ferzen looked at Roer, who stood not far away, with interest.
'Are you hesitating, Roer?'
Since he had already stowed Isabel's coffin in the subspace, it was too late to retrieve it now to use against the enemy.
Without any corpses nearby to exploit, a warlock's power was no different from that of an ordinary person.
To be honest, Ferzen was confident that he could avoid any fatal wounds, but he wanted to see what kind of heart and resolve Roer had brought to this place.
'But...'
Euphemia pleaded with him to never act this way again.
So, after dodging the enemy's slash with minimal movement, Ferzen kicked his opponent's elbow with his knee.
"Keuk!"
His enemy let out a short cry as the sword fell from his hands.
The sword, now without its master, soared into the air after bouncing off the floor.
Ferzen casually snatched it and swung it down towards his disarmed foe.
Swoosh!
"Ke... keuk..."
Bang!
The sword's blade plunged deep into the nape of the enemy's neck in the next moment. Blood sprayed messily, instantly dyeing Ferzen's hands, neck, and face crimson.
The sensation of a dying human wriggling beneath his fingers through the sword's hilt was anything but pleasant.
Moreover, Roer, who had arrived at his side almost simultaneously, swiftly cut through the enemy's body, further splattering Ferzen's luxurious suit with the fishy smell of blood.
'It's really...'
Ferzen couldn't help but appreciate the exquisite timing.
After all, if Roer hadn't reached his side at precisely that moment, there was a high probability that Ferzen would have been pierced by the enemy's sword.
As much as the timing was impeccable, it was also somewhat dubious.
It seemed Roer had struggled to come to a decision until the very last moment.
How could a man who walked the path of an Auror Knight be so indecisive?
"Are you okay…..."
Roer's voice, which Ferzen hadn't heard in a while, carried an undertone of feigned concern as he inquired about Ferzen's well-being.
Ferzen removed his hand from the sword hilt, wiped his blood-splattered face with a handkerchief, and replied in a serious tone.
"Ah... don't worry."
Roer fell silent, and Ferzen continued.
"Swordsmanship is a basic requirement for a noble."
During this brief exchange, the chaos in the room subsided. Ferzen then retrieved the coffin from the subspace to dispose of the bodies around him as he gently controlled Isabel once again.
But at that moment, Ferzen couldn't help but chuckle when he looked at Isabel's expressionless face, which was the unique trait of a corpse.
It appeared as if she was annoyed at being woken up just as she had fallen asleep.
* * * * *
The sky wept as if mourning those who had perished on this day.
Ferzen strolled through the rain-soaked streets, holding an umbrella in one hand.
Whoosh!
Raindrops brushed against his clothes, dripping down to the ground. Their color, no longer clear; it had mingled with the crimson hue of blood staining Ferzen's clothes.
The layout of Roverium Kingdom's streets was quite different from that of the Ernes Empire. Still, Ferzen didn't find it unfamiliar. The urban scenery bore some resemblance to the place where Seo-jin once lived.
'Does it mean that the process of civilization's development is universally similar, regardless of the world?'
Tall buildings stood alongside the road, constructed to accommodate as many people as possible on limited land. This urban environment felt reminiscent of modernity.
'His Highness the Prince mentioned I would encounter familiar faces when I arrived.'
Ferzen anticipated that the familiar faces waiting for him where Euphemia, Yuriel, and Laura were staying would be the knights and wizards of the Brutein family.
If that was the case, then there was no need for him to worry.
Thud!
"Ouch...!"
A young girl abruptly emerged from his blind spot, tripped over his foot, and fell onto the ground.
Judging by the white flowers that spilled from her falling basket, she seemed to be a flower seller.
"I-I'm sorry…..."
The girl quickly gathered the fallen flowers, her head bowed.
Ferzen silently withdrew a gold coin from his chest pocket.
"I'll purchase all of those flowers."
"P-pardon?"
"I don't need the change."
"Ah...! This is the wrong co–"
The girl appeared flustered as she stared at the gold coin resting in her small, calloused hand. Ferzen didn't respond and continued walking past her.
After a moment, the girl snapped out of her daze and called out to Ferzen once more.
"Y-you forgot to take the flowers…...!"
Though her voice was small and delicate, it somehow managed to cut through the heavy rain and reach Ferzen's ears.
He halted and turned to look at the girl, parting his lips to speak.
"Leave them be. The ones meant to receive those flowers are no longer here."
"Sorry…...?"
The girl's face displayed further confusion at Ferzen's cryptic words. But he continued walking away without providing any further explanation.
Soon, only the girl remained on the street, her head bowed toward the scattered flowers.
"Ah…..."
Before she realized it, the flowers on the ground had started to take on a crimson hue.
* * * * *
"Marquis!"
In the late hours of the night, Prince Inas, the Second Prince of the Roverium Kingdom, burst into Marquis Phrygia's quarters with an expression of anger etched across his face.
Inside, Marquis Phrygia sat calmly in a neatly arranged room, sipping tea, as if he had anticipated this visit.
"The people! You swore that you wouldn't treat them like mere pawns!"
Marquis Phrygia took a sip of his tea before responding evenly.
"Indeed, I did. However, I never used them as mere expendables."
Inas slammed an urgent report down onto a nearby table. He had just received it, and it had fueled his anger.
Inas had initially understood that their previous actions were aimed at inciting hostility towards the Ernes Empire, and he had tolerated it.
But now, with thirty lives gone, vanished without a trace, he questioned the purpose of their sacrifice.
Even animals left behind their remains when they died, but these thirty people had simply vanished, leaving nothing behind.
He had never expected that there wouldn't be bloodshed, but their deaths needed to have some meaning, some purpose!
Phrygia continued.
"Prince Inas, your ideals are somewhat distorted."
"What…...?"
"In the heat of battle, where allies and enemies are eager to thrust a sword into the enemy's throat, most would not care who did what and who died."
Phrygia's words left Inas speechless.
"The action and death of each person is supposed to have some meaning? That's not how warfare works."
Phrygia softened his tone, acknowledging his respect for the people of Inas's kingdom.
"Most claim that nothing is worth fighting for, that war or revolution is nothing but corrupt and degenerate patriotism. But the people of your kingdom are different."
Inas listened quietly, unable to respond.
"The outcome we see here, means that the kind of freedom you desire demands even more effort."
Phrygia stood and picked up an umbrella placed nearby.
"I'll step outside to clear my head for a moment. Good night."
He left the room with a smile, and Inas didn't stop him.
Despite his desire to confront Phrygia about the true intentions behind their kingdom's vassalage to the Elmark Empire, Inas held himself back.
He feared that the answer might not align with his expectations. He couldn't help but wonder if what he had been given was merely a fox's cunning, instead of a wolf's teeth.
As he plopped down in a chair, Prince Inas's gaze fell upon a chessboard on the table.
Many nobles likened chess to war, but Inas disagreed.
How could a game that ended when you captured the king truly represent war? Could a king sitting alone in a ruined nation, with all his soldiers dead, be satisfied with victory?
He picked up a report that had fallen to the floor, listing the names of the thirty people who had died.
Even if he dies, his name would go down in history as a bastard.
But those thirty people who had perished would be forgotten.
So, without uttering a word, Prince Inas began memorizing their names.
With each name he recalled, the weight on his shoulders grew heavier.
In truth, he wanted to escape this burden with any trivial excuse he could find.
But he didn't. Or rather, he couldn't.
In the world beneath the sky, there were problems for which excuses held no sway, and one had to bear all responsibility.
This was his responsibility.
His weight to bear.
To read until the final episode p.atreon.com/tengri02
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein