Capítulo 269: [Chapter 269] For my daughter's sake
"Enough."
A dark, viscous light began to flow from the magic circle.
It was a horrifying and frightening sight. The ceiling, walls, and floor were covered in a gloomy magic circle, and a sharp wind blew through the room, which was decorated only with the Imperial Family's flag hanging on the wall. One of the two altars that stood side by side in the middle of the room emitted a bluish light aggressively.
A gaunt blonde woman lay in the middle of the triangle formed by the two altars and the Imperial Family's flag, her eyes wide with terror.
She was not alone in the room. Another woman, dressed in a dazzling golden dress and wearing a tiara with a sun engraved on it, approached the blonde woman, a dagger in her hand.
"At last, our bitter feud ends."
Caymil, in her golden dress, bent down. She lifted Megara's chin with the dagger.
Megara was exhausted and in pain. The days she had endured in that filthy place, with the occasional rotten bread thrown to her by Caymil's men as her only food… she had just laughed vacantly. Now, with her sanity restored, even breathing was miserable.
Her pointed chin was cut by the blade. Megara glared at Caymil.
Caymil smiled faintly. In the past, she might have been enraged that someone like Megara dared to glare at her. But now, she couldn't bring herself to be angry.
In fact, she had become quite magnanimous. Thanks to the fact that her long, tiresome defeat was finally over and the day of her victory was approaching.
What did it matter if the 'sacrifice' that would contribute most to that victory, with those precious purple eyes that had made her a sacrifice, glared at her a little?
"You… will… cough! die… painfully."
With a hoarse voice, Megara managed to squeeze out the words. Caymil replied softly.
"If that makes you feel better, go ahead. You have merit, since it was thanks to your purple eyes that we were able to capture the Grand Duchess."
Megara hadn't awakened her jewel, she had violet eyes. But all those with violet eyes had some amount of demon blood flowing through them. And she was blonde.
So, how could she be a better sacrifice to seal the Grand Duchess? Something so 'similar'.
Megara tried to laugh at Caymil's words. She couldn't mock her properly because she was too weak, but the corners of her mouth did turn up.
Megara spoke, as if cursing.
"Nerys… cough! You'll… touch… someone… cough! among… those… who… cough! just… pass… by… cough! You… cough! cough, cough!"
She'll die horribly. She'll experience pain greater than the excruciating agony she was enduring in this place, pain she didn't even know the name of… Megara wanted to say that.
But Caymil's magnanimity only went so far. She swung the dagger and stabbed Megara. She chose a spot where she wouldn't die immediately, but where she would bleed as much as possible.
The black light of the magic circle grew stronger. The altar of Elandria… a pillar of light formed at the last vertex of the triangle. And slowly, very slowly, magic began to gather in the center of that pillar.
It was a sign that the Grand Duchess was being trapped in the eternal seal, far away.
The magic was gathering very slowly because the target was so far away. There was no way around it. At least the efficiency of the magic was affected by distance when it was first completed. That's why the Eye of Palos was placed inside the Imperial Palace, wasn't it?
Unlike the Grand Duchess, who awakened her jewel at the age of eighteen, the descendants of the Imperial Family would have their jewels from birth.
Once the Grand Duke was eliminated, there would be plenty of time to wait for the purple jewel to be completed in that place.
Caymil inhaled the thick, viscous energy emanating from the magic circle and the biting wind from Palos' seal, savoring the sensation. She then grasped the golden scent pouch she wore at her waist.
The scent pouch, meticulously crafted by a master artisan, crumpled and warped with the slightest force. Caymil smiled with satisfaction. The power of the azure blue jewel was already strengthening, even before the magic was complete.
Now, what would the Grand Duke's reaction be when she told him that his beloved wife would become a mere stone, just like his distant ancestors? Caymil found the thought delightful.
***
The exceptionally bright full moon had set, and dawn was slowly breaking in the east.
Cledwin, unable to sleep because of a strange sense of unease, looked up at the sky. Nerys was far to the north, in that place where the sky continued. She was an early riser, so she might be looking at the same sun right now.
It would be nice to talk to her before it began. He thought so. Then she would say something dismissive, as usual. That he was being frivolous, that countless soldiers were leaving their homes and families to face their final battle, and he was just talking nonsense.
Cledwin thought most of what she said was right. But sometimes, she seemed to completely misunderstand him. He was inherently uninterested in others. Nothing in life interested him, except for her.
He did have people he cared about, relatively speaking. But he didn't have any feelings that needed to be considered more importantly than the time he spent telling her he loved her.
The crisp morning air pierced his lungs. He sighed and touched his sword. He would attack this afternoon. There was mass in the morning. It was strange for the people of Maindeland, who weren't very devout, to observe mass days even during war, but the people from other regions would complain if they were given even a little more leeway, saying that "even war should be put on hold on Sundays."
Cledwin found this strict custom a bit annoying, but… well, it wasn't bad. Especially today. Even the enemy, ridiculously enough, didn't attack during mass time…
At that moment, Aidan ran up.
Cledwin had never seen Aidan with such a pale face, not since he had known him as a child. He frowned and asked,
"What is it?"
Aidan stopped in front of Cledwin, gasping for breath. He opened and closed his mouth, his eyes trembling as if he didn't know how to deliver the message.
"What?"
This wasn't like him. Cledwin narrowed his eyes.
After a beat, Aidan slowly opened his mouth.
"A messenger… a messenger from the Imperial Army has arrived. They say they've taken White Swan Castle, and the Lady… that it's all over, and we must surrender unconditionally…"
Aidan knew what the phrase "taken" meant. Cledwin heard his heart pounding. Thump.
Thump.
Thump. Thump.
Thump.
"No."
He muttered. Then he rushed into his tent.
He sat in the chair with the magic communication device embedded in it and poured magic into it. Every breath he took made every cell in his body ache. No… he muttered foolishly. He knew, and Nerys knew, that Caymil would try that convenient curse again. She said she was prepared.
It must be a lie… there's no way that clever girl would fall for it.
It was early, so Nerys would be in her bedroom, and if so, she would receive the communication soon. Cledwin experienced an eternity of pain when no reply came after he had poured in magic. He poured more magic into the chair, as if it would break. He didn't want her to suffer that pain again…
A moment later, a clicking sound came from the other side, indicating that the communication had been answered. Cledwin was relieved.
"Nerys?"
The voice that came from the chair wasn't Nerys'. It was much brighter and more cheerful than hers.
<My son-in-law, how are you? Liz says she's having severe morning sickness and can't receive communication. Please tell her that.>
The sky and earth, which had been about to turn upside down, returned to their original positions. Cledwin took a deep breath. He managed to reply calmly.
"I see. I should tell the Pope to ask for more of that herb. Is everything alright, Mother-in-law?"
<Of course. Oh, Diane arrived last night. She said she'll be with Liz all day today, so don't be too upset if you can't get in touch.>
As if to confirm those words, Diane McKinnon's cheerful voice came from afar.
<I'm going to monopolize Liz for a while, since it's been so long! Oh, Mother. You promised to show me the morning garden. Let's go quickly!>
Cledwin was relieved. At least, hearing their voices, he knew that White Swan Castle was safe. And if anything had happened to Nerys, the two of them, who would never be at ease if anything happened to her, wouldn't be so relaxed. So, it must be true that nothing had happened.
"Yes, please tell her to have a good time, Mother-in-law. I might be hard to reach today because I have an important operation."
<Alright.>
Lady Tryud's voice was very kind, even through the communication device.
<May all good fortune be with you today, my dear son-in-law. For my daughter's sake, you must return safe and sound.>
"Yes, I understand."
Cledwin ended the communication with a smile. He stepped out of the tent and informed Aidan, who was standing in front of him.
"It's a lie. She must have thought I would be shaken."
"But she said she sent proof."
"Proof?"
"Yes. You'll see later."
Cledwin grinned. He was furious.
"I have a hunch. She must have thought she could succeed if I just lost my mind for a moment. The Grand Duchess loves to play games."
Caymil always had two or three goals behind every action. Cledwin was tired of putting up with her tricks.
He didn't need to experience this heart-shattering feeling anymore.
"After today, I won't have to listen to her nonsense anymore. It's a good thing."
He said that and strode away.
***
The lower-ranking officer who had previously served Earl Berta found a place prepared by the chaplain for the mass and sat down, thinking that his heart was pounding.
The chaplains of the Maindeland army weren't originally from that land. There were hardly any temples in Maindeland. The kind priests of the Timosian Church had come all this way as a kind of service, unable to bear seeing the young lambs injured and killed by the flames of war.
Cledwin Maindeland, the infamous monster and barbarian of the northern lands, surprisingly did not stop those priests from serving. Some claimed it was because the Grand Duke and the Pope had already joined forces, but the commander didn't believe that. Could a great man like the Pope betray the Bisto family?
The lower-ranking officer was a typical devout man from the Empire. He still believed, as he had been taught since childhood, that the hero Bisto was chosen by God to save humanity. Although he was now following the rebels because Earl Berta had been defeated in the war and lost all his property and private soldiers, his heart was still with the Imperial Family.
In fact, until a few days ago, he hadn't realized his own unwavering "loyalty." The defeat of Earl Berta's army had been one-sided, and the Grand Duke's subsequent victories had been dazzling. Honestly, he had even begun to admire the monster because of that brilliance.
'It's thanks to the enlightenment I received.'
As the Imperial Palace came into view, he and a few other devout and faithful soldiers fell into a state of gloom. No matter what, they felt a sense of rejection at attacking the Imperial Family. It was a soldier from Earl Berta's territory who had introduced them to each other.
He had never seen his face before, but his accent was the same, so he was definitely from the same region. If it hadn't been for him, the commander would still be under the spell of the traitor's charisma. Perhaps that soldier was sent by God. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to prepare for this 'operation' with other soldiers who shared the commander's views.
'If I fail and die, God will take me to heaven, so I have nothing to fear.'
Right now, after mass, the commander planned to rise up with the soldiers who shared his views and rebel against the Grand Duke. There were quite a few other commanders who, while not particularly devout, were tempted to join if he took the lead. After all, there was no way that the Grand Duke, who had achieved dazzling feats, wouldn't have enemies who harbored resentment for losing comrades or family, even though they had been subjugated.
'Then this army will become a stumbling block for the Grand Duke.'
He was already nervous. The chaplain appeared in front of the commander, who was trying not to show a suspicious expression.
The chaplain, as always, smiled warmly at the sight of his unit, all present and accounted for. He prayed and sang hymns, then spoke.
"Today, I'd like to start by talking about the novel 'Betrayal,' which you all know is a historical fact."
Huh?
The lower-ranking officer was stunned.
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