Volume 3 Chapter 1 (2/2)

“Nothing happened! You idiot!”

Saito's screaround, Tabitha, as reading a book, dully swung her hand and put a 'Levitation' spell on Saito

Saito landed gently onto the plains and saw Guiche, who had fallen before, walking on the grassy plain along the road with a bitter face

Then Guiche stopped and addressed Saito in his usual snobbish manner

“You fell too, right?”

Saito answered in a tired voice

“I was pushed off”

“T-they're not co back, are they?”

Saito looked up into the sky In the blue sky, the wind dragon quickly disappeared over the horizon

“…It looks like it”

“Well, let’s walk then Sigh, it’ll take half a day on foot”

With a depressed look on his face, Guiche started to walk Saito was not sure why, but somehow, he felt more impressed by Guiche

“By the way, you… that… well… There’s so I wanted to ask you Please tell me”

Guiche mumbled to Saito as he fiddled with his artificial rose

“Huh?”

“Did Her Highness well have anything to say about me? Is it true that she’ll reward me after the mission, with the letter where the promised secret date is?”

For a moment, Saito felt pity for Guiche Henrietta hadn’t even mentioned the letter “G” from Guiche’s name in their conversation

“Let’s go”

Saito, pretending he hadn’t heard anything, began quickening his pace Guiche chased after him from behind

“Well, is the rumor true?”

“Coood for your health”

“Wha-at, y-you, Her Highness, I”

Under the war towards the Acadeic

The Fortress of Newcastle, once known as a great stronghold, was now a tragic ruin Though it had withstood the onslaught, it had become a disastrous scene

The castle walls, which were repeatedly attacked by spells and cannon fire, had turned into a pile of rubble, and corpses burnt beyond recognition littered the ground

Although the siege had been short, the rebels - no, since Albion had lost its king, 'Reconquista' was the new governe For every three hundred royal army soldiers, two thousand rebels were killed And with an additional four thousand wounded It was hard to call the battle a victory, given these statistics

Because the fortress was located on the very edge of the floating continent, it was possible to attack it only froet past the guards, they were repeatedly shot with e casualties

However,in the end, they won through their sheer force of nu's defense was fragile The king's arainst the soldiers But the es' numbers were incoradually killed off, one by one, until they all fell

Though the dareat… the price was the annihilation of the king's army It was literal annihilation, because the royalists had fought up to the last soldier

In other words, the final decisive battle of the civil war in Albion: the siege of Newcastle’s fortress, where the royalists were outnue that orth ten such arend

Two days after the civil war had ended, under the blazing sun and between the corpses and pebbles, a tall aristocrat was inspecting the old battlefield in Albion His hat was pushed to the side and he was dressed in unusual attire: the unifore Guard

It was Wardes

A fee with a hood over her eyes stood next to him

It was Fouquet the Cru Dirt She had escaped to Albion onboard the shi+p froht, she had joined Wardes at a bar in Londinium, the capital of Albion, and now she had followed him to Newcastle’s battlefield

Around the for riches A loud cheer caold coins

Acorpses over, then pushi+ng thearden When he found a ic wand, he cried out in joy

Fouquet, atching the scene disapprovingly, clicked her tongue in disgust

Noticing Fouquet's expression, Wardes laughed coldly

“What’s wrong, Fouquet the Cru for treasure your colleagues? Robbing nobles of their treasures was part of your job, wasn't it?”

“Do not compare me with them I have no interest in the riches of the dead”

“A thief with a thief’s ethics”

Wardes laughed

“I’m not interested in that I only steal valuable treasures because I love to see the frantic expressions of the nobles But these guys…”

Fouquet looked at the corpse of a royalist uardian with the corner of her eye

“All right, all right, don’t be mad”

“I guess Albion’s royal nobles are your eneraced your own family?”

Hearing Wardes exaggerated words, Fouquet, regaining her composure, coldly said with a nod

“Oh well Accidents happen”

And then Wardes turned The lower part of his left arm had been severed off The unifor in the wind

“It looks like it was a harsh battle for you too”

Wardes replied in a unchanging tone:

“An are for Wales' life, I think, is a rather cheap trade”

“He , that ‘Gandálfr’, to be able to so swiftly cut off the are such as yourself”

“Because he was a coot careless”

“Don’t put it like that He even destroyedwithin this castle could have survived”

When Fouquet said so, Wardes smiled coldly

“He is Gandálfr after all The corps that attacked the castle didn’t report to have fought against such a person Perhaps, during our fight, he had expended all his energy and was confused as a commoner Probably, the soldier who killed Gandálfr didn’t even notice that he was the legendary familiar”

Fouquet, not convinced, snorted An i boy, floated in her mind Could he really die so easily?

“And where is that letter?”

“Somewhere around here”

Wardes pointed to the ground with the cane That place, two days ago, had been the chapel, the place where Wardes and Louise tried to hold the wedding, the place where Wales lost his life

However, noas just a pile of rubble

“Hmm, that La Vallière lass… your former fiancé, the letter was in her pocket?

“Correct”

“You let her die? You didn’t love her?”

“Loved, loved not, I’ve already forgotten such sentiments” dismissed Wardes in a neutral voice

He drew his cane and chanted a spell A s around the rubble

Gradually, the floor of the chapel was unveiled

Between a portrait of Founder Brily unharmed

“Look, isn’t it the dear Prince Wales?”

Fouquet said in a surprised voice Fouquet, as once one of Albion’s nobles, remembered Wales' face

Wardes didn’t cast even a single glance at the remains of the man he had personally murdered; instead, he searched intently for Louise and Saito’s corpses

However… their corpses were nowhere to be seen

“Are you sure they really died here?”

Muttering so, Wardes began to search the surroundings carefully

“He de la Tur’s ‘Founder Brimir's Visit’?”

Fouquet picked up the painting from the floor

“I think it is a reproduction Mmm, come to think of it, this castle’s chapel must have been built to worshi+p him… Hmm?”

Fouquet, having picked up the painting fro hole underneath, and called Wardes

“Hey, Wardes What is this hole?”

Wardes, with raised brows, squatted down and looked into the hole that Fouquet indicated He realized that the hole e mole, Guiche’s familiar On his cheeks, Wardes could feel the cold breeze e from the hole

“Could it be that both Vallière’s youngest daughter and Gandálfr escaped through this hole?” Fouquet ree

“Should we pursue them?”

“It is useless If there’s wind inside, it h” Wardes replied exasperatedly Seeing hirinned

“It seeht that you were a oyle… Why, oh why do such emotions appear on your face?” she mocked

Hearing this, Wardes stood up

From the distance, a person appeared while they talked

He said in a cheerful, limpid voice

“Viscount! Wardes! Have you found the letter yet? That… as it ah, love letter that Henrietta gave to Wales, the saviour that would prevent the union of Germania and Tristain Have you found it?”

Shaking his head, Wardes answered the man who had just appeared

Thea round hat and a green ht, one could tell that he was a clergyhtly reseent blue eyes Froes of his hat, curly blond hair peeked out

“Your Excellency, it seeh this hole It is retful for my error Please, hand me whatever punishment you deem necessary”

Wardes kneeled down, bowing his head

The man addressed as ‘Excellency’, with a friendly smile on his face, approached Wardes and tapped his shoulder

“What are you saying? Viscount! You did a reeneral! Ah, isn’t that over there our dear Crown Prince Wales? Be proud! You defeated hi hie sort of kinshi+p to hiht Once dead, everyone becomes a friend”

Wardes’ cheeks flinched slightly, as he noticed the sarcasained his coy to his superior officer

“However, the mission to obtain the Henrietta’s letter that Your Excellency so desires ended in failure I’m sorry I was not able to meet Your Excellency’s expectations”

“Do not fret yourself Co Wales was by farthat has to be obtained steadily, step-by-step”

Then, the reen robe turned to Fouquet

“Viscount, please introduce this beautiful wo a priest, it is inconvenient for me to speak with a woman”

Fouquet watched the man Before her eyes, Wardes bowed deeply to the e at froaps of his robe

Wardes stood back up and introduced Fouquet to the man

“Your Excellency, this is Fouquet the Cru Dirt, before whom all Tristain nobles shudder”

“Oh! I heard the rumors! I am honored to meet you, Miss Saxe-Gotha”

Hearing hio, Fouquet smiled

“Did Wardes tell you this name?”

“That's right He knows everything about Albion nobles Genealogy, coat of ar bishop to re Oh, let's not delay my introduction”

Opening his eyes widely, and placing his hand over his chest

“'Reconquista' first general, Oliver Croinally, I was just a mere bishop However, due to the votes of the baronial council, I was appointed as the first general, and I need to give yuide’ us through the dark ti faith and power for the better”

“Your Excellency, you are not a freelance first general anymore, you are now Albion’s…”

“Emperor, Viscount”

Croe

“Certainly, I really wished to prevent Tristain’s and Gers Do you understand me, Viscount?”

“Your Excellency's thoughts are so deep that an ordinary man like me cannot measure them”

Croan talking with exaggerated gestures

“Unity! Unity of steel! Halkeginia is us, a union of chosen nobles that will get back the Holy Land froiven to us by Founder Brimir! ‘Unity’ is our number one duty Therefore, Viscount, I trust you There is no bla failure”

Wardes bowed deeply

“For this great mission, Founder Brimir blessed us with a special power”

Fouquet's eyebrow rose Power? What kind of power are they talking about?

“Your Excellency, what power has Founder Briht, I would like to know”

Croht up in his own theatrics

“Do you know about the four great eleic, Miss Saxe-Gotha?”

Fouquet nodded Even children know of such things Fire, Wind, Water, and fourth – Earth

“In addition to the four great eleical element The element that Founder Brimir used, the eles”

“Element of zero… Void?”

Fouquet turned pale The lost eleends say, disappeared Did thisabout the element of zero?

“That is the power that Founder Brireed to inia”

Cromwell pointed at Wales' corpse

“Wardes I had wanted to make Crown Prince Wales reatest adversary; but now in death, he will beco with that?”

Wardes shook his head

“He should have never resisted Your Excellency's decisions”

Crohed with a smile

“Well then, Miss Saxe-Gotha I will show the element of ‘Void’ to you”

Fouquet breathlessly watched Cromwell’s movements

Cromwell pulled out the cane that was attached to his waist

A low, silent aria escaped fro words that Fouquet had never heard before

When the aria was coently lowered the cane and aimed it at Wales' corpse

Then… all of a sudden, Wales, whose body was already lifeless, opened his eyes A chill ran down Fouquet’s spine

Wales slowly sat up A once bloodless face suddenly sprang back to the life it had previously held Like a withered flower absorbing water, Wales’s body gradually imbued itself with life

“Good , Crown Prince”

Cromwell muttered

The revived Wales returned Cromwell’s smile

“It has been a long time, Archbishop”

“How rude, I am an emperor now, my dear Crown Prince”

“Is that so? I apologize for that, Your Excellency”

Wales kneeled, taking the posture of a vassal

“I think I’ll uard, Wales”

“With pleasure”

“Then, let’s be friends”

Croan to walk Wales, who didn’t look like he was just dead, walked behind hi, halted and turned around saying,

“Wardes, do not worry Even if the alliance is formed, it is of no e in plans”

Wardes bowed

“There are tays of diploive war”

“As you wish”

“Tristain is a necessary area to add That royal family has the Founder's Prayer Book I need to have it in my hands in order to retrieve the Holy Land”

After saying this and nodding approvingly, Cromwell left

It was only after Croht, that Fouquet was able to open her mouth

“That was the void? To revive the dead That’s impossible”

Wardes muttered

“The void element manipulates life… That’s what His Excellency said, seeh I cannot believe it as well, after witnessing this – how could I not?”

Fouquet asked Wardes in a shaky voice

“A while ago you were acting very siic too?”

Wardes laughed

“Me? I am different This is a result of a sorrowful life that I have led since birth”

After that, Wardes looked up at the sky

“However…many lives were sacrificed for the Founder’s Holy Land… what if they all will be revived by the element of ‘Void’?”

Frightened, Fouquet clutched her chest She felt a light heartbeat She suddenly felt the need to confirm that she was still alive

“Don’t look that way It was only ination You could even call it my fantasy”

Fouquet sighed, feeling relieved Then she glared at Wardes

“It was surprising, that’s all”

Whilst patting the stump where his left arm had once been, he spoke softly

“However, I myself also want to know Is it a mere fantasy? Or reality? The answer lies in the Holy Lands that’s how I feel”

Three days after Saito and coe between Tristainian princess Henrietta and Germanian emperor Albrecht III was officially announced The cere month, before the conclusion of the military alliance

The alliance conclusion would be held in Gerreened by the Tristain prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin

The day after the alliance, a new Albion government was officially established In an instant, tensions sparked between the two countries, but the Kingdom of Albion’s First Emperor Cromwell sent a special envoy to Tristain and Gerression pact

As a result, both countries had a conference Even with the two countries' coh the non-aggression pact felt er pointed at the neck, the two countries didn’t have much of an alternative, and this offer was the best they could hope for

However…peace was established in Halkeginia only on the surface Politicians could not sleep day or night And it wasn’t just the nobles; the commoners tensely awaited each day, as well

Tristain’s Acadeic was no exception either