Chapter 39
The hall was dead silent for a moment.
The Burgundy border has fallen? The demon army has crossed the Moz River?
The Moz River was the northernmost border between Burgundy and the demon domain, and Burgundy bordered the kingdom where Mez was located. Didn’t this mean that as long as the demon army annexed Burgundy, they could lay their hands on the royal capital at any time…
The air seemed to be frozen. A thick, impenetrable confusion instantly welled up from the ground, temporarily throwing everyone’s thoughts into a daze, unable to comprehend the meaning of that short sentence.
A pair of invisible wings swept past the crowd, taking away the suffocating silence. The crowd instantly erupted in a noise mixed with panic, confusion, and anger. Everyone’s lips were moving, but it was hard to make out any of the words. The sound only conveyed fear and disbelief.
Nelly was also a little slow to react. This is a plot I’ve never encountered before! In all the previous playthroughs, the demon army, which had occupied both Upper and Lower Lotharingia, had at most extended its claws to the weaker Saxony, and had never broken through Burgundy’s iron-clad defense. That was Burgundy, famous for its mercenaries, a powerful marquisate bordering the heart of the Merloh dynasty, Merovingia!
There were too many, too dense variables this time. Even for a hidden plot, it was a little too absurd.
Nelly couldn’t help but clench her fists and take a deep breath.
Pepin was the first to react. He turned and knelt on one knee, bowing his head humbly. His voice was crisp, his words concise, and every syllable he uttered was full of power. “Your Majesty, I request that you immediately write to the Marquis of Normandy and ask him to send troops to support the Burgundy front. At the same time, I ask Your Majesty to mobilize troops from the south to support!”
Clovis II’s proper face now looked like it was carved from stone, so stiff that it had lost all human expression. He was silent for a moment, then closed his eyes. “Lord Pepin, lords of the Privy Council, please follow me.”
This posture clearly indicated that they were going to move to an emergency meeting.
Pepin’s eyes lowered, and he silently stood up and walked to Clovis’s side. “Please go ahead, Your Majesty and the rest of you. I will be there shortly.”
The stern-faced king gave a nod and, with his long cloak trailing behind him, walked into the stone archway behind the throne.
Pepin turned to face the chaotic crowd in the hall, a confident and amiable smile on his face. “Please do not be too alarmed. I am sure that Marquis Theodore has the situation under control. Even if the demon army has crossed the Moz River, the iron cavalry of Burgundy will not allow the demon army to further invade the northern lands.”
The crowd was in an uproar again.
The ferocity of the Burgundy army was indeed famous throughout the continent. Now that Pepin had said so, the situation did seem less serious… After all, when the Demon King first descended, the Marquis of Burgundy had led his army in a bloody battle, not stopping until he had retaken the half-swallowed marquisate bit by bit!
“Besides,” Pepin looked around, his tone a little gentler than before, “the other domains will not sit idly by. At this moment, what you should do is to ensure that the major and minor lords of your fiefs are well-prepared and ready to raise their banners and join the reinforcements at any time.” He paused and looked at Melissa with a smile. “At the same time, please pray for the Lord Hero and bless her so that she can kill the evil Demon King and restore peace to Wildia.”
Someone took the lead and shouted, “Long live Wildia! The goddess is with us!”
“Long live Wildia!”
“The three goddesses are with us!”
In the clamor, Pepin bowed slightly, whispered a few words to the two knights beside him, and slowly disappeared into the archway behind the throne. The way he walked had a smooth and composed air, as if he were gliding on ice. The corners of his robe fluttered slightly behind him, but his back was always straight.
Melissa’s face was much paler than before, but the tips of her ears were unusually red. Nelly glanced at her and said with some unease, “Melissa?”
Her voice was drowned out by the voices of the honored guests. Melissa turned to her, smiled, and shook her head, gesturing toward the exit.
“Lord Hero, Lord Pepin has arranged a place for you to stay. Please rest for a while. Lord Pepin will come to ask for your opinion on the future arrangements tomorrow.” Sir Bernard came forward at that moment, making a gesture as if to lead the way.
Melissa nodded to him and thanked him politely. “Thank you for your trouble.”
The three of them followed the crowd out of the main hall. In just a moment, the courtyard of the Red Keep had changed its appearance. The number of guards patrolling the walls by the gate had clearly increased, and the noise from the stables and the blacksmith’s rushed toward them, almost drowning out the conversations of the crowd, who were in various moods. The Red Keep had clearly entered a state of war preparation, and in an empty space on the other side, a few young men were even practicing fencing.
It seemed… the day of departure from Mez would come sooner than expected.
The place Pepin had arranged for them to stay was the west tower. After Nelly and Melissa settled in, they looked at each other, at a loss for where to begin.
Nelly was the first to break the silence and simply started talking about the next mission. “We’ll probably be leaving soon. Although we can take the direct route through Saxony, before that, we still have to go to the Misty Coast to retrieve a protective treasure.”
Melissa’s gaze froze, as if she hadn’t come back to her senses. She said softly, “I see…” She then shook her head vigorously and cheered herself up. “Let’s not talk about other things for now. At least we have to enjoy the dinner at the Red Keep tonight!”
With that, she fell backward and lay on the bed in a star shape, without any regard for her image, muttering, “Ah, the audience was so tiring. I’ll take a nap first…” With that, she turned over, wrapped herself in the blanket, and faced the wall.
Nelly sensed that Melissa needed to be alone, so she replied, “I’ll take a look around. I’ll come and wake you up before dinner.”
“Mhm, thank you.”
Nelly closed the door and aimlessly walked out of the west tower to the platform connecting to the main tower. She faced Mez, which was bustling under the sun, oblivious, and tidied her wind-blown hair, letting out a soft sigh. If the demon army really did reach the city walls, the situation might not be any more optimistic than the famine Melissa had experienced.
She walked along the stone railing of the platform to the other side. Behind the arrow tower on the west side was a relatively enclosed small terrace, and the wind was instantly much gentler than outside.
Nelly hadn’t been paying attention, but when she looked closely, she realized that a slender young girl was standing by the edge of the terrace. It was the Rose Princess, Rosalia.
Hearing the footsteps, Rosalia temporarily looked away from the scenery below the terrace and smiled kindly at Nelly. “You must be the divine envoy by the hero’s side? It’s a pleasure to meet you. May the goddess bless this land.”
“Your Highness.” Nelly felt inexplicably awkward.
“Just call me Rosa.” The corners of Rosalia’s eyes curved, and a ripple of light and shadow danced in her emerald-green eyes with this small movement. Her eyes were deep and charming, and even a member of the same sex would be momentarily captivated by their gaze.
To hide her unnaturalness, Nelly turned to look outside the terrace.
The west courtyard of the Red Keep came into view. It seemed to be the place where the young nobles of the court practiced swordsmanship and spearmanship. Now, due to the recent events, it was bustling with activity. The crisp sound of weapons clashing and the dull thud of shields intertwined, accompanied by the loud shouts and laughter of the young men, drifted up on the wind, clearly audible to the onlookers on the terrace.
Rosalia also turned her gaze back to the courtyard and didn’t speak again.
Nelly stole a glance at her. The young girl’s quiet profile was bathed in the no-longer-scorching afternoon sun, which revealed a thin layer of fine down. She didn’t seem to be looking at anyone in particular, but her expression was exceptionally focused. She was staring at the constantly moving figures with bated breath.
Nelly followed her gaze and found a few familiar figures. Theon, Bernard, and the few knights who had been standing behind Clovis II were all competing in their skills.
The gentle wind gently lifted the hem of Rosalia’s snow-white headscarf, as if wanting to touch her soft, smooth hair. A strand of brown hair slipped out from the side of her cheek. She elegantly and delicately twirled the strand around her finger, and as her fair, white fingers turned, something unspeakable gradually appeared in her eyes as she gazed at these top young men of the kingdom.
This princess, who was admired and loved by all, looked very sad at this moment.
Nelly withdrew her gaze, a little uneasy—she seemed to have inadvertently stumbled upon a secret. This was not an exciting secret that would give one a sense of superiority. On the contrary, what Nelly had accidentally picked up was a moment of the pampered princess’s carefully hidden feelings.
But the melancholy that Rosalia exuded in her silent silence was more moving than the most convoluted of romantic affairs. A beautiful person, even if they were melancholic for no reason, would still make one feel pity.
Nelly sighed for no reason in her heart, and suddenly thought of the black-haired, red-eyed young man who had looked at the chapel in the courtyard of Sloth with the same expression, also in the blowing of the mountain wind.
This was a very trivial memory. At that time, Nelly should have been focused on the scenery of the mountains and rivers behind him, but now she remembered his appearance at that moment with extreme clarity. She once again couldn’t understand her own feelings for Karsus.
Even though the person with the similar face had already left, she would still think of him unconsciously. Back and forth, she thought she had made a decision, but she would always tremble with hatred when night fell, and then in such a quiet moment, she would recall a more delicate and beautiful moment, dazed and confused, wondering if all the fault was on her alone.
It was she who had opened a door for him, and it was she who had closed it and destroyed him with her own hands.
She would feel guilty, ultimately because her love had not yet ended.
Nelly couldn’t help but feel that there were too many things weighing on her, and she could hardly breathe.
At that moment, Rosalia turned and walked past her. Her fragrant robe brushed against her, and the Rose Princess paused, smiling with restraint and politeness. “Although I don’t know if we will meet again, for now, I wish you and the Lord Hero eternal protection.” She paused. “May you be able to protect this land, free from shackles.”
When she came to, Rosalia had already walked far away.
Nelly stared blankly back at the courtyard. Most of the people were gone, and the ones left were some nameless boys, fooling around with wooden swords. They were oblivious to the cruelty of a real fight, mistaking the dance with death for a harmless game.
Nelly slowly walked back to the west tower. The sunlight on her back actually gave her the illusion of being watched by someone.