Edan had a hidden daughter!
– Such an unpleasant rumor briefly circulated but soon died down.
The mascot of the Saintess Party.
The guide who followed the hero Maximilian like a shadow.
Rue Luinong.
The maidens of the Hohenberc Family flocked around the girl with striking light green hair and eyes like clouds. They began offering a plethora of snacks, including candies and chocolates, as if paying tribute to a fairy.
Such overwhelming popularity!
Indeed, what a mascot representative of the work!
As the second son of the family, I had never received such treatment from the servants…
“Edan!”
“Yeah.”
A greedy little kid approached with chocolate in both hands.
I nodded and replied with my head down.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Max! Max’s little brother!”
“That cold, aloof guy talked about me? Most of it must have been insults.”
“Oh, how did you know?!”
“……”
I was left speechless by the innocent response with not a hint of falsehood.
Damn that brother.
I shuddered at what gossip he might be spreading behind my back.
Imagining that stoic face launching insults like a rapid-fire gun made my head hurt.
“But he still said a lot of good things!”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Yes, it’s true, actually a lie.”
“……”
Ahem.
How pathetic that I even believed a little.
“I might as well wash up. Plus, I must be quite tired. I want to ask about the author who suddenly became a runaway teenager at twenty-five.”
“M-m-make a bath?! I’m fine! Just a little wash with water…”
“Your smell is far too pungent.”
“Eek!”
I gestured for the maids.
Soon, they began guiding the filthy girl, covered in dirt from a long journey, towards the bath. Rue flailed her arms like a cat that hates water, but ultimately waved the white flag against the maids’ insistence.
‘Just how rough was the forced march… Damn it.’
Twelve years old,
Or maybe around thirteen?
She looked far younger due to her small stature.
Like a child leaving a family behind, she too must have been abandoned.
I felt disgust towards the human who commanded that fragile little girl to go on such a grueling forced march. More precisely, it was his cold-bloodedness in leaving his partner behind like a piece of luggage. And I felt both pity and sympathy for the girl who was ultimately left alone.
*
Luinong.
A spirit,
Or a fairy born from nature.
Known for their pure and bold nature, like the gentle mountain winds of the valley.
Having lived in complete isolation from the merciless cruelty of humans, who repeatedly expanded and conquered, one curious Luinong decided to escape. Choosing to run away like a lone wolf, Luinong happened to cross paths with the Saintess Party and became recorded in various hero tales.
“Outwardly, they all appear as children. Plus, a single-gender species consisting only of females? What kind of species is that? It’s not a clownfish!”
I returned to my office and read books documenting the Luinong species.
There weren’t many records.
After all, they lived in complete isolation.
All the information regarding the Luinong was uncovered by the oddball who was a member of the Saintess Party. If it hadn’t been for Rue Luinong, they might have remained an unknown species forever.
‘Should I call it neglect or abandonment…’
I bit my nails as I pondered the reason for sending my partner away.
Did he toss her aside as useless?
Or did he send her away for her safety before a perilous mission?
I kept worrying, but no clear answer came.
The hero who saved the continent was an isolated existence who disclosed his innermost thoughts to no one. Surely even the Saintess, his lover, couldn’t fathom his true feelings.
“Ugh, being scrubbed harshly with the towel makes my whole body sting!”
Pock- pock.
Pock- pock. Pock-
With the sound of the door opening, the girl finally emerged.
She darted around the place, as if to express her displeasure.
“Now I feel somewhat normal.”
I ruffled the soft hair of the girl, whose hair was as fluffy as dried straw.
Swoosh.
As her hair flowed down, a scent of oil wafted up.
Surely the accumulated fatigue from the rigorous journey had lessened a bit. I offered the little fairy the couch for guests and handed her a sweet cocoa. Her light green eyes sparkled with joy.
“Hot…!”
“Take your time and drink as much as you want.”
What was this feeling?
It felt like dealing with a mischievous little niece.
Hmm.
Am I overthinking this?
Watching Rue sip the cocoa, I felt a familiarity.
“Where did my brother disappear to? He’s not really eloping with the Saintess, is he?”
Maximilian is an overly rational and traditional human. There’s no way he would abandon his family and duties to run away. As I thought further, doubts about Maximilian’s actions began to arise.
Could there be something more to this?
I worried about the various variables and asked the fairy.
“He went east.”
“…East? That’s the Gisterd Kingdom.”
I tapped the desk with my finger.
Thud- thud-
That was a habit I often showed while deep in thought.
I continued pondering and frowned as I spoke.
“Then, who was with my brother at the time of parting…?”
“Only Max and Bea were there. Felix and Reg, Mad were supposed to join later.”
It aligned with the confidential message conveyed by Princess Ludmilla.
The King of Mercenaries,
Felix Pavan Savoia.
Sword Saint,
Regnas Pavan Pugh.
Sage,
Madbay von Gisterd.
Aside from the hero and the Saintess, the remaining members scattered, perhaps to avoid the public gaze on the Saintess Party.
“The mission of the Saintess Party must have been complete after the Demon King was defeated, so why did they disappear without a word? It can’t be because they felt they would only be a hindrance during the peaceful times.”
The members of the Saintess Party weren’t idealistic beings who emphasized peace.
Saintess. Hero. King of Mercenaries. Sword Saint. Sage.
The heroes representing humankind were entangled in all sorts of interests.
“To that point… I don’t know either. I-I’m serious…! Max never told me until he left.”
“Don’t worry. I believe you.”
Was it the sorrow of separation?
Or the fear of being abandoned forever?
Rue, holding onto the mug with both hands, exclaimed in a quivering voice. The mug shook, threatening to spill the cocoa at any moment.
If it were the Imperial Intelligence tracking the whereabouts of the Saintess Party, they would have expressed distrust and pried for information, but I believed Rue’s words wholeheartedly. Surely the gallant heroes who defeated the Demon King would not reveal their secrets to a little girl, risking exposure.
“Y-you believe me?”
“Well… I have been cast aside by worthy figures as well.”
There’s a saying about shared suffering.
That’s why I could understand the agony of falling into isolation better than anyone else.
It was also due to my sense of responsibility.
Rue was a victim swept away by my brother’s callousness.
‘Damn it, you made me your guardian knowing I would take care of you.’
I watched the little girl, who swayed her antenna-like hair in excitement. In that moment, I grasped why Maximilian had sent the mascot of the Saintess Party away.
*
Upon returning to the Imperial City, Ludmilla summoned her subordinates as soon as she reached her office.
The disappearance of the Saintess Party.
It was to prepare for the enormous backlash that would follow.
As the bureaucrats of the Valtarian Empire, known for their strict hierarchy, received the summons, all the officers who supported the princess gathered in the office without exception. With stiff expressions, they observed the Red Dragon who had returned from the East.
“It is clear that the hero has disappeared along with the Saintess. The Hohenberc Family is unrelated.”
Ludmilla was confronting Maximilian, who had unilaterally broken off the engagement, while simultaneously seeking to track down the mysteriously vanished Saintess Party.
The King of Mercenaries, the Sword Saint, and the Sage had all disappeared.
And the hero and the Saintess, who were the center of the expedition, were no exception.
The Hohenberc Family was uninvolved in the disappearance.
Maximilian had become estranged from the Imperial Family ever since he broke off the engagement. If the Hohenberc Family had known, they would have done everything in their power to prevent him.
“Keryll, were you able to find out what I asked?”
“Yes.”
Ludmilla questioned.
The knight with long red hair nodded and replied.
“I found out about the sixth member of the Saintess Party… the warmonger. Unfortunately, not much information is available about him.”
“Of course. You’ve done well.”
Proving the knight’s explanation, there was very little material related to the figure known as the “warmonger.”
For a long time, he had been regarded as an unidentified entity.
Thus, the information revealed did not even fill half a parchment.
Only the members of the Saintess Party would know his identity. Ludmilla furrowed her beautiful brow as she meticulously read through the scant details filled on the parchment.
“Oh, and… Your Highness.”
“What is it? Speak.”
One officer hesitated before finally speaking up.
Ludmilla extended her hand, granting permission to speak.
“There’s been a communication from the Imperial Palace. It seems to be regarding Princess Elizaveta’s engagement.”
“Has she already found a new partner?”
At Ludmilla’s question, the officer nearly blurted out a disrespectful comment about the unfortunate incident of her reaching her marriageable age. A cold sweat dripped down his back as he bit his lip.
Unaware of him, Ludmilla pondered.
“Hmmm… Eliza’s new partner, as her elder sister, I must be properly informed.”
As the unmarried princess approached thirty, murmurs began spreading amongst her subordinates, who recited solemn prayers to clear their minds.
Who is worried about whom,
Though the youngest princess has just turned twenty, you, dear sister, are already twenty-seven this year.
While their throats nearly burst with impiety, they barely managed to contain their thoughts with superhuman patience.
“I met Edanant von Hohenberc, the younger brother of the hero Maximilian, in the Hohenberc County. He was a striking man with sharp, three-hued eyes. And quite the eloquent speaker.”
Having met the second son of the Hohenberc Family, who was only heard of through rumors, Ludmilla closed the parchment as she reflected on her impressions of Edanant.
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