“…I’ll be back.”
Though it was hard to tell how the earlier incident affected Adrian, at least he didn’t seem to regret it, given how shy he appeared.
Seeing someone who usually approached me act like that felt a bit awkward.
I couldn’t help but chuckle as Adrian kept brushing his lips, probably wondering how I fit the bill.
“I won’t take too long. If possible, it’d be better for me to finish quickly. It shouldn’t take more than a week.”
“I’ll wait for you.”
This time, when Adrian looked at me properly, I gently wiped my cheek and nodded in response.
The atmosphere was completely different from yesterday.
If there were any boundaries, they had been completely crossed, leaving behind any trace of the previous awkwardness.
Now all that was left was to join the Crown Prince’s army.
Since I heard that Cain was leading the vanguard, it was crucial to arrive quickly and confirm his presence.
I had no intention of making anyone wait.
Hoping I could come to the Moon Tower with Adele next time, I quietly looked at Adrian, who had both of his hands stacked on mine.
#
“A lot of people are coming.”
Adele muttered quietly as she gazed at the hazy cloud of dust. Betrayal? It was absurd to hear that accusation again.
I wonder how desperate someone had to be to concoct such a ridiculous reason, but looking back now, it seemed like the Crown Prince never really liked me much from the start.
The reason I could prepare in advance was thanks to my past memories.
Unlike before, when Adele recalled Robert, who wasn’t present, her eyes narrowed.
I could see what she was thinking.
Did he stick by her side just to keep her alive while serving as the Crown Prince’s confidant?
“He can’t be oblivious to the fact that he’s dead.”
If you think about it, Robert had experienced more deaths than I did.
Even though he kept quiet, not revealing everything to me, in Adele’s view, it was unlikely that Robert had only died twice.
If that had been the case, he wouldn’t have gazed at other women with such longing.
As much as I wanted to confine him somewhere, I was too fed up with how well he used my feelings to do so.
After wrapping up with a letter saying that I wouldn’t be able to contact anyone for a while once I got to the capital, I finally understood why I had made that bet last time.
He must have meant, in a roundabout way, that he would surely revive me.
“What will you do? Will you retaliate…?”
Seeing Lothos’s face, Adele bitterly smiled and let out a sigh.
He spat it out.
The charge of betrayal doesn’t do any favors for the morale of the soldiers.
Isn’t it strange to boldly declare that you’ll cut your throat the moment you’re caught, while fighting against the Imperial Army, knowing your actions are considered betrayal?
Countering is only natural. However, if the fight continues like this, defeat is certain.
I know that the man with the mask in front of me is Kaitel’s henchman, but it would be foolish to engage with someone whose powers are unknown right from the start. Moreover—
“Robert Taylor has appeared at the eastern gate!”
“Betrayal!”
Seeing the disarray in the troops, Adele touched her forehead, but that didn’t mean a miracle would occur to turn the unfavorable situation around.
I know what Robert is thinking by coming here. However, that’s something I shouldn’t acknowledge.
Robert is probably waiting for my response.
When he was an ally, I didn’t realize it, but facing him as an enemy makes Robert a more troublesome presence than anyone else.
He defeated the Minotaurus? Is there really anyone capable of single-handedly defeating a demon that only appears in books?
Adele found it unimaginable. Still, she couldn’t fully let her guard down.
If she counters, there will be sacrifices, and if she doesn’t, all the plans will be thrown off course.
Adele quietly stood up, gripping the sword at her waist.
When her lieutenants turned their gaze to one spot, Adele walked towards the door, slowly surveying her surroundings as she spoke.
“You all defend the Imperial Army here as much as possible. If you fight aggressively, they’ll find a way to exploit that, so prepare to counter defensively for any unforeseen circumstances. We must minimize the sacrifices of our soldiers.”
“What about the east—”
“I’ll go.”
She had only one sword left to give to Robert. I wonder if he brought it this time.
Thinking of the sword Robert wielded during the Full Moon Festival, Adele silently stared into the air.
Finally, she exhaled a shallow breath and called forth her magic power. With every step she took, the magic seeping out caused her lieutenants to stiffen their expressions.
The power was even more formidable than when she first received the title of Grand Duke, enough for anyone nearby to feel intimidation.
After all, this was possible because she was a woman born with talent.
The Grand Duke who unified the North with her own strength, riding a single wolf and slaying hundreds from an immigrant tribe—countless tales of her prowess without any reinforcements.
There was a woman who was called a legion all on her own, which is likely why the state sought to control her by granting her the title of Grand Duke.
When she stood in front of the shaking gates, Adele quietly shifted her step while gazing at the soldiers holding the gates.
Like a breeze, she moved lightly, and soon found herself amid the chaos, gazing expressionlessly at the gates.
Robert stands before me. Perhaps now he looks like someone who has betrayed me, but beneath that facade, he hides a dagger in his heart.
Rert is here. Perhaps now, with a look that betrays himself, but deep down, he hides a dagger.
Can Robert buy as much time as he wants?
Doubt arose about whether he could match the picture that guy was drawing, but he knew well that there wasn’t even time to ponder such worries now.
Swoosh, Adele, who cut through the magic flowing beyond the inner gate, smiled faintly as her lips twitched.
“Open the gate.”
“But—”
“Should I open it myself?”
At the command to open the gate, the soldiers stepped back, and slowly, between the creaking doors, a faint glow appeared.
Just sensing it from afar made him feel as if his whole body was sliced by a blade.
It was a power much more intense than before, one that was hard to even face. Drawing upon her magic with all her might, Adele quietly gazed beyond the faint glow.
“I can hardly recognize your face since it’s been so long. You look a bit thinner too.”
“…Have you been well?”
“I haven’t. It’s been months without a word from anyone. Not even once, and this is the second time; I really wanted to know what was on your mind.”
Hearing Adele’s voice, the corners of Robert’s mouth curved in a smile, but Adele frowned and stared at him.
The atmosphere felt different from before. Unlike the usual intuition, it was closer to a woman’s intuition, but when looking at Robert, the anxiety that was usually persistent… now felt like a different kind of anxiety.
“Did you happen to get involved with the princess?”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“You look just like someone in love. I almost threw my dagger at you for a moment.”
Just as she started to catch on, Adele let out an involuntary laugh.
Thinking it was a princess at first, it turned out to be a saint. When she probed a little, his eyes trembled.
Robert was particularly bad at lying to her. Whenever he hid something, his eyes always shook, and Adele caught that subtle movement, causing her teeth to clench.
“…Well, Robert. If you intended to make me angry, you deserve a compliment.”
Not hearing from him was okay. Most of what he might have been thinking, she understood.
However, she couldn’t forgive whatever else had happened in the meantime. Hadn’t she said she hoped he’d respond sincerely?
If that was the thought lurking in her mind, then it was fortunate. Now, she felt a little more ready to genuinely be angry at Robert.
Fwoosh—
More splendidly than usual, flames wrapped around Adele’s body.
Magic is born from a person’s emotions. When one is gloomy or sad, its power cannot be unleashed,
but if they’re feeling good, it becomes faster and lighter. Naturally, the strongest power surfaces when one is enraged.
The magic power burning like flames disappears quickly, but when it ignites, it is undeniably stronger than any other time.
It was a force that even created the illusion of distorting the surrounding space.
The ground covered in eyes melted away, and the light flickered in Adele’s gaze as she glared at Robert.
Misunderstanding— it couldn’t just be that since there was already something shared with Adrian. With a bitter smile, Robert had no choice but to grasp his sword.
He thought it would be better to clash with all his might, yet he couldn’t tell if he should think of it as a good thing or a bad thing.
“I always thought about it. That someday, such a thing might happen.”
“…I’m sorry—”
“I’m not saying this because I want to hear an apology. It’s just that I’ve been too late.”
It’s too late for regret. Unbeknownst to him, the foxes had already settled in,
and that spot couldn’t possibly be as clean as before. But Robert…
As Adele recalled her memories, her gaze turned cold, and at the same time, the magic power began to rage more violently.
Now, it was power that Robert could no longer ignore.
If only he had caught Robert a little sooner, would she have been by his side?
What would have changed if she had forced him into the lieutenant position when he first came to the North?
Shaking her head at the growing distractions that became harder to erase, Adele stomped the ground and surged forward.
Boom— faster than the wind, the knight’s speed, drawing out all the magic power, was beyond comparison to mere gusts.
Creak—
The moment Robert lightly received that sword, the gazes of Robert and Adele intertwined between them.
In the instant their eyes met, countless emotions were read, and the once-burning feelings were starting to fade.
But the swords did not stop.
Irritation, jealousy, anger, envy. As those complex emotions blended, the swords created new feelings with every clash.
To unleash their feelings, and to properly fulfill the plans the other had in mind, they wielded their swords.
Yet, the emotions melding in their gazes were enough to momentarily forget their anger.
“It’s been a while since we met, but I’m sorry if I’ve upset you.”
As the sword strikes poured towards each other, Robert, now embodying a different kind of composure, spoke.
With a frown, Adele turned her eyes aside and casually swung her sword to deflect.
She felt irritation, yet simultaneously, the emotion of joy from meeting again also bloomed.
Wasn’t it more like she was definitely losing?
However, one thing was clear to her.
The will to survive him shone through unmistakably, and Adele quietly smiled.
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