“It was really *confusing*.”
“Right?”
In front of the Chairwoman’s Residence.
Erica and Trie walked out of the front gate, still feeling a bit *dazed*.
Both of them hadn’t fully grasped the situation that had just happened.
Suddenly, the Crown Prince appeared wearing a ragged hood and casually exchanged Schlus and Elixir, joking as if he were Schlus’s wife…
It was a whirlwind of *unexplainable* events.
“So, Schlus’s wife… That’s just a hilarious story, right?”
“Why?”
“Who would like a guy like that? He’s selfish, quiet, grumpy, gloomy, and rude.”
“I like him.”
“……”
Erica’s footsteps halted.
Wondering if her response was somehow off, Trie tilted her head.
As she looked at Trie, Erica’s face began to gradually *flush*.
“W-Well, if you could… marry Schlus, would you?”
“Of course. Our family is strong due to our mercenary work, but we don’t have as many high-ranked nobles as your magician family. To connect with the royal family, capturing Schlus is the best option.”
“Huh, so Schulzenburg is in that position, huh. Hmph…”
Pretending not to be flustered, Erica sniffed and started walking again.
Although she acted as if nothing was wrong, her mind was in deeper *disarray*.
‘What? Am I the only one thinking the same way as Schlus?’
Isn’t marriage supposed to be about being with someone who shares your heart?
Her mother had certainly taught her that.
No matter how wealthy or wonderful someone is, being without love means you won’t be happy.
But her mother had married someone wealthy and admirable and lived a happy life, right…?
If someone were to ask if that perfect man is Schlus—
‘He’s not!’
She could immediately answer that.
Sure, Schlus has a charming enough face, but he’s not exactly good-looking.
He cares about the little things, but his heart isn’t that kind.
His ability to fight for what’s precious is certainly admirable, but it’s not like he’s terribly *cool*.
‘Tch… This isn’t it.’
Just thinking for a moment filled Erica’s head with thoughts about Schlus, causing her face to turn even *redder*.
To be honest, Schlus is a pretty decent guy for a commoner.
If Schlus proposed, she’d probably think long and hard before reluctantly accepting.
But the problem lay elsewhere.
Schlus already has someone he admires.
Or should it be said someone he *used* to admire?
He loves a dead person.
He is trying to make a romance that was never meant to be, through her younger sister.
Remembering that fact gave Erica a feeling of bitterness that seemed to wash over her.
“You should hurry.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“There are plenty of people aiming for Schlus.”
“Wha…!”
Erica’s face turned even more *scarlet*.
Trie had said it playfully, but she was half-serious.
First and foremost, Schlus’s attendant was fighting tooth and nail to win him over.
Trie didn’t know much about that girl, but she certainly had audacity.
If it came down to it, that girl might even *knock* him out and sneak off with him to bear his child…
Not to mention Iris, who was equally suspicious.
No matter how much they say the Saintess is a sacred chosen of God, she’s still human, right?
Even if she’s *holding back*, she can’t be different from any ordinary girl.
Moreover, recently, she’d light up at the sight of Schlus, following his eyes and smiling. Anyone could see she was expressing interest.
If she’s trying to restrain herself yet still showing that much, what on earth is going on inside her…?
Trie felt a chill.
‘Do I… not like Schlus?’
The expression of Trie, who was walking alongside Erica, turned peculiar.
Schlus is indeed a good man.
He’s handsome, his personality is nice, he’s skilled in magic, and while not as good as her, he wields a sword pretty decently. Plus, he’s smart.
His only flaw is being a commoner, but now that he has the rank of a knight under the Emperor, you could say, exaggerating a bit, that his status is comparable to high-ranking nobles.
He’s without a doubt a perfect candidate for marriage.
But there was no ‘thrilling’ feeling like the kind seen in typical girl’s romance novels.
She still hadn’t felt it completely.
Only once. When they were trapped in a minefield, and they dismantled all the mines with the spell they completed together…
In that moment, seeing such a beautiful sight next to Schlus, she had felt a little *flutter*.
“Trie, are you one of the people aiming for Schlus?”
“Um… I guess?”
“O-Oh, is that so?”
“Sorry, but I won’t go easy on you.”
“I-I never said I was aiming for him?!”
Erica raised her voice in distress, looking a little cute.
From a man’s perspective, a girl like this seems more appealing than one with strong muscles and great strength.
Even though they hadn’t entered the frontlines yet, it felt like the outcome was already showing, and Trie let out a *sigh* with a bittersweet smile.
“If you keep acting all *cagey*, you might regret it later.”
“……”
Erica soon turned her back on Trie and walked away.
It was a story she already knew.
Since childhood, she had missed out on quite a few things because of this *unreflected* personality…
Even knowing it, some things are hard to change.
…
“Commander. A letter from the institution.”
“Is it from Schlus Hainkel?”
“Yes, it is, but… this isn’t my doing.”
“……?”
A letter envelope was placed *thump* on the desk.
The adjutant then saluted and practically *ran* away.
Perplexed, Roman extended a hand towards the envelope and quickly caught on.
The envelope was already *opened*.
‘Is this the headquarters’ doing?’
The postal service wouldn’t dare do something like this.
Most likely, it had been intercepted over at command, checked, and sent along.
In the past, they had at least tried to hide what they did by resealing it.
But now they didn’t even bother trying to hide their eavesdropping.
“That’s *hurtful*.”
Roman laughed *awkwardly* as he pulled out the letter from the envelope.
Many forces envied him as the youngest general, brilliant in the Freya-Trude war.
Even inside the military, aside from the division commanders of the 3rd Corps, practically every general was an enemy of Roman.
Roman was a thorn in the side of the existing personnel, leading reforms.
To pull him down, the headquarters would use all kinds of *low* and shabby methods.
The results were now like this.
“Um…?”
As Roman read the letter carefully, his eyes widened.
The concise content was as follows.
– You said you would grant my wish just once. I will write it now. When the ‘crisis’ you mentioned arrives, use all means at your disposal to help me. Of course, you may act as long as it doesn’t violate military law or imperial orders.
“Pfft…”
Roman couldn’t help but burst into *laughter*.
Is he being serious about wanting help? It’s hard to believe.
He could only pretend to help a little and later claim that was all he could do or that it was military law’s fault.
But Schlus Hainkel didn’t give specific orders and instead entrusted Roman with autonomy.
Was it because he was a fool?
No, Schlus Hainkel wasn’t a foolish man.
Even without the wish token, he probably noticed that Roman was inclined to help him.
Moreover, the unnecessary phrasing ‘as long as it doesn’t violate military law or imperial orders…’ seems to have been added considering the risk of eavesdropping.
Or rather, it’s more accurate to say he was convinced he was being eavesdropped on.
‘What kind of guy is Schlus Hainkel?!’
Roman felt his heart *racing*.
He was the one who had advised Count Sergey to jump into the flames.
At that time, he was somewhat unsure.
But now it seemed that the true worth of that guy was slowly being revealed.
Curious about how he would deal with an unstoppable crisis, Roman *gripped* the letter eagerly.
*
“Ugh…”
A groan slipped from Iris, lying in bed.
In her hand was a letter envelope adorned with beautiful yet restrained detailing.
It was undeniably a correspondence from the Papal Palace.
Desperate to avoid reading it, Iris tossed and turned in bed for a while before roughly tearing open the envelope.
Then, with the intention of reading quickly and moving on, she looked into the letter.
– Greetings, Saintess. It’s been a while. How is your education going? Recently, swarms of crows have been causing trouble in the Papal Palace. It’s so *noisy*…
“Hah.”
A deep *sigh* escaped her lips.
There was no way she could quickly read and move past this.
Whether it’s royalty or the Papal Palace, they clearly don’t know how to write short letters.
Moreover, this seemingly pointless preface was laced with subtle metaphors that conveyed intent…
It wasn’t simply readable; it needed to be *deciphered* through multiple readings.
“Hu…”
Finishing her deciphering, Iris placed the letter on her desk and took off her glasses.
If someone else read it, they’d think it was just wishing Iris well.
But hidden beneath was this message.
– The direction of the wind is set.
– Do not resist but let your body be carried by the wind.
To interpret it even more directly:
– Schlus Hainkel is a setting sun.
– His downfall is assured, so avoid him.
“What to do? This is troublesome.”
As she caressed her cheek, Iris unintentionally smiled.
Recently, she truly glimpsed a long and detailed vision of the far-off future.
Through a dream, she had the chance to see a distant future in great detail.
If that future plays out, then the direction of the wind will change.
Not by nature, but by one person.
“I’m sorry, Your Holiness.”
Iris decided to walk against the current, stepping forward in the opposite direction.
