33 – Somehow the Enemy of the Public
It was a deep night with the crescent moon smiling.
And yet, Elaine couldn’t fall asleep.
It was because she stood by the wide-open window.
Looking up at the moon.
She was embracing the warm breeze of a spring night that had begun to imitate summer.
“…….”
The reason she couldn’t sleep wasn’t just because of the upper-class problems that arose when she went to the capital and had a big fight with her father, who had returned late in the evening.
-Why on earth did I go to the Imperial Palace….
Wherever I go, what right do you have to judge me? This is uncomfortable. Even if my mother might have forgiven you, I haven’t!
Elaine’s outburst was surprising.
It was like another person living inside her, waiting to burst out.
Even without looking in the mirror, she could tell.
Her crumpled face would have screamed silent anger, and even her determined breathing would have conveyed a similar feeling.
“Well…”
Count Bartt tried to say something, but for some reason, he closed his mouth.
He pressed his bowed forehead with one hand and gestured as if to say, “You can leave now.”
Even though he was her father.
Perhaps it was too much after all…
Now, Elaine felt a belated sense of guilt.
The regret that came softly like the waves of the night sea was by no means light.
But still.
It didn’t resonate with her as much as her concern for the Crown Prince, who was heading towards the border.
Yesterday afternoon.
The Crown Prince had revealed a truth that he had not told anyone.
He said he had been poisoned.
Of course, he also said that he had completely recovered.
He explained that his violent outburst was because of that, and that the accusation of killing someone was also a false charge.
Furthermore, someone unknown was still trying to kill him, and the Crown Prince was willing to take risks to uncover the mastermind.
The prince explained that his magic was done using spirits.
When asked if the otter and the eagle were spirits, he confirmed it.
It was a short conversation, but it felt like most of the curiosity that had been harbored was resolved.
And somehow, I felt a sense of joy as if a precious secret had been shared only between the prince and myself.
Of course, I couldn’t help but worry just as much.
Could it be that the prince is in such a difficult situation?
I couldn’t help but feel sorry and sad.
Moreover, now we have to go all the way to the border to prevent a war with the elves…
From her perspective, it was an unpredictable situation with unknown dangers lurking.
That’s why, if possible, I wanted to go with him too.
– I’ll go with you.
– That might be difficult. In the worst case, there could be a terrible battle.
– But if you become endangered again…
– That won’t happen.
The prince’s informal speech reduced the sense of distance.
The more I listened, the more excited I felt, but it was also true that I felt a bitter feeling knowing that I couldn’t go with him.
After Elaine glanced at the closed door once, she asked cautiously.
– Will you go together with Lady Yoo…?
– Astia is my escort, so of course we’ll go together.
…My escort.
The distance seemed much narrower than the distance between herself and him.
She never expected those words, filled with years of familiarity and trust, to evoke such a deep feeling of longing.
It was endlessly regretful.
If she were as strong as this princess, she could be with him as well.
Elaine looked at the moon.
Perhaps the prince is also looking at the moon right now.
A gentle breeze blew, gently swaying her golden hair as it passed by.
Elaine closed her eyes tightly and prayed.
“Oh, Aurora, please help the prince stay safe…”
May this feeling be reflected in the moon and conveyed to the prince.
After praying for a while, she closed the window with a fearful gesture and lay down on the bed.
Then she fell asleep and immediately began to dream.
In her dream, a woman appeared, so beautiful it was almost unbearable.
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Even though the surroundings were so bright that she couldn’t even see her own body, this woman stood out vividly.
She was a woman with long blonde hair like hers and blue eyes.
But she was much taller, and the transcendent beauty that was imbued in her face and body seemed impossible for a human to possess.
“My most beloved child…”
Even her incomprehensible voice resonated with a noble tone, as if speaking from within a cave.
“W-who are you…?”
“I am the goddess of light, Aurora-“
“Ah….”
It was such an unusual situation that I realized it was a dream right away.
But Aurora….
A goddess had appeared in her dream.
Elaine was so bewildered that she forgot what to say.
“My child-“
“Yes, yes…!”
“Don’t be sad-“
“Yes…?”
“In this life, I will definitely lead you to happiness-“
….
With those words, the goddess burst into light, and the scenery in front of her suddenly changed.
She saw the figure of the prince being carried on a stretcher.
His eyes were closed as if he were dead, and thick blood flowed from his mouth.
“Oh, no! Your Highness! Your Highness!!”
She cried out desperately, but no sound came out.
And as if becoming invisible, no one could see her.
Then she saw it.
A large hole pierced through the prince’s chest.
Countless corpses were writhing around him.
In the midst of it, the elves were urgently carrying the prince.
“Don’t let them escape! Kill them all!”
And behind them, the human army was chasing closely.
“Oh, nooo!!!”
Elen woke up from her dream, screaming.
As usual after a nightmare, her whole body was soaked in sweat, and her hands and feet were trembling.
Tears were even streaming down her eyes.
What on earth is happening?
Everything she saw in her dream was so vivid.
It felt like she had a premonition, just like when the dying prince came to the Marquis’s house.
Elen was convinced.
This dream must be a divine revelation.
“I have to go to the prince!”
If she can go in time, maybe she can prevent the tragedy she saw in her dream.
Elen quickly got out of bed.
But she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something unknown had suddenly changed.
It was just a dream, after all.
Her mind was filled with unknown knowledge, and a mysterious sensation was emerging from her body.
“What on earth is this…?”
Elen cautiously looked at her hands.
A multitude of light flowed from within the palm of her hand.
Hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of strands of light swiftly coursed through her palm, flowing through every nook and cranny of her body more meticulously than her blood.
Moreover, there was an immense and mysterious knowledge that caused a slight headache.
Because of it, she seemed to be able to freely manipulate divine power.
As an experiment, she imagined a form, and the various strands of light that seeped out of her palm merged together, forming a small cluster of light.
It floated above her palm, shimmering like a sun.
But as she withdrew her will, it burst apart like an exploding star, and the particles of light were sucked back into her body.
Her outstretched hand soon clenched into a fist.
She felt like she could do anything.
Elaine quickly changed into comfortable clothes and secretly left the Marquis’s mansion.
Using the secret hole in the wall that she had discovered as a maid, she was able to leave without being noticed by anyone.
It would be much better to borrow a horse outside the mansion if she wanted to ride.
***
Underneath the black curtain sprinkled with countless stars made of silver dust.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Elaine ran without rest.
She had never ridden a horse before, not even once.
Yet, riding felt surprisingly easy.
It was strange from the moment the horse, whom she had never seen before, approached her and nudged her forehead, offering its head to be petted.
-No, why is this creature acting like this?
The man, who was both the owner of the words and the owner of the inn, couldn’t hide his astonishment.
– He may not be violent, but he’s not like this. Did the young lady really like him?
Could it be because of the divine power?
As if he understood Elaine’s heart well, he immediately put in his best effort and started running.
But that wasn’t the only strange thing.
Clearly, even though he must have lacked sleep, he didn’t seem tired at all.
I had an inexplicable certainty that it was probably because of the divine power.
Of course, the horse, who was breathing heavily, showed signs of exhaustion.
Elaine cautiously lowered her body and placed her hand on the horse’s neck.
Then, through the touch of their hands, the divine power flowed in.
Unlike when she treated the prince, only the necessary amount flowed, and she didn’t feel any burden.
hehehehe!
As soon as she removed her hand, the horse let out a powerful neigh and started running even faster.
It was just divine power that she used to hope for fatigue recovery.
But it felt like her strength had become even stronger, surpassing just physical recovery.
The wind brushing against her body felt so refreshing.
And so, Elaine ran through the fields under the night sky, heading towards the southern border of the empire.
Her destination was the Tena Pell Marquisate.
Although they started late, if they ran diligently, they could arrive without being too late.
The reins tightened in my hand, and strength flowed into them involuntarily.
“I will definitely save you, Your Highness.”
***
Thud- Cool!
I woke up at the sound of Glennetino’s snoring.
That guy was quite something.
Even when Astia was slaughtering knights, he slept like a corpse. And now, even though it was already time for breakfast with the sun high in the sky, he was still comfortably lying in bed.
Astia had already started a fire and was happily watching the deer meat sizzle and cook, filling the air with a delicious aroma.
The ten knights, each with a thorny tattoo around their necks, sat obediently in their seats like hunting dogs.
Their posture was literally like that of hunting dogs.
The reason was probably because of the marks of enslavement tattooed on their necks.
It was the result of putting on the enslavement necklace, which was only used for battle slaves.
I had bought about 20 of them, thinking they might come in handy someday, but I never expected to use them so effectively by entrusting them to Astia.
Thanks to Astia’s favor, Lupus’s cleanly severed arm was now attached again.
It seemed like Astia had used a high-level potion meant for emergencies.
But it wouldn’t have perfectly connected all the nerves, and it wouldn’t be easy to wield a sword like before.
We had filled our stomachs with deer meat.
Of course, Glennetino, who hadn’t fulfilled his duties as a watchdog, was slapped by Astia even before eating, and even after eating, he was thoroughly beaten for hitting the growling stomach.
After the ten knights who had become slaves hurriedly tidied up, we rode our horses towards the border again.
Finally, it was nightfall when we could step foot in the territory of Count Tenafel.
Fortunately.
In the midst of the standoff between the Count’s army and the elven army, there was still no fighting taking place.
And as soon as I arrived, negotiations began at the table placed in the center of the two forces.
“….”
“….”
The leaders of each army did not look at each other, only glaring at me.
The situation seemed even more complicated than I had imagined.
Strictly speaking, it was not the situation itself that was difficult, but rather the individuals who were trying to control the situation.
“Surely, Your Majesty has come with reinforcements? It’s truly disappointing that you only brought ten knights as support. How can you bring such a meager force when those filthy elves are trying to devour our empire? Sending useless trash like you, who can’t even be recycled, is no different from ordering me to die, Your Majesty.”
The man with an extremely displeased expression spat out those words, and so did Count Tenafel.
“So, you were Wiblea’s son. My sister, who betrayed her family and country… I see that betrayer has been taken care of. Truly, what a waste of blood. To mix noble blood with the flesh of such a despicable and evil human… I want to kill you right now, I’m going crazy with the desire.”
The elven man with the same silver hair as mine was also shooting hateful glares, just like the Count.
And then, finally, Count Tenafel slammed three tables down and stood up from his seat.
“Fine, if Your Majesty wishes for my death, then I shall follow. There will be no negotiations with you. It is war!”
He said those words, but why is he looking at me like that?
As if in response, the elven prince, who must be the third person, stood up at once, his eyes full of bloodlust.
“Grant my wish! Make those lowly creatures who have relied only on their tongues and tricks pay the price from today onwards! Especially you. I will definitely kill you tonight, who dared to covet noble blood in the form of a human!”
Both the prince in the novel and myself, who possessed his body, have never desired blood.
“As the master who has brought us to death, Your Majesty, please take the vanguard!”
There is one thing that is certain.
Both leaders of the two forces, they both despised me more than each other.