71 – 71. Lingering Fragrance (2)
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Women’s hearts are truly inscrutable.
Looking at Ludmilla humming a tune, she suddenly thought.
“Do you have something that makes you feel good?”
“Of course.”
She must have been in a state of great anger when they dragged her out of the sanatorium.
Perhaps there had been a change in her emotions.
Or maybe it was indeed hysteria from being an old maid.
Who knows.
Anyway, it’s fortunate that she seems to have quickly relaxed.
“Don’t worry about Crown Prince Erik! I have no respect for despicable men who seek only personal safety and power!”
“…?”
Raising her nose and shrugging her shoulders, Ludmilla’s response raised a question mark. It was difficult to understand the random words the princess had suddenly started saying.
Is she really suffering from hysteria?
By the time she turns twenty-seven, she hasn’t even had any dating experience, let alone marriage, so it wouldn’t be surprising if hysteria struck.
“I think we should start looking for the stronghold now.”
“Do you have any idea where to start?”
“Well, there are one or two places that come to mind, but it’s hard to be certain.”
“Hmm….”
She recalled the fleeting memories of traveling the continent with the Holy Maiden Party, pushed by Maximilian and Beatrice. Perhaps there could be a clue to Regnas’s whereabouts in those memories.
She smiled faintly, remembering the chaotic moments.
The journey with them had been a series of hardships, but it now remained as precious memories.
“I can’t believe you were a war enthusiast with the Holy Maiden Party…. It’s still hard to believe. After all this time, searching for a war enthusiast with you by my side…”
“I apologize for not explaining sooner.”
“It’s okay. You must have had your reasons.”
“….”
It was natural for her to feel resentment for deceiving herself and the Valtaia royal family. Even after seeing her desperately searching for the whereabouts of the Holy Maiden Party, she remained silent in the end.
However, Ludmilla showed a surprisingly compassionate side.
She felt momentarily awkward at Ludmilla’s smiling with her white teeth showing. And just like when they waltzed on the terrace, she felt her heart rate increasing as she admired her beautiful figure.
“I am only filled with joy right now. To think you were a hero who decorated the species war with victory! When His Majesty finds out the truth, he will surely be delighted!”
“That would be nice.”
Would the moment come when the truth about the war enthusiast is revealed?
It probably won’t.
She must do everything she can to prevent the dramatic revelation of her identity.
The war enthusiast must remain anonymous until the end. She still believed that.
However, he responded with a shrug, not wanting to crush Ludmilla’s genuine joy by blushing like a child.
“Ethan!”
When momentarily captivated by the princess’s unexpected charm,
A saint dressed in pure white robes approached with determined steps.
Ludmilla, looking at him, let out a heavy sigh. It seemed as if she thought he was trying to intervene as usual.
But Javelin seemed more desperate than ever. Normally, he would have just looked at Ludmilla with disapproval.
Could it be that a new revelation had emerged?
An intuition born of foreboding seemed to suggest so.
“Ethan, the report of a Dark Castle appearance has been acquired by the Holy Empire.”
“It seems they have moved again. Where was it spotted?”
“In the Kingdom of Bomon.”
“What? The Kingdom of Bomon…?”
The Kingdom of Bomon, established with the support of the Valterian Empire and the Gael Holy Kingdom, was a nation where the Bomon Order, granted the territory of the Demon King, had been founded.
Upon hearing the news that Regnas, who had attacked the Pug Kingdom, had reappeared in the Kingdom of Bomon, he bit his tongue in frustration. It was because he seemed to understand Regnas’s intentions in choosing the Kingdom of Bomon.
“A kingdom of knights guarding the Immortal Fortress.”
“That’s correct.”
The Kingdom of Bomon, which had once been the territory of the Demon King’s army, was nothing more than a frontier surrounded by rugged mountains. However, the reputation of the Kingdom of Bomon was comparable to that of the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
The Immortal Fortress.
It was the stronghold where the most brutal battles took place during the Third Race War.
And it was also the frontline where the war enthusiast, who had joined the Saint’s party, first participated in battle.
The Immortal Fortress, symbolized as impregnable, was the capital of the Kingdom of Bomon. Therefore, upon hearing Javelin’s words, he immediately showed his bewilderment.
“The Dark Castle has called for Ethan. More precisely… the War Enthusiast.”
“…Yes.”
The War Enthusiast.
We will await you where your legend began.
Regnas’s voice, who had entered the Kingdom of Bomon, seemed to ring vividly.
– There was no more.
Regnas had entered the Immortal Fortress to reveal the truth of the previous prophecy he had sent.
It had to be done.
So that answers could be obtained.
Why did he disappear without a word.
Where is the Saint’s party that had suddenly vanished.
The answers he had been desperately seeking were now coming to light.
***
As Edanant von Hohenberg’s status, he could not go.
Because the figure Regnas desired was none other than the “War Enthusiast.”
He had to conceal his face.
He had to become thoroughly anonymous, just like he had three years ago.
“Hmph…!”
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“Why are you so happy?”
Edanant, who had hurriedly returned to Hohenberg Manor to hide his whereabouts, let out a heavy sigh. He seemed to feel awkward about re-entering the secular world as a member of the Saint’s party.
Damn it.
He had no intention of making a fool of himself again….
Swallowing his frustration, he suppressed his irritation.
On the other hand, Javelin looked at Edanant with an expression full of anticipation.
It seemed like she was feeling a sense of excitement at the reappearance of the War Enthusiast, who had been known only as an anonymous figure. In the saint’s eyes, reminiscences of the past overflowed in the form of a misty gaze.
“Don’t worry. I’ll accompany you.”
“You are enough on your own. Please stay with Princess Ludmilla like before.”
Ludmilla remained in the royal capital.
The calamity brought by the apostles of the Cataclysm was still vivid.
Moreover, the Kingdom of Bomon, which had once been the territory of the Demon King’s army, was a distant land. Therefore, Ludmilla had to reluctantly accept the fleeting parting, swallowing her regrets.
“Where did you put the mask? What about the armor you always wore?”
“……”
Was the separation from the enemy a joy?
Or was the War Enthusiast’s return so welcome?
Javelin, like a sparrow, clung to Edanant’s side, chirping incessantly.
“You seem to know a lot. You’ve always boasted of hiding your tracks thoroughly….”
“Well, there are always exceptions. It’s as if eternal secrets eventually exist as non-existent.”
The mask. The armor.
The observer knew so well that it made the others feel bewildered.
Just how much does she know?
Sweat trickled down Eadnant’s back as Javelin, who spoke effortlessly about the characteristics of war enthusiasts that only a few knew, moved forward.
In fact, could Beatrice and Javelin be extraterrestrials sharing knowledge with each other? Edanant, who briefly glanced at the saint, entertained such absurd thoughts and started walking.
“Finally, I can scold that arrogant junior! As a senior, I’ll give her a stern talking-to! But when will the war enthusiast arrive?”
“……”
A little kid with green hair, full of vigor like a leader of the alley, followed Eadnant. It seemed as if he was watching a showdown between the scolder and the youngest member who had just joined.
Eadnant let out a deep sigh.
On the other hand, Javelin put on a grand display.
Their contrasting reactions made Rue chuckle.
“Don’t worry. We’ll move with the Holy Knight Order of the Victorious Kingdom under the pretext of pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Bomon. You can join us in the Kingdom of Bomon later.” “…I’ll count on you, Rue.”
Perhaps Rue’s help would be needed to persuade Regnas. Until the Saint’s party suddenly disappeared, Rue had played the role of a mascot quite well.
If Rue accompanied them from the beginning, suspicions might arise. Currently, Eadnant von Hohenberg was Rue’s guardian. That’s why he decided to entrust Rue to Javelin for a while.
“Here we are.”
They arrived at the dense forest located to the north with the saint and Rue.
It was a place favored as a hunting ground by the Hohenberg family.
However, due to the current lord’s aversion to hunting, it had been neglected for a long time.
They arrived at the center of the forest, clearing the densely overgrown branches like a jungle. It was because the old cabin in the center held the lingering scent of the past.
“It must have gathered quite a bit of dust.”
*Cough, cough!*
With a creaking sound, the door opened.
As dust flew up, it spoke of the long passage of time.
“Phew.”
Eadnant spotted an old chest placed on the cabin’s table and let out a sigh. Slowly, he headed towards the chest, exhaling a sigh steeped in nostalgia as he opened it.
*Creak…*
He opened the chest with both hands.
Along with the creaking of metal, the contents inside the chest were revealed.
“Huh?”
Rue raised an eyebrow, forming a question mark with a swift movement of his hair.
A iron mask with distinct bloodstains.
Armor so worn out it could barely be considered scrap metal.
It was a sorry excuse for an item, considering the energy spent to reach the cabin.
“…Indeed, time has passed.”
On the other hand, Javelin’s reaction was different.
The saint gazed at the worn-out antique with a poignant longing, biting down on her thick lips as if trying to hold back tears.
War enthusiast.
Even after three years, his image was vivid in their minds.
Finally, they could see him as he was back then.
Eadnant silently observed Javelin, who wore a rusty iron mask on his face like a piece of scrap metal. It was a moment of his return, having completely erased any traces, just as he had hidden his identity perfectly.