Chapter 182

“…You ended up pushing it all on me, brother.”

Kateka Keshulei grumbled.

Just when I thought I was having a cool conversation with Cheshih, all the trivial and labor-intensive work became Kateka’s share.

I patted my half-brother on the shoulder.

“Hmph. We’re returning to Lutilium soon. Just bear with it until then.”

“…Honestly…···.”

Kateka shook his head.

Even I, Secundus, who never forced hardship on others, would often entrust difficult tasks to Kateka.

This was my own way of showing trust.

I, the muscular prince, stroked my chin.

“More importantly, what do you think of that man, Cheshih?”

“…I was thinking of taking one person to Lutilium. I was waiting because there was no suitable person, but…···.”

“He seems all right, doesn’t he?”

Kateka nodded.

Though it was a short conversation, we had come to like Cheshih quite a bit.

“…He speaks, so very well…···.”

“He reminded me of that fellow.”

“…It’s already been seven years. You should forget him.”

“Haven’t you forgotten him either? Seeing as you immediately thought of him when I said ‘that fellow.’”

“…It’s strange. We only pretended to be brothers for about two months.”

We thought of Zionis, the 5th Prince who was said to have died seven years ago.

We never imagined he was alive and well in the West.

A bitter silence fell, and Kateka deliberately changed the subject.

“Oh, brother… what you wanted…···.”

“Hmm, good work. It must be the list of casualties.”

“…Yes. About two hundred lost their lives in the process of occupying Wadurman.”

“Give the bereaved families generous compensation. What about the Wadurman side?”

“…About eight hundred. Also, twenty-three civilian casualties…···.”

“Even after trying to reduce it, a thousand people ended up dead. Even those who were not soldiers.”

I let out a groan.

I had been accustomed to the battlefield since I was young.

But I could never get used to people dying.

No, it felt like I might get used to it if I wasn’t careful, and I was anxious that I would stop seeing human lives as human lives.

It was no easy task to retain a human heart while shedding so much blood.

Not that I had any intention of showing it.

“Even if we don’t know the names, record the numbers. It is our sin.”

“Yes, brother.”

I pressed my brow hard. The worsening fatigue was now at the point of causing pain.

“…Hmph. When I go back, I’ll have to see Brother Ferbias right away.”

It was a tiring thought just to imagine it.

Ferbias would try his best not to acknowledge my achievements, and with people following me, I couldn’t afford to lose.

“Rest while you’re in Wadurman, at least.”

“I’ll do that. However…···.”

“However?”

“…We have a guest, brother.”

Kateka’s tone was particularly cautious.

“It seems you must see them, right away….”

“A dignitary of Wadurman? I’m tired, send them back. It should be fine to meet them tomorrow.”

“…I tried to do so. But I couldn’t stop them at all…···.”

I tilted my head. My neck was quite thick.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Secundus.”

A clear voice cut in.

The owner of the voice was cloaked in a long Horm-style robe.

Her face was not visible, but I could tell who it was just by the voice.

“…Hmm…···.”

I gestured with my chin.

Kateka hurriedly closed the door of the barracks.

Then he chanted a spell to erect a barrier so that the conversation wouldn’t leak out.

I stared intently at the person who had suddenly appeared.

“I believe you are who I think you are.”

“I don’t know who you’re thinking of, but you’re probably right.”

“You are not the face I expected to see here in Wadurman.”

“This place is closer than the capital, Lutilium, isn’t it?”

The installation is complete, brother…. As soon as Kateka’s words fell, silver hair shimmered.

When she removed the cloth covering her face, a woman, still achingly beautiful, revealed herself.

“More importantly, I’m hurt, Secundus.”

Silver hair, silver eyes.

A woman impossible not to recognize even after a long time.

Once a rival to me and Ferbias in the Succession War.

“Aren’t you even happy to see your older sister after seven years?”

Leniar de Volmark, the former First Princess.

And, the current Grand Duke of Volmark.

***

“I would have been very happy if you had given me a hint.”

I glared at my half-sister. It was to confirm if she was real.

Kateka cast several kinds of authenticity-discerning magic, and Leniar did not stop him.

Because she was, certainly, Leniar.

“Right now, the bewilderment is so great that it’s hard to feel any joy.”

Having confirmed that the silver-haired woman was my sister, I furrowed my brow deeply.

“It hasn’t been long since you became the Grand Duke of Volmark, so you must be very busy. How did you come all the way to this distant Wadurman?”

“Because it’s a time when no one would think I’d come here. If not at a time like this, would I be able to see you?”

“You’re right.”

I nodded.

We had struggled to survive after the Succession War ended.

We built up our power so that even the Emperor could not easily cut us down.

Thanks to that, Ferbias could not stop keeping us in check even after becoming Emperor.

“You’ve worked hard, it’s a fifteen-day journey.”

“It felt good, thinking of it as a long-overdue outing.”

Leniar covered her mouth and smiled.

Seeing her after seven years, her grace was still the same.

No, it seemed her dignity emanated even more naturally than before.

“More importantly, please speak quickly.”

I did not like to beat around the bush.

Especially when I was as exhausted as I was these days.

“What business brings you all the way here?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I said I just came to see your face, would you?”

“Hmph, of course not.”

Leniar gestured.

Kateka, could you get me a chair?

Kateka grumbled about being a complete attendant, but he quickly brought out a chair.

He also didn’t forget to brew a precious tea that could only be tasted in Horm.

“I wanted to talk to you, Secundus.”

Leniar swept her sidelocks back.

“You, what are you going to do from now on?”

“…….”

My eyes sank deep.

“……That’s a vague question.”

“You know what I mean. Have you heard the news from the West?”

“I don’t know much. This side was at war until last week. Now we are busy stabilizing the occupied territories.”

I scratched my chin.

From here in Horm, the West was on the opposite side of the continent.

It was bound to be difficult to hear the news.

“The last I heard was that they were preparing the Calamity from the Sea.”

“That calamity has failed.”

“…Hmph. A pity.”

“You don’t look pitiful at all.”

“Is it that obvious?”

I laughed heartily.

“But isn’t that something that could easily happen?”

“Not quite.”

Leniar shook her head.

“Nine Streams General Nana led three legions and attacked the Bururade Peninsula. But they were driven back without a single proper battle.”

“…Huh?”

“And…···.”

The silver-haired princess’s lips trembled.

“The Whale of Hobel Bay is dead.”

“······!!!!!”

I shot up from my seat without realizing it.

The Whale of Hobel Bay, Niko Nereyades.

A man who had been nothing short of a hero for the past 53 years.

He was not a man who would die just because someone killed him.

“…How!?”

“He lost in a duel. He even used the Nine Streams General’s Ancient Weapon, but his opponent was too strong, they say.”

“Am I supposed to believe that…···?”

“Does it look like a lie?”

“…….”

I bit my lip.

It was impossible. I had a few chances to spar with Niko Nereyades.

It was because Niko had always maintained a close relationship with the Debius family.

Having clashed with him, I know that Niko was a man closer to a disaster than a person.

For such a Niko to lose in a duel.

And even after using an Ancient Weapon.

“Did the vanished White Lord reappear or something?”

“No. It was a name I’d never heard before. Shion, was it? I couldn’t get detailed information.”

“…Shion.”

It had a strange ring to it for some reason.

I, Secundus, who was mulling over the name, let out a groan.

“Indeed… this is no ordinary failure.”

“It’s enough to shake the public’s sentiment.”

Leniar continued.

“But Ferbias has no intention of giving up on advancing into the West. In a situation like this, who do you think he’ll entrust with the command?”

“…There’s no one better than this Secundus, who has just made a name for himself and is a headache anyway.”

“That’s right.”

A groan, ugh, escaped.

I had vaguely expected it, but hearing it said directly gave me a headache.

No, it wasn’t just a headache, it felt like my entire head was throbbing.

“The eastern conquest has just ended… and now the West…···. You work me hard, Your Majesty the Emperor!”

“Are you going to follow?”

“Is there another way?”

“There isn’t.”

Leniar de Volmark smiled bitterly.

“As long as we are the sons and daughters of the Great Emperor Continua, we cannot live a life with many choices.”

“You should be used to it by now.”

“Strangely, I wanted to escape.”

The silver-haired princess let out a small chuckle.

She opened her lips as if to say something more but ultimately did not.

Instead, she glanced at me once and then stood up from her seat.

“I’ll be going back now.”

No, at least have a taste…···. Kateka, who had just finished brewing the tea, grumbled. But Leniar’s intention was clear.

“I have a lot to do as well. I’ve understood your intentions, so that’s enough.”

“What do my intentions seem like to you?”

“I was worried you might have sided with Ferbias, but that was a completely useless worry. You still hate Ferbias terribly, don’t you?”

“There’s no way I’d like him.”

I unknowingly gritted my teeth. I had only put a little strength into my hand, but the wooden cup I was holding was completely shattered.

“Just thinking of Zionis still makes my blood boil.”

“…You haven’t forgotten.”

“I try not to forget.”

Leniar said no more.

I, Secundus, was a man who had a particular attachment to his own people.

That’s why the name Zionis was painful.

Once I considered someone as my own, I had no choice but to live with the guilt of not being able to protect them.

I was a man who could only live in that way.

“In our lifetime, will we ever see each other again?”

“It would be nice if we did.”

“Yes, that would be nice…···.”

Leniar covered her face again.

She had not come alone.

An escort was waiting outside the barracks.

Ending the short conversation, she gave a slight nod.

“Take care, little brother.”

“Hmph, you too, sister.”

She left.

Kateka insisted that since the tea was brewed, I should drink it all and poured all the tea into a large cup.

I poured the steaming hot tea down my throat in one gulp.

A normal person’s throat would have been completely scalded, but I was Secundus Debius.

Swallowing the boiling tea warmed my insides and felt good.

“Ah…···.”

I, Secundus Debius, let out a sigh.

“Now I really need to rest.”

***

“Cornelius.”

I said.

I was at the Verchello estate.

“Have you found a job?”

“Even so, it’s not that easy to find one so quickly…···.”

The mustached mage replied gloomily.

“The anti-Empire sentiment is so strong right now, so it’s just…···.”

“That’s true too. Have you decided on a place to stay?”

Cornelius Merhes shook his head, on the verge of tears.

He didn’t look like a man who had once served as the dean of the Imperial Academy of Magic.

“All I brought from the Empire were a few goods in kind. And the West has a stronger sense of aristocracy than the Empire. I can’t buy land even if I have money…···.”

“Then would you like to work for the Verchello family for the time being? You wouldn’t have to worry about food and lodging.”

At the tempting offer, Cornelius’s eyes widened.

It was very welcome news.

I smiled.

“Ahem. If you say work…···?”

“It’s nothing difficult. Occasionally, when Amethus and I are both away, we need someone to protect the family.”

“Can you trust me, Your High… no, Mr. Shion?”

“I think you’re useful, aside from the frequent slips of the tongue.”

I chuckled.

“A person with no connections has a hard time harboring useless thoughts.”

“……It’s miserable.”

“No need to be miserable. I’ll treat you fairly. I’ll give you more than whatever you’re thinking.”

Cornelius Merhes raised his head.

Mages are a race that live on pride.

Cornelius Merhes was no different.

No, among mages, he was on the prideful side.

My words were enough to stimulate his pride.

“I apologize for saying this in my situation, but…···.”

He said, stroking his mustache.

“This Cornelius was the dean of the Imperial Academy of Magic. I also worked for a long time at the Cordis Great Imperial Palace. Even for you, Mr. Shion, to say you’ll give me more than whatever I’m thinking ……what’s with that finger?”

“How many fingers are there?”

“…Two.”

“I’ll give you this much.”

“…What is that?”

I took out two pouches from my bosom.

They clinked heavily. Cornelius swallowed hard.

“Two pouches of silver coins, exactly eighty nyang. The purity is low, so it’ll be about fifty-three nyang in Cordis silver coins.”

“…Certainly, that is not a small amount of money.”

Fifty-three Cordis silver coins was a salary that an ordinary person could hardly imagine.

If he saved for just two or three months, he could get a decent house in the West, and it was enough to hire one or two servants.

However, Cornelius twisted his mustache and expressed a slight disappointment.

“…Still, it feels a little insufficient to live on for a year…···.”

“Did you know? The Verchello family has many outstanding accountants. There’s no reason not to use the available manpower, so we’ve shortened the pay cycle.”

“…Don’t tell me···…?”

Cornelius’s fingers, which were stroking his mustache, trembled.

It was due to excitement.

“Two pouches of silver coins every week. Bonus paid separately.”

“I pledge my loyalty!!!”

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