Chapter 288

“…Nana Nereyades?”

Serena did not hide her bewilderment.

She looked down at the girl who was smaller than her, yet possessed martial prowess that ranked within the top ten in the Cordis Empire. It would be a lie to say she had no fear.

“…I have heard of you. But you are clearly….”

“You ask if I am an enemy? That is correct.”

Nana snorted.

She remembers the sight of Shion, turned into a dragon, running wild.

The memory of confronting that is also vivid.

How could she forget that piercing appearance of him crushing her and chewing up and swallowing Bukenos?

“The fact that half my face is covered in scars, and that I still limp, is all because of your husband. He even killed my grandfather.”

“…….”

“Don’t worry. I’m not petty enough to hold that against you.”

“…Still….”

Serena had absolutely nothing to say.

Hearing it like this, Shion felt like a truly bad person.

No, to Nana, he must have been a truly bad person.

Serena wanted to apologize out of guilt, but Nana, noticing her intention, did not tolerate it.

“If you intend to apologize, stop.”

Despite her small frame, despite her girlishly young features, Nana was a truly imposing figure.

“Because that would be insulting your husband.”

“……Ms. Nana is very thoughtful.”

“Me? This Nana Nereyades?”

She laughed unwittingly, Ha! Ha, ha, ha!

Just as her grandfather, Niko Nereyades, sometimes did.

“I hear all sorts of things living this long. Look here. I am a person who tried to turn the Bururade Peninsula, your hometown, completely into a wasteland. That is why your husband beat me down so severely.”

“I know.”

Serena gazed intently at Nana.

Her eyes are a beautiful raspberry color.

“Thank you for failing. If you had succeeded, I would have had to hate you, Ms. Nana.”

“Ha! Is that something to say?”

Nana laughed, dumbfounded.

Because of that failure, she lost her position as the Nine Streams General and suffered various humiliations.

Yet, to be thanked for failing! Serena de Verchello was a strange woman.

To say such detestable words and yet not be detestable.

“You talk like your husband, Ms. Serena.”

“Because we are a married couple.”

“You should only resemble the good parts.”

“Is that even possible?”

Serena smiled broadly, yet somewhat slyly.

It was a spitting image of Shion.

Even though they were a married couple, they hadn’t been together for long, so it was fascinating that they resembled each other so much.

“Anyway, the Mustache Dean asked so persistently that I agreed to guide you, Ms. Serena.”

“Were you two close originally?”

“Not at all!”

Nana shook her head.

She leisurely navigated through the Cordis soldiers, and Serena followed behind.

No one stopped them.

No, commonsensically, there was no soldier who would dare make eye contact when one of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire was passing by.

Especially if the opponent was Nana Nereyades.

“I wondered what he was thinking of making such a request, risking me telling on him to His Majesty Ferbias. His enemy’s wife wants to go to Kosavagarobira, and he asks me to guide her!”

Nana said the latter part quietly.

Even for one of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire, it was not something she could say loudly.

Shion was the Hero of the West.

It means he was the Empire’s greatest enemy.

Although the fact that he was actually the Fifth Prince Zionis was not made public, the Imperial citizens could not help but have great animosity towards Shion.

“…Why did you accept such a request?”

“There were a few reasons. I also thought about it a lot.”

At Serena’s words, Nana swept back her hair.

Half of her face was scarred, but she did not hide it in the slightest and was confident.

Because of that, she was rather imposingly beautiful.

“It was so big that the Mustache Dean even mobilized his master… Grand Dean Hermai to ask. Also, I felt that if I refused this request, you would be really troubled. And, above all…….”

Nana’s eyes sank deep.

“…Right, I just….”

The city they were in, Mekeros, offered a view of the sea from anywhere.

That blue Hobel Bay.

The Great Sea that gave birth to Nana and Niko.

The Hobel Bay, with whom she was supposed to have a meal someday, but now remained piercingly in her heart because that would never happen.

“……It felt unresolved.”

The war ended.

But this war should not end in this way.

So many things happened, yet nothing was settled properly; it should not end vaguely like this….

She cannot explain fully why it should not end like this.

Too many things were tangled in her heart.

But the biggest reason is, as expected, Secundus’s death.

Secundus Debius was a man whose head was three times larger than others.

Yet, it was rare for him to look down on someone. He enjoyed meeting others at eye level.

Because he was such a man, people willingly looked up to him.

Nana was the same.

She could not help but harbor feelings for that man, the man named Secundus Debius, who would recklessly try to embrace someone regardless of whether they stabbed him or not.

Using words like love or affection feels somewhat embarrassing, but such feelings existed in her.

“…….”

Secundus died.

Obediently following the order to return alone, he went back to the capital and died.

He met his end while acting recklessly, trying not to kill those who were trying to kill him as much as possible.

If so, this war should not end in this way. Ending like this would make a fool of Secundus.

Therefore, the story must continue.

Nana intuited that the key lay with Serena de Verchello. Whether the story continuing would be beneficial to the Empire is unknown.

But to the current Nana, it did not matter.

“Let’s stop talking about this.”

Feeling gloomy, Nana turned her head.

Secundus was not the only one weighing on her mind.

She heard that her senior from her school days, Amethus, also died.

That swordsman who was so brilliant, the senior she admired all her life, just died abruptly.

It was unbelievable.

Everything was full of futility.

That terribly persistent enemy, Shion, also collapsed, stabbed by his comrade’s knife.

The White Lord, Obro Denoebang, also could not use his full strength trying to protect Shion from his own side.

The only one who properly kept her place was the Widow Queen Aida.

Was the Empire any different?

Not at all.

Four of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire died in this war.

Yet, the only one who died on the battlefield was the Eight-Impact General.

The other three, Secundus, the Nine-Lines General, and the Ten-Vigorous General, practically perished together due to Ferbias’s foolish actions.

Is that all? Three of Great Emperor Continua’s henchmen participated in the war.

Yet, Hermai left the front lines because of his adopted son, and Deballo, losing his mind over Secundus’s death, rarely joined the war.

In this way, the West and the Empire could not even fight properly.

They just ate away at their own flesh. She felt angry all over again.

“I honestly don’t know very well why I am helping you either.”

Nana said.

“So don’t ask too much. If you ask too much, my mind might change completely and I might offer you up to His Majesty.”

“I don’t think you will.”

“You are underestimating this Nana quite a bit.”

Serena giggled. Nana also ended up lifting the corners of her mouth.

“Follow me, Ms. Serena. I will guide you for the time being.”

***

Nana Nereyades had prepared a military carriage.

As it was an item prepared for one of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire, the interior was spacious and luxurious.

Even Serena felt awkward.

“As expected, having power is the way to go.”

Nana said. She tapped the gold thread embroidery symbolizing the Nine Streams General.

“Because many things become comfortable.”

“…Did you become one of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire again this time?”

“It seems you heard the story about my demotion to a Legion Commander.”

Since her demotion was also because of Shion, Serena shut her mouth once again.

Even so, it was hard to be as shameless as Shion.

“That’s right. I returned this time. Since many vacancies appeared in the Ten Great Generals of the Empire.”

“I see.”

“Ms. Serena.”

“Yes, Ms. Nana.”

“As you know, I cannot guide you all the way to Kosavagarobira.”

Serena nodded.

The continent’s worst prison, Kosavagarobira, is located in the northeast of the Empire.

It was the exact opposite of the southwest of the Empire, Hobel Bay.

“I didn’t even intend to make such an unreasonable request.”

“It’s not particularly unreasonable.”

Nana stroked her cheek.

The scars often felt itchy.

“However, since I insisted on staying in Hobel Bay despite His Majesty’s persuasion, if I suddenly go all the way there, it will attract others’ attention.”

“By His Majesty, do you mean His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Yes. His Majesty Ferbias. The one your husband hates so much….”

“And Shion’s half-brother, right?”

Nana opened her eyes wide.

The fact that Shion is actually the Fifth Prince Zionis is a secret among secrets known only to the highest-ranking officials of the West and the Empire.

“……Did you know?”

“I came to know.”

Serena wore a sad smile.

“Grand Dean Hermai told me. Saying that even so, he thought I should know.”

“……That must be heartless.”

“Of course. I wanted to hear it directly. When we meet again, I will nag him for three days.”

“Are you going to Kosavagarobira to say that?”

“No way. I have something really important to tell him.”

Serena’s eyes became sad.

“…Right, there is something I must tell him….”

“…….”

Nana changed the subject.

“Anyway, I have to remain in Hobel Bay.”

“But what kind of persuasion did His Majesty the Emperor offer?”

“…Look here. You are asking for the top secret of the Cordis military right now.”

“Oh my, that would be the case.”

“Be careful. You’ll get in big trouble doing that.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

Serena smiled innocently as if asking when she ever had sad eyes.

Nana chuckled, feeling the tension dissipate.

She felt she might know why Shion was captivated by this woman.

Nana closed her eyes gently.

‘His Majesty….’

After Secundus’s purge, Emperor Ferbias acted more paranoid than before.

It was because he confirmed that he was still in the palm of Great Emperor Continua’s hand, and on top of that, he lost many henchmen including Director Kentil.

‘…He asked me to remain in the Imperial Palace, saying he would give me the 3rd seat of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire, His Highness Secundus’s seat, but…….’

He persuaded persistently with a strangely affectionate attitude.

Even bringing up memories of school days he never mentioned in his life.

‘…Still, I couldn’t do that. I must be in Hobel Bay.’

Ferbias became more unstable than before.

To the extent that rumors that the Emperor was crazy circulated openly.

‘Is it because he heard of Senior Amethus’s death …No, let’s stop thinking.’

Nana shook off her thoughts.

It is just after the war.

If she thinks about every little thing like this, she absolutely cannot live through today.

She ruminated on the fact that she returned to the position of one of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire, possessing even more authority than before, and that through this, she could give peace to Hobel Bay.

Then she could smile.

“Anyway, my guidance is until the outskirts of the Sobel Mountain Range. From then on, you will have to handle it yourself.”

“Yes. I came prepared.”

“…What is that?”

Serena showed the pouch she was holding in her bosom.

“It’s money.”

“…Money can’t do everything.”

“But a lot of money can do a lot of things.”

“…Just how much is that… Oh, my god.”

It was a magic-enchanted pouch.

The inside was eight times larger than it looked from the outside. And it was all gold, silver, and treasures.

It looked enough to buy several mansions.

“Wouldn’t this be enough?”

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