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Chapter 244
Function Test
Olivia was flustered only for a moment, then she smiled brightly and answered.
"I threw it away."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Understood."
Еn̊u_mа̀. і́ d̃_
Ferda didn't say anything more.
The corners of Olivia's mouth were trembling faintly.
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* * *
Ureas died.
When she heard those words, Olivia thought.
Who's going to do the politics in my place now?
Ѐ n_ū m̂a .ĩd
Who's going to take the abuse, who's going to run wild and cut the throat of that eyesore bastard?
If he hadn't harbored useless greed, I could've let him play emperor for a few days.
It was truly regrettable that a useful tool had disappeared.
That was all.
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There was no affection toward her blood relative.
That was her true feeling, but Olivia desperately acted like someone devastated by the loss of her older brother.
Ẃ еḃ n о v̌е l Ê n ûm̀ а̇
As if she couldn't hear anything properly.
-Regent-nim Ferda has come out of the castle!
Hearing those words, Olivia unconsciously lifted her head.
Like light reflecting in a sky covered with dark clouds, the fact that he had returned alive made her reflexively, overwhelmingly happy.
-Is the Regent-nim safe?
-He's not entirely whole. It seems he returned to camp with his right hand cut off...
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Right hand?
-His right hand was cut off? Is that confirmed information?
-Yes. When the Dragon Spawn maid flew carrying Regent Ferda, an archer confirmed it with his own two eyes.
His right hand was cut off?
That person's right hand?
Just who?
Е̃nû ṁа̄
What did he do to suffer something like that?
That hand, what kind of hand is it that...
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"Ah..."
Tears flowed from Olivia's eyes.
Her tears, which always flowed cold, were remarkably hot this time.
She was inwardly surprised that she could shed such tears, and simultaneously consumed by emotion.
Ė ń ú m̂а.і̌d̄
"Aaaah!!"
Olivia let loose her voice and began to wail.
-Y-Your Highness the Princess!?
It was the moment her dignity collapsed, yet everyone solemnly bowed their heads along with her.
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To anyone's eyes, it was the reaction of a younger sister who had lost her older brother.
Only Olivia herself knew the trigger for those tears.
En u.m̆ ӓ.
After wailing for a long time, Olivia collected herself and went to find Ferda's tent.
Ferda's hand was different from what she'd heard.
Thanks to Odograsado's scale, his hand seemed to have been restored.
Olivia, who didn't believe in miracles, was grateful for that miracle at this moment.
She repeated inwardly that she was thankful he'd been returned in a whole body.
-Olivia.
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Ferda called her name.
Not Princess, but Olivia.
Her joy was only momentary.
Ferda's eyes were somehow strange.
His eyes were always cold and upright.
But never had they pierced her this sharply.
Е ǹüm̀ a
-What happened to the handkerchief I gave you?
She was flustered.
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It was a truly trivial item, and Ferda hadn't cared about it either.
Since she couldn't have prepared an excuse for it, Olivia couldn't answer immediately.
I threw it away.
She answered like that.
Е.n̂ ü m.å.
She felt she must not say she'd kept it to return it.
She didn't want to hear him say, "Then return it."
Ferda didn't press further.
As if nothing had happened.
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Was that why?
When she left the tent, Olivia's mind seemed to turn completely white.
Е̃n ŭ m ӓ
Like that, she returned to her own tent.
When she felt completely alone, Olivia put her hand into the pocket inside her skirt and took out an item.
An item she kept as close to her body as Alte's necklace.
The source of this faith in her chest.
At the same time, a black handkerchief that didn't suit her at all.
She was keeping that item.
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Olivia clutched the handkerchief preciously and thought.
Why did Ferda ask that?
Was this handkerchief an important item?
No, that can't be.
It's just a handkerchief.
Ferda doesn't cling to such trivial things.
W̃ ёb nо̇vе́l Е̊nü m а
'There's definitely a reason he's suspicious.'
She digs into the root cause.
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The reason Ferda would suddenly ask about the handkerchief's whereabouts.
The conversation with Ferda, the events before that.
She expanded her thoughts, and no matter how deeply she dug, there was only one probable factor.
'Ureas.'
Е̌ ń úm̆ å
Ferda said Ureas had become non-human and ran wild.
'Don't tell me...'
One flashing possibility.
If Ureas knew about this handkerchief...
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'Everything connects.'
While the links seemed insufficient, when she recalled things she'd vaguely ignored, they fit together perfectly.
W̄ ӗb̀n о.v̄ e l̀ _Еn̄ um̊a
That Ferda knows about Olivia's handkerchief.
That Ureas tried to kill Ferda.
At the same time, she faces the truth she hadn't noticed, and had pretended not to know.
"Ha."
A hollow laugh burst out.
"Haha..."
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Her face distorted unnaturally.
Hatred and anger intertwined with futility, a face difficult to describe.
Olivia looked at her own face reflected in the mirror.
Even with such a messed-up expression, Olivia was remarkably beautiful.
Eyelashes like eaves.
Skin like white jade.
Е̃nu m ā . і̇ ḋ
Red, small lips like they held cherries.
A slender face.
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The Empire's Rose, a jewel.
If there were one more person like this,
I would envy that person,
And willingly love them.
Éňu m̄ а
Even I think so, so what difference would family make?
"Disgusting bastard..."
What spilled from her mouth was a cynical insult.
Alexander was a beast, and Ureas is a beast too.
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Beast's blood flows in this body, not golden blood.
Olivia thought.
Ѐ n um а̀
Can I really shed even a single tear at that beast's funeral?
* * *
Ferda came out and saw the Heinkel Kingdom spread out below the ridge.
A dead kingdom.
But now it had become a pile of rubble, and many soldiers were being deployed to clear the stones.
Autumn comes soon.
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Before that autumn arrives, sunlight poured down as if in a final struggle.
'I could summon clouds with magic to block the sun, but...'
Until just a few days ago, this was a land of black magic and demons.
All black magic weakens under sunlight, and even if undead pop up during the clearing, they could be dealt with quickly.
So collapsing from dehydration was the safer option.
"Oh my, aren't you Regent-nim Ferda?"
Еnů m̌ а́ . і̇d̃
Jed's voice was heard.
Come to think of it, the most visible spot was this bastard's tent.
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Ferda turned his head to look at Jed.
He was wrapped in bandages all over his body.
In that state, he stood calmly at Ferda's right side.
"I heard your right hand has been restored."
Еnũmа̄
"Yeah."
"You've escaped the one-armed life. Missing one hand is a pain in the ass."
"It is."
He acts like it's nothing, but Ferda knew.
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This bastard has been through places worse than him.
"Are you okay?"
W e̊b nоv̇ е́ l Ё ńum а̀
"Yes, well. Not bad."
"I already heard it's not. They said you hovered between life and death."
Several priests attached themselves, and they poured in several top-grade healing potions.
They said to give up since there was no hope, multiple times.
But looking at his current state, it's hard to believe.
A human who was at death's door is out here scratching his head so calmly.
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"Haha, as expected, you shouldn't do things beyond your station. You just end up falling pathetically."
"I heard that from Sir Arwen. He said you fell following Arwen when it collapsed."
"Well, that's how it happened. The person who should've protected the Regent-nim pathetically fell into a trap and did that..."
"Sir Arwen said the same thing."
Jed made a face showing regret and guilt.
Ferda stared at Jed's face.
Е́ nu̇m а̄
"But I don't think that's it."
"Huh?"
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"My conclusion is that you fell there on purpose."
Arwen said this.
-A human body cannot be constant, and when vitality drops, the body dulls, but Jed didn't show such appearance. So... I didn't notice at all until the moment I heard the Regent-nim had escaped.
Jed, who hovered between life and death.
Еn̊ u ḿ а̀..i d.
Arwen, who was relatively fine.
Ferda asks him again.
"Can you tell me the truth with your own mouth?"
"..."
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Jed scratched his head and answered.
"Did I say I'm the Red-Eyed Clan leader's son?"
Е n ú m̃ǎ . і̀ ḋ
"I think I've heard that."
"Our Red-Eyed Clan runs a wandering circus troupe and lives in the back world. Father was a genius assassin who appears once in 200 years, and the leader. He saw through human psychology, and his skills were extremely outstanding."
Jed grinned.
"Do you know what it's like growing up under a genius father?"
"I heard it's a tough job."
"Yes. No matter how outstanding you are, if you don't surpass your father, you're just mediocre."
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Why bring up this story?
It's not like he's trying to talk about conflict with his father.
"An existence surpassing that father appeared as an enemy. That human, who had no reason to hold a grudge, killed Father in three moves and slaughtered the entire clan."
"..."
"I was the guardian protecting the priestess. My older sister was the priestess. Protecting that child to the very end was my job. Since I couldn't win, I resolved to take him down with me. But I failed."
"You ran away?"
W_е̌ ḃ n̄.o̊ ṽе̊l Е̇nu m̆_а̃
"I got hit in the back of the head. By my sister."
"How so?"
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"That monster brat injected me with beast anesthetic. I couldn't even resist."
Swallowing the bitterness, he continued the story.
"With that small body, she stuffed me into a jar. Do you know what she said?"
"..."
Ē n̊ ù m̃ а
"'Live.' That's what she said. And so only I survived."
I heard the Red-Eyed Clan disappeared like that.
"It was certain there were no survivors. Everyone's corpses remained as they were. But just one person wasn't visible."
"Is that the younger sister?"
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"Yes."
"So you believed your sister was alive until the end."
W̊ е̄b̆ n о̀v̂ë l Ӗ ǹ ü m̌ а
"She's alive. For sure."
Not speculation, but conviction.
Garnet, who was the Black Bandana leader, also said there was no hope, but he was stubborn.
Trying to shake off the gloomy mood, he forced a laugh.
"Anyway, I was lacking. If I'd somehow surpassed Father... there wouldn't have been that cheeky option of my sister protecting me."
"That's why you jumped into hell to save Arwen?"
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"Arwen, that bastard's getting married this fall, right? He's even having a son, so I thought about who his wife would resent most if he couldn't even hold the wedding. Figured I'd be the easiest target."
"Disqualified as a knight."
Choosing a friend over his lord.
"Right. This doesn't seem to be my calling."
But there was no resentment.
Because he made that choice, Arwen is alive, and the relationship with Count Consillus will be maintained too.
Е́ nu̇ m̄ å
"Well, you just need a face."
"Haha! Thanks for saying that."
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Jed stretched, then stopped because his body hurt.
"Anyway, I'll be going now. I haven't slept well since last night, so I need to wash my face."
"Right."
Jed withdrew, and Ferda turned his gaze toward the royal palace again.
Ẃеbn о̀v̇e l Еn u m ӑ
It seems the allied forces found a corpse.
Knights rushed over in a swarm, throwing heavy stones left and right, digging intensively there.
'The imperial army side will finish soon too.'
Since they testified he died in the audience chamber, they'll dig up that whole area and confirm he's not there.
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What remains is probably just Count Rooster's head.
They'll go back like that.
Еn̆ǔ m а
That was when it happened.
Clatter-rattle!
At the sound of something spilling, Ferda reflexively turned his head.
An unexpected person came into view.
Garnet Swallow.
She, who came as the supply captain, was coming out carrying an armful of items.
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From behind Jed's tent.
"..."
"..."
An awkward silence continued, gazes crossing.
"R-Regent-nim, I greet you."
"...Yeah."
Е nú mа . і̄ d̄
"As you know, Sir Jed's condition isn't good, so I attended to him."
"I see."
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Attended, huh...
Her current appearance was far from usual.
Garnet usually dresses neatly.
Her shirt buttons couldn't find their places, barely hanging on her shoulders, and her hair pressed against the floor - no matter how you looked at it, that wasn't the explanation.
Ӗ n ûṁȧ. i ḋ
Even if Ferda doesn't know much about men and women, he wasn't blind.
'Impressive bastard.'
They say a man will chase skirts as long as he has the strength to lift a spoon, but even while injured?
Garnet seemed to want to avoid this topic and tried to change the subject.
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"It's not something you'd be interested in anyway, I think I was too sensitive. I'll be going now—."
"I'm curious."
Ên̄ ü m̃ ǎ. iď
"Huh?"
"I said I'm curious."
Not about the sex between man and woman, but why Garnet made this choice was extremely curious.
How that rational, cold-hearted woman got captured by sentiment and made this choice.
"So that's..."
Garnet couldn't answer easily.
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Her dark skin turned noticeably red.
Her hands, with nowhere to go, tried to cover her face several times, and her words tangled.
"Sir Jed was suffering inside the tent... so I nursed him a bit."
"I see."
"And then naturally old memories came up, so we talked about that..."
"..."
W̃èb n о́ v̊ е l Еn̄ u m a
"As you know, that Swallow guy's body is his asset, right? I had to check everywhere to make sure there were no problems..."
"So you did a function test too."
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"..."
Ferda threw his gaze toward the Heinkel royal palace.
"So how was the function?"
Garnet bit her lip hard.
W еb̀ǹ ōv̀еl Еn ù m а
She felt like she wanted to die right now from shame.
Blood seeped from her lips, and she made a face like she was drowning, barely managing to answer.
"It was... usable."
So it is.
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* * *
Heinkel Royal Palace collapse site.
Ёň um̌.а.і̇ d
"Deputy Commander William! The allied forces say they found the kings' corpses!"
It was truly joyful news.
The kings were the 4 who hadn't been found, and that meant the 2nd Prince was there too.
"Ugh, this shitty work can finally stop too."
"I just want to go home quickly."
Mourning a comrade's death was brief.
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The smell of corpses mixed with dust was just sickening now.
They stretched and prepared to withdraw.
"We continue the work!"
William had no such intention.
"Yes!?"
"That's that, this is this. I said we work our way!"
Ẇеb nо v̄ ě ľ Ѐ ǹ u m̌а
"There's no reason to keep digging here..."
"No objections accepted. Get to work!"
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At William's order, the soldiers turned back.
Since the commander himself was taking the lead and moving, no one dared to complain.
William didn't intend to harass the soldiers.
'Someone might be buried down there waiting to come out.'
Е̌.n̂ u m̆ ä
There were actually people trapped underneath who couldn't get out.
Since they'd come prepared to die, he thought it was his duty to send even one more person home.
William didn't give up that hope, and made his subordinates work to the end.
And even if he gets cursed at, he's the only one who eats it.
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If it's that kind of villain role, he could do it anytime.
At the end of digging all the way down, William could hear a voice from inside.
Ènum̈ á.
Faint, but certain.
It was children's voices.
