“……”

Lorendel watched from behind the rubble of the collapsed building, holding her breath as she observed everything.

She learned the literal meaning of ‘breathtaking’ firsthand. (TN: You’re breathtaking.)

“…Was it really him?”

But her eyes did not lie.

Seeing a barely clothed man single-handedly cutting down elite soldiers of the Northern Kingdom in dozens was something one couldn’t witness without being in awe.

It was an unbelievable sight even to behold.

Lorendel knew Edward was a knight,
But seeing him in action was a whole different experience.

“Was that it…”

Edward chuckled dishearteningly amidst the countless corpses.
Then, he collapsed.

“My Lord!”

Lorendel rushed to Edward in astonishment and lifted him up.

“…Lorendel.”

He pretended to be nonchalant, but his body showed no strength.

If he hadn’t spoken to Lorendel, she would have believed he died.

“Are you alright, My Lord?”
“I’m fine.”

Edward nodded his head.

He said so, but Edward knew.
He could barely open his eyes,
His body was so exhausted he couldn’t move at all.

Cough…

However, he had to go.
Edward stood up.

“You shouldn’t move!”

Lorendel shouted as if screaming.

“Lorendel.”
“My Lord…!”
“I have to go.”

With a strained voice, Edward said, but Lorendel shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

“No, My Lord! You must res–”
“Lorendel!”

Edward shouted abruptly.
Blood spewed from his mouth.

“I have to go! Ania is in danger!”

Arguing wouldn’t change anything.

If Edward hadn’t had such a strong body, he would have been mortally wounded by now.
He needed immediate treatment and rest.

There was a city near the Capital.
It wasn’t too far, just a few hours’ ride away.
It was a large city with doctors where he could receive adequate treatment.

“I have to go.”
“……. ”

But Lorendel couldn’t do that.

If any harm came to Lady Ania because they arrived at the estate late, Edward would take her life.

Lorendel bit her lower lip pondered deeply, then sighed heavily and nodded her head.

“Please wait just a moment! I’ll fetch horses right away!”

And shortly after, Lorendel returned with two horses that had lost their master.

She helped Edward, who was collapsing.

“We’ll head to the estate. Just hold on a little longer.”

She tore her own clothes to make makeshift bandages and wrapped Edward’s head.

It wouldn’t provide proper treatment, but astonishingly, Edward managed to stand up and mount the horse despite being exhausted to the point where he couldn’t move a finger.

“Let’s go.”

There was a gleam in his eyes akin to madness.
Lorendel felt a chill go down her spine.

The Viscount was usually sharp-eyed and fierce regarding matters concerning Ania, but the look in her eyes now was different.

Lorendel recalled a distant memory when she saw parents bringing their injured child to a doctor.

And she remembered the look in their eyes.

Anxiety, fear, desperation, and love.
A chaotic mix of all those conflicting emotions.

Edward’s gaze resembled that look from back then.

As Lorendel mounted the horse and watched Edward lead them out of the city walls, gripping the reins tightly, she glanced down at the fallen soldiers scattered on the ground.

It was not something one could accomplish with a normal heart.
How much desperation must one have to risk death and charge into enemy lines?

It was unimaginable for Lorendel.

She fought back the tears welling up in her chest and urged her horse forward, following behind Edward.

***

At the same time.

The palace knights gasped for breath as they surveyed the palace corridors.

Dead bodies of enemies and blood were scattered everywhere.

“Is it over now?”
“It seems so.”

Just then, other knights were seen rushing towards them from afar.

“Commander!”
“What’s the situation?”
“We’ve dealt with the forces in the south and the north.”
“The situation is the same with the east and the west. We’ve stationed troops at the entrances in case of enemy reinforcements! It seems there are no remaining stragglers!”

Eldrigan, hidden behind them, calmed his pounding chest and spoke.

“Well done.”

The commander genuflected.

“I apologize! To have allowed the attack to happen is a disgrace on our honor.”
“No. It’s thanks to you all that we’ve survived. I should be grateful.”

Eldrigan glanced out through the broken windows at the view of the Capital.
And he sighed.

The situation in the Capital was truly dire.

Houses were burning, streets were stained red with blood, and the walls of the city had collapsed.

“Khaledvar….”

They managed to suppress the enemy.
Thanks to that, they could reclaim about half of the Capital.
Yet, irreparable damage had been done.
Countless people had died, and their homes were destroyed.

“I am to blame.”

As tears streamed down Eldrigan’s empty eyes, the commander swiftly took out a clean handkerchief, wiped the tears away, and kneeled.

“That’s not true, Your Majesty. It’s the fault of these traitors who caused this calamity! How could this be your fault?”
“It’s all my fault. If it were my father, he would have rooted out such treasonous acts before they could flourish.”

The commander bit his lower lip and changed the subject.

“These cowardly scoundrels! Attacking without a declaration of war. They’ve forfeited their honor.”
“That’s right, Your Majesty! There’s no room for negotiation with them.”
“We must declare war immediately and invade! The military power of the Northern Kingdoms is far inferior to the Empire!”

War.

The word rolled off the knights’ tongues easily, but Eldrigan knew it was far from a light matter.
If war broke out, it would surely be protracted.

The enemy wasn’t just outside the Empire; they were within as well.
In the effort to root them out, innocent people would suffer persecution, and the lives of citizens would become unbearably harsh compared to before.

Yet, how could they speak of war so lightly?

“Your Majesty, you must decide.”
“The traitors who dared to defy the Empire and the barbarians of the North must be punished.”

The eyes of the people were on him.

At that moment, Eldrigan wanted to run away.

It was a shameful thought, but she wanted to unload the heavy burden and escape.

But he knew he couldn’t.

“…Command the knights and the elite troops.”

He clenched her teeth as if chewing on a bitter pill and spoke one word at a time.

“The traitors who attacked the Empire alongside the barbarians from the Northern Kingdoms, forfeiting their honor and taking the lives of imperial citizens, shall face death!”
“Death to the barbarians.”
“For the Emperor!”

The knight raised its sword and shouted.

I declare war.

But Eldrigan couldn’t say it.

If he did, there would be no turning back.

“…Edward!”

Suddenly, someone’s voice came from behind him.

Eldrigan turned her head and looked back.

“Edward!”

A woman bleeding on her forehead was at the end of a long hallway.

The knight immediately raised their sword and shielded Eldrigan, but Eldrigan gestured to stand down and approached the woman one step at a time.

“Edward…”

Eldrigan couldn’t see the face of the anxious woman, but he could tell who it was.

“Ania.”

When Eldrigan called for her, a knight shouted in amazement.

“Lady Bronte?”
“Why are you here?”

She ran towards Eldrigan but stumbled a few steps before him.
He grabbed her body and held her so she wouldn’t fall.

“Ania, what are you here for?”
“Edward…”
“Edward?”
“Edward is here.”
“……”

He let out a small sigh.

“…Edward left the palace two hours ago.”
“Is he safe!?”

Ania exclaimed with tears in her eyes, her face stained with tears and darkened with soot.
Seeing Ania like that, Eldrigan swallowed his words.

“He’ll be safe.”

How could he say that Edward had left to search for Ania in the Radner estate?

“For now, wait at the palace. I’ll contact Edward as soon as possible.”
“Thank you.”

Ania finally seemed to relax, taking a breath.
Tears silently streamed down her eyes.
It seemed she had been holding them back for a long time.

“Let Lady Bronte rest in a safe room.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Some knights escorted Annia away.
Watching their retreating figures, Eldrigan let out a small sigh.

Why were such cruel trials bestowed upon them, who couldn’t live without each other?

Eldrigan sighed in frustration at the gods’ will, which she had never doubted.

[Author’s Note]
I cooled my head for two days.
I should have written a notice, but I’m sorry I couldn’t.
It seems like I’ve hit a burnout… looking at the blank pages gives me a headache.
But I’ll try to keep going until the end.
It’s not far from the end now.

Translator’s Corner

How do I always seem to find the shorter stories?

-Ruminas