Episode 145 Krafte War – Overlapping Roads (1)
The outskirts of Holland, the Kingdom of Magic.
The light of the bonfire illuminated the dark night.
As Lewis watched the crackling bonfire in a daze, the man skillfully pulled out a cooked skewer from the bonfire.
“Here we are.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Lewis accepted the skewer the man handed him and looked at the skinned, skewered, and roasted rabbit with a distraught look on his face.
Before it became like this, it was quite cute and big, but after it was skinned and roasted, it looked much smaller and shriveled…
Lewis turned his gaze and looked at the man who was casually munching on a rabbit skewered on a skewer.
The mercenary, who introduced himself as Leon Durand, grinned as if he felt Louis’ gaze.
“Isn’t it a bit too much for a rich boy to eat? Still, it would be better to eat it. “I have to walk to the next village to catch a new carriage to take me to Franzia.”
“I see.”
Lewis closed his eyes tightly and tore into the meat.
The taste of the slightly thin but firm meat captivated the mouth of Lewis, who was nervous and using his magic. He ate it hungrily and then said sheepishly.
“But it tastes good….”
“But rabbit meat is still somewhat edible among the ones that can be caught on these plains. “I was lucky to catch two.”
“I see…”
“Well, it’s not something the mercenary should worry about, but it looks like you have very little travel experience. Isn’t it dangerous to travel alone?”
“I see…”
Lewis’ shoulders slumped.
After becoming a student at the Tower of Magic after the age of 11, Louis almost lost the feelings of intimidation and tension he felt when he was at the Aquitaine family.
Perhaps because she was well aware that the protection she was sending would seem like surveillance at the same time, she did not attach anyone to him, but instead stopped at the level of donating enough money to pay attention to Lewis at the Magic Tower.
“I made a mistake.”
Lewis said bitterly.
I thought I had become a proud wizard, but I almost died as soon as I left the magic tower.
What would my sister say if she found out that I had been attacked while traveling alone overland because I didn’t want to run into the upper class of Aquitaine?
…If that’s the case, I’d be happy. What if my sister knew about this attack and turned a blind eye? Then what on earth did he do when he came out of the magic tower without knowing anything about it?
Lewis died while chewing rabbit meat.
Although he was an excellent talent who graduated early from Magic Tower’s beginner course, it was a harsh situation for Lewis, who was only 16 years old.
Leon, who was looking at Luis like that, scratched his head and opened his mouth.
“Well, as always with people who get attacked, I guess you have a story.”
When Luis turned his gaze to him, Leon continued speaking.
“This is what a mercenary babbler is saying, so listen carefully. Life is something you don’t know how it will go. “This is my story, but I also come from a Franzian noble family.”
“Oh, did you?”
For some reason, I thought the Franzian accent gave off a subtly aristocratic vibe.
As Louis was convinced, Leon opened his mouth again.
“Well, it’s not that much of a nobleman, but he was the second son of a small family. “I don’t think the eldest brother, who’s a bad guy, will openly keep his head in check, saying that he gets only what he deserves because his hair is getting thicker.”
Leon’s tone seemed quite realistic, so Louis smiled softly.
“In the end, I couldn’t hold on, so I took my old money and left home. To be honest, I was reckless too. When I just left home, I knew as little as my employer. Thanks to you, I had a really hard time. “At first, I was a little nervous because he was a nobleman, but what’s the respect of a nobleman when he’s about to starve?”
“Hahaha….”
As Louis’ expression softened a little, Leon also smiled and said.
“But this miserable life was so strange that a revolution broke out in Francia. My older brother, who said he wanted to monopolize that small title and territory, got caught up in it, died, and the family was ruined. “I am the one who suffered the most and seemed to be at the bottom of my life, but I am still managing to live.”
Lewis paused there for a moment and asked.
“…Then do you blame the revolutionary army?”
Leon paused for a moment, but scratched his rough, whiskered chin with his hand and answered.
“When I first heard the news, I was a little confused, but now I’m not sure. “I don’t know if I have the right to blame them for ruining the family that I left so openly.”
“okay.”
When Louis answered with a little relief, Leon grinned.
“Well, it’s just a story about the experience of a low-level mercenary. It’s a common story where a life you thought was ruined turns out to be better. “My employer told me not to worry too seriously, even though he is the second son, he is in a better position than me, considering that he received education at the magic tower.”
“Okay…”
Lewis agreed.
In fact, it is thanks to his sister’s consideration that he is receiving education at the Magic Tower.
no. Even if his sister had accused him of treason and executed her at the time his mother murdered his father, no one would have dared object.
Thanks to my sister, I survived, became a wizard, and was attacked once. Now, I’m worried that my sister may have changed her mind. What kind of foolish worry is that?
Leon Durand may have been just a story that mercenaries often talk about to reassure their employers, but Luis felt deep gratitude.
If Luis, who is in a much better situation, says this, Leon might be offended, but I think it’s fate to meet someone in a land like this and feel a sense of kinship.
Lewis smiled softly and opened his mouth.
“Thank you-”
“By the way, employer.”
“yes?”
“I’m sure I received the advance payment, but I’m just saying that just in case. “I took you all the way to Francia, but Aquitaine is trying to kill your employer, so you’re not saying you don’t have any money to give, right?”
“…What will you do if that happens?”
Leon massaged his chin and answered.
“Then, from now on, we should consider whether to catch the employer and look for the attackers, or since we received the advance payment, let them go and go on our way, right?”
The smile on Lewis’s lips faded.
What is the sense of kinship with the low-level mercenary Naburangi?
“…Even if the Aquitaine family doesn’t give it to you, the pocket money you received hasn’t gone anywhere, so you don’t have to worry about the request fee.”
Leon responded with a grin and a smile to Louis’ cold words.
“I think the scale of the Daesangdan families is different, starting with their pocket money. That’s reassuring! Haha, I will take you safely to Franzia!”
Lewis let out a laugh, then turned around and said.
“Since you are employed, will you at least be on watch?”
“Haha, of course. Rather, I wondered what would happen if my employer insisted on being on guard.”
Luis covered himself with a blanket and lay down after hearing the annoying noises until the end.
Perhaps because the tension was gone and he was tired, Lewis fell asleep shortly after.
Léon Durand smiled and glanced at the young master who had no idea what was going on in the world, then took out a dagger from his belt.
Even though I trained hard for quite a long time, I missed one shot at catching a rabbit.
How long did the Marquis de Lafayette train to become famous by throwing things like this beyond an assassin, even though he was a knight?
Since when and what kind of experience has the marquis, who is the same age as him, been able to so easily deny the values they have maintained for generations and lead that revolutionary army?
Leon threw the dagger in his hand into the air, caught it as it fell, and stabbed it back into his waist.
The paths that once completely deviated overlap again.
Franzia.
…What does the homeland I am returning to after such a long time look like now?
* * *
Lumière, the capital of Revolutionary Francia.
We have just entered early summer.
The warm, sunny city of the city whose name means ‘light’ was so peaceful and splendid that it was worthy of being called the most prosperous city in the Central Continent even after the uproar of the revolution.
However, even in such cities, large slums exist because they are such cities.
“Wow, Queen!”
“You fool, Her Majesty!”
“Your Majesty the Queen!”
In front of a little girl who was scolding a child with snot, Eris responded kindly.
“Whether it’s the Queen, Her Majesty, or the Saint, it’s all good, so get along well. “Here, bread.”
“Wow, 4 today! Thank you Queen Ni… Your Majesty!”
Eris patted the heads of the happy children one at a time.
Every time that happens, you can see that the white-gloved hand glows and gives a slight blessing.
I watched quietly as Eris and her helpers distributed bread to the residents of the slums.
The poor who had gathered like a flock of clouds all returned when the sun in the sky began to set.
“Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesty.”
“Uuuuuu-!”
When I approached and spoke, Eris stood up, stretched her body, and answered at a slower pace.
“Thank you too, Marquis. This time, thanks to the support from the Central Party, we were able to distribute generously and everyone was happy.”
“Is that so.”
I glanced around and looked at the poor children and the slums they lived in, who were looking at us with curious eyes from afar.
The structure is not much different from the dirty, spiderweb-like place I saw in Porto Port.
Still, unlike the faces that were alive because they could not die, the poor people here have faces that somehow seem like they are alive.
“…Aren’t you having a hard time?”
“yes? Not at all thanks to the inexpensive artifact the Marquis bought me. “They say I can’t afford luxury, but I might never be able to spend another summer without this.”
Even though her face was covered with a veil, it reminded me of Eris talking and smiling brightly, so I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Rather, Eris seemed to be examining my face, then raised her hand to cover what was probably the area around her mouth.
“Hmm, has our ruthless commander-in-chief had a change of heart and is now supporting relief efforts and following us around to watch?”
“…I just realized that there is a big gap between what I know in my head and what I see with my eyes.”
Eris chuckled and opened her mouth.
“So you also changed your stance on the introduction of schools for the poor? You were originally against it. “There is no such thing as a budget to allocate to a policy whose immediate effectiveness is in doubt during wartime.”
“Ah, well…”
I answered roughly, and Eris looked at me with her purple eyes beyond the veil and asked.
“What did you see in Iberica?”
“…I have seen people who were unable to make a choice and who struggled to change their fate by escaping the miserable situation they were given, and eventually succeeded.”
Even the miserable and miserable slums of Porto will change at least a little under Crocs’ reign.
Even if you can’t achieve complete success, you can at least turn it into a lesser evil.
“I guess you were impressive.”
I smiled and answered Eris’ words.
“I just reminded myself that the reason I chose the revolution rather than the old system was to avoid the worst, like them, and to take a slightly better path. And in that case, you should try to change what can be changed with a small investment.”
He successfully committed himself to the Republic, was called the guardian of the revolution, made Eris his queen, and led several wars to victory, something he had long since forgotten.
After hearing what I said, Eris stayed quiet for a moment and then lifted her veil with her hands.
“Does your eye hurt?”
Eris frowned slightly in the strong light of the setting sun, and after blinking a few times, she slowly answered as if she had gotten used to it.
“I really want to say this face to face.”
Then, he looked at me with eyes that mysteriously glowed purple, reflecting the red light of the setting sun, and said.
“The Marquis was my supporter, and he is the one who holds a corner of the National Assembly and leads the revolutionary army. “I think it’s all very fortunate for me and the people of this country.”
I answered with a chuckle, pressing down on Eris’s hood to shield her eyes from the sunlight.
“I feel fortunate that you are the Four Princesses I was looking for.”
Then, after a little pause, he spoke.
“And there are still hurdles to overcome if this country is to take the path Her Majesty the Queen wants.”
“…Krafte.”
In a soft voice, I asked her again what I once asked her.
“Her Majesty Queen Esiliste Liliane de Francia. The enemy is the nation itself, born for war, which is said to be the greatest power of this era. “Has Her Majesty resolved to once again lead her people into battle against them?”
Eris answered slowly.
“always. … Because that’s what the queen is for. What about you, Marquis?”
I answered.
“I also.”
Just one step forward to secure the future promised to Christine.
That’s what I came here to do from the beginning.
For that purpose, the path of Eris, who would have originally lived as a saint but was betrayed and died, was superimposed on the path I wanted to take.
“No matter how strong the enemy is, I will definitely dedicate victory to Your Majesty and this country.”
