Legia's Choice

Back to the night before Princess Sravati entourage's departure from Kirana Shop to Blackwinter.

That evening, Cien asked Legia to tell him about the situation in Westya over the past ten years.

He also inquired about the Millard family in Westya, but unfortunately, the Lieutenant didn't know much about his family.

"The Millard family?"

"More precisely, Baron Millard in the south."

"Mmm... I'm sorry, I've never heard of them. Or maybe more accurately, I've never been to the south of Westya, so I'm not familiar with the situations over there."

"Ah... it's okay. Well, even if you went to the south, the Millard family is not a prominent one. Although still a Baron and having authority of a territory, their territory is relatively small, so their contribution to Westya is questionable and not well-remembered by the public."

"Mr. Millard... are you..."

At that moment, Legia wanted to ask if Cien was part of the Baron Millard family, but upon seeing the warm smile and serene gaze of the man, Legia halted her question.

For some reason, Legia felt afraid to ask something sensitive to someone who already became a savior in her heart.

After a while, the conversation about Westya and the Millard family concluded. Cien suddenly asked for Legia's opinion on the situation in Blackwinter.

"If Princess Sravati and Reiss's plan succeeds, Blackwinter will be assuredly taken over by Huntara once again. From my perspective as a Westya citizen, that would be a good thing. Because the trade routes between Huntara, Farnodt, and Westya will return to normal, and the misconceptions about Huntara will be cleared, allowing political relations to resume as usual."

"What about the situation in the east of Huntara?"

Cien asked again, this time his eyes focused on observing Legia's reaction.

Legia furrowed her brow. "Honestly, if the attacks in the east are indeed happening, I, or perhaps the Westya military, hope that the Abyss invasion will succeed."

"Because it would weaken Huntara's power and finances."

Legia nodded, then turned towards Cien's room, where the Princess of Huntara was currently sound asleep.

"Perhaps this is highly inhumane, but the weakening of Huntara's power would greatly benefit Westya. If Huntara loses the war in the east, they will be preoccupied with reclaiming that city occupied by Abyss."

"With Huntara's current strength, seizing the eastern territories may not be difficult. However, in the future, after the civil war in Blackwinter and if the failure of the eastern war happens, Huntara's power will reduce drastically. It is then, willingly or unwillingly, that the kingdom will have to seek assistance from neighboring kingdoms."

Cien nodded, agreeing with Legia's opinion, "Not only the army, but Huntara will also have to purchase weapons and slaves for the war. With the eastern route closed off, Huntara can only rely on the southern region, which means Farnodt and Westya. Both kingdoms would greatly benefit from such a scenario."

"Yeah..."

Legia felt somewhat melancholic. While it was true that Huntara's defeat in the east would bring significant advantages to her kingdom, as a human being, she couldn't help but feel uneasy imagining the countless lives that would be lost in the upcoming war.

Seeing Legia's reaction, Cien then moved downstairs while instructing Legia to wait for him.

Not long after, he returned and handed over a sealed letter with a wax seal bearing the letter "K" adorned with a wooden pattern surrounded by crawling leaves.

The wax seal was something Cien had found in one of the drawers in his workshop.

Perhaps it was given to him by an application as the official seal and symbol of his store, Kirana Shop.

Upon receiving the letter, Legia was instantly puzzled.

"This..."

Cien replied that the issue in Huntara was not his concern, nor Legia's, as a soldier of Westya.

However, he could see that there was still hesitation within Legia. That's why Cien handed over the letter.

"If you feel like helping that little girl, not as a soldier of Westya, but as a friend, then send this letter of mine to him."

"To whom?"

"Signa Wayde."

"!!!"

Upon hearing that name, Legia's eyes widened. The name Signa Wayde was not unfamiliar to her ears. The Champion of Huntara. Who wouldn't recognize his name throughout Kastia?

"Will Signa accept this letter?" Legia asked nervously.

"He will. Let him know that the Shop Owner of the Death Valley sent this letter. Ah, and don't let Sravati know about this."

"Why? Wouldn't it be better if Princess herself delivered the letter? It would even be faster."

Cien shakes his head. "It's not yet time for the little girl to confront the hidden rats there. It's still too early, her life will be lost in a short time if that happens."

"???"

Legia didn't understand what Cien meant. Even when she asked for an explanation, the man just smiled without saying anything.

He only emphasized that the letter had to be sent to Signa without anyone knowing.

***

Back to the present.

Legia, recalling the conversation that night, put the letter back into her armor. Her gaze was filled with determination.

Although she knew that Westya would benefit more if she let the situation unfold as it should, with the possibility of Huntara losing in the east being greater.

However, in the end, Legia felt that if she remained silent, her humanity would be questioned.

Not to help Princess Sravati, not even to help Huntara. But to help those innocent people who would become victims of the sudden war in the east.

Legia found herself in the midst of the dark forest. She moved toward the city of Skaldia, where General's troops and the core forces of Huntara would pass through.

The place where Signa Wayde, who would undoubtedly be accompanying the army, would make a stop.

***

The Next Day.

In the afternoon, Marina City, Farnodt Kingdom.

Reiss, who had returned to his hometown, reported directly to the military headquarters where he worked.

The military commander there was surprised and warmly welcomed Reiss's safety. As a Rank 5 soldier, Reiss's safety was good news for the military strength of Marina.

However, when Reiss explained the reality of what happened, the time his troops were massacred by the Blackwinter forces.

And the fact that Huntara was not colluding with demons but was actually in the midst of a civil war in Blackwinter, the senior military officials in Marina were shocked and fell silent.

If the reality conveyed by Reiss was true, then they and the entire Farnodt had made a grave mistake by persecuting every Huntara citizen in the kingdom.

Reiss asked how severe the persecution was, and he was told to imagine the worst possibility in his mind.

Reiss interpreted it as something extremely bad, even causing the face of his superior to turn pale.

Fortunately, Marina City, being a border town, did not take extreme measures like in the capital or other cities.

They did not kill or torture the Huntara citizens. They only confined them in prison, providing them with food and water, even if only once a day.

Upon hearing this, Reiss didn't know whether to be grateful or sad. But for now, it was not important. Because he remembered his promise and plan with Princess Sravati, to provide assistance to her by mobilizing troops to the south of Blackwinter.

Reiss explained the plan to his superiors, but unexpectedly, the plan was immediately rejected. Not by his military superior, but by the ruler of Marina City, Viscount Marina.

Reiss was powerless. No matter how hard Reiss tried to convince Viscount Marina to take action, for some reason, the nobleman stubbornly refused Reiss' request.

It was midnight, in front of a bar.

Reiss sat slumped against the bar wall, watching people pass by with an empty gaze.

"Lord Millard was right, asking for military assistance in Farnodt is impossible. But why? If they knew the truth about Huntara, they should have helped Huntara. Even if it was just a little, it can alleviate their guilt after unjustly persecuting the Huntara people! Why do they still refuse to help?"

At that moment, Reiss suddenly realized something. The news about the collusion between Huntara and demons had originated from Marina.

The higher-up of Marina and their military leaders hadn't thoroughly examined the news they received.

Instead, they immediately reported it to the Royal Family in the capital, making the news from one person who just took a glance of Reiss troops massacre as the main source of the emergence of rumors about the collusion.

The rumors spread. Extreme decisions were made. Persecution.

All because of a single piece of news from Marina.

"Looking at the situation in Marina, there is a chance that the Marina military isn't involved. That means, Viscount..."

Reiss now knows there is a traitor who is colluding with Abyss in Marina or capital. It was either Viscount Marina himself or the people close to him in the government of Marina City.

"Sigh... even though I know, what can I do? Only two days left until the promised day with Princess Sravati."

Reiss was feeling overwhelmed by his current situation. Convincing the military was a dead end.

Hiring adventurers was out of the question as he didn't have enough funds to hire a large group to fight alongside him.

If he hired only a few, no one would accept his offer. Who would join a war with just a few individuals? It would be like committing suicide.

Reiss looked at his hands, now adorned with a pair of Fire Gloves. One was from Cien, and the other was borrowed from Princess Sravati to aid him in the upcoming battle against the Blackwinter forces.

"With this, even a dozen people should be enough to catch Blackwinter off guard. But... still, no one will want to join me. Sigh... what should I do?"

Reiss closed his eyes and gazed at the brightly shining moon in the sky.

"Going alone... maybe that's the only way.".

Reiss could only smile wryly. Imagining himself being attacked by hundreds of soldiers of Blackwinter City.

Brakk!

Suddenly the bar door not far from beside him opened with a bang. Reiss was taken aback and saw a muscular man with a large axe on his back storming out of the bar with an annoyed expression.

"THE PEOPLE HERE ARE CRAZY!!" the big man shouted.

"Calm yourself Logan, you know the current situation. At least we can keep this little girl safe," said another man who followed the large man named Logan outside.

The man was slender and handsome, with long blond hair, a bow and arrow strapped to his back.

Following the two men, a muscular woman emerged carrying a little girl, patting her back gently.

"How can you stay calm?! They've gone mad, wanting to take this little girl to prison just because she was born in Huntara!"

"You've already beaten those soldiers, we should return to the inn. Things will get more complicated if reinforcements from the city arrive," said the muscular woman, urging her companions to leave quickly.

Reiss, who witnessed the scene, fell silent for a moment. He was taken aback by the three individuals, but what surprised him even more was the armor they wore.

Dark blue armor with an owl symbol on the chest. The same armor worn by Legia and Jamie.

'The Ethyria soldiers from Westya!'

Like seeing a glimmer of hope, Reiss immediately moved and chased after them.

"Wait! All three of you, wait a moment!"

"Huh? Who is he?"

"Oh damn, that uniform, a Marina soldier!"

"Wha–! Too fast!"

Reiss arrived in front of them, then shook his head, stating that he was not their enemy.

"Please wait! Help me! Help me attack the south of Blackwinter!"

""Huh?!""

The three of them were instantly confused.

"Is he insane?"