CHAPTER 155

The window outside the unfamiliar office was filled with the blue sea.

Peter, who was standing by the window, quietly spoke as he watched the sunset spreading gradually over the blue expanse.

"Did you send off dwarves well?"

The head of the Bayezid family, who had been gazing out the window with a burdened expression.

The man with a scared face responded to Peter's inquiry.

"Yes. About twenty of them made it."

Through narrowed eyes, beyond the window, a small ship was gradually making its way towards the sunset.

A small ship where the enslaved dwarves and Balkanu, who had infiltrated to rescue them, would be riding.

"I sent them out as you commanded."

"Good. Well done."

Though Vlad might think he had sent them off secretly, the city of Nassau was already under Bayezid's control.

The ship carrying Josef's hopes could depart only because Peter allowed it.

"In the end, he chose Josef over Rutger."

A young knight stood alone at the port, still watching the departing ship.

As always, Peter observed Vlad from a high vantage point, looking into the distance.

"He seemed determined. Josef definitely got a good knight."

"Yes."

Peter responded with a bitter smile at Marcus's report.

Though only one could be whole, both sought to receive.

Peter couldn't help but ponder over Josef's struggles to survive.

".....Nassau is warm even in winter."

Josef, born with keen intellect and thoughtfulness but weak in body, was clearly not at fault.

However, the world sometimes had a way of unfairly burdening someone.

"With this kind of weather, it's probably less taxing on his body than being up north."

Peter quietly looked down at his own palm.

The setting sun cast a reddish glow on his palm, as if it were soaked in blood.

Seeing that color, which he probably couldn't erase in his lifetime, Peter thought of his brothers who were no longer in this world.

".....Still, as a father, I'd like to offer at least one alternative to him."

The history of Bayezid was repeating once again as his sons grew up.

However, Peter wanted to provide them with at least a small emergency exit so they could escape from a tragedy that would repeat itself.

"Understood, my lord."

Peter, torn between his duties as a family head and his compassion as a father, pondered incessantly.

Sensing his unspoken emotions, Marcus quietly disappeared into the darkness of the office.

"....."

The place vacated by the nameless shadow.

Now standing alone, Peter clenched his red palms and raised his head to look out the window at the sea.

The vast sea, unfamiliar even though he looked at it again and again.

But even if it remained unfamiliar to him, it might be a lifeline for someone else.

That's what Peter hoped for.

※※※※

A group of about twenty people rode slowly.

Among them were the Budart tribe led by Aage, the Thornwood mercenaries led by Stefan, and leading the way between them was Vlad.

Those who had left Nassau were now heading north towards Deomar.

"It's fortunate. If we had to keep going until winter in this condition, we would have had quite a lot of trouble."

Fortunately, there were no casualties, but there were some injuries that needed attention.

Having fought fiercely since the early stages of the war, everyone needed their own rest, as Stefan pointed out.

"...But you knew about it, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The Northern Orthodox Church."

Vlad's gaze towards Aage was quite sharp.

How dare the adjutant hide something from the captain?

Facing Vlad's sharp questioning, Aage merely grinned and shrugged off his gaze.

"I wouldn't say I knew, but I had my suspicions."

As Aage casually sipped the beer Vlad had brought, his eyes widened.

"What's this? It tastes better when it's cold, right?"

"Just answer the question."

Northern knight, mercenaries from the central region, and barbarians.

There couldn't be more disparate individuals, but the only topic they could discuss was the current buzz about the Northern Alliance and the Northern Orthodox Church.

"I don't really know the details. Bayezid dropped some hints, and my father caught onto it, that's about it."

There was a world that simply couldn't mix.

Like the Imperial citizens and barbarians who believed in different gods.

But now that a hole had been punched through the biggest barrier separating the two worlds with the name of the Northern Orthodox Church, even the barbarians would have to ponder over it at least once.

"Even our ancestral spirits, who we worship, are recognized. If it weren't for that promise, we wouldn't have cooperated."

The Budart tribe, whose power had been greatly diminished by Lindworm's attacks and the Dragon Slayer Knights, may not have easily cooperated with the empire that did not even treat them as human beings. 

However, the vessel of the newly created North was designed with scalability in mind, so it was a viable alternative even for the barbarians to consider.

"Still, some tribes are raging, threatening to kill us too. That's why I was planning to return to the tribe this winter."

However, it was inevitable that their long-standing history of mutual hostility would come into play. That's why the chief of the Budart tribe had sent his son out into the world in advance.

The decision on whether to continue cooperating with Bayezid was likely to begin with Aage's words.

"Is that so?"

The question was sharp, but the answer that came was brief.

Vlad's mind was becoming more complex as he heard about the affairs of the Northern Alliance, something he had not known much about before.

He believed that he had reached a certain level, but the waves of the world were still crashing against Vlad's will.

"There's Deomar up ahead!"

Suddenly, someone broke the silence with a report.

As they emerged from the forest path, they could see the meadow where the smell of blood hadn't yet faded.

However, despite the ominous scent, the sight of the city ahead was unmistakably cozy.

"Huh?"

Although everyone was excited to finally reach their destination, Vlad narrowed his eyes and felt a strange sensation emanating from Deomar, causing him to squint even more.

"What's the matter, Sir Vlad?"

".....Just a moment."

Vlad began to summon aura, hastily closing his left eye.

Knowing Vlad's sensitivity to his surroundings, the men quickly began to guard the area.

As they had been working together for a while, the mercenaries and barbarians quickly came together and began to take a firm defensive posture.

"What's that?"

However, despite their sharp caution, Vlad did not raise the aura with that intention.

Deomar, familiar yet somehow different.

"Are they having a festival or something?"

"Pardon?"

Beyond the fading twilight, the tree of Hainal in the distance was flashing brightly and vigorously.

On top of the tree, which was constantly blinking with excitement, was a white snake with its head raised high and its mouth wide open.

"Hmm?"

As Vlad watched the bizarre antics of the white snake, he could feel a drop of water falling onto his shoulder.

".....Oh, it's raining."

Just a little further and they would have reached Deomar.

However, unable to endure the rain, darkness began to envelop the surroundings.

The last summer rain, summoned by someone, was falling.

Before the arrival of autumn, this rain still carried a warm energy.

※※※※

"······Saffron, it's saffron."

Alicia's eyes widened eerily as she looked through the magnifying glass.

Saffron, a spice given to them by the elves.

They primarily used it for cooking, but it had a pleasant fragrance that could also be used for perfume.

"Could this be something like that too? I heard that Elven tea called Absilon was actually a drug..."

Duncan, with his weathered appearance, was more cautious than pleased with the sudden good fortune.

It was understandable.

The series of purges that had occurred in Brigantes were said to have originated from Absilon, the elven tea.

"They claim they didn't know, so for now, we have to believe them."

To the elves, it was just a normal tea, but to humans, it was a drug.

Baradis' explanation that it worked that way because of different body structures was quite understandable.

Though the true intentions were unclear.

"Before distributing it, we should experiment with it ourselves. This is something worth taking a risk for."

What Baradis brought wasn't just a gift.

Ausrina genuinely desired a relationship with Deomar, and as evidence of that, they not only brought processed saffron but also the bulbs of its flower, along with the cryptic statement that flowers will bloom in Deomar, although they may not anywhere else.

"Do you really intend to grow this?"

"Is there a reason not to?"

The water-colored eyes with the magnifying glass down were sharp.

"In our small territory, growing cheap things only leads to losses. It's barely enough to feed the residents of the territory."

Through this war, Alicia had come to realize painfully just how small Deomar truly was.

"We're practically broke now. We have no money."

Alicia couldn't help but feel angry as she looked at Deermar, who was just swaying around in the midst of huge families.

All this calamity ultimately stemmed from a lack of power.

"My father probably knew that, which is why he focused on the lemon business, but we need a more valuable crop than that. That way we can make money and gather knights."

Alicia's father, the former family head, had also made many efforts to remedy this situation, but the power of Hainal alone had its limits.

However, now before Alicia lay a crop that was worth ten times more than lemons, so there was no reason to hesitate.

"······Bayezid won't just sit idly by on this matter. They're the kind who can smell money from a mile away."

It wasn't just Alicia who was surprised by the elves' visit.

Even Josef, who was lying in a hospital bed, wanted to get up and meet them, as this was something that even Bayezid could not compromise on.

"But it doesn't matter."

It does not matter.

Alicia had already made up her mind, and if she was going to take a gamble, it had to be now.

"I can't compromise on this."

Certainly, it had been said that even Count Bitskaya in the far east had rapidly expanded his influence through trade with the elves.

There was no reason why Deomar shouldn't follow suit.

Knock knock knock -

As Alicia pondered, a polite knock sounded in her ears.

It was a stark contrast to the arrival of the elves.

"Lady Alicia. I've just been informed that Sir Vlad has arrived in Deomar."

"Really?"

Alicia's eyes began to sparkle upon hearing the butler's words.

In this uncertain time, the most welcome presence for her could only be Vlad.

"Please inform Sir Vlad to meet me immediately."

A man who always brings more than he takes.

Perhaps, if it weren't for Vlad, this opportunity wouldn't have come at all.

"······I was too busy last time to properly thank him."

Alicia hurriedly made excuses while avoiding Duncan's suspicious gaze, but regardless, there was no change in her order to bring Vlad.

What lies ahead is saffron.

The people walking on the hill are elves.

And the person who had just arrived was her knight, Vlad.

As Alicia looked at the pieces that seemed to be taking shape, a smile crept onto her face.

※※※※

"Glad to see me? Yeah?"

In front of the castle gates, where the sky was darkening and the rain was starting to fall, Baradis, who was hurrying inside the castle gate, smiled as he looked at the cat-shaped spirit perched on his shoulder.

The cat-shaped spirit, which looked healthy to anyone who saw it, indicated that the white snake had taken good care of these children.

"Yeah. Looks like he is coming as you said."

Amidst the shouts of the guards, Baradis heard the name Vlad.

The gates of Deomar began to slowly open.

Seeing the gleaming blonde hair through the dark crack, Baradis took out a letter from his pocket that had been carefully tucked away.

"It's best to deliver this quickly, as the child suggested."

The letter, which still carries the strong scent of maple trees, was given to him by his younger sister, the priestess of the World Tree.

A letter from the priestess was not even sealed.

However, instead of words, the letter contains a childish drawing that looks like it was drawn by a child.

The priestess's prophecy, which could be understood only when the time came, depicted an image of a blonde knight anxiously watching over a young canary.

[T/L: Read more chapters here: - https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]