she calls you (2)
A day when the sun is shining warmly and the wind is cool.
Suddenly, as the summer season came along, Deermar’s white snake decided to go down the tree for the first time in a long time.
There is no weather like this to enjoy sunbathing.
On a hill that is as lonely as it is quiet.
A white snake quietly closing its eyes while looking at the silent tombstones.
The tail swayed gently as the wind blew.
—-?
At that moment, the white snake that had just settled down quietly raised its head as if it felt something.
There is a distinct feeling approaching from afar.
It was a sensation that it hadn’t felt in a long time, so the white snake sniffed it to see if it would happen.
—-!
The white snake’s eyes widened as it recognized the scent.
The scent of flowers came from far away.
The scent of very young flowers.
I had forgotten about it for a while because I had not felt it for a long time, but it was a scent that stimulated the nostalgia that was embedded in my soul.
The white snake stood upright as if in disbelief and looked further away.
Beyond the mansion of Hainal right in front, and beyond the territory.
As the white snake widened its gaze to that point, the image of a familiar man began to appear.
There was a blonde knight coming straight towards this place from far outside the territory.
A sword made of stars filled with the breath of children.
The children who came riding the knight’s sword were speaking together.
The possibility of a world tree is not dead yet.
The white snake’s tail began to tremble violently as it recognized the children.
※※※※
“······I knew it would be like this.”
Hainal’s mansion is small and old, but has been carefully maintained.
A weak voice was coming from the office located at the highest point there.
“I knew it would end up like this.”
Rich, aqua-colored hair was flowing over the desk as if sea water had spilled over it.
Alicia Hainal.
She was now collapsing on the desk from helpless fatigue.
It was a contrast to the white snake that was shaking its head in excitement outside the window.
“Didn’t you prepare as much as you knew?”
Although the noble lady did not look like she should have, Duncan, who guessed what she was thinking, simply comforted her with a quiet voice.
“Are you ready?”
Alicia quietly raised her head at Duncan’s words.
The face hidden by the abundant hair looked a little gloomy.
“You know very well that this level of preparation is not enough.”
“······.”
Duncan was at a loss for words due to self-deprecation rather than criticism.
“after.”
Alicia sighs and carefully strokes her hair as she looks at Duncan who doesn’t respond.
There was a piece of paper with a lot of writing written on it next to her bedside table.
It was a report summarizing the military composition of the Hainal family.
“······We can’t fight Gaidar with just 700 people.”
The troops were gathered together with the intention of wringing out dry rags, but they numbered only 700 men.
Even if it were an ordinary territory war, the opponent was Gaidar, the loser of the West, and even the neighborhood kids would know that they would not be able to fight him with this number.
“What about the mercenaries? “I heard prices have risen a lot these days?”
“That’s right. Alicia.”
The end of Alicia’s words dispersed like a sigh.
Duncan knew full well how much pressure she was facing, but today he was unable to say anything to cheer Alicia up.
“There are signs of war not only for us but everywhere. So the price of mercenaries rose a lot…”
Gaidar’s purpose was clear and could no longer be avoided.
A battle that would determine not only the territory but also the fate of the family was approaching, and Alicia planned to do her best to fight for him.
“I met some well-known mercenary leaders, but they all seemed reluctant to side with us.”
“······I guess so.”
However, contrary to Alicia’s resolve, the world was not reaching out to her easily.
Poor monarch.
And a powerful enemy.
Even mercenaries looking for opportunity would not want to board a sinking ship.
“In the end, we won’t be able to prepare even 1,000.”
“That’s right.”
Alicia’s shadow over Duncan’s answer deepened.
According to information sent by Josef, Gaidar was moving north with the families that followed them.
A total of about 5,000 troops.
His soldiers, who only lasted 700 days, would be nothing more than a heavy burden.
“But you won’t rush at me all at once, right? Because they don’t have a reason to attack us.”
——————
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“That’s right. Not only will we not sit still in the center, but we also have an ally called Bayezid.”
Unlike the West, where they were all intertwined for various reasons, Deirmar was a territory belonging to a completely different sphere of influence.
If they invaded Deermar without a just cause, not only the imperial family and the central government but also numerous families would criticize them.
“Alicia. “Customers have arrived.”
“Are you a guest?”
The butler came in with a polite knock.
Alicia’s office had always been filled with a heavy atmosphere, but fresh air was blowing through the door she entered.
“These are people from Bayezid.”
“Bayezid!”
Alicia jumped up from her seat, forgetting her face for a moment at the words of the butler.
The sudden movement caused my knee to hit the desk, but it was more joy than pain.
“Hurry and bring them here.”
“All right.”
Alicia had no hesitation in inviting people who had just arrived at the mansion to her office.
Because everyone was ignoring Hainal and they were the only ones who were reaching out.
“It seems like Josef is also watching this situation.”
“thank god.”
Alicia leaned back deeply in her chair as if she had spent some time relaxing.
“Do you feel like you can breathe a little better now?”
No matter how Gaidar is, he cannot ignore Bayezid.
Bayezid, one of the pillars of the North, was clearly a powerful family.
‘······I guess we came together.’
But Alicia was expecting something other than the good news they would bring.
I was waiting for someone who could give me a moment to breathe in the current situation where everything seems to be blocked.
A small smile formed on Alicia’s lips as she thought of him.
“You are here.”
“Ask them to come in.”
Alicia quickly brushed her hair after hearing the butler’s report, and before she knew it, she had returned to the appearance of a proud noblewoman and was greeting the guests.
Before she knew it, she had returned and her eyes were shining brightly toward the door that was about to open.
“long time no see. “Baron.”
The door opened with Alicia’s expectations.
There was a man who opened the door and bowed his head politely.
A knight sent by Josef, a man who is often scolded by him but always guarantees results.
“My name is Bordan from Bayezid.”
“······ah.”
An old knight is wiping away sweat with a handkerchief, as if he is hot, as he says hello.
Looking at him, Alicia stuck out her lips without realizing it.
The white snake outside the window was still just raising its head and bobbing back and forth.
※※※※
Men wearing black hoods.
Vlad and the Thornwood mercenaries were heading to Deermar with them.
“Is that why you came down here?”
“······You shouldn’t ask me that.”
A man covered in scars who does not give clear answers to his questions.
Looking at him like that, Vlad could tell that he had other duties besides taking him away.
Maybe he was aiming for someone else’s head like Ender Hainal’s time.
“But what should I call you? Seniors?”
I don’t know who it is and I don’t know its intentions.
Vlad’s actions of continuing to seek information from such a man full of doubts could be said to be a natural attitude stemming from his survival instinct.
“hmm. “There was a problem with the title.”
After listening to Vlad’s words, the man in the black hood stroked his chin and began to think for a moment.
“I guess my senior is a bit like that. “If possible, it would be best to pretend not to know me.”
“Why?”
“Because there is nothing better for both sides to know.”
The scars on his face distort along with the man’s smile.
An unknown man who quietly warns Vlad through non-verbal signals not to get any deeper.
Vlad noticed the warning he was sending and nodded quietly.
“Just call me by my name.”
“What is your name?”
The man, who was silent for a moment in response to Vlad’s question, eventually opened his mouth as if he had thought of something.
“Let’s do it Marcus. “You can call me Marcus from now on.”
“······You’re talking like you’re not Marcus just now.”
“The most difficult thing is to come up with a name. “At this level, I was selected quite well.”
A man in a black hood who doesn’t bother to hide the fact that he just made up a name.
The man, whom I would now call Marcus, turned his head and looked in Stefan’s direction.
“We already didn’t have enough workers, but we did a good job. Are you employed?”
“no. yet.”
“I will give you a subsidy. “Let them hire you.”
It may not have been his intention, but Marcus smiled happily as he saw Vlad leading a group of mercenaries.
Even though it was an ugly smile that made those who saw it feel intimidated.
“It’s not a bad choice for the Thorn Mercenaries. “They are talented and, above all, have a good mission completion rate.”
“is that so?”
Vlad nodded as he listened to Marcus.
Knights have honor, mercenaries have trust.
These were the top virtues that proved one’s worth in each field, and Stefan was proving his trust through a high mission completion rate.
“For some reason, it didn’t run away.”
“okay?”
I knew it well because I had been in the mercenary industry for a while.
Those who call themselves mercenaries are people who get offended at every opportunity.
However, the Thornwood mercenaries did not run away even during the battle with Auguste.
I liked that attitude, so I took him with me until now, even though I was aware of his shallow intentions.
“If you plan on continuing to take her with you in the future, be careful when it comes to relationships with women.”
“yes?”
Marcus just shrugged his shoulders in response to Vlad’s question.
“Even with that level of skill, there’s a reason why they wander around.”
“······aha.”
Chopal, a former magistrate, perfectly understood what Marcus said.
Vlad turned his head and looked at Stefan, who was following him from behind.
Stefan, who happened to be looking at him, immediately smiled and squinted one eye as soon as he made eye contact with Vlad.
The fact that the other eye didn’t even frown was not something I had done once or twice.
“hmm?”
A crow began circling above the head of Vlad, who was having a meaningless snowball fight with Stefan.
“I guess there’s something urgent going on.”
The crow that was circling in the sky landed on Marcus’ forearm in a familiar manner when he held out his arm.
‘It’s not a pigeon, it’s a crow.’
The letter box hanging from his ankle was also painted black, so it seemed like no one would notice that this crow was Jeon Seo-gu.
“Umm…”
Vlad’s eyes were sparkling with curiosity as he looked at the crow, but Marcus’s expression only hardened as he heard the news the crow had sent.
“Let’s part ways here.”
“yes?”
It was Marcus and his group who said they would go to Deermar together.
But now he just hurriedly turned his head as if he had left something behind.
“Is something wrong?”
“······I said you shouldn’t ask me that.”
Marcus clicked his tongue as he watched Vlad ask another question in a natural way.
This guy is a smart guy.
Because by pretending to be innocent, pretending not to know, you are once again crossing the line that you warned yourself about.
As expected, I should have asked Peter for this guy.
“All right.”
Vlad nodded, looking at the heavy gaze Marcus gave him.
Because the warning in his eyes was not directed at him.
“Go quickly to Deremar. Lady Alicia’s Knight.”
Go quickly. Lady’s knight.
Because she is desperately calling for you.
“It won’t be too late.”
“······.”
So go ahead and do your duty.
Before the collapsing skies of the empire fell upon her.
