Clip-clop!

The messenger relaxed his body flexibly to match the horse’s movement. His hands had become lighter, but his shoulders heavier. This was because he had more news to deliver.

But the messenger felt light enough to fly. Though he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep, he could deliver Bariel’s victory report directly to Crown Prince Jin with his own hands. This was truly a great honor.

The horse, too, showed signs of being given with care by Clifford. At this speed, he could arrive much faster than expected.

The messenger reflexively shook the reins, immersed in thoughts of telling Jin that Ian and the mages were safe as well.

But far away, he saw the form of a legion.

“Whoa, whoa.”

There was only one road. Though it could connect to other countries like Burgos or Ruswena, it was the main trade route used by Bariel and Clifford. Therefore, they couldn’t be enemies.

Moreover, hadn’t Lord Ian said so? That the King of Burgos had been captured. In war, the existence of the leader was no different from the core determining victory or defeat.

The messenger slowly focused his telescope.

“Hmm?”

The flag of those leading the way looked familiar. And behind it, the Imperial flag of Bariel fluttering.

Are additional reinforcements coming? The messenger pulled out an identical Bariel Imperial flag from his breast and waved it as he drove his horse toward them. He could see the vanguard of the legion slowly reducing speed as they noticed the messenger’s presence.

“Excuse me!”

“Who are you?”

“That’s what I should be asking. Are you additional reinforcements from Bariel?”

Sereau sniffled and glanced behind him. These were mercenaries, every last cent scraped together. Of course, foreigners were mixed in despite wearing the same armor, and above all, their dignity was far below what could be called the palace’s regular army.

As Sereau scratched his head embarrassedly, there was a presence from the carriage behind him.

It was Allenara in quite light attire. Lady Allenara with her hair tied tightly, wearing a shirt and pants. If this appearance had been seen in high society, it would have been talked about for a long time.

But Allenara didn’t care. Anyway, through this turning point, she and her family would either die or exile to Ruswena—one of the two.

“Who are you to block the path of Bariel’s reinforcements? Are you a messenger?”

The messenger grabbed the dagger at his waist with suspicious eyes. This was to cut his own windpipe if necessary.

“You exhaust me with this. Why are you taking it so seriously? I just asked. We are the children of House Sereau. With the permission of the imperial family, we’re on our way to help with the war in Clifford.”

“Ah, Sereau.”

Sereau, now I recognize the flag. The messenger shrugged with a sigh of relief.

“Were you sent from the palace?”

“Well, that’s…”

“As nobles, how could we just watch during wartime? Is permission needed for this help? And you still haven’t introduced yourself. This is quite problematic.”

As Sereau hesitated, Allenara quickly caught his words.

In truth, there had been no direct deployment order from Crown Prince Jin. However, as she said, when a noble directly mobilizes private soldiers and private funds, there was no reason to stop them.

Perhaps the Crown Prince might not know they had left the center. It could be a matter reported and organized at the level of the Imperial Defense Department or the Prime Minister.

“I am a palace messenger. I deeply respect your sentiment, but it seems there’s no need for you to do this.”

“What? Why? We even heard rumors of conscription.”

“Bariel has won.”

“What did you say?”

Allenara jumped out of the carriage with a surprised face. The horses raised their heads in excitement, but Allenara was so shocked she showed no sign of fear.

Bariel has won? Why so quickly?

“King Damon of Burgos has been captured. It seemed that everyone, including Magic Minister Ian, was handling the aftermath. I thought it was amazing, but wow, it’s really cool. Everyone seemed to have injuries, but no one appeared severely hurt. How did they manage to snatch King Damon from the center of the enemy?”

“W-w-what about Ruswena?”

“Ruswena? Hmm. It must be one of those targets for cleanup.”

“Tell me more details! Brother!”

“Ah, yes. Listen, please get down from your horse for a moment.”

“Uh…”

Sereau pulled the messenger’s arm.

The messenger, who had come down in a daze, was a bit burdened by the intense treatment. He had come face to face with two noble offspring whose eyes were flashing. He stepped back hesitantly and raised his hands to calm them.

Yes. This is what a victory report tastes like! Who wouldn’t react like this when told of the victory in war! The messenger added with a smile.

“It seemed urgent to organize the northern tribes mobilized by Burgos and Ruswena. But since the central axis, the King of Burgos, has been captured, they will simply conquer them if nothing else happens. This is the glory of Bariel and the victory of the Prince! Hahaha!”

“Hahaha! That’s right! Would you like some water? I can feel the heat from here.”

“I was told it would be better to hurry with the victory report, so I left the barrier without even drinking a cup of water.”

Allenara laughed along with the messenger and quickly turned her thoughts. It would be better to hurry with the victory report? This suggests that there wasn’t an overwhelming defeat of forces in battle…

‘Does this mean only King Damon was captured, and the forces of Burgos and Ruswena are still intact? If so, Queen Eripony will have much to think about. The more troubled the Queen is, the more opportunities arise for me.’

“Excuse me, Lady?”

Allenara held tightly to the water bottle she was handing to the messenger, not letting go. He tilted his head in confusion, but Allenara just stared silently.

Sereau, who was watching from the side, snatched the water bottle from his sister’s grip.

“Here it is. My sister has good grip strength.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“What about other things?”

“Pardon?”

“We’ve come this far, staking everything on our family. Though nothing could be more joyful than Bariel’s victory, on the other hand, it’s regrettable that we have no way to show our loyalty to the Prince. Has Bariel and Clifford truly achieved a decisive victory? Enough that we don’t need to go?”

“Well…”

The messenger scratched his chin and trailed off. It was truly awkward to have met them like this. He couldn’t tell people who said they had staked everything on their family to go back, and what if hands were short in handling the aftermath after doing so?

What he was conveying was precisely ‘the end of battle due to King Damon of Burgos’s capture,’ not ‘the defeat of Burgos’ or ‘the end of the war.’

The messenger subtly pulled his foot back as he handed the water bottle back.

“I have nothing more to say. If you’re still concerned, it wouldn’t be bad to go see for yourself. It’s not far.”

“Do we just go straight this way? What about the other camps?”

“Ah, don’t go right at the fork. As I was leaving the barrier, I saw Ruswena setting up camp. If I had gone that way, I would have wasted my journey.”

The messenger, having said all he needed to, mounted his horse again and passed by them.

Sereau stared vacantly at his retreating figure. Then, grabbing his head, he looked back and forth between Allenara and the messenger.

“Allenara!”

It contained all the blame and wailing—what should we do now, we’re about to go bankrupt for unnecessarily taking action when everyone was staying still, this is all because of you.

But Allenara only frowned, pressing her finger against her temple.

“Be quiet, Brother.”

“You always say that! You!”

“Don’t you understand the position of the Ruswena King now? She’s been left hanging in the middle. Despite allying with Burgos and facing trade sanctions from Bariel, she participated in the war, but now everything is about to be in vain due to the Burgos King’s capture. But that’s better. Haven’t we all learned through history what responsibility a country that loses in war must bear?”

Opportunity. Opportunity.

Queen Eripony would desire Allenara’s help more than ever before. A small thorn hiding under the name of Bariel. There couldn’t be anything better than this for the Bariel balloon that was about to inflate and take off.

Allenara patted her brother’s shoulder and returned to the carriage. The soldiers and mercenaries were watching them, their heads half-turned, wondering what was going on.

“Let’s all hurry our steps! When we reach the fork, I will go right. Brother, go straight and enter the Clifford barrier.”

“You’re going alone? To Ruswena?”

“Queen Eripony would probably prefer meeting me over meeting you, Brother. Never mind, let’s go. Did you hear what the messenger said earlier? There seems to be some problem with the Ministry of Magic, we can’t miss this. Move!”

Allenara clapped her hands and urged the coachmen, and Sereau readjusted his helmet. Perhaps because they were passing through a forest, it seemed like the sun would set soon.

As the messenger had said, the fork appeared not long after, and Allenara entrusted herself to a single carriage and chose the right path. She stretched her body out the window and firmly instructed her brother.

“Brother! First, go and don’t do anything. Just focus on entering and wait. Whether it’s a message or the commotion of war.”

Clip-clop!

After advising so, Allenara closed the carriage window and leaned back on the hard sofa.

Not all swords need to have blades, right? It’s enough to stab the opponent and take their breath away.

Allenara exhaled deeply, realizing that a sword had been placed in her hand. From now on, she too would become a part of the war.

***

“Lord Ian! Lord Ian!”

“You’ll hurt yourself if you hurry! Lord Ian!”

“Hey, what are you doing! Why aren’t you escorting him slowly?”

“Iaaaan! Why so sudden? This isn’t the way to the dining hall!”

Ian, who rarely hurried his steps, was now moving while gasping for breath. Of course, this was due to his poor physical condition.

Beric and the mages, who had been waiting below, were surprised and followed after him, and soon they arrived at the makeshift prison where Damon was confined.

“Haa, haa…”

Ian caught his breath, holding a bundle of documents. A drop of sweat flowed down his hair. Then, turning his head slightly, he instructed everyone to withdraw with his eyes.

Swish.

Something didn’t seem right. The mages couldn’t cross the threshold of the underground prison and could only watch Ian.

“Open it.”

Snap!

The Clifford soldier saluted and seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then, trusting the mages, took out the key. Clank, as the metal sound echoed unpleasantly, Ian rushed inside.

Damon, having removed his armor, was still in his battlefield attire. After confirming through a body search that there were no special problems, shackles were placed on his wrists and ankles.

Though he was the king of a country, he was ultimately a prisoner of war. There was no more effective propaganda than displaying the depth of his fall, so such treatment was natural.

“Damon. Answer properly to what I’m about to say.”

“……”

A flash of defiance sparkled in his untamed purple eyes. He avoided answering by lowering his head, and his hair flowed down, covering half his face.

“Have you met the head of the Rutherford merchant group directly?”

“……”

“What did you get in return for paying them resources?”

“……”

“Not only did you give gold and silver, why did you send your half-blooded kin? Did Rutherford want them? How did they know you had kin? The king and queen were dead, and this was a matter to be hushed even within Burgos.”

“……”

“Does Rutherford know too? About your life? If so, how could they give the secret to a gypsy?”

“You seem to have a lot of questions. But what to do? I don’t want to answer. Just because you ask doesn’t mean I have an obligation to speak.”

As Damon giggled and shook his head from side to side, Ian roughly grabbed his hair and pressed him against the wall.

Thud!

“I told you to answer properly.”