NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 71
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Girls’ hearts are truly a mystery.
While watching Ludmilla humming a tune with a cheerful expression, I suddenly thought, “Is something good happening?”
“Of course!”
Back when they pulled me out of the healer’s, she must have been in a furious state.
Has her heart changed? Or is it just a bipolar episode from being an old maid?
Who knows.
Anyway, I’m glad her mood seems to have lifted quickly.
“Don’t worry about Prince Erik! I have no interest in that treacherous man who only seeks his own safety and glory!”
“……?”
I raised an eyebrow at Ludmilla, who shrugged her shoulders and held her nose high, suddenly spouting incomprehensible nonsense.
Is she really bipolar?
At twenty-seven, she’s never even been in a relationship, so it’s no wonder she’d be experiencing mood swings.
“I think we should start looking for the Sword Saint.”
“Do you have any idea where to begin?”
“Well, I have a hunch or two, but I can’t guarantee anything.”
“Hmm….”
I recalled the moments spent traveling across the continent with the Saintess Party, pushed by Maximilian and Beatrice. Perhaps there are clues to Regnas’ whereabouts hidden in those memories.
Thinking about those raucous moments, I couldn’t help but smile lightly.
That journey with them was full of hardship, but it has become a precious memory now.
“I can’t believe you were the warmonger of the Saintess Party… I still can’t wrap my head around it. And I was searching for a warmonger all this time while having you beside me.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.”
“It’s fine. You must have had your reasons too.”
“…….”
It was only natural for her to feel resentment, having been deceived by me and the Valtarian Imperial Family. She kept her mouth shut even after seeing me desperately searching for the Saintess Party’s whereabouts.
However, Ludmilla displayed a kind aspect instead.
I felt a little awkward facing the bright smile of Ludmilla, showing her white teeth. I could feel my heart rate increasing, just like when she danced the waltz on the terrace.
“Right now, I’m only happy. I can’t believe you were the hero who crowned the Racial War with victory! Your father will be overjoyed once he finds out!”
“That would be nice.”
Is the moment to reveal the warmonger’s identity really coming?
Probably not.
I’ll do everything I can to prevent the dramatic revelation of my identity.
The warmonger must remain anonymous until the end. I still believe that.
But I didn’t want to crush the sincere expectation of Ludmilla, who looked like a child with a flushed face, so I shrugged and responded.
“Edan!”
Just when I was momentarily enchanted by the princess’s unexpected charm,
A Saintess dressed in pure white vestments approached with determined steps.
Ludmilla sighed heavily while looking at him. It seemed she thought he was going to meddle again as usual.
But right now, Zebeline appeared more anxious than ever. Usually, she would shoot disapproving looks at Ludmilla.
Could it be that new bad news has flown in?
The sense of foreboding whispered that to me.
“Edan, the Sword Saint has been reported to have appeared in the Holy Kingdom.”
“Seems he’s on the move again. Where was he spotted?”
“In the Boemon Kingdom.”
“What? The Boemon Kingdom….”
The Boemon Kingdom was established by the Boemon Knights, created with the support of the Valtarian Empire and the Gael Holy Kingdom, receiving territory in the Demon King’s domain.
I clicked my tongue in frustration when I heard that Regnas had resurfaced in the Boemon Kingdom, realizing his intentions behind choosing this stage.
“Ah, a kingdom for the knights protecting the Immortal Fortress.”
“That’s right.”
The Boemon Kingdom, once a territory of the Demon King’s Army, was just a backwater surrounded by rugged hills. But the Boemon Kingdom’s reputation was comparable to that of the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
The Immortal Fortress.
It was a stronghold where one of the most horrific battles during the Third Racial War had occurred.
And it was also the front line where the warmonger, who joined the Saintess Party, first participated in the battle.
The Immortal Fortress, known as the symbol of invulnerability, was the capital of the Boemon Kingdom. So hearing Zebeline’s words, I couldn’t help but show my bewilderment.
“The Sword Saint has called for Edan. To be precise… for the warmonger.”
“…Yes.”
The warmonger.
I will wait where your hero’s story began.
I could almost hear Regnas’s voice resonating vividly in the Boemon Kingdom.
– There were no further details.
Regnas had entered the Immortal Fortress to convey the true meaning behind the previous message.
I have to go.
That’s the only way I can find answers.
Why did he disappear without a word?
Where is the Saintess Party, who vanished so suddenly?
The answers I desperately sought all this time were raising their heads.
*
I cannot go as Edanant von Hohenberg.
The person the Sword Saint Regnas desires is the “warmonger.”
I must conceal my face.
I need to be a thoroughly unidentified person in an unseen state.
Just like three years ago.
“Hmm hmm hmm…!”
“What are you so happy about?”
Edanant, who hurriedly returned to the Marquisate of Hohenberg to conceal his movements, let out a heavy sigh. It seemed he felt disheartened at the fact that he had to step back into the world as a member of the Saintess Party.
Damn it.
I swore I would never clown around again….
Swallowing my frustration, I pressed my temples.
On the other hand, Zebeline looked at Edanant with an expression full of excitement.
It seemed that the warmonger, who had been known as an unidentified entity until now, reappearing in the world was something that filled her with joy. The memories swimming in the Saintess’s eyes overflowed with nostalgia.
“Don’t worry. I will accompany you.”
“It’s enough to go alone. You should remain like Princess Ludmilla.”
Ludmilla stayed back in the Imperial City.
This was because the scenes from when the Disaster God’s apostles wreaked havoc were still vivid.
Moreover, the Boemon Kingdom, once a territory of the Demon King’s Army, felt like a faraway land. So, Ludmilla could only swallow her reluctance and accept the brief farewell.
“Where did you put the mask? What about the armor you always wore?”
“……”
Is it because she’s happy about the parting with her love rival?
Or is she so glad about the return of the warmonger?
Zebeline fluttered around Edanant like a little owl, chattering non-stop.
“You seem to know quite well. I thought I had completely concealed my tracks until now….”
“Well, there are always exceptions. Just like eternal secrets don’t actually exist.”
The mask. The armor.
She seemed to know so much that it was surprising even to me.
How much does she really know?
Cold sweat trickled down my back at Zebeline’s actions, easily naming characteristics that only a select few knew about the warmonger.
Maybe Beatrice and Zebeline are aliens sharing each other’s knowledge, as Edanant stole a glance at the Saintess and imagined such absurd thoughts while moving his feet.
“Finally, I can scold that cheeky junior! As a senior, I’ll give them a good scolding! But when is the warmonger coming?”
“……”
The little girl with green hair stomped around like a street gang leader, bursting with anger as she followed Edanant. It felt like she was about to scold the last one to join.
Edanant let out a deep sigh.
Meanwhile, Zebeline burst into laughter.
With such contrasting reactions, Rue tilted her head in confusion.
“Don’t worry. We’ll move with the Holy Knights of the Holy Kingdom under the pretense of visiting the Boemon Kingdom. Later, we can join up in the Boemon Kingdom.” “…Rue, I’ll be counting on you during that time.”
Maybe I might need Rue’s help to persuade Regnas. Rue had played her role as a mascot splendidly until the Saintess Party abruptly vanished.
If I were to go along with Rue from the start, there might be suspicion. After all, Rue Luinong’s guardian was Edanant von Hohenberg. That’s why I decided to leave Rue with Zebeline for the moment.
“Here it is.”
Arriving at the lush forest located in the north with the Saintess and Luinong.
This was a place the Hohenberg family often used for hunting.
But since the current head of the family has avoided hunting, it has been neglected for a while.
As we cut through the thick branches like a jungle, we arrived in the forest’s center, where echoes of the past were sealed in an old hut in the middle.
“It must have gathered quite a bit of dust.”
Cough cough!
With a creak, I opened the door.
A cloud of dust swirled around, telling tales of the long time passed.
Phew.
Edanant discovered an old chest placed on the table of the hut and sighed heavily. Exhaling a breath filled with nostalgia, he slowly walked toward the chest.
Creeeak…
He opened the chest using both hands.
With the squeaking metallic sound, items inside the chest revealed themselves.
“Eh?”
Rue flopped her hair around, creating a question mark.
There was a bloodstained iron mask.
Old armor that couldn’t even be considered junk.
It felt like a waste of the energy spent reaching the hut for such a pathetic item.
“…Really, time has flown by.”
But Zebeline had a different reaction.
The Saintess gazed at the tattered antiques with a solemn nostalgia. She bit her plump lips, as if desperately holding back tears.
The warmonger.
Even after three years, his figure remained vivid in her memory.
Finally, she would see him as he was back then.
Calmly staring at Edanant, who put on the iron mask that looked like nothing more than rusty scrap, it was the moment when the completely vanished warmonger was finally returning.