Chapter 38

The East was blessed with the vast plains and the Tanya River, while the Central region received the gift of ore under the protection of the Pavezzo Mountains.

However, the West received nothing.

The ground where they took root was barren and surrounded by monsters and militant enemies.

The people there had to clench their teeth in order not to lose what they had.

For the Western nobles, who were not allowed to live a luxurious life or honored loyalty, all that remained was their bond.

The Western nobility united themselves to resist the outside world and took care of themselves.

The center of it was Duke Verdin, the current owner of the Western region.

An old man with an ordinary look opened his mouth, sitting at the innermost corner of a long table in the middle of a large conference room.

“Are there any other communications from William?”

There weren’t many people in the Empire who could call William, the Western mage, so comfortably.

However, as long as the surname of that person, who seemed ordinary at first glance, was Verdin, everything was just natural.

“Yes, my lord.”

At the reply of Count Guillaume, his vassal and closest confidant, Duke Verdin wrinkled his forehead.

“Does he want me to pay attention to the safety of the 2nd Empress this time around as well?”

“He added a request to arrange an itinerary so that they could stop by the Western Tower.”

“He asked me to do a lot of things as if I owe him something. Not to mention…”

“He became so proud since he became the guardian of the 3rd Prince. There are already rumors within the Empire that William knew in advance that the 2nd Empress is a summoner and he wanted to use her.”

“It is a great thing that the 2nd Empress became a spirit summoner, and it is true that her worth has increased several times in the current situation. However, would the old fox from the Tower be able to get her feet up and running?”

“Is it possible that he’s trying to approach the 2nd Empress who is in the center of power?”

At the words of Count Guillaume, the Duke, who had been stroking his wrinkled lips with his hand, shook his head lightly.

“If that was the case, he would have asked us to cooperate properly in the first place. No matter how powerful the Empire is, it is one of the few forces in the end. It’s impossible to move alone.”

Moreover, unlike the aristocratic powers, the Magic Tower did not consider it to be their mission and highest value to stand at the center of power.

The battles of the nobles were not familiar to them, and they were fully aware what was the source of their strength…

This was because without an instinctive longing for mana, it was impossible to become a member of the Tower.

William, who was particularly greedy for mana, would not get involved in a full-fledged power struggle even in the Tower.

So, William’s choice could only be a deal between himself and the 2nd Empress, this was the truth…

But what did the 2nd Empress give out that even the old fox of the Tower was moved?

If one looks at it that way, did they not say that the Emperor also treats the 2nd Empress with a completely different attitude from before?

“If I had known this would happen, I would have gone to the capital. If I had, I would have been able to actually witness one of the stories of the 2nd Empress that have been making my ears ache lately.”

The heads of each faction do not move easily in their own territories.

The ones who stay in the capital, attend Barossa’s meetings, and bow their heads in front of the emperor all the time are the second-in-command of each faction.

It wasn’t like that from the beginning.

As the aristocratic faction grew stronger, the masters of each faction began to fight the flag and often procrastinated in order to undermine the authority of the emperor.

Since then, it has become customary for the highest aristocrats or the heads of each faction to attend only essential meetings and ceremonies.

It is not necessary to keep this ‘unwritten rule’, but it would be right to say that if you go alone to a place where the masters of other powers are not, the value of your name will be reduced.

“Instead, why not check if the recent rumors so far are true?”

The one who tried to change the atmosphere was the person sitting in the first row on the right of the table centered on the Duke.

“That’s right.”

The Duke consented obediently, and the short man who looked like he was in his mid-thirties had a bright expression on his face.

He is the eldest son of the Duke who closely resembles the Duke, and a calm woman was with him.

When the man turned to look at his wife, she nodded.

The man gained some confidence and opened his mouth.

“According to the interim report, the 2nd Empress will soon arrive in the Duchy. Aren’t the movements of the monsters unusual due to the recent extreme drought and anomalies? It is said that the 2nd Empress and the party had already been attacked several times. I don’t know if it’s from outside, but wouldn’t it be a shame if something like that happened within the Duchy?”

“That too, yes.”

“Then…”

As the man tried to continue the words with a glance, the Duke slipped his gaze away from the man and his wife.

And moved towards the second son’s couple who were sitting next to the first son’s couple.

Unlike the ordinary-looking first son Patrick, who resembles the Duke at the first glance, the youngest son with a slightly different age was a rare, handsome man. He was also accompanied by a woman, just like his older brother.

The woman appeared to be in her late twenties and had a small child in her arms.

The Duke’s gaze stopped on the face of the now four-year-old child.

“Jonathan.”

The Duke called the second son’s name.

“Yes, Father.”

“You go out to welcome the group. Let’s do our best to serve the 2nd Empress so that she can come to the castle without any inconvenience.”

Surprised by the unexpected order, Jonathan took turns looking at his father and older brother.

Soon after, a roar erupted.

“Father, why not me…?!”

“Patrick, are you going to challenge my decision now?”

“It’s not like that, Father. I think that it would be more appropriate if the eldest son welcomes the 2nd Empress…”

Patrick couldn’t speak to the end because his father’s eyes that were staring at him were so cold that his body trembled.

Patrick’s head dropped down. Anne, the first daughter-in-law, who saw her husband like that, bit her molars tightly.

However, she tried not to show it. She lifted her face, pulled her chin, and straightened her shoulders.

“Then, who will be in charge of serving her in the Duke’s Castle?”

“Why are you curious about that?”

“Mother, who is recuperating outside, can’t welcome guests, right?”

After hearing her answer, the Duke’s eyes narrowed, and Anne spoke more calmly.

“Then of course I have to go. Or do you want to entrust the guests who have come a long way for the West to a lowly ignorant thing?”

As she took the role of the hostess, it was obvious who was the ‘lowly ignorant thing’ she mentioned.

The second son, Jonathan’s wife, Vera, is known to have come from a fallen barony, but in fact, even that was rumored to be a false title that was bought in haste.

But either way did not matter to Anne.

For a young girl whose parents were both high-ranking nobles, it was nothing more than trash.

“It’s not that I want to fight for the position. I’m just worried that the Duchy’s prestige will drop and the East and Central will laugh at us.”

“It makes sense. I will leave that matter for you.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Anne answered as if she had received her natural share and role without showing signs of liking.

As soon as the meeting was over, the eldest son, Patrick, jumped to his feet and went outside with a huff.

Anne sighed and followed him.

“Foolish fellow.”

The Duke clicked his tongue.

Jonathan wanted to pass his duties on to his brother, but he shut his mouth as he realized that it would only cause a futile headwind.

The Duke said to Jonathan.

“Don’t think about anything weird, just do what you have to do. I don’t want to admit such a foolish son, who is willing to die for one woman.”

The Duke looked once more at the child in the arms of the second daughter-in-law, whose head was lowered.

The first son’s couple did not have an heir.

“This is your last chance. Do it right for you and for Benjamin. If the 2nd Empress finds the water veins and stabilizes the public mind, the person who was with her at that time will be the representative of the Duke family. And keep an eye on the 2nd Empress until we find out what she has.”

The Duke did not say a word to Vera until the end, and walked away with the vassals to the left.

The three remaining members of the family face each other in a spacious meeting room.

Jonathan took Vera and the small child in Vera’s arms in his arms.

“I’m sorry.”

Vera shook her head as if it was okay and put her forehead on her husband’s shoulder.

***

Tadakk! Tadakk!

The bark of the tree heated by the fire cracked and roared.

The darkness disappeared as small, yellow sparks rose. Elisha looked at the bonfire while Leon wriggled in her arms.

“What’s wrong? You can’t sleep?”

“Yes.”

“Is it because you took a nap earlier?”

After the first monster attack, something similar happened a couple more times. It wasn’t big, but it wasn’t for a child to see.

They were supposed to arrive at the Duchy today, but unfortunately, they ran into strong monsters.

However, their group was far superior.

It wouldn’t have been a problem if everyone had followed the instructions, however, the nobles who had never been involved in such a big deal were surprised and told their coaches and moved their knights to make holes for themselves, making the carriages collide with each other.

The space was full of things that children shouldn’t see.

Elisha had no choice but to cover her child’s eyes with her hand and told him that it was nap time again.

“Were you afraid?”

Even if he couldn’t see it, he must have heard the sound. That alone and the smell of blood should’ve shaken the child.

“Was Mother afraid?”

“No, not at all. I was not afraid.”

“Me too, Mother. When I’m with you, I’m not afraid of any nightmares.”

“Really?”

The child laughed, saying it wasn’t scary. And Elisha didn’t say that reality was different from a nightmare.

Nevertheless…

“So I won’t take a nap next time. I want to see what Mother sees together. Then if Mother sees something scary, I will hold your hand at that time. Then when I’m bigger than I’m now, when I grow up to the size of Sir Rohan, I will protect you. I made a promise with my brother to protect Mother together.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes!”

His blue eyes shone brightly.

The bonfire was warm, but the small body of the child in her arms was warmer, and the kindness of the child was so sweet that it felt like it would melt her heart.

“I think… I like bonfires.”

Elisha said abruptly.

Leon, who was looking at the bonfire and Elisha alternatively, revealed his white teeth and smiled lovingly.

Leon didn’t ask if she had liked it from the beginning or if she had fallen in love with it just now.

That would be too difficult for his mother at the moment. Instead, he told his mother that he had come to love bonfires too.

His mother gently bent her sky-blue eyes.

Then the sound of horseshoes was heard in the distance.

When Leon realized that, Elisha, who had already stood up, was holding him with one hand and a sword in the other.

The 1st Knights surrounded her, and Rohan’s back appeared right in front of her.

“I don’t think they mean harm, but let’s wait until it’s confirmed.”

A large crowd approached from the other side and stopped a short distance away.

The man in the lead got off his horse and approached.

“I’m Jonathan Verdin. I thought your party should’ve arrived at the last village before the Duchy by now, so I came to meet you. I was worried because you were late.”

The Western nobles accompanying Marquis Rwanda were surprised to find him.

The relationship between him and the Duke was very bad, and it has been a while since he had been exposed to outside affairs.

Jonathan greeted them with his gaze and approached the 2nd Empress.

When Rohan moved aside, he bowed.

“I see the 3rd Prince and the 2nd Empress.”

Elisha stared at him silently and opened her mouth.

“Nice to meet you, Jonathan.”

Jonathan straightened his back and met Elisha’s eyes.

“Welcome.”

The soft smile seemed to tell how he truly felt.

In the past, Rozenin once said that she wondered how the parents who gave birth to the Western demon bastard came to be.

Elisha nodded her head without much excitement.

With his sudden appearance, the full-fledged schedule began a little bit earlier.