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~Chapter 128~
“Yaaawn.”
Zion rubbed his eyes and stretched.
It had been days since he hadn’t returned to the temple, but strangely, the temple didn’t seem to be looking for him.
‘Well, I expected that.’
After all, the Saint Portu temple wasn’t normal right now either.
At some point, the priests had all disappeared.
Only a few holy knights had come back—wet and wounded—and locked themselves in their rooms without coming out.
Among the temple servants, there were even jokes that maybe the priests couldn’t endure Saint Portu anymore and had run away.
‘Whatever.’
Zion didn’t care.
Instead of sitting in that gloomy place, it was better to stay here, reading scriptures, doctrines, and the temple’s history.
He was also digging into the history of dragons.
The only difference was that the place he was staying in was the Grand Duke’s guest room.
‘So what? Seeking God’s will should happen anytime, anywhere.’
“Found anything else?”
While Zion turned the pages with a satisfied look, Ista spoke from across the table, where he was looking through documents.
Zion blinked slowly and looked at him.
“Why?”
“No reason. It’s just… I feel like you’ve changed.”
“Changed?”
Ista gave a faint smile as he looked back at Zion.
Yes… that was exactly what felt different.
“Before, you were very…”
Before, he seemed solid, calm, unshakable by anything.
Zion had thought he was the perfect superior officer for someone like Elaine, who could be reckless and impulsive.
Ista tilted his head gently.
“And what was I like before, compared to now?”
“Well…”
It was hard to put into clear words.
But Zion had seen that exact same expression once before—on a fellow knight.
“……When one of my comrades suddenly found out that the lady he liked got married, he looked exactly like that…”
Zion suddenly stopped talking.
Wait. Now that he thought about it—didn’t Captain Ista actually have someone he liked?
Even someone as dull as Zion knew about it.
Ista’s quiet affection for Lady Reina was well-known in the Holy Knights.
It was such a proper and gentlemanly way of showing affection that it even became a trend—knights would imitate him by leaving wildflowers in front of ladies’ houses, or laying down handkerchiefs on rainy paths.
Of course, Elaine had laughed at them, calling them fools who couldn’t even reach Captain Ista’s level.
Zion asked carefully,
“……Is Lady Reina getting married soon?”
“…Mmm.”
“Is her arranged marriage partner finally arriving in the capital?”
“…Mmm.”
Seeing him avoid the question, it was probably true.
‘Shouldn’t have said that…’
Zion slapped his own lips and gave Ista a sympathetic look.
Crash!
The door to the guest room swung open loudly.
Zion and Ista weren’t even surprised.
After all, there was usually only one person who barged in like that.
“Elaine. What brings you—”
“Look at this.”
But then, when they saw what she was holding, both of them were shocked.
Flutter, flutter—
In Elaine’s hand was a sheet of paper.
It bore the Imperial Emperor’s seal.
Her eyes burned with fury as she waved it.
“Look at what those bastards who fold and snap spines sent to us.”
The anger in her eyes was so fierce that neither Zion nor Ista dared to comment.
“What on earth is it…”
Zion took the paper and stiffened.
Beside him, Ista read it too—his face also hardening.
“This… this is…”
Clatter, clatter—
The carriage shook, and my body jolted along with it.
Of course, it was because the road wasn’t properly paved.
Thud!
“…Are you alright?”
From above, I heard Reina whisper softly.
Knock, knock, knock.
I tapped lightly on the lid to signal that I was fine.
Yes, the lid.
To be exact, the lid under the carriage seat.
I had been lying inside the storage space of the carriage for hours.
Not the trunk in the back, but the hidden space revealed when you lifted the passenger seat.
Usually, noble ladies stored their dresses or jewelry there.
‘Good thing my body is small.’
The normal trunk was too risky—guards always inspected it.
‘I almost got caught once too.’
Those shameless soldiers had checked so thoroughly, like hunting rats.
I had nearly been exposed and forced to wipe their memories with magic before escaping.
What kind of inspection was it, you ask?
“Whoa, whoa!”
Screeech.
The carriage suddenly stopped.
Knock, knock.
Reina tapped the seat above me in signal.
Then—click. The carriage window opened.
“There will be a special inspection.”
As expected, the soldier’s voice was followed by Bess, who was sitting across from Reina.
“We’re traveling to the capital. The family’s crest is even marked outside.”
“By His Majesty’s order, every carriage passing through the Saint Portu road must be searched.”
Yes, that kind of inspection.
“Don’t you know the name Pascal?”
“That’s right. Our lady is the daughter of Pascal—a proud military noble family of the Empire.”
“Sorry, but there are no exceptions…”
I curled up tighter inside, listening to the muffled voices.
My thoughts went back to a few days earlier, before leaving Saint Portu.
“Wait… this is really…?”
Zion and Captain Ista looked stunned as they read the paper I had brought.
Behind me, Reina, Bess, Jeremy, and others from the Grand Duke’s mansion had followed in.
“……”
Jeremy and Clark stiffened as soon as they saw Zion and Ista.
Their faces made it clear they didn’t like holy knights being here, but they were tolerating it because of me.
Ista’s face wasn’t exactly comfortable either, but at least Zion was too dense to notice.
“Is this really what we think it is?”
“Yes. It’s from the Imperial Court.”
The head maid answered coldly instead of me, her expression the calmest of us all.
Zion scratched the Imperial seal with his nail before rolling his eyes.
“But Elaine, this content…”
“What you read is correct.”
“…Are you saying the Imperial Court actually sent a letter declaring the Grand Duke’s lands as a traitor’s territory?”
Yes. That was exactly what it said.
I tapped the end of the document with my finger.
“Not yet. It’s conditional.”
Zion read the writing carefully.
“So… if the Grand Duke doesn’t answer the summons…”
“Then Saint Portu will be branded as traitor land, accused of rebellion against the Empire.”
That was what the urgent message from the capital contained.
[There was a monster attack in Saint Portu, and word reached the capital that the Grand Duke abandoned the northern front.
The Grand Duke, whose duty was to stop the monster invasion, neglected his obligation, letting monsters invade his lands…]
Blah, blah.
‘Too long.’
I slashed my finger across my throat in mockery and kept reading.
[…Therefore, we will give Grand Duke Silence the chance to explain himself. He must appear in the capital personally…
If he does not come, it will be considered proof of treasonous intent…]
“What nonsense.”
I compressed the whole document into one line.
Clark and Jeremy nodded violently in agreement.
“From the beginning, marching out to block the monsters wasn’t even an obligation. We only did it out of responsibility, treating it as our duty.”
“Exactly right.”
“And what’s this about? If monsters appear in Saint Portu, the first thing they should do is come fight them!”
“Exactly right!”
“The lord left the front to deal with monsters in his own land, and now they call that a crime? Those pale-faced capital fools have lost their minds.”
“Grand Duchess, you’ve truly become one of Saint Portu’s people.”
With Clark and Jeremy’s heated agreement as background, I punched the air furiously.
This wasn’t just something to criticize lightly.
I felt like grabbing a bottle with a rag stuffed in it.
On the other hand, Captain Ista was fidgeting nervously halfway through the letter.
“Elaine.”
“Yes?”
“I didn’t report this.”
I had wondered why he looked like a puppy needing to pee.
He was worried I’d think he told the capital what happened in Saint Portu.
“Of course you didn’t.”
“You believe me?”
“Would you ever do something like that?”
I had once asked him not to report to the temple, and he had listened.
Ista definitely wasn’t the type.
So I returned the trust he had given me.
“I never doubted you for a second.”
“…Thanks for believing me—”
“You’re not wicked enough for that.”
“……”
“You’re the type who, even if falsely accused, would say you had nothing to hide and just take it. You’d let people use you without even realizing it.”
“……”
“You’re the kind of guy who, even when he needs to hide, would proudly say, ‘I am Ista, captain of the 3rd Holy Knights,’ and get arrested.”
Ista’s mouth closed, his face unsure if I had just complimented him or insulted him.
