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Chapter 139
The Border of the Fatal Southern Empire and Albrecht
At the Halbern camp, which had been mobilizing troops for weeks just to raise tension, Zaren, who also served as the vice-commander of the Saren Knights, was left speechless after hearing the latest operational briefing.
“Uh… my lord? Did I mishear the plan?”
“No.”
“So… you really mean to attempt an infiltration with only a small number of knights? All the way to Lock Castle?”
“Yes.”
Valer’s expression remained unchanged, while Zaren’s face darkened.
Is he really saying he’s going to storm the enemy lines completely alone?
“I think we have a better chance than the mages.”
“Why are mages suddenly coming into this? Are we supposed to fight our own mages too?”
Zaren asked, alarmed, but Valer didn’t respond. He was only recalling the “Lock Castle Infiltration and Kidnapping Operation” by the mages, which he had overheard by chance when visiting the Sky Tower to meet the Archmage.
‘The original goal is just to bring Arelin back.’
If this method is faster than starting a war to retrieve her, why not give it a try?
If Mehen were here, he’d probably be whining, “Is this really my lord~,” but unfortunately, Mehen was absent.
“Infiltration… an infiltration operation…?”
“Do not take anyone by force. Only bring those who are willing to participate.”
Zaren wondered who would even be interested in such a mission.
“Oh! A lady kidnapping operation!”
“Me! I! I want to do it!”
“Me too! This has been my dream! My lifelong dream!”
Seeing the Saren knights volunteering one after another, Zaren despaired.
He pressed his palm to his forehead.
“As expected, I’m the only sane one in this order.”
Lock Castle
Buzz—
“Ethel, quiet down.”
After asking about Shione, the system kept whining that it needed a medium, so I was suddenly forced into an infiltration mission.
‘Wait… isn’t this the way to the Duchess’s room?’
The path looked familiar—and it truly was.
Is the target in the Duchess’s room? What if I meet the Regent Duke along the way?
Despite my worries, I convinced myself: nothing changes if I do nothing. Better to risk it!
I boldly entered the Duchess’s room but couldn’t figure out which item was the medium among all these things.
“Where exactly is the medium?”
Can’t it just tell me?
As I glared at the system, I sensed movement from deeper inside and quickly hid.
“Is the cleaning done?”
“Yes, it’s finished quickly.”
“Let’s get out of here soon.”
“This place always makes me feel bad when I come.”
“Watch your words.”
The footsteps faded. As the presence disappeared, I exhaled in relief.
“I thought I’d been caught.”
It would have been a disaster if I had been discovered after coming all this way. Being small enough to hide between the folds of my dress was a blessing.
Moving cautiously deeper, I suddenly noticed:
“Oh? This is…”
A foreboding black dagger.
It was the same dagger I had almost touched before, but now it glimmered with a different light.
[Contact with medium confirmed.]
[Loading information of Shione Siegria Halbern…]
The system reacted.
[Read Shione Siegria Halbern’s past memories?]
[Yes / No]
Shione Siegria Halbern’s first misfortune was being born into the Halbern family.
Her second misfortune was being excessively intelligent and clever.
Her third misfortune was that this extremely clever child did not have the strength to overcome her fate.
“A beautiful and wise lady.”
If she had been just “that much,” it would have been fine for everyone. And certainly better for Shione herself.
‘Something is off.’
Shione was so clever that she quickly noticed the injustices of the world at a very young age, and so intelligent that she understood the workings of society too quickly.
A child who was not allowed to be a child—this was another kind of misfortune.
‘If you had been a son, you would have been an excellent heir. What a pity, daughter.’
Even passing remarks from adults revealed unpleasant truths she didn’t want to know. For example, her father, Morden, the tyrant of Halbern, regarded his only daughter’s intelligence as little more than a cat’s tricks.
‘I hate my father.’
She hated the way he looked at her like an object and how he treated people around him as tools. A dictator did not show affection to a daughter who openly opposed him.
But that didn’t matter.
Shione knew how to fully utilize the Halbern name she carried.
‘I need to escape.’
If she stayed in this household, she would eventually go insane. In her father’s kingdom, she could not breathe freely. Everything he provided felt disgusting, including his intense obsession with her mother.
Shione knew that no matter how defiant she was, Morden tolerated her only because of his obsessive desire and possessiveness over his beloved woman and bloodline.
‘I feel sorry for my mother.’
Shione genuinely sympathized with her mother.
‘How did she end up with such a man?’
‘Indeed. And how did your mother come to my attention?’
‘Did he love her?’
‘Of course.’
From the moment he fell in love at first sight to now, he would remain bound to one person even in death. A dry and candid confession.
Shione knew their love story—including the ugly truths hidden behind the polished story.
In Halbern’s secret library, accessible to any direct descendant with abilities, all secrets lay dormant.
Morden’s words were half-truths.
He did propose after falling in love at first sight, and married her mother, but he was also the one who caused her to lose everything.
‘How could someone do that?’
Shione’s father responded to his daughter’s criticism as if imparting a life lesson.
‘If I hadn’t done that, would your mother have married me?’
He had eliminated everything—fiancees, parents, friends—to leave no place for her to rely on, forcing her to look only at him.
‘If I hadn’t done that, you wouldn’t have been born either. So you’re complicit, daughter.’
‘Complicit?’
‘It’s very easy to pretend not to know, so why resist? Hmm?’
At that time, Morden actually found his daughter, who resembled him, somewhat endearing.
‘Your mother is happy. That’s enough.’
‘Is that love?’
‘Daughter, do you know what love is?’
She didn’t. But Shione could be certain.
‘That’s not love.’
It was selfishness disguised as love, cruel possessiveness, and ownership.
‘Such filthy and ugly things can’t be love.’
Young Shione thought she couldn’t keep this truth to herself. She told her poor mother, who fainted from the shock.
‘You’ve miscarried!’
Her sibling in her mother’s womb died, but Shione did not regret it. Morden’s anger was directed at her, but she didn’t care.
‘That’s not love.’
Her mother had the right to know the truth.
If there was one regret…
‘Mother, father, brother, sob…’
It was about her mother, wracked with guilt, believing all the misfortunes were Shione’s fault.
Shione realized, in the most unfortunate way, that some truths could kill.
‘Mother, I’m sorry.’
‘No, my child.’
Her mother embraced her tightly, assuring her it wasn’t her fault.
‘It’s not your fault, our daughter.’
Even as the daughter of a man she resented, her mother loved Shione.
‘Mother, do you resent me?’
‘No, thank you.’
For a brief moment, Shione wondered if living in peaceful lies, as Morden suggested, would have been better for her mother—but her mother shook her head. There are no eternal secrets; learning the truth would make her despise herself even more.
‘Mother, don’t worry. I worry about you, Shione.’
Her mother, after giving birth to Valer and collapsing, never fully recovered. For years, Shione couldn’t even see her mother’s face.
But…
Shione was not lonely.
‘Valer.’
She had a younger sibling.
With a collapsed mother and a father obsessed only with the mother, Shione was left alone, alongside a newborn sibling.
‘My adorable little brother.’
When she caught the baby’s smiling gaze, Shione had a premonition: for this small child, she could do anything—even oppose her father.
