While walking through the rainy streets of the capital under the autumn downpour, Ferzen came to a halt.
The corpses of Cesar and Roer, which lay scattered in the capital square, were already being picked apart by crows. This sight was nothing short of gruesome.
Once the rain ceased, their bodies would become infested with maggots, drawing even more crows to the grisly scene.
When all that remained were bare bones, the Imperial Family would likely declare war on the Elmark Empire.
News of Gremory's coronation had already reached the Imperial Family of Ernes, so the declaration of war was imminent, possibly within two weeks.
"..."
Ferzen adjusted his umbrella and continued his way toward the mansion where Lizzy resided.
Nestled in the depths of his coat pocket, there was a letter containing information about Lizzy's impending deployment in the forthcoming war.
It could be seen as a sort of draft notice.
Of course, Lizzy had been assigned to the same front-line military unit that Ferzen belonged to.
It was an undeniably harsh treatment, given her physical disability, requiring a wheelchair even on the battlefield.
However, despite Lizzy being found not guilty due to her innocence in Roer and Cesar's rebellion, there would undoubtedly be talk if she were sent to the rear unit solely because she bore the Claudia family's blood.
Allowing such a thing to occur would not only dent the soldiers' morale but also spark vehement opposition from the nobility.
Step-!!
Pitter-!! Patter-!!
Ten minutes more into his journey, Ferzen arrived at the mansion that had once belonged to Roer and his wife, Yuriel's older sister.
Without even bothering to knock, Ferzen slowly pushed the door open. There were no maids or butlers to greet him.
The mansion now belonged solely to Lizzy.
"..."
As Ferzen entered the mansion, his gaze drifted toward the garden, obscured by a wall.
The angry crowd had apparently thrown heaps of garbage into it, and the fetid odor mixed with the scent of rain assailed his senses.
Even though it was evident that she would live a life like this, did Roer and Cesar truly believe Lizzy would find happiness after overcoming this tribulation?
'I don't know.'
Ferzen couldn't fathom their thoughts. He proceeded down the hallway and entered the bedroom where Lizzy was supposed to be resting.
In her isolated existence, he hoped not to find her lifeless body hanging from a rope.
Click-!!
However, when he entered, he couldn't see Lizzy inside.
Ferzen then left the room and walked through the dark and cold interior of the mansion while looking at every nook and cranny. But he still couldn't find Lizzy anywhere.
However, Ferzen was not worried at all. After all, they were in the Capital; the easiest place to track her movements.
Therefore, Ferzen just opened his umbrella once again and took a step towards the street once again.
Step-!!
Step-!!
Pitter-!! Patter-!!
"..."
Looking at the raindrops that were getting thicker, it seemed like the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon.
* * * * *
Deep within the forest beyond the capital's back gate.
Lizzy held an umbrella and harnessed her magic to control her corpse servants.
The secluded location she occupied was not frequented by regular individuals and thus remained devoid of any watchful eyes.
The thickets and underbrush scratched her skin, creating additional wounds on her body.
Yet, Lizzy was so engrossed in her mission that she barely noticed her physical agony.
"Ah..."
Observing the corpses under her influence take a step back after they had completely excavated the earth, Lizzy carefully accessed her subspace and retrieved Roer and Cesar's keepsakes.
Crafting a tomb for a traitor was a grave crime, and Lizzy was well aware of it.
Nevertheless, she sought to construct memorials for them in this hidden place, concealed from prying eyes.
Although there were no actual bodies in the grave, Lizzy was determined to prevent every trace of Roer and Cesar from vanishing entirely.
She struggled to hold back tears as she cast their belongings into the tomb.
As she was about to instruct her controlled corpses to fill the hole once more, she heard the rustling of foliage beyond the heavy rain.
Was it a wild animal?
Few would venture this far on a day marked by such relentless downpour.
Lizzy beckoned her corpses, who were in the midst of refilling the grave, toward her side.
Rustle!
However, the figure emerging through the thick bushes was not that of a hungry wild creature, but that of a man.
It was Ferzen von Schweig Louerg.
He meticulously removed the leaves adhering to his neatly tailored black suit with an annoyed expression.
Afterward, he cast a look at his umbrella, making minute adjustments to its position.
At the sight of Ferzen, Lizzy's entire body began to convulse uncontrollably.
She clutched her aching chest.
Even though her mouth was void of any sustenance, her teeth clattered as if chewing on something. Her vision began to blur as if witnessing something she shouldn't.
Now alone with Ferzen in this desolate location, the trauma he had inflicted on her psyche mercilessly resurfaced, compounded by the loss of her entire family.
"Ugh… Heuk…! Cough… Ugh…!"
Lizzy's instincts compelled her to inhale; otherwise, she felt that she might perish. Her complexion paled as her mind struggled to recall how to breathe.
Step-!!
Ferzen came closer to Lizzy at that moment before forcing her mouth to open and inserted his finger deep into her mouth.
"Co-cough...! Cough... ! Cough!"
Then, as the nausea that she felt forced her to vomit, her body suddenly remembered how to breathe, which she had momentarily forgotten.
On the other hand, Ferzen wiped the drool that had gotten all over his fingers with his handkerchief before looking at the scene behind her.
"Were you making a grave?"
"Ah..."
As Ferzen walked past her, Lizzy forced her traumatized body to grab his arm.
Even though her current situation was akin to being on the edge of a cliff, or rather, because of that, Lizzy could not yield that last step to anyone.
"Please... Please..."
"..."
Her red hair, which was soaked due to the pouring rain, stuck to her cheeks. The mixture of that and the stains of tears that ran across her face made her look even more pitiful.
Ferzen, who was looking down at that figure, turned his head without realizing it.
How can the moral sense and conscience that all humans have make people so uncomfortable?
As long as she was still alive, he would constantly face the remnants of his sins and live in a nightmare which he could not wake up from.
But it would be no different for Lizzy.
What if, in a world where she had lost her entire family, the villain will never pay for his sins and will still pursue his own happiness?
Wouldn't that be the most hellish thing to live through?
That was why, when the day that one of them died, it would be the best day ever for one of them.
"Please... I... Beg... You..."
With her still-fragile body, Lizzy stood from the wheelchair she had been sitting in and bowed her head toward Ferzen.
Since he remained silent, her best course of action was to beg pitifully in this way.
It tore at her heart to request permission to create a grave from someone who had brought about the death of her family. Nevertheless, Lizzy did it because she simply wanted to leave a mark in this world for Roer and Cesar, no matter how small.
More precisely, she didn't seek closure for the traitorous Roer and Cesar. She sought it for Roer and Cesar, whom she loved as her family.
As Ferzen approached, seemingly devoid of mercy, Lizzy reached out her delicate hand and desperately clung to his foot.
Splash-!!
The muddy water on the ground stained Lizzy's clean clothes, and the small rocks hidden underneath scratched her skin.
Ferzen paused for a moment when he saw Lizzy clinging to him.
Then, he used his magic to command the corpses to retrieve Roer and Cesar's belongings from the bottom of the grave.
"Ah…"
Seeing this, Lizzy attempted to use her magic to regain control of the corpses. However, it was impossible to overcome his magic as he was two levels above her.
Once the corpses had retrieved their belongings, Ferzen commanded them to fill in the grave.
"Huh, huh…"
As the rain mingled with her ceaseless tears, Lizzy struck Ferzen's leg with her slender hand.
"Huaaaang!!"
Ferzen's actions momentarily shattered her ceaseless trauma, banishing any coherent thoughts.
Her heart overflowed with hatred for him, and her fist clenched with resentment.
Meanwhile, Ferzen, who watched this unfold with calm composure, spoke as he held Cesar and Roer's belongings.
"You've been so foolish. Instead of resorting to these convoluted measures, why didn't you simply end your own life?"
This forest was a place where Eclea, an herb with antipyretic properties that bloomed only in winter, could be collected. The absence of human traces in the forest was due to people only venturing here when nature lay dormant, shrouded in a snowy blanket.
The footprints left on the snow would melt away with spring, and then summer and autumn would erase the remaining signs.
Even if someone wanted to track those traces, they wouldn't succeed.
Furthermore, indiscriminate burials were known to bring about disease. Hence, it was illegal to create graves without proper authorization.
A bounty system existed for those who reported unauthorized graves, making it unlikely that any mercenaries or herbalists who stumbled upon this grave would simply ignore it.
Her tracks leading up to this point were still intact, and she would be charged with creating the tomb of a traitor, which would naturally result in a heavy sentence for her.
Of course, all of this would only happen if he chose to close his eyes and pretend not to see it.b He could have a third party report Lizzy to the Imperial Family, but Ferzen didn't bother with that.
After all, it was ridiculous for the defeated to violate the rights of the victor.
"..."
In fact, it was just plain self-justification.
It was a feeble attempt to find some comfort in the face of the looming war, especially since a warlock was needed more than ever.
Sentencing a warlock to their death in this case would be quite difficult.
So, Ferzen probably sought a small measure of solace through this feigned hypocrisy.
No, to be precise, it wasn't probably; it was indeed the case.
"This is your draft notice. Try to arrive at the designated location on the designated date. Failure to do so will be considered desertion and will result in death."
Ferzen handed her the letter along with Roer and Cesar's belongings.
After adjusting the umbrella, he disappeared into the dense forest.
Pitter-!! Patter-!!
Raindrops fell heavily onto the thick foliage of the forest, creating a loud, noisy rain sound. But how could he hear Lizzy's cries so clearly amidst it?
Ferzen briefly felt the urge to cover his ears, but he resisted and continued to walk in silence.