Sunlight shining through the stained glass was coloring the white hallway.
The autumn breeze carried a refreshing chill, but the expressions of the two men facing it remained stern.
Brigantes, the capital of the empire.
There were people walking inside the pure white building built in the middle of that glorious city.
"Even so, now is not the right time, Bishop Pierre."
Two men clad in red robes.
However, upon closer inspection, one could notice that the color of the collar they wore differed.
"The upcoming cardinals meeting is not for discussing matters like what you're suggesting."
"But, Lord cardinal."
Pierre sensed that it wouldn't be easy, looking at cardinal Eduard who spoke firmly without even glancing at him.
"I am aware of that as well. This meeting was held because of the heresy propagated by the Northern Alliance. However..."
But this message must be conveyed.
Bishop Pierre reached the Barony of Utman following the evil energy that was hovering in the north.
However, what awaited him there was not an honorable holy war but a suspicious battle tainted with all sorts of accusations.
"What happened in the Barony of Utman was clearly different from the holy war we have seen so far."
It was a military campaign ordained by the will of God, yet even when faced with darkness, they remained passive.
The central army, which had not budged despite Pierre's threats and pleas, began to move only upon hearing news of the approaching Iron Duke of the north.
Their behavior, as if they had waited until the north could no longer tolerate, was surely enough to arouse suspicion in Pierre.
"It seems like Dragulia is in charge. Lord Cardinal."
"Shhhh!"
Eduard was startled by Pierre's words and quickly pushed him against the wall.
Though Pierre was also of a robust build, he had no choice but to yield to Eduard's urgent shove.
".....I've always said it. Even when following the will of God, always keep your eyes and ears open to your surroundings."
Pierre merely nodded silently in response to the cardinal's whispered proclamation.
Dragulia family, one of the four ducal families in the empire.
Speaking openly about such Dragulia would undoubtedly startle even cardinal Eduard, who would have to face the sense of impending doom.
"While I highly regard your faith, please consider the affairs happening around you as well."
"...I apologize, Lord Cardinal."
Although the Vatican follows God's will, it will not be able to completely detach from worldly matters.
Even among the cardinals, there were those who received support from the Dragulia family, so Bishop Pierre's straightforward remarks were undoubtedly risky.
"Your point is valid, but let's deal with the northern matters first and then think. The Northern Orthodox Church... What bizarre event?"
Eduard took out a handkerchief and began to wipe away the sweat, as if he was truly in trouble and not just saying it.
Pierre's report was clearly suspicious, but there was a clear threat lurking before the Vatican that had to be dealt with immediately.
"Anyways, stay quiet here until this matter is resolved. You won't be able to return to Shoara now."
"...Understood."
Pierre bit his lips tightly watching Eduard leave, who shook his head as if troubled.
Surely, one would be more sensitive to the immediate threat than the hidden darkness.
"...Light shines in the darkness, but the darkness does not comprehend."
Alone on the corridor after Eduard left, Pierre, murmured prayers softly to console himself.
A suspicious darkness that he clearly saw but couldn't do anything about.
Moreover, that darkness was hidden under the glorious name of Dragulia.
"What shall I do?"
The light coming through the window was bright, but Pierre still felt like he was wandering in the dark.
The faithful heretic inquisitor, who had always followed the will of God, could only hope that His will would descend upon his shoulders once again.
※※※※
The port of Nassau would normally be crowded with people.
However, the port, which had become quiet and empty of people due to the sudden invasion of Bayezid's army, gave Vlad a strange feeling.
"What a waste of time. All of this."
A sense of inevitable disappointment, and a lingering emptiness.
No matter how hard he tried to control his feelings, his feelings for Godin would pop up every now and then, coloring Vlad with a melancholic shade of blue.
"Hey. The blue eyes of Shoara standing over there."
There was a voice pulling Vlad out of his contemplation, as he slowly sank into his thoughts while gazing out at the sea.
"...Lord Rutger."
A black-haired man approaches the port.
It was Rutger Bayezid, the successor boasted by Bayezid.
"How vexing. Everyone is so busy, what are you doing here alone?"
"I apologize."
The blonde and black mane standing alone on the blue port would surely be colors that couldn't easily be hidden.
Watching Vlad and Noir, who were looking at him in unison, Rutger smiled quietly and spoke.
"If you want to hide, it's better to cover your head first."
Rutger's gesture of deliberately raising his hand and pointing to his head was humorous.
Clearly, the reason Rutger set out to find Vlad was to convey some kind of consolation.
As fellow knights, Rutger was able to understand Vlad's depression and sympathize with him because he was there with him.
"Anyway, it's over now. You handled it well."
"..."
What Rutger wanted to say to Vlad was that "you did a good job."
Though the confrontation ended in disappointment, everyone present could see Vlad's determination to end it on his own.
"What is this?"
"You don't recognize it? It's the symbol of the church."
As Rutger approached Noir and gently stroked his back, he handed Vlad a necklace that looked unfamiliar.
"It is hardly a church emblem... It looks different."
What Rutger held in his hand was undoubtedly the symbol of the church, but there was an additional horizontal line engraved underneath it.
Familiarity intertwined with unfamiliarity.
Seeing Vlad raise his head as if demanding an explanation, Rutger spoke.
"It's the newly created symbol of the Northern Orthodox Church."
While the will of God was singular, interpretations of it were manifold.
Interpretations of doctrine had undoubtedly sparked numerous conflicts in the religious world, but the Northern alliance and the San Rogino parish had decided to capitalize on it.
In order to stand alone completely, one had to possess something of their own, which was true in any world.
"I only believe in the words of Priest Andrea."
"But he's part of the Northern Orthodox Church now."
"Then this symbol must be correct."
Anyway, the shape of the symbol was not important to Vlad.
For Vlad, the closest entrance to God was through Priest Andrea alone.
The person who had carved out a name for Vlad, who had merely roamed the back alleys, in the world.
Before meeting him, no one had ever taught the boy from the back alleys the word of God.
"Anyway, what are you going to do? Are you going to keep following me?"
"What?"
Vlad's eyes widened as he looked at Rutger, who asked him if he was going to follow him endlessly.
"This advance won't stop in Nassau. It may be impossible to conquer all of the West, but..."
As Rutger said, the Bayezid Army had no intention of stopping here in Nassau.
Peter had already selected several key areas that must be taken in this war, and those areas spanned three baronies in the West.
"Surely, we'll have to take those areas to make the plan work."
While Gaidar may have initiated the campaign, it would be Bayezid who would ultimately decide its conclusion.
The Western lords who sympathized with the usurper would undoubtedly have to pay a hefty price for their allegiance.
"But why would I not follow you…."
"If you want to go back, I can send you back."
It was not a time to pay attention to one knight, but Peter and Rutger were paying attention to Vlad's condition.
It was a time when they needed to manage Vlad because he wasn't old enough and there were enough things that could shake him up.
"Josef is also bedridden. It seems we need a capable person to assist him."
"..."
Although Rutger was beating around the bush, Vlad could understand the sincerity hidden in his words.
You should take a rest.
You don't seem to be in good shape right now.
"······It's been a while since I went back to Shoara."
"Sure. Take this opportunity to rest and come back."
Although he wanted to rebel against the forced vacation, Vlad was no longer a child who would just throw a tantrum.
He was one of those knights who had to be able to observe himself and check his own condition.
"The sea... I liked it."
"Is that so?"
Now that the high moon he had been looking up to was gone, he could naturally face the blue sea.
The sea was saying something.
It was time to expand, not to climb.
'It's been a while since I wanted to hear it again.'
No one had told him, but Vlad decided to listen to the echo that quietly spread within his own world.
The vibration of the sound had a familiarity to it, reminiscent of a voice.
※※※※
Deomar still groaned under the wounds of war.
Reports arriving one after another continued to weigh on Alicia's nerves.
"...In the end, we've become a battleground for Bayazid."
They were strong allies, but the scars belonged to Deomar alone.
Surviving the war had ensured the survival of the family, but now it was time to groan under festering wounds.
"Was it their aim all along?"
"...Even so, it was an unavoidable decision. Even the previous family head would have done the same."
While Bayazid continued to roam the west, gathering spoils, Hainal simply stood still, catching its breath.
Alicia couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration as she looked at the fallen Deomar.
"In the end, we only have each other to trust."
Powerless, ignored, unable to stand on their own, they had to rely on each other.
In the face of the suffocating reality, Alicia knew that countless trials still awaited them.
"I must attend the meeting."
Alicia had no choice but to lower her head due to the crushing weight, and there was an old-fashioned invitation placed in front of her.
As Alicia looked at the invitation, her water-colored eyes began to glow slightly.
"We can't keep growing lemons forever."
"..."
There needed to be soldiers, there needed to be knights, there needed to be an undeniable force that others couldn't ignore.
And the only thing that made that possible was the glint of gold.
For the sake of the people of Deomar, still struggling with their wounds, Alicia knew she had to carve out a new path through this northern meeting.
"....Come to think of it, he left without properly saying goodbye."
Outside the window, the Hainal tree was visible.
Now, under that tree, which seemed more unfamiliar standing alone, there was no sight of the knight who had always been a comfort to her.
It would have been nice to have him here at a time like this.
"Milady! Milady!"
As Alicia quietly gathered her resolve while looking out the window at the tree, the door of her study suddenly burst open with someone's shout.
"Outside now, outside..."
"What's happening?"
Duncan couldn't hide his surprise as he looked at the butler who was panting in front of him.
The butler, who had served Hainal faithfully for a long time, had always assisted Alicia with a calm demeanor, but his current state was anything but calm.
"What's outside? What's going on?"
"Milady..."
Even Alicia couldn't help but wear a tense expression at the unusual sight of the butler.
However, the butler hadn't urgently sought her out because of dire news.
"Right now... There are guests outside."
"Guests?"
Looking at the butler, who had barely caught his breath, Alicia somehow felt a familiar, refreshing wind blowing from behind him.
"They're elves. They wish to meet with you, milady."
"...What?"
The elves' letter brought by her knight, who was currently absent, came to mind.
The wind blowing now felt just like the one she had sensed from the letter.
"Elves? Elves?"
Guests from a distant place. They claimed to have come from Ausrina, at the eastern end.
[T/L: Read more chapters here: - https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]