Cromwell spoke with the noble walking alongside him.
“Viscount, join the Lexington fleet as the commander of the dragoons.”
Under a feathered hat, Wardes’ eyes gleamed.
“Are you telling me to keep an eye on him?”
He shook his head, rejecting Wardes’ presumption.
“That man won’t betray us. He’s too stubborn and straightforward, which is why we can trust him. I’m just lending him your power, seeing as you led the magic defense squad once. Have you ever ridden a dragon before?”
“No. But there is no beast in Halkeginia that I cannot master.”
Cromwell smirked in agreement. He suddenly turned to Wardes.
“Viscount, why do you obey me?”
“Do you doubt my loyalty?”
“Not at all. You yield such fine results yet you have no requests.”
Wardes laughed lightly. He touched the artificial hand that was put on him recently.
“I only want to see the thing your Excellency will show me.”
“The holy lands?”
Wardes nodded.
“I believe what I’m searching for lies there.”
“You ‘believe’? You really don’t have any desires, do you.” Said Cromwell.
Cromwell was originally a clergyman, but he didn’t have a speck of faith in him. Wardes cast his eyes downwards on an old silver locket. Inside was a drawn portrait of a beautiful woman. His heart, which always appeared cold to people around him, started to warm up. After looking at the small portrait, he whispered, “No, your Excellency. I’m a man who desires the most in this world.”
Meanwhile in Henrietta’s room, inside the royal palace of Tristain, servants were busy sewing the wedding dress Henrietta was to wear. Marianne, the queen, was also there. She watched with a smile while her daughter was dressed in a pure white dress. However, Henrietta's expression was like that of ice. When the servants sewing asked her things about the sleeves and the position of the waist, she simply nodded. Watching her daughter in that state, Marianne dismissed the servants.
“My dear daughter, you don’t seem well.”
“Mother.”
Henrietta buried her face in her mother's knees.
“I understand you don’t want this wedding.”
“No, it’s not that at all. I’m a happy person. I’m able to marry. Didn’t you once say that a woman was happy if she got to marry?”
In contrast to her words, Henrietta’s beautiful face became miserable and she started crying in grief. Marianne patted her daughter’s head gently.
“You have someone you love?”
“I had someone I loved. It’s like I’m flowing in a very fast river. Everything has passed by me. Love, kind words… nothing remains now.”
Marianne shook her head.
“Love is like the measles. If you cool down, you will forget about it.”
“How can I possibly forget…”
“You are a princess. You must forget what you must forget. The people will be uneasy if they see you like this.” Said Marianne in an admonishing tone.
“What am I marrying for?” Henrietta asked sadly.
“For the future.”
“For the future of…the country and the people?”
Marianne shook her head.
“It’s also for your future as well. Cromwell of the Reconquista, who’s in control of Albion, is an ambitious man. According to what I’ve heard, he has control over ‘Void’.”
“Isn’t that the legendary branch of magic?”
“Yes. If it is the truth, then it would be dreadful, Henrietta. Having too much power corrupts people. Even though we have a non-aggression treaty, a man like him won’t just look down at Halkeginia from the skies obediently. It’s better for you to be in a powerful country, like Germania.”
Henrietta embraced her mother.
“…Forgive me Mother for being so selfish.”
“It’s alright. Love is everything at your age. It’s not like I don't understand.”
They embraced each other tightly.
Chapter Six: Treasure Hunting
Tabitha hid beside a tree with her breath held. In front of her was a temple that had been reduced to ruins. Columns that once boasted magnificence had collapsed and fences had rusted away. Bright stained glass windows had been shattered, and weeds filled the garden. It was the temple of a pioneering village that had been abandoned decades ago. It was completely desolate; no one was close by. However, when the sunlight shone upon it, there was a somewhat pastoral atmosphere to the place. The place would probably be where travelers would set up for lunch or the like.
A loud explosion suddenly broke the calm atmosphere. Kirche had set a tree next to the gatepost on fire. Tabitha, in the shade of the trees, gripped her wand. The reason why the pioneering village had been abandoned came dashing out. It was an orc. It was two meters tall and weighed about five times that of an average human. Its fat ugly body was covered by skin peeled off from animals. With a large nose on its face, it looked much like a pig. In fact, you could say that it was a pig that stood on two legs.
There were around ten of them. Orcs liked human children, and being attacked by a group of creatures with such troublesome tastes, the villagers abandoned the village and fled from it. The villagers told the lord of the area, but the lord disliked dispatching soldiers in forests, and so ignored their requests. This village was one of the many villages in Halkeginia that had had this happen.
The orc conversed with the others through sounds similar to that of a pig, while pointing at the fire blazing around the gatepost. It then yelled angrily at every one of them.
“Fugii! Pigii! Agii! Nguiiii!”
Waving the clubs in their hands, the orcs were obviously angry. There was a fire, which meant humans were nearby. They were enemies, and the fire was a bait. Watching this, Tabitha considered which spell she would use. There were more enemies than she had expected. She couldn’t continuously fire spells out. If they didn’t carry everything out smoothly, they could easily lose the advantage of their surprise attack.
Just then, the air around the orcs shimmered and seven bronze maidens appeared before them. They were Guiche’s golems. Tabitha knitted her eyebrows. That wasn't what they had decided on. Guiche must have gotten impatient.
Guiche’s seven valkyries charged at the head orc. They thrust their short spears at it. The tip of the spears sank into the orc’s stomach and the orc was knocked back onto the ground. However, the wound was shallow. Its thick skin and fat had acted as its shield, protecting its internal organs from damage. It quickly stood back up, and waved its club, ignoring its small wound. The other orcs rushed over with their clubs, swinging them at the bronze maidens. The clubs the orcs were swinging, were about the size of a human. One hit on the delicate golems, and they would be sent flying, broken on the ground.
Tabitha started reciting an incantation while waving her wand. Water, wind, wind. One water and two winds. The two elements intertwined with each other and the spell was complete. The vapor in the air froze and became several icicles. They skewered the wounded orc from all directions. It was one of Tabitha’s strongest attacks, 'Windy Icicle'. The wounded orc fell to the ground at once.
Kirche, who was watching on top of a tree that was separated by a fair distance from Tabitha’s hiding spot, waved her wand. Fire, Fire. Two fires. A ball of fire, larger than a normal fireball spell, attacked the orcs. It was the 'Flame Ball' spell. With agile movements that didn’t seem possible for their size, they tried avoiding the ball of fire. However, as if it were attached to a string, the ball of fire was homing. It shot inside an orc's howling mouth, and its head burst into flames. However, that was the end of such effective spells. They couldn’t keep using such strong spells.