Chapter 77. Emergency Situation
A carrier falcon flew in once more.
The falcon, which was clearly headed for Sahar, spotted me and smoothly turned around, lowering its altitude.
“What is it?”
While packing up the tent, I muttered to myself with a sense of foreboding.
Seeing Claude send another urgent message suggested that the situation in the Grodes Mountains was not good.
In fact, it wasn’t unusual for someone as impatient as him to send multiple urgent messages, but having witnessed ghouls covering the plains just a few hours ago in a place not known for undead appearances made me anxious.
“Damn it. What on earth is going on?”
My language had become quite coarse.
People change like this when they go through a lot of tough situations. Everyone would.
Anyway, I had a bad feeling.
Unrolling the paper from the falcon’s leg, I frowned deeply as I read the note that was originally meant for Mihail.
[Surely you’re not still in Sahar, are you? It’s an emergency.]
“Sylphid, we need to depart quickly.”
Damn it!
An emergency situation?
Perhaps because I had just experienced something ominous, all sorts of unpleasant imaginations flooded my mind.
The Grodes Mountains were already a dangerous place.
I had endured it painfully over the last two years.
Knights who suffered severe injuries, like broken legs from wyvern attacks, rescue operations that lasted days to save comrades buried in avalanches, and countless intense battles against the undead…
In a place where such things happen frequently, what could an emergency situation entail?
It felt like a cold wind was blowing through my heart.
I quickly packed my things and mounted Sylphid.
“Let’s go!”
Feeling urgent, I swung the reins like a whip.
Whether my urgency was communicated or not, Sylphid began to run faster than usual.
The cold wind mercilessly slapped my face.
I hated the Grodes Mountains. I didn’t even want to go near them. It was truly a detestable place.
But even hearing such news, I couldn’t be cruel enough to ignore it.
Damn it!
I wish I hadn’t known!
The sound of galloping hooves echoed across the vast plains as I rode at full speed, looking only ahead.
* * *
“Huff, huff…”
Panting heavily, I arrived at Hilton Castle, where people who recognized me greeted me warmly.
They were always like this.
Having a purifier like me visit was a good thing for this place.
The only bad person was me, who couldn’t respond with pure intentions.
Anyway, I looked around for someone who could help. Someone who could tell me Claude’s location.
“Miss Seraphina, thank you for traveling such a long way again.”
Just in time, Kiel approached with a polite greeting. He kept a safe distance, possibly because I hadn’t washed in days.
Anyway, that’s not what’s important.
I was used to this kind of treatment.
“Huff, huff. Sir Kiel, where is the knight order? Is it possible to share their location…?”
As I hurriedly spoke, I suddenly sensed something odd and trailed off.
For an emergency situation, everyone seemed too peaceful.
What is this? Is the situation with the knight order not being shared? Then do they not know their location either?
Footsteps approached from behind me, sounding deliberate and steady.
“Are you mocking my words?”
At the chilly voice, I instinctively shrank back like a turtle.
Turning around slowly, I saw Claude approaching, exuding the aura of a grim reaper from hell.
Somehow, he seemed to become more intimidating each time I saw him.
I’m dead, sob sob.
I forgot about the worries that had driven me to rush here and stood at attention before him.
“How long has it been since I called, and only now do you appear?”
“I’m sorry. Huff, huff…”
Hey, Guardian of the North.
I just ran here without a day’s rest from another battlefield, you know?
Feeling it was an unfair scolding, I retorted internally.
Anyway, is the situation serious or not?
Still not grasping the situation, I looked around anxiously.
Whatever Claude interpreted from my actions, he spoke even more sharply. His red eyes seemed to emit a bloody scent.
His gaze was terrifying when he glared. Sob sob.
“Does the war with the undead seem like a joke to you, Purifier Seraphina?”
“No, it does not.”
I answered with tension.
“I will purify them immediately. Where should I go…”
“It’s already been handled.”
“What?”
I blinked in confusion.
You said it was an emergency, right? Huh? You said it was an emergencyyy!
When people find themselves in situations vastly different from what they expected, their thoughts tend to freeze.
That’s what happened to me.
“Did you expect us to wait for you, who took your sweet time? If you have nothing to do, go wash up. How many days has it been this time?”
“……”
F*ck.
I rushed here only for this?
I rode here while sleeping on the horse; when would I have had time to wash, you bastard!
In truth, I managed to get some sleep while traveling, but that wasn’t the issue right now.
So you sent a carrier falcon acting all serious, and it turns out it was nothing?
I was so angry that it felt like my head was turning red.
This isn’t a game to play with people.
My fists clenched involuntarily.
If only I were stronger than that guy, I would have already punched him and felt relieved, but instead, I had to stand there trembling.
After toying with me, Claude gave me a cold glance up and down, then turned around and walked away.
Glaring at his back, I gritted my teeth.
I was an idiot for worrying!
My anger only fueled the resolve I already had.
It was a decision I had been making for years.
This time, when I go to Elmon, I will definitely submit my resignation!
I swear!
* * *
Creak.
Entering the room, I sat on the bed and opened the drawer next to it. Inside was a small, round case.
“Have you been well?”
I spoke to the flower petals inside as I opened the lid.
It’s not that I’ve lost my mind… it’s just my sensitivity.
“Drying them really made the scent stronger.”
Having opened it after a long time, the accumulated scent inside spread out.
During a subjugation, when I found a single camellia blooming through the snow and stood quietly admiring it, Claude had taught me something.
<What are you staring at so intently?>
<Oh, I saw the flower from the welcome party blooming, so…>
<Do you like flowers?>
<I do like them.>
<If you pluck the petals and dry them, you can preserve the scent longer.>
<Ahh! Why did you pick it, such a waste!>
<What did you hear? I said you can preserve it longer.>
No one asked him to pick it, but he did it on his own and handed it to me, then got mad at me.
Honestly.
Isn’t he quite the character?
Anyway, the camellia I received unexpectedly… was a nuisance throughout the subjugation. Since it’s a flower you can only see if you’re really lucky, I felt it was too wasteful to let it wither.
But carrying it around while marching would obviously make it wither…
So in a rush, I plucked the petals and put them in a cloth pouch. Whether it was because the weather was too cold or not, fortunately, the red petals lasted until we returned to Hilton Castle.
After that, I dried them properly and stored them in this case.
“Oh dear, what a waste.”
Even thinking about it now, it felt wasteful.
Personally, I didn’t like picking flowers. I preferred watching them live long, rooted in the ground.
But not understanding my thoughtful heart, Claude…
Maybe Aveline would be moved if he picked flowers for her later, but I am not Aveline. I wasn’t moved at all.
Knock, knock.
That’s when I heard a knock on the door.
I unconsciously looked out the window, as if checking the time.
What could it be at this late hour?
“Come in.”
Despite my curiosity, I spoke to the visitor beyond the door.
Soon, the door opened, and Claude appeared.
Entering with a cool aura, he spoke in a similarly cool voice.
“…You haven’t washed yet.”
“I was about to, but Your Grace came in just now.”
I explained, my voice trailing off toward the end.
In truth, I had completely forgotten about washing as I was lost in thought, admiring the dried camellia petals.
Whether Claude had discerned my lie or not, he glanced at the case on the bed. Recognizing it as the flower he had picked, he was silent for a moment.
“Ahem.”
Clearing his throat, he averted his gaze from the dried petals and looked at me. Then he brought up the business for which he had come, in a businesslike tone.
“This subjugation ended sooner than expected.”
“Yes.”
It seems so.
I replied sarcastically in my mind, but outwardly I maintained a disciplined expression.
Actually, I found myself in a very unusual situation.
If there were no subjugations or expeditions, I was supposed to return to my main station. So being at Hilton right after a subjugation meant… I had to return to Elmon.
Normally, I would have cursed Claude for treating me like a training dog…
“Then I will return to my main station at first light tomorrow.”
This time, I will definitely go to Elmon and submit my resignation…!
Imagining a hopeful future, I spoke promptly.
- ianthe
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Usurpadora
Hum, Claude realmente não vai ser o ML, olhe como ele trata ela. Se fosse rude e ao mesmo tempo doce, até poderia ser… Já se passaram dois anos e o imperador não conquistou ela ainda (ノ`Д´)ノ彡┻━┻