Chapter 82. Three Weeks

“Scared?”

Johann asked, as if he couldn’t comprehend it. But upon reconsideration, it seemed understandable.

“Indeed.”

He nodded and murmured to himself.

“The Grodes Mountains are quite treacherous.”

Not just treacherous, but the most treacherous place in the world, though Ionia didn’t bother to add that.

Instead, she surprisingly spoke on Seraphina’s behalf.

“Every time she faints, it’s in the Grodes Mountains.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Johann pondered over her words.

So, was it that damn Claude making her consider resignation? Was he working her too hard?

If that was the case, he couldn’t just stand by.

Would removing Hilton from the dispatch list make Seraphina abandon such thoughts?

“I’ve arranged for no dispatch changes for a while.”

“What do you mean?”

“We plan to send Miss Seraphina to the Agulena Plains in three weeks.”

“Ah.”

He understood immediately.

It was that ambiguous location where they planned to recruit mercenaries.

“Compared to the Grodes Mountains, it must be heaven. If we send her only to such places, won’t thoughts of resignation disappear?”

Johann asked subtly, probing whether there was a chance to keep Seraphina tied to Elmon, or at least nearby.

“Well, let’s discuss that gradually.”

“Oh, what’s gotten into you?”

Johann was surprised by the unexpectedly positive response. When Ionia raised an eyebrow, he quickly adjusted his attitude.

“We need a solid reason to shut their mouths.”

“Yes, I’ll find a way.”

The ‘they’ here referred to Claude and Mihail.

There was no need to explain why Mihail was automatically included.

The reason Johann initially planned to send Seraphina to Sahar was because, despite being a high-level undead hotspot, it was relatively safe.

Mihail and the Holy Knight Order were firmly guarding it.

In fact, when Johann visited Sahar two years ago, it was much more prosperous than what he had heard from the documents.

Contrary to Johann’s expectations, Mihail treated Seraphina too harshly. What was so abundant there that he kept going on expeditions?

It was merely a stubbornness not to lose Seraphina.

As a result, she ended up suffering more than expected.

That’s why this resignation letter ended up on his desk.

“I should find a dispatch site where she can suffer less, like the other purifiers.”

“I’ll look into it.”

“Ah. Somewhere not too far from Elmon.”

“……”

Ionia stared intently at Johann before reluctantly nodding with a dissatisfied expression.

Just as she was about to leave after finishing her business, the office door swung open.

It was Jesuf.

“Your Majesty, it’s not Hilton, but a report from near Hilton!”

His voice was quite urgent.

Because of that, Johann didn’t reprimand his right-hand man for not even knocking, and simply extended his hand. It was a signal to quickly hand over the report.

“Here.”

Jesuf handed over the file and continued speaking.

“A horde of ghouls has appeared near the Hilton estate.”

“Why the fuss over mere ghouls?”

Ionia questioned.

However, she changed her question upon seeing Johann’s expression grow increasingly serious as he read through the report.

“What is it?”

“It’s as if they targeted Miss Seraphina. A horde of ghouls came, covering the entire plain.”

“When I met Miss Seraphina today, she didn’t mention anything like that…”

Ionia trailed off, lowering her gaze as if lost in thought.

Did she forget to report such a thing because she submitted her resignation? Or did she not bother mentioning it since it would be reported in writing anyway?

Either way, it was unnatural.

How many people could treat such a massive swarm of ghouls, covering the plains, as if it were someone else’s problem?

“This might be part of it too.”

At that moment, Johann murmured in a cold, subdued voice.

Her words about being scared of dying lingered in a corner of his heart.

“Understood for now.”

After reading the report, Johann inserted Seraphina’s resignation letter, which he had intended to tear up, into the file and closed it. He then placed the file in the drawer.

* * *

“I’ll definitely quit this job! I’m going to resign and run away!”

I clenched my fist, firm in my resolve. But my determined shout vanished into thin air without even an echo.

In the silent house, I let out a deep sigh as if the ground would give way.

“Haa. What is this…”

I’ve gathered all my retirement funds, so why can’t I resign? Why!

“Damn it!”

My language had become quite coarse, and I cursed.

After spending so much time with the knights, this level of swearing seemed almost cute now.

In the Northern Knight Order, there were more people than I thought who muttered curses to themselves while marching. I gladly joined them, and before I knew it, my mouth became foul.

But that wasn’t the important thing.

I had endured those long years, gritting my teeth, waiting for this moment, but now that the time had come, I couldn’t see a way forward.

Growing anxious, I bit my lower lip hard.

Resigning normally was impossible. Running away blindly was foolish.

Over the past two and a half years, I had come to fully realize the influence of the heroes spread like a spider’s web across the continent. Among them, the emperor’s influence was by far the strongest.

With just a word from Johann, moving an entire knight order was trivial.

If I ran away secretly, I would likely be caught and brought back in no time.

And besides, what about my hard-earned retirement funds?

The large sum tied up in the bank would undoubtedly be frozen and inaccessible if I tried to run away. Johann was the type who would definitely do such a thing. I couldn’t possibly convert all that money into cash and carry it around with me.

“Haa, seriously.”

A sigh escaped me involuntarily.

“Seraphina!”

It was then that I heard Marc’s voice.

Hearing my friend’s cheerful voice lifted my spirits a bit from the muddy pit they were in.

On my way back from the imperial palace yesterday, I stopped by Marc’s house, but unfortunately, it was empty. So, I left a short note in the mailbox saying I had arrived, and it seemed he had just seen it and come over.

I opened the door and welcomed him warmly.

“Marc!”

“How long has it been! Over a year, right?!”

“Exactly!”

I hugged him tightly in excitement. This big guy seemed startled for a moment, then wrapped his arms around me in return.

The last time I was here, my stay was so short that I didn’t get to see Marc. The time before that, I had only seen him once.

In any case, it had been a really long time.

“This time, I’ll be here for a while. At least three weeks!”

I said proudly, filled with joy, as I pulled away from him and offered him a seat.

Once we sat across from each other at the table, he suddenly brought up a topic.

“Three weeks, is it because of the subjugation here?”

As he spoke, he rummaged through his coat and pulled something out.

“What’s this?”

I asked casually as I unfolded the crumpled paper. As I skimmed through what was written on it, Marc’s voice flowed into my ears.

“It’s a battle recruiting mercenaries this time, and I’m planning to join.”

“Oh.”

“It’s about five days northwest of Elmon.”

“……”

“Have you heard of the Agulena Plains? I didn’t even know it was on the map, but the pay is good this time, so I checked, and it’s surprisingly close.”

“……”

My mind went blank.

I couldn’t believe what I was reading with my eyes, but Marc confirmed it with his words.

What is this?

Could it be what Ionia mentioned…?

<We plan to recruit mercenaries for three weeks before departing. That’s what you should know.>

<So you’re saying I’ll be staying in Elmon for those three weeks?>

<Yes. You can rest during that time.>

I tried to make sense of the situation, recalling the conversation I had with her yesterday.

So the three-week break she offered while smoothly rejecting my resignation… was actually a path to my grave?!

“Are you sure about this? Where did you get this notice? It’s not a scam, is it?”

I jumped up from my seat and fired off questions.

Marc looked at me blankly with a bewildered face before answering a beat later.

“I secretly took one down from a bulletin board.”

Marc’s voice grew quieter towards the end. It was meant for everyone to see, so taking it down was wrong.

Sometimes Marc would do such petty things. He said it was more convenient than memorizing the notice.

In any case, that wasn’t the important part.

My heart pounded wildly.

Three weeks later…

Is this what it feels like to receive a death sentence?

I vaguely thought there was plenty of time left. I hypnotized myself into believing that the Battle of Agulena was far away, that I wouldn’t die yet, and endured those harsh dispatches.

I was complacent.

I didn’t realize death was so near.

At that moment, like a lie, a small piece of paper casually tossed on the table caught my eye. It was all I could see.

<If you need help, come find me.>

<If you can’t retire, I can assist you.>

The gentleman’s voice echoed in my mind.

I shot up like a bolt of lightning, reaching out to grab the note I had received that day.

“Seraphina? Where are you going?!”

Marc called out in surprise, but I didn’t have the mental space to respond properly.

“Sorry! I just remembered something urgent!”

Without looking back, I ran out.

I couldn’t just die like this.