08. Revenge and Rebellion

Cyrie stepped on Greg’s body as he lay face down on the floor, flailing.

“Did you act alone? If someone instigated you, confess now. Or is this revenge or something because you’re from Sanders?”

“Save me… I only tried… to kill …leb…”

“What? I can’t hear you clearly?”

He had no intention of listening.

The mere fact that he had brought poison to an occasion where the Emperor was was a capital offense.

The white marble floor gradually stained with dark red blood.

Cyrie kicked Greg with his military boot. Greg grabbed the boot with the arm still attached to his shoulder.

“Save me……”

“Damn. Don’t touch me with your filth.”

Cyrie struck Greg’s abdomen with his other foot. Pushed backward, Greg vomited blood several times and squirmed like a worm.

Meanwhile, all the food on the table that had been splattered with Greg’s blood was replaced with new dishes.

But there were still red stains on the snow-white tablecloth, and Greg was still gasping for breath on the floor.

“Well then, shall we propose a toast again?”

As the silver cups were filled with wine, Adam drank with a bright smile.

“Marquis Finis. Congratulations.”

Baningo, the dukes, and the duchesses seated with them all emptied their glasses with bright smiles, as though they’re sincerely congratulating him.

By the time the meal ended, Greg had already breathed his last, and his corpse had been neatly cleared away.

A dreamlike melody flowed through the hall.

People enjoyed the banquet, dancing on that cold marble as if intoxicated by the music or the wine.

* * *

Caleb had slain many people in war, and Rudbeckia had recently been covered in blood from her dagger.

But the blood that had splattered in the Knight Hall was different. It was cruel and bizarre.

Only the food and tableware were replaced; blood was splattered all over the tablecloth, chairs, and floor.

They drank and ate on top of it.

The two left the imperial palace after the banquet ended. The knight quarters were also inside the imperial palace.

They entered the first inn they saw outside the palace. Only after clutching the washbasin and vomiting everything they had eaten could they finally fall asleep.

— Touch…

Caleb, who woke up first, kissed Rudbeckia’s forehead.

He brushed her sweat-soaked hair upward and checked her temperature with the back of his hand. Fortunately, it seemed that a memory surge had not occurred.

No matter how much loving kisses could prevent it, yesterday’s scene was cruel enough that a memory surge wouldn’t have been surprising.

“Mmm… Cal, are you up? What time is it? Don’t we need to go to work?”

As she tried to raise her upper body, Rudbeckia grimaced from the pain in her waist and asked.

“There’s been no work since the lance competition ended. We’re no longer knights of Pergos.”

Caleb answered while gently massaging her waist.

“Let’s leave today, Cal. I don’t want to stay in the imperial palace… even one more day.”

“Alright. Let’s do that. I asked the Emperor yesterday to prepare right away, so at least one wagon should be ready.”

— Kiss…

Caleb kissed her smooth, exposed shoulder.

“That tickles.”

“Ah, Rud, what should I do?”

“What?”

“My brother died, but I’m too happy right now.”

Rudbeckia pulled Caleb’s face closer.

“Me too. I’m too happy right now.”

She gripped him firmly with both hands to prevent him from escaping and kissed him. Caleb loved this feeling of being completely captured by her.

A resolute gesture that seemed to promise she would never abandon him.

After sharing more affection, the two left the inn.

Outside, the sunlight poured down dazzlingly.

Regardless of who died or how, the sun rose, and the autumn sky was high and blue.

The alley was already bustling with people hurrying back and forth. Just then, Zeno’s messenger bird came flying toward Caleb.

Messenger birds were created, improved, and raised by mages who could communicate with animals. They had the talent to accurately find the person they needed to reach, wherever they might be, according to their master’s orders.

He raised his arm, waiting for the bird to land.

“Zeno says he’s at Lily’s Dress Shop. He says there’s someone to meet, so come there?”

Rudbeckia tilted her head as she read the paper tied to the bird’s ankle and told Caleb.

“If he says come, we should go. I should also buy a parasol there. I hate seeing that beautiful face of yours keep wrinkling because of the sunlight.”

“Come to think of it, Cal, you seem to only like my face. Will you run off if someone prettier appears?”

“Only like your face?”

Caleb lightly squeezed her b*ttocks. People were passing by on the street. She jumped in surprise and demonstrated a self-defense move, grabbing his wrist as if it were a molester’s hand and twisting it behind his back.

“Ah, ouch……”

“Mind the time and place, Marquis.”

“Yes, yes, yes, I understand… ouch……”

The two headed to Lily’s Dress Shop, bickering along the way.

To anyone watching, they looked like a fresh, lovely couple who had just started dating.

— Ding

“Welcome.”

“Zeno said to meet here… oh, huh?! Master Anesio! How are you here!”

“Grandfather!”

“How? This is one of my business partners. I’ve been coming here more often! Long before you two!”

Anesio nodded with his hands behind his back, laughing heartily. The person Zeno mentioned meeting was none other than the magic technician Anesio. The wandering magic technician who had been saved by Caleb during the Sanders War and had also participated in the Fabio War.

He often supplied Lily’s Dress Shop with special fabrics made by combining various plant and animal leathers with magic stones.

Anesio’s Silk A. and Linen A. were as thin as early autumn clothing but warm enough to withstand the middle of winter. Lily’s Dress Shop was the first place he supplied when he developed them, and Madam Goretti had signed an exclusive contract.

“Yes. I heard you’re going to the village below Mount Erest in the north. So I’ve prepared plenty of clothes for Caleb and Zeno too.”

“Of course, I did the designs.”

Madam Goretti raised her head proudly, answering that she had her part too.

The staff brought out piles of clothes Anesio had made for them. Though they were clearly winter clothes, they looked like early autumn wear, except for the rabbit fur trim on the cuffs and collars. They were thin and light.

Rudbeckia tried on a cloak right there. She felt warmth immediately even while standing still. Moving around a little caused beads of sweat to form, demonstrating its excellent insulation.

“Warm, isn’t it? Amazing, right? Hahaha. Why else would I be a magic technician?”

“This warmth with such thinness.”

“You can only find these at our Lily’s Dress Shop.”

Madam Goretti did some impromptu promotion, encouraging them to use her products often.

“By the way, we’ll need to call another wagon just for the clothes, don’t you think? Even though they’re light, we can’t load them all on horses.”

“Caleb, when are you moving?”

“We plan to leave right after lunch. Since all we have are our bodies, there’s nothing to organize or pack.”

Caleb recalled his room in the knight quarters. Apart from the items issued to him as a member of the Blue Whale Knight Order, there was nothing. The same was true for Zeno and Rudbeckia.

“Well then, shall we first have the lunch prepared by Lily Salon?”

“What? Lunch? Here?”

“There’s another guest waiting.”

As Madam Goretti gestured, the door connecting to the salon from the dress shop opened wide. A perfect formal dinner was already set.

“Hello!”

Elfleda waved brightly, sitting at the head of the round table. She had heard through Madam Goretti that Anesio and Zeno would meet here and had arranged it in advance.

“Elda……”

“Dame Elda! I heard you were under house arrest.”

“A Red Moon knight should be able to jump down from a second-floor wall, shouldn’t they?”

Elfleda stood up, linked arms with Rudbeckia, and led her to the table.

“Better than eating outside. Isn’t it better to eat here among ourselves without worrying about others?”

“Do you worry about others too, Dame Elda?”

“Oh my— Sir Zeno. What a rude question. I follow order and etiquette precisely like any other noble lady.”

Hahaha. A burst of laughter passed. On the table, delicious foods were served in white porcelain dishes decorated with lilies of the valley. It was evident how much care Madam Goretti put into this salon as well.

“So, have any of you been to Mount Erest before?”

At Anesio’s question, not only the three but also Elfleda and even Madam Goretti standing nearby all shook their heads. Finis territory was located right below Mount Erest, a snowy mountain of perpetual snow.

“Actually, I wonder if we can even set foot on that land. I heard there’s no village due to landslides over hundreds of years.”

Rudbeckia said while cutting meat into small pieces.

“There are villages, and people live there. Not many households, though.”

“Grandfather, have you been there?”

“Of course, I spend every winter there. It’s a place that needs my skills, and there are also many fascinating herbs.”

Rudbeckia laughed wryly. Even Adele didn’t know this fact. According to Anesio, a few people who couldn’t pay taxes or fled from noble oppression were hiding and living there.

“Is it okay to say they’re hiding in front of central nobles like this?”

“What does it matter? Even if someone who fled from Marquis Argen’s territory is hiding there, Argen would never be able to find them.”

“My goodness, what do you take our family for? Our family collects little tax and gives many exemptions!”

When Elfleda shouted loudly, another wave of laughter swept through.

She was certainly noticeably different in character and disposition from other nobles of Pergos.

Rudbeckia was reminiscing about her memories with Adele amidst the laughter. Although her happy memories ended around age five.

‘If people are living there, if Mom had known this… she would have found the Ring of Light long ago…’

Recalling her conversation with Adele, she finished her meal and took a bite of the dessert tinted in pastel colors.

“Oh my, this is really delicious?”

It seemed they put more effort into desserts since more guests came for simple desserts or finger foods while waiting for dresses than for full meals.