Side Story – Final Battle [3]
[57]
A gloomy atmosphere hung over the entire continent.
No matter how strong one’s resolve, it was not easy to fight against a foreseen annihilation.
The mood in the Imperial Capital was just as heavy.
However, even amidst this, there was an exception—when faced with the still innocent children.
Everyone pushed away the somber air and embraced vitality.
“Your Majesty! Your necklace is beautiful!”
Kania, who had been by Lea’s side, smiled brightly while admiring the new necklace Lea wore.
Ellie also sat close to Lea, examining the necklace.
It had become a familiar scene for those residing in the Imperial Capital to see these three together.
As time passed, Ellie and Kania increasingly enjoyed being near Lea.
Not only were they closer in age compared to others, but finding someone as “pretty” as Lea was rare, naturally drawing Ellie and Kania towards her.
Even though Lea was the Emperor’s younger sister, she wasn’t intimidating like a father figure.
Thanks to Lea always treating them warmly, Ellie and Kania frequently sought her out lately.
“…”
Karen, sitting opposite the trio, watched them with a calm smile.
Although Ray wasn’t present, the current scene resembled the future Karen had once dreamed of.
While savoring a bittersweet happiness, Karen carefully ensured the two children weren’t overly disrespectful to Lea.
Meanwhile, Alesya observed her daughter with a strangely displeased expression.
“Ellie.”
“Huh?”
“Your mother is beautiful too, you know?”
Perhaps irritated that her daughter only praised others’ beauty, Alesya tilted her chin up, showing off her jawline.
Though slightly inferior to Karen and lacking the freshness of Lea, Alesya was confident her beauty surpassed the average.
Ellie blinked twice before tossing a single word at her mom.
“Auntie.”
“…”
Due to being older than Karen and Johanna, Alesya, who had entered her thirties earlier, frowned at her daughter’s cheeky remark.
Enraged by her daughter’s audacity, Alesya abruptly stood up to grab Ellie’s cheeks.
Ellie naturally attempted to flee, but unfortunately, Saria, standing by the door, caught her and handed her over to Alesya.
Grabbing Ellie’s cheeks, Alesya said,
“Didn’t I tell you to maintain your dignity as a noble? I don’t know whose behavior you’re imitating!”
Of course, Alesya knew her daughter took after her.
How much trouble Philip Count and the Earl of Phillips endured due to Alesya’s antics back then!
After momentarily reflecting on herself objectively and letting go of childhood memories, Alesya released Ellie.
Ellie promptly clung back to Lea, chatting animatedly with Kania about trivial matters.
“…”
Every time Lea looked at Ellie and Kania showing affection towards her, a heaviness settled in her heart.
Doubts would arise—did she deserve their love? Nevertheless, Lea always greeted Ellie and Kania with warmth.
Ellie and Kania cherished Lea’s smiles.
In the midst of such tranquil moments,
Ellie suddenly turned to Alesya, recalling something forgotten.
“Mom!”
“What is it?”
Ellie excitedly shouted at Alesya, who was drinking her beverage with a pout.
“Tell us about your first night with Dad!”
“Puhaem…!”
Alesya spilled her drink all over.
Despite witnessing this, Ellie kept shouting “first night!” repeatedly, brimming with anticipation. Kania didn’t openly agree but her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Wiping the spilled drink with a handkerchief, Alesya raised her voice.
“You’re already growing up and saying things you shouldn’t!”
She must have read some strange books somewhere again to say such things.
Determined to give a lecture, Alesya adjusted her posture.
“Ellie! When I was your age…!”
Around the time Alesya was Ellie’s age, she began dabbling in novels like “Knight of Misfortune and the Villainess Lady.”
Memories of rummaging through the family library searching for treasures resurfaced vividly in Alesya’s mind.
“…”
Reflecting on her past, Alesya realized her daughter was growing up relatively healthily and relaxed her expression.
Then she began pondering how to describe her first night with Ray.
“My first night with Ray was incredibly romantic!”
“…?”
This time, Karen narrowed her eyes at Alesya.
Romantic? From Karen’s perspective as another participant in that first night, it was less romantic and more chaotic.
Regardless of Karen’s hint or lack thereof, Alesya continued her story.
“Your father actually had somewhat clumsy sides.”
“Clumsy? Dad?”
“It means he was shy. Still, your father was undeniably a man.”
Alesya awkwardly struck a pose emphasizing her figure and grinned confidently.
“On our first night, when this mom dressed seductively and tempted him, your dad couldn’t control his desire and roughly kissed me…”
“…”
Karen subtly nudged Alesya’s ribs, signaling her to tone it down in front of the kids.
Meanwhile, Ellie and Kania glanced at Alesya with skeptical eyes before turning to Karen for confirmation.
Recalling the events of that day under the intense scrutiny from Ellie and Kania, Karen briefly revisited the memory.
That day…
Alesya had barged into the bedroom unexpectedly, clinging to Ray, and afterward insisted it was her turn, trying to cling to him.
Showing off her specially prepared lingerie, Alesya struggled to seduce Ray.
To Karen, who witnessed the scene firsthand, it seemed a bit tacky.
Though, it wasn’t entirely unappealing.
Alesya may have been often overlooked in the past, but neither her appearance nor talents fell below average; rather, they clearly surpassed it.
The problem was simply that among the orphans she closely associated with, there were too many exceptionally talented individuals.
Nonetheless, Alesya’s account, while slightly exaggerated, wasn’t entirely false.
Recalling Ray’s lower half from that day, Karen muttered internally,
‘…It did rise.’
If it rose, it was a success. What else defines seduction?
Karen smiled brightly as she slowly recalled the memories of that day after a long time.
When Karen neither contradicted nor affirmed Alesya’s testimony, Ellie looked at her mom with surprise.
Alesya eventually smacked the unruly Ellie.
Lea warmly embraced Ellie, who fled into her arms to escape Alesya.
Along with the warmth of the child, a lingering sense of guilt flowed through her chest.
*
The underground facility of the Imperial Capital.
Delun entered the basement of the Imperial Capital without much thought after receiving Luna’s call.
The structure of the basement was quite complex, so Delun cautiously moved forward, observing his surroundings.
As he stepped into one of the underground plazas, sensing something amiss, Delun instantly drew his sword.
“?! ”
Kuung-!
Simultaneously with Delun drawing his sword, a magic circle pre-set in the plaza activated.
Instinctively, Delun swung his sword toward the intertwining magic circle spreading through the space.
Sword energy surged forth from Delun’s swing.
Despite lacking talent but bolstered by fortune, Delun was a formidable warrior who achieved the Graduete level at a young age.
However, the magic circle pre-set in the basement easily suppressed Delun’s resistance.
As Delun’s resistance failed to yield any significant results, the sword he held violently trembled, revealing its presence.
Trttrttrt!
The next moment,
The magic circles binding Delun started to counteract each other unpredictably, beginning to cancel out.
Accidents that should occur at extremely low probabilities happened consecutively, nullifying Delun’s confinement.
Padrdrdrd!!!
Dozens of new magic circles deployed, wrapping around Delun, yet he continued to defy the odds with unbelievable luck, attempting to break free.
At this rate, failure was truly possible.
Hayden, one of the main figures who prepared the magic circles in the basement of the Imperial Capital, stiffened his expression at this critical moment.
Parts of the collapsing magic circles were restored as if reversing time, thanks to someone’s interference, repressing Delun again.
Gudgdgdgdg!!
Eventually, Delun was confined within the magic circles and silenced.
The magic circles covering Delun like a cocoon flickered blue before disappearing into thin air.
“Phew.”
Ropheiren, another leading figure who prepared the magic circles in the basement of the Imperial Capital, lightly regulated her breathing.
Ropheiren, who had previously worked at the Royal Magic Tower and until recently served as the guardian of Phillip’s County.
All maritime and land routes connecting the Empire and the Rubia Kingdom existed near Phillip’s County.
To ensure smooth cooperation with the Rubia Kingdom, it was necessary to secure Phillip’s County and its vicinity.
Moreover, since the Earl of Phillips firmly refused to leave his territory, neglecting the area was even more challenging.
For these reasons, Luna entrusted Ropheiren with the defense of Phillip’s County and its surrounding areas.
Additionally, part of the command authority of the surveillance force organized by the Empire to control the Rubia Kingdom was also given to Ropheiren.
Ropheiren successfully fulfilled her role until the Demon King was sealed not long ago.
Upon receiving Luna’s summons, Ropheiren returned to the Imperial Capital.
Meeting Hayden for the first time, Ropheiren instinctively recognized the emergence of a powerful rival.
One fool recognizes another.
Fool No. 1 was wary of Fool No. 2.
Fool No. 2 also found Fool No. 1 unpleasant.
Comparing only their backgrounds, Fool No. 2 clearly overshadowed Fool No. 1.
Fool No. 1 was merely a professor at the Royal Magic Tower, while Fool No. 2 was its highest-ranking member.
However, Fool No. 1, who had assisted Luna for a long time and conducted joint research, possessed magical knowledge and capabilities that rivaled Fool No. 2.
Since it was difficult to determine superiority based purely on raw power, both frequently engaged in psychological battles, growling at each other.
Of course, this only happened when Luna was absent.
“…!”
Ropheiren and Hayden corrected their postures as they were about to start a subtle eye battle.
Luna approached them with a stern expression.
