Chapter 49: Setting Off North
After placing all the documents back to where they belonged, I quietly flew out of the camp and arrived at the highest point of the bell tower in the center of Alectine City. Standing on the very tip of the tower under the moonlight, my mind wandered back to Rect’s final words before he left.
“By the way, there’s one more thing. Her Majesty the Queen isn’t actually in the Royal City lately…”
“Huh?”
“Ever since the church’s newsletter got canceled, some news hasn’t made it to the southern borders of Silgaya, so you might not know. Uh… Your father, Duke Skarlick, probably sent a messenger from Winter City to meet with Her Majesty around the end of last year. They brought some new updates on the Empire War.”
“…. Since mid-last year, the Shanter Army united with the heavy cavalry of New City of Kaliye and the Firebird Army of Eirinburg, and they marched down from Eagle City, defeating the guards of Chielis City who were at least ten times more in number. They took the city and prepared for a grand advance toward the Royal Palace when suddenly, the church called a halt…”
“Their attitude was quite firm. The reason given was that due to the invasion of heretics, the entire Silgaya would fall into a developmental crisis for a long time… If they couldn’t find a way out in the short term, the food and produce yield across the western continent could be impacted for at least the next ten years. The shortage of food and difficulties in transportation would become the primary issues for all nations, and this turned the royal battle of the Empire away from the church’s purposes…”
“They demanded that the Shanter Army immediately cease all military operations to give the royal family breathing room, to restore order to the Empire, and, according to their teachings, the Empire must work with Ethanbel to support the Republic in overcoming its difficulties. Oh, and they also need to provide some necessary assistance to the Currency Exchange…”
“In summary, it meant you guys can’t keep causing chaos. Let’s all get along and stop fighting. Just look at the state of Silgaya; if we don’t help, nobody might have food to eat in the future… After all, this place is the granary of the western continent. I get it, I really do, but you see… once the war starts, it’s not so easy to just say stop.”
“Just one step away, and your father could have toppled his bumbling, suspicious brother from the throne… At a crucial moment like this, how could he back down so easily? Even if he was willing, he’d have to see if those supporters would nod in agreement. I can’t speak for Eirinburg, but New City of Kaliye definitely won’t agree… They’ve already paid a heavy price for this war. After the lord was assassinated, everyone went wild… There’s no chance for reconciliation with the royal family anymore…”
“Throughout the latter half of last year, your father kept up a back-and-forth with the church, trying to stabilize them while also prepping for another siege. But without the church’s support and with all those parishes obstructing things, the offensive stalled. The church’s Fourth Knights Brigade appeared and intercepted a large portion of the Shanter Army at Baihao City; no one dared to make a move… As a result, it finally gave the royal family some breathing room.”
“Before I left the Royal City, I heard that the Emperor had met with the church, probably regarding the situation in Silgaya. They want to conduct a fundraising across the Empire and adjust taxes for the big cities… If the royal family agrees to hasten these matters, then your father… might be in trouble.”
“And the messenger he sent to meet Her Majesty probably discussed these things too… They may have a formal meeting soon. The timing? Should be pretty quick. I think Her Majesty… has almost arrived in the Empire by now?”
“Right. If you’re planning to go too, you’d better hurry…”
Before long, two war chariots slowly moved; one entered the city gates heading south, while the other disappeared at the edge of the plains heading north.
Barry followed Rect and the Knights of Kanli, soon set to leave his country and the people he loved, embarking on a new journey in a place completely unfamiliar to him.
Hopefully, when they meet again, he could transform into a man of substance, a true hero.
As for me…
“Ha—”
For a long time, I gazed at the moon, letting out a sigh.
Viki and my father…
Finally, they were going to meet.
I just didn’t expect…
It would be at this moment and under these circumstances.
I… seemed to have delayed too long in the Eastern Continent…
Should I hurry back?
The Empire’s war…
My father…
My mother…
I looked down at my hands, pale and delicate as jade, with just a hint of rosy tint, definitely not resembling the hands that had bathed in the bl**d of countless others.
I…
Can I go back?
And if I really meet them…
What should I even say?
…………
No matter how tumultuous my feelings, the faces engraved in my memory remained the only emotions certain to linger.
As the daylight slowly rose from the mountain slopes outside the eastern city walls the next day, having spent the night on the tower, I stretched lazily, watching the rosy sunrise gradually cover the city below. The early risers were already strolling on the streets while the night’s scavenging beasts had likely just gone to sleep.
I rolled my shoulders, leaped down from the high tower, made a quick visit to the market, using coins I snatched from some thugs to buy a bunch of hard bread.
Honestly, there wasn’t much to buy, but it was enough to serve as a snack on the road…
Then, I didn’t linger in the city any longer since there wasn’t really any point. After Barry’s departure, Alectine City had lost any charm or comfort it once had for me. The flames of war that had burned before, the lingering spirits of the people, upon witnessing the city’s dirty side, perhaps just scratched the surface, but it was enough to completely douse any desire I had of seeing the people Ailna had saved.
So by noon, I donned my cloak, slung my pack over my shoulder, and flew away from here.
As if I had never come.
After leaving Alectine City, I didn’t search for any villages along the way, just figured out the direction for a bit and continued heading north, flying and stopping as I felt tired, finding a secluded spot, whether it was in the grass or on a hill, to sleep soundly, waking up to drink some water, and then hunting nearby for food, grilling some wild game.
I ran out of salt, and other spices seemed hard to find throughout the southern territories. The quality of my meals dropped sharply compared to when I left from Noguai Harbor—no matter the type of meat, it was all roasted and made do with; sometimes, I would catch odd creatures like the red-horned marten, whose meat was painfully hard to swallow.
But no matter how, it was still better than those times I wandered the desolate lands of the western continent all alone.
During my journey northward, I didn’t encounter many people. Utilizing my previous marching memories, I flew over picturesque forests and winding rivers, heading swiftly toward the Silent Bastion—though it wasn’t with the intention to confirm anything; I just wanted to stay there for a couple of days, and possibly visit the Alanst family’s tomb, take a look at Lady Alanster’s gravestone, see her daughter, check in on those women deeply scarred by war.
I just wanted to see how they were doing now.
If there were areas that weren’t to my liking, or if things really turned for the worst, I wasn’t planning on changing anything.
I had lost interest and didn’t want to get deeply entangled in the tragicomedy of this earthly realm any longer.
Just a spectator, passing through to take a glance…
Then quietly leave.
