Incomplete (2)

A subtle, off-putting burnt smell filled the air.

Those who had been shouting and charging towards the Ernes Empires group had vanished entirely. The only trace they left behind were faint charred footprints on the floor, indicating they had been there only moments ago.

My fingertips are shaking a little

Ferzen wondered if the poison mixed into the scented candle was perhaps a paralytic agent. If that were the case, neutralizing it would be relatively straightforward with an antidote.

With this thought in mind, Ferzen motioned for Isabel, who stood nearby, to act.

Nobles who had been standing near Isabels coffin were startled and quickly retreated.

She opened the coffin herself and lay down inside. She laid perfectly still, her hands folded neatly on her stomach.

It was difficult to believe that the figure lying there was not a living person but a corpse. The sight was both beautiful and alluring.

The nobles, shocked by what they had just witnessed, couldnt help but remember why Isabel was known as the most vicious witch in the history of the Ernes Empire.

Your Highness, should we begin cleaning up?

Ferzen approached the stunned Second Prince and spoke after retrieving the coffin, with Isabel within it, into a subspace.

Yes, we should

Are you troubled, Your Highness?

As a person Id be lying if I said Im not troubled at all. Even if they were just powerless pawns swayed by empty words, its difficult to refute their intentions.

However, as a member of the Imperial Family, my feelings are different.

Is that so?

Yes

Even if it meant gaining notoriety in other nations.

As long as what he believed to be doing was right for his country and his people

Im prepared to be called a tyrant by them.

The Second Prince lightly patted Ferzens shoulder and spoke in a soft voice.

It appears you blame yourself for what happened at the banquet. But to be honest, Im glad this incident occurred.

The Imperial Family owes Brutein a great debt. Its an honor to be able to repay even a fraction of it.

He couldnt speak on behalf of the entire Imperial Family, but at the very least, Raymond genuinely felt that way.

Thank you

Ferzen knew there was not a single lie in the Second Princes words, so he quietly lowered his head in gratitude.

Now, call for a doctor

Yes, Your Highness!

Crack!

Just as the Second Prince was about to leave, the buildings ceiling suddenly collapsed.

At first, Ferzen thought it might be because the building couldnt withstand the impact of Isabels magic.

However, he quickly realized he was mistaken when he sensed a large number of people from the other side and saw the knights accompanying them reacting swiftly.

Indeed, the most elementary and effective way to launch an attack was to strike when the enemy felt secure.

Creak!

However, this tactic only worked when there was no vast difference in power. After all, if a group of rabbits attacked a sleeping lion, would it even make the lion flinch?

So, Ferzen didnt react much when he saw an enemy landing in front of him.

Even Princess Elizabeth merely took out a fan to protect herself from any potential blood splatter. How could they make a fuss?

Even though the enemy unsheathed his sword in front of him, Ferzen looked at Roer, who stood not far away, with interest.

Are you hesitating, Roer?

Since he had already stowed Isabels coffin in the subspace, it was too late to retrieve it now to use against the enemy.

Without any corpses nearby to exploit, a warlocks power was no different from that of an ordinary person.

To be honest, Ferzen was confident that he could avoid any fatal wounds, but he wanted to see what kind of heart and resolve Roer had brought to this place.

But

Euphemia pleaded with him to never act this way again.

So, after dodging the enemys slash with minimal movement, Ferzen kicked his opponents elbow with his knee.

Keuk!

His enemy let out a short cry as the sword fell from his hands.

The sword, now without its master, soared into the air after bouncing off the floor.

Ferzen casually snatched it and swung it down towards his disarmed foe.

Swoosh!

Ke keuk

Bang!

The swords blade plunged deep into the nape of the enemys neck in the next moment. Blood sprayed messily, instantly dyeing Ferzens hands, neck, and face crimson.

The sensation of a dying human wriggling beneath his fingers through the swords hilt was anything but pleasant.

Moreover, Roer, who had arrived at his side almost simultaneously, swiftly cut through the enemys body, further splattering Ferzens luxurious suit with the fishy smell of blood.

Its really

Ferzen couldnt help but appreciate the exquisite timing.

After all, if Roer hadnt reached his side at precisely that moment, there was a high probability that Ferzen would have been pierced by the enemys sword.

As much as the timing was impeccable, it was also somewhat dubious.

It seemed Roer had struggled to come to a decision until the very last moment.

How could a man who walked the path of an Auror Knight be so indecisive?

Are you okay

Roers voice, which Ferzen hadnt heard in a while, carried an undertone of feigned concern as he inquired about Ferzens well-being.

Ferzen removed his hand from the sword hilt, wiped his blood-splattered face with a handkerchief, and replied in a serious tone.

Ah dont worry.

Roer fell silent, and Ferzen continued.

Swordsmanship is a basic requirement for a noble.

During this brief exchange, the chaos in the room subsided. Ferzen then retrieved the coffin from the subspace to dispose of the bodies around him as he gently controlled Isabel once again.

But at that moment, Ferzen couldnt help but chuckle when he looked at Isabels expressionless face, which was the unique trait of a corpse.

It appeared as if she was annoyed at being woken up just as she had fallen asleep.

* * * * *

The sky wept as if mourning those who had perished on this day.

Ferzen strolled through the rain-soaked streets, holding an umbrella in one hand.

Whoosh!

Raindrops brushed against his clothes, dripping down to the ground. Their color, no longer clear; it had mingled with the crimson hue of blood staining Ferzens clothes.

The layout of Roverium Kingdoms streets was quite different from that of the Ernes Empire. Still, Ferzen didnt find it unfamiliar. The urban scenery bore some resemblance to the place where Seo-jin once lived.

Does it mean that the process of civilizations development is universally similar, regardless of the world?

Tall buildings stood alongside the road, constructed to accommodate as many people as possible on limited land. This urban environment felt reminiscent of modernity.

His Highness the Prince mentioned I would encounter familiar faces when I arrived.

Ferzen anticipated that the familiar faces waiting for him where Euphemia, Yuriel, and Laura were staying would be the knights and wizards of the Brutein family.

If that was the case, then there was no need for him to worry.

Thud!

Ouch!

A young girl abruptly emerged from his blind spot, tripped over his foot, and fell onto the ground.

Judging by the white flowers that spilled from her falling basket, she seemed to be a flower seller.

I-Im sorry

The girl quickly gathered the fallen flowers, her head bowed.

Ferzen silently withdrew a gold coin from his chest pocket.

Ill purchase all of those flowers.

P-pardon?

I dont need the change.

Ah! This is the wrong co

The girl appeared flustered as she stared at the gold coin resting in her small, calloused hand. Ferzen didnt respond and continued walking past her.

After a moment, the girl snapped out of her daze and called out to Ferzen once more.

Y-you forgot to take the flowers!

Though her voice was small and delicate, it somehow managed to cut through the heavy rain and reach Ferzens ears.

He halted and turned to look at the girl, parting his lips to speak.

Leave them be. The ones meant to receive those flowers are no longer here.

Sorry?

The girls face displayed further confusion at Ferzens cryptic words. But he continued walking away without providing any further explanation.

Soon, only the girl remained on the street, her head bowed toward the scattered flowers.

Ah

Before she realized it, the flowers on the ground had started to take on a crimson hue.

* * * * *

Marquis!

In the late hours of the night, Prince Inas, the Second Prince of the Roverium Kingdom, burst into Marquis Phrygias quarters with an expression of anger etched across his face.

Inside, Marquis Phrygia sat calmly in a neatly arranged room, sipping tea, as if he had anticipated this visit.

The people! You swore that you wouldnt treat them like mere pawns!

Marquis Phrygia took a sip of his tea before responding evenly.

Indeed, I did. However, I never used them as mere expendables.

Inas slammed an urgent report down onto a nearby table. He had just received it, and it had fueled his anger.

Inas had initially understood that their previous actions were aimed at inciting hostility towards the Ernes Empire, and he had tolerated it.

But now, with thirty lives gone, vanished without a trace, he questioned the purpose of their sacrifice.

Even animals left behind their remains when they died, but these thirty people had simply vanished, leaving nothing behind.

He had never expected that there wouldnt be bloodshed, but their deaths needed to have some meaning, some purpose!

Phrygia continued.

Prince Inas, your ideals are somewhat distorted.

What?

In the heat of battle, where allies and enemies are eager to thrust a sword into the enemys throat, most would not care who did what and who died.

Phrygias words left Inas speechless.

The action and death of each person is supposed to have some meaning? Thats not how warfare works.

Phrygia softened his tone, acknowledging his respect for the people of Inass kingdom.

Most claim that nothing is worth fighting for, that war or revolution is nothing but corrupt and degenerate patriotism. But the people of your kingdom are different.

Inas listened quietly, unable to respond.

The outcome we see here, means that the kind of freedom you desire demands even more effort.

Phrygia stood and picked up an umbrella placed nearby.

Ill step outside to clear my head for a moment. Good night.

He left the room with a smile, and Inas didnt stop him.

Despite his desire to confront Phrygia about the true intentions behind their kingdoms vassalage to the Elmark Empire, Inas held himself back.

He feared that the answer might not align with his expectations. He couldnt help but wonder if what he had been given was merely a foxs cunning, instead of a wolfs teeth.

As he plopped down in a chair, Prince Inass gaze fell upon a chessboard on the table.

Many nobles likened chess to war, but Inas disagreed.

How could a game that ended when you captured the king truly represent war? Could a king sitting alone in a ruined nation, with all his soldiers dead, be satisfied with victory?

He picked up a report that had fallen to the floor, listing the names of the thirty people who had died.

Even if he dies, his name would go down in history as a bastard.

But those thirty people who had perished would be forgotten.

So, without uttering a word, Prince Inas began memorizing their names.

With each name he recalled, the weight on his shoulders grew heavier.

In truth, he wanted to escape this burden with any trivial excuse he could find.

But he didnt. Or rather, he couldnt.

In the world beneath the sky, there were problems for which excuses held no sway, and one had to bear all responsibility.

This was his responsibility.

His weight to bear.

TL note: 14/20

Hmm Okay Serious part of the note here.

Since its been a while lemme do a recap of this Novel political plots since I know your MTL corrupted brain cant handle a plot more complicated than a harem collection.

Jk JK

Well, through this novel we have the Ernes Empire (the Nation of the MC). The Ernes Empire is trying to centralizate their power, and this means that they are actively weakening the nobles influence. They are doing this by many ways, one of them is the Academy. By sponrering commoners in the Academy, they can put them in position of administration, that used to belong to nobles and bla bla bla.

The other way we have been seeing here is by allowing Ferzen to do as he pleases.

The thing Ferzen was doing in the North is to weaken the Asran family that is the main family ruling a large part of the Ernes territory.

Ferzen is weakening them by creating infighting between the northern noble families, fragmenting the power structure. (This is just a gross resume of the situation of Ernes since Im lazy to actually explain everything. I mean just read em damn novel)

The Other political plot Ive seen you people get confused is the Elmark Empire/Roverium kingdom situation.

As explained early in the novel, both Ernes and Elmark empires do a sort of cold war by controlling smaller nations and election pupet leaders to amass influence in the continent.

The mess with Roverium started because the Second Prince of Roverium wished to create a sort of Infighting between Ernes and Elmark for the country. Because he believed that with such competition, Roverium could get a better deal of vassalage.

Then Ferzen messed his plot because Prince Inas cant this shit without a clear cause. And Ferzen saw this as an opportunity to Kill Ciel Midford. And things went to shit for Inas in the Imperial Banquet as everyone remembers.

Now while his plot went to shit, it still kind of worked, as the Elmark Empire was able to secure a foothold in the Kingdom.

And now currently in the novel, the Ernes Empire procession made of Ferzen, Second Prince Raymond and Elizabeth (and some nobles) went to Roverium to maintain Ernes grip on the kingdom.

Im not gonna spoil it more cause the s will deal with that.

But Gremory Elden Ishitar Elmark (I swear the author just used random words on her name) AKA the Empress of Elmark AKA the strongest human alive, just wants to wage war on Ernes, and the objective of the Elmark Empire on the Roverium kingdom is to incite a rebellion against Ernes, so that Elmark can have a sort of Just Cause to join in.

Also Also.

mix 3 shots of Vodka, 300 Ml of Lemmon Juice, coconut ice cubs (A looooot) and sugar to taste.

Imma be drinking this for the whole day.

Perks of being unnumployued is that I can get shitfaced on SUNDAY! YAY