Chapter 14
Mia, leaning toward him, asked. Although the person who heard it couldn’t respond, as his face was soon pressed into the ground.
“This is a kind of duel, isn’t it? Don’t you think? I wonder if a half-hearted person without divine power can even hold their head up after being put in such a disgraceful position… how pitiful.”
So, what should she do with him? After a moment of contemplation, Mia finally came up with a use for him. After all, even someone who constantly sabotaged her plans could be useful if looked at from a different angle.
“Léonard. After all the lights in the castle go out at the top floor, meet me in front of the designated inn’s front door…”
Mia couldn’t finish her sentence. At that moment, she saw a black shadow passing in her peripheral vision.
The instant she saw the shadow, she felt nothing. Not even the frantic plans she had been working on just before, nor the foolish one struggling desperately at her feet, nor Étienne, who had come back to grab her hand.
Everything seemed to freeze for a moment, and in that instant, Mia sank into the past.
***
“Have you ever encountered ‘fear’?”
For those who had served in the Etalon army at that time, it was a question that was hard to deny.
Whenever Rochefort was in the most precarious situations, a woman with ebony hair appeared, roaming freely across the battlefield and throwing the remaining officers of the Holy Corps into confusion.
Of course, other officers also possessed divine power. Even if they were exhausted and broken, they were trained soldiers who could still fight. Yet, despite that, no one could stop her. No one even knew how she managed to do it.
When the woman appeared, the formations fell apart, and the panicked allies fell into traps. At least Mia was sure that it was a trap. There was no way a person could disarm themselves and self-destruct without any warning.
The officers weren’t afraid because the woman was skilled in battle, nor were they afraid of death. In fact, Mia had never seen the woman fight directly.
Strange occurrences happened just because she stood there quietly. The woman merely observed them from a distance. Sometimes with an expression devoid of any emotion, and at other times bursting into laughter like a mad person.
She was like the reaper of the battlefield. The timing of her first appearance coincided with the death of the commander, leading some to believe she was an illusion or a personification of death.
Of course, Mia didn’t believe in the existence of reapers. That woman was a tangible human being. Mia had heard her referred to as ‘C.’ Some of her comrades called her Ciccy.
However, whether she was a real person or not, the fact remained that she had easily unraveled all of Mia’s schemes. Not only that, but she had also managed to ensnare Mia in several traps.
Her fighting style was rather unconventional, to the point where even Mia could not perfectly predict her intentions or next moves.
Whenever Mia tried to dig behind her, tried to concoct schemes centered solely around her, or even attempted to confront her directly in desperation, she often found little to no success. Clearly, there were elements that Mia was missing. But Mia never knew what those missing pieces were until the day she died.
Thus, Ciccy became the first person who had instilled genuine fear in Mia, someone she could never fully ensnare in her schemes. Ultimately, she took root in Mia’s mind as the first embodiment of fear.
***
Without knowing what her intentions were, Mia followed Ciccy’s trail. It was one of her instincts from her previous life that had become almost instinctual. Echoes followed behind Mia.
“…Ah.”
“…”
“Mia, are you listening?”
Oh, perhaps it wasn’t Echo after all.
Only then did Mia notice Étienne in her line of sight.
He stood in front of Mia, looking at her with concern. Calling her name with an anxious tone for what felt like the umpteenth time.
***
Thanks to Étienne’s timely intervention, Mia was able to quickly escape the panic. With her mind still unsettled, she even found herself gratefully accepting the mockery of an ignorant fool. That alone helped clear her thoughts.
Only then did she have the mental capacity to consider practical issues. Mia asked Étienne, “Is it alright to bring the entire army here? The castle seems too small to accommodate everyone.”
“It’s because spreading them out could put us at a disadvantage. There are several inns within the territory, so it shouldn’t be a problem for the soldiers who can’t enter the castle to stay for a few days.”
Étienne responded while fiddling with Mia’s hand. Mia didn’t bother to push him away. It would be more accurate to say that she was too focused on his response to pay attention to the sensation of his hand.
‘This answer is the same as I heard before.’
Some events unfolded in the same direction as her previous life, while others took entirely different paths. Mia could not clearly identify the difference between the two.
The strange explosion that occurred, presumably due to the prisoners, the date they finally arrived in Glen, and the solution to the surplus personnel issues were all the same as her previous life. And the only thing that had changed…
All the changes from her previous life converged into one thing: Étienne’s attitude.
The reason Mia learned swordsmanship, was recognized for having actual authority within the military, was treated as a close associate of the war hero, and even received direct guidance and treatment from him…
And now, this absurd charade of pretending to be lovers.
All of it was because Étienne Rochefort had become incredibly warm compared to the previous life.
So when distinguishing between what had changed and what had not in comparison to her past life, one could say that it was essentially tied to Étienne.
‘So why did the au…’
Suddenly, the warmth that had been tingling between Mia’s fingers disappeared. Only then did Mia look down, then back up. The castle gate was opening.
***
As Mia had predicted, the lord who ambled out appeared to be startled by the sudden size of the invading force. Yet, being an opportunist, he quickly collected himself and greeted the entourage in awkward imperial language.
“Oh, it’s an honor to meet the famous Lord Rochefort in person! I am Rufus Galua. Ah, you radiate brilliance!”
He went on with nonsensical flattery about whether he had personally saved the empire with that sword, how his demeanor resembled that of a hero, and other praises that stretched on. Étienne glanced at his outstretched hand and passed by without responding. Oddly enough, the lord, unbothered by the slight, turned to Mia standing beside him and asked for a handshake.
“This young lady seems… to be meeting me for the first time. Hehe. May I ask which noble house you hail from?”
Feeling as if she might immediately be escorted away upon shaking hands, Mia feigned indifference as she accepted his greeting.
In the end, she never revealed her name, but Mia had a strange certainty that the lord would learn of her identity before night fell.
‘A person who enjoys digging into others’ affairs wouldn’t refrain from conversing with people. Those who don’t particularly like me would have no reason to keep quiet about something that isn’t a secret.’
Rumors about the eldest daughter of the Blanchard family were famous even outside the empire, so once her name was known, it was only a matter of time before he figured out who she was. Although it was familiar, it was not a pleasant situation, so Mia sighed inwardly.
“Baron.”
Mia muttered as she pushed his hand away. There was a weight to her subdued voice that did not fit with what the baron had expected from a ‘noble lady.’
“It would be wise for you not to take the honors we bestow upon you for granted.”
***
The only ones left in the lord’s castle were a few officers from the Holy Corps, including Mia and Étienne.
Mia had a slight resistance to discovering that Léonard was in charge of the remaining personnel, but this was smoothly resolved through the means of dismissal. In this situation, Mia’s private status as the ‘lover’ of the commander proved to be of little use.
Mia laid down a few of her belongings and lay on the bed. Her tired body from the long march had difficulty falling asleep.
Before long, someone knocked on the door. From the looks of him, he seemed to be a servant of the baron. He informed Mia about the dinner banquet that would take place in an hour before rushing off to another room. It seemed the baron’s orders had just been issued.
It was as if he were a dog, overly eager to please, after previously telling her to rest enough to shake off her fatigue, only to now insist on throwing a banquet as soon as the baggage was mostly unloaded.
Considering Glen’s geographical position, it made sense. Although it was currently part of Veridian, it had been part of the Etalon territory until relatively recently. Given its position at the border, it wasn’t particularly strange for the local high nobility to want to make a good impression.
For that purpose, preparing a banquet at a time when most of the officers were exhausted and yawning wasn’t the best choice. Well, if the opportunist had any brains, he should have known better. Mia chose to ignore the baron’s foolishness.
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