Chapter 174

Chapter 174: Because It Is Precious

Because It Is Precious
Chapter 174. Because It Is Precious
The eastern plains of the Arken Empire.
Spring had fully matured, a cool breeze was blowing, scattering the scent of flowers.
It was a wide and peaceful plateau, but a bloody wind blew there in an instant.
Spring, when new life emerges after a harsh winter.
The dire wolf packs of that season were more ruthless and cruel than ever.
Their prey was a woman walking alone across the plateau in the middle of the night.
They formed an encirclement with familiarity, completely blocking any escape route.
It was only a matter of time before she too would become bone fragments on this peaceful plateau.
But this woman was different.
There was no sign of fear or tension.
Grrrrr……
The dire wolves narrowing the encirclement suddenly made threatening sounds.
They realized instinctively.
That this woman, whom they believed to be trapped prey only seconds ago, was by no means easy.
The woman showed no sign of fear.
An expressionless face as if everything were empty.
She stared with that face, then shifted her eyes to look at the dire wolves.
Two moons were embedded in her eyes.
The dire wolf that met those eyes shrank back.
Simple beasts, they saw their future.
That the moment they pounced on this fragile woman, they would become corpses on the plateau.
The dire wolves released the encirclement and began to flee for their lives.
The woman survived like that.
Clap! Clap!
At the same time the dire wolves retreated, applause resonated.
The woman standing on the plateau only then realized.
That there was someone else there besides her.
— As expected of Yubel. Your wild instincts are still alive.
The woman named Yubel turned her head to look where the voice came from.
A woman of ordinary appearance, simple clothes, and freckles on her face stood there.
That woman looked at Yubel and smiled broadly.
— ……?
Instead of answering, Yubel narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.
The woman reacted with an “Oh, my,” as if disappointed.
— Oh, my, it has only been a few years and you have already forgotten. That is a bit disappointing, Yubel.
— ……!
Yubel’s eyes began to glow silver again.
The deaths the dire wolves saw were also visible to that woman.
Even before the gaze that stimulated the survival instinct, that woman only sighed as if nothing were wrong.
— Just because I used a bit of disguise, you also show me the Eyes of Death. Even though we aren’t that distant…—
The freckled woman literally grabbed her face, as if she couldn’t help it.
And ripped it off.
Inside was a woman smiling with an innocence different from before.
Upon seeing that face, Yubel’s wariness disappeared.
— Sak.
What came out of her mouth was a single syllable.
— Oh, my, how cold. Even so, shouldn’t you recognize me just by hearing my voice?
— Sak.
— To think such rude thoughts. My, does Angrem’s youth remain at 19 forever even after decades?
— Sak. Sak.
Yubel narrowed her eyes and glared at her, and Angrem covered her face with a worried expression.
Let us leave the small talk for later.
— Did you say you escaped from the Empire?
— Man.
Yubel nodded.
— For that, you resolved it in a remarkably peaceful way. You didn’t even stain your hands with blood?
Angrem asked as if asking if she had forgotten to get dressed.
Then Yubel looked with narrowed eyes and answered like this.
— Man.
— Man?
Her index finger pointed to the sky.
Following her gaze upward, the moon was visible.
— Ah, now that I think about it, today is a full moon.
The full moon is the moon that grants mercy.
On that day, even those who deserve to die cannot be killed.
That was the rule Sierra had established.
— Sak.
— It cannot be helped. It has been more than 20 years since I worked as a Dancer of Sierra. The time I have looked at the moon and prayed is even longer than that.
— Sak. Sak.
— Don’t be angry. Then, what will you do now? You must have been frustrated locked up for 3 years, do you have a place to go?
— Man.
— Oh, my, yes? Where?
Yubel turned her head with a melancholic expression.
That place was the east.
— Ferda.
— Oh, my.
Angrem was startled upon hearing those words.
— To think you would mention that name. Do you really like him?
Yubel said no more, as if she were embarrassed.
— Don’t be impatient. You will meet him very soon.
The woman’s mouth curled into a crescent-shaped smile.
— Because he is the only child of the Goddess Sierra remaining on this earth.

Ferda’s carriage arrived safely near the Grand Duchy.
Isabella received Ferda at the gate of the town castle right on time.
— Congratulations on securing the justification for autonomy.
— It was the natural result.
— You say natural result, but didn’t you make extensive preparations for that natural result? It is a joy that those preparations were not in vain.
As the saying goes, praise makes even whales dance, it was not bad at all.
Isabella adjusted her glasses and spoke.
— Please, come in. To commemorate this matter, there is a gift Lord Ferda wants to show you.
A gift.
Upon entering the town, Ferda saw the gift she mentioned.
The town’s central plaza that had remained empty during urban planning.
In the center stood a structure never seen before.
— A fountain.
— Yes. It is a monument created by Tower Master Iorga along with the craftsmen of the tower.
In the place that should have been a wide plaza, there was a white marble fountain.
On the hexagonal rim, a palace-like tower rose in the center.
One could tell at a glance what the figure of the dragon at the sharp tip symbolized.
— It represents Lady Valdrova during the subjugation war.
— Yes. They said they sculpted it because that would be best.
In reality, it was a song widely spread among bards, and the hymns of people who could not forget that appearance still continued.
For Ferda, it was a moving story.
But, apart from that, a concern came to his mind.
‘If I have the power to make this work…’
The fountain was a symbol of prosperity with extremely demanding conditions.
First, the supply of magical power to continuously pump the fountain’s water.
Second, the water pipes formed in the city and a massive amount of water sufficient to circulate throughout the entire town.
Third, that massive amount of water must be clean enough to drink.
If there is a flaw in these three conditions or they are ignored, it instead becomes a crystallization of vanity and greed, turning into an eyesore.
Iorga would not have sent this here without verifying those conditions.
‘Unless they sent it to spite me…’
Ferda was able to notice one more fact.
It seems he has succeeded in massively purifying the water contained in the Demonic Land.
At Ferda’s assumption, Isabella could not hide her surprise.
— That is the Magic Tower’s second gift. I was going to explain it slowly, but you got ahead of me.
— I was imprudent.
— Not at all. I am only glad that the Archduchy’s survival has brightened.
Isabella smiled with a face full of pride.
— It would be good to show you the second gift, but let us postpone it for now.
— Is there something urgent?
— Her Highness the Archduchess is waiting for you, Lord Regent.
For Ferda, there was no more important task than that.
After washing up and changing clothes, Ferda headed to the gallery.
The woman in red seated on the opposite balcony remained demure.
Valdrova, fiddling with her fingers while watching the sun tilt toward the west.
He stared at her, then she felt Ferda’s presence and turned her head.
— Ah.
She stood up abruptly and welcomed him.
— Welcome, Ferda-ssi.
With an excited heart, she approached Ferda with quick steps.
— You have worked hard.
At the unexpected closeness, Ferda forgot what to say and only looked at her in silence.
— Master-nim.
Ruri interrupted in the awkward atmosphere.
— It is not appropriate for Master-nim to come out to greet.
— Ah, right……. I’m sorry. My heart got ahead of me. Did I look…… frivolous?
Frivolous.
That word did not suit this woman.
— It is an infinite honor that Her Highness the Archduchess comes to greet me.
Ferda greeted politely and took a seat.
Ruri became a screen and filled Ferda’s teacup with black tea.
— How was it? My visit to the Arken Empire?
Ferda recalled Valdrova’s appearance when she visited the Empire and answered.
— You sent a representative.
Valdrova nodded.
— Yes. I sent Penelope. I heard it was perfect, but did she make any mistakes?
— No. Penelope fulfilled her role sufficiently. Thanks to that, the image of Archduchess Valdrova would have been engraved.
— Even though it wasn’t me?
— It is common for a king to use a double. For battlefields or unimportant diplomacy, they prefer to send such doubles.
It usually occurs in places with a high risk of assassination and little benefit in return.
Of course, for Valdrova, who is harder to assassinate than piercing an iron fortress, it was unnecessary, but he deliberately did not mention it.
The truth was that Penelope did her part.
Her gait and the aura she exuded.
Whether she was accustomed to acting like a queen, for people who had never seen her even once, it was enough to feel she was Valdrova.
— Are you satisfied as well, Ferda-ssi?
— Yes. Of course.
— Do you really think so?
At her counter-question, Ferda raised his head.
— What do you mean?
— That…… you look very disappointed.
It felt as if a spike suddenly flew and pierced his chest.
Ferda touched his face reflexively.
He wondered if he had frowned while saying those words.
— I’m fine.
Ferda evaded.
As if it were nothing.
But Valdrova did not let that discomfort pass.
— I sent her for no one else but Ferda-ssi. So I wish you would speak honestly.
Today she was persistent.
It was something he could have kept saying he was fine with and evading.
But what would happen if he kept evading like that?
Wouldn’t only misunderstandings and distrust toward each other accumulate?
Such a thought came to his mind.
Ferda had to choose.
Lie to embrace her kindly?
Or tell the truth prepared for wounds?
— Actually…….
Ferda chose.
— When I heard Her Highness was coming…… I had great expectations.
What was the Ferda of that moment feeling, walking majestically to greet his partner?
The phrase ‘the appearance of greeting the bride at the wedding’ would fit best.
The expectations were that great.
So the feeling of betrayal was also great.
The one wearing a red dress and acting like a queen was a third-rate demon, not Valdrova.
— And the fact that Her Highness became friends with that demon…… was also a bit uncomfortable.
— Is that…… a problem?
If it is a problem, obviously there is one.
That demon was the famous troublemaker of Hestia Village.
It is fortunate that the fact she is a demon has not been exposed yet; if she had been discovered, there would have been an uproar about a demon living in the Archduchy.
Keeping such a fellow as a demon would surely only damage Valdrova’s reputation.
“……It is only an excuse.”
Even if she is a famous troublemaker in Hestia Village, she never harbored malice.
He also knows that the incidents she causes do not significantly damage Valdrova’s dignity.
Thinking like this is only Ferda’s jealousy.
He was jealous that Valdrova could face Penelope comfortably, jealous that she seemed closer than he was.
Vomiting the ugly heart in Ferda’s mind would only be blocking her again as she tries to step out into the world.
Ferda did not answer.
Valdrova did not insist on that answer either.
In the awkward air, both kept silent.
— The heart is truly…… a strange thing.
Valdrova placed her hand on her chest and spoke.
— Actually…… that day, I could have greeted Ferda-ssi myself. Strangely, after showing my face to Penelope, to that child, I thought showing it to others was no longer scary…….
— But…….
— Only for one person, it was not like that.
Valdrova slightly raised her head and looked at Ferda.
It felt like meeting eyes inside the mask.
— The closest person, and the person I should be with the most…… the person with whom I want to spend ten thousand years, why is it so hard to show them my face? I show it to others, but I wear a mask before Ferda-ssi. The more I think about it, I wonder if this is right. I cannot do it for the person who did so much for me, but I do it for others…… isn’t that too selfish…….
Ferda could tell what that emotion she felt was.
Wasn’t he feeling that same mood as well?
Just as she cannot show her bare face, Ferda cannot show his true nature either.
Wanting to look better before the other, one becomes more fake.
Because the mutual feelings are great, one becomes much more careful.
Why didn’t he know this?
That, in the end, Valdrova and he were thinking the same thing.
The jealousy and resentment rising in Ferda’s chest subsided.
As the muddy ground settled, clear water emerged and became a mirror reflecting Ferda’s face.
His narrow-minded self was visible, and it was disgusting.
Ferda extended his hand and carefully held Valdrova’s hand.
Valdrova showed a slightly surprised expression, then soon held Ferda’s hand tightly as if feeling comfortable.
— Since Her Highness has gathered this courage, is there nothing I can do for you?
— …….
There is silence.
But it was not awkward.
The pulse of her restless fingers said she was contemplating.
— T-Then…….
Valdrova proposed shyly.
— Please…… do not call me Her Highness.