《Crimson Karma》 Chapter 1 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Nancie Editor: Emme Clang-! Bang! Bang! Bang! The shell hit the ground and made a shrieking noise, so loud that it could burst one¡¯s insides. Yet, she continued running through the yellow cloud of dust. The opponents collapsed, screaming, as they were hit by the rain of bullets. They lay there, moaning and bleeding, hanging between life and death. In this battlefield, there were no winners or losers; only the deathknell echoed everywhere. * ¡°You have to make a decision.¡± ¡°We have to seize this opportunity whenever we can. It won¡¯t come again.¡± ¡°But this will end the lives of many civilians who have nothing to do with the war! Don¡¯t tell me, those innocent people will become victims?!¡± ¡°If we let go of this opportunity, even more people will be killed. Anyway, those people are bound to die at the hands of the terrorists.¡± ¡°So to say, you don¡¯t care if those many people lose their lives?!,¡± one of the people gathered in the Commander¡¯s room raised his question. ¡°Stop!¡± The solemn voice of the man seated at the head of the table rang out. He was gazing at a map and his eyes were covered with layers of frost. The noisy room fell into silence as soon as his voice sounded. The Lieutenant General, a man in his mid-fifties, the one who had just spoken, asked the Colonel seated next to him, ¡°What is your opinion on this matter?¡± This time, everyone directed their attention towards the Colonel. The Colonel had short, black hair that covered the corners of her eyes. Her shining eyes were so cold that everyone present could not help but feel a little chilly. She held her chin with her left hand while her right one was placed above the table. Her dry lips were tightly sealed and she was tapping the table with her finger, creating an uncomfortable rhythm within the Command Room. The Colonel was called Kasia del Roman. For a woman, she was perhaps the highest ranking military commander in the U.S. Yet, her origins, achievements and the troops she had led may not be recorded in the future. Currently, she was the closest aide to the Commander of the U.S. army forces. She led the front lines in the numerous battles against the militant organization, the I.C.S., which had launched many attacks in Europe and America and were trying to gain control over the Middle East. She was less than forty years old, and even though her rise in ranks was notable, no one could ever get close to her. At the same time, one could not simply ignore her existence. It had been a long time since the Commander had asked every one under him to obey her orders and she was nicknamed ¡®The Reaper of the Battlefield.¡¯ Yet, as an ally, she was simply a war goddess, the only one who was capable enough to calm the raging storm. Her dry lips opened to speak. ¡°I have no idea what you all are hesitating about. We must bomb the city before they flee the place.¡± Those who had opposed the idea raised their voices against the female who had spoken so nonchalantly, as if bombing an entire city was the most natural thing to do. ¡°The U. S. military is held responsible to lessen the death toll!¡± ¡°There are even new-borns trapped in the city! How could you utter such merciless words as a fellow human being?!¡± Kasia didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid. ¡°The army¡¯s greatest responsibility is to win the war. The lives of countless people rest on our shoulders and this is to gain victory. Don¡¯t waste your time going on and on about your love for humanity. How are you going to deal with the consequences of failing to take action now?¡± The Commander who had been paying rapt attention to her words nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Declared. Today at 1810, we will bomb the city of Mosul.¡± Another round of disagreements arose within the room. ¡°I won¡¯t accept any opposition,¡± the commander added firmly. People exchanged astonished gazes. Just after the Commander had announced his decision, Kasia got up and silently left the room. A grey-haired verteran, who was thoroughly dissatisfied with her decision, followed her. ¡°Colonel Roman! Give this another thought! Are you really going to slaughter all the civilians? There¡¯s ought to be another way!¡± The man walked ahead of her and tried to persuade her with an urgent voice. ¡°Think over this again. We can¡¯t allow this to happen.¡± There wasn¡¯t a trace of mercy in her eyes as she spoke. ¡°If a hundred civilians don¡¯t die today, three hundred of them will be sacrificed next month. Isn¡¯t that a simple arithmetic problem?¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°The Commander had made it clear that he would not take any more opinions into consideration. I believe he had also mentioned that ¡®this is an order, not a request.¡¯¡± Her low voice was so spine-chilling that it even froze the old man who had spent forty years in the battlefield. ¡°Everyone retreat! Retreat now!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be dropping the bomb in a minute!¡± ¡°The identities of the soldiers have been confirmed!¡± As the rays of the scarlet sun illuminated the desert, the Commander gave his instructions. The heart-shattering screams of people echoed far and wide. Those who were aware of the plight of the people, turned away their heads, their eyes tightly shut. However, Kasia remained as cool as a cucumber as she watched the whole episode unfolding by the Commander¡¯s side. For her, it did not matter how many lives were lost and how much blood was shed. The only thing that mattered to her was the victory of the army. She didn¡¯t care about anything else. She was confident that the decision they had made today would help them succeed in the conquest. The very purpose of her existence was to win. The crimson sunset reminded one of the glow of blood. * In the United States, Europe and the Middle East, there had been sporadic terrorist attacks orchestrated by the ICS. It had been reported that one of the ICS¡¯s main figures, Khalid, was believed to have been killed in the bombing which took place a month ago. ¡°Their activities have been less frequent compared to the past. With this, I can ensure that Ahid bin Khalid is dead.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that another guy will rise up to replace him.¡± ¡°Killing these people would not inflict a decisive blow on the organization. If the head, Ahmad Ali Mohammed, isn¡¯t dead, it will only be a matter of time before they reband!¡± The meeting held in the Commander¡¯s office could not come up with an effective conclusion. Not only that, the officers raised their voices as the world media criticized the joint coalition which decided to bomb the city of Mosul a month ago, thereby killing 100 civilians. Kasia del Roman was still searching through all sorts of secret documents, which were handed down one after another, with an indifferent face. The officers present were more concerned about her mysterious attitude than the Commander. The Commander was merely her puppet, putting her opinions into practice. Her quick movements came to a halt as she stopped browsing through the documents. Kasia, who had been unable to take her eyes off the documents in her hands for a long time, spoke quietly. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time to end the war.¡± She remained motionless for a long time before raising her voice, ¡°I need to end the war.¡± There was a sudden silence in the room as everyone paused, including the Commander. All at once, the white phone started ringing. Everyone except Kasia was flabbergasted. The phone call was made by the President himself. ¡°Your Excellency, Mr. President.¡± The Commander listened to the President as the evening sun shone on the streets. The expression of the officers changed as the Commander gazed briefly at Kasia while he was speaking. ¡°Okay.¡± The Commander answered and put down the phone. The room was in complete silence as everyone watched the Commander expectantly. ¡°What I¡¯m telling you now is confidential. You must never reveal this to anyone. Ahmad¡¯s abode is confirmed. It is closer than I thought.¡± He inhaled and said with a low voice. ¡°We will send our assassinations unit to the place. If they don¡¯t return by the designated time, we will be dropping the bomb without any concerns about the lives of the assassination team.¡± Robert Hagle, who was opposed to the end, shouted in resentment: ¡°You must be out of your mind. Who in their right mind would be willing for this mission?!¡± At this question, Kasia replied calmly, ¡°I am.¡± The office was silent again. No one could comprehend Kasia¡¯s words. ¡°Are you¡­ out of your mind?¡± Robert asked, looking at Kasia with his unabated eyes. Kasia looked up at him. There was no fear, surprise or tension in her eyes. ¡°This might as well be our last chance. How many informants do you think sacrificed themselves to get this piece of information? More than 30 special agents have been killed for as long as 17 years. Their deaths are not recorded, so there must be more to it. If we miss this opportunity, we will never be able to find Ahmad. I hope I succeed in my assassination attempt, but if I fail, everything will be lost..¡± Her voice was cool as ever, but given the situation, the listeners could not help but shiver at her words. ¡°The Colonel of the U.S. Army is moving in directly as an assassin. I¡¯ve never heard of such a ridiculous thing!¡± A young Major on Kasia¡¯s left came to his senses and questioned the Commander, who replied heavily, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what the Major has heard. Just now, we received direct orders from the President.¡± The faces of everyone present grew pale with shock. ¡°When is D-Day?,¡± an officer questioned. Kasia answered his question tonelessly, ¡°On June 13th, at 21:00. If I don¡¯t return by then, drop the bomb.¡± At 4 p.m. on the 10th of June, the air sank heavily in the Command Office. The Reaper of the Battlefield, Colonel Kasia del Roman. Everyone called her so, but only a handful of people knew her history. When and how she had started her military career, which unit she had worked under, the operations she had carried out and, of course, her real name¡­ everything about her was a mystery. The documents featuring her were confidential and people who were dissatisfied with her quick rise in ranks reported and protested countless times. There was only one answer given to them from the higher-ups: ¡®If you don¡¯t accept it, you may leave.¡¯ Rumors about her said that she was gaining more power because of the support of a huge tycoon. Many soldiers refused to listen to her orders. They never stopped harassing her and day after day, she was ridiculed. Yet, Kasia del Roman never changed. Chapter 2 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Rhyme Editor: Milac Every single day was stressful. Add to this mess, a woman, who suddenly appeared and was to be your boss. Not one soldier was content. In the unknown homeland, that useless woman, who was their so-called boss, completely ignored them which made the soldiers explode with anger. She was ostracized by everyone because they considered her an ambitious person climbing the ranks only because she had someone behind her. They would call her ¡®Parachute¡¯. They would either blatantly disregard her commands or outcast her in every way. They didn¡¯t even consider her as a woman as they employed all methods to harass her. Especially calling out obscene remarks whenever she would pass by. The quiet acquiescence of her superiors regarding these actions made the soldiers more audacious. But Kasia would just ignore these. The soldiers who disobeyed her commands were severely punished. She consistently disregarded the mocking towards her. That infuriated the soldiers. Since the soldiers couldn¡¯t beat Kasia, they ganged up against her and dragged her into an isolated storeroom. It was their biggest mistake but it was the chance Kasia hoped for. A soldier, who was reprimanded because of his peers who missed the bedtime call, led the Lieutenant and Captain towards the storeroom. To be truthful, everyone was aware of the lynching that was planned for that day. Since it was known beforehand, they weren¡¯t nervous at all. When they opened the storeroom door, they witnessed a very unexpected situation. Seven burly male soldiers were sprawled out on the floor. Meanwhile, a slender, unharmed Kasia was seated on a chair in a corner of the storeroom. Rubbing the blood ¨C that wasn¡¯t hers ¨C off of her hands onto her pants, she slowly raised her head. They, for the first time, understood the meaning of being ¡®alive¡¯. The Captain condemned her due to her actions and imprisoned her on the same day. But soon the Captain was reprimanded by the Commander for not controlling his soldiers properly and ordered to release Colonel Kasia. At that time, everyone would say that ¡®It¡¯s quite different for one with a patron¡¯ or ¡®Even for a small thing like this the Commander was contacted, her backer is not common¡¯. As days passed, they started to realize that Kasia was very different from them. If one were to define her in a word, she was a ¡®Machine¡¯. Her eyes were equally empty when facing a hostile enemy or a friendly troop. For the sake of victory, she didn¡¯t care whether the one who died was an enemy or an innocent. She greatly emphasised victory. To kill 100, she didn¡¯t think twice about sacrificing 30. According to her, it was just akin to doing business. Many soldiers lost their peers because of this. During several operations, many soldiers lost their comrades, who they had mingled with the day before.The soldiers strongly criticising her actions and asking for military trials had become a common occurrence. No one accepted their request. It was because of the success of her operations, even with the cost of sacrifices. They criticised her more saying that she avoided the trial only because someone got her back. But one day she suddenly infiltrated into the enemy camp which mocked them, assassinating the enemy leader and coming back victorious, the criticisms towards her started to fade away. No one could fathom how she was successful in assassinating the enemy but it was thanks to her that they could leave the battlefield within three days. And it was not a person or two who were saved because of it. That was the time, the Captain, who despised her, was told by the Commander about another of her names. ¡®Finisher¡¯. The only one who would finish the war. Commander Lambert, the then Captain, was seated in his office rubbing his temples. Shortly after the assassination incident, he understood what type of tool Kasia was. Kasia was someone who was raised to be an assassin since she was a child. She was one of the best human weapons in the world. Her existence could be considered as that of a Joker. If she was to enter the battlefield, victory was certain. If she participated, the battle would conclude rapidly. But she didn¡¯t participate in every battle. Because she was a person that could die. The one who ¡®owned¡¯ her had their special purpose, so she was permitted to fight the battles that had to be won. Hence, her identity was confidential. Even if she was sent to assassinate someone, it had no official connection with either the U.S. Army or the Special Force. According to the documents, there existed a soldier named Kasia Del Roman but no assassin named Kasia. If she were to die as Assassin Kasia, nothing would connect her to the U.S Army and all data related to her would be erased. There was a high probability of having innocent sacrifices during Kasia¡¯s assassinations because the means she used could be considered taboo, internationally. In the beginning, when Lambert was told the truth, he was shaken. He was scared of the power which used humans as weapons of destruction and, of course, there was Kasia, who disregarded the fact that she was used as one. ¡°The files about Kasia are top-secret. If her identity as Assassin Kasia Del Roman is leaked, there are high chances of her being killed. It will be a huge loss for us,¡± said the Commander who disclosed the secret about Kasia to Lambert. It didn¡¯t mean that he was concerned about her life. The commander advised Lambert to enjoy her till she worked as ¡®Finisher¡¯. Later, he fought several battles alongside her. Although Kasia aged with time, she didn¡¯t look much older. Instead, she became more and more like the ¡®Machine¡¯ that she was called. ¡®The operation this time seems weird for some reason¡­¡¯ Looking back at Kasia¡¯s missions as Finisher, there were many times when the main enemy was to be eliminated first to drive the remaining forces to a corner and dispose of them to end the battle. This time, too, the situation was similar. Previously, even before her departure, Kasia was sure to succeed but this time, there was something enigmatic about the situation. ¡°Ahmad¡¯s hiding place¡­ Is the data reliable?¡± Lambert watched Kasia with nervous eyes. ¡°I have no other choice but to believe.¡± Unlike the nervous Lambert, she replied drily. ¡°Ahmad would be more thorough in hiding after the last Mosul bombing. Hasn¡¯t his hideout been found too soon?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no evidence that the intel is wrong.¡± Despite the warnings, Kasia was determined to carry out the mission. Rather than someone adamant to die, her expression was of someone who didn¡¯t care whether they died or not. ¡°You¡­ Aren¡¯t you scared of dying?¡± Kasia shifted her sight from the tabletop map to Lambert. Though nothing could be read from her still eyes, he stopped breathing the moment her empty eyes locked with his. ¡°Death is believed to be a very terrifying experience. But in fact, it isn¡¯t.¡± After spitting out her reply to Lambert with a straight face, she left the Commander¡¯s office to prepare for the mission. * * * Kasia was an orphan among Lebanese refugees. When she got on the boat from Lebanon to Europe, she had a mother. Upon reaching Europe, she was alone. As a young girl, she didn¡¯t even realise that she had already lost something important as a human. Soon, after experiencing long periods of starvation, struggling with the waves, the selfishness of human nature and numerous deaths because of it, and understanding how futile was faith or religion, she became indifferent to death. No place welcomed these refugees who had just barely set their feet on the ground. To survive, they pleaded with many European countries to shelter the old and the children. One day, some soldiers came and took away the orphans promising to provide them food, shelter and education. The place they bet their everything on and followed was called ¡®Camp X¡¯. Even till date, Kasia couldn¡¯t determine their real identity. They were children whose life and death were not recorded anywhere. In that place, they were made into human weapons of destruction who, according to documents, did not exist. They were made to fight each other which pushed some children to insanity and even caused some to commit suicide but most of them were killed by their opponents. Out of 150 children who entered Camp X, only 17 survived. Though these 17 survivors could be called humans, they had lost the basic emotions which made one human. Unlike other weapons, they could think and move efficiently. They were the greatest weapons in history. She didn¡¯t know about the lives of others. Other than herself, she knew only one person from Camp X. Escaping from a war, she landed in camp X. As her training progressed, humanity diminished in Kasia. Especially the concept of life and death was equivocal. ¡®Everyone has to die one day. Nobody knows when. So there is no difference between dying today and dying tomorrow.¡¯ In reality, Kasia was looking forward to death. Her life was nothing but following commands and practising. Every time she went on a mission, it was a close bet between ¡®Will I die this time¡¯ or ¡®Will I not¡¯. She survived persistently. She could do nothing else and grew tired of the same as a ¡®daily routine¡¯. ¡®What awaits me this time? Will I be able to die?¡¯ Kasia thought about the dagger on her waist. The next dawn, Kasia disappeared to infiltrate the enemy camp. In the Commander office, everyone was nervous thinking about the measures to be utilized if she failed the mission. A command from the very top was received. ¡®Prepare for a retreat before the 13th.¡¯ The frontline busied themselves planning a retreat without being noticed. Everyone, but Kasia, was on edge. Kasia donned her combat gear and pulled up a hood, covering her face. Taking advantage of the darkness, she drove into the city and hid out of sight, waiting for the right time. The sun rose, seeming to burn everything. The confrontation between the Allied Forces and ICS showed no change and a familiar tension flowed. She endured the heat without moving. At two in the afternoon, she felt the awaited sandstorm beginning. Putting on her protective goggles, she ran into the sandstorm. Chapter 3 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Rhyme Editor: Milac Even for a strong young man, a sandstorm was a hard hurdle to pass safely. But Kasia, according to her training, lowered the body as much as possible and focused on reaching her target. It reminded her of the sandstorm training about 25 years ago. Camp X had arranged a desert training program, in which the trainees were sent into a sandstorm to fight each other. Inside that sandstorm, where it was even hard to see their forefront, she had heard a scream accompanied with blood splashing everywhere. It was from the girl who stood alongside her but got caught by someone and was killed. It was because of her that she could confirm the opponent, give him a fatal blow and run away from there. In a sandstorm, it was difficult to decide who won or lost. She clenched her teeth and moved towards the base, unconditionally complying with the order. At the base, the flag was guarded by a boy who was twice her size. She went up to him and pushed him down to take over the guard. The sandstorm slowly quieted. Looking down from the base¡­ ¡®As expected, it doesn¡¯t feel good. To watch being appreciated needlessly¡­¡¯ Kasia got rid of those miscellaneous thoughts. She, too, felt that the mission this time was suspicious. It seemed what Commander Lambert had said was right. In the end, she was just a ¡®Tool.¡¯ A tool had no right to question the words of its owner. ¡®Maybe they just want me to disappear from here,¡¯ Kasia guessed. Just like the words she said to Commander Lambert, she had no intention to die willingly. But she, with a body aged over 40, was almost past her prime. Though she could defeat any of those soldiers in a fistfight without any weapons, the whole deal would change if the opponent had a weapon. Kasia cleared her mind and sensed her surroundings. On her way, she saw bodies cleanly stabbed in the vital points and corpses with bullet wounds on their temples. For Ahmad¡¯s Camp, the number of guards seemed less. She ignored them and moved on because she, and her location, were already discovered. To slit a throat from behind, without any hesitation, also had some limitations. Her primary weapon was a knife, specially designed for her. As she approached her destination, she had no other option than using a gun. ¡®The second basement floor of this building¡­¡¯ Trying to conceal her breath from her pursuers, she felt strange energy from the floor. ¡®There is something underneath.¡¯ She threw away her hope of surviving from that place. Instead, she decided to take down the building with her. She touched the protective cap of the self-destruction button on her belt and disappeared into the building with dry eyes. One could hear gunshots being fired a while after she entered the building. With all the screams and shouts, the atmosphere was anything but calm. Kasia was milking every bit of her capacity. As she tussled with her opponents, her muscles were contracting and relaxing at light speed. With minimal movements, she killed her way in a specific direction. She cut through their throats with the sharp knife she was holding, delivering them with the sensation of muscle-bone-amputation. She stabbed them deeply until they felt their lives leaving them. ¡°STOP!¡± While she was busy eliminating and blocking the surrounding guards, from a wide room in the carter, like the second floor of the basement, a boisterous voice was heard. Inside the room were almost 30 women, wearing hijabs. In front of them were around 10 men holding machine guns and a man looking similar to Ahmad, pointing the gun at her. Maybe because the women were dragged urgently and recklessly thrown to the ground, their eyes were full of fear. Among those hostages, some seemed to be from the U.S. ¡°If you don¡¯t want these women to die, throw away your weapon and step ahead.¡± The noisy building from a moment ago nearly fell silent. The only sounds heard were the sniffs from the captive women. Though Kasia carefully checked out the man standing in front of the guards, she couldn¡¯t completely confirm whether he was Ahmad. He did look similar to Ahmad but Kasia found it strange that the man before her would be Ahmad. Between Kasia and her opponents were columns lined up. Kasia slowly put her weapon on the floor and raised her hand right so they could see. She stood in their field of vision and slowly, one step at a time, walked towards them. Maybe the Ahmad lookalike was overly confident with having so many women as his hostages that she couldn¡¯t find any guards around him. She closed the distance between them. The man smiled more and more confidently. ¡°Your code name is Reaper, right? So will I become a Reaper who killed a Reaper?¡± ¡°Ahmad Ali Mohammad?¡± Towards Kasia¡¯s small question, he guffawed. ¡°Yes. You should feel honoured to see my face before your death.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re not him.¡± Because of his manner, Kasia confirmed her suspicion. He was not Ahmad. With her definite words, his face distorted. ¡°So what? It doesn¡¯t matter. You are going to die here today.¡± He was, clearly, delusional. Even before he finished his words, Kasia disappeared from his field of vision. Instantaneously lowering her posture, she rushed towards him with high speed. The flustered guards swiftly raised their guns and fired shots at her. The women screamed and fainted. They expected humane feelings from the Reaper. That was their greatest mistake. For her, it didn¡¯t matter who the hostage in the room was. To ¡®Succeed the Mission¡¯ was her only alternative. The fake Ahmad had become her meat shield. She held him against all the incoming bullets. Her knife was faster than their bullets. She cut them down gracefully; as if performing a sword dance. The guards panicked more as the shots from their machine guns began to hurt their associates. With the bomb, Kasia threw out, limbs of the guards flew all over the place. As for the women who were taken as hostages, they were brutally killed. * * * JUNE 13, 0600 HOURS Pushing the darkness of twilight away, the sky brightened. Leaving the blue dessert behind, Kasia came back. She wasn¡¯t in good shape. Seeing her bathed in blood, it was difficult to specify how much she was hurt. It could be confirmed that the blood on her hand holding the knife did not belong to her, though her left thigh and both her arms were deeply wounded. She roared at the soldier who pointed his gun at her and asked for her identity. Though he lowered his gun, his eyes were filled with fear. He seemed ready to raise the gun, again, at any moment. ¡°Colonel Roman is back!¡± Someone ran into the meeting room and informed them. A silence fell over the room. ¡°Colonel Roman! Well done! Did you take care of Ahmad?¡± Breaking the silence and welcoming her who came back from death, a general asked about the fulfilment of her mission. ¡°He was not Ahmad. Please cancel the bombing.¡± Kasia walked step by step into the meeting room and spat out what she needed to say nonchalantly. Among them was a man who wasn¡¯t present when Kasia left for the mission. He was seated in a corner with two armed soldiers around him. ¡°Kasia Del Roman completed the mission and came back to report.¡± The man who was seated silently, slightly raised his head. ¡°The reported hiding spot of Ahmad was not false, it was a lookalike. Anyway, he has been taken care of. I am not sure whether it was a trick to lure me out but it was more sloppy than I expected.¡± Hearing her report, the expressionless man let out a long sigh. ¡°There is none who will say that it was sloppy.¡± Click. As soon as he finished, she felt a gun being pointed at her back. It was a small pistol connected to a silencer. Even before entering the room, she felt the tension and acidity spewing from the room. How could she not notice such an obvious murderous intent? ¡°If you had died over there, how nice it would be. We wouldn¡¯t have met like this. It would have been easy to take care of the body too¡­¡¯ The man in front of her, showing her his nasty laugh and malicious glare, was Lee-In-Ja from Camp X, who always lagged behind her. Among the children of Camp X, he was quite a rare type because of his ambitiousness. Right after he left Camp X, he started to gain more power and somehow, one day, he became a person who could give her direct orders. Kasia, as always, stared at him with her empty eyes. She felt her life fading away with the blood flowing out of her body. She didn¡¯t feel any indignation or sorrow over it. All she thought was, ¡®Finally it¡¯s ending.¡¯ ¡°As always, I don¡¯t like that stare of yours.¡± Suddenly his face showed a fierce expression. He took the gun from the soldier beside him and pointed it at her. ¡°If you wish to speak any last words, just say. It¡¯s okay to beg to spare you. Who knows? Maybe I¡¯ll change my mind.¡± But Kasia was mum. Maybe she, for the first time, wanted to act according to her own will. Before entering the room, she hid a suicide pill in her mouth. Biting onto it, she slowly curved her lips and smiled at him. It was the only mercy she received, to end her life quickly without bearing any pain. The Kasia who stood erect at gunpoint suddenly collapsed to the floor. The momentary confusion of the man wielding the gun suddenly cleared. He couldn¡¯t control his rage and fired at her corpse. Finally, Kasia Del Roman escaped from her ill-fated life and embraced death. * * * Death welcomed the worn-out Kasia with a warm embrace. The burning wounds, her muscles screaming with overwork, the poison she chewed¡­ she felt nothing anymore. ¡®So comfortable. So, this is death.¡¯ It was such a warm and sweet rest to leave behind the bitter and painful life. She felt her consciousness starting to become, well, not hers. She couldn¡¯t feel her flesh and senses but soon got absorbed into her memories. Fear started to creep onto her when she felt her past playing in front of her. The civil war that broke out not long after her birth, her young parents hugging the still small Kasia to seek refuge, her mother jumping into the water from that small boat beseeching others to take her safely to the other end, the soldier who reached to her promising food and education, the hellish days that started from Camp X¡­ And after that, it was endless slaughter. Chapter 4 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Rhyme Editor: Milac All the murders, even those that she had forgotten, started to appear in front of her like bubbles; rising and falling slowly. As if she was a spectator watching herself killing others. She saw herself hiding behind a person, holding her breath. Instantaneously, she wrapped her arm around him and inserted a knife deeply into his neck. These memories were enough to remind her of her codename, ¡®Reaper¡¯. Unlike all her miseries and experiences that passed in a flash, her memories drifted up slowly. Her sharp blade pierced into the pulsating neck as if it passed through soft butter. She threw him to the right. The dark red blood sprayed from the carotid artery into the air like water from a fountain. From the strongly attached limbs to his upward looking face, like ink spreading into the water, the stiffness spread swiftly. Along with the blood flowing out, she felt his life leaving his body. Some were hit with nerve paralyzing poisons, while some had their cranial bones blown up with a bullet. There were also some whose neck bones were crushed when strangled by a rope. There were also many whose flesh and organs were blasted apart because of her bombings. She had even tortured people by cutting their flesh little by little to extort information. Those memories of killings, which appeared to continue forever, at some point changed into the pain and fear of the victims. Furthermore, it directly entered into Kasia¡¯s soul. When Kasia was alive, the pain that accompanied her was the physical pain, the pain inflicted by flesh wounds. In death, she was devoid of any flesh or blood. The pain which lurched through Kasia then was mental pain which was loads different from physical pain. The flaring of memories of their last moments was something very difficult for Kasia to comprehend. For most of the people killed at her hands thought about other people in their last moments. Some thought about their parents, some about their children, while some thought about women. Many lamented at that moment about not expressing how much they loved the other. They felt remorseful on their self-restraint; a small portion of them pitied themselves. She was unable to decipher their emotions but their bitter remorse, their pain, their regret in leaving behind their loved ones dug into her like nails. For a long time, she quivered in pain just like a fish thrown ashore. Even while suffering from the pain, she couldn¡¯t understand why they felt those kinds of emotions or why they cared for the people that were left alone, more than their lives. A long time had passed; a very long time. The pain remained for so long a time that she was unable to recognize when the pain faded away. The breathlessness of her soul, felt by the waves of deathly silence and stillness, finally came to an end. She felt herself being dragged into a warm and bloody beach. All she felt was exhaustion as she was wrecked inside out. Bright, but not so hot, sunshine along with a soft breeze carried a floral scent. Her bare soul stood among the illusion of refreshing waves of water rumbling in and out. Only then did the tears flow out. Just like a newborn baby, crying to gather its breathing, she cried because of her existence. To her rushing out sorrow and serenity, the only comforts were the sunshine, the breeze and the waves, other than those there was no one beside her. She felt a pang of loneliness once again. All those feelings and emotions that she never experienced when alive became a vortex that caged her in, to torture once again. GO BACK ONCE AGAIN. An unknown voice rang out. Though it was laced with fear, that voice held a sort of longing and affection. The warm sunshine and breeze she felt a moment ago disappeared. The body she thought was left behind felt like creeping onto her. And just like that, all of a sudden, she gained consciousness. She didn¡¯t want to live like an Asura once again. ¡®NO! I DON¡¯T WANT TO!¡¯ She wanted to struggle and break free from that feeling but she couldn¡¯t escape the feeling of nerves stretching throughout her body. She fell into despair as she felt herself being rejected, even by death. If she had to relive a miserable life as Kasia del Roman, she would rather slash her neck and die the instant she opened her eyes. At that moment her five senses and physical body were being reconstructed to make Kasia a person again. Like powering on a shutdown factory, the blood pumping from the heart flew through her blood vessels to awaken her senses. The newly awakened senses proved that she was alive, again. Her sense of smell was awakened first. The smell of rotting corpses that her nose seemed to forget was rekindled. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ She mentally retched. She tried to turn her body to avoid the smell but her body was like a stone statue and didn¡¯t even flinch. She was determined to gather all her power to move her body, but the instant she tried she was drowned into a torturous pain. ¡°Urgh¡­Umm¡± With her dry lips, a groan escaped as she failed to conquer the tethering pain. She felt like she was being cut into pieces. She realized that she was not reborn but rather inside an adult body. When her sentience connected to the body, unlike a newborn child she felt a great deal of pain. The way she grunted was miles apart from the voice of a baby. Once again realization hit; all the memories of her previous life and her death were completely intact. She suppressed her pain and exerted force to her fingers and made another effort to move. She sensed stiffness of her joints and felt something like a pinch that gave her hope. She put in more effort and in a sudden moment, her finger slightly moved. Just this slight movement and she felt her temples soaked in sweat. After moving her fingers she braved the pain and put all her effort towards her eyes. Under her closed lids, she moved her pupils sideways. She felt like her eyes were rubbing against sandpaper which stung like hell. Intuitively, she concluded that her current body was heavily injured or it had been in that state for quite some time. She once suffered something similar when she was in Camp X. She was starved and also suffered from dehydration for a few days. At that time even opening her eyes was rather difficult. ¡®If it is in such a bad condition, it would be troublesome¡­¡¯ To recover from long dehydration and hunger she had needed a lot of time. So considering her current heavily injured body, she wasn¡¯t sure about other bodily functions but it would be hard to see clearly. Among all of these, she sensed a different physique than that of the previous Colonel Kasia Del Roman. Her current body was unlike her real one which she used for a long time. She was a Soldier as well as an Assassin with a very good build and proportions but her current body was quite abnormal. ¡°Mmmm¡­mmmm¡­he¡­lp¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know where she was lying at the moment but it didn¡¯t seem like the place she died at. It could have been a morgue. Though she was not sure whether there was anyone near her, she felt the need to ask for help first. It would be detrimental if anyone near her were after her life. She focused her numb senses and felt no life nearby. So she raised her voice as much as she could. ¡°Oh! Here! Someone is alive! Here! Nurse!¡± She heard someone calling out for a nurse. ¡®Damn! A Battlefield¡­ Again!¡¯ Rather than the relief of being found by someone, she was dispirited to wake up in a place where people called ¡®nurses¡¯ existed. The despair was soon followed by intense rage. Why was it a battlefield again? Why was she being made to live like an Asura again? Was she created to be a murderer? While there was a storm brewing within her, someone hurriedly ran over. They lifted her eyelids and shone a light into them. When the unexpected light flashed into her eyes, her body flinched. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle. She is alive! Hey! Bring a stretcher!¡± She felt a momentary relief. Due to the overwhelming stench of corpses, she was sure that the place she was lying was somewhere similar to a mortuary. It was possible that she was in the middle of a battlefield where bodies were tossed out. If she was not found by someone then it was apparent that she might pass out because of the smell. ¡®Since God sent me back I won¡¯t die right away, but it is still possible to torture.¡¯ She was carefully moved onto the stretcher. The moment she heard the sound of people moving the stretcher, she felt the air freshening, but with her memories of crawling in the battlefield, she could sense the smell of death mingled with the air. ¡®Crap¡­!¡¯ Either because of the anguish remembering her previous life or the pain she felt, her face was distorted. Her nerves which seemed to be paralyzed slowly revived. It caused her to pass out because of the pain. She felt that she was being moved into a nursing ward as she distinguished similar groans, as she made, around her. In any battlefield, the doctors and nurses will be the busiest ones. Still, she, someone who just crawled out of death¡¯s door, was subjected to special attention. Someone near her soaked her dry lips with moist gauze. Her wounds were carefully handled. Into her now moist lips, a bitter pill was thrust in along with some water. She was suffering from nightmarish agony. She groaned constantly, in a semi-conscious state. Her eyes opened suddenly when she felt the pain of gauze wiping her wounds. ¡°Aargh¡± Her suddenly opened eyes, the wounds covered in medicines, the internal organs inflicted with injuries, all reeled in pain. With such a harsh stroke of pain, as a physiological response, her tears flew out. Her dry eyes seemed to relax in the presence of the moisture. The burning pain slowly sunk as she strongly held on to her consciousness. Her body was soaked in cold sweat which poured out of all her pores. To discern her surroundings, she slightly narrowed her eyes and she saw the yellow ceiling of barracks. Through her blurred vision, she could vaguely make out the silhouettes of soldiers wearing special headscarves and nurses scampering around. There were also some military doctors trying to save the soldiers at the brink of death. Their hoarse growls could be heard everywhere. Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation. According to her memories, however harsh the frontline was the situation of nursing barracks was much better than here. It was at that moment, she heard a sound from the opening where sun rays were penetrating. ¡®¡­It should the sound when one walks in armour¡­¡¯ The voice moved towards her and stopped beside her bed. ¡°Is it this soldier?¡± ¡°Yes. It is. She was the only survivor found when the Mist Forest was scouted to ascertain the damage.¡± Their voices seemed to move closer. She spotted a man bedecked entirely in a silver armour carefully observing her. It was difficult to distinguish his face because of the dark atmosphere and her dizziness due to the pain. She could make out his dark hair and piercing gaze towards her. ¡®Who is it? He is wearing an armour. But it doesn¡¯t seem like a movie set¡­¡¯ Kasia blinked her eyes as she tried to focus as much of her attention as possible toward him. Chapter 5 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Rhyme Editor: Milac ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to be in any condition to speak. Report to me immediately once she regains consciousness.¡± The man who was looking towards her commanded the nurse. With another glance at her, he left the block. Because of the nervousness, triggered by the armour, she gathered all her strength to concentrate on the noises around. ¡°¡­The Knights of Marquis Cullinan¡­¡± ¡°The Emperor¡­escaped¡­Flag¡­Why¡­do not understand¡­¡± ¡°¡­Count Alonia¡­.the Castle Lord¡­¡± As she listened attentively to the exchanges between the soldiers guarding the block, some words not heard in modern times were said. ¡®Marquis? Count? Emperor? What¡­This¡­.No way. Did I reincarnate in the medieval ages?¡¯ She was overwrought with anger towards the so-called Almighty, who warmly ordered her to ¡®go back again¡¯. That damn wretched God should have sent her to hell instead. If she were to hear that she would be tossed in hell, she wouldn¡¯t be this angry. ¡®What the hell¡­Why?!¡¯ In the fit of her rage, she started to cough. ¡°Cough, cough!¡± She felt bloody mucus flowing out of her mouth. The nurse who stood behind her rushed to wipe her mouth and gave her a piece of gauze. Anger was anger, but if she needed to survive, she had to conform to reality. She was but a person who had memories from the 21st century who somehow came to the medieval ages. Even if she were to look back, it was absurd enough to make her laugh. If all of this was destined, things couldn¡¯t be changed. Maybe the world in her memories might not be genuine. ¡®Haa¡­There is no way.¡¯ She didn¡¯t have the least bit of intention to follow such undesirable disposition, but before God, there was no option than to live as per His will. Though she had a slightly stiff mindset, she decided to make the best of her current situation. Her utmost priority right then was to rest and recover as quickly as possible. So she dived into a deep sleep. * * * ¡°As soon as that soldier regains her consciousness, it will be better to confirm the truth.¡± Inside the barracks, where the blue flag with silver-coloured lion pattern slowly fluttered, one could hear a voice filled with loyalty. ¡°It¡¯s a woman. However, it is not clear yet whether she is a knight or an ordinary soldier. According to the report, she was found near the centre of the explosion. But whatever the case, how the hell did she survive? That too, alone.¡± Said the man seated at the head of the table wearing a silvery armour as he swept up his black hair. His low and deep voice could make the listening ears vibrate. ¡°It must be luck. Her, being alive is a miracle in itself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. How did you know that the soldier is a woman? She was disfigured to the point that even her gender couldn¡¯t be distinguished.¡± Two knights with red hair, seated beside the man, conversed leisurely. Both looked so similar that with just a look, anyone could ascertain them as twins. ¡°Zeke, Mikhail. Don¡¯t take this lightly. If this has any connection to that viper, it is not impossible to plant a spy among us using psychotic magic.¡± ¡°Can anyone obtain psychotic magic? The magic is no different from a legend. If he had access to the psychotic magic in the first place, then he wouldn¡¯t have suffered from our surprise attack.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that the prince is quite suspicious. Please don¡¯t attack that poor soldier who just escaped from a death door.¡± Towards the one who was called ¡®Prince¡¯ by Zeke and Mikhail, the twin knights, unlike their reserved, formal manner, they maintained a friendly attitude. The conversation topic about the survivor of Mist Forest derailed towards the cause of the carnage. ¡°The huge mana explosion in the Mist Forest must be the work of Duke Alister and Archmage Ernon. If it was them, then it¡¯s quite natural to faint because of exhaustion due to high utilisation of mana. In that case, I really can¡¯t understand how he was able to disappear from our encirclement.¡± ¡°Is there a rat among us?¡± ¡°But this time, to catch Ernon, the encirclement was made to be leak proof. So he must have used some desperate means. Considering our tactics, an escape, however fine, would have been very difficult. So for the Ernon who spent a great deal of mana, to escape that easily is impossible.¡± ¡°So what? He did escape right in front of our eyes.¡± ¡°That is why I am saying that it doesn¡¯t make any sense. How can he just disappear? There were two-three wizards beside him. The formation was tight enough that Ernon, let alone the low-level wizards, couldn¡¯t have escaped easily.¡± Those men had no choice but to continue the disputed meeting about the mana explosion of Mist Forest and the archmage Ernon. The previous afternoon they had led the Imperial Army with all kinds of shields and sacred and divine weapons just to capture the annoying archmage Ernon. With the help of the magical infraction, the knights of the Imperial Army entered it as a surge. The moment everyone thought he would be caught, there was a massive mana explosion. The Imperial Army lost numerous knights. Around three to four wizards, who acted as a helping hand for Ernon in the Rebel Army, also disappeared along with him. Those who knew about the real face of Ernon were few. Still, according to rumours, the silver-haired and fair-skinned wizard was a man whose age couldn¡¯t be comprehended. Unlike his soft and delicate appearance, he was the first dark wizard of the empire. Duke Alister was a viper in human skin. Perhaps he had already expected the arrival of such a day. He had kept the young wizard hidden; until the rebellion. He became the first and most significant barrier in the suppression of the Rebel Army. It wasn¡¯t once or twice that the Rebel Army turned the tables with the arrival of Ernon. Though the Imperial Army was not defeated, due to the substantial casualties, there was no happiness in those victories. It was possible to capture Ernon if it wasn¡¯t for that last-minute mana explosion. No one foresaw the explosion. The knights and soldiers who encircled the Mist Forest were so severely affected by the explosion that they couldn¡¯t be recognised anymore. But the superficial wounds were not the cause of their death. Instead, it was the mana wave that destroyed all of their internal organs. And the only person to survive it was the female knight who was being treated at the nursing block. Her sacred shield was completely warped in the explosion. If that was the case, then it could be said that she barely survived due to the protection of the shield. Because of the extensive wounds which distorted her features, it was difficult to confirm her identity. Due to this, the black-haired man was unable to lay down his guard. ¡°Mikhail, how is the data collection on the martyrs progressing?¡± ¡°Phew¡­ I haven¡¯t started to work yet. It ended yesterday afternoon. How can all that be confirmed already? You cannot rush such tasks. Don¡¯t be so hard-pressed.¡± ¡°The hands of a female knight are smaller compared to a male¡¯s. Now try to find her out from the data of the knights participating in the Mist Forest mission. By the way, did we have any female knights in the plan?¡± ¡°We did. But among the soldiers sent to surround Ernon, there was none.¡± ¡°Well, it should be like that. The situation at that time was not good, and nobody can explain the inside outs¡­¡± At that moment, the nurse who was in charge of Kasia opened her mouth carefully. ¡°I¡­I am here to report something. She might not be sane.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Having the eyes of the three men focused on her, the nurse standing outside tried to calm her trembling hands and squeezed the words out. ¡°I had once treated a soldier who was attacked by Ernon. In almost all cases, if the mana strikes their head, the patients lose their sanity. The mana explosion completely blew the survivor. To be truthful, her waking up is a miracle.¡± Hearing the words of the professional, the three men couldn¡¯t help but clutch their head hard with a groan. ¡°I wanted to enquire Ernon¡¯s escape direction¡­¡± Hearing the news, they felt lost thinking about the knights and soldiers who participated in the capture mission of Ernon. The black-haired knight standing beside the red-haired twins with sharp-looking eyes was Tasel Kan Amaris, the prince of a collapsing kingdom. Emperor Alterion had fought heartlessly and fearlessly on the battlefield. Maybe because of those crazy slaughterings, with age, he became more muddle-headed. If he was sane, he wouldn¡¯t have taken away the status of Crown Prince from the first prince.He was crazily in love with the fifth Empress Melania and confirmed her son, the third prince Euricardeon, as the Crown Prince. Euricardeon was just a boy of 8 years old. The most appropriate person for the Crown Prince position, first prince Caylen, as if already prepared, rebelled along with the people who supported him. With their help, he successfully rescued Queen Anatria, his birth mother, from the palace. Emperor Alterion mocked the Rebel Army without knowing that two of his most trusted five retainers were angry about his decision of disregarding Caylen. To become the most unmatched of all military power under Emperor Alterion, he tried to get rid of all military power left with the Emperor. If everything proceeded according to his plans, then the number of nobilities standing with the Rebel Army might be a lot more. But at that moment, the second prince Tasel stopped his insane father. If the things had continued to proceed as they were, it would be a question of ¡®when¡¯ the Rebel Army occupied the imperial city. In reality, after he calmed down, Tasel was faced with the fiery temper of his imperial father, Alterion. No one could discern his thought process. To defeat the Rebel Army, Emperor Alterion put Tasel in charge of the Imperial Army while he fled with his beloved Empress Melania and the Crown Prince Euricardeon. The forces were lacking but in such a situation so he ran away with half the army. The Emperor also took the birth mother of Tasel, Queen Elena hostage. ¡°If psychotic magic was possible, I wish to do something about the Emperor.¡± ¡°Mikhail, these blasphemous words can behead you.¡± ¡°Since my head is still attached to my body, I think the prince has similar thoughts.¡± Tasel stared at Mikhail with a chilly gaze, but he showed no intention to refute him. Everyone in the empire might have thought like Mikhail. ¡°Prince, you have to think carefully. How about negotiating with Prince Caylen?¡± Said the calmer Zeke with a slight smirk. ¡°The way those veteran knights think is entirely different from you young knights. They will defend His Majesty, the Emperor, by all means. If it were not the case, they would not have chosen to come with me.¡± Chapter 6 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Rhyme Editor: SilverAndGold The older knights who had fought alongside King Alterion when they were younger, participated in many battlefields to expand the imperial territory. For them, the Emperor was always a person they highly respected. For them, Alterion was a hero who made the periphery of the Kingdom, Callistonia, the master of the whole continent. He was a sun who shone its rays into their younger days. And for their fervent loyalty, the Emperor replied to them with Fiefdom and titles of Nobility. The generation that was raised after the conquest war, as a course of nature, resisted the old forces. Even though these emergent generations were granted the title of nobility, much of the land was already in the possession of old forces. Except for the land directly under the control of the Emperor, irregardless to the contributions these younger generations made, it was virtually impossible to possess more land than those older forces. So for those emerging generations that were filled with indignation, the matter of the Crown Prince might be just an excuse. If not for the issue of qualification of Crown prince, the 1st prince, Caylen, had always steadily prepared to become the Emperor ¨C so that when he became the Emperor, the state affairs could continue the same way when Alterion reigned. But if Euricardeon was to become the Emperor, then his mother Melania and his relative Marquis Tron would for sure come up to the frontline. Marquis Tron was a typical Knight under the Emperor. The one to inherit his title was the brother of Queen Melania, Alfonso Tron, who was a jackal lying down prone to attack. A person who counted to see the fall of the kingdom in front of him¡­ Tron¡¯s loyalty was something Tasel hated even to think about but his position, bloodline, and his mother, Elena, who was a hostage, were the chains that restrained him from action. ¡°¡­ After the afternoon roll call, I will continue with the meeting. Zeke, until then, you have to present the findings of the Mist Forest investigation. Mikhail, report to me the situation of rearranged troops. Let¡¯s end it here.¡± After a hectic week of continuous meetings on Military reorganization and future war strategies, a worn out Tasel was ready to take a break. Mikhail went back to his own barrack as per his brother¡¯s request. Tasel with the help of a man servant undressed the heavy armor. If he could put down the load from his shoulders, just like his armor, how good would it be? If he was to return without victory, then his neck would be cut off by his own father. Tasel was very much aware of these truths. He was not concerned about his life. But his mother who put up with years of disgrace, for what sin must she lose her life? Tasel released a long sigh after he immersed his body into the hot water prepared by the servant. Because of a long tedious battle, after a long time, the prince had enough time to take a bath. His body was adorned with sturdy muscles but in between the cleaves, there were many blood trains that could be seen. Fortunately, it was not his own blood. A servant beside him lightly swiped his bare body with a soft washcloth and soon the wash water was dyed red and the servant went to drain the dirty water. He directly immersed his full body and head into the water. As he shook his head, the water in the bathtub soon became murky. The dust and bloodstains which had accumulated in his black hair were washed away into the water. As the water temperature decreased, the bloody scent in the barrack room thickened. I am tired of this. Either way I die, it¡¯s all the same. If I am to die right now it might be better as it might save more lives. Tasel was the most outstanding Knight and an official of the Imperial army. He never allowed any blade to touch his body. Though the number of rebel armies died by his blade were many, he never forgot, even for a moment, that they were also the civilians of his empire. The opponents were someone¡¯s father, son, husband ¨C they were fighting to make a new world, for their beliefs. Tasel knew all this and yet, his blade always marched forward. To see those righteous lives that crumbled down ¨C was never a good thing. In depth of nights, where no eyes could follow him, he wanted to cry and apologize for their deaths. But he never could. He was the 2nd prince assigned to suppress the rebel army. He couldn¡¯t show any weakness or regret. Whether it is the rebel army or the riot army, in the face of either side¡¯s victory, a sweeping purge can¡¯t be avoided. It would have been better to divide the empire, but the question is will both father or Caylen will be satisfied with this outcome. Because of their ambition, countless civilians lost their lives. And the nobles with an ¡®I don¡¯t care¡¯ attitude looked forward to the victory with dark eyes. Tasel who was tangled in all happenings felt distressed. He broke free from those thoughts when he heard a soldier who reported outside his barrack. ¡°Highness! The Mist forest survivor regained conscience.¡± Tasel quickly wiped off water from his body and swiftly wore his shirt and pants. He directly went to the nursing barrack along with the soldier. Zeke, who also got the same report, ran towards Tasel and went along with him. ¡°Has the identity been confirmed?¡± ¡°Eyrin Copher Valmeo and Junev El Rosheous. Also a commoner Knight recorded simply as Kasia. She must be one of these three. Though the number of female knights are very small, 2 corpses of female knights were found, but because of the heavy injuries, they are beyond recognition. From here nothing more can be narrowed down.¡± ¡°Within the soldiers, is there none who recognize them?¡± ¡°How can you say something like this after seeing her last time? With blood all over her face, who can one tell apart? And above all, all the three had the most commonly seen dark hair and they were also of similar body type.¡± ¡°Mm, you worked hard.¡± They were led by a female nurse into a separately arranged barrack. ¡°She regained her consciousness and is able to talk. Please make the conversation short as her physical condition is still not in a stable state.¡± Tasel nodded his head towards the nurse to show that he understood. As he entered, he was met with a patient whose whole body was wrapped in bandages but still blinked her eyes as she steadily looked back at him. Just like Zekes words, her whole face was scarred and it looked like a tree bark. ¡°Are you awake?¡± With Tasel¡¯s question, she slightly nodded her head. But as if that slight movement made her reel in pain she made a low groan and her temples tightened. ¡°Don¡¯t strain yourself. I am sorry to disturb you in such a time where your wounds have not yet healed. But there are some questions that need to be asked. First off, what are you called?¡± This was the moment Kasia feared the most. She didn¡¯t have any memory of the body she occupied. She felt thankful since she was able to use the language of the world. But there was no memory about her name. Pondering over her name, she answered him with a ¡®There was nothing that can be done¡¯ manner. ¡°I am terribly sorry, I don¡¯t remember¡­ anything about before I opened my eyes. I also don¡¯t remember my name¡­. But Kasia¡­ this name feels very familiar to me. Whether it¡¯s my name or others¡­. I don¡¯t know.¡± Tasel and Zeke felt disappointed when they heard she had no recollection about the events that happened before she opened her eyes. ¡°I think your name should be Kasia. In the list of unidentified people, there is a commoner knight named Kasia. But we can only confirm it after the wounds on your face are healed.¡± With a blank expression that didn¡¯t betray his disappointment to her, Zeke patiently gave her an explanation. Is this my name? Is this a coincidence, or God¡¯s plan? Since she didn¡¯t have any memories, neither Tasel nor Zeke could ask her any further questions. After they reminded her to take care of herself, they bid their goodbye to Kasia and came out of the barrack. ¡°What are your thoughts?¡± ¡°Tough.¡± Tasel replied with no inclination that he would elaborate. Zeke had followed him for a long time and replied with silence. ¡°For the moment we need to keep a close watch on her. To not remember anything is a very good excuse¡­. Since the probability of her being Kasia is high, I will inquire of any of the Knights who know about her.¡± ¡°Hmmmm, the look in her eyes was strange. She doesn¡¯t look like someone who lost her memories at all.¡± ¡°Saying like that, it really seems so. If she was someone who lost her memories, then shouldn¡¯t she be asking many questions¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep watch on her.¡± From the door where Tasel and Zeke came out a nurse entered and Kasia drank some water from the nurse who looked after her and once again closed her eyes. The soldier who took care of her was a female who seemed to be about 17 years old. And her name was said as Lunaen. Just like her looks, her heart was also very soft. Kasia whose whole body was in a complete mess was not a concern for her, as she looked after her with utmost sincerity. How much can I ask this miss¡­..? Kasia who organized her thoughts stealthily opened her eyes and looked at her. ¡°Is there anything you need? Do you want to urinate?¡± The nurse said as she pointed towards the urine can at the corner. ¡°Ah. No. It¡¯s not that¡­. It¡¯s that as I said I don¡¯t have any memories, so¡­. He-Here, where am I?¡± Sure enough, as if she implied that she thought Kasia is pitiful, her eyebrows hung down and she walked towards Kasia. ¡°This is the Callistonian empire. If you are asking about the current location then it¡¯s Count Alonya¡¯s Kirel province.¡± ¡°Is war¡­ going on? If so, with whom?¡± ¡°Ah¡­. Yes, it¡¯s war time. The war is between His Majesty, Emperor Alterion and the rebel army led by the 1st prince of the Empire. I am not sure since I am a commoner, but from what I heard, it seems that the war is happening because of the consecration of the Crown Prince.¡± However she tried to search the history she knew, there was no Callistonian Kingdom in her memory and nothing about youths being knighted or their fights. It seems like this is a situation where I can¡¯t think of anything with my common sense or my experience¡­ This could be considered as a good thing. If she did wake up in the Medieval ages, then even if she occupied a young body, there wouldn¡¯t be many things she would be able to do. This could only be confirmed after she got well, left this place, and understood the situation. But in the current moment, she felt relieved as she accepted the identity of a female knight. ¡°Phew¡­ right. Before that person, who is he?¡± ¡°The Commander-in-Chief of the imperial army, 2nd Prince Tasel Kan Amaris. Aahhh, and the red haired Knight beside him is his closest adviser, Zeke Talion Meredith ¡­Or is it Sir Mikhail? Officer Zeke and Officer Mikhael are twins, so it¡¯s difficult to tell them apart. They really do look alike.¡± She who spoke the full name of the Prince in a dignified manner only resembled someone of her age when she became confused between Zeke and Mikhail. ¡°Just one more¡­.. How did I become like this?¡± ¡°You really are someone with no memories. I heard that you got caught in the Mana explosion of Wizard Ernon. In order to catch Ernon, the knights blessed with divine power were told to surround him. And Ernon did a huge mana explosion and disappeared without a sight. By the way¡­. you don¡¯t remember anything at all?¡± ¡°Yes, nothing at all¡­..¡± ¡°Poor thing¡­. In truth from what I heard from the head nurse, those who are attacked by Ernon¡¯s magic, almost all of them lost their sanity. Though I can¡¯t say which is better, becoming mad or losing all of your memories. Even without memories, by being sane you can live a good life in the future. Since miss is a young knight, have faith! Your wounds will also get better soon.¡± Chapter 7 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Rhyme Editor: Nush She was not sure about the age of her current body, but if calculated mentally, she was older. So receiving cheering words like ¡®Don¡¯t lose hope¡¯ from a girl who could easily be considered as a young child in front of her made Kasia feel pathetic about her situation in the current world. ¡®Was it not enough with the medieval age and now Mana? I don¡¯t think having the memories of my previous life would be of any help¡­¡¯ She felt as if her common sense was falling apart. ¡°How long will it take for me to fully recover¡­?¡± These words seemed like a joke. But the little nurse was all the more serious after hearing it. With an apologetic expression she said ¡°It will take at least half a year¡­¡± This answer was something Kasia wished she hadn¡¯t heard. ¡®I am to lie in bed for half a year? My muscles will be reduced to a considerable amount by then, and the bone strength will also decrease. I think it will take quite a lot of exercise for me to get back to my former form, at least a year. And there is no guarantee that nothing will happen during that time.¡¯ The patient-act that she was okay with playing all along, now gave her a headache. However she was sure that her internal organs were in bad condition. Once the stitches were taken off from the wound, it would take her at least 2 months to recover. After looking at her stomach which couldn¡¯t even digest the watery gruel in her mouth, the lungs which needed a breathing device to properly breath, it was clear that her internals suffered a great deal. Since this place didn¡¯t feel like there were any advanced developments with internal surgeries, she could only depend on the natural healing. And the half year time period said by the nurse wouldn¡¯t be enough to fully recover. ¡®I can¡¯t help but feel resentment.¡¯ Remembering that almost blurry voice of the Absolute Entity she heard, she once again felt the need to bury her anger. ¡°Prince Tasel, the healer sent by Marquis Cullinan has arrived.¡± Tasel who was in between his usual meeting, received the salutation from the white robed healer. ¡° I, a humble servant of Thanos, offer my greetings to the representative of the Great Emperor Alterion Thanos Evan Amaris. I am called Arhen.¡± ¡°Thank you for braving the arduous path to come here. If you can provide your skills to serve the empire, I will keep your kindness in my mind.¡± As he took off the hood of his robe to show his respect, the face that came to everyone¡¯s view was so beautiful that they couldn¡¯t even tell whether he was a male or a female. When he bowed, his golden hair which was long and lustrous gracefully fell down forwards. Zeke and Mikhail, who witnessed the scene, were left in awe. It made their lips form a ¡®wow¡¯ shape with their eyes holding the same exaggerated expression as they looked at each other. Arhen slowly raised his head, and the solemnity of his face had completely faded. But Tasel who was contemplating on something on his own, looked straight into Arhen¡¯s eyes and asked. ¡°By any chance, have you ever treated an amnesiac person?¡± Zeke and Mikhail looked at Tasel together and once again turned their attention towards Arhen. ¡°I have, but the result of rekindling memories varies according to the condition of the patient.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then there is a patient that I especially want to ask for a favour. Zeke, escort Divine Healer Arhen towards Kasia¡¯s barrack.¡± Zeke with eyes conveying his newly found hope, watched Arhen and respectfully escorted him through the way. Kasia¡¯s barrack which was being visited after a few days had the same nose stabbing smell of disinfectant and blood. Kasia was a little surprised seeing Tasel who came without any notice. It looked as if she took a halfway step into death. She, who was left with all the habits of Kasia Del Roman, quickly erased the expression on her face. ¡°Sorry for disturbing your recuperating time, Dame Kasia. We have invited a divine healer to help you in your recovery.¡± Kasia didn¡¯t know what sort of a person the divine healer was or what he did. She had to lie down on the bed for half a year. So if this ¡®Divine Healer¡¯ could reduce that time period, with expectant gaze she looked at the beauty who stood behind Tasel. When their eyes met, Arhen gave her a soft smile. He slowly walked towards Kasia and put his hands on her temple. When he put his hands over her, she felt very relaxed. ¡°Sehil Mono Altierra. I ask God Heba to lend me his power to help the people.¡± He started to pray with his eyes closed. As he continued to pray, a cool feeling emerged from his hand which she couldn¡¯t understand properly, and spread throughout her body starting from her forehead. ¡®What is he doing?¡¯, she wondered as she watched him silently. Soon he retreated his hands and turned towards Tasel to talk about Kasia¡¯s condition. ¡°It will be very difficult to rekindle the memories of this person. But I can help with her internal injuries. In truth, according to her current state, her body needs healing more than her mental condition.¡± With him saying that it would be difficult to resuscitate her memories, Tasel and Zeke felt disappointed. Still Tasel calmly beseeched for Arhen¡¯s help in treating Kasia. ¡°Then in order to keep the reputation of this woman I request the males to please leave the barrack room.¡± When Arhen¡¯s words came out, soldiers who came along with Tasel stepped out of the barrack. Arhen made sure that there was no other male inside the ward. He went towards Lunaen who took care of Kasia and with her help he took off all the bandages covering Kasia¡¯s body. As there were many wounds which still oozed with blood, it took a long time to take off the gauze that stuck to the wounds. Though with Arhen¡¯s beauty his gender seemed indistinguishable, he was nonetheless a man. Lunaen¡¯s cheeks turned red as she took off the covering from Kasia and got her fully naked in front of a man, Arhen. She got so flustered that she didn¡¯t even know where to look. But the people involved, both Kasia and Arhen were calm and stable. Arhen took out a glass bottle filled with pills from the bag he carried. He carefully opened its lid and took out one pill. He gently put the pill in between Kasia¡¯s lips. As soon as the pill entered her mouth it turned into liquid and went inside her body. After making her swallow the liquid he put his long wand above her body and started praying. She couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying, but his voice felt full of sacred divinity. As his prayers fell into her ears as melodious music, she slowly drifted into sleep. It was night when Kasia woke up from her dreamless sleep. Other than the rustling sound of sentry soldiers guarding the barrack, it was all covered in serenity. The white robed beauty who treated her in the strange method, had already left. Besides her was Lunaen, who was calmly wheezing. All this while she was wearing a headscarf, which hid her brown colored hair. Dense and even eyelashes, big clear brown eyes with a splash of freckles on the sides of her nose, Lunaen was really cute. Seeing her sleeping peacefully Kasia felt, yes she is just a 17 year old girl. Kasia watched Lunaen who was sleeping sweetly and gently with a smile. Just like when she first opened her eyes in this unknown world, Kasia tried to move her finger. In truth, she didn¡¯t have any faith in the so-called ¡®Divine Healer¡¯ so what she expected was a turbulent pain. ¡®Um?¡¯ Unexpectedly the finger moved according to her will. When she tried to clench both of her hands, it went on very smoothly. She tried to exert strength towards her stomach to check if she would feel any sort of pain. ¡®Huh?¡¯ As she exerted strength all over her body, she didn¡¯t feel any pain. Accumulating the strength, she slowly rose her body. Before, her body couldn¡¯t be moved, even a bit without help. This was her first time moving her body with her own strength after waking up in this wretched world. The inside was dark so she couldn¡¯t see much clearly, but she could still see the scabs on her external wounds. Internally she felt as if nothing happened. ¡®That strange treatment was really amazing. Anyway this world is completely beyond my scope of sense.¡¯ Kasia earnestly felt apologetic towards that Divine Healer whom she disregarded in her heart. In order to not wake Lunaen, Kasia rose up to her feet very carefully. The feeling of earth felt refreshing. Even when she was Kasia Del Roman who lived as a human weapon, she lived with an excellent body condition, so she never felt it was something grateful to be able to move her own body as she wished. ¡®If I ever meet that Divine healer I should express my thanks to him.¡¯ After having these thoughts, Kasia noticed the change in her own attitude. If she was Kasia Del Roman then she wouldn¡¯t have such thoughts. Without being grateful or receiving others¡¯ help, she lived without any sort of human emotions, just like a tool. Definitely not someone who would be grateful to others. For all this while she was busy taking care of her body, she couldn¡¯t spare any time to think, and now carefully pondering about it she felt that she had more feelings compared to her life in her previous world. All these were the responses her complicated head could think of. ¡®Anyway I already died once, this new life can help me find my own true self.¡¯ She watched around her carefully as if assessing like a stranger and looked ahead of the slightly opened barrack door. The first thing that fell to her eyes was the night sky with countless bright and shiny stars. Even for someone who went to remote places and seen beautiful night sky many times in her previous life, this sky felt different. The stars were brighter than the ones she remembered. And without her knowing a thought ¡®beautiful¡¯ came to her mind. ¡®.¡­As expected it¡¯s different from usual. To be mesmerized by just these stars. Was I originally this sort of a person?¡¯ She felt that she no longer knew her own self. Kasia momentarily felt hopeless. She walked back to her bed and lay down. With all sorts of thoughts lurking in her mind, she could no longer sleep. She just kept blinking her eyes. After some time the sky outside brightened. Along with the cool morning breeze, the warm rays also came inside through the ajar barrack door. ¡°Uhm¡­..¡± Lunaen tossed and turned. With a small groan, she woke herself up. ¡°Morning, Lunaen.¡± Kasia watched silently as Lunaen rose up. For the first time she greeted her with her voice. Lunaen was startled by the sudden sound and jumped up. ¡°Ah, It wasn¡¯t to startle you. Sorry.¡± Lunaen was so surprised that she looked at her as if she saw a ghost, her big eyes widened and not blinking. With her hands trembling she lit the lantern. Seeing Kasia sit straight on her bed, she covered her mouth. ¡°Aaaa¡­. This is God¡¯s might! I am seeing it for the first time, something like this. Wow¡­! I am really glad, really¡­.¡± Lunaen¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. The drops of tears dangled on her face, as she came near Kasia. She wanted to touch her but hurriedly retreated her hands, thinking if her touch would hurt Kasia. Thanks to the light from the lantern she could finally see her own body. The scars were on the places with deep and big wounds. For small wounds, the scars weren¡¯t even visible. Kasia raised her hands and carefully felt her face making the scabs fall off her face. Chapter 8 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Rhyme Editor: Nush ¡°The divine healer is really great. In truth I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to survive.¡± Since God was the one to save her, she believed that she wouldn¡¯t die quickly. But her whole body used to be covered in blood and screaming with agony. ¡°You might be destined to live! How is your chest and stomach?¡± Lunaen was worried about her internal injuries. When Kasia took a long breath Lunaen became worried and began to check the condition of her lungs. But all of a sudden her stomach produced a gurr sound. ¡°.¡­. I am starving.¡± She looked at Lunaen with a slightly awkward gaze. On the contrary Lunaen became all the more happy and ran out of the barrack saying she would bring the food immediately. ¡®She really is a good child. Nursing a stranger to such an extent¡­¡¯ For Kasia it was a difficult task to understand Lunaen¡¯s heart. But she was very thankful for her deliberate and delicate care. It was only because of her that she could hang on all this time. ¡®Though I am not clear about the situation of the battlefield, if possible, I want to protect that child.¡¯ The desire to protect someone for the first time, even towards herself, felt awkward. But she didn¡¯t hate that feeling. ¡°Since your stomach has gotten much better, I have brought you some soup with veggies and bread. Rice gruel won¡¯t give you much energy.¡± Kasia felt so hungry that she craved meat. But thinking about her current condition she was not sure whether it was fine to eat meat, as it might affect her stomach. In short she decided to eat the breakfast Lunaen brought. The watery soup had a lot of meat flavoured veggies inside. Maybe because the soup base was made of meat, it tasted savory with a tint of oil. Though it was her first time eating this food, for some reason, she felt very accustomed to it. ¡®Is it a taste remembered by the body?¡¯ She ate it hungrily and almost dived her nose into the bowl. When she slightly raised her head, she saw Lunaen, who slowly ate a single bread along with water. ¡°Lunaen, where is your soup?¡± ¡°At the moment soup is only served for patients and Noble sires. You should eat well without being concerned about me.¡± After hearing Lunaen¡¯s words, Kasia, who wished for meat, felt bad. In a wartime there was no way for abundant supply of goods. Furthermore being thrifty with the supplies, it was even possible that they had shortages. Her own soup was already showing the bottom of the bowl. She thought that if she was served with soup again, then for sure she would share the half with Lunaen. Thinking like that she soothed her sorry heart. After the morning breakfast she made some movements with her body. Surprisingly she felt that her skills could be used with her current body too. At first she was busy with changing the gauze and applying the medicine, but now her body had almost recovered so there was no need for further medication. So now she had time to leisurely relax. Lunaen, who also became comfortable with her, diligently looked at the moving Kasia. ¡°Are you uncomfortable anywhere?¡± ¡°Everything is fine, it¡¯s just my face that is a little itchy.¡± ¡°Scabs on the wounds are falling off, that must be the reason your face is itchy. If you just hang on for some days all the scabs will fall off and it will be fine then. For the time being please don¡¯t touch it with your hands. At the moment Kasia was itching her face with her hands, so Lunaen cautioned her. The face which looked like it was covered in tree bark, was now left with only slight scabs which were also smoothing out. Though she didn¡¯t know about the original face of the body, the face which gained a new layer of skin after scabbing, felt soft and smooth. The condition of her face improved and now it could be recognized. Therapists already knew about it, so she was not surprised to see Zeke coming into the barrack room along with some soldiers. ¡°Oh, the condition is much better than I thought.¡± Seeing the Kasia who stood up from the bed and saluting him, Zeke was astounded. ¡°Thank you for giving me a chance to get treated.¡± Her intuition told her that, getting a chance to be treated by a divine healer was not something anyone could get. If everyone got such a treatment, they would all get well miraculously and that troop would become invincible. At that moment one of the soldiers who followed in after Zeke called out the name ¡®Kasia¡¯. Turning towards the sound, a husky soldier wearing a lousy leather armor was jumping up and down with a gleeful expression. ¡°As I thought you really are Dame Kasia. I had to bring all those who knew the three female knights in order to confirm your identity. That knight was the only one who knew Kasia¡­¡± The soldier who identified Kasia was looking at her with a jingling laugh while Kasia slowly smiled. ¡°Kasia? Look, it¡¯s me, me. I am Krone!¡± * * * Her body had almost fully recovered so it was impossible to stay in the nursing barrack, comfortably. ¡°I want to reinstate. My physical strength has fallen by a large margin because of lying down with no additional movement. So I want to restart my training.¡± It might be God¡¯s consideration to be reborn in a body which also did a job similar to her previous life. So it was not as hard as expected to adapt to the life of a knight for Kasia who lived as a soldier. ¡°I wanted to ask you to rest more, but the condition now is pressing. I will affiliate you to Krone¡¯s division, so you can receive his help. I will put forward my words.¡± Requesting for reinstatement to Zeke who came to check her situation, got her the permission to get back without any delay. Lunaen teared up as she had grown attached to Kasia since she watched her closely all the time. Kasia consoled her by promising to come to meet her in the near future and followed Zeke who stood behind her. A while ago, the soldier named Krone who visited and identified Kasia, felt shocked because of not being recognized by her. He fretted and fidgeted in deep contemplation. Kasia didn¡¯t feel repulsive towards him because even though he was a burly man outside, he had big pure eyes. She did not know whether it was a feeling left behind by the body or the feeling that sprouted within herself. Since the body was already hers now, it was not a big deal. ¡°Dame Kasia is assigned to the 8th Unit. Sir Krone is ordered to help out Dame Kasia to adjust to the situation.¡± After giving the orders, without another word, Zeke went back. The knights of Unit 8 indiscriminately peeked at the rumored Kasia, the lone survivor of the Mist Forest incident. ¡°Kasia! Is your body really alright now?¡± Krone looked at Kasia with his usual worrisome expression. ¡°Yes, I am fine. But due to the reduced physical fitness, if I am to participate in a battle, I need to start my training as soon as possible.¡± With her straight and respectful words Krone became all the more sad as if he would cry the next moment. ¡°Kasia¡­ you, why are you like this¡­.? You don¡¯t remember anything?¡± ¡°Yes, I am sorry. That¡¯s why I am asking. I will be grateful if Sir Krone would mind to explain to me about the sort of person I used to be.¡± More than Kasia who didn¡¯t have any memories, the person who lost his calm was Krone. ¡°Sir Krone. Since it was ordered by Sire Zeke, you have to explain to Lord Kasia clearly. Be in time for the afternoon training.¡± The unit leader of unit 8 who stood behind Kasia ordered Krone. ¡°So you are saying that we are from the same commoners¡¯ unit and are friends born and brought up in the same village? I am 22 and Sir Krone is 24? I entered the Knighthood at the age of 8?¡± ¡°Um¡­ talk to me in a casual way. What I mean is, don¡¯t talk to me as if we are strangers.¡± Looking at Krone who was watching her like a large purebred dog, Kasia felt like laughing. With that laughter Krone¡¯s expression changed to being glad. ¡®If he had a tail, it might have been wagging excitedly at the moment.¡¯ Unknown to Kasia the smile she had couldn¡¯t be taken back even if she wanted to. Kasia felt glad because it was Krone who knew the real personality of the previous Kasia. If the person was not Krone and someone with fake affections, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to adjust to this world easily. Also, it might be possible to have difficulties in living here and she could get swayed too. A person who got swayed by others, one was enough ¨C her previous self. ¡°Is it only Sir Krone that knows Kasia, is there¡­ no one else?¡± She used the casual speech that was not accustomed to her tongue instead of the formal speech. Because she needed help from Krone, earnestly. ¡°There were many originally. But¡­ they all died.¡± Seeing his disheartened face, she couldn¡¯t help but think of a big dog with long droopy ears. ¡°Hometown¡­ If we go to the village won¡¯t there be others who know me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there would be anyone who would recognize us, whether it is you or me, both of us entered knighthood at a very young age. There is none that can be called a family.¡± According to Krone¡¯s explanation, it was common for young children to enter knighthood as it was difficult to take care of them in this world. Also those families got a hefty sum as the price for cutting off their future line. Only by this one can understand why there were so many young knights. Knighthood is the dumping place to abandon all the children, female children too, where they only have the option to do their best. ¡®Many things here are similar to the previous world. Here too, children grow up with military troops¡­..¡¯ Scratching the back of her head, the bitter expression on her face faded. ¡°So for people like us, we are family to each other. You don¡¯t know how much I cried, when I heard the news that you died¡­..¡± Maybe because he remembered those things, knowingly or unknowingly tears hung on to the rim of his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ to live on and to survive is important.¡± Even though Kasia didn¡¯t fear death, God Himself sent her back. She felt that there was a reason for it. Even if she couldn¡¯t find the reason at that moment, she felt like she would eventually come to understand as she continued to live in this world. ¡°Tell me about combat methods and weapons. Yes, also about Mana attacks. I barely survived this one, I don¡¯t want to die that easily.¡± ¡°You have become a little scarier than before. You used to be so bright¡­.¡± ¡°Try visiting Death¡¯s door. Many things will change.¡± Kasia calmly answered Krone who was looking at her with worrisome eyes. * * * ¡°With the help of Lord Krone and the others from Unit 8, she is adapting very quickly. Also as per the words of the 8th unit team leader, her skills have grown significantly compared to her previous self. By any chance does this have any connection with being caught in a mana explosion and having survived it? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Hearing Zeke¡¯s report on Kasia, Tasel narrowed his bluish-gray eyes. There were many strange things which didn¡¯t make sense. To be a lone survivor of that explosion, to lose her memories as if everything was planned ahead and that calm attitude, more so, the difference in her current skills and her previous self¡­ And above all of it, he was more concerned about the words of the divine healer, Arhen, ¨CEven if the patient loses his or her memories, or their mind is wrecked, I can penetrate into their unconsciousness. But for this person, it¡¯s quite different. It can be said that it is completely shut. Whether it¡¯s her conscious doing or her unconsciousness, I am unable to even insert a finger. If one was to consider her as the spy planted by Ernon among the corpses to infiltrate their knights, then the fact that Sir Krone remembered and recognized her could not be explained. Even if she was suspected to be manipulated by Ernon in her unconscious state, the amount of time Ernon spent after the Mana explosion was very short. Chapter 9 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Rhyme Editor: Nush ¡°For now continue to keep an eye on her. It would be better if she really lost her memories due to the mana explosion¡­ and if by any chance she shows any strange behaviour report to me immediately.¡± After saluting those who were present, Zeke went out of the tent. There wasn¡¯t much change in the situation of the confrontation between the Imperial army and the Rebel army. If there was any change, then it would be in the Karina palace where the Emperor stayed. Mainly because of Queen Melania being pregnant with the Dragon seed again. ¡°Here people are fighting with death, shedding their blood and there, those people are spending hot spring nights.¡± Mikhail as always with a sullen look, was expressing his repugnance towards the Emperor without any hesitation. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good thing to spread the royal branches?¡± ¡°Do you really think like that?¡± Mikhail glared and raised his voice, as if he heard something profane in the words of Tasel who spoke with a deep sigh. But Tasel without being concerned with Mikhail¡¯s bad attitude continued with a broad smile, ¡°It will get more reassuring with more spares.¡± The smile on his face faded away. ¡°Oh, come on. For whose welfare are you fighting for? Why don¡¯t we just wreck up all of it!¡± It was only at this time Tasel warned Mikhail for raising his voice. ¡°Watch your words. Even if it is a battlefield there are many ears . I don¡¯t want to lose you in vain.¡± Mikhail went out of the tent mumbling that he was going to get some fresh air. Mikhail was frustrated with his master. As he saw it, his Prince Tasel was the most suitable candidate for the position of Crown Prince, way more than the First Prince Caylen or the Third Prince Euricardeon. From the very beginning the First Prince Caylen was considered as the most suitable candidate for the Crown Prince position and held a large number of people to his own support as well. He also received proper education from a very young age. His nature was similar to his father, grumpy. As soon as he was moved down from the Crown Prince¡¯s position, the protest it brought made things clearer. And the Third Prince Euricardeon was not even worthy to be mentioned. It was true that he was young but weak in nature. Euricardeon was yet to get out of his mother¡¯s skirt. It was unknown how long the current king could hold on. Still according to Mikhail¡¯s calculations he could continue for only ten more years. But from the look of things, it was quite clear that even after ten years the Third Prince Euricardeon would not be capable of upholding the responsibilities of a king. It was obvious that they would be hit with a hard plate. Contrasting to them, Tasel was similar to his mother Queen Elena, gentle and wise. But if the situation turned serious, he would be similar to the younger Alterion, bold and determined. The Prince was a successor of the good qualities of his parents. So he couldn¡¯t understand why the Prince with such a good qualification was not willing to engulf anything. ¡®Is he afraid of being envied by others, if he did better? Huh.¡¯ In order to calm the fire in his heart, he went to the hills at the rear of the garrison. As he climbed up the hill, some rocks were protruding outwards. When one ascended with the help of the rocks towards the summit and looked down, it gave a feeling of one¡¯s heart being hollowed out. He was busy climbing the small mountain through the thick bushes. Mikhail felt a subtle presence of another person around him. He moved towards that presence. He was sure that the person was not an enemy since that location wasn¡¯t of any use, but he didn¡¯t know whether it was a soldier or a civilian. He reduced his body movements and without any sound he subtly moved towards the presence. Mikhail¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the person. Because the presence he felt was that of the heroine of the Mist Forest explosion, Dame Kasia. She was in the middle of doing hand push ups with only light clothes on. It seemed like it had been a while since she started. Her forehead was dripping with sweat. Even the clothes she wore got completely soaked in sweat. Pant, pant¡­ Ninety-nine! Hundred! Pant, pant¡­ It was unknown which set this hundred belonged to. After counting till hundred she flopped onto the ground in an exhausted state. She sat with her knees bent upwards. Her upper body expanded and relaxed as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. After some time she opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Is it your hobby to peek at others ?¡± Mikhail was shocked to be found by Kasia. He moved his body and went up to her. ¡°Uh! Lord Zeke, I Salute You! I didn¡¯t know it was Lord Zeke.¡± Seeing Mikhail, Kasia stood up in attention instantly. ¡°Hey¡­ It hasn¡¯t been long since your body recovered. Isn¡¯t it very straining?¡± ¡°No, Sir. I want to recover faster. I was just working out lightly to recover my body strength.¡± ¡°Of all the places, why here? There is a training field in our barracks.¡± ¡°¡­ so you are Lord Mikhail.¡± Mikhail¡¯s eyes opened wide. He felt that he was always being surprised by Kasia. ¡°How did you find out?¡± ¡°The way you speak is entirely different. The way you walk is also different. I apologize for not recognizing you sooner.¡± Mikhail and Zeke always dressed similarly so it was difficult for others to tell them apart. It was akin to impossible for some. There were moments when they even had the enemy line confused which they utilized when working under Tasel¡¯s unit. The soldiers who mingled with them for long could only barely distinguish them. So Mikhail felt quite surprised when she told them apart even though she hadn¡¯t known either of them for that long. Looking at her silently who seemed to emit heat from her sweat soaked body, he felt a pressure from her as if the whole mountain was her playground. Mikhail, who had never been interested in others, was intrigued about the soldier in front of him ¨C a natural fighter with a hard working mentality. ¡°Follow me. I will take you to a good place.¡± Mikhail walked ahead. Kasia was taken aback for a moment. As if being in friendly terms with the Commander was not a big deal, she followed him from behind. Mikhail walked with big strides. Kasia followed him in climbing up the mountain. As they went up, the number of trees they came across became lesser and there were some boulders protruding out. They were different from the rock embedded upwards in the trail of the mountain. While standing atop of a boulder, the barracks of their camp were visible with a look. The sky was growing red with the setting sun. And at this time of the year, the sky darkened very quickly. The sky slowly revealed the breathtaking view of exceptionally luminous stars. The bonfires lit in between the tents were dancing with the rhythm of wind. She also felt engrossed in the smell of the savoury soup. The scenery in front of her was too beautiful to describe as a war zone. ¡°How¡¯s it? Awesome right? Haaaa¡­..¡± Mikhail shrugged his shoulder like he was showing jewels he was proud of and took a deep breath. ¡°Is there anything bothering you?¡± Kasia who was admiring the scenery below asked Mikhail when she heard him take a deep breath, for courtesy¡¯s sake. Scratching his head Mikhail talked about the situation in the military as if he was waiting for her to ask. ¡°It is frustrating. Can it be not? The country is in a threat of being split, but our boss, His Highness, the Prince is fighting as someone nearing his death, without ambitions or results. In truth don¡¯t you also think that it would have been better for our Prince to be the Emperor?¡± Mikhail was talking with suppressed rage as his chest expanded and relaxed. But as soon as he saw the emotionless and rage-less eyes of Kasia he realized something. ¡°Yes, right. You are said to have your memories lost.¡± ¡°I am sorry.¡± ¡°What is there to be sorry for? It¡¯s not like you wanted to lose your memories.¡± Kasia looked up at him with a harmless expression. Putting together what she heard from Lunaen, Krone and the things gossiped by the soldiers and knights and now adding what Mikhail said, the country seemed to be going through a difficult situation. Though she couldn¡¯t understand the thought process of the person known as the Emperor, he didn¡¯t seem to have any determination to win. Plus, the First Prince was adamant in his pursuit for the Empire even if it meant its ruin. The Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army Tasel, was fighting a nonchalant war while others just watched, as they saw the kingdom they wanted. As a person who participated in countless wars in her previous life, Kasia was doubtful towards the situation of this war. If the character of the Emperor was like what others said, he would not be happy to see his second son becoming a hero by ending the war. As a person who came and spent more than a month in this place, she understood that most of the nobles of the country knew about the truth of the war. So it all came down to a single result. ¡®The Emperor has decided to harm his second son. And the Commander-in-Chief also knows this truth.¡¯ It would not matter whether he wins or fails, it would be a problem both ways. If he was to win, then it was highly probable to falsely accuse him of being covetous towards the throne. After witnessing the means used by the First Prince, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to cut off the Second Prince¡¯s head with such charges. And if he were to fail, he would either die at the hands of his enemies or be sentenced to death to take responsibility for the defeat. It was very dangerous to make any careless action considering the situation. ¡®The Emperor seems to be holding something up his sleeves. If the war was lost, then before sentencing the Second Prince to death, the Emperor would need to protect his and the Crown Prince¡¯s life first¡­ What is he really after? No, the more important question is why does he want to get rid of the Second Prince so much?? Kasia thought hard about it, but the information she had was not enough to come to any specific conclusion. In other words, it was also possible for the Emperor to be insane. ¡°Now let¡¯s go down and eat. It seems you exercised for quite a long time. Are you not hungry?¡± As Mikhail mentioned about going down the mountain while facing her, Kasia readied without any hitch. When climbing down Kasia walked ahead of Mikhail. Seeing the figure walking in front of him, Mikhail inwardly felt admiration towards Kasia. There wasn¡¯t any superfluous-ness in her posture. ¡®Can be considered as almost perfect¡­¡¯ Watching her from behind, he had several thoughts in his mind, but she only answered his questions in quick replies. ¡®Should I test her?¡¯ Mikhail revealed a sly smile. When they reached a place with less boulders, he tried to stab the tree branch he held as a walking stick directly at the middle of her back. At the moment of his attack, Kasia ducked and turned her body towards the other side of the mountain path. She grabbed Mikhail¡¯s head from behind and stuck a sharp object to his neck. He wondered if she picked up something from the mountain path. A sharp and crooked small tree branch was held in her hand. Though all of this happened in a short breath of time, Kasia, who used a considerable amount of energy in that short moment was breathing calmly. ¡°Isn¡¯t this great?¡± The smile on Mikhail¡¯s face completely faded. His face expressed an empty pleasure. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kasia who held onto Mikhail¡¯s neck loosened her hands. She was aware that this was a prank. He was a knight, if someone as great as Mikhail really wished to kill her, even if she was Kasia with her current state she would be in danger. ¡°.¡­As per my understanding, even before the Mist Forest incident there wasn¡¯t any female Knight with this kind of amazing movements.¡± Said Mikhail who experienced the first hand power of the throat grab. ¡°What exactly happened to you?¡¯ The eyes that looked directly at Kasia glowed with an intolerable curiosity and excitement. ¡°I am also curious about it. I tried to understand it from the moment I could move a finger lying on the bed, but I couldn¡¯t get any answer. Anyway I can¡¯t do anything about my current situation.¡± Kasia threw the small twisted tree branch she had held in her hand. She then proceeded to walk in front of Mikhail as if nothing happened. Chapter 10 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Rhyme Editor: Nush When Kasia returned to the barracks of the 8th Unit, Krone was waiting for her with both their dinners ready. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this much¡­..¡± ¡°What are you saying? If I hadn¡¯t hurried then there wouldn¡¯t be anything left to eat. Hungry, right? Eat quickly.¡± They were active and healthy youngsters after all. The whole day would obviously make them hungry, so there was no way to have leftover food. ¡°Thanks, Krone.¡± Having received a thanks from Kasia, Krone gave a shy smile and grabbed the empty seat beside her. He then started to gobble-up his share of bread. The soup had a few bits and pieces of meat in it. ¡°Why is there meat in our soup?¡± ¡°We got some provision from the rear today. Our neighbourhood hunts are very scarce. It¡¯s been ages since I last saw meat. I am so glad today.¡± After wiping off the soup bowl, she happily savored the soft texture of meat in her mouth. ¡®The taste of meat here is not different from my previous life. But if I want to built up my body, I will be needing more protein intake¡­? Kasia was trying hard to temper her weak body as she compared it to her previous strong figure. Generally knights had their training slots allotted, but Kasia, even besides the training time, pushed her body really hard. But the problem was with the food, the nutrients it provided were insufficient to build her muscles and her body. By the day, inside the brusque room, a bowl of watery veggie soup with a small piece of beef jerky was served. Since she was a knight, at least this much of ration was distributed to them. But as for the administrative soldiers, the man-handle soldiers (low level soldiers who do physical labour) or the medical soldiers, even a small jerky was not provided to them. Because they were of the lowest level i.e., commoners, for them even getting some soup was difficult. [The knights have higher rank than the soldiers and nurses so the food distribution is different] ¡°By chance was there a famine? If not, was our food always like this?¡± Hearing Kasia¡¯s question, Krone raised his head. ¡°How can we fight with this much food? It must be because of our supply route being cut off. But don¡¯t worry. The supply route will be reinstated soon and by then you will be able to eat your fill. Eat this too.¡± Krone thought Kasia was asking such a question because she was hungry so he took out his share of bread and gave it to her. ¡°¡­ No, it¡¯s not that the quantity is not enough.¡± Kasia felt that Krone¡¯s worrying was a little burdensome. In her previous life, after she lost her mother, there wasn¡¯t anyone who cared about her eating habits or gave up their own share for her. For this big guy even if he had a hearty meal it was for sure that his stomach would growl all night. Still, Krone readily gave up his share for Kasia. ¡®What the hell is going inside his mind¡­¡¯ In the end Kasia could only resolutely refuse. Krone took back the bread and ate with eyes full of concern for her. ¡®Burdensome, it is burdensome¡­ but I don¡¯t hate it. Hmm¡­ it feels good. Let¡¯s protects Lunaen and Krone.¡¯ In her ¡®people needed to be protected¡¯ list, Krone was added. Meanwhile Mikhail, who had tested Kasia returned to Unit 8 and ran hurriedly towards Tasel¡¯s tent. He entered and saw Tasel and Zeke dining. Mikhail asked the attendant to bring his food and looked towards Tasel with an excited face. ¡°Guess who I met, when I went to the rear mountain for fresh air?¡± Tasel and Zeke gave a ¡®What is with this guy this time¡¯ look, but it was very hard to ignore Mikhail who was expecting a heaven breaking response. Tasel finally admitted to those twinkling eyes and responded ¡°Who the hell did you meet?¡± . ¡°I met the infamous Dame Kasia! But, this woman is not ordinary at all¡± Hearing Kasia¡¯s name from Mikhail¡¯s mouth, just as he wanted, the expressions of Tasel and Zeke changed from casual to acute. ¡°Explain properly. What do really you want to say?¡± Tasel ordered with a deep voice. ¡°Isn¡¯t it impossible for a female-knight to be better than a male-knight? If one is not an aristocrat, no, even if it¡¯s an aristocrat, if a woman is to join Knighthood it ultimately means that she is abandoned by the family. Since they don¡¯t want to be a knight it can be said that they won¡¯t work hard. Isn¡¯t it common to catch a suitable guy and marry before entering into mid 20s?¡± ¡°What is it that you want to say?¡± ¡°Zeke, be good and listen to what this big-bro is saying. Anyway, where was I?¡± Tasel answered with a deep sigh, ¡°About the commoner female knights.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. In all my life I have never seen anyone doing additional training or honing their martial arts and battle skills on their own. Have you? Have you, our Prince, seen any?¡± Mikhail turned towards Zeke and Tasel, looking at them alternatively. Just like Mikhail said, there were many female knights in Callistonia, but if one were to ask if they were a proper military force, then it would be a different matter. It was mainly because when it came to war, knights were obliged to participate in it. Females were mainly accepted to knighthood just to increase the strength of the troops. And most of them left knighthood as soon as they got married when they came of age. In other words men who were strong longed to become brave Knights. Though it was natural to hold ambitions for a knight, according to the social divisions, women were associated with the virtues of gentleness and modesty. So what they considered as their ambition or long-cherished wish was to be a delicate beauty wearing beautiful dresses and ornaments. Because of it the job as a female-knight was not considered to be attractive. Since it wasn¡¯t something that was hard to understand, it was common in the military to assign females to administrative departments or supply departments. Therefore being a ¡®knight¡¯ and a ¡®female knight¡¯ was completely different. The training they received from the Order Of Chivalry was also different. ¡°It¡¯s for sure that such cases are the rarest of the rarest.¡± Tasel answered after much consideration about Mikhail¡¯s question. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? But when I went to the mountain without letting others notice since I am so famous, I saw Dame Kasia training there. Not to mention, bare hand push ups. The main point is that she trained till her clothes were completely soaked in sweat. What was more amazing, when I kept myself hidden, she found me right away even though she was short of breath.¡± ¡°You must have made a rustling sound,¡± Zeke said. ¡°I swear with the honour of our father, I hid my presence very well. The thing is, that woman is anything but normal. I even tried testing her again to make it clear.¡± Mikhail explained with great detail about how he attacked her from the rear after they climbed down and how she counterattacked it in a chic way. ¡°I told this to Dame Kasia too, that I had never heard of any female-knight with such skills before the Mist forest incident. And to say it¡¯s cause is the mana exposure is quite dubious. Because she was training there! Which implies that she did it on her own accord. If all the female knights are to work hard as her, then it means that they can increase their skills for sure. Anyway,I suddenly felt a crisis of not wanting her to participate in more military training.¡± Tasel gave his ears to Mikhail as he elegantly drank his soup. Contemplating on what he heard he felt like meeting her once again. Mikhail seemed to think like ¡®she improved her combat capabilities only because of continuous physical training¡¯, but it was hard to say that one could improve their martial skills to such a level in a short period only with physical training. Of course, it was possible to improve their already existing skills, but the skills of Kasia mentioned by Mikhail quite exceeded that. The Kasia who was bedridden with her whole body bandaged and face covered with bloodstains came to his mind. Tasel never met her after she recovered. All of a sudden he felt pathetic for not confirming with his own eyes, even after having such suspicions about her. ¡®It would be better to meet her in person than just hearing. Though I wonder if I am being too edgy¡­¡¯ Meanwhile, Kasia was planning to hear more about the original owner of her body from Krone till the bedtime roll call. Though she held onto the memories of her previous life where she lived for almost 40 years, and since that life was too insensitive and abnormal, Krone¡¯s stories about their childhood days felt very novel to her. ¡°In each territory of Nobles assigned with their own Fief, there¡¯s an Order of Chivalry. As the Order of Chivalry was according to region, and since our hometown Aruelo is a small region the Order of Chivalry is also considerably large. As all of them are from the same province and hence they live harmoniously. The cadets call each other, ¡®brother¡¯, ¡®sister¡¯, ¡®younger sister¡¯ and ¡®younger brother¡¯ just like how one lives in a family. Anyway, among us, we have always treated each other as kin. Even the senior knights considered it cute. Though it doesn¡¯t mean that there weren¡¯t any noble knights that harassed us for our low birth, but after coming here and seeing, that much can only be considered as a bitter medicine. Haa¡­ talking about it makes me nostalgic. Brings back memories of the Order of Chivalry of Aruelo.¡± Krone¡¯s eyes reflected a whirl of emotions. ¡°How many joined the imperial army from there?¡± ¡°Fifteen people.¡± ¡°Since you are the only one who remembers me, it must mean that the rest of the fifteen people had died, right?¡± Towards Kasia¡¯s question Krone just nodded his head without any strength. ¡°Including both of us, ten people accepted knighthood and the rest five became followers. But after the riot of rebels, within ten months all of them died. So just imagine how I felt when I was informed of your death. Really¡­ I felt as if I had no one, all alone in this world.¡± Again, his eyes dimmed. In her previous life, there was a time like that too. After being recruited to Camp X there were a total of 150 children including her. But in the end only 17 out of 150 could finish the training in Camp X. Among those seventeen, one was Kasia and three others from the same group as her. But after each of them was sent to different networks, they disappeared one by one. She didn¡¯t feel, even for once, any sort of grief for their departure or disappearance. Maybe because her life was on line, the most important thing for her was to succeed in the missions she took part in. She never cared about how others lived. Hearing Krone¡¯s words, she felt uncomfortable to face her own deficiencies one by one, but it was still a novel experience for her. If there was something missing in her, then that was the only reason she could survive for all those years in her previous life. If a person was as emotional as Krone then it would eventually become their weakness. ¡®It seems I already have weaknesses naming Lunaen and Krone. It¡¯s better to not have more¡­¡¯ Krone continued to reminisce though at some point his eyes teared up, but he tried to maintain a bright aura for Kasia who was deep in her thoughts. ¡°And also you were the flower of Aruelo¡¯s Order of Chivalry. Even among the noble knights there were quite a few who had a crush on you. Maybe because of your fair complexion which doesn¡¯t really resemble a country girl.¡± ¡°It seems that I wasn¡¯t diligent in my training. If I were diligent and trained under the scorching sun, then there wouldn¡¯t have been any way to maintain a fair complexion. ¡° Even if she lost all her memories, Krone felt pity for Kasia who talked as if she was talking about a stranger when it was her own self. The Kasia he knew was someone with less words but strived with the best of her ability for everything. Though it was rare to see her laugh loudly, compared to the current Kasia she was a lot brighter. She was like the ordinary girls who cherished her fair skin, regardless of her cheap dresses and lack of cosmetics. A crumbled heart which heard the child whom he considered as his lovely sister died and then the relief and excitement to know about the survival of the sister he thought had died. The Kasia who barely avoided the hands of the Reaper and completely lost her memories, became chilly and strived for strength, that is, she acted like a complete stranger. Before he used to be able to figure out all her thoughts even from her hand gestures, but now what she thought inside her little head, he knew nothing of it. ¡°In any case, now there is only us left, who remember each other¡­ so let¡¯s strive to survive.¡± Kasia showed a clear and fresh smile to Krone. In that short moment, Krone could see the shadow of the Kasia he always knew. ¡°Yes, we should survive and return alive.¡± Krone answered with a cheeky smile. ¡°Sorry to interrupt Dame Kasia, His Highness Prince has asked for your presence.¡± The attendant of the Captain of Unit 8 came towards Kasia and Krone to pass the message. Krone felt anxious hearing that a higher official was asking for Kasia. But Kasia with her usual indifference stood up quickly and dusted her back. She wished Krone good night and asked him to sleep first and left with the attendant. When Kasia reached the tent of the 8th unit, the Captain was waiting for her outside. He took her and walked towards the tent of the Commander-In-Chief. Chapter 11 ¡°Your Highness, Aron Max, the Captain of the 8th Unit reporting. I have brought Dame Kasia as per your orders.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± A voice came from the tent granting them permission to enter. The two soldiers guarding the tent raised up the tent curtain which acted as a door for them. Kasia entered the tent following the Unit Captain. Just like what the Unit Captain did, she also followed him in saluting the people sitting before her. ¡°Captain Max, can you wait outside the tent?¡± Towards Tasel¡¯s words, Aron did a half salute and directly went outside. Inside the tent only Tasel, the brothers Zeke and Mikhail and Kasia were left. ¡°Sorry that I asked for your presence in this late hour without any prior notice, Dame Kasia.¡± ¡°It is okay, sir.¡± ¡°Are there no memories you remember from your past?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. No memories, sir.¡± Kasia¡¯s answers were short and concise. From that alone Tasel felt as if he was receiving replies from a well trained officer. ¡°Dame Kasia, I will get straight to the point. I heard from Captain Max about you, that, before the Mist Forest incident, you were somewhat a passive and quiet female-knight. And after the incident it seems that there¡¯s been an exponential raise in your abilities. Can you give some explanation for this change?¡± ¡°I am sorry, sir. I myself am unaware of the reason. But after I woke up there was an obsession within me to get stronger no matter what.¡± If she was to say the truth, then it was just acquiring what she had learned from her previous life. But in the current moment she could only concoct such an explanation. ¡°Is that so? ¡®Obsession to get stronger?¡­ Is it because she faced a near death experience from an unduly powerful force?¡± Tasel muttered in a barely audible voice as he measured the woman who stood erect and straight in front of him. Cut short, dark and thick hair, green eyes which complemented her fair skin, slightly dry lips, hollow cheeks¡­ a delicate and lean figure. She had a supple chest, the arms revealed under her short sleeved coat held beautiful muscle lines which couldn¡¯t be seen in other ordinary women. ¡°Can you ride a horse?¡± ¡°Yes, I can, sir.¡± ¡°To which degree can you wield a sword?¡± ¡°I started to train only after joining the 8th Unit, still a beginner at it.¡± ¡°But from Mikhail¡¯s words, you seem to be able to handle a short-sword quite well. Just like¡­ an assassin.¡± ¡°I only brandished the knife in self-defence.¡± Kasia acted oblivious to Tasel¡¯s questions who suspected her to be an assassin. It was natural for her movements to be similar to an assassin since she was one in her previous life. In her current world, it went without saying that the profession of an assassin was not well accepted. Even in her previous life her existence was not welcomed. ¡°¡­ I sincerely hope your progressive talents will contribute to strengthen our troops. You can retire now.¡± Kasia put her legs together in an attention stance. Her right fist was put before her left chest. With a slight bow she did her military salute and went out of the tent. Outside, the Unit Captain, Max stood there waiting for her. She went back to the unit with the Captain as she contemplated whether her salute to Tasel was proper or not. ¡°No matter what, how can you say that she is an assassin, that too towards a knight, who just barely braved her death. How can you, Your Highness?¡± As soon as Kasia went out of the tent Mikhail criticized Tasel with a sulky face. ¡°Mikhail, don¡¯t you think it is strange? There was no Female Knight among us who¡¯s skilled enough to counterattack you. But a woman who was bedridden with a broken body recovered and became skilled to such a level.¡± ¡°Ah, no. That¡¯s because I went easy on her.¡± ¡°Just use your brain, if at that time what she held in her hand was something sharp, what do you think would have happened? Though it might not have killed you, but to inflict a fatal wound, would have been possible. If she is skilled enough to inflict a fatal wound on you, then doesn¡¯t it mean that she is capable enough to take care of an ordinary Unit Captain?¡± ¡°That, that is¡­ No, even if it is like that, she herself stated that she doesn¡¯t understand the reason behind her growth. And towards such a person, to hold the suspicion of being an assassin, won¡¯t Dame Kasia be disappointed?¡± Zeke, who pondered and mumbled standing beside Mikhail, finally opened his mouth. ¡°Anyway, all we can do now is to trust her. It¡¯s not like the 8th Unit she¡¯s affiliated to is handling any highly secretive information or that we have any evidence to prove that she is a spy. Without any evidence suspecting a soldier outright will only decrease the morale of the army.¡± ¡°Haah. That¡¯s right. It can be that I am just being too paranoid. Anyway has the secret envoy who was sent the day before yesterday returned?¡± Rubbing around his tired eyes, he stopped conversing about Kasia. ¡°Not yet, Your Highness. The other side also seems to be struggling.¡± ¡°I got it. Let¡¯s end it here.¡± After some time, the light coming from the tent went out. * * * ¡°I greet His Majesty, The Emperor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Count Treon.¡± Inside the Karina Palace, the audience hall had a subtle shade. Because of the fierce confrontation between the imperial army and the rebel army, the imperial territory shuddered with groans and bloody smell. But the Karina palace which was at a distance from the royal capital seemed to be a different world, relaxed and peaceful. ¡°I apologize for not visiting often. It¡¯s just that I am bothered about the 2nd Prince¡¯s faction¡­¡± ¡°Tasel? Is there any need to be concerned about that Tasel boy? As a person who¡¯s going to be the head of Aristocrats, you can¡¯t even handle him?¡± ¡°Recently the popularity of the 2nd Prince among the civilians has increased. The nobles of the territories where the imperial army passes, though they haven¡¯t expressed directly, they are amicable towards the 2nd Prince. I am just concerned that the 2nd Prince will act on his own if I am not there.¡± ¡°Tch Tch, it¡¯s just some popularity among the civilians. Anyway in the current situation, the noblities are either on my side or the 1st Prince¡¯s. There is no need to bother about Tasel and you need not to be concerned about nothing. By the way, did you find the Trenosil I mentioned before?¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty. If it¡¯s for Her Majesty, there isn¡¯t anything that can¡¯t be found.¡± Emperor Alterion, who had a frown in between his eyebrows, now had a brightened look. ¡°I am concerned about Melania. Recently she is eating poorly because of her morning sickness . I am relieved that she can have Trenosil now.¡± Trenosil was a high-quality fruit which was not available in the empire. It was a fruit which was especially favored by the palace ladies. It had a sweet and sour taste with a refreshing scent. But it was almost out of trade due to the civil war. Hence, it was rather difficult to acquire it. Father Treon, who played in the political arena for a lifetime, could never stand out. But young Alfonso Evan Treon was determined to use this war for the Crown Prince¡¯s position as an opportunity for him. He was even ready to brave an ocean to get the Trenosil, in order to please Melania who was his door to an official career. ¡°I can crown Melania as the Empress only if the war ends¡­¡± ¡°His Majesty¡¯s affection for her Majesty is very loyal. As a person who is riding the same boat, I am moved to tears.¡± Towards the deeply moved attitude of Count Alfonso the Emperor showed a satisfied smile. Indicating him to withdraw, Alterion waved his hands. ¡°Melania must be waiting for you. You should also make up for the missed visits and give her the Trenosil.¡± With a deep bow Count Alfonso venerated the Emperor and with measured steps he moved towards Rose Garden, the courtyard Her Majesty Melania resided. As soon as he arrived, the court lady announced the arrival of the Count to Her Highness. The 5th queen Melania Irene Treon was a beautiful woman who could even be considered as the national beauty. From a very young age she had been a mesmerizing beauty and was conferred as a crown princess. But when she was to enter the palace she was suddenly conferred the position of royal concubine. Before she entered the Palace, she locked herself in her room and was overwhelmed in tears. At that time the young Count Alfonso hoped that his flower-like sister could marry a young crown prince rather than the old Emperor. But now, coming all this way, he was a million times thankful that she became a royal concubine back then. If at that time she had married either the 1st Prince or the 2nd Prince, her life now would have been in question. Melania whose eyes never left tears and lamented endlessly before entering the palace as a Royal Concubine, slowly transformed into a clever and vicious palace lady. The Emperor was head-over-heels with the national beauty who obediently nestled in his arms. So almost all her wishes came true. ¡°Your Highness, how have you been all this while?¡± ¡°Brother! It¡¯s been a very long time. I have missed you very much.¡± The brightly smiling Melania was like a fully bloomed white rose. Her shiny platinum hair, her blue eyes which looked like precious gemstones sparkled radiantly. When she entered the palace at the age of 16 her smile held purity and innocence. Now at the age of 26 she was like a beautiful flower which had fully bloomed from a bud. With such a face no one could believe that she was once titled as the crown princess and then conferred to be a royal concubine. ¡°Aren¡¯t you waiting for the Trenosil rather than me?¡± Count Alfonso took out a Trenosil and wagged it in front of Melania as if teasing her. ¡®OH MY! TRENOSIL! How did you acquire it?! I heard it was hard to find because of the rebel¡­¡± ¡°What is there that¡¯s out of my reach if it is for Her Majesty? Hahaha.¡± Melania asked a court lady to trim some of the Trenosil and everyone to withdraw. ¡°Brother, I heard you have been working hard in the battle. But I am worried since this confrontation is lasting longer than expected.¡± ¡°Your Majesty! You can¡¯t be like that. You are carrying the dragon seed of the Great Callistonia. Please eat this with relish and take care of the child. Though it is taking longer, the plan is moving according to the expectations.¡± ¡°Are you saying the truth? I really don¡¯t have any big ambitions. I only wish to live happily with His Majesty, Euri and our unborn child.¡± Melania¡¯s eyes seemed so desperate that even the Count almost fell for it. ¡®No big ambition¡­ Is there any bigger ambition than making one¡¯s own child the crown prince?? Though Count Alfonso thought that, he showered his clever and ambitious sister with a bright smile. Chapter 12 Meanwhile, that night someone entered Tasel¡¯s tent. It was an informant sent by them to the Nobles of the area they were marching through. The agent verbalised his report. ¡°How are their reactions over there?¡± ¡°I think they are reconsidering something. Not long ago, they seemed to co-operate with our side for certain, but I don¡¯t know what sort of condition was put forward by the Rebel Army as they resolutely avoided to give a definite answer.¡± Tasel became silent at the words of the informant, but unlike him, the faces of Mikhail and Zeke were being eroded with anger. ¡°Damn it¡­.¡± ¡°Your Highness, I have a very bad feeling about this. It¡¯s the third time the Rebel Army has distorted our carefully cultivated amicable relationship with others; with the same method.¡± ¡°You are right. I am aware of it. Don¡¯t you think that the Rebel Army seems to know exactly which parties we approach for co-operation?¡± Tasel ascertained from the report this time that their plans were being leaked out. ¡°When do you think the decisive battle will take place?¡± ¡°I feel that it won¡¯t be long. It seems that the Rebel Army is also waiting for the right timing.¡± ¡°Then we still have time,¡± he muttered. ¡°I got it. You worked hard.¡± After the informant left, Mikhail could only wait for Tasel to speak out. But even before a minute passed, he began to throw a fit. ¡°It¡¯s certain that His Majesty is behind all this! Despite his inability to provide us with any help, I really¡­!¡± Mikhail continued to make a fuss, but Tasel and Zeke kept quiet as they fell into deep thought. ¡°If¡­ if His Highness is killed at this moment, then the Rebel Army will head straight to the Karina Palace. Then why did His Majesty want to stop suppressing the Rebel Army¡­.¡± ¡°The only thing I am certain is, that the Rebel¡¯s side and His Majesty¡¯s side, both are hesitating over something. In the meantime, we also need to come up with some plan.¡± ¡°Huu¡­ I know. But what I am really curious about is whether His Majesty intended for such a situation or whether he thought I was stupid. It would be better if His Majesty is taking me for a fool. If by any chance all of these are intended by His Majesty, then we are completely caught in his trap. We must thoroughly analyse the situation and prepare ourselves discreetly.¡± Both Zeke and Mikhail¡¯s eyes changed as they looked at Tasel. They felt that it won¡¯t be too long before Tasel makes his decision. ¡°The borderline nobility already pledged their loyalty towards Your Highness. They are only waiting for Your Highness¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°.¡­I understand. Once I confirm my queen mother¡¯s safety, let¡¯s proceed. No news from Karina Palace?¡± ¡°Not yet. The palace is under tight security.¡± ¡°I understand. Inform me as soon as there is any news. Then let¡¯s wind up here.¡± In the now-empty tent, Tasel gritted his teeth. So His Majesty wanted to disgrace him and his queen mother till the end. Alterion brought Elena, a royalty of Tartanian, a newly conquered land by him, as his third queen. Alterion lost his highly favoured General in the war of conquest with Tartanian. As if taking revenge for the General¡¯s death, Elena didn¡¯t get any affection or at least any warmth from Alterion. On their first night together, Elena was completely frightened. A memory she doesn¡¯t even want to think about, surfaced. It was said that after that night whenever Alterion visited Elena¡¯s bed-chamber, her cries could be heard even from the outside. After Tasel was born, Alterion married another queen. Tasel and his mother were completely forgotten after that. Even they didn¡¯t show up in front of the public as a part of the royal family. Elena thought such a condition was not bad, rather she felt better about it. But they were without any option to attend the party hosted by his Majesty. When Tasel saw his mother dressed plainly, standing at a side all alone, anger roared up in him unwittingly. But whenever Tasel got angry, Elena would plead with her son to just live like this, silently, without entering others eyes. The royal family of Tartanian got out alive with the price of forsaking their Princess. Still, they couldn¡¯t even provide Elena with any support. Of course, Alterion didn¡¯t leave any room for that. But it was mainly because of themselves, who would lie flat down on their stomach whenever they came across His Majesty. The Tartanian royalty also came to the party, groomed more fancily than Elena. They didn¡¯t show their perfunctory manners towards her. Because of it, Tasel didn¡¯t have an expectation from his mother¡¯s family, not even any goodwill. The more he thought, the more he felt his chest tightening because of his pent up anger. Tasel stood up from his seat all of a sudden. He took a towel and hung it on his shoulder and went towards the pond in the hillside. He felt that the cold water could calm him down. Though the garrison was immersed in the night, the moonlight lit up the surroundings. With a complex face Tasel went through the hilly roads and before long, he reached the pond. He took off his clothes and put them on a rock nearby. He steadily went into the cold pond and walked to the middle. The pond was a bit shallow as the water only reached till the pit of his stomach. Tasel held his breath and went into the water. He felt the cold water washing his hot chest and head. He certainly felt a little better. ¡°Pooh-!¡± Tasel came above the water, but only his head. He stood like that, silently, feeling the energy around the hill. The bright moon, the sound of water dripping, the chirping of beetles ¨C they were always the same, without having any concern about him or his mother. Tasel felt despondent thinking of his lone struggle, doing his utmost to survive. At that time, he felt like hearing someone nearing the pond. Tasel swam silently towards the rock which held his clothes. Though he speculated that it might be a soldier coming to fish, in truth, these days he felt it won¡¯t be any strange even if he was assassinated. So he hid the body behind the rock and covered up his presence. ¡°Ha¡­ As expected there was a pond.¡± Tasel suspected his ears. It was very cold, so he had difficulty hearing clearly. But it was a woman¡¯s voice for sure. Soon after, with a putong, he heard someone jumping into the water. The owner of the voice seemed to be washing up in the pond. ¡®Oh! shoot¡­¡­ Hiding like this made the situation worse.¡¯ Even if Tasel had no other intentions, if a naked man was to suddenly appear before a woman, then the other party would for sure, get startled. ¡®Can¡¯t help it. I have to wait until the lady leaves after washing.¡¯ Thinking so Tasel quietly hid behind the rock. The pond water that felt refreshing a moment ago began to feel chilly. His body was cold, still, he had to hide in the chilly pond water, unable to go out. Tasel felt his current state laughable. Suddenly he realized that he no longer could sense the presence of the woman. ¡®Did she leave?¡¯ Tasel raised his ears but the moment he was about to slowly and silently step out of the rock, someone suddenly came up from under the water and held a sharp piece of iron against his neck. It all happened in a flash. Even a highly trained person like him couldn¡¯t notice all these. ¡°I couldn¡¯t distinguish that it was His Highness. I apologize for my mistake.¡± When Tasel raised and looked towards the source of the voice, there stood Kasia in an upright posture wearing a thin, wet shirt. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Kasia thought that it must be the first time for Tasel to be in such a flustering situation. Though it was fortunate that Kasia was not naked, he was as nude as a newborn baby. He felt the cold air hitting his lower body. He dropped the case when Kasia attacked Mikhail last time, but this time he couldn¡¯t. Kasia turned her head because whatever was the situation she couldn¡¯t keep looking at the naked body of the prince of a country. There was wet hair stuck onto her neck from which water was dripping drop by drop. Her skin dripping wet with the cold water shined beautifully in the moonlight. She felt dizzy and embarrassed. She couldn¡¯t come up with any topics. Maybe his tightly closed lips were caging swear words, thought Kasia. Her shirt which stuck to her body after getting wet beautifully showed off the well-hidden curvatures of her body. Even in such a situation, he felt flustered and embarrassed to even take a look beneath her clavicle. ¡°Ahem¡­. I would appreciate it if you won¡¯t misunderstand. I came here before you.¡± ¡°I apologize for not recognizing you sooner, Your Highness.¡± ¡°¡­No need. In fact, I am more curious about how you found me?¡± ¡°When I went into the water, I felt it.¡± ¡°You felt it? I didn¡¯t make any movement, I even hid my presence¡­. then? You, really¡­..¡± ¡°Though I know it a disrespectful remark, it would be better for both of us to not come any closer.¡± Tasel unwittingly went towards Kasia but hastily took a step back and stopped the approach. Only then did Tasel come to his right mind. Even if he felt her interesting, in their current state, it would be a bit difficult to hold up a conversation. ¡°I will be leaving first. I sincerely apologize for not realizing your presence and disturbing you.¡± Kasia deviated her line of vision from Tasel breaking the awkward situation. She bid her farewell and went out of the pond. The moment he realized Kasia was wearing her dress, Tasel hastily turned his head and turned his body towards the big stone where his dress and towel were kept. His feet were slightly numb by the cold. As he was wiping his body, the presence of the other party disappeared. His eyes travelled towards the direction she disappeared for a moment. He once again turned back and slightly smiled as he wore his shirt. ¡®However, I think it is really strange. Still, what Mikhail said was right. She really is quite amazing.¡¯ For the first time, Tasel felt curiosity towards her rather than suspicion. Earlier, if she wanted to, it would have been easy for her to take his life. But she realized his identity and backed off by herself. If she was an assassin after his life, then for certain, she wouldn¡¯t have wasted such an opportunity, where there was no one present around. If she was not an assassin, she gained her skills after the Mana explosion. Tasel mended his view on Kasia but felt that she must be carefully observed for the time being. Next day, Tasel assigned his aide to keep an eye on Kasia for a few days and ordered him to report in detail about her daily routine. By the aide¡¯s report, Kasia¡¯s previous routine was very simple and too pitiful for words. ¡°All the while I watched Dame Kasia, her daily routine was always the same. She wakes up before the morning alarm and starts her morning exercise. She has her morning breakfast with Knight Krone. After that, she takes part in cleaning the barrack and shares some small talks with others over tea. Then she trains with her unit members in the drill hall or exercises alone. When it is time for lunch, she eats with Krone and takes a small rest. In the afternoon she goes into the small mountain at the rear and doesn¡¯t come back till dinner. When I inquired about it with Knight Krone, he said that she trains there, all alone. Again, she has her food with Knight Krone and talks about her parents whom she doesn¡¯t even remember. After that, she retires for bed. Other than her excessive training compared to others, her daily routine is very simple, nothing special.¡± Hearing his aide¡¯s report on Kasia he fell into deep thought and slowly rubbed his chin. Her daily routine really was a simple one, but it didn¡¯t mean that it was not special. Because a female knight doing such arduous training, that too voluntarily, in the whole nation, won¡¯t exist other than her. Such a special female knight had never existed before. Tasel realized that soon it would be the time for Kasia to go up the mountain at the rear and instructed his aide. ¡°Today, when Dame Kasia will leaves for the mountain, inform me at once.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Chapter 13 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Rhyme_bean Editor: Milac The tent quietened with the withdrawal of the informant. Inside, Tasel sat looking at the letters that arrived today and casually picked one which was at the very top. But the moment he realized that the letter was written in a secret code that was only known to him and his close confidants, he sat straight. It was the letter he had been waiting for. Her Highness, Queen Elena, is off the radar. Geta who disguised himself as a guard protecting Her Majesty¡¯s residence seems to have been killed. I am suspecting the reason they¡¯ve changed Her Highness¡¯ residence and are now keeping it a secret might be to find out Geta¡¯s real identity. In any case, Her Highness¡¯ situation does not seem to be improving. We need to rescue her as early as possible. I will contact Your Highness as soon as I get my hands on any information about Her Highness¡¯ residence. With all my loyalty, Timothy Reading the letter with bated breath, Tasel put the letter face down on the table and covered his forehead with a hand. The letter was from his person arranged in the Karina Palace, describing the deteriorating situation of his mother. When his mother was dragged away as a hostage, she couldn¡¯t even have her lady-in-waiting. Tasel was anxious and could only barely sneak in an ordinary maid. She was treated so poorly over there that even her food and dressing were even not properly cared for. This treatment worsened over time. Queen Elena was caged in the most secluded place of the palace. And before long, several guards were arranged to keep a watch on her in the name of protection. That was about five months ago. The question before him was, where was she confined now. He burned with rage. It was not that he didn¡¯t understand the necessity of quickly rescuing his Mother nor did he slack in his attempt. The most difficult and worrisome part was to infiltrate the highly guarded Karina Palace. Till then, they had attempted several times but had yet to succeed. Many knights, who went forward for the sake of him and his mother, sacrificed their innocent lives. Tasel felt himself going crazy. Now the situation was whether his mother would get sick under the persecution of that mad Emperor or would he be killed in this war. Would his innocent mother also suffer the same tragedy as him¡­ Tasel was so deeply buried in his thoughts that he lost track of time. At some time, the soldier guarding his tent announced the visit of his aid. ¡°Just now Dame Kasia went into the mountain. What shall I do now?¡± ¡°Good job. You don¡¯t need to be concerned with this anymore. Refrain from any action that will cause suspicion, till your next instruction.¡± Saying so, Tasel also headed towards the rear mountain in a simple attire. Tasel was a prince of the nation. But he was also a top knight known as ¡®The First Sword¡¯. So it didn¡¯t take him much time to spot a person¡¯s presence in that not so big mountain. Considering the keen senses of Kasia, Tasel completely erased his presence and keenly watched her. Kasia seemed to do some basic physical training in the vacant woods. All her movements which seemed like training, in Tasel¡¯s eyes seemed to be very strange. But he could grasp the effectiveness of those movements as soon as he saw it. Whether moving hands and legs in a repeated motion, or twisting her body, or even coming to a halt after running with rapidly increased momentum. After holding a strange posture for some time she stretched her body. What she would gain by those actions were obvious. Her body would become stronger, endurance level would heighten and she would be more agile. ¡®Where the hell did she learn all that?¡¯ If she was the one who came up with all those movements, without any doubt, she had to be a genius. Tasel was awed without realizing. He was even resolved to spread those basic training among the army. Kasia did her basic training until her shirt was wet with sweat. It was at that moment Kasia put her hand on the medium-length sword, laid beside her, to practice with it in earnest. She felt some people coming up not far from her. She was anxious for a moment. But very soon she hid her presence and carefully held the sword. Even at such a time, Tasel just stood there watching all this with interest. Kasia didn¡¯t want to confront those people, so she hid her body behind a tree. It seemed that their objective was none other than her training. ¡°Is it here? Are you sure that girl will come here at this time for training?¡± ¡°Ah, I am sure. I confirmed it yesterday.¡± ¡°Heh heh. Does she want to suffer? A girl without any fear.¡± ¡°Who knows? Maybe she is looking forward to it. If not, why would she come to this dark and remote place every day?¡± ¡°Then does that mean, we only found it so late? I feel so apologetic towards her, what should I do?¡± ¡°Then you only need to dote on her with all your apologetic heart. Hehe.¡± ¡°Me first! I am the one who found it!¡± Tasel frowned hearing their conversation filled with their dirty desires. They were a total of three people. For three men to have an intention to disgrace a single woman¡­ Tasel felt the necessity to, once again, establish strict military discipline. He was determined to punish them right away if they dared to lay a finger on Kasia. Though he didn¡¯t want to get caught peeking at her, there was no other option. ¡°Where is she? Are you sure it¡¯s here?¡± With an utterly careless manner, they looked around to find Kasia. Tasel could see Kasia hiding behind the tree from the place he hid; he thought she wouldn¡¯t be found by them. But at that moment, Kasia who held onto the sword with some tension, relaxed and put down the sword. He could also see her picking up a wooden stick from nearby. Tasel felt a little anxious seeing Kasia swinging the stick and estimating its sense of weight. Because he thought she would be found by them if she continued doing that. As those guys came near the tree, she went around the tree and stood behind them without their notice. She hit them hard with the stick from their 5 o¡¯clock. ¡°Aargh!¡± ¡°Aargh!¡± Those men were taken back by the sudden blow and limped down to the ground. They raised their heads to look at the direction of the attack. Only the one who walked at the front was able to avoid the blow, but he met with Kasia¡¯s flying feet towards his head. He directly fainted on the spot. ¡°Wh-what! This cowardly bit*h attacking from behind!¡± ¡°A knight attacking from behind!¡± Kasia felt like laughing hearing their cowardly refutes, who wanted to gang up and disgrace a woman. Without minding to answer them, she directly kicked at the groin of a guy who rushed towards her. Crack. Tasel missed the timing to show up, despite his original intention. That kick was so hard that he flinched his shoulders. The guy who was kicked passed out, foaming at the mouth, even before he could scream with pain. Kasia extended one of her feet to catch the head of the guy who passed out on his own to avoid directly crashing his head over the jagged stone on the ground. The remaining guy became extremely anxious seeing his comrades passing out before his eyes. In his hurry, he found the sword left by Kasia and picked it up. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t come over!¡± He swung the sword towards the woman holding a wooden stick and stumbled back. Only then did Kasia open her mouth. ¡°When swinging a sword, your centre of gravity must be downwards and your upper body must be slightly bent forward. Don¡¯t close your eyes. Watch your opponent till the end. Observe precisely to which direction your opponent¡¯s wrist twist to determine whether to block or attack. Tumbling down like you is just perfect. And¡­¡± Thak. It was at that moment. The stick held in her hands made a straight line in the air and shot at the middle of the man before her¡­ Seeing the last one fainting just like his comrades, Kasia added, ¡°One shouldn¡¯t also think that a sword could only be swung.¡± As if relieving the fatigue, she rotated her head a couple of times and picked out the sword fallen from the guy and turned her body. She found Tasel with an absurd smile coming towards her in a dejected manner. ¡°Dame Kasia, no matter how I look, you don¡¯t seem like a layman. Don¡¯t you also think so? Seeing your previous look I even suspected whether you are a General-rank officer from another country.¡± Kasia followed Tasel to the pond where they had an awkward encounter some days ago. Kasia felt goosebumps by Tasel¡¯s unexpected grasp of things. In her previous life, she used to supervise the training, and when she faced those three guys, that habit of hers came out even without her knowing which made it all the more troublesome. But even Kasia herself couldn¡¯t properly define the things that happened to her. So for the time being she decided to go with the excuse of memory loss. ¡°I apologize. I don¡¯t remember anything.¡± ¡°Now, I don¡¯t care whether you truly lost your memory or you are hiding it.¡± That answer was beyond Kasia¡¯s expectation. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s impossible to completely explain your change. I speculated in different ways, but none of them seems to fit in. And you don¡¯t seem to have any mind to give me an explanation. Ah, it can also be, like you said, a loss of memory.¡± Kasia was racking her brain to determine what Tasel wanted to say with these confessions. Kasia was completely aware of the suspicions Tasel had towards her. But now revealing all his findings, it seemed that he was planning to hold back his suspicion towards her. ¡°Anyway from what I concluded after observing you all this while, I think you wish to remain under my command. Am I right?¡± ¡°Yes, Sire.¡± ¡°Can you swear upon your life and honour?¡± Kasia knelt on one knee and bowed her head, just like what she learned from Krone some days ago. ¡°I, Kasia of Aruelo, swear upon my life and honour to devote my loyalty and fidelity to Tasel Kan Amaris.¡± Though everything was swift and convenient, for Kasia who lived in a dry world, this oath of loyalty felt unfamiliar and strange. But according to Krone¡¯s words, to directly swear your loyalty towards the lord is of greatest honour to a knight. Especially for commoner knights, even if it was ordinary aristocrats, such opportunities were too hard to come by. To directly swear upon your loyalty towards the Imperial Family or Emperor was almost impossible. Considering those words, Kasia could be counted to have chanced upon a very rare opportunity. ¡°I gladly accept your oath. Since now you are one of my people, there is something I want to request of you.¡± ¡°Your wish is my command.¡± For a commoner knight to receive such a big fortune, Kasia didn¡¯t express any deep delight or fear. She just stood there indifferently waiting for Tasel¡¯s orders. Contrary to her state, Tasel hesitated for some time. Of course, it was not because of whether he believed in Kasia or not. He realized that she was not an assassin who came for his life after the pond incident some days ago. He also confirmed the considerable skill of Kasia. With her ability to hide her presence, attack by surprise and nimble and agile movements, he could conclude that she was the perfect fit for this particular mission as compared to any other knight. He wanted to trust her. Though he was almost sure that there was no other mastermind behind her, he couldn¡¯t afford to risk the mission. He couldn¡¯t help but think about what would happen if she failed the mission. Because Kasia, as a young woman, could be subjected to a much more perilous situation than any man. For him, who grew up learning that protecting women and children was one of his duties, he felt weighted. But for that, the time was tight. Chapter 14 Raw provider: Tsalispark Translator: Rhyme_Bean Editor: Nush ¡°Dame Kasia, Do you know about the Karina Palace?¡± ¡°I have heard of it. Isn¡¯t it the place where the current Emperor is staying at the moment?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I want you to bring out someone from there.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you talking about Her Majesty Queen Elena.¡± ¡°.¡­How did you know?¡± ¡°Is there anyone besides Her Majesty The Queen, that His Highness will want to bring out? Isn¡¯t this truth known to all?¡± ¡°Phew¡­. That¡¯s right¡­..¡± Tasel felt like he was talking to a Knight whom he had a meeting on the mission. He didn¡¯t need to provide her with any annoying explanation as she could guess what was on his mind one step ahead. Kasia, though interesting, was quite reliable. ¡°Do you think you can rescue my mother?¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be any problem with infiltrating the palace. But the problem is escorting Her Majesty back.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. You only need to find her and remain alone with her. We can use teleportation magic to return.¡± As expected, in this world the cheat code was magic. It was something beyond her limit of anticipation. ¡°By any chance, other than this, is there any other way magic can be utilized?¡± ¡°Originally we were roughly able to estimate my mother¡¯s location. But after a while we couldn¡¯t feel her spirit anymore. Maybe they used obstruction magic in her room.¡± ¡°Then is it possible to use teleportation magic in that room?¡± ¡°Mm, obstruction magic is a higher level spell that can only be cast by a higher level Mage. According to my knowledge, there is no one in the Karina Palace that can cast obstruction magic. Magic used to locate a person is relatively simple, so what I am saying is even without an obstruction magic the locating magic can be easily disrupted.¡± Kasia thought that she needed to thoroughly study about this world¡¯s magic sometime. ¡°I would like to ask one more thing. Can I kill anyone among Karina Palace¡¯s guards? Is there anyone that I shouldn¡¯t touch?¡± He felt surprised by her words once again. Right now she was worried about killing an ally by mistake, not fearing about failure of the mission. ¡°What you mean is, that you can kill anyone? Is there any trump card behind your confidence?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Just in case, I only asked as a precaution.¡± ¡°There are people I planted in the Karina Palace. But due to the tight security, they are unable to approach my mother¡¯s room. And yes, other than them , there is none I care about.¡± There was a grief and longing in Tasel¡¯s face. For a prince of the nation, he only got few to care about in the palace. If it was heard by the nobles, they for sure would laugh in mockery. But she felt relieved as there were less people that she needed to be concerned with. Kasia carefully brought up what was in her mind for a long time. ¡°Since His Highness is thinking about bringing out Her Majesty Elena, then can it be considered as turning your back towards His Majesty the Emperor?¡± Tasel¡¯s eyes widened. He clenched his teeth tightly and then calmed down and whispered lightly. ¡°Dame Kasia, there are eyes and ears everywhere. You should not bring out such words carelessly.¡± Kasia became certain that Tasel was planning something. Well, if she was in his place, she wouldn¡¯t be able to put up with the Emperor who frankly showed his malice towards her, just because he is the Emperor and her Father. Kasia nodded her head and Tasel came back to the topic. ¡°If it¡¯s impossible to rescue Mother, then I would very much appreciate it if you could at least confirm her safety.¡± ¡°I understand. Since I also need to prepare, I can head out after 3 days.¡± ¡°Are you really okay?¡± Tasel never thought that she would accept the mission this easily. But Kasia was also similarly looking at him in a strange way. ¡°Since His Highness commanded, then isn¡¯t it a matter of fact to follow it?¡± ¡°.¡­.. Even your life can be in danger.¡± ¡°Is there a life that is not in danger during a war?¡± Tasel was amazed by her. It was not that there was no Knight who received a command akin to their life. But he had never seen anyone who talked about risking their own life in such an indifferent way like her. ¡°You¡­ Don¡¯t you value your life?¡± Kasia couldn¡¯t answer his question. Because there were many things to consider in that question. She already died once and the memory of her death was still intact within her. So she took her current life as a bonus. Since her previous life was more miserable than death, she didn¡¯t feel any fear towards death. After having reborn and lived for 1-2 months, there was a strange confidence within her that she wouldn¡¯t die again that easily. And even knowing that there was a possibility of her death, she didn¡¯t feel any different emotion. ¡®What does it feel like to have a desire to live?¡¯ She was not sure whether her survival in Camp X was due to her strong will to live. But after the continuous brainwashing, her human emotions were gnawed away. She survived Camp X, and the reason she completed all those missions were also because of her strong survival instinct. But this survival instinct was not rooted from the desire to live, rather it was rooted from her sense of duty of completing the mission . ¡°I had already died once in the Mist Forest. Since it was His Highness who saved my life, the person who can take that life back is also His Highness.¡± After a long thought, she came up with an answer that was likely to work. As if she hit the mark, Tasel exposed a momentary emotion on his face. But his eyes soon settled down. ¡°I seem to be in debt for many lives.¡± Those words didn¡¯t seem like it was said particularly to Kasia. As more died because of him, his inside felt like burning. Sometimes he woke up soaked in sweat, dreaming that he was struggling in a pool of blood. Even Kasia who was apathetic could see his eyes filled with suffering. ¡°I haven¡¯t died yet. And I will try my best not to die.¡± Tasel felt his shaky heart a moment ago, became sturdier once again because of her words. ¡°You really are novel. I get a feeling that you are not even from this world. Just like¡­. Yes, a reaper sent by God.¡± Tasel¡¯s words were clumsy, but it was too close to the truth. ¡®Since a while ago, he has been saying sharp words . Should I say that I had already died once¡­.?¡± Kasia with her usual indifference and silence looked up at him. Tasel was not the only royalty who was responsible for the war. But whether voluntarily or not, in the near future he must decide his stance. ¡°Tomorrow morning, I will find Your Highness at your tent. Please guide me about the inside of Karina Palace and Your Highness¡¯ confidantes planted there.¡± ¡°.¡­Okay. I¡¯ll meet you tomorrow.¡± After finishing his words, Tasel retired. Looking at the Tasel whose shoulders seemed like they were carrying a heavy weight, for the first time, Kasia felt like helping someone. * * * As soon as the sky brightened, a soldier sent by Tasel came to look for Kasia. Kasia pacified Krone who once again looked at her with worrisome eyes and followed after the soldier towards Tasel¡¯s tent. Inside the tent, Zeke and Mikhail, the brothers who always stayed near Tasel, were absent. Above the table, there were several maps spread. Tasel carefully studied them and nodded towards Kasia as if beckoning her to come in. ¡°To reach Karina Palace , this is the shortest route. But from time to time there would be many check-gates to confirm the identities of the passengers and because of it there is a big risk of your identity being exposed. So even if it¡¯s long, either take the mountain path or cross through the village near the sea.¡± Tasel explained as he pointed out to the map. But Kasia¡¯s thought was different from him. Tasel was fighting for time now. When Kasia leaves, Tasel would need to take part in the military operation against the nobility. So it was more advantageous to Tasel to know about his mother¡¯s condition as soon as possible. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough time. I will use the shortest route. I won¡¯t get caught so be relieved from the worry, Your Highness.¡± The woman in front of him never hid her capability even though he was suspicious of her. So Tasel gladly accepted the fact that he was always surprised by her. ¡°Since Dame Kasia has confidence in herself, I will also put my trust in her. If¡­ you got something that you want, you can speak out. I am not at ease sending you in this mission.¡± ¡°Something I want¡­ I would be grateful if Highness can disclose our future direction.¡± What Tasel asked her was a material compensation, but Kasia took it in a different way. ¡°Future direction¡­..?¡± ¡°I am talking about the direction to be taken after cutting ties with His Majesty. I would like to hear what Your Highness is planning after rescuing Her Majesty Elena. If I know it, then it will be easy for me to set my direction.¡± Hearing Kasia¡¯s words a smirk emerged in Tasel¡¯s face. Tasel felt as if this woman, who brought up treason without a second thought, was like a commander who was the one to deploy their operation. ¡°Dame Kasia, are you aware that what you brought up in your mouth is a treason against His Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes, I am aware of it. Also know that it has already started.¡± Tasel was speechless. Her words were true. The meaning behind Tasel¡¯s aim to rescue Queen Elena, was to discard the war and cut ties with the Emperor. Even without Kasia, Tasel had already planned to move out with the help of the nobles. Though the higher aristocrats couldn¡¯t be pulled to his side since he was far away from the capital, the nobilities in the frontier who didn¡¯t have any privilege as the aristocrats of the capital, hope held hands with Tasel. If Tasel was to say that he wouldn¡¯t raise the banner of revolt after coming all this way, even the local nobility would try to kill Tasel. He already had a decision in his mind. But the woman who said she had no memories all these time, easily bringing out the treasonous remark, Tasel was alert for a moment, then felt his body become hot with a raging fighting spirit. ¡°Huu¡­.. You really surprise me in all ways. I am planning to hold hands with the local noblities. There is a high probability that the Emperor and my royal brother will join forces to deal with me. Though we will be at a disadvantage due to the small number of force, I believe in my Knights. So I want you to come back safely and help me out.¡± ¡°I understand. Then, please instruct me about Your Highness¡¯s confidantes in the Palace.¡± Once again Kasia focused on the mission with an indifferent expression. Chapter 15 At the age of twelve, when Tasel met with his first assassination attempt, mobilizing everything he had, he made a group called ¡®Shadow Walkers¡¯. Though Tasel was but a child who was still green behind the ears, the experience of avoiding death by a hair¡¯s breadth took away his childhood from him. Shadow Walkers were started with the guards of Elena. As Tasel grew up, the group also grew step by step. It was very difficult to screen out loyal ones. But the people who became part of the group were the ones who saved Tasel¡¯s and his family¡¯s lives. Just like that the force of the group became broad and widespread. At that moment, they served as Tasel¡¯s eyes and ears in the nooks and corners of the empire. ¡°One among the soldiers guarding Mother¡¯s living quarters, two among His Majesty¡¯s maids, two in the military garrison. They are all members of the Shadow Walkers. One among the guards guarding Mother¡¯s living quarters has been continuously waiting for the moment to rescue her, but it is not easy. The maid who comes and goes out of the room is one of the maids under His Majesty. And whenever one enters the room they are escorted by the guards, so the soldiers can¡¯t even think of getting closer to her. In a literal sense, he took away my mother¡¯s eyes, ears and mouth.¡± ¡°Can we secretly inform them that I am going there? We never know, there might be a situation where I will need their help. And please instruct the soldier guarding the living quarters to take a leave on the day I go there. If the situation turns bad, he might get dragged into it and get hurt.¡± ¡°Mm, you don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± ¡°Then, before I leave, I would like to prepare some weapons¡­..¡± ¡°Say whatever weapon you want. I will ask Zeke to procure it.¡± Hearing Kasia calming list the weapons she needed, the premonition that she is an assassin solidified in Tasel¡¯s mind. ¡°Short sword, Dagger, throw knife, rope, poison, steel-string¡­.. You seem like you really don¡¯t plan to hide. Now I can¡¯t even believe Knight Krone¡¯s words that you guys grew up very ordinarily from your young age.¡± ¡°Krone is not related to this matter. Also, I also don¡¯t know why I became like this. The only promise that I can give you is, that I will never betray your Highness.¡± ¡°Ha Ha. Didn¡¯t I say it already? That I don¡¯t care even if you are hiding something. Don¡¯t get anxious. Then everything will be prepared before tomorrow evening. If you need anything else, ask it from Zeke.¡± Kasia went out after greeting him with a proper salute. She went back towards her unit and explained to Krone that she will be going out as a support with the rear supply unit for the time being. She thought that she would need to talk with Krone for a long stretch of time, but rather Krone had a pleasant expression on his face. ¡°I am relieved since the supply unit is relatively safe. Still take care of your body.¡± Towards Krone¡¯s never ending affection, Kasia had no words. ¡®Is this the so-called familial affection? But there is no blood tie between us¡­ If not, is it different in this world?¡¯ She didn¡¯t know what was the real relationship between the original Kasia and Krone. Krone¡¯s attitude towards her didn¡¯t seem as looking at a companion since he didn¡¯t show any physical intimacy. Seeing such Krone, she felt that his affection towards her must be familial love. Kasia, who never had any family or friends, couldn¡¯t understand how a person who didn¡¯t even have any blood ties with her had such a deep affection for her. She made up her mind to protect him as long as she can. But still, she couldn¡¯t return the amount of affection he gave her. Because she never thought about emotions itself. After talking with Krone she went to the medical barrack in search for Lunaen and found her. Lunaen whom she met after a long time, was as always worn out at the end of each day. But after finding that Kasia especially went there for her she was so touched. ¡°I am so glad that you are going to the supply unit. Since no one can assure that madam knight won¡¯t face a situation that can harm you, please take this with you.¡± What Lunaen gave her was a pouch of dried herbs. When Kasia was bedridden, it was this same herb called ¡®Centella¡¯ that she ground with water, applied it on her body and secured with the gauze. The herb gave out a cool sensation which helped reduce the temperature around the wounded areas. It could also be used as a disinfectant. She thought that this herb was one of the medicines with a broad variety of uses. It probably must be the best medicine Lunaen could find with her position. Following Krone, Lunaen also bid Kasia goodbye expressing her worry and concern. Kasia felt very strange towards it. In terms of prowess, Kasia should be concerned, but because of their apprehension in the current situation, she felt that she will return safely. Something tickled her heart. Kasia¡¯s preparations for her departure proceeded smoothly. Hearing the situation due to which Kasia was selected to be sent to the Karina Palace, Zeke was surprised. Still without any word of refuting he went to the weaponry and took out the best weapons for her. But compared to Zeke, the emotionally driven Mikhail with an agitated expression rushed to the rear mountain where Kasia trained and made a clamour. ¡°Oh, you are confident? Our Highness sees you almost like his last card¡­.¡± ¡°I will try my best to succeed.¡± ¡°Hey look at me. Now there are only two days remaining, I will show you some moves.¡± Mikhail guided her in her swordsmanship. Though the brothers, Zeke and Mikhail either of them had a bulky build, their body bloomed with muscles. There was no place in their body which wasn¡¯t adorned with muscles. So the strength compressed in each swing of Mikhail¡¯s sword was very high. Even if she was the Kasia of her previous life, to confront head-on under such tremendous force would be difficult. He taught her how to avoid and confront the attacks of stronger opponents. Though it was akin to teaching her his weaknesses, Mikhail went on without any bit of hesitation. Mikhail was exceptional when it came to the long sword than the Kasia who only held a long sword for a short period of time. But when it comes to the short sword, Kasia was far ahead. This time Mikhail was really surprised by her. ¡°For a woman with a small stature and light body, the short sword is more advantageous. But it needs one to get close to the opponent which is dangerous. The speed that you move at right now is high and fortitude is also good. Whenever I see you, you always make me awed.¡± As always, Mikhail was curious about how she reached such a stage. But since he was obvious to how she will answer even if he were to ask, he didn¡¯t bother to ask. They trained till midnight of the day before her departure. After finishing the impromptu training, he came to Kasia with a serious face, unlike him. ¡°I sincerely wish for your success. The only person who can save this rotten-to-the-core nation is His Highness Tasel. Apart from that, I don¡¯t want to watch him struggling in agony any longer.¡± When Kasia asked him in what sort of agony was Tasel reeling with, with a grumpy face Mikhail recited his past line by line to her. After hearing everything, Kasia understood more about the Tasel¡¯s distressing circumstances. ¡®Is he a saint or something? How can he not stand killing everyone?¡¯ But at that moment she remembered how in her previous life, even with such an amazing talent, she was unable to kill the mastermind behind the Camp X. Not even an instructor there. ¡®Learned to be obedient¡­¡¯ Kasia smiled bitterly. Kasia felt that if Tasel were to revolt, successfully breaking off his leash, then she will also feel refreshed. * * * The sky brightened. It was the day of Kasia¡¯s departure. Kasia was incorporated into the rear line supply. Along with the supply soldiers, she would able to get into the current imperial garrison with the Imperial Palace. She was planning to quietly disappear from there. The weapons she prepared were loaded into the horse carriage along with the weapons of the soldiers. All were wearing the same dress, so it was difficult to distinguish who was who. Kasia once again confirmed the route leading to the Karina Palace, carefully packed up the funds and emergency food and pulled up her robe. ¡®If I go this time I will have to kill many¡­.. Will I be in pain after my death?¡¯ After her death, the death of all she murdered repeated again and again without a break in front of her in slow motion. She remembered that time when her soul struggled in pain as like being pierced with the grief and sorrow of the people she killed. Because of that memory, she felt a little uncomfortable thinking of killing once again. Anyway, it was God itself that made her reincarnate as a Knight in the wartime. So Kasia decided to believe that it was not completely her responsibility and left her body to flow with the historical course of this world. The soldiers selected to replace the rear supply line were like a unit. Since the supply lines were usually safe and don¡¯t inflict many injuries, the female knights or the soldiers which don¡¯t have much to contribute to the army were mainly assigned there. Kasia was also inflicted with grave injuries some time ago, so there was no issue with documentation. Zeke gave the soldiers a pep-talk in lieu of Tasel. After hearing the talk and carefully assembling their things one by one, everyone had a bright face thinking that they were moving to the safe rear. Only Kasia among them held onto her usual indifferent face. ¡°I was so worried if I were not selected this time. I couldn¡¯t even sleep properly for many days.¡± ¡°The same with me. In addition to the hard labour and being unable to sleep, the condition of my body, I can¡¯t even mention it anymore.¡± ¡°Dame, you look the healthiest among us. How were you selected to the supply line?¡± Some female Knights in the supply line were talking among themselves about how much they were nervous about the selection of supply line soldiers. One among them glanced at Kasia for some time and gathered her courage and asked her. In those ¡®you looked healthy¡¯ words, were hidden ¡®have you got through the back door¡¯. But Kasia didn¡¯t care about it. ¡°I barely made it back after being in the Mist Forest incident.¡± They all received a huge shocking hearing the words ¡®Mist Forest Incident¡¯. Hearing Kasia¡¯s words whispers began to emerge from the surroundings like ¡°Then is she that infamous Mist Forest Survivor?¡± ¡°I know I am being rude, still is it for real? I heard that the Mist Forest survivor barely escaped death and was gravely injured¡­.¡± ¡°My external injuries are almost healed but internal ones are still serious.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hearing the words ¡®serious internal injuries¡¯ the surrounding people all shook her head. They all heard through rumours that all those who were attacked by Ernon in the mist forest had their internal organs burst. Shortly after their attention towards Kasia faded away and Kasia didn¡¯t bother to explain anything about her any more. The shift of these soldiers at the supply line would be spread out so there were almost no chances to meet those people. Still, no good would come from getting along with them and entering their eyes. She only needed them to remember her as a part of the rear supply line. They were passing through the area recaptured by the imperial army. So from time to time, she could see common people approaching them with goodwill. When the rebel army occupied the area, they plundered the houses for the military supplies. After the region was recaptured by the troop led by Tasel, they restored the wrecked fields, repaired their broken houses and fences and asked the Lords to reduce the taxes for the time being. Albeit they were small or eaten by insects, they offered their most precious fruits bundled in sacks to the person in charge of the supply line. ¡®Tasel is more popular among the common masses than the nobles.¡¯ But the world she was now in was not a democratic society as her previous life. So having the support of the common people won¡¯t be of any help to hold the regime. Chapter 16 Emperor Alterion held the position as the lone sovereign of Callistonia which existed even before his regime. Kasia felt that birth and blood, here, was as important as the Mediaeval European society she was familiar with. ¡®What, it is game over once the situation flips over.¡¯ Kasia thought of Tasel¡¯s inherent limitations as insignificant and started to carefully observe the area they were passing through. Though the world she opened her eyes in looked similar to Mediaeval Europe, they were different. But the fact that she felt a sense of living from the people, even though they were in the middle of a war, provided quite a relief to her. She had been in war regions many times in her previous life, so she was very familiar with people who already cast themselves to death. They, albeit being alive but devoid of any hope about tomorrow, gloomily lived each day just breathing. So even after the war ended there, the people weren¡¯t able to go on living. ¡®If Tasel disappears, then all these people will be soon worn out by the tyranny of either the current Emperor or the first Prince¡­¡¯ As Kasia contemplated the impact of Tasel becoming either the Emperor of the Empire or King of Callistonia, she arrived at the Termion province from where she needed to disappear. From there the rear supply line will be divided into 3 groups and each group will head to different supply routes. So disappearing at that point was the safest option for her. In the name list provided to each supply route leader, there was no mention of Kasia¡¯s name. The soldiers she spent 3 days walking together with also held no curiosity towards which supply route Kasia would be assigned to, so there was no problem for her. In the gap when the soldiers were in chaos due to the assignment, Kasia skillfully hid in the shadows. Termion was a region to the southwest of the Imperial Palace. The Taleran mountain ranges at the Northwest and the Ertaleran mountain ranges to Southeast created a natural bottleneck area. At the gates built on the walls between these mountain ranges, irrespective of one¡¯s status, the identity of each passerby was diligently checked. Termion as a strategic military spot was the main camp of the Imperial Army. But for Tasel who decided to become the third power didn¡¯t give it much importance in his current situation. Kasia changed her dress and waited until the appointed time. After the rearrangement of the rear supply army, they went on their specified routes. In the tents of the army, which became desolate after their departure, laid Kasia¡¯s weapon and luggage. When Kasia showed a card given by Tasel to the guard of the tent, he, in a well-organized manner, politely handed over her baggage to her. Kasia securely tied each weapon to her body. After confirming the sunset, she soon left the tent. The gates of Termion were bright even in the darkness of night, thanks to the blazing torches. Passing through the gates of Termion was akin to having her weapons disclosed. So she decided to climb through the edge of the mountain range. There would, of course, be soldiers patrolling the vicinity, but during the current wartime, many of the soldiers were transferred. So she felt that, if she could avoid them skillfully, she would be able to pass the gate without killing anyone. ¡®I should choose a direction where I need to kill the least¡­¡¯ Kasia climbed up a big tree in that dense forest. Looking down, she found there were much more patrolling soldiers than expected. If she were to kill her way through, she would have got through in no time. But if she did that, then the karma she needed to bear will also pile up. These patrolling soldiers were just innocent people doing their work diligently. ¡®Tut.Though it¡¯s a waste, I am short on time. I can¡¯t help it.¡¯ Kasia took out a small explosive from her bag and threw it in the direction she came from. BOOM! The explosive was made according to her requests. So when it exploded it created a sound and dazzling light attracting all the attention of the patrol. It should rather be called a firecracker than an explosive. In that world, there were no bombs or an alternative that was capable of killing a large number of people. So Kasia made requests keeping firecrackers in her mind. The patrol was shocked and they rapidly went towards the place where the sound seemed to originate. Kasia ran with her full speed and reached the other side of the gate. The influence of the explosion hadn¡¯t reached there, so when the soldiers guarding the gate got the report of some strange movements, they were on their toes. ¡®From here I would need to use some force.¡¯ She approached a slope without making much noise and saw that below the slope only two soldiers were going back and forth keeping up the guard. Kasia fastened the bandage bound on her hand and tightened her fist. The moment the soldiers spread out, she slid down from the slope. A soldier who stood near the slope exclaimed as he spotted her. At the very moment, he felt a strong force hitting the pit of his stomach, before he fell and a hand struck his neck and he lost consciousness. ¡°Hey! What happened? D-don¡¯t be like that, it¡¯s scary!¡± The other soldier who was at a distance from him felt it strange and hesitantly came closer. The so-called soldiers were just boys of about seventeen years old, who still had some blush to their faces. It was natural for him to be scared. Kasia, politely, laid the unconscious soldier to the ground and ran towards the other one. She tripped him down and flattened him by strangling his neck. ¡®Hm, Everything went well till here. I need to leave here quickly before these lads wake up.¡¯ She hid behind a big tree and knocked out some more soldiers who came near. To proceed without killing was truly an inconvenience. Though her hand went towards the dagger tied on her hip many times, thinking about the pain and suffering she experienced due to the murders she had committed, she endured. But there was no end to her swearing. Once again she ran through the dark swiftly and safely arrived at a town near the Termion gate. There, she calmly acted as an ordinary Knight who lived in misery. Like that, she travelled for a week without any rest. After crossing two more gates, she finally arrived at the big and prosperous city right in front of the Imperial Palace, Pien. Kasia thought, because of the commotion she caused when crossing the Gates of Termion, the defence of the other gates will be tighter, but it was just so-so. It seemed that either there were not many who would stealthily cross the gates like her or very few to and fro messengers between the gates. The defence of a nation to be significantly sloppy meant that the foundation of the nation was crumbling. It had not been long since Kasia woke up in that world but even she could see that Callistonia was rotten to the core. Because of the continuous travel for an entire week, her under-trained body was pretty exhausted. She decided to rest in Pien for a day. The roads were paved very poorly. Add to that, the crowd with horses, carriages, wagons and pedestrians. At first, she thought of staying in an inconspicuous inn at the outskirts, But after considering, to collect more rumours about the royal family she went into a pretty decent and busy inn. ¡°Welcome, Honourable Knight! Are you stopping to grab a bite or looking for a room to stay?¡± ¡°I want to rest for a night. I also need to grab a bite.¡± ¡°You came to the right place. I will lead to your room. This way, please.¡± A middle-aged woman who seemed to be the hostess of the inn led Kasia to the second floor. In the corridor, many doors were cramped together, bathroom and bathhouse were outside, so the inn-stayers would come and go from time to time. The hostess opened the door of the room at the end of the corridor and showed it to Kasia. ¡°It is not easy to find such a room with this price. There was only one left.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°A silver and twenty copper coins for a night. You can dine at the diner below, the price varies based on the menu.¡± The woman who spoke with a bright smile didn¡¯t seem like lying and Kasia was yet to get used to the concept of pricing and currency of this world. But that didn¡¯t mean that she would generously give out to the point of luxury. So she decided to proceed with bargaining. ¡°A silver and twenty copper looks expensive, make it one silver.¡± ¡°Yes? That is a little¡­¡± ¡°Well then, I will look for some other place.¡± ¡°Oh, my my, Sir Knight! Hahaha. Don¡¯t go around selling your feet in vain¡­ How about one silver and fifteen copper?¡± ¡°A silver and five copper.¡± ¡°Ah¡­Phew¡­ a silver and thirteen copper! It will be very difficult to go lower than this.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ Then I will need to have food at another place¡­¡± ¡°No no, Sir Knight¡­ Okay. With the condition that you will have your food at our Inn, I will make it one Silver and ten copper.¡± Kasia was hopping for one Silver and ten copper in the first place, so she nodded her head with a slight smile right away. The hostess felt tongue-tied and went down to the first floor. The room was equipped with a single bed, a table, a chair and a shelf where one could put their belongings. There was also a window. The room was not bad. Truthfully, it was many times better than the tent she stayed in, in the barracks. On her way to Pien, because of the fear of surprise attack, the time she slept was minimal. Even if she were to sleep it would be leaning against some random cave walls or lying on a hammock made of ropes between tree branches. So from the bottom of her heart, she felt glad about the mattress on the bed. ¡®For now, I should rest and eat something. And keep my ears open to the surroundings.¡¯ Kasia took out a towel and a change of clothes. She proceeded to the bathhouse outside the inn. The bathhouse was divided into male and female. Each bath was further divided into two. In the wider area, one could soak their body and in the other part, one would need to take a bath with a mug. ¡°It is much better than I expected?¡± Kasia lathered her ragged hair with the soap she brought with her luggage. She scrubbed her body with the soap and washed. Then she soaked herself in the tub. Though the tub was not big, no other woman was using the bathhouse. So Kasia, as if renting the entire place, comfortably soaked her body in the warm water. It was not like the military garrison of Kyrel province. The water came directly from the hot spring, so hot water was available in the bathhouse. But over there, at the bathhouse, the cold water was heated to get a substantial temperature. Kasia carefully examined her very soaking body. After waking up, she didn¡¯t remember properly observing her new body even once. Now, carefully looking, that twenty-two-year-old body was full of vigour and vitality. Her current body was nothing compared to the previous physique of Kasia Del Roman. But her arduous training caused the body which used to be now adorned with strong sleek muscles. It was all thanks to the divine healer, that there was not even a scar left from the injuries of Mist Forest. It was not wrong to say that the physique of a warrior woman deals a huge blow to her charm level. For most females, they will prefer a previous soft and smooth body, but Kasia thought she would not need to advocate her femininity. Because her current life didn¡¯t look much different from her previous one. Kasia admired the resilience of her young body as she felt her muscles relaxing in the hot spring water one by one. But soon her mind once again turned towards the rescue mission of Queen Elena. Chapter 17 The most difficult part of the mission was getting into Queen Elena¡¯s room and being alone with her. If it were her previous world, the most difficult part would be leaving with an untrained person. But this was a world with magic. To Kasia, who was worrying over this issue, Tasel had handed a walnut-sized round golden ball. ¡°Once you are alone with my mother, move as close to her as possible and smash this on the floor. You will appear wherever I am.¡± Kasia who already threw away the common sense of her previous life calmly believed that without a doubt. But when she thought of the Mist forest incident where all the magicians just disappeared into thin air, Kasia asked Tasel whether they also used that same method. But he had shaken his head. ¡°There are not many magicians who can perform this magic. Whether for Ernon, or the magicians that accompanied him, it¡¯s impossible. And according to my knowledge, there is only one Mage that can contain this magic into an artefact. And there is no way he will help them.¡± Tasel didn¡¯t disclose the identity of the said Mage and Kasia felt that there was no need for her to know that at the moment. But still, she thought, if she continued to aid Tasel like that, in the future she would need to understand and know about the magic of that world. The magic of that world was an important variable for Kasia. Using the body and physical weapons to fight head-on in a battle, she can roughly guess the outcome. But once magic intervened, she wouldn¡¯t be able to predict the flow of the battle. When Kasia relieved her muscles and body of fatigue, she came out of the tub and wiped her body. Just as she finished wiping, her stomach rumbled. The city where darkness slowly settled in had a beauty of its own. In her previous life, she had seen cities lit with glamorous lights once it turned dark. But now, seeing the city crowded with small buildings adorned with yellow lights, the atmosphere felt very romantic and familiar. She went to the diner at the corner of the first floor of the inn she was staying at. She ordered their special chicken delicacy with veggie soup. While she was waiting, her eyes travelled to another corner, some people were dead drunk. Holding one another around their shoulders, they sang songs that only they knew. The songs felt more cheerful than noisy. Hearing them, Kasia thought that it was not bad. It was not that there were only males in the eatery. The other diners seemed to be commoners; their attire didn¡¯t look luxurious. None distanced themselves from others or covered their faces with robes. Just like any other place where people lived, they also just lived their lives day by day tangled and involved with one another. ¡®Everyone looks¡­ alive.¡¯ Seeing their ordinary appearances Kasia felt the vigour of ¡®a living person¡¯. The chicken delicacy brought out by the hostess was excellent; a chicken leg and a lump of chicken breast meat covered with a special sauce and baked to perfection. The crispy meat was served along with a green salad and a pinch of salt. The fat oozed out but it didn¡¯t minimize its crispiness. Eating the moist chicken along with the vegetable soup, it was so delicious that one¡¯s mouth will involuntarily gasp with an exclamation. ¡®Come to think of it, it has been a long time since I had such tasty food.¡¯ After all, Kasia was someone who nitpicked even in her previous life. She kept her ears opened as she slowly enjoyed her food. The guys who were singing a moment ago were now boisterously talking among themselves. At some other tables too, people were absorbed in conversations while eating. Murmur. ¡°I heard that these days a lot of goods were received by the palace. I really can not understand why they are collecting such a large amount of goods. Anyway, we are happy just by earning some bucks. But seeing the current state affairs I feel somewhat anxious.¡± ¡°What can happen anyway? Since his Majesty moved into the Karina Palace, they might just be short on goods.¡± Murmur. ¡°Damn it. It¡¯s not easy after leaving here! At the Tobu Bay, eatables and wearables are scarce. Now seeing all these things in abundance, I feel my stomach hurting.¡± ¡°I know that I shouldn¡¯t say this to you but¡­ the day after tomorrow the shop repair will be over. What can guys like us do? If the Captain asks us to go, we have to go.¡± Murmur. ¡°There is a legendary sword in the hands of the Emperor, as long as he holds that sword, nobody can defeat him. So, this time too, just stay near the royal palace. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± ¡°What Legendary sword. Ah, then why the hell is this war still going on!¡± Conversations of people around her flew into Kasia¡¯s ears. She was well aware of how much weight these miscellaneous rumours and gossips of the common people held. Even then she was able to attain information like ¡®The Emperor possesses a legendary sword¡¯. There was about fifty-fifty chance for such gossips to be the truth or to contain the truth. ¡®But if the Emperor is confident that he won¡¯t be defeated in this battle, and if it is because of something he possesses, then some of that strange behaviour of the Emperor makes sense¡­¡¯ The question was if he possessed something by which he could win that battle, then why was he dragging the war that long. ¡®Either he is currently unable to use it, or he got some reason that he must finish of Tasel in this battle. And all the talks about the Legendary Sword could be utter gibberish too.¡¯ After having her dinner, Kasia went to her room and enjoyed lying on a comfortable bed after a long time. But because of her strong senses as an assassin, she would open her eyes right away if she sensed someone in her vicinity, even the drop of a pin. The next morning, after having a breakfast of bread and tea on the first floor, she came out of the inn and took a stroll around the city. Food carts, dress stalls, hardware shops, smithy, butchery, bakehouse, vegetable and fruit dealers, shops for almost all necessities of an ordinary person crowded that long street. Such a busy street was hard to come by in the Middle-East war zone or even economically developing areas. The vendors were busy sweeping the areas around their stalls and diligently arranging the goods on display. From somewhere the salivating aroma of freshly baked bread tricked out. The traffic on the street was rising. ¡°Make way! Count Elten is passing through! Everyone step aside!¡± Hearing the loud voice of the coachman from far away, people took the initiative and moved to the sides of the road. Soon after, a gilded carriage rushed through the road and disappeared along the path to the Palace gate. Taking a bite of an apple bought from a nearby fruit vendor, Kasia watched all these silently. The apple was smaller than a fist, but in the world with few sweet foods, she felt the apple exceptionally sweet. Kasia planned to roam the city till evening. Of course with eyes and ears opened. As she walked into an alley where the common people resided, the scene was not very different from that of a back alley she visited in South America; in her previous life. The laundries hung between the buildings, the women who were hanging the laundry, children running around harmoniously, the older generation smoking on the chairs laid out in front of the house and silently watching the children playing. ¡®The place people live in are all the same.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t help but think that after seeing a place in this world almost similar to what she saw in her previous life. Passing the area she walked more into the depths. She saw a slum. The houses were more shabby and small. She also sensed a strange smell drifting from somewhere. And above all, people there looked blank, expressionless. They sent suspicious and guarded stares at Kasia who wore much better clothes than them. At the time, she felt a skinny, juvenile looking boy whom she saw when she entered the alley persistently staring at her. Kasia pretended not to know and went further into the slum. But as expected, that pair eyes continuously followed her. ¡®A simple robber. Or is he seeking something from me?¡¯ Kasia went into an alleyway and climbed up a wall in the shade of a building and hid her body. Sure enough, that skinny looking boy entered the alleyway following her. But discovering Kasia sudden disappearance, he looked around in fluster as if looking for her. He couldn¡¯t find any signs of any person other than himself. He approached the shade. But the moment he started to search, Kasia suddenly jumped down behind him. She tightened her arms around his neck from behind and placed a small dagger against his neck. ¡°Since a while ago, you seem to have something to do with me. What is it?¡± Sensing the sharp iron against his neck, his body became completely stiff. There were only some groans coming out of his mouth. As they stood close to each other, Kasia found the other person skinnier than she expected. Kasia who thought of exerting more force on him slightly loosed her hand and asked again. ¡°I will kill you if you don¡¯t answer. I asked for your purpose of following me.¡± ¡°A¡­ a¡­ Tu¡­ Tula asked¡­ to bring you¡­¡± ¡°Tula? Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Que¡­ Queen¡­ of the night¡­¡± ¡°You are rambling things I can¡¯t understand. So, what did this Tula say when she asked to bring me over?¡± ¡°Ah! She asked me to¡­ bring the dark-haired female kni¡­ knight staying in the Allue Inn.¡± The inn she stayed was certainly Allue inn, and other than her, there seemed no other female knight. Though she was a brunette, in some way her hair could also be described as dark. So he seemed to look for her. Her decision to stay in this city was on an impulse and only a night had passed. She couldn¡¯t make out how someone could easily find it and ordered another to bring her. A curiosity rose in her. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s meet this person called Tula. Lead the way.¡± He got back his life from Kasia and also followed Tula¡¯s orders. The guy, as if fearing she will change her mind, hurriedly lead the way. Though he looked back from time to time, he couldn¡¯t see any sign of expression on her. The guy came to halt at a by-street. Strangely there was no passersby insight. The by-street was wide enough to be called the main street but it was deserted. He confirmed the presence of Kasia behind him and knocked at the door of a building announcing their arrival. Creeeek. The door opened. The guy whispered something to the person inside and went out to the other side of the street. The youngster on the other side opened the door towards her and made a slight bow. ¡°She is waiting for you. Please go in.¡± No one would say that there were people inside the building. And it was not a small number. Who was the person waiting for her ¨C a friend or foe? Though in her current situation she was not sure about any of these, without hesitating, Kasia took a step and disappeared into the building. The boy guarding the door did a quick inspection of the surroundings and closed the door. Though it seemed shabby at a glance from outside, it was built sturdy and solid. The decorations covering the walls and stairs glittered in the morning sunlight passing through the window, which appeared a bit awkward. But in the night with all the yellow lights it would be stunning and flashy. The youngster led Kasia toward an underground room. Chapter 18 ¡°Tula-nim, the person is here.¡± ¡°Please come in.¡± He stood before the door. The voice that gave permission for him to enter certainly belonged to a young woman. The young man opened the door. A splendid view of a sitting room filled her vision. The floor was adorned with a red carpet, plush sofas and a table with colourful patterns. The display cupboard was filled with silverware. Sitting obliquely on the large sofa was a red-haired voluminous beauty- looking at Kasia¡­.. Without greeting the red-haired woman, Kasia sat down on the sofa opposite her. The red-haired beauty was at a loss of words at Kasia¡¯s forwardness, but a beautiful smile blossomed on her face. ¡°Why did you ask to see me?¡± Still smiling, Tula slightly raised her chin towards the servant standing at a distance and soon, the servant returned with tea. Tula calmly watched the servant pour tea. Right afterwards, she took a sip. ¡°I guarantee that there is no poison in the tea. Please don¡¯t hesitate and drink it.¡± Her coquettish voice was like jade beads rolling on a smooth, silver platter. Though her timbre was ticklish, it was no doubt a clear and sonorous one. Kasia raised the teacup near her lips, seemingly taking a sip. There was no numbing sensation or any strange taste to the tea. Only then did she drink the tea. ¡°Phew. You sure are very thorough. No wonder you are the Last Card.¡± Hearing her words, Kasia was certain that the news of her arrival was passed over from Tasel¡¯s side. After all, ¡®The Last Card¡¯ was a phrase spoken by Michael. ¡°How did you find out about me coming to this place?¡± ¡°I have connections.¡± ¡°Why did you want to meet with me?¡± ¡°To confirm whether the Shadow Walkers have a new member. It has been quite a while since they have had one.¡± ¡°You¡­seem like an executive of the Pien region.¡± ¡°There are no rankings within the Shadow Walkers. Every member works independently. Are you not also the same?¡± ¡°I have not heard much about the details, so I¡¯m not sure. Anyways, did you call me just for small talk?¡± Hearing the dry words from Kasia, Tula shrugged her shoulders. Tula gestured for the servant guard to leave. After that, she started talking in a relatively low voice, ¡°How can I waste the time of such a busy person? Though, I am glad to be able to meet you in person.¡± She took another sip of her tea and looked at Kasia thoroughly, then said, ¡°There is a new piece of intel from Karina Palace. It is said that someone from the First Prince¡¯s side is lurking around there. Also, the abode of Queen Elena was moved from West Star Palace to the Tower at the East End. She¡¯s locked up at the top of the tower.¡± ¡°What a special way to treat a Queen who¡¯s not even dethroned.¡± Tula sighed, ¡°Such bastards. Communicating with the enemy, persecuting His Highness the Second Prince and Her Majesty Elena without a break and laying the weight on the Second Prince to suppress the rebels. That is simply colluding with the rebel faction. The Emperor must be crazy.¡± Tula¡¯s expression of an enchanting fox just a while ago turned completely ugly in no time. It felt like her eyes were going to shoot flames. ¡°By any chance the rescue mission of Her Majesty Elena fails and you are pursued, you must flee towards the village. Not to Pien or any other region. If there is a black brick among the walls at any building entrances, knock on any of those buildings and say ¡®I¡¯m here to get some black wine¡¯. They¡¯ll let you hide right away.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to not allow such things to happen.¡± Tula was earnest towards Kasia¡¯s indifferent response. ¡°Please succeed. Though the cities near the Imperial Palace are a bit better, the same cannot be said for the places furthest away from the capital. It is in a complete mess. The nobles of these regions exploited the citizens because of the Emperor¡¯s inefficient governance. The cities touched by the Rebel Army were all reduced to people dying from starvation, women being raped, and even little boys being forced to be recruited as soldiers. That crazy Emperor must be dragged down along with that insane First Prince! He is just the same war maniac as his father. If we are able to rescue Queen Elena, the Second Prince will be able to rise up.¡± Though she does not know about any specific details, Tula seemed to sincerely wish for Tasel to take over the country. Kasia nodded and finished the remaining tea, ¡°I came across an interesting rumour in the diner yesterday. Apparently, the Emperor is in possession of a legendary sword and he will never be defeated as long as he holds it. Have you heard anything about it?¡± ¡°Yes, that sword does exist. I have also heard about it from an old aristocratic customer- the sword emits a mysterious light when held by the Emperor and will provide him with an enormous amount of strength. It¡¯s said that the Emperor has not suffered any losses whatsoever because of this sword. Strangely though, the sword had disappeared at some point.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s the case. How¡­.did you find my location? Are you really against disclosing it?¡± Tula once again glanced at the door. She sat beside Kasia and whispered in her ear, ¡°The Second Prince once told me: though few people know about his proficiency in magic, he can track your location from your tracking spell. Also, he is able to convey your location to me via the conscious transmission spell. If the Emperor came to know about the Second Prince¡¯s outstanding magic abilities, he will never leave him alone. So, His Highness Prince Tasel had been forced to keep this secret from a young age.¡± Tula trusted Kasia with this secret. It was a secret known only by Queen Elena and a few Shadow Walker members. Kasia left the room after hearing Tula¡¯s plea to safely rescue Queen Elena once again. The youngster from before was waiting for her near the door. He courteously escorted Kasia to the entrance. Kasia walked towards the busy city centre and had a hearty meal. After buying some more meat jerky, she set off for Karina Palace. She was rejuvenated after a night¡¯s rest and she resumed with her mission, reaching the small town of Artevian in three days. Artevian was many times smaller than Pien, but it was a quiet and beautiful town. The abundant trees infused the town with refreshing, fallen flowers everywhere. There were only a few passersby, but they all greeted one another with friendly smiles. In short, they were kind wherever she went. The streets were tidy and clean whenever she roamed around buying bread or any other food items. However, she could not wander around as much as she did in Pien. She had to be cautious of the surveying guards. Kasia soon went towards the stable instructed by Tasel. Many owners were waiting for customers. Kasia browsed the owners for a ¡®white-haired old man with a wooden leg and said to him: tonight, a woman needs to be delivered to the Karina Palace. At the time when the Ellon star rises, wait by the entrance of Asel Forest south of Karina Palace. After conveying the message, she left to get lodging. In contrast to Pien, the price could not even be bargained for a shabby inn on the outer side. Throwing her baggage onto the bed, she looked out from her window. She did not see any suspicious people lurking nearby the inn. After locking the door, she opened her baggage and took out the weapons, poisons and explosives. Now, she needed to get ready for the battle. She took off all of her clothing and wrapped bandages around her ankle and wrist for protection. She then donned a black dress. Though she could do nothing to soothe her longing for the stretchable battle outfit she wore in her previous life, the dress she brought was not baggy as it stuck to her body and was not uncomfortable to move in it. Her pants had pockets to put a short sword or a dagger. Since it was made according to her design, the pockets could especially accommodate daggers and poisons. She fastened her weapons and poison around her body, making it convenient for her hands to reach. She arranged her weapons similarly in her past life, so there would be no room for confusion. Still, it was disappointing that there were no guns. Unless she used a bow and arrows, there were no alternatives for long-distance weapons. She could not carry a bow and arrows either. Hence, if any assassins were targeting her from a distance, she would be at a disadvantage. I hope I¡¯ll be lucky From her previous life, if there was a situation where she could not prepare beforehand, she will just wish herself good luck. After all, it was something that could not be solved, so why does she still contemplate or worry about it? Who knows, perhaps it made her bolder. When others were faced with unknown situations, they shrunk back. On the other hand, Kasia would face it head on to the point of being reckless. Of course, there were a few times when death almost knocked on her door, but during those times, she had not hesitated or wanted to give up. She had no choice. Kasia finished her preparations and impassively waited for sunset. She stuffed her remaining items in her bag, Since it was alright to just throw it out, she thought of discarding it somewhere after leaving the inn at dusk. She sat on the wooden floor in an upright manner, heightening the environment around her, pulling up the sensitivity of her five senses. From the vibrations on the floor, she could feel the movement of the people in the inn, from the window gap of noises of the street to the drifting small penetrating into her olfactory and auditory senses. She felt that soon, she would attain the state of selflessness. Though locating her enemies by hiding herself was something she did a few times in her previous life, she felt that she was able to focus more in this world for some reason. From the vibrations, smells and sounds, she felt that she could comprehend all of the actions of the people in the inn. Five people are sharing this corridor¡­¡­three of them look bored and the other two are normal. On the first floor¡­are they preparing dinner? Seems like a stew is brewing¡­.this doesn¡¯t feel like vegetables. Ah yes, someone is chopping meat. The sound of the knife against the board isn¡¯t gentle. Ah, just now, two, no three people came into the inn through the entrance. Dinner customers. At that moment, she realised she could sense a lot more things than in her previous life. She opened her eyes. Chapter 19 What sort of senses are these? Just like¡­. I can feel like touching them, seeing them. In the previous life I could only feel some energy/presence¡­¡­ Even her current body had no training in this aspect. She was just an ordinary woman with a job as a female knight. .¡­¡­Since this is a world of magic, Is this much sensitivity common for all¡­? As she thought, she felt the life she entered into some game world and a laugh came out of her. Anyway it was a good thing that the senses are many times sensitive. Kasia meditated some more as she tested her more sensitive senses. Like that she was able to discern different voices inside the inn. Outside the sky darkened. Like the sky is covered in clouds, even the bright moonlight seemed to be covered. Now let¡¯s get started. Kasia stood up, unlocked the door and packed up her baggage. Also she slightly glanced out of the window and then opened the window sills. The night smells different than daytime. A scent that can calm one¡¯s senses. If she takes this road, either succeed the mission or die. It was always like this. She took another glance at the cloudy dark sky and jumped out of the window. * * * To pass through the entrance of Karina Palace surrounded by sturdy walls without any disturbance was a difficult task. Fortunately the royal family and the nobles within the castle were engaged with their own things. When it turns night these noblities will bring street whores into the palace to fulfill their perverted desires. ¡®Though it¡¯s grateful to me.¡¯ Kasia put on the robe she prepared and went towards the location informed by the horseman. At the Asel forest entrance, the horseman she met at the stable stood beside a carriage and was waiting for her. Other than asking for money he didn¡¯t ask any other questions. After entering the carriage she took off her vest and waistcoat then put on the robe once again. The queue to pass the palace gate was considerably long. Which meant that much whores were called into the palace. ¡°Confirm the identity! Open the carriage!¡± As she heard the voice of the guarding soldier when it became their turn, Kasia adjusted her posture. Bang! The carriage doors were opened and a brusque looking soldier looked at Kasia piercingly. ¡°Take off the robe and show your face!¡± Kasia slowly raised her head and looked at the guard with sluggish eyes. With a bright smile Kasia slowly lowered her robe. Even after the robe slid down from her collarbone, there were no clothes that covered her shoulders and at this sight, the guard was embarrassed. When her rob slid down a little more which almost exposed her breast, the guard swallowed his saliva with a visible disappointment shouted ¡°Okay, next¡± and roughly closed the carriage door. The moment the carriage started to move, Kasia secured her vest and waist coat on her body and slightly opened the window curtain and observed the outside. Karina Palace was the summer palace of the Emperor, so the paths were not much complicated. But there were a lot of soldiers guarded with the likes of a small palace. ¡®Seems like he very much values his life¡¯. Outside children, youngsters and many more died everyday, and the person called Emperor is hiding in the peaceful warm night and lived out his days leisurely. Even an ignorant person like Kasia felt that the Emperor is not in sane mind. The East tower that Tula said was conspicuous even from afar. Though she strongly stressed that such a greyish looking and separately stood tower was not a place fitting for a queen, but for her who needed to infiltrate there, it was to her advantage. But there were many guards that patrolled the path from the gate to the tower, and it was not difficult to find that, even with a little bit of noise, more guards would surround her. The other carriages with curtained windows were moving towards the back entrance used to bring in the goods and other things to the palace rather than the front gate by which those noblities entered. When the carriage moved towards the barely lit back entrance, she opened the carriage doors and dove into trees in the garden. The horseman certainly must have felt someone open the carriage door and should have jumped out, but he without a change in movement, calmly whipped the horse to move towards the palace entrance. Fortunately the Back entrance where Kasia came down was east of the palace. Though the tower where Queen Elena was locked was just ahead, but still it was within a stone¡¯s throw. As one looked at it from close, the tower looked all the more gloomy. The tower walls were covered with timeworn ivy and looked like adorned in dark brown colour. And there was not even a window with lights on. It was only at the entrance where the guards patrolled showed some human activity in the whole of the tower. ¡®Inside, a total of ¡­. 6 people¡¯. Two soldiers steadily guarded the entrance. Two at a time alternately patrolled the surroundings. Kasia waited for the moment when these 2 groups of soldiers passed away from the entrance. Slowly she felt her nerves all over her body become more alert. Kasia liked the feeling of the energy within her body that was at the verge of exploding. Like a hungry predator ready run towards his prey. When the two sets of soldiers passed by each other and disappeared into the surrounding, Kasia started to make her move. The daggers applied with poison were thrown out by Kasia. They embedded themselves at the necks of the soldiers that guarded the entrance. Because of the effect of the poison, they fell down on their spot without any noise. Kasia took out the rope with a hook tied on to her waist and shot it towards the 2nd floor window. The rope was securely hooked. With no time, she reached the second floor through the rope and got into the second floor through the window. As Kasia broadened her senses, she stepped on to the stone stair and moved towards the top. The Emperor was well aware that Tassel was not able to stand or sit because of his mother. So it was out of expectation for such a tight security for a tower where just a single queen was locked but the working mentality of the guards were terrible. As the Queen didn¡¯t leave nor there was anyone who visited her, the soldiers just stood there and did some guarding along the way. There were some guards from time to time as she moved towards the top, some just slept spread out on the stairs, and some were busy as they played poker in some small rooms. Ironically, their terrible working attitude saved their lives. She just quickly walked away when confronted with sleeping soldiers and for the ones who played poker, she just passed by without leaving any trace. As they were played loudly and noisily, they would not be able to hear the groans of their comrades dying. As she became closer to the top, the guards there possessed a posture and temperament of a soldier. From now on it¡¯s gonna be a war of speed. However she proceeds, there would be noise. Before the guards from downstairs rushed to the top, she must get into the queen¡¯s room and disappear with her. Kasia carefully pulled out two curved knives from the sheath hanging from her waist. As she expanded her senses, she could sense a total of 7 soldiers including the ones in the room, going back and forth. Taking a 2 step back and moved her body, exploded the energy inside her body and rushed over. ¡°Wh, Who are you! Knock!¡± As she wielded her sharp knife in an X motion with ease, 2 soldiers fell to the ground and dark red blood splattered all over the wall. It seems the fishy smell of blood is more sensitive to humans than a dog. The soldiers who reacted towards the smell rather than the noise, pulled out their swords and rushed to the stairs. But before the long sword reached her, Kasia wielded a curved knife from a lower level and took away their legs first. Kasia understood the pain of her chasers, so in order to end it as soon as possible, her knife swiftly struck directly on to their neck. Like a sword dance she wielded her curved knife on her own desertion and blocked the sword of a soldier rushing towards her. She kicked hard on his knees and soon he , who was groaned in pain, also died a less painful death. When she was almost at the top, as they were notified of the death of the guards, a chaotic energy rushed towards them from downstairs. Even before you took out her knife, she heard someone shout ¡°What? Who died?¡±. Kasia cleanly cut the throat of the soldier who lay crooked by her kick and picked up the door keys hanging on his waist. She opened the wooden door without any noise, got in and locked back the room. She carefully observed her surroundings. It was quiet around her. Because the window shutters were closed tightly there not an ray of light in the room. But in spite of the urgency of the situation, Kasia calmly expanded her senses. Soon just like what happened in the inn, she felt different presences from her vicinity. The soldiers are rushing here from downstairs. But¡­. from this room¡­..! Kasia hurriedly took out a match from her bosom and candle from her pocket and lit it. ¡°.¡­¡­!¡± In the room of the top floor of the tower, there was a woman assumed to be Queen Elena. But, it was not a living woman. Kasia approached the white bones huddled up in a corner as if they were discarded there. Since it had come to white bones, it must have been long since she died. Maybe she already left this world even before this war started. ¡°Damn it¡­.. I just thought so¡­..¡± The efforts of Tasel as he tried all this while to rescue Queen Elena ¨C maybe he was also worried that this would happen. This was also the exact situation that worried Kasia when she left for Karina Palace. Of course , it can also be that these bones are not of Queen Elena¡¯s at the first place, but its possibility is very low. Because to threaten Tasel with a living Queen is more effective, so there was no reason for them to hide Elena and lock some others bones here. Bang-! Bang-! She heard the sound of soldiers as they hit the wooden door with something from outside to tear it down. Kasia took out the golden ball given by Tasel as she securely hugged the bones of that poor woman on her dress. Bang-! The moment when the wooden door started to crack by the continuous strikes from the outside, Kasia threw the ball hard onto the floor and broke it as she disappeared from there. When the golden ball hit the floor, she felt her eyes dazzled by a bright light and her consciousness became muddled. In order not to let go of the bones in her bosom , she applied more strength. Flop Kasia suddenly felt a sense of ground beneath her foot and staggered down as she fainted. ¡°Dame Kasia!¡± ¡°ugh!¡± Chapter 20 In order not to let go of the dress pile in her bosom, she turned her body over. After the impact of her body falling on to the ground, she regained her senses and saw the earth floor before her eyes. But it was silent around her. When she raised her head she was confronted with gazes of awe struck Zich and Michael and the pale looking Tasel. Kasia staggered up from the floor without saying any word. She went to the large table in the tent and gently put the dress pile on it as she assembled the scattered bones. Michael asked with a barely squeezed out vice. ¡°.¡­. Dame Kasia, what is that? It¡¯s not right? No way, that¡­. It¡¯s not Her majesty right?¡± Kasia without giving an answer just concentrated on assembling the bones. ¡°Say that it¡¯s not true! Kasia! You! Its not , right!¡± Michael rushed towards the silent Kasia and pulled her around by grabbing her shoulder. He roared with reddish eyes. Though he sounded angry, in truth it was a cry. Kasia lowered her head as if she did something wrong. The mission was a failure. ¡°You¡­. it¡¯s not. You got wrong. There was an information meanwhile that the quarters of Her Majesty was changed. So you must have mistaken.¡± Michael only then barely came out of the state of denying the reality. ¡°.¡­¡­ I heard it from Tula of Pien. And I was also able to infiltrate into the top of the East tower she mentioned, but¡­¡­ In the corner of the locked room at the top floor of the tower , there was only a skeleton laid there.¡± Michael still held onto Kasia¡¯s shoulder with both his hands , but his breath became rough. Though her shoulder held by Michael hurts, she endured without making any noise. ¡°Michael, Let go off Dame Kasia.¡± (Remove your hands from Dame Kasia) Tasel opened his mouth. Though he sounded resonant like always, it was weak as if he lost his soul. Tasel slowly walked towards the table step by step. ¡°.¡­ This is my mother¡¯s dress. There was¡­ only a few dresses, so I know all of my mother¡¯s¡­. dresses.¡± After saying that he tightly closed his lips and approached the body. He lightly ran his fingers over the water stained dress. The interior of the tent was sunk in silence. Tasel who was silently looking at the skeleton over the table, gently patted that dress which became the only keep sake of his beloved mother. The appearance of his mother, wearing this same dress seeing him off when he set off for the battle was still fresh in his memory. Though she was not glamorous, she was as lovely as Myosotis (Forget-me-not). If she was just a daughter of an ordinary aristocrat , she would have been able to enjoy the love of her husband. How can there be any moment of happiness or joy in the life of a daughter born in royalty. Tasel eyes stuck onto the hole in the upper part of the dress and the bloodstain trailing down from there. Zich and Michael who stood beside him were also the same. Tears had already begun to flow out from Michael¡¯s eyes. Kasia thoroughly observed the skeleton she hugged in her bosom. The woman¡¯s height was not much and looking at the bones, she seems rather skinny too. ¡®A suicide or a murder.¡¯ Looking at the size of the tear(hole) in the dress, it must be a knife as narrow as a dagger. It can be that someone hid a knife in his bosom and stabbed her when they were left alone, or it can be also that she stabbed herself. Even if she stabbed herself, the possibility of forcing her to die also can¡¯t be omitted. At that moment she realized that a part of the neckline is strangely inclined. As soon as Kasia put her hand on that part, Zich roared at her saying ¡°What are you doing!¡± but Tasel stopped him by raising his hands. ¡°Here.. it¡¯s a bit strange.¡± Tasel came close to Kasia and touched the part pointed by Kasia. ¡°There is something inside the stitches/cloth.¡± Kasia took out a small knife and handed it to Tasel. Tasel slowly and carefully cut the stitches of the dress. Inside there was a small piece of paper scribbled with something. ¡°T¡­..This¡­.¡± Without minding the stuttering Zich, with a rustle Tasel unfolded the paper. Something held inside the paper fell into the floor. That was a small ring. ¡°.¡­. This looks like my mother¡¯s will.¡± Tasel carefully put down the paper after scrutinizing the paper for a while. Kasia who stood beside him was able to see the content of the paper. Tasel, I am not even sure whether you will get this letter, if you was able to find this letter then please forgive this mother for going ahead. I was able to endure all those tortures and humiliations, but I can¡¯t put up with a life where I became a bait to endanger my child¡¯s life. I pray that the new of my death can reach you as soon as possible so that you can have a life. I love, Tasel. You was the only light in my life. The paper piece was too small for her to write much. At the end of the letter , a small signature was there. Seeing Tasel not speaking a word, he seems to understand the cause of her death. And the ring tightly held in Tasel¡¯s hand is the keepsake of his mother. Elena knew that her son¡¯s life was endangered because of her. So she ended her life herself. And the Emperor , in order not to unleash the lash on his son, just left Elena¡¯s body to rot without even arranging a proper funeral. Who knows maybe he thought that, Tasel was going to die any way and its not a problem for not informing him about the death of his mother. ¡°Highness¡­..¡± Zich went near Tasel and lightly put his hands on his shoulders. Michael who was silently shedding tears all the while cried out aloud with a crackling sound as if he can¡¯t hold on anymore. ¡°Even though we could find the mother¡¯s body,to hold a funeral here is still impossible. Zich, please get me a small wooden coffin (box). Michael, you must know some good scenic spots in the Back mountain right? Mother should be ¡­.. buried there.¡± Towards the end, his voice was almost nasal, but still he held onto the tears and took a deep breath. ¡°Dame Kasia, you worked hard. At last I was able to meet with my mother only because of you. You must be tired, so just retire and take a good rest. I will give you an appropriate reward later.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I wish to follow Her Majesty in her last journey.¡± After a while, Tasel, Kasia, Zich and Michael went out of the tent towards the back mountains holding a small wooden box and 2 shovels. The mourning was too simple to call it the last journey of a Queen of a nation. They went up to the rocky top of the mountain (the place where Michael pulled Kasia to see the sun rise) and shoved a deep pit in the land. The box which held the skeleton and her dress was not very big, so it didn¡¯t take much time to dig a pit. Tasel by himself dug the pit , laid his mother in it and covered it. It was a simple tomb without even a burial mound. So they could only consider the large rocks on there as the tombstone for her, even though it was disappointing. They stood on the rocks and looked down at the garrison, each engrossed in different thoughts, sadness and regrets of their own. ¡°Then from now on, what are you planning to do.¡± Kasia asked towards Tasel. ¡°I am planning to go away (move/transfer/migrate) along with the people that want to follow me. The deputy commander Aslan will be responsible for the remaining.¡± It was easy to say it, but it was certain that there would be contradictions among the Knights. Most of the private soldiers might want to follow Tasel because of his Character, but for the noble knights, there will be many, thinking about their families in the empire unable to easily make any movement. Also it was for certain that the old knights of the Emperor¡¯s faction will inform the emperor about Tasel¡¯s betrayal with quick steps as soon as they make any move. There is also the influence of the 1st prince still lurking among. It might be hard for the Emperor to directly order for Tasel¡¯s death, but by any chance the Emperor and the first prince reached some sort of agreement as per the rumors, it¡¯s unknown how many attacks he will face en route to the outskirts. The people gathered in that place, thinking about the things gonna happen in the future, took a deep breath. One part of Kasia thought that it was better for Queen Elena to die. Of course, she also pitied for her lost life. In truth , for her to sympathize about Elena¡¯s circumstance itself was a huge feat compared to Kasia Del Roman. Still Kasia was unable to leave behind the habits of her previous life, so her calculation that it¡¯s better without Elena for Tasel¡¯s action, naturally came into her mind. ¡®It seems the process of becoming a human from a machine is very much chaotic.¡¯ Kasia knew that in her previous life, others mentioned her as only a ¡®Killing Machine¡¯ , but she thought that there was no wrong in it. She didn¡¯t feel any emotional pain when killing a person, acted according to orders, and always calculated her efficiency. So it became easy to handle her job. But after waking up from death, she began to feel all sorts of emotions that she never felt in her previous life according to different circumstances. Though it gave her some joy as if she was turning into a human, on the contrary there was also ¡®It¡¯s not easy to handle the job¡¯ within her. Sometimes she will think about the afterlife she experienced before opening her eyes once again. The memories never ending murders and the pain it followed¡­¡­ Even at that time she couldn¡¯t understand any of those feelings, but after arriving in this world she felt like understanding those emotions bit by bit. So what the god really wants is her penance. ¡®I still can¡¯t understand it.¡¯ Even though her previous life was quite abnormal she still mistook it even after living such a life. But it doesn¡¯t seem that the murders she committed in her previous life is the reason why she opened her eyes in this world. If killing is a sin, then it will be impossible to find someone innocent in the battle field. She thought that there must be a reason for the god to give her a second chance. So she made up her mind to live this life differently from her previous one. Learn emotions as a person, form relationships with others, treat the place where she eats, sleeps and wear as a place of love and life(concept of home), and to determine an aim of life that others call as ¡®Dream¡¯. Maybe because it hadn¡¯t been a long since Kasia changed from a Machine to a human, it was difficult to set her own standards. So she simply thought that she might be able to see her path if she follow Tasel, whom she considers to be the most upright of all. ¡°I will do my best to follow, if there is anything for me to do.¡± Kasia said placidly to Tasel. Tasel raised his head and measured up the emotionless doll like female knight in front of him. After regaining her health and sturdiness, though it was not, her body looked tough. Those green eyes, devoid of any grief or hesitation, were asking him his next plan, but seeing that relentless eyes enough to be called pure, Tasel hesitated. This female Knight without being bothered about the nature of the order, she will follow it as it is. Which was exactly the scariest aspect about her. Chapter 21 ¡°Dame Kasia, what sort of world do you wish for?¡± ¡°What? Don¡¯t know. If it is a world accomplished by your highness, then it must be a fine place.¡± ¡°No, what I am asking is your thoughts. According to you, what sort of world would be good?¡± With Tasel¡¯s question, Kasia was at a loss of words. A good world ¨C she didn¡¯t know and hadn¡¯t even thought about it. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about it. A country where the citizens don¡¯t starve for food ¨C isn¡¯t that such a good world?¡± ¡°Is having enough food all that is needed? Before the war, no citizen starved for food. Then can that be called a good country?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­. I don¡¯t know. In truth all I care about is some good food and a comfortable place to sleep.¡± Why did Tasel ask her such questions? Kasia was a bit taken back. To build a good country ¨C it was a topic Tasel should think about along with his staff. All she needed to do was believe in him and help him as his tool¡­. Ah¡­.! Once again I am thinking of being a tool. When he saw Kasia¡¯s expression as if she had she realized something, a small smile grazed on Tasel¡¯s face. ¡°Dame Kasia, I am not trying to make a world I want. I want to make a better world by gathering good ideas from everyone. Won¡¯t you also put some thoughts? This is your first assignment.¡± In her previous life no one ever asked for her thoughts. Whether in her previous life or present life, to face such a situation for the first time, though awkward, she felt strangely delighted. Yes¡­I can also think. I am not a machine, rather a person. The thought of I am also a human, swayed Kasia for the first. While Kasia left for Karina Palace, Tasel and Zich were busy with some behind-the-screen negotiation. The news of the tower which confined the remains of Queen Elena was attacked and her body was destroyed would reach His Majesty¡¯s ears soon ¨C Tasel also needed to make his movements quickly. Throughout the night, they made plans with the nobilities on the border and peripheral areas about where and how to march their allayed might and when the day brightened, an explosive announcement was dropped into the whole army. Zich was the one to come forward for the announcement. ¡°Because of this meaningless war, innocent citizens died and injured. Not just that, the nobles who used to be loyal to the empire, suddenly one morning, split into 2 sides, and offered their troops and fortune. And its price! All this while the rebels and the Emperor had contact with each other and we confirmed that they plan to harm the 2nd highness through this war and then to split the country in half. Her Highness Elena Favanne Khan, mother of the 2nd Highness, was driven to death by His Majesty, but the truth was concealed from His Highness. They considered the loyalty of the nobles and commoners must be enjoyed by only them, but the 2th prince is different from them. We won¡¯t any longer watch the exploitation of the royal family in silence. I take the honour to announce at this stage that, along with the confederation of the nobles and the turncoats who have pledged their allegiance with His Highness 2nd Prince, together will create a new world. Also, those who don¡¯t wish to follow His Highness own their own accord, His Highness won¡¯t hold it against them , So those who wish to follow Highness will be marching to the Northwest after 2 hours.¡± After Zich¡¯s announcement, Tasel came forward. ¡°You guys must be flustered by this sudden declaration. But if things go on like this, our army would get exterminated by the feint operation of the rebel army and His Majesty¡¯s army at the rear, so I am forced to take such a difficult decision. The citizens will be relieved, engaged in their livelihood, the noblities will take care of the people and at the same time will support the present of the empire, and the emperor will make suggestions for the country¡¯s future. For such an ideal country, I hope you people can provide me your strength.¡± At that time the battle hardened old man from His Majesty¡¯s faction, Deputy Commander Aslan, without even showing respect towards His Highness, shouted out, ¡°Do you think the soldiers will stand on your side, who has traitorous intentions!¡± ¡°That¡¯s still unknown. If you are going back to the royal palace, do inform my greetings to Father King.¡± Haring the cold tone of Tasel¡¯s reply, Aslan clenched fists quivered with anger, as he hurried to assemble the knights under him. The soldiers were given 2 hours to think it through. The buzzing of the soldiers made the garrison noisy. ¡°Ka,Kasia, what should we do?¡± Krone asked Kasia with an anxious face. ¡°Krone, I will follow High Highness 2nd prince. And it would be good if you also follow him. If we stick to His Majesty, for us commoners, there is no gain. I believe that 2nd Highness will succeed.¡± With a confident face Kasia said as she packed up her military gear. Then Krone also started packing his gear without much ado. ¡°If you are saying so, then so be it.¡± Krone conceded with Kasia¡¯s change. Kasia was no longer the plain and simple girl. But her words, as always, were trustworthy. If Kasia asked him to die, Krone can die without holding any doubt to her words. His trust in that person, who was forged by the stiff and extreme life, to explain it in a rational sense was too difficult. The decisions of the soldiers from the commoner background were much faster than expected. This was due to the civil war started by the rebellion and the bond between the king and the citizens. Ceylon, even without seeking permission from the Fief lord, passed through fiefs where people lived peacefully, and forcefully recruited them to his army. In short, the Empire literally was completely chaotic. The movements made by the new aristocrats, who coveted what the old noblities had, intensified the confrontation between the 2 camps. ¡°It¡¯s the same if I die on this side or that side, still it¡¯s better to die under 2nd Highness. Only 2nd Highness considers us human beings.¡± ¡°What the Highness said is right! That the time will come to turn around this rotten country!¡± ¡°His Majesty made allegiance with the rebels, To take revenge upon the family dead by the hands of rebels, we should follow His Highness.¡± But the situation of noble knights was different. ¡°Sir Teak, what are you going to do? Since I was first sent to the war, I wanted to be under 2nd Highness, but Lord, don¡¯t you have family in the capital?¡± ¡°That goes without saying. I was really taken aback. Anyway, for now I will be returning the capital. I have to consider the safety of my family.¡± ¡°His Majesty having contact with the rebel army, this can¡¯t be true right?¡± ¡°I also just heard some rumors. But if it¡¯s not true, there is no reason to struggle this much. I mean, in order to get rid of 2nd Highness, that His Majesty involved the rebels is not some completely outrageous comment.¡± ¡°No matter what, if we lose to the Majesty, it also won¡¯t be any better, right?¡± ¡°What do you know? This war was settled long before. That is, His Majesty and 1st reached on a mutual agreement. If they were defeated by the rebels, they would divide the country according to their agreement.¡± Unlike the commoners, the nobles who held various reports and information about the war, they already knew that one day they will need to make a choice, but when that time really came, it felt abrupt and confusing. But time didn¡¯t wait for them, and before they knew it, the time was up. ¡°Those soldiers who decided to follow 2nd Highness to the Northwest stand towards the west in the same order of your current units, and those who want to return to the Capital stand to the East!.¡± Following the sonorous order of Michael, as many of the soldiers started to align themself to the left and right, the air was loomed with crimson dust. Aslan, who stood as the commander of soldiers returning to the capital, looked at the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Tasel, and mumbled something in a low voice. ¡°This will be the last time you laugh. How many do you think will follow you?¡± Aslan thought that after the soldiers lined up, when Tasel¡¯s side marched towards the Northwest, he would right away lead his soldiers to chase and then exterminate them. After that, he would present Tasel¡¯s head to the Emperor. It was a possible plan, as he thought that there won¡¯t be many soldiers that were going to serve him. But when the thick dust settled down, Aslan¡¯s face turned ashen. Because almost all of the army stood to the side of Tasel. The entirety of the returning party was the noble Knights. Even then, there were only 30% of the noble knights that remained with him. When things turned out like this, even his own position was a bit embarrassing as he was dispatched with a secret order to take over the control over the army unbeknownst to Tasel. But in truth, since the war commenced, he never tried to understand the feelings of the soldiers. He, who a high-ranking noble, considered that the submission of the subordinates was matter of fact. He even looked down on Tasel. The Tasel he knew was a weak prince that was always suppressed, even without the strength to refute the orders of His Majesty. But the Tasel released from the royal Palace was like a fish thrown into water, the charisma hidden inside was finally fully exposed and Aslan was the one to ignore it. ¡°Count Aslan, When we meet next time, we will be enemies. Till then, do take care of your body.¡± Tasel slightly nodded his head towards Aslan, but whether it was a greeting or a warning, who knew. As soon as Aslan led the Knights under him to the road towards the capital, Tasel also started. ¡°Soldiers! To the Northwest!!!¡± Tasel¡¯s precession that wanted to rewrite the History of the Empire finally started. * * * ¡°What! Do you think it makes sense! A single intruder broke through a whole unit! Whoever is responsible, cut off his head!¡± As Melania was pregnant, he enjoyed a night of pleasure in the tender bosom of a young concubine, but when he heard the news which arrived in a hurry, Emperor Alterion became furious. The death of Elena was a secret that mustn¡¯t be known to Tasel. Alterion was well aware that, for Tasel, Elena was the most important person. Because they used to be the only loners in the royal palace. He had to take Elena, whom he even despised to look at, with him to the Karina Palace, because of this. In other words, she was an important pawn. But Elena, who knew this truth, not long after they came to Karina Palace, ended her life by herself. Tasel¡¯s spy who wanted to report this matter to Tasel was barely killed and blocked the news. Even for Alterion, Elena¡¯s matter was a real pain in ass. So in the end, all those who knew about Elena¡¯s death were killed without leaving any clue, then surrounded Elena¡¯s room with a double, and triple layer of soldiers. If materials to bury the dead body entered the palace, he feared that someone would suspect, so Alterion had no thoughts of burying Elena. Anyway she stayed in a small room in the innermost and there was nothing valuable in that room. So he didn¡¯t care at all whether her body rotted or not in that room. A Mage was called and the rotting smell of the corpse was almost neutralized. But Melania¡¯s pregnancy was a surprise to him. When Melania¡¯s morning sickness became more severe, she noticed the slight rotting smell coming from Elena¡¯s room, she felt her stomach churning and couldn¡¯t even eat any food. Because of that, he could only move Elena¡¯s body into the room on the top floor of the Eastern Tower far from the palace. Maybe now Elena wasn¡¯t in his field of vision, his guard was also relaxed. When Elena¡¯s body was kept in the palace, Alterion who used to keenly keep an eye but after Elena¡¯s body was moved into the Eastern tower, he didn¡¯t care at all. His ignorance resulted in the idleness of the soldiers, which brought this current result.