Chapter 94
Even with his own life hanging in the balance, merely recalling Verhenen’s thunderous declaration was enough to give him a headache. Verhenen—the husband of the head maid, Raelin—and the hardline loyalists gathered around him were burdensome enough on ordinary days.
No matter how passionately they prattled on about ancient legends, the truth was painfully simple. Present-day Altnebra was a poor, powerless little kingdom. A country where even securing basic supplies during winter was a struggle. If it had truly been the flourishing nation they imagined, the Empire would never have moved its capital all the way to Bretnach instead of leaving it here.
But they refused to see reality, drunk as they were on the glory of the past. Why else would they have seized upon the appearance of the Red Witch after all these years, determined to reenact an ancient myth?
If not for them in the first place, the very idea of marrying a witch would never even have crossed anyone’s mind.
‘Instead of marrying her, they should’ve persuaded her properly and put that magic to good use…’
Growing increasingly bitter, Blaine shook his head and grumbled,
“…I’m telling you, those people are beyond even my control. I mean, they’re seriously talking about digging up weapons that were supposedly buried in the Black Forest I don’t even know how many years ago…”
Damn it, I’m really dead now.
Only then did Blaine realize what he’d just let slip. His mouth snapped shut.
Did you know why kings who lost their kingdoms were always executed? Because they inevitably became symbols for those hoping to reclaim the throne. Gather what little remained of their loyal retainers. Scrape together whatever soldiers and weapons they could find. Start another rebellion.
Of course, if rebellions like that actually succeeded, they wouldn’t have lost their kingdoms to begin with.
Blaine, a devoted student of history, knew that better than anyone, which was precisely why he had no desire whatsoever to take his throne back.
But even if he knew that, would Ael believe him?
No matter. I’m dead either way.
Suddenly drained of even the energy to defend himself, Blaine let out a long, weary sigh. His body went limp, every trace of resistance slipping away.
Then Ael’s flat voice sounded above him.
“…Here’s one thing you should know.”
“What? That you’re exceptionally good at strangling people, Captain? If you’re going to kill me anyway, at least make it painless. I’d appreciate that.”
“When you’re storing gunpowder, you should air it out at least once every season. And never, never, ever…”
Without warning, the arm around Blaine’s neck tightened. His entire body went rigid as he squeezed his eyes shut.
A heartbeat later, Ael chuckled quietly. Then he loosened his arm and let Blaine go.
“Never store gunpowder somewhere damp. Especially not somewhere like the Black Forest, where you’re surrounded by lakes and marshes.”
Only then did Ael finally release him. Freed at last, Blaine turned around with a bewildered look. Ael merely shrugged, the corners of his mouth curling into an easy grin.
“You can lose a war, especially in Altnebra.” The mountains and marshes make it a naturally defensive country, so it’s inevitable that your people have relatively little real combat experience.”
Moving away from him, Ael casually settled onto one of the drawing-room sofas before continuing.
“But a fortress like this always has to be prepared for a siege. The treasury’s already in rough shape because supplies are so scarce. And yet they stockpile that much gunpowder…only to let the whole lot become useless. They should reflect on that.”
It wasn’t mockery. It was sincere advice.
Only then did Blaine realize that Ael had never intended to kill him in the first place. Which also meant Ael had already discovered exactly what those so-called weapons buried in the Black Forest really were.
He knew all that, and still left me alone.
A long, exhausted sigh escaped Blaine.
“Ugh…Damn it.”
He truly felt like a mouse being toyed with by a cat. Or a leopard. Or whatever Ael was.
Then again, Ael’s nickname had always been the Lion. The Mad Lion. The Red Lion.
Blaine had never actually seen a lion either, so he couldn’t say whether a lion or a leopard suited Ael better. Either way, he resembled some enormous feline.
His pride desperately wanted to insist he was nothing more than an oversized housecat…but if that was a housecat, then what did that make him?
Staring at Ael with a look of utter resignation, Blaine watched as Ael smiled again before speaking.
“Now then. Shall we finally get to the reason I came?”
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