Chapter 194
“For the time being, I want the new Guides to understand that Cantabrian soldiers are different from those of Leonis. I came to ask if you could tell the Esper soldiers not to treat the Guides carelessly, Sir Zion.”
“That goes without saying.”
“Of course, I know that Cantabrian Espers treat Guides with respect, but, just like before, there might be some who oppress or look down on Guides. I don’t think there’s any need for a few individuals to give the new Guides a bad impression.”
“That’s exactly right.”
Derek agreed with her opinion as well. As they talked, Lea naturally sat down and reached for Zion’s hand first. Every time she did this, he couldn’t help but feel his heart tremble.
Whenever that refreshing energy that he couldn’t feel from any other Guide seeped into his whole body, the possessiveness he tried to keep under control would start to rise.
At least in this moment, she really was his Guide. Zion accepted her guiding with pleasure, comforting himself with that thought.
After guiding Derek and Ilion in turn, Lea was about to ask Derek about the situation in the Imperial Palace.
Just then, someone roughly flung open the barracks door. The only person who could barge into the Vice Commander’s quarters like that was one man.
“Commander-in-Chief.”
As everyone stood up, Calix strode straight toward Lea, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her to his side.
In that instant, Lea caught the scent of blood. Startled, she pushed Calix’s arm away and glanced around anxiously.
“How?”
He realized what she was looking for without her saying a word and held it out right in front of her. When Lea saw the long wound on his outstretched palm, her eyes grew wide.
“…When did you get hurt?”
Hearing her trembling voice, Calix feigned indifference and curved his lips in satisfaction. He had done it to find something out, but the fact that he also got her worry as a bonus was rather pleasing.
Zion, Derek, and Ilion, who were standing nearby, all looked at him with disapproving faces.
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
While he was glad to have Lea’s attention, Calix didn’t want to cause her any real distress, so he spoke calmly. But Lea couldn’t tear her eyes away from his palm.
If anything, it was Calix who didn’t feel much pain, but seeing her frown in concern made him realize she was suffering more than he was. Calix gently ran his fingers over the crown of her brown hair, almost as if scratching it.
Her brown hair slipped smoothly beneath his fingertips.
“Vice Commander.”
“Yes, Commander-in-Chief.”
“Is there any news from the palace?”
“…A messenger reported that we achieved victory in the northern campaign, but there haven’t been any other updates yet.”
Even as he listened to the reply, Calix didn’t let go of Lea’s hair, and then muttered as if asking not only Zion but also Derek and Ilion,
“Where do you think the next battlefield will be?”
“This war isn’t going to end with just this one battle, is it?”
Derek replied to Zion’s comment.
“It’s not just us who think so. When we went to rescue Lady Lea, even among the Leonis soldiers present at the scene, there were those determined to take revenge in the next battle.”
“Ha, revenge?”
“Most of those who came with the Third Prince at the time were lion beastfolk. The bond among beastfolk is somewhat different from us humans.”
Derek’s words made Lea suddenly wonder why her clan had been wiped out, and why only she and Bianca had survived.
“If that’s the case, there’s a high chance that the Third Prince will appear in the next battle as well.”
“Since he fought with us, Leonis will probably send him out again. If he were just an ordinary noble, he’d be held responsible for the defeat, but since he’s a prince, they’ll probably give him another chance.”
“Then this time, we should kill him for sure.”
“I agree, Commander-in-Chief.”
“Yes, I think that would be best.”
“I think so as well.”
It was rare for all four of them to share the same opinion, but this was one of those special situations. Lea, looking around with wide eyes, quietly added her own opinion.
“It’s true that the Third Prince is our enemy, but, Your Highness, you should also keep various possibilities in mind.”
“Are you saying the peace treaty you mentioned is one of those possibilities?”
“Yes. I’m not saying this because I expect us to lose the war.”
Before her regression, Lea knew that Calix would achieve a definite victory in the war, so her voice was unwavering. But she also thought that this war needed to end more quickly than it had in the past.
Because even though they had won the war, the Cantabria Empire had lost much as well. Also, it seemed better to return to the palace before Bianca could poison the Emperor. In this life, she hoped the Emperor would survive for a long time.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.