Chapter 21
Chapter 21. Radiance of Blessing
The Talm and Ulnan that Vinea brought were of great help. Berdo knelt on one knee before Vinea.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. The Dawn Knight Order will never forget this grace.”
The knights standing behind him also knelt and bowed their heads. Although it would take a long time to fully recover, it was thanks to Vinea that they could save their comrades’ lives.
“It was only natural.”
“No, if Your Majesty had not brought the herbs, some of our knights would certainly have lost their lives due to the delay. We are truly grateful once again.”
However, the faces of Berdo and the knights who stood up were not bright. They had returned to the Dawn Knight Order headquarters to warm their wet bodies and sort out the situation, but there was still one unresolved issue.
“By any chance, Your Majesty, do you have any idea what was buried there?”
After a moment of silence, Vinea replied.
“Something that should not have been buried was buried, and something that should not have been used was used. It’s no wonder it caused trouble.”
Berdo nodded with a complex expression.
“The Dawn Knight Order will take responsibility for this issue. If you have any specific orders, please let us know.”
“When clearing that land, it would be best to prevent the residents from approaching. Especially the children. Until they grow up, it would be better if they didn’t hear about it at all.”
“…Understood.”
Berdo gave orders to the knights: block access to the vacant lot from the villagers, investigate who dug up that land and why, and compare the soil there with the soil used to build the village houses.
Everything was going according to plan.
Even if there were doubts about the process of arriving at the answer, he would give meaning to his actions and come to an understanding on his own. Though his body was weary from running around, it was far better than being accused of being a demon or witch later for predicting the future with sinister powers.
Was it the eighth return, or the ninth? There was a time when she imitated a prophet, reciting what would happen in the future. She thought she could completely control the situation because everyone would listen to her words, but contrary to her expectations, she was accused of being a witch and burned at the stake, tied to a wooden pillar.
The instigator of the incitement that spread like wildfire was Eurene Castallo, who was called the “Blessed Lily.”
After giving the knights their orders, Berdo turned back to Vinea.
“Support from the palace has arrived. With the help of the mages, you can return to the palace immediately.”
“Where are the nobles who came with us?”
“Well… it’s a bit difficult to control them, so they have all been moved to the empty barracks.”
On the way, she heard from the knights that some nobles caused a commotion after learning about the casualties due to the plague. Some fainted, some clamored to be sent back immediately, and in the midst of it, there were even young ladies trying to connect with Deron somehow.
This was why the faces of the knights guarding the barracks were full of fatigue. It was unfortunate for the knights, but even that chaos was necessary. Thanks to it, she didn’t have to carry a bunch of people around.
By now, the nobles must have heard the news that the plague was curable. The fear would spread even faster, and soon all the nobles of the empire would know who resolved this incident.
“―Your Majesty, it’s Deron. May I come in?”
“Yes.”
A haggard-looking Deron entered the barrack.
“It seems you’ve had quite a hard time.”
Deron sighed with a complicated expression at Vinea’s casual attitude, as if she had expected this.
“His Majesty deliberately sent me, didn’t he?”
“Who knows. Wasn’t your mission to keep an eye on me?”
Just as she had used the nobles to tie up the knights, Deron was used to tie up those nobles. Of course, Tatar had sent him to be used in any way she wanted.
Despite her response, Deron, still suspicious, straightened his disheveled clothes and quickly resumed his role as a skilled aide.
“The mages from the palace have completed their preparations. Let us escort you.”
Following Deron out of the barrack, Vinea was not greeted by knights or mages.
“Your Majesty!”
It was Rondo, the boy who had guided them. Behind him were the villagers who had been at the village chief’s house. Unlike before, when their gazes were uncomfortable, their faces were now full of relief and gratitude for stopping the plague.
The boy stepped forward. In his small hands was a flower crown, seemingly handmade.
Vinea bent down to meet the boy’s eyes. The nobles who had come out of the barrack to return to the palace whispered among themselves at the sight of a noblewoman lowering her body. Vinea, unperturbed, nodded slightly.
“Put it on me. It’s okay.”
“Thank you so much for saving the people of our village, Your Majesty!”
The flower crown, placed gently on her head, smelled more of grass than of flowers, unlike the fragrant perfumes the nobles usually wore. Despite this, Vinea’s eyes softened.
Her blue eyes crinkled softly, causing the villagers to exclaim in admiration. Rondo stammered as he spoke.
“Weren’t you scared? You could have caught the disease…”
“Even if I was scared, I couldn’t ignore my duty. I am the Empress of this empire.”
It was a good thing for Vinea to say. Where Eurene was distracted, chewing her nails anxiously from a distance, it would have been better if she heard it too.
The title Eurene should have originally held and the words she once spoke now belonged to someone else. It was indeed a well-made comedy.
“I have a duty to protect your future. I’m very glad I could fulfill that duty.”
Unfortunately, until she stopped returning, that future would never come in her own time. Vinea swallowed the last words and patted the boy’s head.
At that moment, the village chief stepped forward. He bowed deeply to Vinea, and the others followed suit.
“On behalf of the village of Haksya, I thank you, Your Majesty. Our village can now shed the shadow of war and move forward into the future for the children. We will do our best to protect the future that you have safeguarded.”
“Yes, I look forward to it.”
Vinea and the nobles stepped onto the magic circle that had been prepared. It was time to return to the palace.
* * *
“With platinum blond hair that looks like it melted the spring sunlight, a fairy-like face, and the kind heart of an angel, ‘Her Majesty the Empress’ protected the children’s future…”
Tatar de Tessibania placed a newspaper on the desk before Vinea, without even looking at the work he had brought to his office.
“You’ve done quite an impressive job.”
In the picture that filled an entire page of the newspaper, there was a child placing a flower crown on a woman.
“So, are you satisfied?”
His finger touched the headline of the article.
[Radiance of Blessing]
It was a title given to the Empress of Tessibania who solved the plague in Haksya Village. It wasn’t a bad title, even bigger and grander than “Blessed Lily.” Vinea nodded.
“I simply achieved my goal. I needed a suitable pretext and reputation to restore the abandoned temple, and this incident was just perfect for that.”
“For that, you seem to be keeping it quite well.”
Tatar’s gaze shifted to the glass case on the wall shelf, where the dried flower crown was kept. Vinea continued to flip through her documents without even glancing at the crown.
“It’s best to leave it as it is for now to avoid unnecessary gossip. For about two weeks… By then, the matters in Haksya Village will be completely resolved.”
Currently, the personnel dispatched from the palace were handling the situation.
The cause of the plague was the soil used to build the houses, which was not suitable for use.
An empty lot where no grass grew, a foul odor, and traces of someone digging.
About a month before the end of the war, Haksya Village underwent major repairs. As a village close to the border, they must have quickly sensed the end of the war approaching.
To prevent the drafting of soldiers, they hurriedly merged the divided village and built houses on the vacant land with soil.
The problem lay in that soil.
If the villagers had dug a little deeper into the land they used to build the houses, they would have discovered that the soil was not fit for use.
Just below the surface, there were decayed corpses of Tessibania Empire citizens who had died from poisoning.
Although it hasn’t been revealed yet who was responsible, it wouldn’t be long before both the Tessibania Empire and Veshnu would face their stark crimes.
The truth was this: as the war dragged on, signs of rebellion grew stronger, and both royal families, starting to heed the people’s dissatisfaction, had to at least pretend to avoid harming civilians.
However, what if they had killed too many innocent people? What if the truth that they used the cruel means of poison came to light?
They would have had to hide it to prevent it from being reported to the higher-ups and to keep other citizens from finding out.
The corpses buried in Haksya Village were the result of Veshnu knights fighting near the border and accidentally killing civilians.
Two years ago, the war was still raging, so it wasn’t surprising that they crossed the border into Haksya Village.
Corpses poisoned should be burned to prevent the spread of toxins, but they didn’t. Burning the bodies would produce smoke, revealing their location and exposing the massacre of innocent civilians.
This incident now provided a legitimate reason to demand compensation from Veshnu.
“I plan to request support from Veshnu for the restoration of the abandoned temple as compensation. Since many people believe in the gods, building a temple for solace would be a good pretext.”
“All that’s left is to wait until it’s completed before we loop back again.”
Tatar gently grasped Vinea’s platinum blond hair and placed a soft kiss on it.
“There’s one more thing to talk about. I heard you got quite close to that boy, Rondo. Did you perhaps grow attached?”
If it was childish jealousy towards a child, that would have been fortunate. Instead, it was a more selfish desire from Tatar, demanding that no one else should receive any part of her affection that should be solely for him. Vinea stopped flipping through the documents and looked up at him.
After returning to the palace that day, she had been sick for an entire day. Because of whom?
Annoyed, she had decided not to see him for a while, but since he had managed to handle the former emperor’s movements effectively, which usually interfered with everything around this time, she couldn’t help but acknowledge his competence, calming her irritation.
However, giving him the answer he desired, well…
There was still a red mark on the left side of her neck, evidence of how hard he had bitten. After tormenting her so severely, he had the audacity to return to the palace alone using a scroll, as if his business was done.
“Whether or not I grew attached, we can’t lose anything, so it’s hard to answer that.”
“That’s not the answer I wanted, Empress.”
Tatar’s eyebrows shot up. His indifferent expression quickly turned fierce, but Vinea, noticing the time from the clock on the wall, realized it was time for her next appointment and stood up.
“You don’t have any other appointments today, do you?”
“I have a meeting. With someone who’s probably been on edge, unable to wait.”
Tatar’s brows furrowed. Just as his lips parted, the door to the office opened, and a red-haired man walked in.
“―I heard you were looking for me, Your Majesty.”
