Chapter 31
Chapter 031. People Whose War Has Not Ended (4)
‘Ha……’
Sionne Feitan felt a completely different weight pressing down on him than before. The reality weighing on both shoulders made his vision blur.
That’s right. There were still people for whom the war hadn’t ended.
[We are gathering forces to rebuild Feitan. After killing the enemy of our homeland, follow the guide and escape.]
After reading the note, Sionne bit the inside of his cheek.
Perhaps believing the war was over was the greatest delusion of all. Life after the war felt even more like war than the war itself.
And only then did he realize he had been feeling somewhat free within Anata Castle.
Learning to read, helping with work, training in swordsmanship—
Those times, which had once felt meaningless, had at least allowed him to breathe.
‘What a joke. I was free in the middle of enemy territory?’
Sionne scoffed coldly at his own foolishness.
[There are rumors spreading in Feitan about Your Highness, but if you bring back the Grand Duke’s head, you can clear all that dishonor.]
“I can’t do that right now.”
“Huh?”
The man who had introduced himself as Hans looked confused.
He hurriedly pulled out a piece of paper and began writing. It seemed he was trying to continue the conversation in writing.
[Why not?]
Sionne frowned slightly at the note Hans handed him. For some reason, it felt familiar.
‘He said he came from Feitan.’
Sionne examined the character ‘에’ in the note. It was a letter used in both Hernia and Feitan.
However, in Feitan, the stroke turned inward, while in Hernia, it turned outward.
‘Tsk, I’m sure I’ve told them several times not to bend it inward. In Hernia, whether it bends in or out changes the meaning.’
Rosalyn’s voice from a few days ago, when she had been teaching him the Hernia script, echoed in his ears.
‘Was it just a mistake?’
Sionne narrowed his eyes and stared at Hans.
‘Or did someone send him?’
He didn’t bother hiding his suspicion and asked directly,
“Who’s leading your group?”
[Baron Fane is leading us.]
‘Fane’ was a title that had descended from the far edge of the Feitan royal family.
And the current head of the Fane family was the greedy Milo Fane. At the mention of the distasteful name, Sionne’s gaze darkened momentarily.
“But how am I supposed to know whether what you’re saying is true? I can’t even be sure you’re actually from Feitan.”
“……”
“Unfortunately, I can’t even hear your accent to judge for myself.”
Sionne pointed out the truth bluntly.
Just who were they trying to deceive by sending someone who couldn’t speak?
The people of Anata? Or Sionne Feitan himself?
“Ah… ah.”
Hans waved his hands and quickly pulled out another sheet of paper to write on.
[What must I do to earn your trust?]
Sionne stared at the man’s note in silence.
‘I can’t bring up Rosalyn or Anna to someone suspicious.’
His eyes briefly shifted toward the room where Rosalyn de Anata was. Then he glanced toward his own room next to hers before speaking.
“I have to stay here. I can’t leave yet.”
“……”
“But if you help me, maybe I could consider it.”
At Sionne’s words, the man quickly scribbled another message.
[What do you need?]
“Exactly five days from now, send an assassin skilled in Feitan swordsmanship to my room. If I fight him myself and confirm that he truly is a knight from Feitan, I’ll consider trusting you.”
[Feitan swordsmanship is enough?]
Hans asked with a puzzled look, as if unsure whether that would be enough proof.
“Yes. Preferably someone who can also run away quickly.”
Of course, Sionne knew that wouldn’t be enough to truly confirm anything. He had no intention of trusting the man based on that alone.
‘But still—’
There was nothing more advantageous than having the other side desperate to gain his trust.
All he needed to do was use that desperation to his advantage.
[Understood.]
Just as Hans nodded with an unconvinced expression—
“Hey.”
A voice called out to them from behind.
“You were told to gather at the tower. What are you doing here?”
A knight who managed the vagrants approached. At his suspicious glare, Sionne responded with a smile.
“It was hard to communicate, so this actually worked out well. Looks like he was lost—please escort him back, sir knight.”
Meanwhile, Rosalyn was having a meeting with Jacob.
She was reviewing the newcomers, particularly those with outstanding swordsmanship.
‘Those with mercenary experience tend to handle a sword well. I should try sparring with them.’
Flipping through the report, Rosalyn asked Jacob,
“With the people we’ve taken in so far, do you think we can form the Anata Knight Order?”
“Yes, we should be able to establish it by the end of the harvest.”
Jacob hesitated as he looked at Rosalyn, then asked,
“But if we accept this many people all at once, I’m not sure we can manage the food supply.”
“Right, with more people, food becomes an issue.”
Rosalyn nodded in agreement.
“But wasn’t food already scarce even before we accepted more people?”
“That’s true.”
“In that case, having more people is better.”
“……”
Jacob barely held back the words that were about to come out—‘But wouldn’t that only lead to our quicker downfall?’
“You’re giving me a look that says you don’t understand, Sir Jacob.”
“No, not at all.”
“Hm.”
Rosalyn fixed her gaze on Jacob.
“What’s the reason for the food shortage in Anata?”
“The climate.”
“And?”
“…Frequent invasions by foreign tribes.”
Rosalyn nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer.
The Balak tribe, located in the northwest of Anata, raided the territory whenever they had a chance. No one wanted to farm only to have their crops stolen.
“They raided again right before I arrived, didn’t they?”
Apparently fearing her notorious reputation, the Balak had attacked Anata just before Rosalyn arrived.
‘How dare they touch what’s mine.’
One of Rosalyn’s eyebrows rose sharply.
“If they took what’s ours, then we’ll just take it back.”
“!”
Hearing her plan for the first time, Jacob straightened his back and asked,
“Are you planning to strike Balak?”
“Yes. Before winter comes, I intend to raid their storehouses.”
A shadow fell over Jacob’s face.
He had expected that they’d eventually have to confront Balak now that they had settled in Anata, but he hadn’t expected it to come this soon.
“I’ll take back what’s ours and fill our mouths with it. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried. With you leading us, how could I be?”
Jacob replied in a low voice.
“I’m just concerned about the fatigue of the conquest unit’s knights.”
He thought of Aaron, whom he had just seen.
Aaron was still worn out from the war. Most of the knights likely felt the same.
Pushing them back into danger so soon left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Sir Jacob.”
“I spoke out of turn!”
At Rosalyn’s low voice, Jacob quickly shook his head. With a mindset like that, he wouldn’t survive in Anata.
True, the conquest unit had endured a long war. But the trials they had overcome had forged their strength.
In fact, this might be the time when their combat instincts were at their sharpest.
“You’re worried about the conquest unit’s knights.”
Rosalyn understood what Jacob was feeling and spoke calmly.
“They’ve indeed fought a long war and are likely struggling to adjust to a new environment.”
“……”
“Still, my decision hasn’t changed.”
Despite Jacob’s concern, Rosalyn remained firm.
“I’ve heard there’s been conflict between the knights and the vagrants lately. Is that true?”
“Yes, it is.”
Rosalyn tapped the armrest of her chair lightly with two fingers before continuing.
“According to the report, it started with a conquest unit knight demeaning the North?”
“…That’s correct.”
The North had always been looked down upon by other regions.
Abandoned land. The outcasts who gathered there. Poverty and rustic customs.
The citizens of the empire mocked the Northerners’ clothes and speech. At times, they even mimicked their stiff pronunciation to ridicule them.
They also condemned the custom of northern men taking multiple wives, calling them the ‘Anata tribe.’ As if they were no different from savages.
“See, the knights still don’t see Anata as their land.”
Jacob bowed his head at Rosalyn’s words.
‘That’s true.’
The knights had yet to fully accept Anata. They had followed Rosalyn out of loyalty, but still held strong aversion toward the North.
Perhaps because of that, conflict between the knights and the vagrants was growing more frequent.
“That’s why we need a battle against the so-called savages. No fool would dare mock the land or comrades they’ve risked their lives to protect.”
At her words, Jacob found himself nodding without realizing it. He knew better than anyone the loyalty and bonds that were forged on the battlefield.
“Understood. I’ll make sure we’re thoroughly prepared.”
Jacob decided he would need to push the training hard in the coming days.
-
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