Chapter 53
Chapter 53: An Emotion of the Rainy Season
A few days later after Largud Ann received the report, a messenger finally arrived at the gates of Garoua Maria .
At first, the gagging law* prevented the chaos within the city-state . But, it was impossible to prevent the leakage of the information in the streets . Therefore, the news spread throughout the entire city .
…According to the reports, the fleeing feudal lord got caught and got slaughtered in the name of the Heraldic Order . Other feudal lords were killed in the meantime and their heads were displayed at the gates of the wall surrounding the Gharast Kingdom .
These facts were terrifying, and the citizens of Garoua Maria, who were accustomed to peace, were greatly affected by this news . There was some fear and turmoil in the streets .
However, these events happened on the other side of the territory .
These terrifying events were no more than just news of the outside world . No matter how far this threat spread, it was highly unlikely that it could reach this sanctuary .
After all, this place was the famous walled city-state of Garoua Maria . This sacred city had never suffered from an invasion throughout the long history of humankind .
—
The fact that Caria was an accomplished swordswoman, made her quite famous among the guards .
Although she was a knight of the Gharast Kingdom, the guardsmen of Garoua Maria now treated her as an honorable guest . Her neat and elegant appearance was the reminiscent of a sharpened sword . Regarding her skills, her sword technique was so flawless that it was hard to believe that such a talent came out of a woman’s thin arms .
She was the knight that everyone yearned to be .
Even though she was just a guest, her demeanor and skills didn’t go unnoticed . Every squad wanted to practice with her and gain her favor . She was the main topic of each day . Actually, she wasn’t famous because they loved her . It wasn’t for her popularity that Caria became this special . In fact, she became famous because everyone envied her .
Yes, she became a hot topic since she started to hang out with the guards . That fact remained unchanged . Today was no exception .
「Good morning…You’re in a good mood today, Miss Caria . 」
Caria turned her eyes away from the window when she heard a man’s voice . The private room, which was given to her as a guest, had a large window that showed the beautiful scenery from the outside .
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As rumored, Caria’s mood wasn’t bad, or so it seemed . Actually, she was delicate like a flower in everybody’s eyes . However, they didn’t know her real personality . Anyways, her rosy cheeks loosened a little bit and the sharpness of her eyes softened as well .
In fact, Caria was so cheerful that she made hearts flutter with joy . The sparkle of the eyes was like the eyes of a young child . No wonder that, in a small part, the color of her beautiful eyes were expressed in her cheerful and kind attitude towards others around her .
「I’m just a guest here . There’s no need for me to have such honors . 」
Caria responded with a calm tone, as if she tried to be polite to the man who visited in the morning .
「I can’t change the way I speak with you . I apologize…but, it’s impossible for a man like me to address you differently . 」
Caria shrugged her shoulders lightly . Then, she leaned against the window while shaking her stunning silvery hair with her hands .
This man spoke to Caria with respect . It seemed that this demeanor was his true self . This man was no authoritarian . He respected etiquette and customs about formality with honorable guests . Caria didn’t know if it was due to this man’s influence, but the other guardsman addressed him with utmost respect .
After exhaling a small breath, Caria continued to exchange words with this man . Although he wasn’t authoritarian with her, he had some sort of power among the other guards . This man was, in fact, someone of high regard, despite his gouged out eyes that looked like a reptile .
「More importantly, what happened to your chin, Vice Commander? It seems that you went on a short trip this morning right? Because I can see that you’ve put yourself in some kind of troubling situation…」
This man’s appearance was a bit odd, he had distinctive lizard-like eyes . Although his eyes stood out by itself, now he held an ugly scarf around his mouth to support his broken jaw . Moreover, it was even weirder when he spoke, because he had to support his jaw with his hands .
If he didn’t hold his jaw, then he wouldn’t speak the words properly .
The air in the room became heavier after Caria mentioned his broken chin .
The room was engulfed with an ugly aura . It was as if it came straight from that man . His hateful odor was so strong that it seemed like he had a murderous intent . It wasn’t coming from his words or his attitude . But from his inner feelings . Yet, those feelings blew out in the air . A heavy atmosphere swallowed the entire room . It was only for a brief moment, but it was intense .
Caria’s long eyelashes blinked when that man paused for a brief moment before answering her .
「…You don’t need to worry . This is nothing much . 」
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His short answer . Unexpectedly, Caria took a deep sigh from her chest .
Of course, it was worrisome . After all, the Vice Commander of the Guards came back to the headquarters from his inspection with a broken chin . This was unheard of .
However, neither his Captain Helot Stanley, nor his fellow guards who were supposed to accompany him on his inspection, spoke about what happened for real . It was as if nothing happened at all . Nobody knew the events that led to his broken chin . No other guards gossiped about it .
To avoid such gossip, the Vice Commander had already gone on a small business trip as soon as his chin was broken . But, not much time has passed since then .
The first inspection . It wasn’t clear if the mission was a success or not . Actually, Caria was supposed to go with them as an assigned escort to act as a surveillance guard . But, things changed, because Helot Stanley ended up going instead…
This man stubbornly tried to avoid the topic of this conversation by speaking just a few words . He pressed his lips . Then, after being silent for a moment, he held his hands on his jaw once again as he tried to spit some words at Caria .
「Miss Caria…Something good happened to you lately, right? 」
Apparently, this man tried to change the topic to a very different one . Caria raised her eyebrows upon hearing his question . It looked like she didn’t want to talk much about herself .
However, Caria didn’t dismiss his question entirely . She didn’t even get angry at him nor cursed him with hateful words . It provoked her heart, but she didn’t lose her tranquil attitude .
「Ah . Well, I’m not a little girl whose mood changes according to the weather . But, yesterday I received a letter from my father . It hasn’t been long since I unsealed the wax on the letter in order to read the contents . Since I’m far away from home, I get this joyful feeling every time I receive a letter from a close family member or friend . 」
After professing those words, Caria approached the wall once again and stared at the window .
She gave that man a good answer . And then, she silenced herself because she didn’t have any more to say to him .
That man didn’t seem to pursue that topic anymore . Rather, it seemed that he wanted to avoid losing his footing and ruin Caria’s good spirits, who had not been in a good mood lately .
…Actually, Caria’s mood oscillated quite a bit lately . In fact, she felt irritated with something until yesterday .
In particular, her behavior was noticeable after she heard the news of the heraldic peasants’ rebellion . There was a rumor circulating among the guardsmen that said that this rebellion hurt Caria’s feelings because it happened in her homeland . Still, the meaning was entirely different .
Actually, it were feelings of frustration and anger that swirled around her chest .
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Actually, the “curtain” was already open and the “main actors” were on the “stage” . It meant that others like Filaret were given far more important roles to fulfill . Nevertheless, Caria felt as if she were on the edge . As if her efforts weren’t recognized . She didn’t land a main role like the others . So, she was pretty dissatisfied with it .
Deeply in her heart, Caria felt like giving up on this particularly task . She thought about revolting herself and trying to get a main job to do .
During that time, a letter arrived for her .
It was a letter sealed with a special wax . It tried to duplicate Caria’s family crest, the Burdnick House, but it was rather ugly and clumsy-looking . The intent was obvious .
“…This letter is undoubtedly from Lugis . ”, Caria thought to herself .
This sloppy-looking letter was far from being a masterpiece . The shape of the crafted wax was something out of this world . An extremely bad replica of Caria’s family crest . If so, only one person in the world would send such a thing .
Caria could barely express the joy of seeing that letter . She picked it up immediately . It was as if her blood boiled through her veins .
Her heart became full of mixed feelings, from high expectations to huge anxiety . Even Caria’s fingertips, which didn’t shiver when she fought against the large demon beast, were slightly shaking .
The content itself was rather simple .
Lugis probably wanted to convey the current situation and future plans . Perhaps, he was afraid that someone else could read the contents of the letter . That’s why he tried his best to craft a legit wax mark, so that nobody would open it . Caria opened the letter slowly and read the hidden truth written in Lugis’ letter .
It was written in the letter that the Heraldic Order commanded some peasants’ to rebel, and that the riot was successful . Consequently, the National Guards were called to another country to attend an urgent political meeting because of the rise of the Heraldic people and its menace . A beacon was set on to start the preparation of their main plan . More information would come around in the next few days .
Caria swallowed dry while she read the contents of Lugis’ letter . Anyway, it ended up just being a regular letter to notify about the current situation . It was just a rough plan . No specific details . Nothing at all .
Something foolish or rather mockery . At first, a gentle smile crossed through Caria’s face when she began to read the letter . Her chest even moved rapidly because of her heart’s palpitations .
Then, when she finished reading the letter, that gentle smile and that calm behavior soon transformed into something icy cold . Her smile was rough and sharp .
Angels and demons were depicted with emotions that transformed rapidly into one and another . Her gentle smile instantly transformed into a sarcastic and piercing smile .
“…How stupid . Did he think that such a small success could change the world?”, she thought .
Caria’s blood became cold like ice and her smirk hardened instantaneously .
Yes, this world couldn’t be changed . Those who were born as knights were knights, those who were born as nobles belonged to the nobility . Those who were born as common people were always commoners . Even those who were born poor were just poor for the rest of their lives .
That aspect of society has never changed . It will not change . It was because the higher up members of society never allowed for such a change . The Kings and Aristocracy were the ones who ruled the nations . The ones who made the “dream of changing the ways of the world” impossible to achieve .
Caria understood that reality extremely well . After all, she belonged to the high society that ruled the world . She perfectly knew that men like Lugis would never get proper recognition even if they worked really hard .
How much could one earn as an adventurer in the end? Adventurers didn’t even get land or physical properties, unless they were a poor noble or had a higher status .
Ah, how awful . It was extremely annoying to know it all . That man, Lugis, was never going to reach glory after all the anguish and longing he went through . There won’t be anybody in this world to acknowledge his efforts .
“…C’mon, so be it . Lugis . You don’t have a choice but to swallow the rottenness of this world and dramatically move the vortex of change . ”, Caria thought so .
Because she was deeply immersed on her thoughts, Caria didn’t realize the expression she made on her face that reflected through the window glass .
This world was so petty for disapproving someone like Lugis . Some people would just snap their fingers to get glory, while others would need to chase it their entire lives just to live poorly in the end .
Caria thought to herself the following words .
“But, don’t worry . You can rest assured Lugis . Yes, my words come from the bottom of my heart” .
“However, I’ll be the one to pave that path for you . I will take you to the highest place above our heads” .
“That’s right . I’m not a black-haired sorceress, nor am I the woman who calls herself a childhood friend . This is me . Yes, I am myself and no one else” .
The expression on her face was beautiful . Every men’s heart would be swayed immediately if they saw her gorgeous complexion . Caria’s silvery eyes glowed brightly through the reflection of the window glass . Her eyes showed absolute resolve for the upcoming future .