34 – Anomaly

After the Harvest Festival, tea time took its place in Iris and my lives.

After the ceremony of the harvest festival, it started with a light cup of tea, and we had tea time once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

In the past, I thought of such time as a waste of time, but now I have changed my mind a bit. It was just time to drink a cup of tea, but for some reason, my fatigue was relieved and my energy returned.

That feeling wasn’t bad, so from a certain point on, I waited for that time.

And today, that time has come. A calming scent spreads through her office, which is filled with papers. Savor the scent and savor the time together. We knew what each other was doing, so it was quiet with nothing to say, but the time gave us a flavor to savor.

When you are savoring the time with such bitter tea, the sound that is not loud but sticks in your ears fills the room. It’s something I’ve heard several times in my life. It was the receiving sound of an enchanted crystal orb that transmitted faces and voices even from a long distance.

I’m interested in that sound. That’s why I look closely at her as she approaches the crystal ball and receives the reception. Brilliant golden light briefly emanated from the crystal ball, and a thin film formed. Judging by that color, it is a receptionist from the imperial family.

that’s a bit annoying The imperial family, aware of the duke’s curse, does not call on them unless it is a special occasion. In my memories of the days when I was carrying Brandt’s surname, I could count on one hand the number of times the imperial family sent a reception to the Duke of Brandt. That’s why it cares.

I wanted to listen to the content because I was nervous, but the thin membrane around the crystal blocked the sound, so I couldn’t hear the conversation. just wait for it to end

Even though it was short, time that felt long passes and the thin film disappears. Iris’ face, which had a faint smile until just now, looks a bit dark.

“Princess. Your complexion has gotten worse. What’s wrong with you?”

She nods her head slightly and opens her mouth.

“The imperial castle was attacked.”

That word makes my head complicated. That didn’t happen in my last life. It is not an incident that can be overlooked. Something went terribly wrong.

“No one in the imperial family was injured, but quite a few knights died.”

“Does that make sense?”

Words that could not be understood by common sense came out without thinking. The Imperial Palace is the heart of the Empire where His Majesty the Emperor resides. It is physically the safest place in the Empire, and is protected by all magic in the Empire. It doesn’t make sense that such a place would be raided and that a significant number of knights would die.

“Common sense makes no sense. But it has already happened.”

She’s right. It makes no sense, but it has already happened. The bloody wind that was supposed to arrive in winter came early.

“So I ask my father to do the duty of a guardian.”

tutelar. The title of the strongest sword in the Empire, and a position with absolute duty to protect the imperial family.

“However, it will take a week at the earliest for the Duke to come.”

“right. With that said, he asked me to send articles that could apply first.”

Anxiety crept up at her words. How many troops did the imperial family have, and did they request support with a sense of urgency? That’s not a good sign.

“Then, is the princess going too?”

“I guess so. He is also his father’s substitute, but has he not been given the title of Divinity? You must do your duty.”

A title made for the sake of benefiting the imperial family entangles her. I don’t like it. When I think so, I hear tinnitus. The blurry tinnitus is incomprehensible, but it is eerie and raises anxiety. That insecurity makes her worry.

“Then I will go with you.”

“No. You have no obligation to do so.”

She refuses my request with a firm voice. However, there are grounds to refute her statement.

“Since I am the princess’ fiancée, I also have an obligation.”

Her face turns a little red, and there is a moment of silence.

“Thank you for saying that, but it is dangerous.”

“I know.”

that’s why it goes

At my words, she sighs.

“You have a strangely overbearing side, but don’t do that this time.”

“All right.”

She sighs again and issues a congratulatory order.

“We’ll be leaving around this evening, so be prepared.”

I nodded at her sincere voice and left the office. Walking down the empty hallway, I let out a sigh.

The death of the princess, which would happen in the upcoming winter, changed its appearance and appeared in a more vicious manner.

Where did it get twisted so that it happened like this?

Unanswerable questions run through my head. Even if you know the answer, it has already happened. It just became a mountain that I had to hold on to and overcome. Thinking so, I went back to my room and checked the condition of the sword.

The flawless sword body that reflects the face comes into view. It doesn’t seem like it needs to be trimmed, but you can catch your heart in the process of grooming, so you feed it with oil and wipe it off.

Prepare for the dead line that you may encounter soon.

As time goes by, the world turns red little by little. Grab your sword and head to the gymnasium.

Armed knights gathered in the center of the gymnasium caught my eye. Most of them are strangers, but two are familiar faces. Carter and Jayden. I am happy to see the faces of the ugly comrades who left before me, but my heart is heavy.

Also, I wish good luck in my heart for the comrades who are going to limb together. When I was praying for good luck, the knights who saw me bowed. I also briefly bowed to her and waited for her.

The world turns a little redder, and I see her figure. Then we see Rachel walking behind her. Behind Iris, who had a serious expression on her face, Rachel smiled and waved at me.

The sight of it makes my head hurt. I know Rachel’s strength, but I didn’t say it because I thought she was not suitable because she was going to the imperial castle.

Rachel, unaware of such thoughts, just smiles brightly. I can’t understand the thoughts of Iris who brought her with that appearance, but I trust her and stay still.

Standing in front of us, she opens her mouth.

“We are heading to the imperial castle from now on. I already said it, but I will say it again. Those who fall out, fall out. I will not force you. Only those who are ready to die remain.”

After her solemn words, silence sets in. There are no missing people.

Not all of those who remain here are prepared to die. There are no people who are not afraid of death. They are just those who have decided to be with death because they have something on their back.

The northern warriors are just such people. That’s why I liked it.

My heart races at that thought. A part of my life that has been lived through struggle raises its face, and a strange tension comes.

“They are all fools.”

She always said that. It is suitable for those who risked their lives even though they were not forced to do so.

“Because you are so foolish, you must be warriors who bear the name of Brandt.”

At her words, the northern warriors stomp. That sound excites me.

“Warriors of the North, do not die foolishly! Do not die in vain! However, do not forget what you are carrying!”

Her heart beats wildly at the sound of her speech and the stomping of warriors’ feet after a long time. The spirit rises, the blood boils.

“I am done talking. move.”

I follow her with a heart that doesn’t calm down. Our steps head toward the corner of the introspection. The dizzying letters and figures drawn on the black floor, and those who looked like wizards caught my eye. look at that look I knew that I would move with teleport, a movement magic.

The oldest-looking wizard steps in front of her.

“The princess is ready.”

“Good job.”

She praises the wizards for their hard work and looks back at us.

“Come up.”

At her word, the warriors move and rise above the magic circle.

“Begin.”

At her words, the wizards sprinkled blue liquid on the magic circle and muttered incomprehensible words. After enough time to drink a cup of tea, blue light emanates from the magic circle. Blue light engulfs us, and a sense of floating comes.

The feeling of floating disappears in the blue light that disturbs the eyes. I’ve experienced it a few times, but the dizziness that I can’t adapt to sticks to me. And the blue light disappears. The scenery changes, and the huge and brilliant Hwangseong comes into view.

“Welcome to the divine and northern warriors.”

A man with neatly combed hair and traces of age on his face welcomes us.

“His Majesty the Emperor is waiting for the divinity.”

“i get it. go right away Alik, come with me too.”

At her words, the elation fades and embarrassment sets in.

“Didn’t you mention the duty of a fiancé? So come with me.”

She says that and smiles before taking her first steps. Looking at her back as she gave me a shot, I moved on.