TL/Editor: Butter Cat

    Status: 4/week mon-thurs

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    〈 Chapter 74 〉 Chapter 74. End of War.

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    Steel clashes against steel, and nameless battle cries echo through the air.

    This place was, without a doubt, worthy of being called a battlefield.

    ".....Wow."

    Whee, I whistled softly.

    It wasn''t because It was entertaining to watch or enjoying the sight, of course not.

    Rather, it was just an expression of bewilderment, a release of emotions after giving up on everything.

    A bitter laugh had escaped without my notice.

    Clang, clang. Sharp metallic sounds ring out.

    The clear sounds reflecting off the alley walls and buildings brought me a tingling unease.

    But as I approached my destination, the street I had been heading towards gradually came into view, and I could see the intense fight taking place in the distance.

    I stopped in my tracks, my eyes fixated on that hellish scene.

    "........"

    They say that a tragedy seen from afar is a comedy, but a comedy seen up close is a tragedy.

    It was a scene that fit that saying perfectly, a sight so captivating that I couldn''t help but let out a gasp of admiration.

    There was just one problem, however.

    The fact that I had to go there.

    Holy, my life is a goddamn tragedy, not a comedy after all.

    Hngg.

    Right now, I wanted nothing more than to grab them by the collar, those people who were fighting so fiercely, and ask them if they knew that they were in the middle of the Akard Empire''s capital.

    Well, I wasn''t one to talk, having caused a scene in the Museion myself, but there''s a limit to everything.

    I had at least expected them to go somewhere secluded to fight.

    Who would have thought they''d be having an all-out brawl right out in the open where everyone could see.

    Personally, I was hoping the imperial patrol units who were currently hiding somewhere, watching the situation in the distance, would intervene and stop the fight, but it seemed like that was too much to ask.

    Unfortunately, they were content just watching from afar.

    Since the people involved in the fight were who they were, they probably couldn''t easily intervene for fear of diplomatic incidents.

    But why did the actual parties involved seem unconcerned about it.

    The fact that I, an outsider, was the one most concerned about this situation.

    How ironic.

    Anyway, the patrol units probably figured out who these people were from talking with the guards nearby.

    And in this world that valued honor above all else, duels were relatively common and even encouraged to a certain extent.

    They might be reprimanded for causing a disturbance on a public street, but the fight itself wasn''t something to make a big deal out of.

    So they were sticking to just observing, unless an actual incident occurred.

    Well.

    That wasn''t a welcome fact for me at all.

    ──CLANG!!

    "You, with that audacity!"

    "....Remi!"

    Remi Akaia, shouting something as she clashed swords with the attacker.

    The attacker barely manages to deflect Remi Akaia''s sword strikes coming from all directions by twisting their blade.

    And behind them, I could see a few guards standing awkwardly, their swords not even properly drawn.

    They probably couldn''t dare to point their swords at their lord.

    No matter how skilled they might be, they probably weren''t confident they could stop the two’s fierce fight without causing any harm.

    Or maybe they were ordered not to intervene.

    It''s always it’s the underlings who suffer…

    The higher-ups don''t understand their struggles…

    Either way, thanks to that, the two of them were able to continue their fight.

    And beside the fighting women—

    "....I thought I told you that I would be your opponent."

    "Hah…! Get out of the way…!!"

    Thud, thud.

    There stood Saelli with a somewhat heavy expression, dealing with the guards.

    She had already knocked down more than half of the guards, she was asserting her presence while casually dusting off her hands and feet.

    While some guards tried to use their numerical advantage against her, others were trying to slip past her and head towards the alley where Alice and I had run into, but it was all for naught in front of her watchful eyes.

    —Squeeze.

    "What?!"

    "Didn''t I tell you not to try to pass through here?"

    A cloud of dust rose and a loud crack.

    The man who tried to pass by her side had his ankle grabbed and was made to forcefully kiss the ground, without any loss of momentum.

    She just looked at them with an indifferent expression, not even flinching as countless blades were pointed at her.

    If they had engaged in a war of attrition or had the support of archers, it might have been different, but the guards were too caught up in their urgency to quickly get past her and chase after us.

    The tide of the battle was clearly in her favor.

    It was a scene that unfolded as expected.

    But if there was one thing where my thoughts had been wrong—

    —Clang, clack!

    "....You...Youuu…!!"

    "...."

    Remi Akaia''s sword was slowly being pushed back.

    From an objective viewpoint, the difference in their skills didn''t seem that significant.

    Of course, looking at the weight and speed behind their swords you could argue that Remi Akaia held a slight advantage, but she was fighting with her body fueled by anger swinging her sword like that.

    Thanks to that, all her critical attacks missed, and instead she was exposing fatal openings to her opponent.

    If her opponent had taken advantage of those glaringly obvious openings earlier.

    She would have been lying on the ground by now.

    Even a light cut could have easily inflicted wounds severe enough to immobilize her for a while.

    And even a single strike to her vital points with the hilt would have been enough to bring her down in pain.

    But my prediction.

    Was completely off the mark, as proved by the fact that Remi Akaia''s body remained unharmed without a single scratch

    —SLASH!!

    "Answer me!!!"

    "….Ugh."

    "—Princess!"

    And rather, it was the attacker who had several wounds carved into their body. Sёarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    A few drops of blood flying through the air.

    The attacker''s hood completely fell back, and beautiful silver hair fluttered in the wind.

    My eyes were drawn entirely to this attacker, feeling a strange sense of familiarity with that color, as if I''d seen it somewhere before.

    That question was quickly answered.

    The answer was right behind me.

    Right.

    It was Alice''s color.

    "........"

    Although her yellowish tint eyes resembled Remi Akaia''s more than Alice’s.

    Her features, her hair, her eyes, her skin.

    And above all, the aura that surrounded her.

    All of it was so identical to the Alice''s appearance I had always known.

    I wondered if this was how Alice would look when she grew older.

    ''....Re, mi?''

    ''…Ah?''

    Back when we were shopping together peacefully, I had turned around when I heard someone calling out Remi Akaia''s name.

    Even though I had never met her before, I had immediately recognized her just by looking at her face.

    She was the spitting image of Alice.

    Yes.

    She was none other than the First Princess and Crown Princess of the current Tesillia Kingdom.

    The one who had stabbed her younger sister multiple times with a sword, and in the end pushed her off a cliff.

    "...This is getting beyond ridiculous, seriously."

    It was Anna Akaia.

    **

    I should have been furious.

    Even if not anger, I should have naturally felt disgust thinking about what she had done.

    In fact, until recently, I had harbored such strong hostility toward Anna Akaia that I would shudder at just hearing the ''An’ of her name, even though I haven’t met her personally back then.

    And when Saelli''s words were further confirmed by Remi Akaia''s testimony, my anger had known no bounds.

    Because what she had done was an act that couldn''t be justified by any reason.

    So why.

    Was it because of her appearance that resembled Alice.

    Was it because of her sad eyes that seemed to speak of regret for everything.

    Toward her, I.

    Ended up feeling a small inkling of sympathy.

    Step, step.

    "—Everyone, stop."

    Before I knew it, I was slowly walking towards them.

    "…Hey!? What are you doing here!?"

    "…You!"

    Saelli and Remi Akaia’s gazes pierced me, as if reprimanding me for returning to this place, but I ignored them.

    I had my own reasons too, okay.

    You didn''t see Alice throwing herself in front of a moving carriage.

    There was no way I could leave the child anywhere alone.

    And you two, if I hadn''t intervened, someone would have died, wouldn''t they?

    The urge to explain everything to them bubbled up inside me, but right now, stopping the fight unfolding before me was more urgent than clearing up misunderstandings.

    I pointed my thumb behind me and muttered softly.

    "The child’s sleeping, you know?"

    ".......Eh?"

    Everyone stared at me blankly.

    At their expressions that look to be asking what the hell I was talking about, I brought my index finger to my lips and gave them a ''be quiet'' gesture.

    What do you mean, what nonsense?

    I meant that Alice is inside the bulging cloth on my back, of course.

    A moment of silence.

    Saelli and Remi Akaia, who quickly snapped out of their daze, naturally went into an uproar asking why I had brought the child here, and the guards who had been trying to chase after me to find out the truth were also confused by the fact that I, their target, had walked here on my own.

    But among them all, the sharpest was.

    "........"

    Anna Akaia''s gaze as she stared intently at me.

    An outpouring of emotions so mixed they were beyond understanding, like sticky mud.

    While trying to avoid that, I opened my mouth.

    "Let''s talk this out, with words."

    "........."

    It would have been better if she had been the unreasonable person I had imagined.

    A cruel human being who had committed unspeakable atrocities with her own hands.

    A human being who had obtained all the power, wealth, and everything else she had desired and coveted.

    Then why, why was she showing that sadness, that guilt.

    That dissonance, that inexplicable gap.

    Made me want to hear her story, just once.

    "First clear the street, then everyone follow me."

    Well, let''s start by cleaning up the surroundings first.

    **

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