Chapter 25.1

Elisha listened calmly to the story.

‘As expected, it was today.’

At the time, Elisha was doing the laundry at Cartier’s ducal estate, so she heard the news a few days late.

The Old Kingdom was a kingdom union composed of dozens of territorial federations and fiefdoms. It was also the country where Elisha’s father, High Lord Lor, belonged to.

The Old Kingdom was called the Kingdom for convenience, but it was really like a union of territories, so solidarity was virtually impossible. As the Loiara Empire rose rapidly, the territory, which served as the capital, collapsed several times during the small wars.

Subsequently, there were occasional small rebellions by the remnants of the kingdom. But even that will be soon over, too.

‘The fall and capture of the Suz estate is the last straw.’

The collapse of the Old Kingdom’s Union brought the end of the Great aristocracy and ushering in the era of empire and releasing gold coins to the world.

Elisha grew up in a monastery isolated from the world, expelled from her father’s estate when she was very young, and had no memory of it. So, it was all just stories that she had heard or read about.

“However, the reason why this insurrection is growing is that there are wizards with the rebels.”

If there were mana stone mines in the mountains or forests, the wizard could breathe mana into these magic gems. When mana stones awoke and began to emit mana, beasts residing around the awoken magic usually went mad and attacked nearby villages.

In addition, the madness of monsters spreads to other beasts. Each time they traversed and descended through a forest or mountain, more mad beasts joined them.

‘It happened right after Gaju’s birthday, so Lucerne, the High General, was staying here with some of his men.’

Lucerne takes the knights he brought, first capturing the Suz estate. Then he beats back the demons back admirably. Lucerne’s fame and reputation spread across the empire and his prestige grows even greater.

And now that he’s a Count, with her title, he’ll rise even higher, Elisha thought.

***

There was the heavy sound of the door closing.

Lucerne, who was talking to his subordinates in the doorway, left. The sexual tension eased. Elisha lay on the bed, rubbing her body wrapped in sheets.

‘I feel weird.….’

She wished she had done it sooner, she thought. When they stopped in the middle, she felt a strange sense of lethargy.

‘But, on the battlefield, how do you handle the excitement?’

He’s definitely a pervert who gets an erection when he kills a man.…. with one’s own mouth…….

Elisha shook her head.

‘I don’t want to know.’

That was not a matter for Elisha to worry about. The immediate issue at hand was how to survive today.

She got up from her seat and drank a glass of wine. Her head calmed down a little. She was terribly tired. She lay in bed and began to organize what was to come and her future situation. Rather, alcohol helped.

***

“Did you hear anything about the situation?”

“The monsters within the forest have been summoned and are appearing. Even if reinforcements come by using the gate, it will take three days. It is estimated that there are about a thousand demons.”

“The monsters are something I can handle by myself. The rebels are more of a problem. You’ll have to deal with one of them.”

Lucerne asserted that he could handle a thousand demons himself, a tremendous task. But no one was laughing at Lucerne’s comment.

Lucerne lightly rubbed his neck. Lucerne looked particularly disheveled. It was no wonder, he was disturbed on his first night. The knights sneakily took in the sight.

“Get ready for the war. If it’s this size it should be sorted out in a week.”

“Yes General!”

The knights stood at attention. Lucerne studied the profiles of his knights.

“Corinne, Nora, Lapis. Escort my wife to her home in the capital.”

The knights were silent. Lucerne’s knights were all valiant, and they all wanted to go to war.

“To escort the noble lady…….three of us?”

“I never gave you permission to speak,”

Lucerne proclaimed. He said nothing more. The faces of the knights, who were assigned as escorts, turned white.

As war enthusiasts who resemble their master telling them not to go out to the battlefield was almost equivalent to disciplinary action.

***

Elisha awoke from her deep slumber. It was noisy outside as dawn broke. The patrons staying at the hotel seemed to be rushing up to the capital to escape the war.

Elisha rubbed her eyes. She could feel Lucerne’s presence coming in.

“You’re here.”

Elisha greeted Lucerne with an unfazed, expressionless face. Lucerne signed to Elisha to not get up.

“Go up to the capital and stay calm.”

“Yes.”

Elisha nodded her head and didn’t ask any more questions. Lucerne laughed as if he was satisfied.

“Unnm…….”

The next moment, his lips hotly hit Elisha’s. Lucerne raised her chin and kissed her.

“Unnh…….”

Elisha struggled, now less half-asleep with his rough tongue. His lips fell off of hers. Lucerne bit Elisha’s lower lip, full of regret. Her lower lip swelled thickly with his heated touch.

“Haaa…….Haa…….” [breathing sfx]

Elisha looked at Lucerne with questions.

“Until the next time we meet, I’ll have to put up with this one kiss.”

“…….”

“Wash your face first. What if other people see your sexy face? There are still traces of our affair.”

” ……I’ll take care of it,”

Elisha said as her ears tinted red.

What a strange man.

He said such crass things with a stoic face… Lucerne didn’t take his hands off of her and fiddled with Elisha’s chin.

“I worked hard on it, but I don’t want to waste your hole.”

“…You can come back soon after you are finished. The first night isn’t over yet.”

Elisha didn’t know what was wrong with him, his eyes were slightly bent with a twinkling mirth; he didn’t seem to be listening to Elisha’s words.

“Alright, until then, touch yourself while remembering the touch of my fingers.”

***