Chapter 281

Chapter 281

"Your Highness!"

Serenade descended from the carriage, supported by her escort.

Naturally, that escort was her loyal subordinate Elize, who was carrying a massive Sword Coffin.

"It must have been a tough journey, Serenade."

I spread my arms to welcome my guests. Serenade and Elize both slightly bowed to me.

Hidden beneath her strands of sapphire-blue hair, Elizes expression was neutral, but she stole a quick, disdainful glance at me.

Her complexion looked fine; she must have been doing well.

Serenade stood straight and smiled warmly.

"I apologize for the delay. Weve been clearing the road from the Imperial Capital to here. It took a bit longer than expected."

What did you say?

You came here while also clearing those treacherous mountain roads?

I thought they were taking a while to arrive, but that wasnt the reason.

They accomplished an unimaginable task in no time, these people...!

With newfound admiration, I looked at the members of the Merchant Guild. They started to look like heroes against all odds.

"Our Merchant Guild undertook the nationwide road project. And were not entirely finished; weve only completed the most basic stages as we made our way here."

Serenade pointed towards the cargo wagons behind her.

"Still, this shouldnt interfere with the magic stone distribution. If you grant the permission, we can start shipping magic stones from Crossroad to the Imperial Capital as early as tomorrow."

"Youve done well, Serenade. Thank you."

As I expressed my gratitude, Serenade fidgeted with her fingers, appearing somewhat shy.

"Oh, no, Your Highness. Its a promise I made with you; theres no need for thanks."

"Uh, okay..."

Yes, youre making me feel embarrassed too...

I scratched the back of my neck, feeling awkward. Just then, a strangely fluffy atmosphere began to form.

"Um, um, um..."

Standing beside me, Evangeline, who had been shivering, looked up at Serenade with a shocked face and began to mumble.

"This mature, sophisticated, and beautiful woman... Could she be...?"

"Ah, let me introduce you. Evangeline, this is Serenade, the owner of the Silver Winter Merchant Guild."

I introduced Serenade to Evangeline.

"Serenade, this is Evangeline, the heir to the Margrave title of Crossroad."

"Pleased to meet you, Evangeline. My name is Serenade. I look forward to working with you."

Serenade took the initiative to bow, demonstrating flawless etiquette. It was a greeting with not a single flaw.

"I, Im also pleased to meet you, Serenade! But!"

Evangeline, who had been sneaking glances between Serenade and me, suddenly asked.

"Actually, when I was living in the Imperial Capital, I read a lot of gossip magazines about the two of you!"

"..."

I rested my forehead in my palm.Điscover new chapters at novelhall.com

Now that I think about it, this Evangeline character collected and read all sorts of scandalous magazines about me when she was attending the academy in the Imperial Capital...!

"All kinds of rumors were rampant about the relationship between the two of you! I was so, so curious that I couldnt sleep! Please, just tell me one thing!"

Evangeline hurled a fastball directly at Serenade.

"What exactly is the relationship between you two?!"

"Huh? Um, well, you see..."

Confused and hesitant, Serenade cautiously glanced at me before mumbling, her face slightly flushed.

"...An ex-girlfriend, maybe?"

At this, Evangelines eyes popped wide open as she let out a loud squawk.

"Ex-Girlfriend?!"

"..."

Why does saying it like that make it sound like she was an EX-Rank girlfriend or something?!

"Wait, you mean, you dated someone this pretty, senior...?"

"No, I mean, I didnt date her. Well, I did, but"

As I stammered, Evangeline, who had been trembling, suddenly punched me in the shoulder.

"You womanizer! Bad man!"

Why the hell did she hit me?

***

"Thank you for coming all this way, Serenade."

Young Lords Mansion. The drawing room.

Sitting across from each other with some light refreshments, I asked Serenade,

"Is everything alright? You must have plenty of work in the Imperial Capital. Was it really necessary for you to come all the way to this Margraves territory?"

"Businesses in Silver Winters Merchant Guild have all stabilized. Alberto has been a huge help with the new projects in collaboration with the Imperial Family."

But when needed, it must be clearly ingrained.

That I hold the reins of life and death on this frontline.

"I understand your point, Your Highness."

Serenade softly smiled at me.

"But even if mistakes are punished, should not merits be rewarded, as per military law?"

"..."

She was right. I was at a loss for words.

"Sir Lucas may have made a mistake this time, but he also achieved something in this battle."

"Um..."

Lucas was indeed the MVP of this stage. He had single-handedly crushed the enemys main force.

"Sometimes, stern punishment is necessary, but what really moves a persons heart are a few warm words."

"..."

"Even if Sir Lucas actions were a bit misguided, they were all done for Your Highness. Youve already given him his punishment, now you should mend his spirits."

Yes, I knew that. From Lucas perspective, his actions were done out of loyalty.

And of course, we had to reconcile. We couldnt continue like this, awkward and on edge.

But... that, um...

Reconciling after a fight is easier said than done...

If it were up to me, I would bow my head and apologize first. But the scolding I gave Lucas wasnt as an individual; it was a decision I made as a frontline commander.

I had meted out punishment to a subordinate officer in my role as a superior.

For the sake of maintaining discipline in the army, I couldnt be the first to apologize. This was the military after all.

But honestly... I feel like I might have been too harsh...

As Serenade said, Lucas had used his beast form in the last battle and had also been the MVP by killing the most monsters. It would only be right to commend and reward him...

Aaaah! Being a commander is hard!

I buried my face in my hands and groaned. Serenade chuckled, covering her mouth as she watched me.

"Youll manage, Your Highness."

"Hm?"

"Those who worry tend to, even if they wander, find the right path in the end."

The right path, huh.

Not just with scolding Lucas, but all the choices I had made up to this pointdid they really lead to the right path? Was it even a proper path to begin with?

There was no certainty.

I just kept moving forward. Even if I looked back, I would continue to take steps forward.

Toward that faintly glowing destination called Clear, by any means necessary.

***

Silver Winters Merchant Guild had purchased a building downtown to set up their branch office.

A sign reading Silver Winter Merchant Guild - Crossroad Branch was being displayed.

Workers were swarming, quickly renovating both the exterior and interior of the building. Their speed was truly astounding.

"Your Highness, you have two tasks for our Merchant Guild: gemstone distribution and, um..."

While watching the renovation, Serenade glanced at me and asked.

"A tourism city project, right?"

"Yes."

"Weve brought in competent architects, so we can start on the hotel construction soon. Ill order them to survey the land and create a draft."

Serenade hummed thoughtfully, pressing her full lips with her index finger.

"And about the Fall Festival... its already that season? When does it start?"

"In two days. Itll last for three days."

"The traditional events for Crossroad are the martial arts tournament and dance festival, correct?"

Deep in thought, Serenade crossed her arms and lightly tapped her fingers on her arm.

"The natural scenery is quite beautiful, and theres plenty of vacant land within the territory... Given these conditions..."

She seemed to be calculating something, her fingers moving rhythmically.

I simply watched, entertained by her actions.

"While we dont have much time, so drastic changes wont be possible... Lets give it our best effort."

Finally, as if concluding her calculations, Serenade gave me a refreshing smile.

"Lets transform Crossroad into the top tourist destination in the South, slowly but surely! The upcoming Fall Festival can be the first step toward that!"

"Uh...? Oh, sure!"

I sensed that something was a bit off here.

No, the tourism city project I had in mind was... simply to build a hotel with a casino to meet the minimum tourism score and lure in SSR-SR grade heroes.

It seemed that the head of the Silver Winter Merchant Guild had something much grander in mind.

I chuckled wryly. How many tourists could possibly come to such a remote corner of the world...?