CH 87

Wings of an Eagle

It was at the time when Kyrie had such a thought in her feverish head. One of the communication stones, which were placed categorically on her desk, began to glow. Kyrie immediately returned to her expressionless appearance and stroked the communication stone.

“I thought I was going to lose my neck while waiting.”

〔It is better to keep it well so that it does not fall off.〕

Leshaux answered in a low-pitched voice from beyond the communication seat. Kyrie laughed bitterly.

“What about the information I asked for?”

〔It is as I thought. The Emperor is behind the Marquis of Vermont.〕

“Of course.”

Kyrie muttered.

“Is there something wrong with central politics? I can’t understand why she suddenly became interested in the West.”

〔As you may know, I do not have subordinates. That’s all the information I’ve found.〕

Leshaux cut Kyrie’s doubts with a single blow. That said, there was nothing to say, Kyrie shook her head.

“Anything else?”

〔Laura FortDucane and Maria OldCiudad returned to their respective families.〕

“……When did it happen?”

〔Immediately after you were caught.〕

Kyrie’s finger tapped the desk. She had many thoughts, but Kyrie forcibly blocked them. She shook her head. It was then that Leshaux, who seldom spoke, said something else.

〔I have a question for you, Kyrie Buchanan.〕

“Please speak.”

Leshaux was silent for a moment. 

〔Do you know anything about magic?〕

“I know bloodlines come first, talent second, and third is passing the tradition down.”

Kyrie’s answer probably came out more seamlessly than he would have thought. Because she wasn’t the type of person easily surprised, she was unfazed by the sudden change in topic. Just as Kyrie was calm, Leshaux was also calm.

〔Is that all?〕

“I know that will, skill, and mediation are necessary, but I have never learned more than that. As you know, Buchanan was of a wizarding family, but there is no magic left in my generation.”

〔That’s all I need to know.〕

It was a rare expression of emotion. Kyrie’s eyes narrowed as she bit her lip.

‘That was a relief just now. But why?’

To be honest, she had a hard time with Leshaux. No, it’s more than hard. She couldn’t understand him. Unlike Nathaniel, he saw her as a stranger.

Before Nathaniel imprisoned Kyrie, Leshaux knew about it, but didn’t stop it. He only moves for Nathaniel.

‘Is there anything I need to know about magic to benefit Nathaniel?’

She thought about it for a while, but it was something she could never imagine. And she didn’t even have to imagine. 

He is Nathaniel.

‘Forget it, Kyrie Buchanan.’

Kyrie slowly tapped her fingers simultaneously.

“There are a few more things I’d like to ask you to do. I was going to tell you this morning, so shall we take care of it while we’re at it?”

〔What?〕

Kyrie smiled dryly.

“What the Lord just said.”

***

The Marquis of Vermont’s soldiers reached the plains near Pronoia without much difficulty.

“Lord. All troops are on standby.”

The Lieutenant came and saluted the Marquis of Vermont. The Marquis came out of the barracks and looked at Pronoia, a blur from the distance. Even from this distance, the white marble and glass windows of the Pronoia Grand Library sparkled in the light.

“No contact?”

“There is none.”

The Marquis’ eyes narrowed.

“They didn’t raid at night, the people were evacuated, and there were no other traps….”

Thanks to this, he was able to get to Pronoia at a much faster rate than he had expected. The Marquis thought it was the command of the Legendary Lord.

‘It’s just a regular army without any magic users.’

His eyes went wild. The cold-frozen hatred was revealed. It was when he flapped his cloak and tried to return to the barracks. The voice increased in volume with magic, as if it were reverberating off a nearby wall.

「It’s been a while, Marquis of Vermont.」

The Marquis of Vermont’s body stiffened. He turned his head and looked at Pronoia.

“…….Kyrie Buchanan?”

He heard that the Legendary Lord caught her again. Of course, like before, he thought she was being kept somewhere unknown to anyone, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

“I guess you’re finally thinking of sticking together, aren’t you?” 

(T/N: joining hands)

The Marquis smiled, revealing this. He strode towards the front of the unit’s camp. After his Lieutenant handed him a mana stone to amplify his voice, at first glance, his tone seemed friendly.

“Who is this, isn’t this Miss Buchanan?”

The disguised kindness was to have Kyrie Buchanan, who would hate the Legendary Lord, on his side. But Kyrie noticed it subtlety and responded softly.

「What are you doing, Marquis? Scholars are afraid.」

“There will be no harm to them. Only if you give me the Legendary Lord.”

「Well. I can hear the clamor of the armor clashing all the way up here. It would be unacceptable to bring such an armed force into the city.」

“Ha?”

The Marquis stroked the tip of his beard and clicked his tongue.

“Miss Buchanan. I’ve been listening quietly, but you’re talking as if something happened. As far as I know, Miss Buchanan wasn’t that ignorant of the subject, was she?”

A laughter was heard from afar.

「More than that, since it is the seat of a Lord versus a Lord, would you treat me with respect?」

“Lord?”

「After all, it will be received in five years, so I asked for it in advance.」

Kyrie Buchanan answered languidly. The Marquis’s head jerked to the Lieutenant beside him.

“Is that true now?”

“We are receiving calls from the capital twice a day, but no ceremonies have been held!”

“Then you mean that Cesar Buchanan’s daughter said something like that without anything? Check back right now!”

The Marquis of Vermont kicked one of the lieutenants on the back. He clicked his tongue and furrowed his eyebrows. He sent someone to check, but it’s probably true. Although the nobles make a living by bluffing and showing off, they’d never lie about it since it could be discovered. Strength entered the fist of the Marquis holding the communication stone.

“I admit that you are Lord, Miss Buchanan. But, unfortunately, I have no respect for a mere young lady who only knows how to manage a family and has never done politics.”

The Marquis smirked. Under the blue sky, Kyrie Buchanan’s sullen laughter echoed.

「Yes. I didn’t even expect it.」

The Marquis’s mood deteriorated strangely at the overly casual attitude.

“Kyrie Buchanan! Are you really going to fight me in order to defend the wicked Legendary Lord?”

「Would this have happened if you were polite and formal?」

“It’s okay! Don’t go out of your way to disgrace the Duke of Buchanan and step back!”

The Marquis of Vermont muttered in a low-pitched voice. But Kyrie Buchanan was relaxed.

「It’s a nice day. A good day to read a book. I like classical literature. It may be a little boring, but it contains a lot of things.」

“Ha. Did that classic even teach you how to win a war?”

「Oh, of course.」

At that moment, the tone changed. The playfulness was gone, and a solemn and ferocious spirit lingered.

「I’m asking for an one-on-one confrontation, Vermont.」

The Marquis of Vermont’s forehead narrowed. The reason he couldn’t answer right away was because he needed time to trace his memory.

Although it is an ancient style of written law, knights that the Lord trusted most traditionally fought one-on-one to determine the outcome of the battle. It was a measure to reduce innocent sacrifices.

“That’s what you believed in. You’re thinking of sending out the Legendary Lord, aren’t you?”

「I’m sorry for disappointing you, but that’s not the case at all. How about this? Let’s stop our unnecessary fights. The time is now, winter is over and spring is coming. Your territories are the ones who fighting for the land, not my people, right?」

At the sharp point, the Marquis of Vermont clenched his teeth. It was true that he moved his soldiers by force. It was because he thought that if it wasn’t now, he wouldn’t have another chance.

‘But what do you mean?’

Kyrie Buchanan had no power in Pronoia. Nor does she have any local mercenaries to lend her a hand. To put it bluntly, among all the cities of Trevereum, the average age of Pronoia was the highest.

‘It must be a bluff.’

The Marquis’s narrowed eyes shone. Looking around, the knights he had carefully nurtured were also smirking. The Marquis laughed out loud.

“Great! I accept your application for a challenge. I’ll send out five knights instead! Let’s play the tournament, and the last one remaining wins!”

The Marquis of Vermont, who exclaimed proudly, added at the end.

“Because if it ends too quickly, I would feel sorry for Buchanan.”

「Okay, Marquis of Vermont. Let’s start right away without waiting.」

“I will make you regret it!”

There was no need to order. When he turned around, the Marquis of Vermont’s five most trusted knights were lined up in front of him.

“I will bring the honor of winning, my Lord!”

Well-made weapons and sturdy shiny armor. And elite knights nurtured by the swordsmanship of the Marquis of Vermont. Confident in his odds of attaining an easy victory, he spread his arms towards his knights. The red cloak flapped like the wings of an eagle.

“I hope you have found some useful talent among those old people who are sitting with books everywhere!”

As if waiting for that moment, at the border of the city of Pronoia, someone began to walk out. The Marquis of Vermont’s eyes narrowed.

‘A knight?’

But it was strange. The shadow is exceptionally…. small.

「This is unfortunate.」

Kyrie Buchanan’s voice resounded with a roar of laughter.

「What we are going to send out from our camp is a very small, cute, tender and a lovely girl.」

***

“Ouch!”

“Aww!”

“Argh!”

“Khuek!”

Every time MarryAnne raised her fist, the knights fell like leaves in the fall. The third time the knight went to the showdown, his mustache twitched when he saw the two stunned knights.

“If you are careless about knocking her down, you will get a big nose injury!”

MarryAnne, who gently lifted the two fallen knights and moved them to the corner, widened her eyes.

“MarryAnne’s nose is not big. But I think you have a big nose!”

“What…..! This cheeky…….!”

The knight on horseback shouted, pounding his chest in full plate armor.

“My name is Richard Hyland! A proud knight of Vermont, unlike the lowly maid, I’m a true vassal of the Marquis of Vermont!”

“Oh.”

MarryAnne looked surprised. Richard Hyland finally realized her compliant response, and raised his chin in pride. But MarryAnne grabbed her head and began to groan.

“That’s right, the Lady told me that knights shouldn’t be called uncles…. Is that right, uncle?”