Chapter 236: Peach Blossom (2)
Is it progressing smoothly......
The detached unit which was on their way to the Rubelta River shared their visual situation through an object connected to a monster of the underworld.
As of now, they were moving towards the upper section of the river without being tracked by the enemy. If they reach and finish the mission successfully, all that would remain in this war would be the final decisive battle.
If they failed, the war would probably last even beyond spring.
Despite that, Prince Raymond was not comfortable with the current situation.
After all, Ferzen, who had returned, was spending his time locked in the barracks while hurting himself with alcohol.
Did killing Lizzy bring a great deal of guilt to his heart?
No, Prince Raymond thought that should not be the case.
If he was someone who was unable to bear the guilt and would break down because of it, he would not have quietly watched as Roer and Cesar were executed and the Claudia family was destroyed.
In the end, there might be another reason why Ferzen was destroying his own body like that. To put it another way, it meant that it was not a problem that could be solved in the current situation.
That was the part that made Prince Raymond the most frustrated and upset.
Brutein blood.
On top of that, there was no one who could help an Apollyon-level warlock but themselves.
Perhaps that was why Ferzen did not reveal the inside story of why he was like this now.
He probably did not want to put an unnecessary burden on his shoulders in a situation where the result could not be altered.
"Count......”
Therefore, all he could do now was to force himself to accept the goodwill that Ferzen had given him and look away.
But even if there was nothing he could do,
Wouldn't it be different if it were his wife, Yuriel?
Prince Raymond let out a deep sigh as he waited for the second arrival of the supply troop.
* * * * *
Yuriel who had returned to the fiercest battlefield once again, tread on a snow field which was as splendid as the Silk Road and exhaled with joy as she saw the entrance to the Eliatta Gorge that was visible in the distance.
Even though the reason for her joy was obviously because of her reunion with Ferzen, she was also happy because when she encountered the other unit that had gone to another front to send supplies, they gave her nothing but good news.
In particular, the Obern Kingdom front which was led by her grandfather, Corleone Wayne Baretta Alfred, got a resounding victory.
If she told this news to Prince Raymond, it would undoubtedly reduce a lot of his psychological burden.
Of course, all of that could have been in vain depending on whether they win or lose on this front......
However, Yuriel decided not to assume the worst.
“Let’s speed up our advance.”
"I understand!”
The speed of the supply unit increased as Yuriel held tightly to the horse's reins.
Once they traversed the remaining distance and arrived at the entrance of Eliatta Gorge and the Ernes Empire's camp, Yuriel was able to see the second prince, Raymond, who came out to greet them.
“Yuriel Wayne Dayna Louerg greets His Highness the Prince.”
“You’ve worked hard. Why don’t you leave the handover of the supply to your lieutenant and follow me for a little bit?”
"I understand. I also have some good news to tell you, Your Highness.”
"I see......That is truly fortunate.”
"Your Highness?"
Even if I haven't told you the details yet.
The only good news that could be brought to this fierce front was undoubtedly the news of victory from other fronts.
However, Prince Raymond's complexion was not very bright even after receiving her words, so Yuriel could not help but make a puzzled expression.
Yuriel felt a pang in her heart as she saw him not even reacting to her even though she was caressing his cheek while standing so close to him.
“Ferzen......”
“......”
“I’m here......”
“......”
“I am by your side now......”
Even when she called him in a tearful voice, he just continued to mess and tidy the things on his desk like a man in a daze.
“Ferzen......!”
Even though Yuriel held onto his hand and called his name loudly......
Thud-!!
“Ugh!”
What she received was violence that rejected her touch and tingling pain from being shoved to the ground.
Without even sparing Yuriel a single glance, Ferzen sat down in his chair again, adjusted his posture, and silently organized the scattered items on his desk like a machine.
Flinch-!!
However, in this barracks filled with the terrible smell of alcohol, a strong smell of peach blossoms slowly entered his nose......
"Ah......”
Ferzen's delirious body reflexively trembled ever so slightly at that moment.
Even if it was a body that was smeared in ugliness and filthiness and was marked by the pain and suffering caused by his obsessive-compulsive disorder,
Because he knew what kind of precious things he had acquired and had to protect,
Even though he was undeniably a villain,
Ferzen von Schweig Louerg turned his head in pursuit of something called longing.
“Yuri......el.”
Only then did his blurry red eyes focus on her and capture her appearance clearly.
“Cough......!”
As he coughed, Ferzen collapsed from the chair he was sitting on because of his long-abused stomach and vomited all the remaining alcohol along with all his gastric juice on the floor.
In the process, his unhealed wounds worsened due to the rush of gastric juice, making bright red blood come out after the vomit, staining the floor even more.
“Ferzen......!”
After seeing that, Yuriel quickly got up, walked over to Ferzen, hugged him, and gently wiped his mouth with her sleeve.
“......It’s dirty, Yuriel......”
As he saw her uniform getting stained, Ferzen opened his mouth and said those words with a screeching voice. But Yuriel seemed to not pay any attention to him and just turned his head and placed it on her chest as if it were a soft pillow.
Then the scent of the peach blossom became even stronger.
The longing that began to be satisfied brought relief to his exhausted body.
'Ah......’
He had a lot of things that he wanted to say to her.
An excuse for this situation so that she did not worry for no reason.
Or apology for pushing her just now.
But after that day, for the first time in a long time, Ferzen closed his eyes in Yuriel's arms, feeling his drowsiness come as a pure response of his body wanting to ‘rest’ rather than ‘escape’.
On the other hand, Yuriel, who had been rooted in her place for a while, just gently touched the sleeping Ferzen's cheek with a sad /genesisforsaken