Chapter 130 – 12. Concentration (Complete)
Lumiere, Dior’s house.
Eleven ragged soldiers walked into the garden of the clear lake. Next to the fountain, which gushed out turquoise sparkling water, unloaded their heavy luggage and took a breath in a comfortable position. Originally, it would have been impossible to dream of, but it was thanks to the woman who was no different from the hostess of a famous family.
“Have some water.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Antoine and his soldiers, sitting on a large cloth spread on the lawn, hurriedly ate. The delicacy I tasted for the first time in my life felt so ecstatic that I couldn’t wake up at all, perhaps thanks to the seasoning called hunger.
“Now, if you need more food, feel free to tell me.”
“Give me more here!”
I handed a glass of water to the soldier who was struggling to see if his throat was choked. He handed the plate to the soldier who was noticing that the quantity was insufficient. The fact that they left the nice drawing room and chose the outdoor area could have made it seem like they were treating them harshly, but in reality, they were more careful.
I’m afraid that those who have come a long way won’t be able to eat as much as they want because of needless glare.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Everyone is comfortable. Because the young lady asked me to serve her with utmost sincerity.”
Anais and Leonard, an elderly hired couple, continued to look after the soldiers. The two, who were from the same northern country and were able to form a consensus, talked about various things under a giant tree with light green leaves in full bloom.
“Antoine, you said you’ve been to this mansion before.”
“Yes, it was not for a wedding invitation, but for a letter from the baron.”
“How is the baron these days?”
“Uh, how are you?”
Antoine, the commander of the decree, was forty years old. In the case of the nanny Anais and the butler Leonard, they looked at fifty and sixty, respectively. If you look at the age of the three people, it was almost a generation gap. Still, they had common interests.
Old Dior, Romuald of the Ardennes.
To one side, he was the man who changed the life of an ordinary low-level soldier. He was, at a large scale, a person who revived the territory that he was doing today, and at a small level, he was a man who helped him to work in a meaningful place after bowing down.
To one side he was a child of the heart or a man of no origin. The couple comforted and embraced the child, who died under the influence of a vicious enemy mother and his father his, who was busy with construction work, for a long time. Until he was kicked out by the current duke, he played the role of his parent to good effect.
“To think that the person who always seemed to be a crybaby master is already married.”
“Time flies so fast, honey?”
“Excuse me, but are you two acquainted with the baron?”
“Yes, my wife and I are also from the North.”
“Ii was a clerk in a village called Renan. I was a warrior from the Baturran tribe in the snowfields of Kamag. Somehow, during the war, I was taken prisoner. I wandered all over Baekryeong for quite a while, but my current husband let me go. They told me to run away secretly because they would be executed if I continued like this.”
Antoine, who put down the plate he had cleaned, listened with interest. The soldiers who had been engrossed in their meal a moment ago also showed interest when they learned that the hired couple who entertained us were the baron’s nanny and butler.
“At the time, the relationship between the frozen land and the great snowfield was not as good as it is now. Still, this man who risked his life to save me couldn’t look very cool. It was love at first sight. So he persuaded me to run away with him.”
“Anais, I don’t think people here are curious about our past.”
“Oh, look at my mind. I’ve heard and seen it. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, so I keep talking without hesitation. Still, that’s not irrelevant. The reason Master Romuald started to show interest in the North is because of the tales my wife and I told about there when we were young.”
“Anyway, it’s been a long time since we left our hometown. You also made a name for yourself in the past, but no one will remember these days. It’s been a long time since the old mace rusted. When the lady comes later, she will be tired from answering questions, so let them rest.”
Suddenly, a soldier holding a glass in his hand his inadvertently dropped it. While listening to the conversation between the two, I came across something I couldn’t believe. He, who was similar in age to Antoine and had experience in several battles, carefully raised his hand and asked.
“Huh, what about a mace?”
“Ah, this is the weapon I used before. I used to look at it sometimes when I thought about the past, but I neglected to take care of it for a while and it rusted. I painted the red sap of the winter tree with paint, but it was a material that was hard to find here.”
“Boo, a red-painted mace? If so, maybe you were one of the great warriors of Camag 20 years ago… ?”
Anais, who stood still and blinked, nodded with a surprised expression.
“Oh, do you know?”
“Great, Godmother Turregene!”
The soldier of the courtesy screamed in astonishment. And from that point on, Antoine and other contemporaries also opened their mouths. Turegene of the Batur tribe of the Camag Alliance was one of the mightiest men of the time, famous for its bloody mace.
“Honey, I guess I’m still famous?”
“It must be because he is Tamir’s right-hand man. Or maybe it’s because I was impressed by how he charged while holding a bloody mace on horseback.”
“Anyway, you said no one would remember these days?”
“I thought no one would recognize me since I even changed my name.”
Anais laughed and was delighted. Leonard shook his head with a tired face.
“The story of Camag’s godmother is still famous. The deceased Marquis Marquis captured the lily as a prisoner at the end of a competition, but one day it evaporated without a trace along with the mace he had confiscated. In the frozen land, there is also a legend that the godmother who made a contract with the spirit of death will reappear on the battlefield someday…”
“I am not a shaman. Besides, I haven’t held a mace again since I left the North.”
It was true that he was a strong man recognized in the great snowfield. In the first place, the title of Grand Champion of the Camag Tribal Alliance was something that only one person from each tribe could have. Tamir, who was the father of Temur and the former chieftain, considered that nickname the most honorable and introduced himself.
“Ugh, then it’s no wonder that the baron’s swordsmanship is so strong… ?”
“No way, I don’t know if it’s a mace, but my sword handling skills are quite good.”
“Still, there are many times when I played with the young master with a wooden sword.”
“Oh, indeed, the power of Camag-style early education!”
A friendly atmosphere prevailed. The couple, who had left their hometown long ago, felt the atmosphere unfamiliar but satisfied. It was because I personally realized that the frozen land and the great snowfield were no longer as fiercely hostile as before, but were trying to form a good relationship.
Otherwise, this reaction would never have come out.
“What is everyone talking about so much fun?”
“Lady Marguerite!”
“Are you here?”
Slowly, a woman with a more dazzling off-white color appeared with light steps from the beautiful verdant garden. Her well-groomed dark brown hair and her loose, modest green dress emphasized her frugality.
Even so, her appearance comparable to the stone of the four seasons did not die at all.
“I was talking to some of her guests.”
“Someone knows about Anais’ past.”
“Okay? I heard a few times that she was famous, but it was true.”
Anais, who was talking chattyly, and Leonard, who was helping out with a word or two next to him, nodded. She was the only daughter of the previous duke, and it was a part that showed how casual it was to not have much trouble with a woman who dominated the religious world.
“See you again, Captain.”
Before long, Marguerite moved her gaze to the side and spoke. Antoine got up from his gasping position, bent one knee in front of him and bowed his head in salutation. No matter how kind he was, the other person was from the Dior family.
I never had to relax.
“It is an honor to see you again, Abbey.”
“He said he had something to tell me.”
“Once upon a time, Baron Romuald was getting married on the Sabbath of the Sabbath of this year, so I wanted to give you a wedding invitation, hoping that the abbess would make the place shine. It may not be easy to come a long way, but please come. …”
The 10th manager took out the invitation letter she had been keeping in her arms and held it out. Marguerite immediately picked up the envelope, checked the name on the outside, and frowned at the name of Orianer Le Moin.
“It’s the Sabbath of the Sabbath, so if you can’t do it, you have to leave within three days to arrive on time.”
“I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier, but I’m stuck due to unexpected circumstances…”
“It’s okay. I didn’t start with that in mind.”
The rumors floating around without substance were true. Margaret, who was very upset, secretly bit his lip and sighed. He glanced at Anais and Leonard, who were quietly waiting, then nodded and ordered.
“I knew this day would come someday.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s Rome’s marriage. I will ask you to leave within two days.”
Get ready to go north.
* * *
The sun was setting over the capital.
Wearing her monocle, the owner of the house, Maurice, walked down the aisle with her mute face. In the darkness where she couldn’t see any light even if she opened her eyes and searched for it, she grabbed the doorknob of the office in a deep place and entered the room. In it she had an audience with the dark loser who had called me.
“Did you call, poor Duke?”
The current duke of the Dior family seldom appears in the public eye. He is a man who does not expose himself to the extent that even the king has never met him a few times. Seriously, in the social world, this man, Arsene Dior, was even referred to as a dark ball.
“It’s a bit noisy outside.”
“Yes, Miss Marguerite is packing her things with her servants.”
“Romuald.”
The outline of his fleshy hands slithered across the desk. However, what looked like an unpleasant insect at first glance was definitely the body of the Dark Ball. After catching his breath several times in the pitch-black darkness, he followed up with a question.
“How is the situation?”
“Looks like the Mad King is moving again. It seems Her Highness his, Princess Marianne, has communicated closely that his deceased wife was Aquitaine. Recently, the sultan of Nasr has been acting unusually, so I don’t know about the west, but I think it’s better to give a word to the south in advance.”
Albenis Aragorn prepares for war. Nasr’s Yusuf may join again. Moreover, this time the justification is clear. Even so, the duke in the dark only waved his hand lightly in a calm voice.
“No, it’s Charles’ job.”
The first agenda ended with that. The butler nodded his head and obediently raised the next agenda.
“The Rus Empire has delivered an ultimatum. Your Majesty wants to seek your opinion.”
“The Empress’s rule is not light.”
“I will refrain from telling you. And recently, it is an intelligence that Ravel, the Bishop of the West, is in critical condition. According to credible sources, it is a symptom of poisoning. I think it might be an assassination plot behind Ga-Seok Gae-Seok, but since there is no specific physical evidence, the Bishop seems to be reluctant.”
“The poison of the Rose of the Wilderness should be feared. She’s a troubled woman, so keep an eye on her for the time being.”
“All right.”
The people of Gaul do not know. That the real affairs of this kingdom were carried out here in the office of the Duke of Dior. Dark Ball, who had been briefed on several issues since then, gave simple answers and pressed his temples as if tired.
And the butler, who had read the sorrowful expression from his master his, who had disappeared in the shadows, seemed to observe quietly, but only responded when he opened his mouth belatedly.
“Maurice.”
“Yes, poor duke.”
“It’s been a long time since I killed Alexandre, but it doesn’t disappear at all.”
That is the futility of those who have achieved revenge, and the sorrow of those who have lost loved ones.
“I think grudges are really dense.”
“Because its essence is hate.”
“Then there would be no reason to refuse. Whether you make the excuse that you took something precious from me, or that the filthy, filthy bloodline bothers you.”
After all, the birth of a father who came to hate her son is how it all begins.
“Because the only meaning left in Arsene Dior’s life is purification.”
Dior’s Dark Ball sneered and shook his head.
