"I heard you’re leaving for Schwarhan before winter arrives."
"It’s true that I’m leaving for Schwarhan before winter. But why do you need to prepare for the moments when I’m not here?"
"Well, of course, once Your Grace leaves, I’ll be in Neustein—"
"You’re not planning to follow me?"
Cabelenus asked in a lower voice.
Alicia barely managed to part her lips, clutching her skirt tightly.
"...I don't have the authority to decide."
"So, you’re just going to stand by and watch me leave?"
Cabelenus ground his teeth.
Leaving with Alicia was a natural thing for him, but it was not the same for her.
Rather, she considered it natural to be separated from Cabelenus.
"Whether I leave or not, it is up to Your Grace—"
"You’re leaving too."
Cabelenus interrupted Alicia’s words abruptly.
"What?"
Alicia's eyes, wide with surprise, truly reflected the face of someone who had never considered leaving together.
That fact slowly gnawed at Cabelenus's nerves like a worm.
"You’re coming to Schwarhan too."
"Am I really going as well?"
"Did you think you were going to stay here alone?"
‘Without me?’
Cabelenus barely swallowed those last words as he stood up abruptly.
The relationship with this woman always felt like an endless loop.
No matter how much closer he thought they had become, when he looked again, they felt unbearably distant.
He was always the one feeling anxious and uncertain, while Alicia always seemed calm and indifferent.
"The moment the carriage to Schwarhan is ready, the very first thing I’ll do is put you on it. Do you know what that means? It means, whether you like it or not, you’re coming to Schwarhan with me."
"..."
"...Why are you crying?"
"..."
"Is it something so unbearable that it makes you cry?"
"N-no! It’s not that..."
Alicia bowed her head deeply, trying to hold back the sobs that threatened to escape.
She had assumed she would be left behind, but that wasn’t the case.
Even when winter came, she would still be by Cabelenus’s side.
Just the thought of that filled her chest so overwhelmingly that she could hardly stand it.
"Don’t cry. Crying won’t make me change my mind."
"..."
"And don’t bow your head in front of me. Whenever you lower your head and try to hide your feelings, I feel like I’m about to lose my mind."
Cabelenus’s large hand gripped her face, lifting her head to meet his gaze.
His hand still carried the cold metallic scent of steel, and they were as unyielding as if they could crush anything in their grasp.
But Alicia was no longer afraid of him.
Instead, she found herself welcoming the gaze of this beast-like man.
“It was out of happiness.”
Tears streamed down Alicia’s cheeks.
She had been taught all her life to suppress her desires, but in front of this man, she didn’t want to.
Even when she tried to run away or hide her emotions, this man would relentlessly hold onto her and insist that she show him her true self. He had never once been displeased when she revealed her feelings.
"…What exactly made you happy?"
Someday, she might regret this choice.
She had nothing, and he, on the other hand, had too much.
When the day came that the stark difference between them became undeniable, she would surely look back on this moment with regret.
Even so, she wanted to say it.
"...Because I can be with Your Grace.”
"..."
"Actually, I've been thinking about it. I wanted to go to Schwarhan with Your Grace."
Alicia's gaze wavered anxiously.
If Cabelenus hadn’t been holding her chin, she would have immediately bowed her head.
"Then why didn’t you say so earlier?"
"Because no one wants me."
"…No one wants you?"
Cabelenus frowned deeply, letting out a rough breath.
"Yes. And, more than that, I…"
Alicia bit her lip, hesitating as she observed Cabelenus’s expression.
She fully expected him to demand an explanation, but instead, he simply waited in silence for her to continue.
In the end, Alicia clenched her fists tightly and cautiously spoke the words she had stopped herself from saying.
"…I always bring misfortune with me."
Everyone had always avoided Alicia.
They whispered that she must have been born under an unlucky star.
Her mother’s powers fading and her eventual death — they said it was all Alicia’s fault, that her presence brought calamity.
"Misfortune?"
"I haven’t been able to tell you so far, but it would be better for Your Grace to stay away from me if possible."
"What exactly do you mean by misfortune?"
"Pardon?"
"What exactly is this misfortune you bring?"
Cabelenus moved his hand and made Alicia look straight at him.
The golden eyes, which held her completely, shone with arrogance, yet they were undeniably confident.
"The day I was born, there was a big fire–"
“The fire that occurred on the day you were born was arson. Someone started it and tried to cover it up. It wasn't because of you.”
"..."
"Why don't you tell me the next misfortune now that the first misfortune is over?"
Cabelenus raised his head arrogantly.
Alicia's lips shook as she tried to hold back the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"Th-the reason why my mother died–”
"Your mother was beaten to death. None other than, at the command of King Neustein. You already knew that. That’s why you wanted to kill him."
"Ultimately, it was the king who killed her, but the reason is—"
"Do you really think so?"
Cabelenus’s grasp on her tightened.
Alicia held her breath reflexively as the face of the man got closer.
"I looked into you, and as far as I can see, there’s no evidence that you bring misfortune."
"But..."
"Nothing was your fault. You were just a victim. You didn’t do anything wrong."
That was how he saw it.
Cabelenus’s last words were quiet, but to Alicia's ears, they were clearer than anything else.
Alicia's face distorted as she fought back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"...Actually, I knew it wasn't my fault."
"Look, you thought so, too."
"But, everyone said that. They said it was my fault, and if it weren’t for me, everything would have been fine.”
Alicia's trembling hand grabbed Cabelenus's collar.
She knew that she shouldn't cry, but she couldn't stop her tears from falling.
She did not want to blame herself.
But when everyone unanimously said it was her fault, she couldn't help but start to think that way too, without even realising it.
Because what the majority believed was always the truth and the norm.
"That's not the case. Right now I'm saying that it wasn't your fault."
"..."
"And, even if you really bring misfortune, it doesn't matter. No. If you can really do it, try to bring that great misfortune before me.”
"...Why?"
Alicia murmured through her tears.
"If I can be swayed by something as trivial as misfortune, then I am unworthy of the title of the Lord of Schwarhan."
The man with his chin raised was filled with overwhelming arrogance, but one could not deny that it suited him well.
“…Is Your Grace afraid of anything?"
"If I was afraid of anything, I wouldn't have learned the sword in the first place."
"..."
"I don't know about either luck or bad luck. I've never looked at luck to achieve something, and that's the same in the future. There's no place for misfortune to intervene."
"…Th-then can I follow you?"
Alicia barely managed to keep her grasp on Cabelenus's collar as her vision blurred from the tears.
"Can I really go to Schwarhan with Your Grace?"
"Even if you say you won't follow me, you’ll have to follow."
"That's a relief."
Alicia’s breath came out as a strangled cry.
Now she could see why she could not keep her eyes off him.
He was strong.
To the point that even the stain of misfortune that had always followed Alicia's footsteps and crushed her breath was insignificant.
Alicia couldn't help but burst into even more tears as that reality became starkly clear to her once again.
・・・・・
"I guess the lady isn’t accompanying you today."
"Something happened yesterday. There will be no class today."
Cabelenus clenched his jaw as he recalled Alicia, who had been crying heavily yesterday.
Alicia, exhausted from crying, couldn't easily wake up, unable to shake off whatever had made her feel so sorrowful.
Despite her efforts to gain weight and replenish her strength, she still remained fragile.
"I have to grab some feet and feed them to her."
"Feet?"
"No. I was talking to myself. Don't worry."
Cabelenus replied curtly, then turned back to the papers.
But in his mind, he was already envisioning the ingredients for a restorative dish — feet included.
Alicia was already weak as it was.
It was natural to start worrying whether she could endure in the harsh land of the snowfield.
"It’s fortunate that the lady is not here today. There’s something I need to inform you about.”
"What do you have?"
"It’s about the investigation into the lady you ordered from before."
Gazeff quickly approached Cabelenus.
The information found by the capable aide was something that was too sensitive to be documented, so he deliberately did not write a report.
"Did you find the suspicious thing I mentioned before?"
"That part is still pending. However, while searching for information, I felt it was necessary to report this to you immediately, so I am delivering this brief report in haste."
"Is the information really that important?"
"Depending on the situation, it seems like that might be the case."
As soon as Gazeff responded, he manipulated the soundproof bracelet on his wrist as a precaution.
He hadn’t expected to use the magic artifact he brought just in case, but this information was that important.
"I'll just get right to the point before the duration of the magic artifact ends."
"Okay."
"For now, it has been revealed that the young lady’s mother is from the Noitraira tribe."
"The Noitraira tribe?
"They are a minority ethnic group from the South. According to records, they were said to have been decimated long ago."
Gazeff took a short deep breath.
At first, he thought it was nonsense.
However, when recalling the unbelievable deeds of King Neustein, there was no other definitive answer but this.
"Is something like that significant?"
"The Noitraira tribe has a myth that, as descendants of God, their bodies are sturdy and have been used as vessels for God for generations."
"Isn't that the kind of story everyone has? The empire is full of such things too."
Cabelenus crossed his legs at an angle and tilted his head.
Everyone in the Blanche Empire grew up receiving religious education from a young age, but he, in particular, did not believe in God.
Watching the things done in the name of God, he would often doubt whether they were truly the will of God.
To Cabelenus, God was nothing more than a tool to maintain power, and myths sounded no different.
Myths — they were merely a justification for bestowing specialness upon the powerful, nothing more, nothing less.
"If it were just an ordinary myth, King Neustein would not have bothered bringing the young lady's mother into the castle."
"Are you saying the myth is true?"
"Yes. The power of the Noitraira tribe is likely real."
"What does it mean to be real?"
Cabelenus's eyes narrowed.
"In simple terms, the Noitraira tribe possesses the power to fulfil wishes."
"What a preposterous tale."
"Yes, I think so too. Myths are typically exaggerated or distorted as they are passed down, so they won’t be perfectly accurate. But if that myth is true, it will be problematic in many ways."
Gazeff checked the remaining time on the soundproofing spell and then continued speaking immediately.
"As Your Grace is well aware, God Peullaim who is worshipped in the Empire, is depicted as an omnipotent being capable of granting any wish. Therefore, for generations, the Temple of Peullaim has developed their doctrine by saying that anyone who faithfully follows God's will without defying it can achieve their desires. However, if a special being that can actually grant wishes appears—"
"It will be one of the two. They’ll either try to win them over, or brand them a heretic."
The temple was not a purely religious place.
The Temple of Peullaim, having been part of the empire's founding and maintaining power for a long time as the state religion, held absolute power independent of the emperor.
It was a well-known fact among the informed that those who claimed to be servants of God were solidifying their power by forcing sacrifices under the guise of divine will.
"Frankly, I still don't find the story of the Noitraira tribe credible. The young lady I saw just appeared ordinary to me. However, others' opinions can certainly vary."
"If Alicia's story spreads, it won't be just the Temple of Peullaim that takes action. Everyone will be eager to get their hands on a treasure that grants wishes. And if things get more complicated, the truth itself might become irrelevant."
"I don't want to consider it that far, but it is possible. If rumours about the young lady spread and excite the world, just having her will be seen as a symbol of power. At that point, whether it's true or not won't matter."
"Then, what should be the best course of action?"
"The best course of action would be..."
Gazeff struggled to find the words and trailed off.
Even if Alicia possesses the ability to fulfil wishes, Cabelenus has no need for that kind of power.
Cabelenus was a man who preferred to achieve things through his own strength rather than relying on wishes.
But that was only true for Cabelenus.
He could not be sure that other powerful figures, besides Cabelenus, would feel the same way.
Regardless of whether Alicia's power was genuine or not, if there was a risk of conflict, it was best to handle the situation before she ended up in others' hands and caused trouble.
Eliminating the cause would prevent the problem from arising.
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