Chapter 262: Extra 1 – The Beginning of Summer
ePMQlRThe spring of that year had been a very hard time.zh7
7ZMpAlthough the air was warm, the ground beneath their feet was soaked with blood, and the farmers, who should have been tilling their fields, were forced to wield spears instead of plows.RxkFx9
OmlUNcsIt was a time of calamities brought on by the oldest dragon.B85
w2xHowever, even though the land was stained with blood, nature continued to bloom, and now, after a year had passed, summer was approaching.Rs7
Ay7zZEA“…This place hasn’t changed at all.”ynPM43R
CHyzThe western city of Trinova.QI76N
u7EA person was walking through the mansion, their voice resonating through the air.BViUw0D
DRbOt8The girl, clad in a large cloak she seemed to have picked up somewhere, let it billow behind her as she walked. Her hair was green, the color of summer.Pixw
eHhZ“Has it been three years?”Jre
MmktThe girl’s height had grown significantly since she left, and she raised her gaze.fYg
G3SHABut unlike her, the mansion’s landscape remained unchanged, momentarily turning Charlotte back into the child she had been when she left.ZHMVGvl
OOw“…”51C6t
wE7nIn the garden visible in the distance, her mother was tending to the plants.rzfVa
pS2CIf she turned the corner ahead, there would be the training grounds where her brothers practiced.jpsyac
ZFGV8lAnd if she walked along the path she was currently on, she would reach the Ravnoma Hall where her father had always been.NrCo3f
vboh“Remove it.”BgTjx
9l75“Yes.”Skze
0eOiG7Where her father, the ruler of these lands, used to sit.MTvF7
aZhFHowever, what now adorned the entrance to the hall was the faded emblem of Gaidar.f4E7RU
aOMvvvYCreak!V8r
7affYRThe door to the mansion opened behind the flag that the soldiers quickly removed.OZmP
LQU0The inside was completely dark, contrasting with the bright summer outside, and it was filled with dust and the foul stench of death.DfwZGH2
2Pd“…So you’ve finally arrived, brat.”4Gj
TLWW5BrSitting in the spot where her father had once sat was an unfamiliar man.ud8
OrRDcThe corners of his mouth, where even the noonday sun couldn’t bear to shine, were drenched in dark red blood that flowed ceaselessly.Q8F82o
F8b5“Sigmund Gaidar.”8Px
2LUThe enemy of her father and her family.IIGwC
CBFAnd Sigmund Gaidar, who would become the final loser of the continental war waged by the oldest dragon.by9th
HXkN0cpAs Charlotte looked at him, there was a coldness in her eyes that seemed beyond her young age.i3zxaHX
5rU7“Is my son dead?”tTaVr3z
J7GLa“Not yet.”UFO1Pr
7zimVL6“Ha. That boy never listens to me.”oNj3Wb
vWlMnzA long sigh escaped his deeply bent figure.1St2
rGYexs9With his back hunched over, he let out a heavy, deep sigh, like the last breath of life in the twilight of his existence.8Ve6nyF
DXqWS“I told him he wouldn’t die well and that he should take his own life.”d55m
n90“Stephen’s whereabouts have already been secured by Nidavellir, Sigmund.”4iSXo
F1fhCharlotte Ravnoma walked along the long carpet and ascended the steps of the hall, steps that only the ruler could climb.yQ4Qyf
4KLqBefore she knew it, she held a sword with a black blade in her hand.MoPx
mBPUZw“So now, it’s just you left.”NTN9OHD
s2LFor Gaidar, the girl who had become the last of the Ravnomas might have been the last remaining obstacle.gMzbO0
hYuxXThe tip of the sword extended abruptly, stopping at the back of Sigmund’s neck, harshly connecting their worlds.oX9p0dY
RNnw“A cowardly traitor who deceived my father.”ekaDaE
V2DwspFCough, cough.9LZhH9
ZFWy“…And a coward who refuses to pay the proper price until the very end.”etsYDtl
hvOfThe usurper of the West, who had bathed Charlotte’s mansion in blood with his treacherous ambush, now refused to accept his final defeat, swallowing poison. Charlotte frowned as she watched Sigmund.AOP
Aq5E“Any last words?”12ygkx
4r0D“…”jCQch
emejSBut even so, Charlotte sought to fulfill her duty as the victor.DnYG8gF
JNmThe cold, gleaming tip of the sword trembled as if it wanted to pierce Sigmund right then, but she still attempted to uphold her duty because she wanted to show that she and he were different.51E
FhMmnO“…Heh.”nx5
q4kEogHe swallowed poison to avoid dying in servitude, but in the end, he was cast aside by the victor in his final moments.tD0
dz6mAt that moment, Sigmund was thinking of one man.kvU
4k1kYThe knight from that day who hid the frightened dwarves behind his towering presence.JTBk
CQq“…Jorge.”tUinn
W0hUHe had been confident that he would win, but in the end, he became the loser and lost everything.90Yx
9QkHSWhen had it all started?qjYC
umXjWas it when his soldiers failed to cross Deirmar? Or when they burned the Ravnoma flag?9yF
bUIRTn“In the end, you stabbed me in the back.”W55vYaU
OqTNo, it probably began when I met a boy named Vlad.dzb0l
n5aFrom the moment I met the knight of the North, born in the cold alleyways.scOjLiE
tztNG“…You rose with the sword.”ybXy
u2O0tRA blue sword raced toward Sigmund’s head as he spat his final words filled with regret.TLpU
YpRbYThe name of the sword now rushing toward me is Charlotte Ravnoma.64RcbR3
tLqCfThe name of the knight who brought this sword here is Vlad Aureo.a8k
H3fGtJAnd the one who raised the sword was Jorge, a knight of the courtesans who preferred mercy over duty.5OC
mz60Swoosh!TXDtyHF
dlQFrom sword to sword, from world to world.eKC8Anf
ceE7CThe girl’s sword was bringing an end to a long and painful war.YYxAU
03Jm5VcWith Sigmund’s head tumbling down the stairs.fzWIOcv
4nhaVz5Spring after winter.FbKI
PjvfgzOAnd now, the beginning of a new summer.pjM9
tBQWqb8***plB0J7f
UCtJTYO“Oh lord, this never ends, no matter how many times I pull them.”4RqGn
Nbn0The scene was of a small rural village filled with vast fields of green wheat and rows of cottages behind them.wZcw4IK
g0fEgWIt was a peaceful place, with only the sound of cows mooing in the distance, but it was also filled with the grumbling of someone who didn’t quite belong.Qlbv
V2Hhf“Will this ever be done?”xTAU8F
QIIdThe summer wheat fields, not yet ripe, were still green.K88i
za0sHowever, the blond hair peeking out from above had the color of ripe wheat.I7hDV
pdiPD“You idiot. If you used your hands instead of talking, this would’ve been done ages ago.”HbsB
ZlQ7B“Why is it over already? There’s still a lot left.”0s1HZS2
LJEAwA man without armor but with a sword sheath strapped to his back, as if unable to part from his blade.qRM
aRMVAside from that, Vlad, dressed like an ordinary farmer, lifted his head and began to look around the wide wheat field.jkywtq7
QOs“No, I heard you’re supposed to use people for work like this.”SGOH
66b2“If you use people, it costs money.”v9MNt
J42f“You’ve made plenty of money. I know I got a big share this time too.”POTEv
MY4JBBeside Vlad, who continued to grumble, was Ramund, with a straw hat pulled low over his head.x7y
DuTs9ziHe looked the part, as if he had been a farmer since birth, but until last year, he had been a ruthless man, constantly eliminating enemies at the front of Deirmar.Mou2AH
F2VRwq7“If you spend blindly what you’ve earned, you can’t avoid becoming a beggar. Anyway, today’s youth don’t know the virtue of thrift.”CX6JMw
U7q1A35Seeing Ramund click his tongue as he said those words, Vlad started frowning, as if he had had enough.2wvPd
xIDZ“Save what you save, and your old body starts to wither.”WKL9kO
6tfi4R“You’re so noisy! Anyway, keep your mouth shut before someone calls me a city type.”oiGv
AMKRamund yelled as if he couldn’t take it any longer.iNrJ
qS3shSXHowever, as if what Vlad said was true, the sun was slowly setting behind him.aup
Q8x“Even though I was born in the city, I know that days in the countryside are short, right?”BMdc
sQiOWRamund’s estate was bathed in the red light of the setting sun as it slowly sank behind the horizon.ZKQM8
LByUVlad, standing beneath it, grinned contentedly as the surroundings grew darker and darker.fOm
whjnFRU“So let’s stop pulling weeds and go have dinner.”p0E
b7pU“…Yes. It was my mistake asking a guy like you to help with farming.”bCOY
h8FKS6It was probably natural to ask this of a city man who had never worked in agriculture.gLkd1qW
eKqJXuIn the end, it was a day that ended without finishing the planned routine, only accepting Vlad’s complaints.Pgy5
4uK“Let’s go. Even though I couldn’t pay you with bread, I’ll at least give you some soup.”DTraK
kTKwhoC“Haha. The food here is so delicious.”3gKlr
Qt4However, Ramund didn’t particularly regret having let Vlad handle the plow.oil
X8ydBecause Vlad’s expression looked a bit relaxed as he set down his sword for a moment.JPINC
eOCv***9yaeG1m
uhisLB4“How old are you?”oKahDr
wsvBK“Four years old.”bdd
qng“…But why are you showing five fingers?”8rDd
HNvUnderneath a table full of food, a young girl proudly stretched out her hands, showing five fingers.qycCX
vkWz“Are you turning five soon?”DqUzlj
4XzZ“No. It’s been less than a month since I turned four.”y0oWuI
8mSEven though she gave the wrong answer, her chubby cheeks made anyone want to pinch them.vZa7f1D
9cxRamund took his youngest granddaughter, sat her on his lap, and spoke.BC1
4j1“She’s still young and can’t fold her fingers the way she wants.”oANe1m
LpWVqP“Aha.”AA5xMw
j62Her clenched fists looked as chubby as her cheeks.2kP
aOyFYtbIt was clear that she had been well-fed and was growing strong.aVQOQg
akXDEA small smile appeared on Vlad’s face as he watched the child.inQmx
6up6k“Anyway, I’m glad the war ended quickly. Unlike last year, it seems like we can look forward to a good harvest this year.”TZw2
XjDRwBefore anyone realized, the table was filled with freshly baked white bread, brought in by Ramund’s daughters-in-law.AeQ7I
HyHOIt was the first time Vlad had tasted freshly baked white bread since meeting Father Andreas.UGBn
74dmEk“I didn’t expect the Golden Duke to surrender so quickly.”PiJ
wUGhDJs“They say he’s a man who prioritizes losses and gains like a businessman, rather than duty or honor. I suppose he quickly calculated that victory would be hard to achieve.”yjv
aNrThe continental war, which had started with the call to arms by Sarnus, the Dragon-Blood Duke, was now in its second year, and the war itself was nearing its end.Qgd879g
8Q4EhjAt the beginning of the war, the central army had such a strong momentum that it seemed as if they would devour the North, but now that momentum was fading like a dying fire.QoAKcW
lqN2On“Of course, the impact of losing focus in the early stages of the war must have been significant. Thanks to you.”7NC7ovT
Zm7LtlM“…Well, maybe there was a reason for that.”HpJaz
YqMVarious races had begun to rise up in different parts of the land, alongside the fierce resistance in the North.hJ3YvH5
7JOy8ZsAnd though the forces of the Empire, who had long been oppressed by the central nobles, had joined the resistance, the greatest variable was undoubtedly the duel between Vlad and Sarnus.OUNy3Y
AqaSI0U“But that’s no longer important.”KpmtEu
WY6sp8EA war that could have drowned the entire continent in blood had ended with minimal sacrifice, thanks to the man sitting across the table, who was now merely offering breadcrumbs to a dirt-covered little girl.gh1
Yrjh“At least this year, there won’t be many children going hungry. Isn’t that right?”FFDGRnj
goc1“…Yes.”91i
ytMA hero of the continent, praised by all.ky00Z
0XEkwMA new swordmaster of this era, a figure that emerged after the founding of the nation.ezvlEGI
eRcSBut now, he was just an ordinary-looking young man, handing bread to a little girl.LKoiCL
DhnQd“So, when do you plan on attending Rutiger’s succession ceremony? If it were me, I would have wanted you to be there early.”5ZM4
YJRSt“I have to go.”Je9De
5EKz15lVlad, now eating his share of the bread, replied with a smile to Ramund.2BV
hk9WS“There’s already plenty of people going to see it.”uHQ
pgla“What are you going to do? Should we go together?”YJtPYb6
n9KziSRamund’s mansion was situated right next to the city of Varna.u7mfu7
dsWtGjWTherefore, he was in a position to travel directly to Sturma, where the succession ceremony was to be held, but Vlad simply shook his head.U30Qsf
yTAwwU“I have to pass through Soara before going there.”5AaQ8h
RUiqg“Why? Is there really a need to go?”zgPD7
FgNBSUSoara was the southernmost city in the county of Bayezid.pZnB9A
VgX2Ramund was puzzled by Vlad’s words, but after hearing the final explanation, he had no choice but to nod.w5iQ
7R7Ck“Every time I go somewhere, I have to say goodbye. I promised I would do it.”puNwjH
Droz“Tsk tsk tsk. You live such a tight life.”AD86
LBeoFrom a cunning boy to a young man who now knew how to smile.Vbrll
LeZeThat might have been possible because he had a home he created for himself, rather than the small home he had once been forced to abandon.BDLqm4A
RJdV“But make sure you come before it’s too late. If your name is worth it, it’ll be easier to prepare if you arrive at least a month in advance.”XIJm
4YioQ“Understood.”ZNP7l
aZg2HVlad nodded at Ramund’s words, lifted his head for a moment, and began to take in the current scene.l2nY
ng1ouuBread, steaming soup, and even a child smiling at him.8gx
7wRf1t“…”cY3Pae
eT09A7These were peaceful sights that he would never have dared to dream of before.JiW4
z8AVqYet as his eyes absorbed the scene, Vlad couldn’t shake the inexplicable feeling of lingering loneliness nestled deep in his heart.1uCts
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