“Hermina, even if you have no memory, we still have the memories of the happy times we shared. I won’t ask for it immediately, take your time, but please, call me ‘Father’ again.”
“…Yes.”
The person most confused by this shocking truth is my mother. She’s been unusually quiet since yesterday. Perhaps she’s trying to remember the past she’s forgotten, or maybe she’s reflecting on something else, or both. There must be an internal struggle within her that I can’t fully understand.
It seems that the kidnapper who put my mother through such pain has already died. The question now is, who should I direct this anger toward?
“And also… this is a request, but…”
The duke hesitated, and then Alexander took over the conversation.
“My mother doesn’t have much time left.”
“Eh?!”
My mother and I exclaimed in shock. Alexander’s mother would be my grandmother, my mother’s mother.
“Since the day Hermina was kidnapped, my mother has lost the will to live… She’s been bedridden for about a year now.”
“The doctor says she only has six months left. I’d like her to see the faces of Hermina, Toma , and Siegfried one last time. Would you come to the Axel Territory with the three of you? No, with Lord Roxfall too, four of you together?”
The duke continued speaking in a voice tinged with sadness. I can’t refuse. But if I go to the Axel Territory, I wonder what the Temple will say. No, no matter what they say, I must go. Time is running out, and we should go. Even if the Temple complains.
“Mother, let’s go! Let us go and let her see your face.”
“Yes… My dear, is it alright if we head to the Axel Territory?”
“Of course, I had intended to take you there even if you refused.”
Soon, the four of us were headed to the Axel Territory in the duke’s luxurious carriage. When we contacted the Temple, Lord Dardale came again. He’s a very agile old man.
“Hmph. Don’t make noise, old woman.”
“When I saw Lady Arusha’s face, I felt a sense of déjà vu. Then, upon meeting Duke Bayerlein, I remembered Lady Brynhilde’s face. Even someone like me, who is not in touch with the world, can figure that out.”
Brynhilde is the duke’s wife. Lord Dardale must have met her before and deduced that my mother is the duke’s daughter.
“I’ve heard she doesn’t have much time left. Don’t worry about the Temple, I’ll keep them under control. Please take your time with your grandmother.”
Lord Dardale must be a good person at heart. When gods or the Temple aren’t involved, he seems like someone with real compassion. His cruel actions toward my grandfather had to do with the involvement of the gods. When gods are involved, he seems to become stubborn and inflexible. That’s the problem with the priests.
We left the mansion in the duke’s luxurious carriage, descending the mountain. My father rode alongside the carriage, guarding us. There is no one in the duke’s service more capable than my father. We can be at ease no matter what enemies might come our way.
When the duke arrived, he docked at the mansion with a super-fast ship, but I heard the ride was quite uncomfortable.
“After one night, my back was killing me,” she said. The duke’s flagship is nearby, but it can only operate in deep, wide rivers.
By the way, the super-fast ship glides across the water like a hovercraft, and as long as there’s no waterfall, it can travel on rivers, and even across flat land. However, it’s apparently very fuel-inefficient and costly to operate.
In this world, where glass is precious, high-tech ships like hovercrafts exist because of magic. The entire ship is likely enchanted, much like the duke’s flagship, which was also extremely expensive to build.
We passed through the village and gradually descended in altitude. The road was narrow, carved through the forest, but there were no steep slopes.
About an hour later, we emerged from the woods onto a flat area. This was still our territory, though the land was unsuitable for farming due to its rocky foundation.
Just ahead was the River Leiber, and we could see the grandeur of the flagship. The ship was very large, about 50 meters long, with two square sails and two triangular sails. Though it slows down, it can still travel against the wind.
We boarded the flagship from a small boat, and the crew stood in formation to greet us.
“Salute the Duke!”
At the captain’s command, the crew executed a perfect salute, their movements sharp and coordinated. Even I, an amateur, could tell how well-trained they were.
The luxurious cruise down the river was exhilarating. The ship hardly rocked, cutting through the water smoothly. It was still chilly, but the weather was clear, and the wind felt pleasant.
“Toma , you’re out in the wind too much; you’ll catch a cold.”
Commander Susanna Kohlrausch and two of her subordinates had been by my side the whole time. Thanks to them, I was probably starting to feel the cold more than I had realized. My lips had started to turn blue.
“You’re right.”
Though I hadn’t requested their protection, they had to stay by my side as part of their duty. In this world, you must risk your life to carry out orders. If I don’t show understanding, things might turn into a nightmare for them. I should go inside the ship.
As I thought this, we came upon a dock where many ships were anchored.
“Whose dock is that?”
“That’s the Ulm Dock in the Jadoth Territory, governed by Baron Rittenheim.”
Baron Rittenheim? That’s the family that took in Talia. I wonder how she is doing. She must be even cuter and more beautiful by now. I hope she is living happily. I’ll pray to Deus for her.
Side Story – Duke Karl Axel Bayerlein
In a room on the flagship, I faced the leader of the Dark Guild.
“Listen, strip Lightstar naked.”
“We will avenge that humiliation.”
When Hermina was kidnapped, the entire Dark Guild had searched for her, but she was never found.
As the head of our family’s Dark Guild, it must have been a huge blow. I too had spoken harshly at that time.
“That’s fine. Don’t fail this time.”
“Yes!”
Defeating Lightstar is not that difficult. The difference in the number and quality of soldiers between their house and ours is like night and day. But if we do that, innocent civilians will be caught in the crossfire. That is not something I want, and I am sure Hermina feels the same way.
However, those scoundrels will pay for their actions. We don’t even need to use soldiers to destroy them. They have many secrets that we can expose.
“By the time Toma comes of age, I will destroy their house. Wait for me, Lightstar!”
The silver goblet I was holding crushed in my hand, spilling wine. Sebas quickly took the crushed goblet from my hand and wiped up the spilled wine.
“Your sleeve is a little dirty. I’ll have you change right away.”
“It’s fine. More importantly, what is Toma doing?”
“He’s out on the deck, gazing at the river.”
“I see. In the future, Toma … No, never mind.”
Sebas didn’t ask any questions and simply withdrew.
