Wortenia Senki (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue

Peripheria, Xarooda’s capital city, was the heart of a country blessed with vast reserves of iron ore. But its mountainous topography meant it was inevitably cursed when it came to transportation.

Despite being the capital, Peripheria wasn’t as alive with activity as one might expect. The expressions on the faces of the people walking through the streets were dark. Just a few months ago, its streets were buzzing with activity. They had beaten back O’ltormea’s assault on the country. As one might imagine, the commoners celebrated the peace they regained, however temporary it was. But that enthusiasm faded as time went on. Joy was a powerful emotion, but not a long lasting one. One gradually grew used to it, taking it for granted. But now, all that joy had disappeared, leaving the people of Peripheria enveloped in despondency.

After all, to push back the O’ltormean invasion, Xarooda had to pool all of its resources and national power. With the return of peacetime, the commoners began noticing the aftereffects of that effort. Naturally, the feelings of the people reached the king’s castle, which loomed over Peripheria.

One reason for their concern was Ryoma Mikoshiba’s departure from the country. That wasn’t the only reason, though. The troops he led weren’t large enough in number to have that much of a serious impact. But two weeks ago, Ecclesia Marinelle and her forces departed back to Myest, and that was a huge blow to the country’s morale.

True, with the truce between Xarooda and O’ltormea, there was no reason for Myest’s soldiers to remain in the capital. However, the truce didn’t list their retreat as a condition—nor did it list one for Rhoadseria’s forces, for that matter. They could have remained there, had they wished to do so.

But while it wasn’t written in the agreement, if Myest’s army were to remain stationed within Xarooda, O’ltormea could find fault with that and use it as an excuse to launch a second invasion. With that in mind, Myest didn’t want to potentially create the sparks for the next conflict. Another factor was that for both Myest and Rhoadseria, a prolonged expedition would create a heavy economic strain on their countries. Neither of them wanted to deal with that.

On the other hand, should O’ltormea invade again, Xarooda would need to be able to hold back its advances for a time. Taking that into account, even though Xarooda had made an official truce with O’ltormea, that didn’t mean they shouldn’t be cautious. Anyone could understand that much, and that was why the air over the capital was so dark—with the exception of a military training room within the castle.

The time was already past midnight. Heavy clouds hung over the sky, hiding the moon and the stars. Most of the castle’s people were already fast asleep by now. Those who were awake were sentries or pages on night duty.

But the lights remained on in that training room, where the repeated whooshing of something slashing through the air could be heard.

He’s still at it...

Helena let out a small, silent sigh. She didn’t need to look into the room to check. No soldier in Xarooda, or within the Rhoadserian soldiers stationed here, was this devoted to his training.

I suppose I should be glad that bringing this wasn’t a waste of time.

She’d brought some tea in a canteen, cooled with well water. But despite going to the trouble of preparing it, some part of Helena truly hoped she wouldn’t need to use it.

“Chris... That’s enough. You can stop for today.”

At that moment, the slashing sounds died down.

“Oh, Lady Helena...” Chris answered, regarding her with a sheepish expression as she tossed him the canteen. “This is... Thank you. Much appreciated.”

Catching the canteen with his left hand, Chris bowed in gratitude.

“I swear, you are such a stubborn child,” Helena said, regarding him with another exaggerated sigh.

I should probably talk to him again...

Being a knight meant that everything came down to running through the battlefield and slaying your lord’s foes. To that end, honing one’s martial skills was expected. Helena did consciously teach Chris strategy, with an emphasis on group tactics, but she never told him that he should neglect his individual strength. Which was to say, she wasn’t fundamentally against him training.

But right now, Chris was going beyond what one might consider normal. He’d been at work since dawn. Almost all the free time he had between meetings, official training sessions, and meals was spent here in this training room. At first, he trained alongside the Xaroodian knights, but they were soon overwhelmed by his daunting regimen. No one approached him anymore.

At this point, Chris had been spending every moment he could practicing the spear. Thrusting, mowing, and sweeping. He repeated the three basic swings silently and meticulously. He was apparently taking care to keep himself hydrated, but it was still unusual.

“Look at all that sweat,” Helena said, handing him a towel. “It’s like you’re standing in a pond. Wipe it off, for now.”

Chris wasn’t in a position to talk back. Obediently combing back the locks of hair that had clung to his forehead, he started wiping the sweat off his body.

“Tell me, what makes you so impatient?” she asked.

Chris’s hands froze. “What do you mean, ma’am?” Chris responded, answering her question with one of his own.

“Are you going to pretend like nothing’s wrong when you’re acting like this?” Helena shrugged. “I won’t tell you not to lie, but if you’re going to do it, you could at least come up with something more convincing, dear.”

Chris didn’t have a response. No one would believe his attempt at feigning ignorance given how he’d been acting as of late.

I can understand he’s having trouble being honest about it, but...

Chris Morgan was a young man beset by misfortune. His grandfather, Frank Morgan, was one of Helena’s oldest and most loyal aides, a skilled warrior who rose to knighthood despite his commoner background. It was these exact traits that led Hodram Albrecht to loathe him.

Frank Morgan was later inflicted with Carrion disease, which would have been treatable with the help of medicine. But Albrecht got in the way of his family acquiring said medicine, allowing the disease to progress to an irreversible stage. By now, his body was severely crippled, and he was waiting for death to claim him.

Up until Helena’s return to active duty, Chris was content with simply being a low-ranking knight. In his eyes, this war with O’ltormea was a chance to display his talents. However, he didn’t seem to have gotten that chance. Well, perhaps that wasn’t accurate. To a certain extent, things went according to his plan. But at the very end, everything went awry. The moment when he would have shone the brightest had been cruelly snatched away.

Chris had certainly displayed martial prowess and earned merit for himself in this war, to be sure. No one could fault or insult him for his performance. But even so, Chris’s heart smoldered with discontent. He knew this, and that’s why he continued to single-mindedly swing his spear.

“Do you hate him that much?” Helena asked him, to which Chris looked away. There was no need to clarify who she was talking about. Chris knew that better than anyone.

“I can’t say that I...hate him, per se,” Chris managed to say after a pause.

In truth, Chris felt no real hatred toward Ryoma Mikoshiba. In fact, his actions led to Helena’s return to active service and the improvement of his treatment as a knight. Considering that, not only did he not have any reason to hate the man, he had a reason to feel grateful to him.

But Helena could see through his emotions. “Are you jealous, then?”

A shiver ran through Chris’s shoulders. That alone told the whole story.

“Can I ask why?” Helena continued. “I see you as a close aide and a talented warrior who stands head and shoulders above the rest, Chris. When we return home next week, you will probably be promoted to be a high-ranking knight for your service in this war... And still, you envy him?”

Chris remained silent. The fact of the matter was that Chris wasn’t in any position to envy anyone. On the contrary, he was more likely to be the subject of jealousy. He was well-kept and handsome, his skill with a spear was possibly the greatest in Rhoadseria, and even his pedigree was acceptable. His family wasn’t a noble family who had been there since the founding of the kingdom, but he was still the grandson of a skilled knight who had served Helena loyally.

When Albrecht still served as general, all of those factors only set Chris back, but with Helena now acting as general, they worked in his favor. For those less fortunate, Chris Morgan was a man in a position of privilege. Chris, however, couldn’t feel that way.

“Envy, huh? Maybe I am... I want to beat that man, and I want you to acknowledge me.”

“Chris. I do acknowledge you,” Helena said, visibly confused.

“I know that.” Chris shook his head sharply. “You do... But you only see me as a subordinate.”

This was the honest cry of his soul—admiration. Chris greatly admired Helena Steiner. His grandfather’s stories of her drew the image of a strong, just, and dignified hero. Since his youth, Chris had always looked up to her. Now, he had the privilege of fighting alongside her on the battlefield.

But his heart was still unfulfilled. No... If Ryoma wasn’t there, he probably would have been satisfied by this situation. But Chris saw this boy, who was younger than he was, standing side by side with Helena. At first he thought he was a haughty, reckless youth who acted out of impulse. But then Ryoma concluded the Rhoadserian civil war early. And this time, he joined Helena in the expedition to Xarooda on behalf of Rhoadseria and took control of the situation in the blink of an eye. At the time, Chris was intent on claiming Princess Shardina’s head. He’d prepared everything to make sure it would happen.

And then it got called off...

Helena had mentioned this when she discussed it with Ryoma, but when he was informed of the truce, Chris implored her to reconsider. As the commander on the scene, abandoning such a well-prepared and meticulous plan all of a sudden was difficult. But Helena knew it was about more than just that.

I can understand how he feels. Chris is young, after all.

Helena trusted Chris and acknowledged his strength. However, Chris was right; she did see him as a subordinate. But the very fact Chris was bothered by this was the real problem. Helena saw Ryoma as her equal because his eyes were looking ahead the same way hers did—maybe even further.

It was only natural she would. She was a general shouldering the fate of a country, and unless she was facing someone who shared the same outlook she did, she wouldn’t be able to speak with them on the same level. Helena had to understand how her soldiers felt. Conversely, most soldiers couldn’t understand how she saw things. Their outlooks were fundamentally too different.

A different post or position changed one’s perspective greatly. This didn’t mean those in higher positions were excused from understanding how their subordinates felt, but they certainly couldn’t stand shoulder to shoulder as equals. Without sharing the same perspective, they couldn’t consult with each other.

And so, if Chris’s intention was to stand alongside Helena as an equal, martial training wasn’t what he ought to have been devoting his time to. He would need to learn to expand his outlook instead.

The problem is, how am I going to make him realize that?

Simply saying it would have been easy. But that wouldn’t help him mature in the truest sense of the word.

In that case, I may as well...

Helena was prepared. Chris was one of her most promising subordinates, and his growth would be a significant boon for Rhoadseria’s military.

“How about you try talking to him for once, then? You were never really close, were you?”

Chris raised his eyes to meet hers, looking at her with surprise.

“Well, that’s...!”

“I know you don’t like him much. And especially now, I’d imagine coming face-to-face with him might be difficult for you. But if you want my acknowledgment, you should at least be able to handle him.”

Chris fell silent again, prompting Helena to press on.

“My, do you dislike him that much? That’s fine, then. But if you can’t bring yourself to speak to him directly, you should stop making bold statements about standing at my side,” Helena said, bringing a hand to her mouth and chuckling.

How will he take it, then?

She was very much provoking him, but in her eyes, this was a gamble. At worst, he might even lash out at her in anger. Of course, she didn’t think Chris, as passionately loyal as he was, would really do that. But there was the possibility she might strike a nerve and dig up some hidden anger.

Still, I can’t let him end up like Albrecht. Helena’s heart was heavy with pain. I couldn’t see the evil nesting in that man’s heart. No, I didn’t even try to see it. And it’s about to happen again.

Helena rose to knighthood from commoner status, ascending as high as the rank of general. But the path she took to get there was cruel and demanding. Her daily duties swamped her with work, and no one around her tried to understand how she felt. That was the darkness brooding within the heart of man. Envy, resentment, hatred, anger—so long as one didn’t direct them at the wrong target, those emotions weren’t necessarily bad. It was similar to the line between poison and medicine. That was precisely why she couldn’t shut her eyes to the way her trusted aide’s grandson was gradually allowing his heart to distort.

A few long moments of silence passed. Then Chris finally parted his lips to speak.

“And just what...would speaking to him change, exactly?”

Helena shook her head. “It’s not a matter of things changing. The question is, Chris, whether you’re able to take that step and change yourself.”

Helena couldn’t guarantee the two of them engaging in conversation would change anything. The way she saw it, their relationship would either improve, worsen, or remain completely unchanged. But no matter how it ended, the fact that he made an effort would remain. And that would serve as a trigger for change later down the line.

Chris remained silent in the wake of Helena’s words but eventually gave a small, curt nod. Seeing this, Helena smiled affectionately, like a grandmother cherishing her grandson.