Chapter 23: Chapter 20: Alone with your own thoughts… Or not…

Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 20: Alone with your own thoughts… Or not…

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-----Eliana’s POV-----

After that catastrophic negotiation, I had returned on my own to my carriage, leaving Marina to play with her new friends…

"That child is extremely abnormal…" I said as I looked outside through the window to watch the children play.

The children were laughing and squealing with excitement while running behind a small ball. Marina seemed to be having a good time playing with other kids who are not her siblings.

In this situation, I should feel relieved and happy that she wasn't as close-minded as her father was… However, I didn't have the peace of mind to focus on my niece… My gaze was completely focused on the adoptive child of Frederick Laurent.

Just looking at the smile he has while playing with my niece, reminded me of the fearless smile he had during our negotiation…

"If he's like this now, I don't want to imagine how terrifying he will be when he becomes an adult… Sigh…" I sighed heavily after talking to myself with a bit of fear…

I cannot deny it... I am a bit afraid of this child... Not in the sense of strength since I can somewhat tell his current level of strength and it is not threatening at all. Even Marina, who is still in training, would be able to beat him without any trouble.

I'm not referring to that, no… What I am afraid of is that he was capable of taking the negotiations in the directions he wanted and made me unable to even fight back…

He used the authority of Lady Lia and made me unable to tell anyone that the negotiations even happened and to make me unable to lie to him…

I was pretty screwed up just by those two rules he set… But after making me admit what I was planning to do with his sisters and him, things got even worse for me…

Instead of securing the loyalty of the Skull Crusher and his family, I ended up planting a seed of conflict and rebellion in their minds…

And without even giving me any breathing room, he mentioned the deaths of my sisters… Something that no one besides my family should have known...

If the Skull Crusher and the Demonic Wind wanted to rebel, it would be more than likely that they would succeed. Without my sisters, I cannot even hope to be able to stop the two of them combined...

"Yet… This is a good result even though I feel completely screwed over…" I said with a tired expression.

I technically got some of the things my brother ordered me to get… The children of the Skull Crusher will go to the Imperial Academy if things go well, and although they won't be servants of Marina, there's the possibility that they will become valuable allies in the future since they are now friends. 

However, there's something I don't really understand about this…

"What does that child gain from this deal? Why would he offer to participate in a tournament as a sign of goodwill? It makes no sense for him to offer that." I looked at the back of the black-haired boy.

I can't think of anything someone like him could possibly want...

In a certain way, he reminds me of my grandmother. She would have loved to raise and groom this sly fox of a child...

Hmm... This reminds me that there's another thing that has been driving me crazy since I saw that Holy Symbol...

"The Goddess of Knowledge… Why would she suddenly reappear now? Why did she give her Holy Symbol to such a small child?" I asked myself those questions.

There's no doubt that the Goddess gave the child information about the demise of my sisters…

But there’s one thing that is clear in this whole ordeal… The boy is, or at least he is destined to be, the Apostle of the Goddess of Knowledge. There’s not a single doubt in my mind that he will eventually fulfill that role.

Time after time in history, ever since mortals were created, the Gods have given us crests to represent them and carry out their will in the material plane while they reside up above, watching our very actions from their Divine Realms.

Many apostles have been born in the Empire previously. Legends in my family say that the birth of an apostle is almost just as important as the appearance of a new hero. With them come times of chaos, war, and madness, or times of inspiration, progress, and order.

That is the reason why I decided to accept that deal with him… I couldn't risk having him telling everyone in the room more about the deepest and darkest secrets of the Empire, like the [Hero Summoning Ritual]...

It would be a disaster if the Guild Grandmaster and the strongest man in the continent were to find out about the true nature of the ritual…

Who knows what else the Goddess told him?

Naturally, this means that I will have to walk on eggshells in each of my interactions with the boy from now on…

"It would all be fine if I could simply marry him to Marina… Sigh… If only my brother wasn't so close-minded…" I let out a heavy sigh… "Although, I could wait a decade and just marry him myself. I will still be in my best years, after all." I muttered a stupid idea that had just crossed my mind.

Actually, that doesn't sound that bad... I think I'll keep that idea in mind if the opportunity ever arises.

Political marriage is a powerful tool, so why should I refrain from using it?

While I was thinking of a future course of action, the door was opened and an undesired guest came into the carriage. This particular undesired guest closed the door as quickly as she opened it.

"A very fancy wagon you have here, eh?" The undesired guest spoke with amusement as she took a seat in front of me.

This particular guest was a person that I didn't want to deal with right now… This guest was none other than the red-haired shorty, Tiria.

"Indeed. My father had it made for me when I was a child." I agreed with what she had said.

"Must be nice to be rich." She complained in a very theatrical tone.

Her family is also pretty wealthy and if I recall correctly, she had two carriages just for herself.

"Tiria, you didn't come here just to talk about my carriage, didn't you? Let's just skip the small talk." I don't want to talk to her for long. I just want to be alone with my own thoughts for a while.

"No, I just came here to have a laugh after taking a look at your defeated expression." She quipped. "So? How does it feel to be thoroughly beaten by my seven-year-old nephew?" She immediately grinned from ear to ear as she made emphasis on the age of the black-haired boy…

"Very well, you may laugh now. Let's get this over with quickly." I was quite annoyed by her presence.

“Oh my, it seems like you really want to kick me out…” Tiria had a fake pitiful expression on her while repeating the same words I had previously said before…

Seriously… There is not even a single member of House Feru that is not a pain to deal with…

"Are you doing okay? I'm asking because you really tried some dumb shit back there." Instead of laughing, she looked at me with a serious expression.

"You almost appear to be worried about me. May I ask why?" I was genuinely surprised.

"I'm not talking to you as the student and friend of the Skull Crusher. I am talking to you as the highest representative of the Guild in the Empire. It is only natural that I would be worried when a member of the Royal Family almost destroys the current status quo." She explained why she almost seemed worried about me.

“What can I say? I just tried to do the same thing my brother did when he gave orders to the two of you.” I shrugged as if the whole situation was nothing.

When the Skull Crusher and the Demonic Wind lived in the capital, my brother used to threaten them occasionally, usually for the sake of making them carry out dangerous tasks.

The difference between my brother's threats and mine is that his threats actually held a lot of weight when they happened, simply because he’s the Emperor and he had the backing of me and my sisters who were alive at the time.

I am neither an Emperor nor I have my sisters with me any longer. I only have my own strength to back my threats. And against Fred and Tiria, those threats were nothing but air. I am not a fool, I was aware that my threats were nothing more than bluffs... But Fred and Tiria didn’t know that.

I was planning to back down just after intimidating them for a bit with the possibility of a visit of the full Ten Songs of Rokkshar. Maybe, they would have been more open to the idea of cooperating with me and I would have been able to carry out my plan.

Of course, the intervention of the Goddess of Knowledge was something that I couldn’t take into account for my plans…

“Right… And you think I will simply believe you did something so stupid for such a puny motive? Are you underestimating me, Eliana? We have known each other for far too long for this crap.” She was not buying what I had just told her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tiria. You’re one of the most intelligent people I know.” I told her the truth with a warm smile.

Sometimes she’s way too clever for her own good… Good grief…

Tiria didn’t respond to my genuine compliment. She simply kept staring at me for a while before letting out a heavy sigh.

“I’m sorry for what happened to your sisters. It is such a shame…” Tiria seemed genuinely sad about the fate my sisters had suffered.

“Thank you. I’m trying to live on, for their sake and for our country’s sake.” I told her my genuine feelings.

These last few months have not been easy since most of my siblings perished… Not being able to hear their laughter, not being able to enjoy an exquisite meal with them over some wine, and not being able to fight side by side with them again… All that is just heart-wrenching… 

The only ones I have left are my brother, whose mind has become more erratic since our sisters died, and his children who are currently blank canvases who hold the same destiny as my sisters, myself, and our predecessors once did… To become part of the elite force that protects the Empire from any threat, the [Ten Songs of Rokkshar].

But despite the sadness that I have deep within my heart, I have a bigger weight to carry which makes me push forward… Marina, my niece and future Empress of Marcel.

Even if I have to go down in history as a villain, I will do whatever it takes to ensure her future and the future of my family as well as the Empire’s future. That is the path that lies ahead of me. There’s no time for lamentation and there’s certainly no more room for failure like it happened today.

“Let’s talk about something else.” I immediately tried to change the topic as I noticed that emotion was getting the better of me… “Tiria, do you by any chance know what Earl Casca did with the money the crown gave him to improve this land? It doesn’t matter if you don’t know since we are already carrying out an investigation.” I smiled at her.

“Why should I know what that old fart does with his money? Unless it is related to adventurers, I don’t know a thing.” She quickly shrugged before looking outside through the window. “Or maybe I do know what he did with the money…” She suddenly frowned.

“Is that so? What do you know?” I leaned closer to hear the information she had.

“Let’s see… He has opened a business that deals with… Umm… How should I put this…?” She seemed somewhat hesitant.

“If you’re trying to be sensitive about my status as a member of the Royal Family, you don’t need to bother. Just say it clearly.” I wanted Tiria to be blunt with me.

I have lived for a long time already and I have seen stuff that would make the common citizen puke their guts out. There’s no need for Tiria to carefully select her words around me.

“Alrighty then… He opened several brothels in the last couple of months...” Tiria admitted with a flustered expression.

Oh my…

“I never expected you to frequent those kinds of places… You really surprised me, Tiria. I never thought you had it in you.” I said to her with amazement.

“What the hell are you even thinking! I’m still a pure woman! I am almost as pure and incorruptible as the Goddess of Virtue!” Tiria looked at me with anger.

“Don’t insult the Goddess of Virtue like that, Tiria. While you still might be a virgin, you drink much more than a dwarf and you would put a sailor to shame with that mouth of yours when you’re drunk.” I couldn’t help but tease her a bit with a smile on my face.

Frankly, it doesn’t surprise me that Tiria still remains “pure” since she has always said that she would only get together with someone who is capable of defeating her teacher, the Skull Crusher in a duel. 

Which I guess is respectable in its own way, although that just leads me to believe that she will die alone. She will live far longer than the Skull Crusher due to her race, so if someone strong enough suddenly appears, they won't be able to beat Fred because he might be dead by then.

“Screw you!” She shouted at me with annoyance and anger.

“I appreciate your help with this matter, Tiria.” I bowed slightly and thanked Tiria with a polite smile on my face. “However, I am curious about how you found out about this new business of the Earl.” I asked her about something that had genuinely caught my interest.

“Apparently, my assistant and a few other guild workers go there occasionally to blow off some steam after a stressful day of work... Men or women, elves, humans or dwarves, they have whatever you might want.” Her anger quickly subsided as she explained how she knew. “I heard from my assistant that he saw the Earl multiple times in one of the brothels and even heard him being called ‘Boss’ by some of the workers there.” Tiria didn’t seem amused about this situation.

I see… While I cannot be certain that this is a reliable source of information, it does give me a new course of action.

“I think I’m finding myself in need of the warmth of another person… I guess I’ll visit one of these places to get some company, and maybe catch the Earl by surprise to have a talk with him.” I smiled warmly.

“You what…?” Tiria looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

“Don’t look at me like that! Unlike you, I have had my fair share of lovers. It wouldn’t be the first time that I paid to have a fun encounter with another person.” I couldn’t help but find this situation amusing.

It is not like satisfying my carnal desires is my primary objective here. I need to find out whether or not Earl Casca is using slaves for his new business.

Now, using the money the crown gave him to fund this kind of business instead of improving the region is already a pretty serious crime that will probably land him in jail for the rest of his life. But if I even get the slight suspicion that any of those men or women employed there were bought as slaves, the Earl will get executed and his family will crumble into dust.

The law of the Empire is clear. Our ancestors and the gods themselves see slavery as something immoral and as something that must be erased. There’s no reason for people to enslave other people and treat them like animals.

If he’s guilty of that crime, then it is my duty as a member of the Royal Family and former princess to give him a swift execution. It wouldn’t be the first time I had to punish a noble for their crimes.

“I ain’t going to stop you from going there and doing… Well, whatever you are going to do there… But do consider that you will be recognized almost immediately by the Earl if he’s there. It would be a miracle if he didn’t hear that you came to Norvek by now.” She pointed at me, clearly trying to say that my appearance was a problem.

“I have that covered, thank you very much for worrying about me, my dear friend~. Fufufu!” I couldn’t help but giggle.

I was quite the troublemaker in my youth. I used to drag my sisters with me to go to the market just because I wanted to sneak out of the castle to have some fun. Due to that, I learned from an early age how to fool our guards, servants, and even my own parents whenever I planned to go outside without their knowledge. So, I can say with confidence that I am an expert in using a disguise to hide my appearance. I even have an alternative name and everything. Layla, isn’t it cute and normal-sounding?

“Yes, yes… Whatever. Take care.” Tiria said with a deadpan tone as she opened the door of my carriage.

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She suddenly stopped moving and then looked at me straight into my eyes.

“By the way, this is just a little warning, not as the Guild Grandmaster but as Tiria. If you try to threaten us again or to do something to those kids while they are in the academy, I will snap your neck and your brother will find a dagger stuck where his heart is supposed to be.” She had a defiant expression on her face.

“Worry not, I am unable to commit such a heinous act.” I raised the hand that touched the Holy Symbol of Lady Lia. 

The chains of light made by the mana of Julius made themselves visible at that moment. My entire body was covered and restrained by those chains…

“Oh, but you should be the one being worried... Fred and Lilia are understandably pissed by what you were planning to do. If it wasn’t for the children and the other family being there, Marina would have had to return alone to the capital and she would be pretty much fatherless as soon as she arrived.” Tiria said with a serious tone. “I don’t really know what your motivation was, much less the Emperor’s, but my only advice for you and your brother is to leave us alone and fulfill your part of the deal... Goodbye, Eliana.” She turned her head and left, quickly closing the door of the carriage with full force.

The motivation of my brother huh… I would also like to know what he is thinking…

Just a few seconds after Tiria had left, there was a knock on the door.

“My lady, may I enter?” I heard Tian Sebas’ voice from outside the carriage.

“You may.” I granted him permission to enter.

The door was then once again opened, revealing the old butler standing in front of the door. He immediately bowed with utmost politeness before getting inside the carriage and taking a seat in front of me. The door was then closed by one of the servants outside.

“My lady, I have gathered enough evidence that suggests that the Earl has used the money to set up a business and it is not a legal one, I am afraid.” Tian Sebas gave his report without losing his composure.

“I understand. Thank you for your hard work.” I gave him a compliment. “I think I’ll go and pay one of his businesses a visit. Please take care of Marina during my absence and tell the maids to bring my commoner outfit.” I smiled as I looked outside through the window.

“It shall be done, my lady.” Tian Sebas quickly understood my intentions and opened the door to leave. “I hope my lady has an enjoyable evening.” He bowed again before leaving the carriage.

I certainly will. Now… I wonder what I will find in one of those places?

“Now that I think about it, I never asked where the new businesses of Earl Casca were located…” I frowned as I realized that I had forgotten about a crucial detail…

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-----Julius' POV-----

I was sitting on the ground with my back against the wall of Mia’s house, after tasting a bitter defeat… I was surrounded by girls who were looking at me from above, all of them with triumphant expressions on their faces…

“We won! Now give us our prize!” Mia was looking at me with a very adorable smile.

“You cannot back down from this! You were beaten fair and square!” Liliana had an expression filled with excitement.

“D-D-Don’t be a sore loser, okay?” Luna was averting her gaze while blushing, as usual. She was still trying her best to make eye contact with me.

“Why must I be also a part of this? I don’t really see what is so good about this kind of prize.” Marina didn’t seem too invested in this like the previous three.

The thing that led us to this situation was an impromptu football game… After things had calmed down at the stressful meeting we had a short while ago, Eliana suggested again for Marina to play with us and other kids her age.

Well, because she was still on cloud nine after getting her first real friend, she quickly agreed. Due to the fact that the twins and Mia were not comfortable enough at first with Marina (all thanks to her status as royalty, unfortunately), the responsibility of coming up with a game to play with Marina and make my sisters and fiancée less awkward with her, which was not an easy feat…

Luckily for me, I had seen something similar to a ball while I was helping to pack things for Mia’s family, and that’s when I thought: “Why not try to play some football (soccer)? That should be an easy way for everyone to get along together and play?”

I explained the basic rules to everyone and they agreed to give it a try. Of course, I asked Natalie if she would let us use that ball beforehand. Now… There were a few problems before we even started to play around…

We couldn’t have an actual match since there were only four of us because Klein refused to participate. He decided to simply sit around and read a book while watching us play.

There was also the ball, which for the record, is way too heavy to be used as a proper football ball… I painfully discovered that when I wanted to show off my skills as a football player…  Yeah, even with healing magic, my foot will never recover from that… I am just kidding of course!

Although it did hurt a bit when I first kicked that ball...

Lia also told me the origin of this weird ball. She said that the ball is actually used for a sport which is played with your hands in the Kingdom of Valciar. So it is basically this world’s version of handball, but with a bigger and heavier ball.

Anyhow, I let my hubris get the better of me and basically got destroyed by these three… In my defense, I thought that Liliana and Luna would struggle due to the weight of the ball since they don’t really like to exercise that much or to sweat, but much to my surprise, they didn’t struggle at all... They even did some difficult tricks with the ball and everything...

I was also caught off guard when Marina and Mia basically started an all-out war to take the ball away from each other. Mia was too fast for me to even attempt to catch her up and Marina moved with such grace that I was left mesmerized for a moment…

While I was in that dumbfounded state, my sisters dragged me to the action and so our game began… I can count with a single hand how many times I was able to take the ball away from all of them…

I knew that Mia was pretty agile, but I didn’t expect them all to be so skilled at it…

After a while of chasing after them and the heavy ball, I told them that I wanted to try something different, so I challenged them to see which one of us could score the most goals with penalty shots.

My sisters and Mia got all fired up all of a sudden and they unilaterally decided that the one who gets the least amount of goals scored would have to give the others a reward… I, like the fool I was, was still confident in my skills and I accepted. Marina didn’t really care and just wanted to keep playing, which I considered good since she seemed to be having a blast.

Yeah, I deeply regret suggesting to play like this… Like I said before, I got pretty much obliterated by their combined effort…

I’ll spare you the details about the massacre, but Mia was the highest-scoring player, followed shortly after by Marina, then Liliana, then Luna, and finally me…

Let's just say that they were more skillful at blocking my shots than I originally thought...

“My arms are a little numb…" I said as I looked at my trembling arms after being the goalkeeper for the entirety of our game.

"I have to admit that you're pretty strong, Julius. I kicked the ball with all I had." Marina nodded to herself while complimenting me.

Yeah, I am painfully aware that she did that… My stomach hurts every time I remember each time she kicked the ball towards me...

"Of course he is! He defeated some adventurers for our sake!" Liliana complimented me some more.

"Hehehe~! I also gave all I had!" Mia smiled warmly. Her ears were still moving in a happy manner due to her victory.

"I will certainly beat you in the next round!" Marina said to Mia with determination.

"Challenge accepted!" Mia nodded vigorously. She clearly had a lot of fun.

Kill me… I don't think I can endure another round of being their goalkeeper…

"Umm… Julius, c-c-can I have my prize now...?" Luna asked while blushing. She was able to keep making eye contact with me despite her embarrassment.

The sight of Luna trying so hard to beat her shyness made me forget about how sore my arms felt… I quickly stood up to face her…

"Nothing would make me happier." I smiled at my older sister before wrapping my arms around her.

The prize they wanted for winning was only a hug. I didn't really mind and I do enjoy hugs, so that is the reason why I didn't complain when they unilaterally decided that.

"Hey! I was the one who scored the most. I should have gotten the first hug!" Mia complained while pouting.

"Hehe! My sister is pretty cheeky. She really took advantage that we were distracted." Liliana seemed proud of our sister.

"I don't really see why this is a good prize. It's just a hug..." Marina didn't seem too impressed by the reward the others had chosen.

Luna pretty much ignored what they said, and quickly returned the hug.

"You're really warm…" She muttered.

I simply remained silent, allowing her to enjoy the price she gained.

"Sorry, but I'm not waiting around!" I heard Liliana shout as I felt a pair of arms being wrapped around me from behind…

"Hey! I'm the winner, I'm not supposed to be the last to hug him! I'm not letting you get away with this! Marina, we are joining in!" Mia suddenly started shouting as well.

"Joining in on wha…-" Marina was not able to finish her sentence.

"Give me my reward!" Mia shouted again with indignation.

As soon as Mia said that, I ended up being hugged from all directions…

"Hehehe! I really love hugging you, my Beloved Prince~!" Mia spoke with glee. Her soft and fluffy ears ended up being pushed against my cheek.

"That would make us two!" Liliana said happily while making her hug a bit more tighter…

Without saying a word, Luna started nuzzling against my chest.

Sheesh… My sisters have become much more clingy since the day I met them…

"Huh… This feeling… You're pretty warm… And soft… I think it would feel very nice to hug you during the winter…" Marina was resting her head against me while she was making her hug tighter.

(I can confirm that it was a very pleasant thing to do during the winter! Your warmth and softness are the best things ever!) Even Thiasis joined in… She seemed a bit nostalgic.

Seriously… What's up with people calling me soft!? I want to be a muscular monster hunter! This is seriously starting to hurt my pride!

Note to self: Ask my Dad and Auntie for harsher training…

I will become a very muscular monster hunter with a beard and no one will stop me!

…

…

…

Anyhow… After they got their fair share of their prize for winning, I was finally released from their embrace. Although Mia and Luna seemed a bit reluctant to let go of me...

"So do you like the prize we asked for, Marina?" Liliana asked with a teasing tone.

"I cannot deny that it was way better than I thought… I also have to admit that this is the first time I hug someone who is not part of my family…" Marina admitted while blushing slightly.

Not gonna lie, that is a little bit sad and pitiful… 

"Let's play some more! This time I'll be the one who scores the most!" Luna's shyness was nowhere in sight, she seemed extremely fired up about continuing our game.

"Oho! A new challenger has appeared! Bring it on! I won't lose to anyone!" Mia seemed really competitive today.

“I’m afraid that I won’t allow that to happen. I will win this time!” Marina also appeared to be extremely fired up.

“You won’t be able to score a single goal against me!” Liliana suddenly assumed the role of goalkeeper. She quickly took a defensive stance in front of the wall while looking at the others with a prideful expression.

I could only smile with satisfaction while looking at those four playing around as if they had been friends for all their lives. My plan to make things less awkward between them had been successful.

(You get ten Good Boy points for helping the princess to make more friends!) Thiasis suddenly said something weird.

(Am I a dog now…?) I frowned when I heard what Thiasis had said... (Forget about it… You should know that I didn’t really do anything. It is just that it is easier to make friends as a kid. You don’t really need a reason to interact with strangers. You can play around just because you want to. That’s why I thought football would be a good game for them to get to know each other.) I ignored Thiasis' antics and explained my reasoning.

(C’mon! Just accept that you did a good job! There’s no need to be so humble with me!) Thiasis said happily.

(Fine, I guess I wouldn’t mind taking a little bit of credit for this scene unfolding in front of me) I nodded to myself with a lot of pride in what I had done.

Without a single care in the world, we simply continued playing around for the rest of the day. It was a really good and enjoyable day, in my opinion!

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Chapter 20: Alone with your own thoughts… Or not…

END

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