Chapter 158

Shion had left.

Amethus and Valziart were left alone.

Neither of them liked the other.

In Amethus's view, Valziart was nothing more than a dangerous monster.

He couldn't even guess what that thing made of shadow might do.

He didn't like that the number of beings sharing their secrets was increasing, and above all, his intuition kept finding Valziart unpleasant.

He knew that his intuition often transcended common sense and reason to perceive the truth.

In Valziart's view, Amethus was clearly a very stiff human.

Valziart, whose nature was free-spirited, quickly noticed that Amethus's rigid personality was the complete opposite of her own.

And above all, her pride was too high to be fussing over a mere human.

They glared at each other.

The color of their eyes was jade and black.

The one who spoke first was Valziart.

Despite a thousand years of age, her lips had only grown lighter, far from serious.

In fact, her sarcastic remarks were even developing a sense of dignity.

“Ah, why did I have to be left alone with such an old-fashioned fellow.”

Valziart shook her head.

“Just in case, I'm asking, how old are you, jade-eyes?”

“I'm over thirty.”

“Oh my!”

She exaggeratedly covered her mouth.

“I thought you were about three thousand years old and spoke respectfully, but there was no need. To think a mere thirty-year-old seems three times more ancient than me, who has lived a thousand years, you're truly talented!”

“…….”

Amethus just frowned as if it wasn't worth answering.

But it was clear he was somewhat annoyed. Valziart, excited, chattered on.

“How unlucky. How boring. How pitiful I am!”

“Blabber on as you please.”

“Ah, so you want to make things clear.”

The shadow girl grinned and spun around.

The hem of her black dress fluttered as if dancing.

“I will obey the Pollinglight, but I have no reason to obey you. Just in case you're mistaken that you're above me.”

“Did you not hear? I am to manage you.”

“See, you're gravely mistaken.”

She playfully wagged her finger. It was a very detestable sight.

“Just because you can use a sword a bit, you can't see anything else, can you? A mere human, talking about who manages whom!”

“…….”

Amethus remained silent.

It was his specialty.

There was no need to respond to low-quality words spewed to get a rise out of him and Amethus was a man who had mastered the art of paying no attention to unnecessary things.

“Get this straight. Even if you use a sword, it won't work on this Valziart.”

Her true body was still in the shadow dimension.

It couldn't be reached by physical attacks.

It was just that Shion's ‘Fantasy Finger’ was a peculiar power; normally, a human who was not a mage could not harm her.

Amethus silently listened to her words and let her continue to talk.

He spoke again only after Valziart shook her head as if she was bored.

“Do your job.”

It was an extremely business-like tone.

Though Amethus had grown close enough to Shion to exchange jokes at times, his true nature didn't change.

He was still a man like a well-honed blade.

“If you do, I will not interfere with you.”

“Even after I provoked you this much, you don't budge. Don't you have any pride?”

“I do not. For the sake of destiny, pride is nothing but an obstacle.”

“Even your words are boring……”

The shadow girl clicked her tongue with a tsk.

“Fine. Just tell me what to do.”

“I will inform you as needed.”

“So I can play around for now?”

“As long as you don't cause any trouble. However, you must protect this place no matter what.”

“Hmph……”

Valziart turned her head.

Since her true body was outside this space, she had a vision that was farther and deeper than a human's.

The lingering scent of mana that filled this basement.

“This basement, what are you hiding that it's full of barriers?”

“You don't need to know. Don't even try to find out.”

“…Eung.”

The shadow girl smiled sweetly.

She flared her nostrils and then started to chuckle as if she had found something good.

“There's a strange smell coming from the third room. The smell of sand, the smell of a woman, the smell of a long illness. Is there a woman who collapsed from an illness?”

“…….”

“A very similar smell is coming from your body, what's the relationship between you two……”

The jade eyes flared up with a blue light.

Amethus already had his hand on his sword.

“Oh my.”

Valziart grinned.

“Now you're angry. Are you going to cut me down? I told you, a mere sword won't work……”

“Wrong.”

Amethus took his hand off the sword.

“I've already cut you.”

Black mud gushed out with a squelch. Valziart screamed.

“…Uwaaak!”

Her body had been cut into pieces.

She didn't even know when she had been cut.

Her severed body rolled on the floor and scattered, becoming a black shadow.

“What? What, what, what……!!”

The shadow girl desperately held onto her body.

A sword shouldn't be able to harm her.

That's how it should be.

But strangely, Amethus's sword strike had even cut her spiritual body.

The proof was that her gushing body kept trying to return to nothingness.

Valziart, who had almost lost her freedom obtained after 400 years in vain, raised her voice in astonishment.

“I was almost a-a-a-annihilated!”

“I did consider it.”

Amethus's voice was neither cold nor hot.

That made it even more frightening.

“No, a human, how……”

She stumbled backward in panic.

If Amethus had put his mind to it, she would have been annihilated.

“Wait, you……”

Valziart slowly raised her finger.

She felt a strange energy from Amethus's chest.

“…What's in your bosom?”

“In my bosom?”

Amethus took out a mask from his bosom.

It was the face left by the Breath of Light.

When Amethus's hand touched it, a jade flame flared up, and Valziart's face immediately turned deathly white.

“You-you-you! Th-th-that!”

Her hand trembled violently.

“A-a, a……!”

“A-a-a?”

“It's an Ancient Weapon-!!!”

Valziart screamed as if she couldn't believe it, and Amethus tilted his head as if to say, ‘what about it?’ No wonder it wasn't just a simple sword swing!

“There are only thirteen in the whole world… Why does a relic of an ancient god belong to you……!”

“Is it something amazing?”

“…Amazing? Did you ask if it's amazing?”

She burst out laughing in disbelief.

There's a limit to not knowing the value of a treasure you possess.

“Even a common nobody can destroy a city if they have that. Do you think a god's relic is a joke?”

“Good thing I kept it.”

I was thinking of throwing it away.

Amethus put the mask back into his bosom.

Whatever this mask was, the task at hand was more urgent.

“We've had enough small talk. Get to work, Valziart.”

The girl now found it hard to meet the jade eyes.

“As long as you are useful, I will not cut you.”

“…You're pretty crazy too. Like a master, like a subordinate.”

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

Sigh, sigh, sigh! Valziart let out a series of sighs.

So continuous that it almost had a rhythm. In the end, she had to work.

Despite her freedom after 400 years, to be in a position where she had to labor!

What a pitiful situation. She felt the maximum amount of pity a girl could feel.

It was the complete opposite of Amethus, who didn't feel the slightest bit of pity for her.

“First job.”

He still had a business-like tone.

“Go and clean the sewers.”

“…Sewers? Cleaning? Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Hire a cleaner!”

“An ordinary cleaner can't do it.”

Amethus stroked his chin.

“There's an infestation of cockroach fiends. The water also overflows frequently.”

“…Cockroach fiends?”

The shadow girl frowned.

“Why don't you just say there's a cockroach magical beast too?”

“That's right. Go quickly.”

“Ha……”

Valziart hung her head low.

“…Cockroach fiends and a cockroach magical beast? And you're telling me to clean that……?”

The girl's eyes flashed.

“Sounds delicious!”

“…….”

Even Amethus couldn't help but be at a loss for words.

***

“The sunlight is quite nice.”

I said.

“Don't you think so, Serena?”

“…It's so-so.”

“How was the meal?”

“…That was also so-so.”

At Serena's reply, I chuckled.

“For being so-so, you ate very well. Getting sauce on your cheek……”

“Why do you stare so intently when a person is eating!”

Serena's face turned red.

She swung her arm at me, and I let her hit me. In one way or another, it was proof that the distance between our hearts was closing.

Passersby who saw us would click their tongues in annoyance.

Regardless of others' gazes, they had a pleasant time.

Serena pretended not to, but it was an undeniable fact that her heart was fluttering with excitement.

That joy continued until someone's shout was heard.

“They're coming!”

The crowd instantly rushed to the shore.

Everyone gathered here, including me and Serena, had the same purpose.

To wait for the princess of Cordis, the Great Empire blocked by the great mountains.

No matter how much the West hates the Empire, even if the scars of war remain, no, precisely because of that, admiration and curiosity swell.

What on earth is Cordis that the West has feared for a thousand years and has been forced to live under its pressure.

The sound of a horn was loud.

A boowoo- sound echoed from afar, shaking the shore.

Despite being so loud, it was clear and beautiful without any unpleasantness.

A few dots approached from beyond the coastline.

Following the sound of the horn, five ships.

The central ship carrying the princess was particularly ornate and massive.

Someone muttered.

“A hundred people could probably ride on that middle ship alone……”

“…That thing flying above the ships, is it really a magi-soldier?”

Even angry voices were mixed in.

And for good reason, five ships escorted by magi-soldiers.

It seemed like two hundred people could ride on the five ships combined, and in reality, a number close to that would have been on board.

It was a procession of a scale hard to imagine in the West.

Not even the kings of powerful nations like Maesh or Schmeizen travel with that many people.

“They said the 2nd Imperial Princess was an outcast in Cordis, it was all a lie.”

“They're determined to crush our spirits!”

That's why some considered Santia Hostanio's marriage delegation to be a bluff.

They thought of it as an attempt to show off their national power, as this was the first exchange since the war 53 years ago. However, my thoughts were different.

‘They came quite modestly.’

Though I hated to admit it, I was Zionis, the 5th Imperial Prince of Cordis, and I was well-versed in the etiquette of the Imperial family.

Therefore, I knew that Santia Hostanio had come leading an unprecedentedly small delegation.

The marriage of an Imperial Princess, and only two hundred people?

Normally, it would be close to an unforgivable insult.

‘They're preparing for the calamity, so they don't want to stand out, I suppose.’

Separate from my bitter smile, Serena de Verchello's eyes were shining.

“Wow, Shion, look at that, look at that.”

“I'm looking.”

“I'm really looking. Goodness. To think there's a ship like that. I'd love to ride it once……”

Serena was nineteen years old, and whenever her heart loosened even a little, she would act like a girl her age.

I made sure she could see the delegation from up close.

“It looks like they're disembarking! Oh my, she's the Imperial Princess of the Empire, right. I wonder what she looks like?”

“She won't show her face to us. We'll probably only be able to see her on the day of the wedding.”

“…Is that so?”

I looked at Serena with utmost affection.

Of course, I tried not to show it on the outside, and soon collected myself and turned my head.

‘Let's see… First, I need to negotiate with the head of the delegation…….’

I blinked my blue eyes.

‘Wait a minute…….’

Before the regression, Santia Hostanio's marriage delegation was led by a Commander of a Thousand from the 9th Legion named Iros Iratia.

But the head of the delegation now was a different person.

‘…This is different from back then, isn't it?’

I wiped my face.

It was clearly different from before the regression.

I couldn't even guess the reason.

It had already been seven years since I regressed, and I had been through many things.

‘…I didn't expect this at all, for that man to come as the head of the delegation. Did he fall out of Ferbias's favor that much…….’

I stared intently at the head of the delegation.

At this distance, he wouldn't be able to feel my gaze.

Besides, that man was particularly dense, so there was no need to worry.

The head of the delegation had a long mustache.

He was panting in this hot weather, wearing a thick robe.

I knew him.

He would probably remember me too.

I mulled over the man's name in my mind.

‘…Cornelius Merhes!’