After shooting, they had to clean the muzzles right away, so they had to stand in a line, shoot, and then go to the back to do maintenance. The range wasn't good either, so in this kind of terrain, a sword would be much better than a gun in an all-out war.
"That's not the gun I bought."
Ines had bought guns in preparation for a civil war. Of course, it wasn't a long gun to be used in a large-scale battle, but a gun with a good range used for assassination.
"The gun I bought is a Yamanta-style gun."
Yamanta developed weapons to counter frequent invasions. They were expensive and couldn't be produced in large quantities at once, but it wasn't a big problem for Ines.
"What you're saying is..."
"I think it's better to strike first. When the enemy lets their guard down, sneak in and take out the leader."
Carson was speechless.
"Is that a bit ridiculous? I don't know much about war. I was just telling you my opinion."
When the two remained silent, Ines hurriedly added,
“I heard that the reason this war continues is because of territorial disputes. I said that because I thought it would be better to capture the King or his associates and end it for sure. If it was useless, then you don’t have to worry about it.”
“...”
“What I mean is... Monstera is a place where hunting is advanced.”
Even if the decision he made now made all the difficult path he had walked in vain, he would now be able to move forward toward the real future.
"That's not the gun I bought."
Ines had bought guns in preparation for a civil war. Of course, it wasn't a long gun to be used in a large-scale battle, but a gun with a good range used for assassination.
"The gun I bought is a Yamanta-style gun."
Yamanta developed weapons to counter frequent invasions. They were expensive and couldn't be produced in large quantities at once, but it wasn't a big problem for Ines.
"What you're saying is..."
"I think it's better to strike first. When the enemy lets their guard down, sneak in and take out the leader."
Carson was speechless.
"Is that a bit ridiculous? I don't know much about war. I was just telling you my opinion."
When the two remained silent, Ines hurriedly added,
“I heard that the reason this war continues is because of territorial disputes. I said that because I thought it would be better to capture the King or his associates and end it for sure. If it was useless, then you don’t have to worry about it.”
“...”
“What I mean is... Monstera is a place where hunting is advanced.”
Since there was little farmland, there weren’t many ways to secure food, so the hunting skills here were the best in the empire.
“What if we formed the guards with knights who were hunters and good at sniping... They would wear camouflage and sneak around quickly, assassinate the enemy commander, and run away.”
Eventually, Carson burst into laughter. A hearty laugh echoed through the space filled with hard and boring things.
“This is really driving me crazy.”
“Yes?”
Carson was also skeptical about the weapon he had. After firing, the smoke was so strong that it was hard to see. If it wasn’t properly cleaned and the smoke didn’t escape, it would misfire and hurt our own troops. The uniforms of the Imperial soldiers were flashy because they had to recognize each other in the smoke. It was bound to be uncomfortable.
After the recent defeat in the local war with Puldufin, a satirical picture of soldiers in flashy uniforms coughing in the smoke was circulated throughout the Empire.
Carson laughed, but Noah couldn’t. He couldn’t understand what this woman was saying. No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t understand the content. Why on earth was the temple maid saying something like that?
“How much?”
“I didn’t get a lot. It’s just replicating what I brought in from Yamanta. About 150.”
Carson looked at Noah at Ines’s answer. 150 was by no means a small number.
“How about it?”
Noah couldn’t speak for a moment and just stared at Ines.
The image of her spouting horrible words at Lena Mariere in the underground secret room of Landhill overlapped naturally.
“Don’t stare too hard, just answer.”
He couldn’t take his eyes off Carson’s somewhat sharp voice. And for the first time, it felt real that this woman was the one who was called the attempted murderer of the pulley.
“Excellent...”
“I didn’t ask for your impressions.”
“That’s enough.”
“Then let’s set a date for the expedition.”
“Yes, I understand.”
At that moment, Ines suddenly stood up and grabbed Carson’s arm sitting across from her. There was urgency in her sudden action.
“You’re not going to the expedition yourself, are you?”
He slowly patted Ines’ hand and encouraged her.
“Of course, I’ll go myself. Morale is important too. But I won’t fight. Which royal family member goes into battle in person these days? That’s a thing of the past, isn’t it, Noah?”
Carson raised one corner of his mouth and smiled, and Noah’s lie came out naturally.
“Of course.”
However, Ines still felt uneasy and couldn’t let go of his hand.
“Are you sure?”
“Then, you said that a hunter would be good for an assassin, but I’m not interested in hunting.”
Noah bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. What was that man crazy about hunting talking about? He was the best hunter in the empire who was always talking.
He took a deep breath to properly control his expression and looked up. Looking at the chandelier hanging in the air, he felt calm even after telling a lie.
“Well, that’s fortunate.”
Ines let out a deep sigh and smiled faintly with a blush on her cheeks. The woman who had just been making a bold plan to assassinate the enemy leader easily believed Carson’s words with an innocent face.
After finishing their conversation, they got up to do their own work. The Keynes Empire was now on the verge of turning the world upside down. However, Monstera was more peaceful than ever as if it were in the eye of the storm.
Noah had visited Ines this morning and secretly told her that he had decided to set out on the day of the Water Festival.
The formal declaration of war and departure was three days away, but Carson and the guards had decided to sneak into the enemy camp before then. While the battle was raging on the plains, they planned to assassinate the enemy leaders as Ines had suggested.
Even while they were planning the war, the castle was peaceful.
Ines hurried to meet Louis early in the morning. As she approached the door, she saw Emma quietly closing the door and coming out of the child’s room.
“The Princess is still asleep.”
Emma was one of those who still used honorifics to Ines. Everyone she had met when she was the Lady of Swenden was equally uncomfortable talking to her.
“Still?”
“He must have been out late last night with the cats. She’ll wake up in about an hour.”
Ines nodded and looked out the window. Hansen must have heard that the child had fallen asleep, so he was loitering around the backyard.
She came out to the backyard to find him, quietly carrying her hands behind her back and making no sound. Standing close, Ines called Hansen in a bright voice, intending to startle him a little.
“Priest.”
It was possible because they had become quite close recently. But for some reason, he didn’t look at Ines like he usually did. She came a little closer and called him again.
“Priest?”
He suddenly turned around, his shoulders raised as if startled. The face she saw was completely different from Hansen’s usual face.
“What’s wrong? Your face is so pale.”
“Is it true that Monstera is at war with Puldufin?”
Ines wasn’t flustered even though the words started out haphazardly.
Not everyone knew that a war was coming, but it wasn’t a complete secret either. The news would soon spread throughout the territory. Ines looked at Hansen’s face and felt a premonition. Perhaps it had been a premonition that had started quite a while ago.
“It’s true. How did you find out?”
“A letter came from the temple. The Princess who was supposed to be married for political reasons has passed away from illness, and Puldufin no longer wants friendly relations.”
“...”
“So there will be war soon. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Ines.”
He called out urgently, barely able to breathe, but the words did not continue right away.
“Ines... It has been nearly ten years since I became a priest of the temple.”
“I know.”
“And yet. Even though this is not God’s will at all.”
His voice, which was almost like a soliloquy, was trembling without mercy.
“I keep believing that God is giving me a chance.”
She could sense the longing in his eyes without asking, but Ines waited silently for his next words.
“I must have told you before about the wounds that would never be erased. And that I had learned to give up because I had no choice.”
“...”
“I am now a Keynesian.”
What those words meant was clear. Now that he was a Keynesian, he was actually from a foreign country.
Ines finally closed her eyes. She thought of a document she had seen in Carson’s office the other day, and the design on it.
A lion’s face with horse legs.
She had guessed, but she didn’t ask where it was. She couldn’t tell Carson what she had heard from Hansen.
It was because she didn’t want his pain to become a seed of doubt for anyone.
Ines believed Hansen. Such pain wasn’t something that could be intentionally created. She didn’t know the details, but she could guess what he was trying to do now.
“If it was God’s will that I came here. If human life is like rolling on a tight wheel made by God. That’s why you came to the temple, and if I met you as an inevitable fate. If it’s something that I don’t have to give up on.”
“Then... You shouldn’t give up.”
Ines took Hansen’s hand. Then she slowly looked into his eyes. Just as Hansen had told her last time, this time it was Ines’ turn to tell him what he wanted to hear.
“You have to take the chance when it comes.”
A sharp light flashed in his eyes that had been shaking aimlessly at her confident words.
“A chance...? “
"A chance for revenge. I didn’t miss that chance. And I don’t regret it.”
“...”
“I shouldn’t forgive those who took away the most precious things in my life. So even if it becomes difficult to forgive myself in the end, I believe that there are things that I absolutely cannot tolerate.”
In this world, fairies who have lost something can never live in the world of fairies who have lost nothing.
That’s why God sometimes gives fairies a chance to get back what they lost.
For some, He gave them back the time that had passed, and for others, He opened a path that had been blocked.
It was only fairies who had to come out of the closet and seize the opportunity.
At that moment...
“What if we formed the guards with knights who were hunters and good at sniping... They would wear camouflage and sneak around quickly, assassinate the enemy commander, and run away.”
Eventually, Carson burst into laughter. A hearty laugh echoed through the space filled with hard and boring things.
“This is really driving me crazy.”
“Yes?”
Carson was also skeptical about the weapon he had. After firing, the smoke was so strong that it was hard to see. If it wasn’t properly cleaned and the smoke didn’t escape, it would misfire and hurt our own troops. The uniforms of the Imperial soldiers were flashy because they had to recognize each other in the smoke. It was bound to be uncomfortable.
After the recent defeat in the local war with Puldufin, a satirical picture of soldiers in flashy uniforms coughing in the smoke was circulated throughout the Empire.
Carson laughed, but Noah couldn’t. He couldn’t understand what this woman was saying. No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t understand the content. Why on earth was the temple maid saying something like that?
“How much?”
“I didn’t get a lot. It’s just replicating what I brought in from Yamanta. About 150.”
Carson looked at Noah at Ines’s answer. 150 was by no means a small number.
“How about it?”
Noah couldn’t speak for a moment and just stared at Ines.
The image of her spouting horrible words at Lena Mariere in the underground secret room of Landhill overlapped naturally.
“Don’t stare too hard, just answer.”
He couldn’t take his eyes off Carson’s somewhat sharp voice. And for the first time, it felt real that this woman was the one who was called the attempted murderer of the pulley.
“Excellent...”
“I didn’t ask for your impressions.”
“That’s enough.”
“Then let’s set a date for the expedition.”
“Yes, I understand.”
At that moment, Ines suddenly stood up and grabbed Carson’s arm sitting across from her. There was urgency in her sudden action.
“You’re not going to the expedition yourself, are you?”
He slowly patted Ines’ hand and encouraged her.
“Of course, I’ll go myself. Morale is important too. But I won’t fight. Which royal family member goes into battle in person these days? That’s a thing of the past, isn’t it, Noah?”
Carson raised one corner of his mouth and smiled, and Noah’s lie came out naturally.
“Of course.”
However, Ines still felt uneasy and couldn’t let go of his hand.
“Are you sure?”
“Then, you said that a hunter would be good for an assassin, but I’m not interested in hunting.”
Noah bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. What was that man crazy about hunting talking about? He was the best hunter in the empire who was always talking.
He took a deep breath to properly control his expression and looked up. Looking at the chandelier hanging in the air, he felt calm even after telling a lie.
“Well, that’s fortunate.”
Ines let out a deep sigh and smiled faintly with a blush on her cheeks. The woman who had just been making a bold plan to assassinate the enemy leader easily believed Carson’s words with an innocent face.
After finishing their conversation, they got up to do their own work. The Keynes Empire was now on the verge of turning the world upside down. However, Monstera was more peaceful than ever as if it were in the eye of the storm.
***
Noah had visited Ines this morning and secretly told her that he had decided to set out on the day of the Water Festival.
The formal declaration of war and departure was three days away, but Carson and the guards had decided to sneak into the enemy camp before then. While the battle was raging on the plains, they planned to assassinate the enemy leaders as Ines had suggested.
Even while they were planning the war, the castle was peaceful.
Ines hurried to meet Louis early in the morning. As she approached the door, she saw Emma quietly closing the door and coming out of the child’s room.
“The Princess is still asleep.”
Emma was one of those who still used honorifics to Ines. Everyone she had met when she was the Lady of Swenden was equally uncomfortable talking to her.
“Still?”
“He must have been out late last night with the cats. She’ll wake up in about an hour.”
Ines nodded and looked out the window. Hansen must have heard that the child had fallen asleep, so he was loitering around the backyard.
She came out to the backyard to find him, quietly carrying her hands behind her back and making no sound. Standing close, Ines called Hansen in a bright voice, intending to startle him a little.
“Priest.”
It was possible because they had become quite close recently. But for some reason, he didn’t look at Ines like he usually did. She came a little closer and called him again.
“Priest?”
He suddenly turned around, his shoulders raised as if startled. The face she saw was completely different from Hansen’s usual face.
“What’s wrong? Your face is so pale.”
“Is it true that Monstera is at war with Puldufin?”
Ines wasn’t flustered even though the words started out haphazardly.
Not everyone knew that a war was coming, but it wasn’t a complete secret either. The news would soon spread throughout the territory. Ines looked at Hansen’s face and felt a premonition. Perhaps it had been a premonition that had started quite a while ago.
“It’s true. How did you find out?”
“A letter came from the temple. The Princess who was supposed to be married for political reasons has passed away from illness, and Puldufin no longer wants friendly relations.”
“...”
“So there will be war soon. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Ines.”
He called out urgently, barely able to breathe, but the words did not continue right away.
“Ines... It has been nearly ten years since I became a priest of the temple.”
“I know.”
“And yet. Even though this is not God’s will at all.”
His voice, which was almost like a soliloquy, was trembling without mercy.
“I keep believing that God is giving me a chance.”
She could sense the longing in his eyes without asking, but Ines waited silently for his next words.
“I must have told you before about the wounds that would never be erased. And that I had learned to give up because I had no choice.”
“...”
“I am now a Keynesian.”
What those words meant was clear. Now that he was a Keynesian, he was actually from a foreign country.
Ines finally closed her eyes. She thought of a document she had seen in Carson’s office the other day, and the design on it.
A lion’s face with horse legs.
She had guessed, but she didn’t ask where it was. She couldn’t tell Carson what she had heard from Hansen.
It was because she didn’t want his pain to become a seed of doubt for anyone.
Ines believed Hansen. Such pain wasn’t something that could be intentionally created. She didn’t know the details, but she could guess what he was trying to do now.
“If it was God’s will that I came here. If human life is like rolling on a tight wheel made by God. That’s why you came to the temple, and if I met you as an inevitable fate. If it’s something that I don’t have to give up on.”
“Then... You shouldn’t give up.”
Ines took Hansen’s hand. Then she slowly looked into his eyes. Just as Hansen had told her last time, this time it was Ines’ turn to tell him what he wanted to hear.
“You have to take the chance when it comes.”
A sharp light flashed in his eyes that had been shaking aimlessly at her confident words.
“A chance...? “
"A chance for revenge. I didn’t miss that chance. And I don’t regret it.”
“...”
“I shouldn’t forgive those who took away the most precious things in my life. So even if it becomes difficult to forgive myself in the end, I believe that there are things that I absolutely cannot tolerate.”
In this world, fairies who have lost something can never live in the world of fairies who have lost nothing.
That’s why God sometimes gives fairies a chance to get back what they lost.
For some, He gave them back the time that had passed, and for others, He opened a path that had been blocked.
It was only fairies who had to come out of the closet and seize the opportunity.
At that moment...
Tuk-Tuk.
Hansen unbuttoned the priest’s robe that had been fastened to the neck. It was because the priest’s robe was too heavy for him to walk the path of sin under the pretext of revenge.
Even if the decision he made now made all the difficult path he had walked in vain, he would now be able to move forward toward the real future.
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