'Look at these? And there's alcohol in the mix...!'
The moment Erne's eyes turned fierce, Judith ran into his arms.
Henry's jacket on Judith's shoulders fell to the floor, and the glass she was holding cracked and rolled on the ground, but Judith didn't care.
To be exact, she didn't even realize that the jacket and the glass had fallen.
“...Calm down, Miss Harrington.”
Erne paused for a moment and stroked Judith's hair as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
The bodies that were stuck together without even a single space between them were trembling.
The anger that had been burning like fire just now disappeared without a trace, and only worry about Judith remained in Erne's mind.
How surprised must one be? How surprised must one be to tremble like this?
“I got back safely.”
Erne hugged Judith's back and whispered in her ear. It was worth the effort to come back. The joy of returning after all that effort was here.
“Erne!”
But Erne's joy did not last long.
“Do you know how worried I was?”
Because there was one more person in this place besides Judith.
“I really thought you wouldn’t come back this time.”
Where was the dignified Henry who had been telling Judith not to worry, and soon only the weak-hearted Henry was left with tears in his eyes.
Henry ran to Erne and hugged him, not caring about his own jacket that had fallen to the floor.
So, Henry hugged Erne, who had hugged Judith.
“Get off me, you rascal.”
Erne glared, but Henry didn't care at all. It wasn't just one or two days since he glared.
Henry hugged Erne tighter.
“By the way, Erne, did you hurt your arm?”
Henry only turned away from Erne with a serious expression when he noticed the bandage wrapped around his right arm.
“Are you hurt?”
Judith, who had turned white the moment she saw Erne and had run to hug him without even looking back, also raised her head at the word "injury."
Looking at her reddened eyes, Erne felt uneasy for no reason. He felt like he had done something wrong by saying he would follow the advance party.
“Erne?”
“Ah, ah, I got paralyzed. It’s nothing.”
It wasn't all that bad. The poison itself was just a regular paralyzing poison, but the effects of the poison were unnecessarily good.
Even though he was not bitten or stung by a spider and the venom was not injected into his skin, but rather simply smeared on him, his entire right elbow became paralyzed.
After taking the antidote given by the doctor who came to support the rearguard, he was slowly regaining his senses. Very, very slowly, to the point of bursting his stomach.
But Erne didn't want to worry Judith anymore.
“You were poisoned, but it’s nothing! Hurry up and show it to Mr. Beichi, Erne.”
“No, before that.”
Erne said as he carefully pulled Henry and Judith away from him, who was clinging to her tightly.
“I want to wash.”
Very clean, every nook and cranny.
“Marquis, why would you do something like that?”
Inside the barracks where Erne left. While the rearguard and the 1st Knight Division that came to help them were busy preparing for the rescue operation of the advance party, Cain and Gelard were having a secret conversation inside the barracks.
“How could you do such a thing without His Majesty’s permission? His Majesty will be furious.”
Gelard shook his head. As he listened to the report of the disappearance of the advance party, Cain regretted his lukewarm response.
He prided himself on knowing the Followers well, as he had studied them for a long time.
Also, he figured that because of the last rebellion, they probably had little left over to generate this peculiar fog.
But his guess was wrong.
'This is all my fault.'
Sir Maxim and Erne were lucky enough to return alive, but the fate of the rest of the advance party was uncertain. In fact, it was difficult to guarantee that even their bodies would be found.
Cain felt responsible. And he thought. Now, a different approach was needed, even if it was a decision that was a little different from the Emperor's will.
“But, Commander, can’t we just let those rebels go forever?”
According to their research, priests did not hesitate to take action themselves to earn money.
However, those who did not know that the priest was a traitor only thought of him as a medium and made deals with him. This was tantamount to giving power to the priest.
Wouldn't it be easier to live in hiding and build connections if you had money?
The moment Erne's eyes turned fierce, Judith ran into his arms.
Henry's jacket on Judith's shoulders fell to the floor, and the glass she was holding cracked and rolled on the ground, but Judith didn't care.
To be exact, she didn't even realize that the jacket and the glass had fallen.
“...Calm down, Miss Harrington.”
Erne paused for a moment and stroked Judith's hair as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
The bodies that were stuck together without even a single space between them were trembling.
The anger that had been burning like fire just now disappeared without a trace, and only worry about Judith remained in Erne's mind.
How surprised must one be? How surprised must one be to tremble like this?
“I got back safely.”
Erne hugged Judith's back and whispered in her ear. It was worth the effort to come back. The joy of returning after all that effort was here.
“Erne!”
But Erne's joy did not last long.
“Do you know how worried I was?”
Because there was one more person in this place besides Judith.
“I really thought you wouldn’t come back this time.”
Where was the dignified Henry who had been telling Judith not to worry, and soon only the weak-hearted Henry was left with tears in his eyes.
Henry ran to Erne and hugged him, not caring about his own jacket that had fallen to the floor.
So, Henry hugged Erne, who had hugged Judith.
“Get off me, you rascal.”
Erne glared, but Henry didn't care at all. It wasn't just one or two days since he glared.
Henry hugged Erne tighter.
“By the way, Erne, did you hurt your arm?”
Henry only turned away from Erne with a serious expression when he noticed the bandage wrapped around his right arm.
“Are you hurt?”
Judith, who had turned white the moment she saw Erne and had run to hug him without even looking back, also raised her head at the word "injury."
Looking at her reddened eyes, Erne felt uneasy for no reason. He felt like he had done something wrong by saying he would follow the advance party.
“Erne?”
“Ah, ah, I got paralyzed. It’s nothing.”
It wasn't all that bad. The poison itself was just a regular paralyzing poison, but the effects of the poison were unnecessarily good.
Even though he was not bitten or stung by a spider and the venom was not injected into his skin, but rather simply smeared on him, his entire right elbow became paralyzed.
After taking the antidote given by the doctor who came to support the rearguard, he was slowly regaining his senses. Very, very slowly, to the point of bursting his stomach.
But Erne didn't want to worry Judith anymore.
“You were poisoned, but it’s nothing! Hurry up and show it to Mr. Beichi, Erne.”
“No, before that.”
Erne said as he carefully pulled Henry and Judith away from him, who was clinging to her tightly.
“I want to wash.”
Very clean, every nook and cranny.
***
“Marquis, why would you do something like that?”
Inside the barracks where Erne left. While the rearguard and the 1st Knight Division that came to help them were busy preparing for the rescue operation of the advance party, Cain and Gelard were having a secret conversation inside the barracks.
“How could you do such a thing without His Majesty’s permission? His Majesty will be furious.”
Gelard shook his head. As he listened to the report of the disappearance of the advance party, Cain regretted his lukewarm response.
He prided himself on knowing the Followers well, as he had studied them for a long time.
Also, he figured that because of the last rebellion, they probably had little left over to generate this peculiar fog.
But his guess was wrong.
'This is all my fault.'
Sir Maxim and Erne were lucky enough to return alive, but the fate of the rest of the advance party was uncertain. In fact, it was difficult to guarantee that even their bodies would be found.
Cain felt responsible. And he thought. Now, a different approach was needed, even if it was a decision that was a little different from the Emperor's will.
“But, Commander, can’t we just let those rebels go forever?”
According to their research, priests did not hesitate to take action themselves to earn money.
However, those who did not know that the priest was a traitor only thought of him as a medium and made deals with him. This was tantamount to giving power to the priest.
Wouldn't it be easier to live in hiding and build connections if you had money?
If they continue to let the priest run wild like this, his wealth will increase and it will become more and more difficult to catch him.
So Cain distributed a wanted poster with the priest's description written on it. It included information about his age, height, facial features, and even the fact that he was a Shartin with bright yellow eyes.
The priest's appearance was already well known to the purple-feathered medium and Lionel.
However, the reason why the wanted poster with the montage drawn on it could not be drawn is because the priest was a member of the Shartin tribe.
When rumors spread that the Shartin were the leaders of the rebellion, it was obvious what would happen to the Shartins, who were already ostracized.
Perhaps they might get into trouble because their face looks similar to the one on the wanted poster. Cain knows that too. He also felt sorry for the Shartins.
But Cain was the one who had the deepest resentment toward the Followers.
“I would like to propose to Your Majesty a ban on the migration of the Shartin tribe and a registration system for mediums.”
“Oh, this guy.”
Gelard also knows that Cain's method is effective.
However, Cain's strategy was the exact opposite of what the Emperor was pursuing. The Emperor was steadily implementing a policy of abolishing discrimination against the Shartin tribe.
Because he feels sorry for the Shartins? No, because he loves the Empress. His antipathy toward the Shartins soon became his antipathy toward the Empress.
The Empress's appearance was no different from that of the imperial people, so the problem could be solved by hiding her origins, but the Empress had no intention of doing so. She felt pity for her own people.
“His Majesty the Emperor would never permit such a policy.”
“I will persuade Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Would the Empress be persuaded? She would know best what the implementation of that policy would mean to the Shartins.”
“Is she the Empress of the Shartin Tribe? She is the Empress of the Empire. If so, then she must always put the safety of the Empire first. That is the position that the Empress of the Empire should take.”
At the moment when Cain was thinking about confronting the Emperor, Erne came out of a long bath.
“I can finally live a little.”
He tied his bathrobe loosely and went into his room, but then he flinched loudly.
“Why are you still in my room?”
Because Judith was sitting on Erne's bed, dressed in her nightgown.
Apparently, Judith had decided to return to her room before he returned.
Have you forgotten that? Or maybe you just want to keep sleeping with me? You have some really sneaky intentions.
Erne lowered the corners of his lips, which were rising contrary to his true feelings.
“Well, I was a bit busy with work so I couldn’t clean my room.”
Judith coughed awkwardly as she spoke. It was true that she was busy. However, Erne left without saying goodbye, and she was so upset that she completely forgot to clean up her room.
It was a bit funny that she had hugged Erne as soon as she saw him, but Judith didn't want to tell him that she had been worried about Erne and couldn't do anything.
Because she was so embarrassed.
“So, you’re so busy with work, why do you go missing?”
Judith immediately opened her eyes and glared at Erne. Sometimes, when people try to hide their shame and embarrassment, they end up getting angry like this.
“Are you blaming me now?”
It was so unfair that she didn't want to disappear in the fog. The disappearance was just an excuse, and the truth was that she just wanted to sleep with him.
The words that would have revealed Judith's wicked intentions suddenly came out of his mouth and then scattered.
If it were him before, he would have teased Judith and called her a pervert, but he couldn't do that now.
'Why did you do that back then?'
Returning to a familiar place and lying in warm water without any danger brought back memories she had forgotten.
The very same thing that happened on the night of their farewell, when he kissed Judith on the cheek and disappeared.
Once it occurred to him, there was no way to shake it off. So even when he tried to tease Judith by calling her a pervert, his lips would stick together and wouldn't come off.
“Anyway, make sure you clean your room tomorrow, Miss Harrington.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll clean up my room as soon as I open my eyes.”
The two people who had shared that deep reunion earlier had disappeared, and a strangely awkward atmosphere began to hang between Erne and Judith.
“...Go a little further to the side.”
“...Shall we go further?”
Erne was about to go to bed, vowing to himself that he would definitely fall asleep early today and not do anything stupid when he remembered something very important that he had completely forgotten.
Judith also got up as Erne, who was about to rest her head on the pillow, jumped up.
"Why?"
“I have something for you.”
He rummaged through the jacket he had thrown into the laundry basket and took out a slightly crumpled envelope.
“That priest left this letter behind. But it seems it wasn’t written to me...”
Erne handed the letter to Judith, trailing off. She opened it, her hands trembling slightly with an ominous feeling for some reason.
The letter contained just one sentence.
So Cain distributed a wanted poster with the priest's description written on it. It included information about his age, height, facial features, and even the fact that he was a Shartin with bright yellow eyes.
The priest's appearance was already well known to the purple-feathered medium and Lionel.
However, the reason why the wanted poster with the montage drawn on it could not be drawn is because the priest was a member of the Shartin tribe.
When rumors spread that the Shartin were the leaders of the rebellion, it was obvious what would happen to the Shartins, who were already ostracized.
Perhaps they might get into trouble because their face looks similar to the one on the wanted poster. Cain knows that too. He also felt sorry for the Shartins.
But Cain was the one who had the deepest resentment toward the Followers.
“I would like to propose to Your Majesty a ban on the migration of the Shartin tribe and a registration system for mediums.”
“Oh, this guy.”
Gelard also knows that Cain's method is effective.
However, Cain's strategy was the exact opposite of what the Emperor was pursuing. The Emperor was steadily implementing a policy of abolishing discrimination against the Shartin tribe.
Because he feels sorry for the Shartins? No, because he loves the Empress. His antipathy toward the Shartins soon became his antipathy toward the Empress.
The Empress's appearance was no different from that of the imperial people, so the problem could be solved by hiding her origins, but the Empress had no intention of doing so. She felt pity for her own people.
“His Majesty the Emperor would never permit such a policy.”
“I will persuade Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Would the Empress be persuaded? She would know best what the implementation of that policy would mean to the Shartins.”
“Is she the Empress of the Shartin Tribe? She is the Empress of the Empire. If so, then she must always put the safety of the Empire first. That is the position that the Empress of the Empire should take.”
***
At the moment when Cain was thinking about confronting the Emperor, Erne came out of a long bath.
“I can finally live a little.”
He tied his bathrobe loosely and went into his room, but then he flinched loudly.
“Why are you still in my room?”
Because Judith was sitting on Erne's bed, dressed in her nightgown.
Apparently, Judith had decided to return to her room before he returned.
Have you forgotten that? Or maybe you just want to keep sleeping with me? You have some really sneaky intentions.
Erne lowered the corners of his lips, which were rising contrary to his true feelings.
“Well, I was a bit busy with work so I couldn’t clean my room.”
Judith coughed awkwardly as she spoke. It was true that she was busy. However, Erne left without saying goodbye, and she was so upset that she completely forgot to clean up her room.
It was a bit funny that she had hugged Erne as soon as she saw him, but Judith didn't want to tell him that she had been worried about Erne and couldn't do anything.
Because she was so embarrassed.
“So, you’re so busy with work, why do you go missing?”
Judith immediately opened her eyes and glared at Erne. Sometimes, when people try to hide their shame and embarrassment, they end up getting angry like this.
“Are you blaming me now?”
It was so unfair that she didn't want to disappear in the fog. The disappearance was just an excuse, and the truth was that she just wanted to sleep with him.
The words that would have revealed Judith's wicked intentions suddenly came out of his mouth and then scattered.
If it were him before, he would have teased Judith and called her a pervert, but he couldn't do that now.
'Why did you do that back then?'
Returning to a familiar place and lying in warm water without any danger brought back memories she had forgotten.
The very same thing that happened on the night of their farewell, when he kissed Judith on the cheek and disappeared.
Once it occurred to him, there was no way to shake it off. So even when he tried to tease Judith by calling her a pervert, his lips would stick together and wouldn't come off.
“Anyway, make sure you clean your room tomorrow, Miss Harrington.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll clean up my room as soon as I open my eyes.”
The two people who had shared that deep reunion earlier had disappeared, and a strangely awkward atmosphere began to hang between Erne and Judith.
“...Go a little further to the side.”
“...Shall we go further?”
Erne was about to go to bed, vowing to himself that he would definitely fall asleep early today and not do anything stupid when he remembered something very important that he had completely forgotten.
Judith also got up as Erne, who was about to rest her head on the pillow, jumped up.
"Why?"
“I have something for you.”
He rummaged through the jacket he had thrown into the laundry basket and took out a slightly crumpled envelope.
“That priest left this letter behind. But it seems it wasn’t written to me...”
Erne handed the letter to Judith, trailing off. She opened it, her hands trembling slightly with an ominous feeling for some reason.
The letter contained just one sentence.
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