Published at 15th of February 2020 5:36 pm

Volume 3, Prologue: The Bearer of the Azure Cross Sword

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translator: Skythewood Editor: Hiiro

Arsbelt Empire Imperial Capital Orsted

After exiting Listerine Castle, the residence of Emperor Ramza the 13th, and walking south for 15 minutes, one would reach a heavily guarded castle wall and moat. But after crossing the drawbridge, the scenery would change. The residents would be mesmerized by the statues of the gods and the fountain surrounded by the sculpture of six dark lions. Along the pristine stone paved path, many elegant shops and extravagant mansions could be found. This was a special zone where only the grand nobles were permitted to reside in— Nordrhein.

In the center of Nordrhein was a manor that was like a rare frost-like flower— with a garden covered in winter roses. The master of this manor known as 《Winter Rose Garden》, was one of the Empire’s Tri-General, commander of the top elite Azure Knights—Felixus von Sieger.

Lunar Calendar 999, early winter.

The Sieger manor was covered by snow that started to fall in the morning, and was glistening in the night. The specks of light from the window dyed the ground red. The moonlight illuminated the snow covered ground with a silvery gleam.

Serenity was the theme of this wide and clean world, and the snow flakes falling out of the trees from time to time was a dreamy sight.

Inside the manor, in an extravagant dining hall, two people were having dinner.

One of them was Felixus, who had a well built body and fine facial features. Whenever he attends a ceremony or party, the daughters of noble houses would be mesmerized by him.

He was accompanied by one other person.

She was a girl that had a beautiful face like Felixus, but had a smaller stature than him. She was Felixus’ sister, Luna von Sieger, who just turned 14 recently.

Felixus asked Luna who was seated opposite him on the dining table:

“You seem down. What’s the matter?”

It had been a while since they ate dinner together, but Luna looked really gloomy. Her meal was still untouched. Luna’s face looked fine, so she wasn’t feeling unwell.

Luna’s eyes were dejected, and that was the face she made when something was weighing on her mind.

Felixus waited for a while, and Luna who finally made up her mind lifts her head and said:

“Dear brother, may I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

With that, Felixus slowly placed his cutlery onto his plate, and wiped his mouth carefully with his napkin, getting ready to listen to Luna.

“Well… I heard you will be leaving a while for official business, is that true? You haven’t been home much recently too…”

“… It’s true. Did Klau tell you that?”

Luna nodded gently. Felixus cast his gaze to his diagonal right. One of the servants standing by the wall, the butler Klau Zelenade who had a magnificent white beard, bowed respectfully.

Felixus didn’t order this to be kept a secret and was planning to inform Luna after dinner. So he had no intentions of blaming Klau.

“How long will you be gone?”

Luna’s voice was as quiet as a mouse. Felixus smiled wryly in his heart, and gestured Luna to his side. He gently stroke her silky black hair and said:

“The job this time is more troublesome, so I will be away for at least 2 months.”

Before Felixus even finished, Luna exclaimed “Two months!?” She then held her breath, and her asymmetrical colored azure and jade eyes started tearing up. She clenched the hem of her skirt tightly, as if she was holding something in.

After their parents succumbed to illness, Felixus who inherited the Sieger house at just 14 put everything he had into caring for Luna who was just 7. Luna was a sensible child, and understood the difficulties of her brother, and was seldom wilful.

And Felixus had a soft spot for her because of that. No matter how powerful his foe was, Felixus showed no fear, but he would yield immediately to his sister’s tears.

Felixus felt embarrassed about that, and Rosenmarie would laugh at him if she learned about it.

(But even so, she is my one and only sister in this world.)

Felixus wiped away the crystal like tears with his hand, and gently took Luna’s delicate hands.

“Luna, it’s been a while since we last went out together. Why don’t we do that tomorrow?”

“Go, out…?”

Luna asked with a trembling voice. Felixus nodded firmly.

“That’s right. Let’s see… this is the right season for a stroll by Esuna lake.”

The destination was in a forest to the west of the Capital Orsted, a scenic place where the colors of the water would change with the seasons.

It was a clear blue in spring.

A fiery red in summer.

Deep green in autumn.

And in winter, it would turn a dark shade of blue, renowned to be the most beautiful of all the seasons.

Luna smiled, probably thinking about the beautiful sights of Esuna lake. But she pursed her pink lips the next moment.

“Is it not to your liking?”

Felixus asked, and Luna shook her head and refuted:

“Not at all! I’m very, very happy… But… will your work be fine?”

“Don’t mind me, it’s just one day, it will be alright.”

Felixus patted his chest to indicate it was fine, but to be honest, now wasn’t the time for him to relax at Esuna lake. Rosenmarie was out of commission, and Field Marshal Graden tasked him with command of the Crimson Knights. Felixus needed to set off the day after tomorrow to the Crimson Knights’ base in Fort Astra, and has loads of things to do.

Fortunately, he had an outstanding adjutant, Second Lieutenant Theresa, to assist him. Felixus felt guilty about pushing all his work onto her, but she would definitely finish all of it perfectly.

“Really?”

In response to Luna’s dubious eyes, Felixus left his chair and knelt down, placed his right hand respectfully onto his left chest, and said in an exaggerated tone:

“Deceiving Princess Luna is a crime punishable by death. It is only fair for you to be unhappy with your brother’s lack of attention towards you. Can I have the honor of escorting you out for a stroll?”

“Really now, Dear Brother…”

Luna’s gloom was wiped from her face, and Felixus smiled at the sight of that.

— After finishing their dinner...

“I will retire to my room now. Marina, please prepare two lunch boxes for tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, Lady Luna, I will get it done.”

Another servant of the Sieger house, Maria Kastra answered respectfully with her head bowed.

“Oh, I need to choose my clothes for tomorrow.”

“Luna, I know you are happy, but don’t stay up too late.”

“I understand.”

Luna bowed gently, then left the dining hall with brisk steps. Her face was like a rainbow after the rain, as if her tears from earlier was an illusion.

After Luna’s footsteps grew distant, Felixus sighed and headed to the drawing room next door, and sat heavily into the couch by the fireplace.

“Thank you for your hard work, Master.”

Klau said as he laid a teacup onto the table. Felixus answered with an awkward smile:

“Am I spoiling her a little?”

“You are spoiling her plenty. Like feeding her Peach wine made from honey.”

This reminded Felixus about the time when Peach wine was trending in the capital. When he asked Klau to procure some, Klau rejected him, saying “that thing isn’t suited for your palette.”

“Hmm. So I’m spoiling her too much. You are very forthright on this.”

“Yes, but this is also your strong point. Tomorrow will be a memorable day for Lady Luna.”

Klau shrugged with a confident face. Of all the servants in the Sieger house, Klau was the only one who could offer advice to him directly without reservation.

The Imperial system in Arsbelt has an unsurpassable difference in social standings.

In the 8th century of the Lunar Calendar, the legal statute known as the ‘Carteana System’ was passed in the Arsbelt Empire, establishing a nation that divides its people between aristocrats and commoners, where the line was set more prominent than any other nation.

By the time of Ramza’s reign, the difference in clothing and food had been eased for the two social classes, but their residential zones were still strictly divided. On top of that, Felixus and Klau had the added layer of being master and servant, so if anyone overhears them, Klau would get punished for nothing.

However, Felixus was happy with this relationship. Klau had served the Sieger house for three generations, and was still working well into his 60s. For Felixus who inherited the household at a young age, Klau was a godsend that guided him onto the right path in place of his parents.

Felixus only felt gratitude towards Klau, and would never hold any grudge.

“A memorable day, huh… but instead of me, won’t she prefer going out with her beau?”

Felixus took a sip of his steaming Housen tea and muttered. Klau shook his head in response.

“Hmm...? I don’t think it’s possible, but could it be that she doesn't have a significant other?”

He couldn’t speak for himself, but Felixus thinks that a 14 years old girl should be curious about love. Luna might be sensible and well mannered, but she shouldn’t be an exception.

“There is no need to even speculate. Even asking is a waste of time.”

Klau answered as if this was obvious, and Felixus felt displeased. Even putting aside his biases as a brother, Luna was a beauty, and raised as a true maiden of nobility. Felixus couldn’t accept Klau’s firm dismissal.

“Are you saying that Luna lacks feminine charms?”

“Of course not.”

Klau smiled wryly.

“Then what’s the reason?”

Felixus was getting a little impatient, and Klau answered with a soft sigh:

“I will be blunt then. Master, it is your fault that Lady Luna had not found any man she fancies.”

“It’s my fault?”

Felixus didn’t expect that at all, and repeated the question. Klau’s answer was exactly the same. What did I do wrong? Seeing how baffled Felixus was, Klau sighed resignedly.

“Don’t you understand? You might be her brother, but with someone like master beside her, other men will just look like stones on the roadside. She won’t even consider them.”

Klau added “Master, you are really a sinful man.” then rubbed the corner of his eye. By the way, he didn’t shed a single tear. As for Felixus, Klau’s words came as a shock, and he was dumbfounded.

“It can’t be that bad.”

In the 【Imperial Gem Moon Academy】 that Luna was attending, Luna was the top choice for most of the grand nobles scions. That doesn’t mean all of her schoolmates were outstanding talents, but there were definitely some who would become a pillar of the Empire in the future. Many of the important positions in the Imperial Army were filled by graduates from the Imperial Gem Moon Academy. There must be a young man who can win the heart of Luna.

Felixus argued vigorously, but Klau only smiled wryly. Deciding to end the discussion, He leaned his aged face close and said:

“Master, your only, and greatest fault, is your lack of awareness of your charm. No matter what you say, this is an irrefutable fact.”

Felixus tensed his face from the pressure, and nodded. Klau then straightened his posture with satisfaction.

“Pardon me. I’m too old to be agitated like this.”

“No, it’s fine. I will leave the manor and household affairs to you.”

The conversation was heading in a strange direction, so Felixus changed the topic.

“Understood. Leave Lady Luna and the other matters to me— But this is really a surprise. After the defeat of the army in the south, the Crimson Knights are defeated this time.”

The peaceful air was gone, and Klau’s face was serious.

“There had never been an undefeated army in the history of mankind. But this is really a surprise though.”

Despite what he said Felixus thought to himself: “Is it such a surprise for the Seventh Army that have the Death God Olivia on their side to win?”

“You are right, Master… However, will the Farnesse Kingdom ride on this momentum and invade our lands?”

“The chance of that happening is very low, but there is always a possibility. That’s why I’m rushing to Fort Astra.”

If the Royal army wished to invade the Empire, they had two feasible options.

One was to pass through the central region of the Kingdom and turn north. The route wasn’t suitable for long marches, since they had to scale mountains and cross rivers. And Fort Kiel garrisoned by Graden and his Sun Knights stood menacingly in the central region, effectively making passage impossible.

So the Royal Army could only take the second option. Striking the northern Fort Astra that lies at the borders of these two nations.

However, reports from their agents state that the Seventh Army suffered significant losses in the previous battle. Their morale might be high after defeating the Crimson Knights, but that wouldn’t be enough to field an army. They need to administrate the recovered territories and handle the aftermath of the battle too.

Felixus estimated that the Royal Kingdom would need three months to invade Fort Astra, or at best two months if they rushed.

(If the Seventh Army attacks Fort Astra, the Death God Olivia will definitely be there. Will I be able to fend her off?)

At this moment, fluffy flakes of snow started falling again.

Felixus thought about the delicate face of that girl as he watched the shimmering light in the fireplace.

Chapter 1: Chaos in Fort Astra!

Ⅰ

Farnesse Kingdom, Royal Capital Fizz

The snow covered Royal Capital Fizz was bustling with life because of the first festival held here in years. In the plaza where the statue of the founding Emperor of the Farnesse Kingdom Julius Zu Farnesse stood at the center, a dancer was dancing to the rhythm of flutes and drums. Her flimsy clothes that showed off her skin from time to time earned the cheers of the men watching from below the stage.

This was a traditional dance with a long history in the Kingdom, Ritual Dance of the Lion.

“Hear ye hear ye! Don’t just look at the dance, check out my wares too! The Royal Capital’s famous Grilled Lion Balls! Buy five get two free!”

A man with a bandana held skewers of grilled omelettes high up as he promoted his stall loudly.

“Get your Pleiades Lion bangles here! Stocks are limited, get yours now!”

A woman raised her right hand high, marketing the wares she was wearing.

The plaza was full of stalls, and the owners shouted loudly to draw customers in.

The St. Germu plaza was so lively because of the Seventh Army's consecutive victories in the south and the north. Bards had already spun the exploits of the Seventh Army into popular songs, and sang them heartily.

However, the threat of the Empire still hung over them, and the war was going badly for the Second Army in the Central War Theatre. The people ignored the harsh realities for a time, and let loose in the brief celebration of victory—

“… We need to hurry, Second Lieutenant Katherina.”

“Yes Sir!”

The First Army’s adjutant, Brigadier General Neinhart made his way through the crowd, while his aide, Second Lieutenant Katherina Reiners followed hastily.

They ran into this festival on their way back to the city.

“They really held the festival. This is as big as the Lion King Festival.”

The Lion King Festival was held annually in the Royal Capital Fizz before the start of the war. However, it had been cancelled after the war situation grew bleak.

Katherina seemed to be intrigued by the events in the plaza, and darted her eyes that way from time to time. The crowd was getting hyped up, and more people started to join the dance.

“— How about dancing together?”

“Ehh!? W-What do you mean?”

Katherina was shocked when she heard that, and she blushed a little. She brushed her shoulder length hair and muttered “What should I do~” Neinhart was puzzled by this, and said:

“What else can I mean? You want to dance together with that girl there, right? She is a famous dancer in the capital, so I can understand. Don’t worry, we still have time.”

Katherina puffed her cheeks before Neinhart even finished.

“Ah~ I get it, I get it. It’s my fault for expecting anything at all. I’m so stupid. I don’t want to dance, let’s hurry to the castle.”

“Are you sure? If you are worried about work—”

“No need!!”

Katherina yelled loudly, then ran off, leaving Neinhart behind. The girls who heard their conversation started whispering.

And for some reason, they looked at Katherina with sympathetic eyes.

“… Does she want to shop the stalls instead?”

Neinhart mumbled and ran after her, but Katherina was long gone.

Leticia Castle, Neinhart’s Office

(Sigh. His Excellency is so dense…)

Once she reached the office, Katherina opened the windows angrily. When she saw the mirror on a table, Katherina smiled at it.

(Hmm~ I think I look fine. Is my hairstyle too dull?)

Katherina bundled up her hair and imagined. At this moment, an icy breeze brushed against her nape.

Katherina shivered, and closed the windows she just opened.

“Phew… That should be enough for ventilation.”

Katherina made excuses that she wasn’t cutting corners, and huddled by the fireplace. She took out a firestarter from a can, and lit the fire in a hurry.

After warming herself up there for a while, she heard the door open behind her.

“… You are slow.”

“No, you are just too fast.”

Neinhart answered without thinking, and took off his coat quickly, hanging it on the couch. He then sat by his desk, and started browsing his piles of documents.

He had already forgotten about that incident at St. Germu.

(His Excellency probably doesn't even know why I was mad.)

Katherina sighed in her heart, and shifted Neinhart’s coat to the appropriate place, and sat by her own desk. She started tidying her documents like Neinhart.

Silence hung over the office—

“Hmm?”

Katherina’s startled voice attracted Neinhart’s attention.

“What’s wrong?”

Katherina didn’t answer directly, and handed him a document instead. The intrigued Neinhart browsed through it.

“A request for an audience? — So First Lieutenant Claudia and Major Olivia are in the Capital…”

“Probably. Why are they looking for you?”

Katherina was familiar with the name Claudia Jung.

A graduate from the 275th class of the Royal Military Academy, she was Neinhart’s cousin, and the heir to the Jung house that produced plenty of knights. Claudia was a knight and was said to be a beauty.

The other person was the new elite feared by the Imperial Army as a Death God, Olivia Valedstorm. Katherina was surprised that these two who were famous for various reasons were seeking an audience.

“Who knows. Then today—”

“Your Excellency’s schedule for today is so full that I can’t even squeeze a pussy cat in.”

“… Pussy?”

“I misspoke. I can’t even squeeze an ant in.”

Katherina said preemptively with a smile.

“… Can’t you reschedule something?”

“Impossible.”

“Making it possible is the job of the aide—”

“It’s impossible.”

Katherina turned him down mercilessly. She was getting revenge for what happened at St. Germu plaza. After Neinhart got promoted to Brigadier because of his contribution in the Battle of Iris, he got even busier.

So it wasn’t a surprise for his schedule to be full.

“… They came all this way to meet me, so it must be important. I hope you can help me make the arrangements, Second Lieutenant Katherina.”

Katherina knew very well that Neinhart was incredibly stubborn when he adopted that tone. She had learned that after working as an aide for so long.

“Sigh… I understand. I can postpone your 2pm inspection of the Kingdom’s southern zone to tomorrow. Will you be fine if I slot in the audience into that freed slot?”

“That will do. Sorry for always troubling you, Second Lieutenant Katherina.”

“It’s fine, I will make the arrangements.”

Neinhart acknowledged her, and started sorting out his paperwork again. Katherina took out a notebook to amend the schedules, and peeked his way.

(Really now, he always smiles at me so gently at times like this. How sly.)

Despite her complaints, Katherina felt a warmth in her heart as she turned the door knob.

— Three hours later.

“Your Excellency, it’s almost time—”

Before Katherina even finished, there was a lighthearted knock on the door. Neinhart gave permission to enter, and Olivia who had a large crate in her arms appeared. The Death God girl who was the bane of the Empire had such an outstanding face, that Katherina was dumbfounded. Neinhart had the same reaction when he first met Olivia, and felt a sense of camaraderie towards his aide.

Claudia who was behind Olivia had a straight face like usual. Olivia greeted him cheerfully, and placed her crate on the desk.

“… This is...?”

Neinhart alternated his gaze between the crate and Olivia as he asked.

“Report— this is a gift for Brigadier General Neinhart!”

Olivia then smiled brilliantly. Neinhart frowned at that. With how unstable the Kingdom was, there were plenty of people who offered him bribes under the guise of gifts. From merchants to nobles, they came in all varieties. After his promotion to Brigadier, the frequency increased further, which irritated Neinhart to no ends.

But Neinhart knew very well that Olivia didn’t harbor such ambitions. From what he remembered, Olivia was only interested in food.

Given what he knew, Neinhart was curious about what this gift might be.

“Can I open it?”

“Of course!”

Olivia seemed eager for him to open it, so Neinhart removed the cover. And...

“Fish…?”

He saw many glistening grey fish inside. On a closer look, they were a type of river fish called Sarau. From the clearness of their eyes, they were freshly caught.

Neinhart was surprised by this unexpected gift.

“I worked hard to catch them all!”

Olivia puffed out her chest proudly. An awkward air hung over the office. Katherina coughed quietly, and Neinhart snapped out of his daze and said:

“Major Olivia, are you a master baiter?”

Neinhart immediately regretted asking that. He didn’t want to know the answer at all. To calm himself down, Neinhart took a sip of tea.

“I’m just your average baiter. My fishing skills are self taught.”

“I-I see.”

“Brigadier General Neinhart, you love fish, right?”

“Well… I don’t dislike them.”

Given a choice between fish and meat, he would prefer fish. Winter was the right season for the Sarau river fish that Olivia brought. Their flesh would taste the best during this time, and just grilling would be enough to make them a delicacy.

However—

(I don’t remember telling Major Olivia that I like fish…)

He didn’t say anything when they first met in Fort Gallia’s commander’s office, and he didn’t bring up such a subject when he visited her to offer his thanks for avenging Major General Florenz.

They met a few times in Castle Kasper, but he didn’t remember anything related to that.

(Could it be… Claudia told her?)

Their relationship was distant now, but since their age was similar, they were quite close when they were young. The image of Claudia following him with a wooden sword was still fresh on his mind. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Claudia knew what food he liked.

At this moment, Neinhart looked to the left, and saw Claudia hanging her head with her shoulders trembling slightly.

“First Lieutenant Claudia.”

“—What?”

Claudia raised her head and answered with a serious face as before.

“Did you tell Major Olivia about this?”

“… You must be misunderstanding something. I have no idea what your favourite food is, Neinhart-nii. This is a sincere gift from Major Olivia, I hope you will enjoy it.”

Claudia then lowered her head with quivering shoulders again. Not wanting to drag this on any further, he decided to set the matter about the gift aside for now.

“By the way, what’s with the sudden visit?”

“Major Olivia is the one looking for you, I’m just accompanying her. She needs your help with something, Neinhart-nii.”

“My help?”

He looked at Olivia, and she suddenly leaned forth with her eyes wide open. Her movements were so sudden that Katherina almost fell over.

“I want to go into the library! Can I?”

“—Hah? Library?”

Olivia’s words confounded Neinhart, and Katherina whispered to him: “Maybe she wants you to vouch for her?” Neinhart knew that, he just didn’t understand why Olivia wanted to visit the library.

After he asked for further explanations, Claudia started explaining on behalf of Olivia who didn’t state the main points—

“— I see… I get it now. I won’t ask why you are so obsessed with the family name you inherited. I will contact the Royal Library shortly.”

Neinhart gave Katherina a look. She got his message, and left the office.

“You mean I can visit the library now?— Ah, no, do I have permission to make use of the library’s facilities now?”

It was rare to see Olivia this nervous.

“Yes you may.”

“Really?”

“Really. Like I said before, Major Olivia did a favor for me by avenging my dear friend Major General Florenz. I have always wanted to repay you, and this will be a good chance. Considering your merits on the battlefield, this is just a trivial matter.”

Entering the library would normally require a lot of paperwork, but the Seventh Army’s victory bypassed these processes. Furthermore, Olivia was the key figure who won them this victory.

Neinhart would not hesitate to exercise his authority on this matter.

“Thanks! —Ah, no, thank you very much!! Thank you too, Claudia!”

The beaming Olivia hugged Claudia’s arm. Claudia smiled awkwardly and muttered: “Looks like I don’t have to headlock Neinhart-nii.”

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