Published at 1st of July 2023 9:16 am

Volume 12, Chapter 5 – War Maiden, Part 1

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

The Vanir Three Kingdoms was the general name for a federation of three countries: Vanaheim Theocracy, Nara Knightdom, and Kvasir Priestdom.

In the past, the long-eared race came to Vanaheim from the western continent, and they joined hands with the local people and cooperated with each other to create a nation. The other races who agreed with them shared their territory with them, and Nara and Kvasir were born.

However, there was no such thing as a king in their country, which worshiped the Fairy King.

No man could stand above God, and God alone stands in the heavens.

These were the words spoken by a representative of the “Fairy King” at the time of the birth of Vanaheim.

Since then, the Vanir Three Kingdoms have been represented by a proxy chosen by the Fairy King, the Pope. The capital city of the Vanir Three Kingdoms, which reigned at the top of such a special nation, was called Van.

In the center of the city was Vanakwiesl Cathedral, where the “Fairy King” was seated. It was one of the historical buildings in which many artists were involved in its construction and renovation.

If you left the capital Van and headed northeast, you would find the coastal port town of Sisur.

It was the largest port in the Vanir Three Kingdoms, second only to the capital of the Six Kingdoms of Greif in terms of size.

Ships from all over the world dock along the bridge extending from the harbor. However, there was no sense of roughness characteristic of a port. This was because the area was ruled by the long-eared race, a people who believed in the beauty of quietness. It seemed that even the ruffians who come from all over the world were not so foolish as to pick a fight with Vanaheim Theocracy, and Sisur was famous as a port town where fights do not break out, which was a rarity in this world.

Because it was a port town ruled by the long-eared race, there was a solemn atmosphere, the streets were neat and orderly, and the people were attached to the clear water. Because it was a place of exchange with other countries, Sisur was filled with the nobility of the long-eared race.

Today, however, Sisur was far from quiet and was noisy. Dozens of sailing ships appeared in the vast sea facing the harbor. The flags flying were of all shapes and sizes: vicious-looking snakes, eagles, lions, foxes, tigers, goats, etc. None of the flags were those of the Vanir Three Kingdoms but those of the Six Kingdoms on the other side of the sea. The representative of Sisur sent an emissary with the intention of showing friendship, but the emissary returned with his head chopped off. Turned red in the face by this reply, the representative of Sisur immediately dispatched the navy and launched a fleet battle, but everything was sunk, and finally, the fleet of the Six Kingdoms came alongside the harbor. Surprised by the strength of the fleet, the representative of Sisur asked Queen Lucia for an audience to negotiate with her, which was granted, but he was taken into custody and beheaded in front of his people.

The people protested this barbaric and intolerable act but were soon replaced by screams. Soldiers from the Six Kingdoms attacked the Sisur garrison with swords and spears in their hands. People ran for cover, and those who resisted were mercilessly struck down with deadly blades, plunging the beautiful port city of Sisur into the abyss.

One woman watched the scene with a calm face, Lucia, the queen of Anguis, one of the Six Kingdoms. Standing beside her was an aide named Seleucus, who tilted his head as he looked at the city, which had begun to burn violently as if the fire had spread to buildings in the heat of battle.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this? Most of the nobles were reluctant to fight…”

“They are afraid of losing. So far, they have ruled the country by the power of the long-eared race. They are not sure if they can manage on their own.”

“Some of them argue that we should stop the wars and focus on domestic affairs… They probably want to say that the war is not only outside.”

“Let them say it. What will change if I stop the war?”

“But there are still a lot of domestic problems. We have received many petitions like this. They have given plausible reasons, such as that the soldiers and the people are exhausted from the war.”

“Then tell them this.”

Lucia closed her fan and put the tip to her mouth.

“Just live in solitude.”

“All of them?”

“This world is made up of wars, large and small. Not only countries but also individual people are constantly at war with each other. As long as people remain, it will never cease. If you don’t like it, go live and die in the middle of nowhere.”

“That’s harsh.”

Seleucus scratched his cheek and smiled, but Lucia gave him a sharp look.

“It’s just that the people are too naive. The world is full of evil spirits of rivers and mountains. If you are naive, you will be the one who gets eaten. People with good intentions die young. History has proven that.”

Lucia stood up from her chair, opened her iron fan, and looked up at herself.

The temperature was rising as the heat emanating from the burning structures was carried by the wind.

Even in the southwestern part of the city, it was boiling hot, and when the heat wave was added to it, she felt as if she were being steamed. Lucia brushed a stray strand of hair out of her cheek.

“Monarchs kill people in wars. Politicians kill with their positions. Clergy kills with words. Soldiers kill with violence. People kill with their numbers. Even if you change your place of residence or your country, that will never change. Where there are people, there will always be people who die.”

“I think there are some gentle people out there, but among those who have sent in this petition… there is probably at least one.”

The end of Seleucus’ sentence was weak. It was no wonder he couldn’t say anything strong. Most of the people who sent in the petitions were so defensive that even if some of them did so out of the goodness of their hearts, they would be buried under the bushes, out of sight and out of mind. If that happened, they would be seen as nothing more than those who thought they could save the day.

If you want to make your point, you must raise your voice, not in sympathy, but in high spirits, or no one will hear it.

“I do not want to die. Neither do I want to live in kindness to someone else. That is why I continue to fight, even if it means standing on the corpses of others―I will insist on living by sacrificing someone else.”

Lucia’s eyes narrowed at the screams, and she saw her own army pillaging.

Ugly, how ugly it was for a man to unleash his unquenchable desires.

“I have no need for bandits in my army. Let them be burned in the fire as firewood to make an example to others.”

“Very well.”

It was important to abandon reason and follow one’s instincts, but if one falls to the level of a beast, one’s life is over.

“That said, I, too, would like to have the treasure…”

“Would you like me to offer it to the important figures of this city?”

“No, we can just take the whole country.”

Lucia closed her iron fan and quickly raised her arm to point to the distant city of Van.

“The aim is the sacred land of the long-eared race. This is not the time to bother with a city of this size.”

As soon as Lucia’s words were uttered, the armies of the Six Kingdoms began their invasion.

＊＊＊＊＊

When Liz opened her eyes, she saw a field of flowers spread out before her.

Colorful flowers and grasses were in full bloom, and a gentle breeze was blowing.

The clean air filled her lungs, and a feeling of calm sprouted from deep within her.

A dream.

It was a dream because she had been to this place only once before.

More importantly, even though it was winter in the real world, it was as warm as spring here.

Without hesitation, Liz took a step forward and walked through the flower garden.

No matter how far she walked, she could not see the end, and all she could see were beautiful flowers.

Eventually, Liz stopped walking.

A woman was sitting in front of her.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, dazzlingly fine white skin, and a well-defined face that would make men and women of all ages let out a passionate breath. Her beauty is unmatched by any other woman in the world.

Eventually, perhaps noticing Liz’s presence, a pair of azure eyes turned to her, and a smile appeared on her mouth.

That alone is enough to make her heart tighten. Even Liz, who was also a woman, was fascinated by her. She must have attracted many men. If she had asked them to die, they would have gladly given up even their lives. She had such a dangerous beauty.

“It’s been a long time.”

Liz called out to her, and she nodded happily.

“Yeah. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Liz had longed to see her again. But no matter how many times she wished, she could not come to this world. Perhaps, as the saying goes, if she did not call Liz, she would not be able to come here.

“I’ve always wanted to come here again, and I’m glad you called me.”

“You don’t feel uneasy about it?”

“Not at all. I was scared at first, but little by little, I understood you.”

She thought she had seen that face somewhere before.

It was when she saw the statues of the twelve great gods of the Grantz in the great imperial capital that she became convinced.

She was unable to concentrate because of the appearance of the fourth princess shrine maiden, Stryer, on the way to the statue, but still, when she saw the real thing again, she thought that her beauty could not be reproduced in the bronze statue, and her gentle atmosphere would not be understood unless one felt it up close.

She is the “Goddess of Beauty,” one of the Twelve Great Gods of Grantz – the first princess shrine maiden Rei.

She is one of the heroes who, together with the first emperor and the God of War, ran through turbulent times 1,000 years ago.

And now, in the present day――,

“But above all, it’s such a strange thing to be afraid of oneself, isn’t it?”

Liz looked at Rei, whose eyes widened and smiled bitterly.

She had been wondering for some time.

Since the day they first met, she had been asking herself why the Goddess of Beauty existed inside of her. It was when she met Hiro again that she got an answer that was close to a certainty. The way he looked at the grown-up Liz was different from the old days. He had a nostalgic, sad, and complicated expression on his face, and Liz could “see” that he was having very painful thoughts and feelings.

The most extreme example of this was Cerberus, who was also known as Meteor a thousand years ago, but who had named herself the first knight of the first princess shrine maiden and whose attitude toward the princess shrine maiden was evident in her words, actions, and behavior toward Liz. She was really easy to understand, so much so that she wondered if she was good enough to be one of the five great generals.

“So, what’s the reason you called me up?”

“…If you’ve learned that much, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Rei has a complicated expression on her face as if she had originally not intended to reveal her true identity as if she had made a mistake in the sequence of events. Seeing her struggle, Liz tilted her head curiously.

“You can tell me what you wanted to tell me, right?”

“No, that would be dishonest and leave you feeling uneasy.”

Shaking her head, Rei stretched out her arm and placed her hand on Liz’s chest.

“Perhaps you are wondering if the feelings you have now are not your own, but those of princess shrine maiden Rei…?”

Liz’s eyes swam. It was a figure of speech. Seeing Liz’s expression, Rei sadly lowered her eyes.

“I knew it was… but that would be a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Your thoughts are not mine. It is an insult to me.”

“…..What do you mean by that?”

When Liz asked back, Rei gave a small nod.

“Because I feel even more passionately about Hiro-sama than you do.”

She put her hand on her chest and looked proud of herself, and Liz couldn’t help but have an indescribable expression on her face. Liz began to feel like an idiot for thinking so seriously about whether she should take it as a joke or serious, but then she saw Rei begin to speak with a serious expression on her face, and she changed her mind.

“You are you, I am me, and even though our “souls” are the same, it is you who makes the difference.”

The sincerity of her words comes through. The words entered her body.

“There is no need to be anxious. You felt it; you obtained it; you formed it. The feelings are truly yours and yours alone.”

Finally, Liz begins to understand who Rei was.

If she were in her shoes, would she be able to say the same thing? If she met her reborn self and had feelings for the same man again――would she be able to say that her feelings had nothing to do with it?

She would surely say that her feelings were mixed in with yours.

How could she ever say that they were different? She would never be able to keep her precious feelings hidden from him. If she could tell him her feelings for him and that she would never see him again――Liz would surely take advantage of her reborn self.

She felt strong, but at the same time―what a sad person she was.

She must have sacrificed herself and lived her life in the same way as Hiro did.

If that is the case, then――,

“I would be fine. I’ll make sure to tell Hiro about you too.”

Liz squeezed Rei’s hand and said with a smile on her face.

“It may not be the same feelings. But now that I know you, I can no longer be a part of your life. Then, I can no longer be irrelevant. If you’re in me, you’re a part of me.”

“B-but… then…”

“It’s okay. I’m the one who says it’s okay, so shut up and do what I say.”

Rei stared at Liz for a little while, but then she bowed her head in a small way and told her of her gratitude. Her trembling voice was very small and easily muffled by the wind but still filled with warmth. As she hugged her shoulder, a single drop slipped from the corner of Liz’s eye and down her cheek.

The two of them were silent for a while, but then Rei looked up at the sky in a panic.

Liz, caught in the moment, looked up above her head and noticed a huge gate floating in the sky.

“That’s…”

She had seen it several times. A gate was floating in the sky when she met a man here, a man whose face she did not know.

Liz was looking up at the sky suspiciously, wondering what in the world it all meant, when Rei grabbed her by the shoulder in a panicked manner.

“Listen to me. I still have something to tell you.”

Rei’s voice sounded very distant as she spoke to Liz. Then, suddenly, the world turned white.

The grass was dancing, flowers were falling, the sky was collapsing, and a wooden gate was falling down with great force.

Her body felt heavy, her senses dulled, and she could barely hear Rei’s voice screaming in front of her.

“The “Spirit King”――be careful of her――”

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