Chapter 90: Bring out the King!
“Bring forth the king!”
A voice resounds in the outskirts of Pabst village.
“Bring forth the king!”
The voice surges like waves, echoing back and forth.
It seems that rather than looters, it is a group of militia chasing after the king.
Ilsa trembles at the approaching roar, but Diana gathers all the available plates from the surroundings and prepares a stew of pork and potatoes.
And on top of that, she adds pickled flowers as a topping.
A stew of flowers, truly a sight to behold.
“Well, I guess we have to take all of this with us.”
Diana mutters, and Leon grabs her shoulder.
“I-Idiot! Who would dare to go outside now!”
Leon’s face turns pale as if it’s the end of the world. Diana smiles.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure no one would suddenly shoot a pregnant woman.”
Leon despairs.
“They’re after the king. And yet, they’ve already passed by that mountain hut.”
The crowd seems to believe that the king is hiding at the summit.
“If they’re searching for the king, the chances of them killing us outright are low. They will surely come and ask for the king’s whereabouts.”
“Maybe, but…”
“Maybe, but… There’s no escape anyway. Let’s try at least one way to survive.”
The house fell silent.
“Diana.”
Leon embraced Diana tightly and gently kissed her trembling lips.
“You’re too strong.”
“Yeah.”
“But right now, it’s really tough.”
“Yeah.”
“…Come back for sure.”
“Got it. I’ll be back.”
Her legs felt weak.
Of course, she was scared.
But let’s bet on this possibility.
She can see Daniel aiming a hunting rifle by the window. If something happens, he will surely help.
Ilsa tightly closes her eyes and prays.
George, completely absent-minded, opens a wine bottle.
The door opens.
A pregnant woman with fiery red hair tied up and colorful stews in both hands comes out.
No doubt about it, she is completely unarmed.
Diana smiles with a smile.
“Hello. What can I do for you?”
At that moment.
The militiaman stares at Diana with his mouth wide open.
“Oh, bring out the king!”
Someone shouts.
“The king?”
Diana looks bewildered.
“…There is no king. You may search the house if you like.”
Several men dismount their horses.
“Then, let us see.”
“Yes. But please refrain from harming my family inside.”
“Understood.”
Diana moves forward without looking back.
Then, she offers the stew to the thinnest girl among the militiamen.
“You must be hungry, right?”
As the surroundings hesitate, Diana takes a bite of the stew in front of her as if to taste-test it.
“It’s delicious.”
Steam rises in the cold sky.
In this war, city dwellers can barely eat.
There seems to be no option to refuse.
The girl takes the plate and starts devouring the stew with enthusiasm.
The surroundings look at it enviously. . .
“There is still food available. I’m sure everyone is hungry, right? Let’s all eat stew together.”
And then,
Everyone dismounted at once. The eyes that had lost their vitality until now suddenly sparkled, and in no time, a crowd formed in front of the house.
When Diana returned home, Leon immediately jumped on her.
“Wow, Diana!”
“Leon, I’m home!”
“Waaah, Diana!”
“Onee-sama… it’s painful.”
“Hey… come help me here.”
Daniel poured stew into plates while grumbling.
“Alright, I’ll pour too.”
Since there were only twenty plates, they shared the food. The emaciated city dwellers ate the stew while crying. George poured wine into everyone’s glasses and they also shared it.
The stew in the large pot quickly disappeared.
The group that had been searching the house arrived.
“Hey, who said the king was here? He’s nowhere to be found.”
“Keep searching! He must be somewhere!”
However, even they couldn’t resist their hunger.
“…Don’t we have any for us?”
“I’m sorry, we’ve run out. But if you’re okay with scrambled eggs and bread, I can prepare it quickly.”
“Oh! Then, can we have that?”
“With pleasure. Hunger is truly painful, isn’t it?”
Diana and Leon stood in the kitchen, one frying eggs and the other toasting bread over the fire.
They temporarily halted their search efforts and enjoyed a meal together. They drank wine straight from the bottle.
Diana and Leon stared at them intently, thinking about the hardships of the city.
“…What’s happening in Latgip now?”
The men suddenly had serious expressions.
“It’s hell. Food no longer comes in, girls are being abducted, and houses are mostly burned down.”
“The ones leading this are the Pope’s army. It’s unbearable. The King’s army has scattered because the king himself is missing. The Pope’s army is not protecting the country, but trying to seize it. They are a mass of self-interest and greed. If the people don’t unite and exterminate them, there is no future for Wendels.”
Diana and Leon exchanged glances.
“That’s why we need the king to come out. We have to quickly capture him and bring him back to the castle.”
It seemed that they didn’t intend to kill the king.
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