The Villain Carries the Holy Sword – Chapter 37.2

Chapter 37.2: Anytime, Anywhere (2)

She was the type to choose to destroy anything that stood in her way.

Marquis Ross glanced at her, who spoke chilling words so casually, and shook his head.

It was a sign of refusal.

“Not yet. He’s still a kid, no matter how strong he is.”

“Kids grow up. Give the order anytime. That’s our ‘contract’.”

Whoosh━.

An unnatural breeze blew through Ross’s tightly closed office, and the papers on his desk fluttered.

As the wind died down, Sigma’s round ears became pointed like an elf’s.

Marquis Ross smiled deeply.

“It’s reassuring. To have an Elder from the Northern Forest as my loyal knight.”

“Yes, My lord.”

Thump━.

He picked up the pointer on the desk and pointed to the Marquis McLoud’s territory, which was right on the border.

Sweep━.

Then, he swept past the Wareham and Bradley Counties, which were part of McLoud, and stopped at the royal capital.

“Still, it’s a shame.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I let little Ethelred run wild a little longer, he might just take care of that senile McLoud for me.”

“……I have a bad feeling about this.”

Marquis Ross’s eyes widened slightly.

It was the first time he had heard such a weak voice from Sigma, the Elder who had come down from the Northern Elf Forest.

Even her words, who could compete with that monster Edmund Ethelred, were not easy for Marquis Ross to ignore.

A brief silence followed, and Sigma continued.

“And there’s a message from the Queen.”

“Not the Elder Council, but the ‘Unseen Forest’ directly?”

The goal of the two Marquisates was to stop the Northern Elf Forest from advancing south, and that’s why they possessed the vastest land bordering the forest.

However, it had been ten years since Marquis Ross, in order to take revenge on the King, had abandoned the fate of the ‘Marquis Belt’ and joined hands with the elves.

He knew a thing or two about the internal structure of the forest.

At the very top was Glumiêm, the Witch of the ‘Unseen Forest’ and Queen of all elves.

The nine Elders who followed her.

A total of ten of them decided the will of the forest.

However, Glumiêm rarely made an appearance, and most decisions were left to the Elder Council.

One of them was Sigma, who stood before him.

She continued in a solemn voice.

“Yes. She ordered us to kill the traitor, Arna, and the half-breed, Abel, who are in Ethelred.”

“If Glumiêm, who always remained silent, said such a thing…….”

He stroked his chin.

Marquis Ross knew Arna and Abel well.

It was he who had sent Philip to bring them from the outskirts of the Elf Forest and made them head south.

However, the change in the Elf Queen’s attitude from when he had taken them and now bothered him.

Why did the Elf Queen change her attitude?

It was a frustrating question for Ross, who liked to calculate and control every situation.

But he also knew that it was a waste of time to dwell on a question that he couldn’t find an answer to immediately.

He turned his gaze back to the map on the wall.

Thump━.

Ethelred County, the worst and most rural territory in Airian.

The noble families of Airian, who had been steadfast for generations, were shaken by Edmund of Ethelred, and now they were being swayed by his son, Cain.

Was it coincidence, inevitability, or simply a chaotic era?

Sweep━.

Marquis Ross, drawing the path from Ethelred to Lamaring to Crowl Count, opened his mouth.

“Crowl was where ‘those’ were based, right?”

Sigma frowned as if the mere thought was unpleasant.

“It reeks of gunpowder.”

“I wonder what will happen when crazy fanatics and the mad successor of a rural territory clash.”

“What are you going to do about the Queen’s order?”

At Sigma’s urging, Ross pointed his chin at Ethelred.

“We’ll have to wait and see about Abel since he follows Cain, but Arna is alone in the castle, vulnerable to assassination attempts.”

He didn’t give an order.

He simply gave her freedom, and Sigma bowed her head, her ears returning to their human form.

“May the law of EL be with the forest.”

“Are you going yourself?”

“She’s just a half-breed suffering from the Queen’s curse. Sending an Elveknight will be enough.”

🔹🔹🔹

The minimal damage meant a speedy recovery.

The Lamaring County, seized with minimal casualties, was quickly stabilized by the newly appointed Count, Brediol.

Moreover, since the princess herself had determined the outcome of the territorial war, Brediol had no choice but to bow his head to Ethelred without a word.

“I’ll send twice the amount of food we were supposed to send this year.”

“Good.”

Cain, sitting crookedly opposite Brediol, who wore glasses, nodded at his words.

Brediol frowned at the sight, then pressed and smoothed it out with his thumb.

“I’d appreciate it if you understood that this is quite a strain on us.”

“I know. Everyone in Airian knows we’re the last among the five Countys, and this one is the fourth.”

“…I’ve heard it often, but it’s quite offensive to hear it as the Count of Lamaring.”

Cain chuckled and pointed to his own chest.

“Let’s call it even since I’m the heir to that last-place territory.”

“It’s a little late to say this now, but were you always this brazen?”

Brediol tilted his head.

Although they hadn’t communicated in the meantime, he had heard rumors.

Cain, known to be extremely aristocratic and haughty.

However, the man Brediol faced was a warrior who didn’t fear blood, like a seasoned mercenary.

Cain smiled wryly and replied.

“People change when they die and come back to life.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true for me too.”

Brediol agreed.

However, he couldn’t even begin to imagine that their experiences of ‘dying and coming back to life’ were as different as parallel lines.

Thud—

He tossed a small jewelry box he had prepared beforehand to Cain.

Its four legs and base were made of pure gold, its walls of thinly carved marble. Moreover, it was engraved with beautiful patterns.

“Count Garick of Crowl gave this to us a while back. Take it to him, and he’ll treat you well.”

As if brushing away sand to retrieve a memory, Cain traced the engraved pattern with his finger.

More than anything else, this pattern caught his eye.

“Is this the emblem of the Crowl County?”

“Of course.”

Cain’s eyes sparkled.

The symbol of a connection he never thought he’d encounter was right there.

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