TVGS 130

Chapter 130

“Heros!”

“Are you all right, my lady?”

Heros hurried over to me and checked for injuries.
His brow was tight with worry; only after his eyes swept over me for a long moment did he relax.

“…I’m fine. Thanks to you.”

“Hah… I’m relieved.”
He set the hand wearing the ring against his chest.

I gave a faint smile. “Thank you.”

“My lady is more precious to me than my own life.”

“….”

“That’s enough.”

Etias stepped in from behind us.
Heros glanced at him and offered a curt, unwilling nod.

After a brief silence, Etias spoke.

“When we return to the Empire, I will grant you a great reward. The one you saved is a noble of the Empire—and my everything.”

“I don’t need it,” Heros refused in a tone that said he’d only done what was right.
“Especially not from Your Majesty.”

Etias looked at him, then turned to me with gentle concern.

“I should have protected you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. Who could have known one Rift Wizard hadn’t been killed?”

Everyone had let down their guard—and I was the one who moved before things were fully settled.
Even so, Etias wore a self-reproaching look.

“I almost… lost you again.”

I truly was fine.
To show him that, I reached out and squeezed his hand.

“…Katrin.”

I smiled and nodded, then let his hand go.
After that, I turned to Heros.

“How did you use the ring?”

Heros slipped the ring off and handed it to me.

“I know how to use ancient relics and items imbued with magic.”

Right—he’d studied that field deeply.

“It would be best to destroy this. If we leave it, it will keep sparking conflict.”

I gripped it tight and nodded.

After a while, once Barzenka’s prisoners were secured, the commander of Yucubis approached.
He paid his respects to Etias, Emperor of Oswell, and reported the current situation.
Etias listened, then discussed and decided on the next move.
Both Yucubis’s commander and Montella’s Lancelot agreed.

“Two-thirds of Barzenka’s forces have been neutralized. We march straight to the imperial palace of Barzenka and take their capital.”

A cheer rose from the allied armies.
Like Gran Orden, Barzenka had plotted to invade Oswell—and the whole continent—under a cloak of darkness.
They had coveted the ring as well, meaning they intended to wield its evil power.
They, too, would have to be rooted out.

“We will tear out the leadership. Scatter letters of surrender throughout the city. If, before this night ends, they hand over the emperor and the imperial family and open the capital’s gates, we will not attack. If they do not…”

Etias’s eyes flickered with a cold, lethal light.

“…then we crush them all. Most cruelly.”

My mouth went dry.
Seeing my clenched fists and tension, Heros whispered:

“I don’t like the emperor, but I agree he is making the best decision.”

His tone told me not to worry too much. I turned slightly and asked:

“Right… but how did you manage to come all the way here?”

“You know who would be flickering in my mind, calling me here.”

At his sly voice, I let out a small, breathy laugh.

“You’re impossible.”

“Don’t worry—the Elemore estate and the others are fine.”
He then told me what I’d been anxious to know: the damage to the house and about Anes’s injuries.

“Sir Caron is taking good care of her, then. I’m glad.”

Just as Heros said, Etias’s decision was the right one.

Not long after letters of surrender were scattered in Barzenka’s capital, a riot broke out.
The citizens and soldiers bound their emperor and the royal family—those who had tried to start the war—and delivered them to the gates of the allied army.
Then they opened the city gates and let us in.

We entered the capital without shedding a single drop of blood.
As our armies marched through, Barzenka’s citizens trembled and lowered their heads.
They had no choice—Oswell, Yucubis, and Montella together had now subdued all the western nations.

“This war has ended in our complete victory.”

Sitting in a meeting room inside Barzenka’s palace, I spoke with a smile.
Gathered there were Etias, Lancelot, Heros, and the commander of Yucubis—the key figures of this war.

“It’s thanks to everyone doing their part.”

“I heard it was the brilliant mind of Duke Katrin Elemore that uncovered Barzenka’s ambitions. Truly remarkable,” said the commander of Yucubis with admiration.

Etias gave a faint smile and nodded once.
My heart raced—he looked proud of me.

Lancelot spoke next.
“Everyone has worked hard. Our alliance has delivered the greatest revenge against the common enemy of the continent and restored justice.”

Then Heros added,
“But many tasks remain.”

Unlike the rest, who represented their nations, he stood alone—independent.
Rising from his seat, he gave a short laugh.

“Gran Orden is ruined, Barzenka has lost its rulers, and the leaders of other western nations have been swept away as well.”

The Yucubis commander nodded gravely.
To prevent chaos, a new order would have to be established here.

“We must speak with His Holiness the Pope, but in truth, Yucubis is far from the west compared to Oswell. It would be best if Oswell governs this land.”

If the western lands had been rich in resources, Yucubis might have wanted them.
But their reason for joining the war had not been greed—it was to defend the peace of the continent.
They knew if Oswell swallowed the west, the next target could be Yucubis itself.

“We of Montella agree as well.”

Montella was wealthy, but too small to govern such vast lands.

Heros gave a teasing farewell as he left the room.
“End it well, Your Majesty.”

When the door closed, Etias let out a small sigh.
But it wasn’t heavy—he had expected this outcome when he foresaw victory.

“We’ll lead the reconstruction of the west.”

I nodded.
‘It will cost a lot, but it’s not a worthless land. With its unique landscapes and natural beauty unseen elsewhere on the continent, it could even be developed for tourism.’

“What about Barzenka’s royal family?” asked the Yucubis commander.

I replied,
“Barzenka’s coastline has many islands. Why not build a prison there and send them?”

“Oh—a prison island? How did you think of that!” he exclaimed, impressed.

Killing them all would have been cleanest, but there was no need to terrify Barzenka’s already trembling citizens further.
Sparing their lives could instead display the Empire’s mercy.

Etias agreed.
“A good idea.”

“And the ring…”

I took out the small pouch where I had placed the ring Heros gave me and set it on the table.

The commander of Yucubis frowned at its foul aura.

“I think it should be destroyed. Would Yucubis handle this?”

Heros had said destroying the ring would require powerful skill.
If it passed through too many hands, someone might covet it for selfish ambition.
Better to entrust it to Yucubis, who despised sorcery and unholy power.
They would surely destroy such a thing that defiled their faith.

Etias curled his lips, as if satisfied.

The commander gave his answer:

“It disgusts me to even take that foul thing, but we will do it. We’ll see it destroyed.”