TDKSR 09

Chapter 09

Jonathan was so startled that he shot up from his seat.

“No, how? Tern, guard the outside of the tent. Don’t let anyone in.”

“Yes.”

As Tern went outside, Livga gracefully greeted him and spoke.

“I greet Your Highness.”

“No, stop. How did you…? This is no place for someone like you!”

“What kind of person am I, exactly?”

Only after hearing her subdued voice did Jonathan manage to examine Livga’s complexion. She was a little pale.

She had become more mature, but something about her atmosphere was different.

“What brings you all the way here?”

“I heard the war is at a stalemate.”

“Yes. But that’s not something you need to concern yourself with. That’s just how war is.”

“I think I might be able to help.”

Jonathan nearly let out a hollow laugh.

What was this child saying?

“I am a Star. I have the ability to find aura manifesters. So if I observe the war, I can tell where the aura manifesters are—whether they’re enemy or ally.”

“The current enemy has nothing to do with aura. And setting all that aside, you’re still too young, and I have no intention of using a child on the battlefield. How did you even get to such a dangerous place?”

“I’ve passed eighteen. Over a year ago, in fact. I’m nineteen now. I’m an adult.”

“Do you think I’d deploy a woman who’s barely an adult into war? How did you even get here? What is Yona doing? Sending a young student like you here—what was he thinking!”

“Your Highness!”

Livga grabbed Jonathan’s arm.

Only then did Jonathan face Livga’s face, flushed red with tears welling up.

“……”

Seeing Livga’s eyes, he couldn’t move a muscle.

“In this war, my father was killed in action.”

This was it. This was what had turned Livga’s expressionless, calm face into this.

Livga lowered her head and sobbed.

“I feel like I’m going insane. Just let me see the situation of the war. If there’s truly nothing I can do, I’ll go back. Something, anything… Please let me do something!”

Jonathan found it difficult to watch Livga trembling.

He too had felt like he was going insane when he lost his father. He never thought that Kirie Anras would lay a hand on his father as well.

So, so he had done anything—to protect his remaining family, he had taken Duke Anras’s life.

Though he said it couldn’t be helped, the traces of murder remained on his hands and tormented him for a long time, and still occasionally troubled him.

Now Livga too probably wanted to do anything because of her deceased father, but even if she were to play an active role in the war, that activity would ultimately lead to someone’s death.

It wasn’t something she, barely an adult, could handle.

“War is brutal. It’s not something you can endure.”

Jonathan reached out his hand several times, only to stop.

He wanted to comfort the sobbing Livga, but an inexplicable fear rose up at the thought of touching her.

He was seized by the strange thought that if he touched Livga now, he might transform into something he didn’t recognize.

“Enduring while not being able to do anything right now is hell in itself. I don’t think there’s any hell worse than this. So please… Hic…”

As Livga’s hand, which had been holding onto Jonathan, slipped away, Jonathan unconsciously pulled her into an embrace.

“Livga.”

Once he actually held Livga, the fear seemed to fade a little.

What on earth had he been afraid of, that he hesitated to touch Livga?

Livga sobbed even more sorrowfully in Jonathan’s embrace.

“Anything, let me do anything. Please…”

Livga must have loved her father very much.

Jonathan patted Livga’s back and spoke.

“Let’s examine our allies. Try to find those with potential for aura manifestation. Of course, you must accompany me at all times.”

“!”

“With my aura, I can make you look like something like my adjutant. But that’s as far as it goes. Nothing beyond that.”

“……”

“Among those experiencing war for the first time, some develop mental illness. I can’t recklessly show you the battlefield, and it’s dangerous.”

Even as he said that, Jonathan had no choice but to accommodate Livga’s request.

He thought that once she realized there was truly nothing she could do, Livga would stop.

“…Thank you.”

Only then did Livga finally stop crying.

Jonathan hesitated, then held out his handkerchief. After wiping away her tears and snot, Livga gave a faint smile.

Jonathan’s heart ached at the sight of her.

“How did things work out for you?”

“Sir Yona said he would make up a suitable excuse and told me to go and come back safely.”

“That bastard. He has no basic understanding of following orders. I told him to look after you while I was away, and he sends you to the battlefield?”

“He said it was out of the question until I became an adult, so I held out. And even after that, he pretended to listen to me for a whole year.”

“Haa…”

“A lot of time passed, and I kept going to him and whining at every opportunity, so I suppose he had no choice.”

“You went to Yona?”

“Yes. I kept pestering him to let me go to the battlefield. Originally, I said I’d join the campaign right away since eighteen is an adult, but he said no until I graduated from the academy.”

“Join the campaign? Campaign?”

Jonathan was dumbfounded and pressed his hand to his head.

“…He said it would be easier if I received a palace appointment after graduating from the academy, so he talked me out of it.”

“You brought up joining the campaign before graduating?”

“He advised me to apply to the finance department instead, saying that placing me as a member of the information department might attract too much attention to my circumstances for various reasons.”

“……”

Jonathan glared at Livga.

Livga avoided his gaze, but answered quite clearly.

“I’m here as a dispatched official from the finance department, assisting with war supplies management.”

“No, on the subject of having just graduated! Sending a female student who hasn’t even properly exercised, let alone seen war, to the battlefield as a supply management assistant? Has Yona gone mad?”

“I’m different from ordinary female students. And anyway, I’ve been dispatched here.”

“What exactly is different about you?”

“I’m a member of the information department, and even though I’m currently in a dual affiliation, I have a special ability. Shouldn’t it be used more in an emergency like this?”

“You mean that ability that’s useless without an aura manifester.”

“Yes. But that ability that only I can see. I can also find out where the aura manifesters are in the enemy camp…”

Jonathan’s lips twisted.

“You won’t be able to see a single hair of the enemy camp, so don’t count on it.”

Livga frowned in dissatisfaction but couldn’t retort further.

“Since you’ve calmed down, let’s not delay and go examine the soldiers right now.”

“Shouldn’t I find out where I’ll be staying first?”

“No. You won’t be staying here. After you examine our allies, you’ll be sent straight back.”

“Can I look over everyone that quickly?”

“It’s just looking. Of course. Keeping you on the battlefield for long is a risk in itself. It’s horrifying.”

“Your Highness seems to treat me like a baby because you first saw me when I was young.”

“Maybe not a baby, but you’re still young.”

Jonathan called Tern.

Before the tears in her eyes had even dried, Livga straightened up to examine the allied forces.

“Um, do I not need to disguise myself?”

“With my ability, you’ll just look like an ordinary adjutant.”

Livga asked Jonathan with a genuinely curious expression.

“Your Highness has always done a bit of… external disguise, hasn’t you? If you can fool others with just your ability, why did you go to all the trouble of disguising yourself all this time?”

Come to think of it, even when pretending to be an academy student, Jonathan had worn the uniform and come and gone.

“Back then, it was in case I ran into someone like you—a Star seeker. As for these soldiers, we tested them during conscription, and there were no Stars.”

“Ah…”

“Give me your hand.”

“Pardon?”

When Jonathan raised an eyebrow, Livga hesitated and held out her hand.

Jonathan firmly grasped Livga’s hand and closed his eyes. If Livga had been an ordinary person, she would have thought, ‘What kind of crazy thing is this?’

A blue mist-like substance surrounding Jonathan slowly covered Livga.

This would probably be visible only to Livga’s eyes.

Jonathan watched as Livga gradually transformed into the appearance of a man—with brown hair and green eyes—the form of his knight Michael.

Once Livga’s entire body was covered in aura, Jonathan let go of her hand.

“Try not to speak as much as possible.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re currently in the form of a male knight.”

“Yes.”

Jonathan called back the attendant Michael he had sent outside.

“Michael.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Wait here.”

“Yes.”

It would be problematic if there were two of them.

“Let’s go.”

Livga obediently followed Jonathan.

In fact, she had thought she might be sent away immediately, so this was a considerable achievement.

—

Following Jonathan’s guidance, Livga was able to inspect the soldiers everywhere, including the tents.

Everyone was in high spirits, saying Jonathan had come to encourage them.

Livga was simply amazed at how slickly Jonathan smiled and treated the soldiers.

“Additional supplies are coming in today, so dinner will be plentiful.”

“Whoa! That’s the best! Long live His Highness Kusakov!”

“Days like this are what keep us going, right?”

While Jonathan spoke with the soldiers, Livga carefully observed them.

However, even after a long time of looking around, Livga and Jonathan couldn’t spot anyone suspected of being an aura manifester.

Just as Livga was wondering whether to pester Jonathan to stay a little longer,

“Ah…”

A person covered in green mist caught her eye.

“What do you see?”

“The person guarding the wall.”

“Huh?”

When Livga pointed, Jonathan sent a subordinate to call him over.

He was a tall man with black hair.

His armor wasn’t impressive, but he had a handsome face that made him look like a knight.

“What’s your name?”

“Daniel Evans.”

At Jonathan’s signal, the subordinate who had brought Daniel immediately answered.

“Daniel Evans is a former mercenary. Recently, when the eldest son of Count Gibati went out as the vanguard commander, he has a record of defeating the surrounding enemies and saving him. He currently serves under Count Gibati.”

After dismissing the subordinate, Jonathan looked at Livga.

With only the three of them left, Livga nodded and whispered to Jonathan.

“Just a moment, Your Highness.”

“?”

“Unlike Your Highness, that person is bound.”