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Volume 2 Chapter 1 Part 8

「What could have happened? 」

Marine was greatly perplexed by the news that she heard.

It seems that Elmer felt responsible for allowing the Earl of Artuk to launch a surprise attack against Marine during the siege of Theo Cornero’s castle. Moreover, while the heavy knights were fleeting from the battlefield in order to return to Waldrind, he got separated from the rest of his unit, which caused everyone to think that he has died at one point.

Luckily for him, he managed to safely return home after more than ten days have passed, however, rumors had it that he has shut himself in his mansion and has not left it since. It was thought that it was the result of him spiraling into depression, and no one was going to blame him for it.

However, because she believed that in his case leaving him alone to have him work his issues out by himself would be the best possible medicine, Marine did not pressure him to return to active duty or encouraged him to return to the castle as soon as possible.

(Could it be that it had the opposite effect to what I intended?)

Marlne bit her lips in frustration.

「I don’t know what Sir Elmer is thinking, but if he moved the knights in his company without receiving direct orders to do so, then he has committed a serious felony. And moreover, if the other knights were in line with that, then that makes the situation even more serious. 」

「Of course, but if the situation really is like that, then it is important that we do not act prematurely. 」
That was the thought that came from the bottom of Marine’s heart.

「I believe that the best thing we can do right now is to strip all of the missing knights of their subordinate Crests effective immediately. 」

Aubest said as indifferently as always.

「That is… 」

Marlne could not continue her words. Her intuition was telling her that this was the correct thing to do, since the actions of the knights so far have made for a good argument to strip them off their subordinate Crests. However, in order to completely take away the subordinate Crests, Marine would have to personally sever the psychic connection of trust that she established with each and every one of them.

It would have been that much easier for her to do it if the knights have done something that resulted in her losing her trust in them, bur right now she simply has no idea where the missing knights are, and it is entirely possible that they might have gone out on some kind of short trip in order to try and comfort the heartbroken and depressed Elmer.

Also, if she were to strip more than 10 knights of their Crests at once, that would only cause further turmoil in the ranks of the rest of the heavy knights, who were still unable to recover from the shock of suffering such a humiliating defeat in the battle of Selvis.

Furthermore, Elmer is a high-ranking knight with the title of Baron, and he was even allowed to participate in military councils. His retired predecessor served as the Vice Commander of the heavy knights, and was even touted as a model for all the other knights of Waldrind to follow.

「Before we do anything else, I think we should first and foremost find Elmer’s whereabouts and find out what exactly is he up to right now, and we can make the decision what to do with him and his companions after that. 」

After saying that, Marine ran her gaze left and right. Then, two maids wearing white aprons over their black uniforms appeared in front of Marine, who did not look the least bit surprised by their sudden appearance.

「Yes, that should be the best course of action for us now. The two of you are going to go investigate the whereabouts of Elmer Zeels and his knights. 」

Marine then gave instructions to the two maids.

「「Understood. 」」

When the two maids spoke in unison, in the next moment they disappeared from the room.

「Are you satisfied now? 」

Marine asked while looking back at the Head Mage.

「Yes, that should do. 」

Aubest bowed to her slowly. The lack of expression made it look like he was in the middle of some kind of ceremony. Then the Head Mage turns his back on Marine and left the room.

(Maybe I do not have in me to be completely ruthless after all.)

Marine thought to herself while looking at Aubest’s back.

Both her grandfather and father were kind people.

In order to protect his family, her grandfather chose to leave the battlefield on the day of the important battle, and he was cut down by one of his vassals for it. Her father also strongly opposed the idea of Marine’s marriage with Alexis Ducet, the heir to the Fantasia Union, but he eventually caved in and accepted it.

And yet, even now Marine’s heart was filled with feelings that she could not forget or let go of. She wanted to be just like Aubest, able to ignore her own emotions and make perfectly cool judgements based on nothing but logic alone, but she could not do it.

Ever since Marine took over the leadership of the Kraische family, she only continued to make more blunders. If the things continue going the way they were going now, then the Factory Alliance that her grandfather had created and her father continued to uphold would eventually collapse. That was the outcome that she needed to avoid no matter what.

In order to make sure that the worst possible scenario is not going to come to fruition, Marine has come up with a plan, which she then consulted with Aubest, and the Head Mage had approved of it, thinking that it was a good idea.

「However, everything is going to depend on you, Lady Marine, since it is something impossible for me to even fathom. 」

Aubest added.

Yes, it is all going to depend on whether or not Marlne will be able to make up her mind and decide.

(I will not be able to do that id my heart is going to remain as weak as it is now.)

Marine then looked up at the wall of her room and she stared for a moment at the portraits of her grandfather, her father and her mother that have been hung there. Her mother died shortly after giving birth to Marine, and her father never had another wife after that. She still has several of her relatives, but she was an only child of her father, Mathias Kraische.

(There is only me. I am alone…)

Marlene turned away from the portraits and repeated the words that she was telling to herself so many times before.

* * *

A solid castle stood on a hill on the outskirts of Grad, the largest city in Selvis.

The name of the Lord to whom the castle belonged to was Nabir Gerje. He was the greatest of the Lords that ever was in Selvis, to the point where he was called the King of Selvis. But that was all in the past, since Nabir Gerje was no more, as he was slain in battle that took place around a month ago.

The one who killed Nabir Gerje in combat was another Lord from Selvis named Lassic David.

Until a few months ago, he was nothing more than a Lord with a rank of Knight who ruled just two villages, but right now his peerage and the territories that he possessed grew so much that he achieved the rank of a Viscount. However, he did not obtain these territories by himself. He inherited the bigger part of his title and territories from Theo Cornero, the Lord to whom he was subordinate to, and then he combined his Crest with his own and the one that he took from Nabir Gerje after he claimed his life in combat.

As soon as the battle with Waldrind was over, Lassic sprung into action. Since many of the Lords who took Nabir’s side in the conflict with Theo died during the last battle, the lands that they owned became Lordless, so he immediately moved in to claim them for himself ne after another.

It was his legitimate right based on the peerage system established by the Mages Association. And now the last thing that he needed to conquer was the castle in front of him, since in their final effort to resist him, the last few remaining vassals of Nabir Gerje and the members of the Gerje house have barricaded themselves inside of the castle with their respective armies.

Once this castle is captured, it can be said that the subjugation of Selvis is finally going to be complete.