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IWRYWYM Ch. 113 — The Fall of the West
Elisha’s move to subdue the rebels had been unstoppable so far. She stopped for the first time when she reached the vicinity of the duchy.
“Even the 2nd Consort would be afraid of Duke Verdin,” Prince Raymond murmured. But Elisha didn’t care. She didn’t stop because she was afraid. She stopped to wait, find a better way, and go further.
Elisha recalled there were several small villages built by farmers and abandoned in a terrible drought near the duchy and found one of them.
However, the matter of the duchy wasn’t settled with this.
What’s certain was that they couldn’t attack the wall as they had done with Tara Viscounty with this power. Assassinating Duke Verdin by infiltrating the castle seemed possible, but just removing one of them on this scale would not extinguish the flames of war.
Because the moment they gave up, their families and spirit would be done for, and they would only live a life worse than death,
And Marquis Rwanda, Count Dout, and some key leaders would be eliminated at once
 There was no way they would be waiting for their turn to die.
But if Elisha spent time searching for them one by one, she might’ve to fight the duke with this power alone. Spot came to Elisha’s side and laid down. Elisha continued to think, leaning on the white and black horse’s back and stroking its body.
Unlike the beginning of the war, the easiest way now was to use the surrendered forces to fight an all-out war with the duke.
Since the subjugation time had been shortened, it wouldn’t take too long to withdraw the troops from the border. With the emperor’s permission and support, victory would be certain.
However, that was not what she or the emperor wanted. What they wanted wasn’t an easy victory but the best result. And that included reducing unnecessary sacrifices.
“Mm?” Elisha suddenly straightened her posture. When she stood up, everyone around followed her. Count Dyke’s gaze followed hers, preparing to draw his sword at any time.
“Don’t draw your sword.”
At Elisha’s alert, Count Dyke frowned and dropped his fingertips from the handle of his sword.
Moments later, with a rustling sound, a middle-aged man jumped out from among the yellow, tall grass. The man who didn’t imagine his neck would’ve been cut off if it wasn’t for Elisha bowed down without hesitation.
“2nd Consort!”
In response to his reaction, the knights asked Elisha if she knew this person, and she shook her head.
Sreung!
Count Dyke drew his sword.
The man’s body shook, startled by the sound, but soon opened his mouth with only his eyes raised.
“Y-You’ve come
 as they said
 They said that if you want to rest nearby, it will be in the empty site where the farmers lived or the empty mountain hut where the bandits lived.”
“Who said that?”
“Everyone. So, we decided to divide the number of people and find the 2nd Consort.”
“Why me?”
“Of course, it’s to help you to do what you’re supposed to do!”
The middle-aged man banged his nose on the ground and slammed my chest with his big fist, speaking confidently as if he had forgotten that he had just been shaking.
Elisha looked around because she didn’t know what he was talking about.
And she didn’t seem to be the only one. Everyone looked like they wanted to cut the man down and leave now.
Elisha looked down at the man again.
She remembered someone who looked at her with that kind of eyes.
“You worried about me.”
The man was more emotional than when they first saw him.
The man bit his lip and replied, “Everyone remembers what you did to us. However, when you went missing, those high-ranking people didn’t do anything. Even we talked about saving money and praying in a temple or putting in a request to the mercenary guilds to find your body.”
Elisha frowned. Perhaps noticing his words were perceived wrong, the man hurriedly waved his hand.
“E-Even if the worst situation happened, we wanted to return the 2nd Consort to the 3rd Prince somehow.”
Elisha said his words didn’t bother her because she hated seeing him act as if he’d committed a mortal sin.
Thinking that there were people who wanted to let her go to Leon no matter where she died, somehow, her heart felt itchy and strange.
They said they wanted to do so even though there was no profit. This was the duchy where Elisha first demonstrated her power during the previous trip to the West.
It also started because of Anne, the first daughter-in-law of the duke family, who was the cause of the current rebellion. It was surprising to her that the events of that time came and went and had such an influence.
Hearing the 2nd Consort wasn’t bothered, the man continued to talk with excitement, “We were really happy hearing about the 2nd Consort’s return. The atmosphere was really festive.”
Then, shortly afterward, the truth, like a bolt from the blue, became known.
“A lot of people are outraged. We know there’s not much we can do, but we want to do whatever we can. We don’t want to just wait and let go like last time.”
The silence was prolonged. The man was worried that he might have been too presumptuous, but his heart was proud.
Then Elisha opened her mouth.
“But it would be dangerous. The tomorrow you dream of, and the daily life you have to protect may be ruined.”
“We expected it and will only do so if you allow it.”
For her, who had given them, mere commoners, water from Vecchia Plain as a gift. The water that ran all over the duchy, dampening dry throats and allowing children to grow.
“How many more of you?”
Since they could divide their number to search, the group must not be small. No matter how much Duke Verdin concentrated all his troops on the duke’s castle, if he couldn’t catch them moving here, then the group had quite a useful ability.
“We never counted, but there are dozens or hundreds of like-minded people in every city or town. You only have to speak, and we will follow!”
Perhaps it was a trap, but
 Elisha looked down at the man, who still couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“Where do you belong?”
Even so, they wouldn’t have sent someone who had no sense at all for this kind of work.
“I belong to the information guild in the back alleys of the central city. We’re not doing anything bad! If people ask for help, and we can understand each other, we will connect-”
The man suddenly made an excuse. Apparently, he was worried that Elisha would misunderstand because she did not know the situation in the back alley.
“I understand.”
I’ve used it before. The man blinked, and Elisha brushed the dust off her body and looked back at Count Dyke and Prince Raymond.
“When you’re done, get ready.”
“Do you believe in that?”
Elisha nodded her head at the words of Prince Raymond.
“I’ll try to do that as far as I can.”
To dig a trap plausibly, some facts must be mixed, and there must be risks. I hope it isn’t, but if it’s a trap, it’s fine as long as I can cut it into a useful line— no, is that really fine?
Elisha tilted her head and raised the man still on his knees. He probably wouldn’t have come this far alone, so she asked if he had a party and had him bring them over.
A new plan was created in no time.
***
“This way.”
Elisha moved under the guidance of a man called Decal. The man was much more competent than he’d said, and the organization he spoke of was systematic.
Moreover, the size of those who followed Elisha
 was enough to make both Elisha and the Imperial Knights dumbfounded.
The miracles of the 2nd Consort in the West and their support for her were only words heard in the East and the Central. Many people were moved by the rumors alone, and the fame of her 2nd Consort was greatly elevated.
In the West, it was said even if someone said something wrong about her, there would be a fight, and there was a place that even deified her beyond obedience.
She didn’t feel particularly special when passing through Tara Viscounty or Guillaume County. The truth was that, ironically, this all started with the duchy, the center of the rebellion.
According to Decal, there were several times more followers from the duchy to the Syuphl territory, which was now directly under the emperor.
Following the guidance of Decal and his companions from the outer border of the duchy, they traveled around for a while, stopping at a small town before reaching the central city where the duke’s main castle was.
It was said that this place, where there were many empty houses and only a few elderly households, was a temporary safe house for guilds who caused problems in the central city or for those looking for a quiet place to stay.
Perhaps because of this, the elderly seemed to be familiar with strangers.
Even if the number had been reduced to less than two hundred, it was rare to see such knights flocking together. But no one cared about them getting off their horses, and they only went into their own homes.
A knight who was muttering, “Have you lived long enough?” closed his mouth after receiving Elisha’s cold gaze.
While the Imperial Knights went to an empty house and rested, Elisha was guided to a place where traces of people were evident. Decal and a few others busily served tea and snacks as she sat down.
They moved their eyes like ducklings chasing after a mother duck as Elisha drank tea and ate the snack. Fortunately, Elisa was indifferent by nature, and they could watch her happily as much as they wanted.
After a while, there was a knock on the door, not outside but inside the room attached to the house. Elisha was not surprised, as she could feel a strange presence rising from the basement and moving closer to the door.
Decal approached and opened the door with Elisha’s permission. A woman and a man wearing a hat and a cape came out.
When the woman found Elisha, she quickly turned her hat back. She was an ordinary but cute little girl with bright eyes.
As if she had seen her somewhere, Elisha stared at her with a slight tilt of her head, and the woman smiled happily.
“I met you at the duchy, 2nd Consort.”
“Ah.”
Elisha nodded. When she imagined the girl in a maid’s uniform instead of a cape, a picture of her passing by from the side immediately came to mind.
“How’s Mrs. Vera?”
“She’s fine.”
“I’m glad. I was worried that she wouldn’t be able to escape.”
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Annie.”
“Annie, you must be one of those who helped Vera.”
“Yes. Not only me, but many of the maids of the duke’s family helped Mrs. Vera because most of us were people from all over the villages in the duchy. Our family received what the 2nd Consort gave us. No matter how little we had, we believed we would repay your kindness one day.”
Elisha then knew why the maid had come with those proud to be her followers.
“Of course, Mrs. Vera is also a good person. She kept her distance before, but changed after meeting the 2nd Consort. We talked a lot about the 2nd Consort and had a good time making clothes together.”
“Thank you for everything.”
“But the friend who found the envelope and brought it to you is dead.”
It was to be expected. No matter how quietly she’d tried to hide it, Anne must have found it somehow.
“The master harassed that friend a lot. She had a hard time because she was soft-hearted.”
“I’ll consider that and make him pay for it.”
Annie bowed her head. Her tears fell on the table. She then shook her head as if she’d suddenly remembered something and said, “The master and his wife were fighting, and then the story of the second young master came up. She said that no one wouldn’t know what he did to him.”
“I see.”
Elisha turned to Decal and saw him bowing his head.
“I’ll look for him. There’s nothing we don’t know under the central city, but it will take a long time if the upper-level people are shushing each other.”
“I’m grateful enough for your help. I have a lot to pay you back.”
Decal refused, saying it was something he should do, but Elisha didn’t say anything vain anymore and thought they were a great help.
“There’s a riot in the duchy because the 2nd Consort and the knights disappeared near the border of the duchy without a sign. You have to be careful because the vigilance has been strengthened.”
“I got it.”
“Then see you later.”
Annie said her farewell. She said she had to return immediately because taking time out was difficult. Elisha saw her off until the door and sat down again.
“As Annie said, it would be difficult to enter quietly.”
“However, gaps are bound to be made where people live. Instructions are given by the superiors, but are the subordinates doing it?” Decal grinned. “We’re nothing when we’re apart. But if we’re together, we can even do surprising things for high-level people. Please watch over us, 2nd Consort.”
“I will.”
Elisha answered and drank tea. Benjamin would take over the dukedom later if it were not for Vera’s refusal.
It would be more reassuring if such outstanding people were around. When she thought of Benjamin, she missed Leon, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“I wish there was a communication tool that I could use while on the move.”
At Elisha’s words, Decal’s eyes widened.
“If you can make such a thing, you will be the richest person on the continent.”
Coordinates connecting departure and arrival are needed to use the communication tool and portal, and they must be carefully fixed and made without any errors before activating them. But this couldn’t be done while moving, could it?
Some people said they would try to make a mobile communication device. Still, no one managed to succeed, dealing with hundreds of high-dimensional magic formulas of the portals.
“It might be possible. If I make it, I’ll give it to you as a gift.”
“Thank you very much!”
Decal, who cheerfully greeted the things that had not yet been made, stopped smiling after a while, and started talking about the duke’s castle in the central city seriously.