Chapter 166

Chapter 166: 166

Commander Lieber let out a long sigh.

He pushed away Sir Leonhard’s blade and slid down onto the floor.

To say a demon had been defeated wouldn’t be entirely right, but seemingly wishing to make it appear as such, he let his shoulders slouch.

“I see. So I guess this means I’m at the end of my rope, huh?”

‘I wonder, am I depressed or relieved? Or perhaps both?’

Commander Lieber gently muttered.

Latte stood up, clearly pondering over something.

“Hmm… When I first contacted you, commander, you declined my invitation, didn’t you? At that time, I had no plans of betraying Raptor at all.”

Saying so, Latte lifted his bangs.

‘When I got this wound, that is,’ he said as he pointed to it.

It seemed Latte had proposed a plan to Commander Lieber before, an offer for him to turn his back on Nebel and work for Raptor instead. But the commander had refused.

However, he must have been quite shaken up when his wife’s health deteriorated afterwards.

“A wise king masterful in the art of politics, an honourable crown prince, a sharp-witted second prince, and a kind-hearted princess beloved by the people. Not to mention the loyal knights and all the fortunate citizens. To me, Nebel is a utopia. I was even more impressed when the commander rejected my offer, and it got me thinking about this place. I realised this kingdom would be all but impossible to destroy. Almost like one of those fairytales with a happy ending.”

A utopia. I’m surprised Latte thought that highly of Nebel.

In terms of climate, resources, and economic prowess, Nebel was better off than any of the nearby kingdoms.

Of course, I do recognise my older brother’s wholeheartedness, and, though it pains me to say it, Father’s outstanding capabilities. But it’s far from deserving to be called a utopia. There is darkness, as there are always shadows wherever the sun rises. There exists a distance between the rich and the poor, and it’s hard to say all of our aristocrats are guiltless. Not to mention the environments where Lutz, Theo, and the other young magicians often find themselves growing up in.

“You look like you have something to say, young lady.”

Latte smiled as if he had seen through my heart.

“I know what you’re trying to say. A true utopia doesn’t exist, right? I know that. Nebel has its own darkness plaguing it too. But despite that, I still think it’s beautiful.”

He muttered, gazing far off into the distance.

His eyes shone like that of a child cherishing the baubles stored inside a treasure chest.

“Nonetheless, the commander chose betrayal.”

Latte gestured as he spoke, as if narrating his own play.

“At its present course, the land of dreams will be destroyed by the kingdom of evil. But no matter what danger such a utopia falls under, it would be strange if a dingy little assassin came to save the day. Or at least, I haven’t heard of such a tale.”

With that, he revealed a self-deprecating smile.

To him, Nebel felt like a precious gem that should never be tarnished.

He knew full well it wasn’t some utopia, but he still wanted it to be one. It was almost as if I heard him saying, ‘At least let me believe that it is,’ like some sort of wishful thinking.

“I couldn’t achieve anything by myself. All I could ever do was watch this tragedy unfold from a front row seat…  Or so I had thought, until I came to realise this young lady’s true identity.”

Latte turned to face me.

I was taken aback by his lively stare, his eyes sparkling.

“My true identity?”

Confused, I repeated his question like a parrot.

Latte nodded along.

“A girl suddenly arrived from the royal capital with the Black Lion. I’d thought it might be the princess at first, but immediately scratched that idea. Your hair colour was different, and a princess wasn’t someone easily allowed to jump into the claws of danger all by herself. Aren’t princesses supposed to be locked away in some colossal tower, or within castle grounds, waiting for her prince to come and swoop her up by the feet?”

Ugh. A small groan escaped me.

I knew full well I was a weirdo of a princess and didn’t need to hear it from someone else. Getting it pointed out by others was the last thing I ever wanted.

“But despite all odds, you were that said princess. In the cold, with your nose bright red, you continued your adventure while riding an unfamiliar horse and being shaken in all directions, without whining even once. I’ve never heard of such a fairytale.”

Like a kid talking about his hero, Latte was thrilled.

On the other hand, I was awfully tense.

How could I be happy to see all of my shortcomings laid bare like that? Don’t you have a cooler scene you could talk about? I nearly blurted out but stopped myself. Of course there was no such thing. Even counting all the adventures I’d been through, I don’t think there was a single moment when I was particularly elegant.

“But if there’s an oddball princess out here, then maybe there’s room for an assassin fighting on the side of justice as well.”

Latte happily murmured while biting his own lips.

“And above all, wouldn’t it be a shame if a cool princess’s adventure didn’t end up with a ‘Happily Ever After’?”

“…”

Silence fell after those words settled in, and I opened my eyes. I clenched my lips tight and gently grasped the stone close on my chest.

This won’t be a fairytale ending.

But it will be far from the worst, or at least that’s what I want to believe.

“…Your Highness.”

I raised my face when a small voice called for me.

Commander Lieber was staring. He tried to say something, but eventually closed his mouth; it was obvious he didn’t know what to say. He looked very much like a lost child.

I slowly walked up to him.

I crouched down, leaving about a metre of space between us. We stared at each other as I tried to find my own words, but nothing came out of my lips either. I didn’t know what to say.

A long, long silence fell.

“…Um.”

The voice I managed to finally squeeze out was faint and ugly, but I cleared my throat and pushed on.

“…I’m very sorry for all the terrible things I said earlier.”

Commander Lieber, surprised, blinked a few times.

“I know I let it all out then, but… I don’t really wish for you to die.”

There’s a limit to how uncool and immature one can be. Like Latte said, no fairytale like this exists. Children would only be disappointed if their ‘heroic saviour’ was this pathetic.

But if I don’t say what I want to say now, I’ll surely regret it later.

“Please, live.”

“…”

Commander Lieber’s face distorted and crumpled.

He immediately covered his face with both hands to hide his expression, but his broad shoulders were shaking slightly.

When I was confused and didn’t know what to do, a warm sensation fell on my shoulders. I turned around and found Sir Leonhard had placed his hand on me.

When I met his gaze, his brows lowered and he gave me a troubled smile.

But that smile only lasted for a brief moment. Sir Leonhard, who had since knelt next to me, shifted his sight towards Commander Lieber. His quiet gaze contained neither anger nor hatred.

“Ernst.”

Commander Lieber’s shoulders jolted following Sir Leonhard’s call.

“I cannot forgive you. From now on, and possibly forever.”

The hand that Sir Leonhard placed on top of his raised knee was gripped tightly. I couldn’t stand the sight of him suppressing his emotions any longer, and without thinking, reached out to him.

When our hands met, Sir Leonhard glanced my way. He looked at me, who was a little shocked after having done something so bold, and slowly narrowed his eyes.

Sir Leonhard who seemed to be on the verge of tears placed his other hand on top of mine.

“However… No, that’s precisely why you have to live. See to it that you are alive until the end.”

Our next stop was the royal capital, and I didn’t know what kind of punishment would be doled out to Commander Lieber. It was certainly not going to be a mere slap on the wrist, at the very least.

But despite that… we wished for him to live on.

I know it’s terribly selfish of me, but I want to pray for him regardless.

‘Please, survive until the end.’