Chapter 248
Chapter 248. Ruderic and the Children
The war with the Heinkel Kingdom had come to an end.
The soldiers who returned home proudly passed through the Arc de Triomphe, receiving a warm welcome from everyone.
Only thirty people had died.
Among them were four knights and merely twenty-six infantrymen.
Nobles from all across the Far East gathered around Count Consilus to celebrate Ferda’s safe return.
Afterward, a banquet was held, bringing joy to those who had survived and comfort to those who had experienced the deaths of their comrades.
"Would it really be appropriate to hold a festival?"
Isabella, the Administrator, asked with concern.
"The situation in the neighboring countries isn’t very good...."
In the Far East, their military forces had been small and their casualties few, allowing them to smile like this. The situation in the other kingdoms was not the same.
Despite the sound of victory bells, the last sight they had witnessed was of soldiers trudging home with heavy steps.
There were no remarkable spoils of war.
All they had to show for it were the soldiers’ identification tags—the same soldiers who had been laughing and talking only yesterday.
Most importantly, the kings who had participated in the war had died.
That was a serious headache for the leaders of every country.
They had not died fighting bravely on the battlefield and becoming examples for others.
Instead, they had been consumed by their own desires and stabbed each other to death.
It was almost unbelievable.
Even with their minds in chaos, however, they understood at least one thing.
The war would not end simply because they returned home.
"The Empire is also preparing to hold state funerals for the moment...."
The Empire’s Second Prince, Ureas, and the Veteran Hero, Count Rooster, had died.
With the Empire’s most trusted hero and a member of the Golden Bloodline dying at the same time, the Imperial Council had become more than chaotic enough.
"How is that going?"
"The first issue they brought up was rather ridiculous. Whether the Second Prince’s funeral should be held first or Count Rooster’s."
"Typical of the Empire."
"Then the issue that came up afterward was, ’What exactly was the Far East doing?’ "
"Also typical of the Empire."
"It would be a lie to say I didn’t expect it."
Blaming external forces for internal dissatisfaction had always been the Empire’s way.
"Still, they won’t be able to act recklessly."
"May I ask why?"
"Because we decided to give up all the credit for the Heinkel Kingdom."
"Give up the credit...?"
For Isabella, it was a shocking statement.
Had they not earned credit through the most efficient and effective tactics in the entire war?
They should have been entitled to at least thirty percent from the Empire, and at the very least, they should have had the right to acquire several business concessions.
Yet, on the surface, Ferda’s army appeared to be the most selfish of them all.
While everyone else was dying on the front lines, Ferda’s army had supposedly stayed in the rear, dragging their feet and protecting themselves.
Blood spilled by people was far more tangible than the advancement of technology.
Ferda said to Isabella,
"I’m sorry, Administrator. I wasn’t competent enough."
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t disappointed.
All the plans they had been preparing to carry out depended on the benefits they were supposed to obtain from the Heinkel Kingdom.
"You shouldn’t expect everything in the world to go according to plan."
Ferda had already accomplished many things before this.
He had achieved growth unlike anyone else by forcing through even things that seemed somewhat unreasonable.
That was why she believed there had to be something behind his decision this time as well.
"Since you gave up something that could have accelerated the revival of our village, I assume there must be something more valuable to you. May I ask what it is?"
The decisive event that had caused him to give up the credit that could have accelerated the village’s prosperity.
Wondering whether Isabella would truly accept his answer, Ferda replied.
"Five children."
***
The meeting room of City Hall.
Ferda had seated the children around a table and was feeding them food prepared for the village banquet.
The children immediately began devouring it.
As though if they didn’t eat now, they would never have another chance to eat.
"Slow down."
Ferda’s voice made them flinch.
"No one is going to take it away. If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more, so don’t eat in such a hurry."
Only then did their eating slow down.
Ferda spoke to the boy among them who seemed to be the only one capable of carrying on a conversation.
"Your name is Ruderic, correct?"
"Yes. What’s yours, mister?"
"I’m Ferda Valdrova."
"Don’t call him mister. Call him Regent, Ruderic."
Isabella gave him a polite warning.
"Okay. I’m sorry, Regent."
"It’s fine. You already know that your minds are connected as one, don’t you?"
"Yes. That other big sister who looks like this one told us."
"Ahem...."
Isabella gave a low cough.
There was a strangely pleased expression on her face.
"I heard that Dark Elf woman made us do a lot of things in her place."
"Do you know what they were for?"
"I don’t know. I’m a child, so I don’t really understand things like that."
Ferda stared intently at Ruderic’s face.
He had been naturally gifted at wearing a mask.
However, regardless of that, Ferda could see through a lie of this magnitude.
Ferda placed a hand on the table and spoke.
"You don’t need to lie. I made a promise to the knight who protected you."
"Everyone made promises to us."
The boy gestured toward the smallest girl sitting beside him.
"Her name is Yuri. When they took Yuri away, they told her they wouldn’t hurt her. And she believed them. But they gave her an extremely painful drug. She screamed. She kept screaming even after her throat became hoarse. Do you know what the adults did then?"
"What did they do?"
"They pulled out her tongue."
"How could they...."
That was why she couldn’t speak.
Isabella’s blue eyes flashed with anger.
It was strange.
A rational woman who almost never became angry over ordinary matters was reacting like this.
"Did everyone receive the same punishment if they screamed?"
"No. Only Yuri. But everyone except me forgot how to speak."
When they shared the pain, they also shared the fear.
Everyone had experienced the pain of having their tongue ripped out, so they had all developed aphasia.
From Linne’s perspective, that must have been convenient.
She probably preferred mice that kept their mouths shut over ones that constantly chattered.
Still, one thing made Ferda curious.
"Did you feel the same thing?"
"Yes."
"Then how did you endure it?"
"Because I’m their older brother."
His answer was simple and straightforward.
Even in the face of that much pain, he had a sense of duty to take care of the children.
In any case, the fact that they had even reached this point was because adults didn’t keep their promises.
Ferda needed to give them certainty.
"Do you know what Valdrova means?"
"I don’t know."
"It’s the name of a Red Dragon."
"If you mean a Red Dragon...."
Perhaps because Ruderic’s thoughts were shared among them, the children stopped eating and began trembling in fear.
When they heard "Red Dragon," it seemed that the first thing that came to mind was an Evil Dragon.
"I am the man who will become her husband."
"Yes."
The suspicion in Ruderic’s face only deepened.
"By taking her name, I have given that promise a meaning deeper than simply risking my own life."
"...."
Ruderic looked as though he didn’t understand.
That was proof of his innocence.
Because he was pure, there was no way he could understand how significant such an oath was.
Then Ferda had no choice but to make it tangible.
"I’ll tell you one more thing. Even if you don’t like me, you won’t have a choice."
"Why?"
"Because if you reject me, you’ll die."
"Isn’t that a threat?"
"No. It’s simply the truth."
Ferda pointed a finger toward Ruderic’s stomach.
"The Mana inside your stomach will kill you—"
His finger swept toward the other children.
"—And all of your younger siblings as well."
"....."
"You don’t know how the Red Circle works. Mana is formed from the strongest emotion during an emotional upheaval."
"...."
"Do you know where your Mana originates?"
Ruderic looked into the eyes of each of the children one by one.
They exchanged glances as though communicating something, then nodded.
"They said that whenever we’re really scared, something rises up from our chests. They said they can’t control it."
"Is it happening now?"
"Yes."
Ferda already knew the answer, but he had asked anyway.
The flow of Mana was clearly visible to his eyes.
"What about you?"
Ruderic was different from the other children.
They had surely all received the same thing, yet his Mana was not born from fear.
"I.... I got angry when I saw them being afraid. That’s when I feel it."
Anger.
His Mana was similar in nature to Ferda’s.
At the same time, that was why the children were able to maintain their sanity without going mad.
Even if the other four were afraid, one of them would fight.
So they relied on Ruderic and endured.
"To survive, those children have to constantly fear something, while you have to remain angry without end."
"......"
"In that sense, William’s actions were truly reckless. If he had succeeded, you would have become walking bombs capable of turning an entire village upside down."
The children’s Mana accelerated.
It was proof that they were afraid.
"That’s why I sometimes wondered whether it might be better to free you from this harsh reality altogether."
"Please stop."
Ruderic became angry at that fear.
He was also angry that Ferda had spoken badly of William.
Ferda stopped provoking him and asked directly.
"Do you want to live?"
"Yes. Of course."
"Then you have to trust us."
Ferda spoke to Ruderic.
"People who can take care of children who have awakened the Red Circle like you are rare. More importantly, there are very few people who know how to care for people whose minds are connected. Even those few will likely regard you as dangerous bombs and try to eliminate you."
That was what the leaders of the various kingdoms had done.
And Ferda himself had once thought the same way.
"We will help you. If we don’t begin with this trust, our relationship cannot last."
"...."
Ruderic seemed to think about it for a moment before glancing at the children.
The children who met his eyes carefully nodded, and Ruderic answered.
"That Dark Elf said.... she was going to take us and draw Magic Circles."
"Magic Circles?"
"She said they were for research. I saw other Mages helping that Dark Elf, only to die. She killed them like killing ants, saying they were useless. Then she said she had made us."
It was exactly as Ferda had expected.
They had planned to use the children for intricate Magic Circles and research processes that would have been difficult to perform alone.
Information would be transmitted far more accurately than through words.
"Are you going to do that to us too, Regent?"
"No. Even if I wanted to, I can’t connect my mind to yours. That’s Elven magic in the first place."
"Then what if we end up doing something like that later?"
"If you want to, you may. If you want to live an ordinary life, you may do that. If you want to accomplish something greater, you may do that as well. I won’t force you to do anything. However...."
Ferda spoke with a solemn expression.
"Everything you do must be something you can proudly face in front of William."
"......"
William.
He had stood before death and fulfilled his duty to the very end.
Everyone had cried, and Ruderic had been no exception.
With a complicated expression, Ruderic asked Ferda,
"William.... When is that man’s funeral?"
"We can’t hold one."
Ruderic’s eyes widened.
His expression asked why.
"He disobeyed his lord’s orders and helped a condemned criminal escape. In truth, even being buried in a public cemetery would be an honor for him."
"......"
The sins he had carried were too great for a funeral to be held.
For the sake of everyone else as well, they could not honor his death publicly.
"Then...."
Ruderic asked Ferda with tears welling up in his eyes.
"If we become good people someday.... what about then?"
Ferda answered.
"If the world comes to understand that your lives have value, then there will be no reason why we can’t."
"......"
"I promise."
Ruderic vigorously rubbed his eyes and lifted his head.
Ferda felt something strangely familiar in that face.
It reminded him of William.
"I’ll never let that man’s death.... be in vain."
A human death leads to another life.
William’s will had been passed clearly to this angry child.
***
"Have you made any specific plans for what you intend to do with the children?"
Isabella asked.
Only three minutes had passed since the children had left.
There was no way Ferda could have a plan already.
"We can’t send them to an ordinary orphanage."
Their minds were connected, and Ferda had promised William that he would take care of them.
They needed an environment capable of caring for children whose minds were connected, not simply an ordinary orphanage.
"It would be better to keep them inside the city and manage them there."
"That would be best."
"In that case, I intend to select an unused building within the city and turn it into a place where the children can be cared for. What do you think? I’ve already prepared a proposal."
"Already?"
"Yes."
Yet only three minutes had passed since the children had left.
Ferda wondered how she could have hastily put something together so quickly, but the proposal was remarkably detailed and specific.
It was almost as if she had known something like this would happen.
Ferda’s eyes stopped at one particular section of the proposal.
—Head Administrator: Isabella Iorga
"...."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I was just thinking that I could sense a little personal motive here."
"I’m not sure what you mean."
Isabella’s eyes gleamed ominously.
She certainly wasn’t being rational.
"We do need the Administrator’s help, at least for teaching them magic."
"Precisely."
"And I was also thinking of asking Echidna."
"...That gloomy Witch?"
This time, Isabella openly frowned.
"Absolutely not. She will undoubtedly harm the children."
It wasn’t an unreasonable objection.
"She does know a great deal about the Red Circle."
Having lived as a child of Phyliaz and reached the Fifth Circle, Echidna was undoubtedly well-versed in theories concerning emotions.
Isabella spoke with an displeased expression.
"Besides, there’s no way that Witch would be interested, is there? She’s obsessed with Miss Mori. Why would she care about the other children?"
Upon hearing that, Ferda nodded.
"Then we can simply ask her."
"Ugh, that’s...."
"Why?"
"...Nothing."
Ferda connected to Echidna through a Communication Crystal.
After explaining the current situation, her response was:
—Of courseeeeee! I’ll run over right now! Hehehehe!
Crash!
Without even disconnecting the Communication Crystal, the sound of equipment being knocked over came rushing through.
"Apparently, she’s willing."
"...Tsk."
Isabella clicked her tongue.
"Honestly, my relationship with that Witch isn’t good, so things will be on a completely different level from when she was dealing with Miss Mori.... I’m not sure whether this will be okay."
Ferda agreed with her.
"That’s why I’m thinking of assigning another person as well."
"Who?"
For magic theory, there was Isabella.
For Red Circle theory, there was Echidna.
And there was someone who could handle what those two couldn’t.
***
"M-Me?"
The other person Ferda appointed to take responsibility for the children was Rizera.
His appearance was a mess.
That was understandable, considering he had just returned from an adventure and had only come here to give Isabella his return report.
Even so, his bright blond hair and star-filled eyes were beautiful.
Beautiful enough to make one forget that he was a man.
"Is that too much to ask?"
"No. It’s just as the Regent says. As an Elf, it would indeed be appropriate for me to handle that part, but...."
He was about to say that he had never experienced having his mind connected to another.
However, he held back the words that were about to leave his mouth, slapped his own cheeks twice, and said,
"No. It’s probably right for me to do it after all."
"If your duties as an adventurer are too demanding, you can adjust your schedule."
"Being an adventurer is important, but taking care of those children is important too. Even though it was a Dark Elf who committed those acts, that person was once a High Elf.... The sins of High Elves should be paid for by High Elves."
The same determination as before could be seen in Rizera’s eyes.
"So I will also take responsibility and care for those children."
"Then what about your work as an adventurer?"
"I’ll try doing both. If I look for a point of balance, I’m sure I’ll somehow find an answer."
He was a High Elf who had never experienced having his mind connected to another.
Yet he had spent hundreds of years among High Elves, observing them.
Sometimes, the perspective of an observer could be more objective and helpful.
"It won’t be easy."
Ferda subtly glanced toward somewhere nearby.
There, a scene resembling a tiger and a dragon fighting was unfolding.
The Witch, Echidna, and the Dragon Spawn, Isabella, were glaring at one another.
The tension was so intense that it seemed ready to explode at any moment.
Rizera, who was timid by nature, turned pale from the sheer ferocity of the scene.
His instincts screamed that he absolutely did not want to get caught between those two.
"Uuugh.... I-I’ll be fine. I’m sure it’ll somehow work out!"
He clenched both hands tightly and raised them.
He looked so feminine that there was nothing to say.
A Dragon Spawn and a Witch, huh.
Rizera thought that perhaps it was fortunate.
At least this time, they weren’t treating him like a woman, were they?
Of course, that was only what Rizera thought.
"Hello, Lady Echidna, and Administrator. My name is Rizera, and I’ll be taking care of the children together with you. I look forward to working with you."
Rizera’s specialty was making a good impression on others with his cheerful voice.
Believing that he could become an excellent mediator, he approached them.
Echidna’s fierce expression immediately softened when she saw Rizera, and she began grinning.
"Uhehehehe.... I-I look forward to working with youuu."
"Y-Yes....!"
Rizera felt another kind of eeriness in those eyes.
There was certainly no malice in them, but somehow that made them even stranger and more sinister.
It was as though she were looking at prey.
Overwhelmed by that sinister feeling, Rizera instinctively turned his eyes toward Isabella.
She was no exception.
With a deep, affectionate gaze, she took Rizera’s hand.
"I look forward to working with you, Adventurer Rizera."
"Y-Yes...."
"Now we’ll be able to see each other often."
Her fingers began to wiggle as they moved, seemingly fascinated by Rizera’s hand.
Is this really going to be okay?
A sudden sense of unease came over him.
Am I going to become their new toy instead of their mediator?
No, surely not.
Rizera desperately wanted to believe that.
Read more Chapters here - Apexnovelhub.com