Chapter 227

Translator: Kell | Editor: Weasalopes

Reunion and Reaffirmation

During winter in Forestia, people traveled using long-haired horses because of the snow and cold . Short and stout, these creatures moved relatively slower, but could travel longer distances .

League and Claude used the same type of horse on their journey from Jarazack to Scholarzard . The driver, Mikhail, wore thick fur coat . Their carriages were linked, with Claude and other Jarazack men on the leading vehicle, while League and his attendants rode on the second one . League was here as a delegate of Rumania . He couldn’t be seen getting along well with Claude out in public .

Alexei deployed his troops as well, but since they still had to prepare, they would be a day late .

The carriage Claude and Ivan rode in was wrapped in silence, the only sound coming from the rocking of the vehicle as it treaded across snow-covered roads . The outside was deadly quiet .

It was morning . They left as soon as dawn broke today as well . Fatigue was starting to build up from following a very strict schedule .

「Ivan!」Mikhail called . 「I can see Raidzard now!」

「Nice!」

Raidzard was only about a day’s travel away from Scholarzard .

「Claude . If all goes well, we might arrive in Scholarzard by the end of the day . 」Ivan said .

「………」

「You know what you have to do, right? Make sure you talk to Luka . 」

「I know . 」Claude answered with a worried look .

「What the… The gate to Raidzard is closed!」

「What do you mean, Professor?!」

Ivan got up from his seat and opened the window to the driver’s seat . He scowled as the chill from outside came rushing in .

Six horses galloped at full speed over the snowy road . Mikhail was staring ahead, pointing at the stone wall surrounding Raidzard .

The gate leading into town was indeed closed, which was strange, as it should be open during daytime . As the carriages got closer to Raidzard, the three-meter tall gate’s side door opened and a guard came out .

「Stop right there . 」

As Mikhail slowed the horses down, Ivan and Claude jumped down the carriage, fully-armed .

「Why is the gate closed?!」Mikhail asked from atop his seat .

「We don’t have enough men inside . We figured since it’s snowing heavily anyway that no one would enter so we closed the gate . You’ve got quite the company . 」

「Wait a minute . What do you mean you don’t have enough men? What happened?」

「Hahaha . Nothing bad . You look like you’re from Jarazack . Did you know that the Fedor gang that’s been wreaking havoc in Jarazack has been captured? There’s too many of them . We needed more men to watch and interrogate them . 」

「Wh-What did you say?」Mikhail was at a loss for words .

Claude approached the guard . 「What about Luka?! Is she safe?!」

「Lu… Luka? Who?」

「Calm down, Claude!」Mikhail said . 「Sorry for the late introduction, but I’m Mikhail, a professor in Scholarzard and I serve the head of Jarazack, Alexei von Jalzard Jarazack . Please tell me more about the situation . I’m sure the questioning will go faster with the information I have about the Fedor gang as wel . 」

「I-I apologize for any rude behavior . We appreciate the offer, Sir Mikhail . Please come in . I’ll call the commander and the governor . 」

The party entered Raidzard . Mikhail headed to the station, while Claude and the others looked for an inn just in case .

Claude and the guys first entered the biggest hotel in town and happened upon someone in the lobby—a boy with black hair and black eyes .

「Oh, if it isn’t Claude . 」

「Hikaru?!」

「What are you doing here—」

「Oh, Ivan and League are with you too . Are those League’s attendants?」

Claude’s mouth hung open, but Hikaru simply ignored it .

「I see . 」League said, his brows furrowed . 「I get it now . You were the one behind it, weren’t you, Hikaru?」

「Hmm?」

「I’m talking about the Fedor gang . 」

Hikaru smiled . 「You make it sound like I did something bad . 」

It was indeed Hikaru who repelled the Fedor gang’s attack . It was only natural that the town was in an uproar since he tied the bandits up and left them on the streets .

Hikaru took care of all of Fedor’s men by surprise . Striking with Stealth on carried an Assassination buff so he had to actually be careful not to kill any of them . He challenged Fedor up front so he could gain some experience . As a matter of fact, he’d been doing the same thing when hunting bandits . Unfortunately, Fedor was hardly a good opponent, with only three points max on Throwing .

「What do you mean Hikaru did it? Please explain things clearly!」Claude said .

「Yeah! Claude and I have no idea what’s going on . 」Ivan added .

「Well, before that…」Hikaru raised his thumb and pointed behind him . 「Don’t you have some other things to talk about?」

Four ladies sat around a table in the lounge . Catherine got up her seat and took a step forward, arms folded . Luka was standing beside her .

「Luka—」

Claude came to his senses, glanced at Hikaru and nodded with a determined look on his face . He walked through the lobby in long strides . Noticing the decisiveness in his steps, the other guests turned their attention to him .

Claude entered the lounge and stopped five meters away from Luka, facing her .

「Luka!」

His voice echoed throughout the lounge . Even the employees stared at him, not only the guests .

「I… was wrong . I’m sorry . 」

「Claude, I—」

「Don’t say a word!」Claude raised his right hand, stopping Luka from saying anything . 「Please… Listen to what I have to say first . 」He knelt down on his right knee .

The people around stirred, surprised by the scene unfolding before them .

「Luka Lordgrad Ludancia, my princess . I’ve sworn my love to you a number of times—the party where we first met, in the academy’s woods, on the streets of Scholarzard . I remember all of them . But I’m a fool and made you worry . I deeply regret my actions, deeper than the snow in the northern regions . 」

From how he fixed his gaze on the girl before him, head held up, it was clear he still had more to say . And the girl herself expected more .

「Luka . I am a sword, a sword that will cut open a future for you . Please take my hand and allow me to walk with you . I never got to say it since things got hectic, but… Please marry me this coming spring . 」

Claude bowed and held out his right hand as though seeking salvation .

「………」

Luka covered her mouth with her mouth, as if to stop all the emotions from flowing through . But she couldn’t stop the tears from falling .

「Go . 」Catherine said .

Luka nodded and took one step, and another and a third, before half-running towards Claude . She then took his hand and kneeled down as well .

「Claude . Oh, my Claude . I’m sorry . I should’ve stayed strong, but fear had its grip on me . It’s just… the life we’re about to lead is not something anyone has ever experienced before . I don’t know what to do…」

Claude raised his head, grimacing as he saw Luka’s face overflowing with tears .

「I’m sorry . 」

He pulled her head closer with his left hand, letting her bury her face in his chest, and rested his cheek on her head .

「I’m sorry…」Claude said .

「It’s fine . You don’t need to apologize anymore…」

「I’ll make that the last one . Luka, please tell me . Will you marry me?」

「Yes!」she answered, sobbing .

Ivan let out a deep breath and started clapping . Paula followed him as well, and then the guests, and even the employees . All of a sudden, the sound of applause reverberated throughout the hall . Catherine clapped as well, looking like she had no other choice .

「Luka and Claude? No way…」

「The stars of the mass wedding?」

「I’ve seen the plays a few times . 」

Voices came from the onlookers . A new script might’ve just been born .

Hikaru glanced at Lavia who also looked at him . They smiled and clapped as well .

Even after the couples’ love had been reaffirmed, the excitement in the lounge still hadn’t died down .

「So, what’s plan, League?」Hikaru approached League and asked in a whisper .

「What do you mean?」

「You know what I mean . There’s no way Ludancia will give up here . How many days do we have?」

Hikaru wanted to know how much time they had until Ludancia made their next move after they learned of the Fedor gang’s failure .

「Three days, at the soonest . 」

「That’s not much . 」

「Ludancia is close from here . The sly fox should be preparing her forces already in case of any unlikely event . 」

League was referring to none other than Luka’s mother, the representative of Ludancia . Hikaru was a bit surprised to hear the name “sly fox” come out of his mouth so naturally .

「Sounds like a lot happened this winter . 」Hikaru said .

「Yes . I must say, you surprise me every time, and it’s kind of frustrating . 」

「For the record, the Fedor gang is not that strong . You guys should see what it’s like outside of Forestia . 」

「I can’t help but believe you . 」

「You should send Roy to Einbeast . There’s a king selection tournament happening soon over there . 」

「I’ll consider it . 」

Roy, a Rumanian studying the Great Sword under Professor Mikhail, was spending most of his time being around League recently . He should be getting worked hard like a servant in Rumania right now . The guy himself asked for it, taking it as some sort of a training .

「So, how do we use our three days?」Hikaru asked .

League should be more familiar with Ludancia’s movements . A few moments passed before he answered .

「Let’s go to Scholarzard . We should have the advantage in the academy . 」

「So we’ll have to fight, huh?」

「Most likely . 」

They decided to stay in Scholarzard until they could confirm that Luka was safe .