Chapter 6

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The Argenta Way
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After quickly finishing my bath, I stepped out into a somewhat chaotic hallway.

The servants were gathered in twos and threes, whispering to each other with worried expressions.

“What’s going on?”

At my question, Pielle gave me a brief nod.

Then she stopped a passing maid.

“The situation?”

I looked back at Pielle.

She didn’t ask what was wrong, but went straight to the situation. It meant Pielle already had some idea of what had happened.

But she was in the bathroom with me. How?

However, the maid's next words completely erased the questions from my mind.

“Sector 3 of the Endless Sea has been breached.”

“...!”

Even though I wasn't from Argenta, I knew what those words meant.

It was Argenta's duty to stop the monsters that swam through the Endless Sea to attack the mainland.

And it was breached?

My gaze quickly shifted to the window.

It was night, so I couldn't see anything, but if the defenses had truly been broken and monsters had reached the shore, it wouldn't be this quiet.

“Have the defense lines completely collapsed?”

Pielle asked grimly. The maid shook her head.

“No, they haven't.”

The maid was about to continue, but she glanced at me.

She must have been weighing whether it was appropriate to speak in front of an outsider.

But I was to be the lady of this house for a while.

Unless I planned on blabbing about my impending divorce, I had to act the part of the perfect lady of the house.

In other words, there was no need for me to step aside just because the maid was being hesitant.

Signaling my intention to stay, I crossed my arms and watched the maid.

“...There were two troops of monsters that invaded Sector 3. The first troop that attacked was much larger than usual.”

The maid began to explain.

As I listened to her, I wondered.

How could a maid in the manor, not a knight, know so much about what happens on the battlefield?

Reports surely aren't being sent to the maids, are they?

“The field commander, Roa, naturally ordered his forces to counter the larger group, but the second troop that invaded was overwhelmingly numerous, and the defense line was broken in an instant.”

It wasn't just this maid.

The knights, as well as the other servants and maids, seemed to be discussing the same story.

“So the number of monsters was much higher than usual.”

“Yes. According to witnesses on site, it seems several monster hordes joined forces.”

Ah. Hearing that jogged my memory.

This must have been the part in the original novel that was only described as ‘unusual monster activity from the Endless Sea.’

Pielle frowned, her expression grave at the maid's words.

“It seems the final defensive line wasn't breached. How was it handled?”

At that, the maid gave a slight bow.

“The sinner, Roa, took full responsibility and threw himself into the monster horde. While he rampaged, the defense line was re-established and…”

I couldn't really hear the rest of what she said.

Sinner?

But didn't she just say that the man named Roa was the field commander?

“I see. And the reinforcements?”

“They have already departed.”

The maid gave a short bow and continued on her way.

I watched her glance at me as she left, then turned to Pielle.

“Why is he a sinner?”

I couldn't understand.

Even I, who had read the original novel, didn't know so many monsters would attack.

So how was the man defending the post supposed to know?

This was no different from a natural disaster. Something an individual couldn't be held responsible for.

But Roa had apparently taken it as his responsibility and thrown his body on the line to stop the monsters.

To me, it was a noble sacrifice.

But Pielle's expression, and the whispering of the others, didn't seem to be honoring Roa's sacrifice.

On the contrary, the atmosphere suggested it was only natural.

“Because he failed to do his duty. Had he not thrown himself in to buy time, he would have been punished more severely according to the Argenta creed.”

I frowned slightly at Pielle's words.

Pielle straightened my clothes, which were a bit disheveled from my haste.

She spoke in a calm voice.

“You must not have seen anything like this in Alloje, so it must seem strange to you.”

At Pielle's gesture, the servants whispering in the hallway disappeared one by one.

Now, only Pielle and I were left in the hall.

Pielle began to speak in a placid tone.

“You asked why he is a sinner, did you not?”

I gave a short nod.

It's true he failed his duty, but... to say he would have been punished even more severely by the Argenta creed if he hadn't sacrificed himself?

It was something my common sense couldn't grasp.

“Argenta has an absolute creed.”

Pielle said, escorting me as if she were a knight.

“‘Do, or do not.’”

My eyes widened at the words spoken in her calm voice.

Words I had heard—no, read—before.

The first phrase that appeared when describing Argenta in the original novel.

It was a line I had passed over without much thought, but hearing it in this situation, it felt chilling.

“So, you mean if you don’t finish a job properly, it’s the same as not having done it at all?”

Do, or do not.

As I considered the phrase, Pielle smiled.

“You adapt quickly.”

Do, or do not...

A place where it is natural to give your life if you fail to complete your duty.

Moreover, a place where you remain a sinner even after giving your life to fulfill that duty.

The sudden chill running down my spine wasn't just because I'd just gotten out of the bath.

“...”

I pressed my lips into a firm line.

Suddenly, I remembered Diello's smiling face.

According to the original novel, he had a very affectionate nature.

But this side of Argenta seemed completely at odds with his gentle image.

In a place like this, his kind nature would have been a poison.

Thinking of the Diello Argenta from the novel made my heart ache a little.

Although I hadn't finished the book, I could well imagine what happened later.

With such a soft and kind disposition, how much must he have suffered in Argenta?

It seems both Alloje and Argenta treat life carelessly.

Thinking of his radiant smile, my heart ached for some reason.

* * *

“Roa.”

At that same moment, Diello Argenta was also receiving a report.

Of course, the information he received was far more in-depth than what Croire Alloje had heard.

It detailed what kind of monsters had invaded and in what numbers, and exactly how the field commander, Roa, had thrown himself into the fray to stop them.

“He died after going on a rampage with the power of Argenta.”

The power of Argenta.

The three ducal families each possessed the power to command fire, water, and wind.

That much was known to the outside world, but there was a peculiar detail.

Those who swore fealty to the head of a family could use that family's power until the head revoked it.

Of course, the power was significantly weaker than that of someone with the family's blood, and its strength depended on how powerful the family head was.

That was why all the members of the family desired a powerful head.

And Diello Argenta, who currently lacked even a Pero, was known as the weakest of the three heads.

Just as Diello Argenta had intended.

“The body?”

Diello asked, his expression unchanging.

The reporting knight gave a short bow.

“It is recoverable.”

“Bury it right in front of the Endless Sea.”

Diello answered immediately.

The sinner, Roa, would guard the Endless Sea even in death.

“Understood.”

The knight withdrew.

“We will need a new commander for Sector 3.”

As he thought this, his bride unexpectedly came to mind.

He'd heard she was in the bath and had come out in surprise upon hearing the emergency report.

And that she had asked.

Why he was a sinner.

With a face that showed genuine confusion.

“What should I do with that bride of mine?”

Diello laughed silently.

Croire Alloje was far too,

pure.