Chapter 52

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: The Most Precious Person
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Instead of joy, bewilderment spread across Walter's face.

He couldn't understand why she was suddenly saying such things. He wanted to see her face, but he hesitated, knowing that if he turned his head, her breath would touch his cheek.

Walter moistened his lips before asking in a dry tone.

“I don’t understand what you mean all of a sudden.”

“To be honest… meeting you was always my primary goal for this trip. But you're an even better and more compassionate person than I imagined. You're someone who must be with me until the very end, and the fact that you're such a good person… is a true relief.”

“……”

“I may cause you hardship in the future, but remember this one thing: victory will be waiting at the end of your struggles. Any battlefield I send you to will be one we are certain to win. I will never send you somewhere without a chance of victory.”

Walter, who had been trying to gauge the intent behind her words, asked in a bewildered tone, unable to find an answer.

“You speak strangely. My job is to turn the tide of unwinnable battles.”

“I know that, but.”

Lucy buried her forehead in the nape of his neck and murmured, as if making a declaration.

“I’m saying I won’t send you anywhere there’s even the slightest chance of losing you. Because right now, you are the most precious person in my life.”

The master of a wondrous sword that could stop space itself.

A renowned general, his fame spread across the continent. The very core of Parnas.

He came from a good family and was brilliant, but unlike other noble sons, he’d been through the wringer in the army, so he never grumbled about tedious tasks, just performed them silently. He was strong, gave good massages, had a clean-cut face, and was quick-witted….

Having just one of these qualities would be impressive, but Walter possessed them all. How could she send such a perfect, loyal subject to a place where his survival was uncertain?

He was the most important key Lucy had grasped in this life.

She could afford to lose everything else, but she could never lose him. They were bound by a shared destiny, fated to be together until her goal was achieved.

Realizing just how precious he was, she tightened her arms around his neck. It must have been quite constricting, yet Walter stood still without resistance, enduring the embrace.

“Your Majesty is saying what I should be saying to you. It is an honor.”

Walter, who had stopped walking, finally spoke after a long silence.

His voice, cracked at the end, sounded somewhat strange, but Lucy dismissed it as nothing, thinking she was just imagining things.

“By the way, will it take long to get there? You said we came to see the sunrise. It should be rising soon.”

“We’ll be there in just a little while. Your Majesty, it might be dangerous, so I’m going to change our position.”

Walter shifted Lucy back to his front and began to walk at a slightly faster pace.

With one hand holding Lucy securely and the other grabbing onto rocks to hoist himself up, it was hard to believe he was even human.

He wasn't a massive man like other soldiers, so where on earth did this monstrous strength come from?

Hanging onto his neck, Lucy glanced up to study his face. And then, she let out an involuntary gasp.

“Walter. Are you sick?”

A reddish blush had settled on his face, which she had expected to be as impassive as usual.

That wasn't all. His lips were pressed into a firm line as he stared straight ahead, looking either extremely tense or displeased about something.

*Does he have a fever?*

Worried, Lucy placed a hand on his cheek, and Walter flinched, pulling his head back.

His body swayed off balance. Instantly turning pale, Walter quickly grabbed a tree branch to steady himself.

“...Your Majesty. Please, it is unseemly to touch another man so carelessly.”

Walter gently chided her, letting out a faint sigh of relief. Nevertheless, Lucy continued to touch his cheek with a worried expression.

“No, I was going to let it go, but your face is bright red right now. It’s strange since you’re never like this. Look, your cheek is warm, too.”

“Please… if you keep touching me, I will leave you here and go up alone. And it’s not because I’m sick…”

Unable to finish his sentence, Walter turned his head and let out a great sigh.

He closed his eyes, quickly composing his riled emotions, then looked down at Lucy with the calmest expression he could manage.

“Allow me to say just one thing, Your Majesty. You should not so easily say such things as someone being ‘precious’ to just anyone.”

“I’m not an idiot, do you think I’d say that to just anyone? I’m only saying it to you, Walter.”

“…Are you saying you’ve only said that to me?”

“Yes.”

Walter raised an empty hand and quietly wiped at his mouth. His lips, hidden by his rough hand, moved a couple of times as if to say something.

But no words would come out, so Walter simply puffed out his chest and let out a hollow breath.

“Then that’s fine.”

He forced out the words and started climbing again.

Staring at him, Lucy grinned slyly and teased him tactlessly, “Aha, so you were blushing because you liked it?”

Walter stopped in his tracks again and stared at the cliff, genuinely contemplating whether to throw Lucy off or jump himself.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The hellish mountain climb was followed by a heavenly trip to the hot springs.

As she submerged herself in the steaming water, her fair skin instantly flushed a rosy pink.

Leaning leisurely against a rock, Lucy lifted her reddened arm and recalled Walter’s face from earlier.

“What are you so deep in thought about?”

Vanessa Rutherford, who was sitting beside her, handed Lucy a cold glass.

When she took a sip of the yellowish-white liquid, a sweet and sour taste exploded in her mouth. Assuming it was some kind of fermented milk, Lucy sipped at her glass.

“Nothing much, just… thinking about the sunrise I saw earlier. Climbing the mountain was dreadful, but the view was lovely.”

“Wasn’t it? This was my first time at the Twin Mountains, and I had no idea the scenery would be this wonderful. I must come more often.”

“……You are all older than me, yet you have such incredible stamina. Not only Count Bubehol, but you and Duke Kill—all three of you had already reached the summit before us.”

“Oh my, I wouldn’t have been able to make it on foot either. One of the Raphi soldiers carried me to the summit.”

Lucy dropped the glass she was holding. With a soft splash, the fermented milk began to cloud the hot spring water.

*What the.*

*Then why did he drag me up?*

She felt wronged, but with her healthy young body, she couldn’t complain in front of the elderly. Lucy bit her lip and retrieved the sunken glass.

“Ahem. How was your experience riding a Raphi?”

“Flying through the sky was such a marvelous experience. The sunrise was spectacular, but the feeling of viewing the mountain range from above was truly magnificent. I wish Duke Kill had just complied and ridden one instead of being so stubborn.”

“Did Duke Kill climb on his own, like Count Bubehol?”

“Yes. That old man is as stubborn as ever. With such a rigid disposition, how does he expect to serve by Your Majesty’s side….”

Vanessa trailed off, glancing at Lucy. She then seemed to hesitate for a moment before cautiously posing a question.

“Your Majesty. There is something I am curious about….”

“Speak freely.”

“Not long ago, you granted me the Kill Duchy.”

As Lucy nodded, Vanessa’s hesitation deepened. She lowered her gaze to Lucy’s reflection shimmering on the water’s surface and asked.

“Do you perhaps intend to restore Duke Kill to his position as lord?”

Duke Kill was currently staying at the royal palace, assisting with the reorganization of the administration.

Numerous rumors had circulated about his return, but whether or not he would be reinstated as duke remained unknown, as the queen had not made any official announcement on the matter.

Even with the direct question, Lucy remained unfazed, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.

“Well. It hasn’t been long since I entrusted the governorship of the Kill Duchy to you. To appoint Duke Kill as its lord again would not be proper.”

Vanessa visibly relaxed, her eyes darting away.

Then, perhaps embarrassed at having shown her relief, she waved her hands with a somewhat flustered expression.

“It’s not that I covet the title of lord. No, of course, that’s not to say I’m not fond of the duchy. In that case, how do you plan to utilize him?”

“Well. I am still considering it.”

Contrary to her vague answer, his role had been decided long ago. It was only because Kill had refused that they had taken this roundabout path.

She lifted her head and looked at the sky.

A clear sky without a single cloud. As she gazed at the heavens, which seemed to reflect the desolate chill of winter, Lucy thought about the upcoming coronation ceremony.

This focus on internal affairs should be enough for now.

It was time to prepare for the second act.

On the chessboard laid out in her mind, she moved the pieces one by one. After placing each piece in its position, Lucy focused her attention on the most important piece standing at the opponent’s end.

She felt that the king, who had always seemed so far away, was now a little, just a little, closer.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The weather had been unusually warm this year, and despite it being winter, no snow had fallen. Walter glanced at the rain soaking the dry forest instead of snow, then approached his fallen opponent.

The opponent who had brashly requested a spar was too busy groaning and curled up on the ground, clutching the spot where he’d been hit.

Walter habitually went to drive his sword into the ground but belatedly realized he was holding a wooden sword, not his own, and tossed it to the ground instead. His expression was extremely brusque as he helped the fallen soldier up and handed him over to a medic.

*Why are they all so weak?*

Muttering inwardly, Walter picked up the wooden sword again. Then, he looked at the line of soldiers and nodded.

“Next.”

The faces of the soldiers waiting for their turn to spar turned ashen. Without exception, they began to dart their eyes at one another, silently urging someone else to go first.