Chapter 167

Chapter 167 - The Daughter of Autumn, Valda (2)

The otherworld and the present world repeatedly get closer and farther away like the ebb and flow of the tide.

That change is merely the waves washing in a few steps further than usual. There is nothing to change in people's lives.

However, even a breeze that seemed eternal turns into a typhoon at times.

What brought about the end of the 1st Era were existences more terrible than plagues or natural disasters.

- The stars have vanished without a trace. Just what on earth is beyond there?

Astrologers trembled in fear. Because when the night came where the sun disappeared, a bizarre and muddy darkness covered the sky.

Only the moon is strenuously protecting the light of the night. Those proficient in astronomy knew that it was merely because it was in a position further ahead than the stars and the darkness.

- Pitch-black seawater is approaching. It is trying to pass the sandy beach, cross the fence, and enter our inner rooms. Countless snakes shall be harbored within it.

Summoners from various regions also spoke in unison to warn.

- The night sky... seems to be gradually coming down. The height of the moon remains the same, but something is getting closer.

Even ordinary farmers and shepherds sensed the anomaly of the world.

- Great King. An army of evil has swallowed our kingdom. Not a single piece of flesh was left of the capital, knights, soldiers, and citizens.

A certain messenger from the frontiers fleeing covered in blood was the signal flare.

- I command in the name of the King, army assemble!

In the name of Luiamor, all disputes on land ceased. Because enemies they truly needed to point their weapons at had approached right before their noses.

The Elf King looked down at the city filled with the army.

"Truly stubborn folks. I told them so much to evacuate."

The Elf King grumbled. Among the army looking down at them, the elderly and the weak who do not apply to the conscription order were also included.

- Even if we die when we die, we will remain here!

- We will protect it!

They squeezed out their last strength to lift weapons or remained in the royal capital to assist them.

"This living city is no different from a second mother to them."

The Queen spoke while stroking the terrace railing.

All around is antique solid wood, yet there are no traces of sawing or polishing anywhere. As if tree trunks grew according to the guidance of artisans. That is the same for any building constituting the royal capital.

This city, grown from a single massive root, is in itself a living creature.

"A mother who embraced them with warmth and vitality from the moment they were born. A mother who cheered them on when working and patted them saying they worked hard on their way home. A mother who embraced them with coolness in summer and warmth in winter. Can you abandon such an existence and leave, King?"

Even those who cannot see or feel mystery can realize they are loved by something massive if they live in the royal capital.

The people had no thoughts of abandoning their immobile mother and leaving at all.

"If the warehouses are full, stockpile them outdoors on the roads."

Wagons loaded with military supplies and preserved foods ran on the roads.

The roads are made of mycelium, not stone. As the work of the Earth Spirit Gnomes, they are as hard as granite but the surface emits a luster.

When it rains, water flows underground through minute gaps, so the royal capital has never flooded. Even if damaged, befitting living mycelium, it recovers on its own.

Even Dwarves pay their respects to these roads where technology and magic are magnificently fused.

The army lined up upon them lifted their weapons looking at their King.

"Long live His Majesty the Great King!"

"Homage to the royal family!"

The couple waved their hands toward the loyal ones.

Befitting the army of a unified dynasty, their equipment and physique are excellent, but fear is full on the soldiers' faces. The indication of trying hard to forget it through homage to the royal family was evident.

Because the enemies they will fight from now on are not things like uncivilized barbarians or monsters. They are monsters that crawled up from hell.

"Those who can ride horses have mobilized every single packhorse as well."

"We will shove them right back into the pit they crawled out from."

Human Knight Commanders knelt on one knee in front of the Elf King.

When not a few human dynasties broke their pledges and sought a way to live, loyal ones kept their loyalty and responded to the conscription.

And if speaking of loyalty, there are those who cannot be left out, which are none other than the Dwarves.

"Great King. Please issue the order to arrest the traitors even now. For everyone to face the crisis with one heart yet they do not respond to the King's conscription. They must deservedly be condemned with death."

The one called the most powerful Dwarf and King of the Mountains spoke.

It's something unimaginable in the 3rd Era, but at this time, the relationship between Elves and Dwarves was connected by respect. They responded to Luiamor's request for salvation without exception.

"Especially those bastards who ran away to the northern forest! We can absolutely never forgive those bastards!"

Therefore, they could not forgive the Elf high nobles who habitually boasted about being Grand Dukes yet ran away in the face of a true crisis.

What unraveled the heart of the steadfast warrior that even the Elf King had difficulty persuading was the Queen.

"King of the Mountains. I understand your resentful heart, but fighting them now will only shed meaningless blood. We should pour our efforts into fulfilling the mission of protection."

There is no one in the world who can refuse her earnest request.

It was the reason she was praised as the 'most powerful woman' despite never having grabbed a sword once. Because any selfishness and foolhardiness independently collapsed before that beauty and nobility.

The golden hair fluttering in the wind was radiant enough to swallow even the sunlight. The King of the Mountains backed away while bowing his head.

A moment later, only the King and Queen remained on the terrace.

"It is not too late even now. At least you should evacuate."

The always fair Elf King broke that rule at this moment and recommended evacuation to his wife.

"I am also a member of the royal family. How could I run away to save my own body when our retainers are fighting risking their lives? Even if I cannot fight, I can treat the injured, so I will be together with them until the end."

At his wife's resoluteness, the King could speak no further.

"However, just one thing."

The Queen stroked her own belly with both hands.

"Your baby, our daughter dwells inside this belly. Even now, I feel her dividing every moment."

The mysterious technique whispered by magic and nature. It achieves things that are impossible even with the developed science of the distant future.

Spirits staying in the present world taking the Queen's body as their haven informed of the unfamiliar guest stepping into their master's womb.

"She probably hasn't even properly taken form yet."

The Elf King calculated backward, recalling the day they last slept together.

"You don't necessarily have to think about such things, you know. Breaking the mood."

Although he is a born mathematician King, seeing him acting like that even at a moment like this, the Queen smiled bitterly.

"There is no need for this child to be with us as well."

The Elf King placed his hand on his beloved wife's belly. The Queen also nodded her head while holding that hand.

"Grace."

At the Queen's call, the Dryad waiting at the terrace entrance approached. She's a young lady composed of fresh sprouts and lively branches.

"I have been waiting for your call."

A Dryad is a gardener and architect who assists the royal family. Their contributions were great in cultivating the living royal capital.

And Dryads possess one more special ability.

"I am sorry to entrust you with a heavy burden."

"A burden, it is not. Great King, please retract your words. I am afraid the Princess might hear."

"It's fine because her ears haven't grown yet."

"..."

"Rather, if she could hear, I wish she would. Because this child will also have to recognize your noble devotion and sacrifice. If she throws a tantrum, spank her bottom with this."

The Elf King undid the sword he wore on his waist and handed it over sheath and all.

"It's a sword forged for the child to be born someday. It will probably be the last ether-made sword."

"The last autumn."

Grace read the letters engraved on the lower part of the sword blade.

"Because while we are heading toward the dark winter, we want autumn to always be with the child to be born. Slicing away the approaching cold completely with this sword."

"With such an excellent sword accompanying her, a peaceful destiny will also continue for the Princess."

"If she has no aptitude for the sword, a guardian knight to protect her will have to swing it. Since I cannot directly bestow it, I will have to leave it to Grace's discerning eye."

"I will make sure it is delivered to someone with proper qualifications without fail."

Grace resolved that she would absolutely not permit this treasure unless it was someone equipped with martial prowess, vision, and trustworthiness. Even if the Princess was stubborn.

"I really wanted to see our daughter using this."

The Queen took off the tiara she was wearing. Even her green crystal earrings and brooch.

"Grace. This child's name is Valda."

The Dryad who would now become the nanny concentrated her entire mind and listened carefully to the Queen's pronunciation.

So that she could pass on that resonance and pitch to the daughter without a single syllable wrong.

"I grant you the authority to lift the switch as much as you want, so discipline her strictly."

"So that she becomes a young lady who has nothing to be ashamed of even if put out into the world."

The King pretending to swing a switch in the air and the Queen pretending to flick someone's head. Just for now, they were not dignified rulers but a single father and mother.

"Being the daughter of you two, she will be considerate and intelligent without needing to do so."

Grace resolved to do her best to fill in the love the two people could not give.

Around the time dusk fell. The nanny who received the final mission left the royal capital. Inside her body, the fertilized egg transferred from the Elf Queen was sleeping soundly.

"It is still early, my Princess."

The cells fiercely dividing with the craving for birth stopped at the Dryad's magic. Because the world is still too dangerous to germinate.

Grace hid her body in a certain small forest at the southern tip.

Until this place flourished and was called the Emerald Forest in the distant future, neither Grace nor the embryo she harbored stepped aside from the harsh weathering of time and fell into a deep sleep.

Waiting for a warm spring day to come after a scary severe cold wave passes.

Like that, the 1st Era met its end.

A lot of things being lost and forgotten, the 3rd Era people came to recognize the events of that time as somewhere between history and legend.

* * *

3rd Era Britannia.

Eugene, having heard the whole story from Valda, remained silent. Because he was agonizing whether now was the timing to console her, or to say he would protect her so that such sorrow would not repeat.

So he decided to do both simultaneously.

"Ugh!"

He embraced the slender body of the Elf Princess to his heart's content.

"Grace is someone who has lived a really long time."

"Because although she has a body of wood, she is an existence close to a spirit by half. She was also asleep all along."

The two hugging each other whispered quietly.

Valda is burying her face in the nape of Eugene's neck. Her long eyelashes gently cast down in comfort. Every time she blinks her eyes, it pleasantly tickles Eugene's neck.

'I'm going crazy.'

The eyelashes touching his neck, the sensation of breasts touching his embrace were far too alluring. Even down to the Princess not rejecting him and hugging him back with all her might.

Eugene desperately suppressed the desire trying to rampage like a beast. It was not the time yet.

"Why did you wait until the 3rd Era?"

"Because the world was too dangerous. To the Elf Grand Duke who fled to the Great Forest, my existence is a symbol proving his sin. The Ancient Kingdom that ruled the 2nd Era was far too violent. The forest was also too small to stop evil people at the time."

Grace continued to wait while harboring Valda in the state of a fertilized egg.

Until a lot of things were forgotten, the world calmed down, and the Emerald Forest flourished to occupy a vast territory.

Like that, after it became the 3rd Era, when a forest sufficient to protect two women was completed, Grace ended hibernation.

Eugene, undoing the hug, looks down at his companion.

The golden hair that breaks even the stubbornness of a Dwarf King, the long and delicate ears that do not miss the pleas of the people, the golden eyes that make even gold and silver treasures pale and subside a King's greed.

The treasures inherited from her mother are the best tools for supporting her monarch husband.

"Grace wasn't a nanny in the dictionary sense."

"The Elf royal family of the past was an intersection arbitrating numerous races. Neither the King nor the Queen had any time to rest fulfilling their duties. Much less rejoicing while enjoying the sensation of a baby growing in the belly is a luxury."

"A luxury... is it?"

"A King and Queen who possessed everything. Shouldn't they give up at least one large happiness to balance it out?"

Valda taught the forgotten national law of Luiamor. That the King and Queen can only give birth to descendants through a Dryad nanny.

She said it was a law enacted by the founding king with the meaning of bestowing equal love without forgetting that the King is ultimately an existence for the people.

Grace was a true godmother who shared not only the affection of raising her but also the affection of giving birth to her. There was a reason why the Valda of the past so desperately wished for her salvation.

"Valda."

"Hm?"

"Surely you don't consider that law correct either, Valda, right?"

"I never particularly thought deeply about it. Because I never imagined a day would come when I would need it."

"Absolutely not. To not be able to touch and rub my cheeks against this belly swelling up. As a husband, I can absolutely not tolerate..."

"It's embarrassing, so stop. We haven't even had the wedding ceremony yet."

Valda's index finger blocked Eugene's lips. Her ears flushed red ceaselessly perked up.

"Be that as it may, we almost had a huge problem."

"What do you mean?"

Eugene knelt down in front of the puzzled Valda.

Even in the relationship between a King and a knight, kneeling on only one knee is customary. A noble putting both knees on the ground is only the moment they surrender after losing a war or pray before a god.

However, Eugene, who had no such concepts, had no hesitation at all in kneeling on both knees in front of Valda.

Of course, it's an attitude he exclusively shows only to the two, Valda and Homi, absolutely never showing it in front of others.

Gulp.

Therefore, Valda swallowed her saliva feeling pleasure and thrill.

"Kyaak."

When Eugene's index finger touched her belly button through the thin cloth as if picking at it, a cute scream leaked out.

"Wh, what are you doing?!"

"It's a very important problem. Because you almost didn't have a belly button."

Valda is in some aspects the same as being born from an egg.

"Ovoviviparous creatures don't have belly buttons, right? One of a husband's precious joys almost vanished. I'm glad the ancestors of Luiamor were folks who knew a thing or two. Of course! You must have a belly button."

"...Strictly speaking, it's closer to a fruit, though?"

"Ah, that's right. Apples and pears also have belly buttons attached well."

"My head feels like it's starting to ache, so let's stop."

From the figure of Eugene grinning, Valda somehow saw the figure of her father, whom Grace told her about, overlapping.

* * *

Eugene's army crossed over the border of Cornwall in the southwest of Britannia.

"Your army is powerful, but fighting alone is not good. Conveniently, I have the right to demand oaths from vassals."

The Cornwall region is a region where loyalty toward the former Elf royal family is the strongest in the world.

"Geographically it's not bad either. Leaving a safe rear is far more comfortable than a two-front war. But will they acknowledge you, Valda?"

The high renown as the Mage of the Forest and a beauty that could ruin a nation clearly make Valda special. However, nobles won't move armies just with that.

"As you also know, the ruins of Luiamor have almost ceased to exist today."

Operating nature itself to forge buildings, it was a kingdom where corvée labor did not exist. At the same time, they could construct the most cozy cities in the world.

In return, the drawback is that without continuous management, they quickly revert to nature.

"It is contrasting with the Ancient Kingdom in various ways."

Their masonry is incredible, but thoroughly unnatural things. Being built up upon massive corvée labor and sacrifices, they fell far short of their predecessors' structures in scale or coziness.

Instead, the footsteps of the Ancient Kingdom remain unchanged everywhere on the continent even today in the forms of ruins, fortresses, and bridges.

Because they steadfastly maintained their forms even when crossed over to a place not of this world.

"The royal capital that was built in the center of the continent had even its traces trampled and disappeared amidst numerous ravages of war, but Britannia is different."

Valda pointed to the opposite side of their marching path. The central-southern region of Britannia.

"The place where the Half-Fairy family that stood proxy for the royal family and ruled this place in the past resided. That site is preserved even now."

Befitting a family born between an Elf royalty and a human high noble, it's a place built in the style of the 1st Era Elf royal family. The whole thing is a single living creature.

"Can that prove the Princess's identity?"

"...Right now it lost its master and faded away, but it is not dead."

Valda had an embarrassed indication at being called Princess right to her face. However, she doesn't seem to hate it either.

"When a descendant who inherited the blood of the royal family steps on that land, the withered flowers and trees, roads and walls will rise again."

"It must be a miracle possible only for a single person in the world now. That process won't be smooth either."

Valda nodded her head with a sad face.

The region where the Half-Fairy family resided is occupied by a high noble calling himself the King of Britannia. He is a violent person with a great thirst for power.

Even if not necessarily him, over a long time, most lords' loyalty toward the Elf royal family weakened or they forgot completely.

- What ancient times are you talking about? It is right us nobles who rule this land now.

- It's enough to be grateful when washing hands, what more do they want.

In fact, it's a natural thing. Because it's an era closer to legends rather than history since too much time has passed.

It's a world where the vassal relationship of swearing loyalty a mere 2~3 generations ago being overturned is completely not rare. The Cornwall region that still maintains loyalty was an oddball.

"For now, let's try persuading that noble friend coming out to meet us over there with words. If we explain it well, they'll understand."

Eugene discovered a territory visible on the other side and a group of the lord in front of it.

Befitting a noble ruling a barony, he was well-dressed and came out accompanied by knights and soldiers.

Even so, there was a difference in military power enough that they would fly away if Eugene's army merely sneezed.

Prior to driving his horse, Eugene checked his attire. The first debut in Britannia, and meeting nobles to make into allies at that, so he could not show any gaps.

Homi, who flew over unawares, stepped on Might's back and stood behind Eugene. With skill no less than a hairdresser, she cleanly tidied his hair that was pressed by the helmet.

"Do I look okay?"

"Are you asking because you don't know? I just hope that baron happens to be a knight family. Because your posture will be more helpful in persuasion than my blood."

The appearance of Eugene wearing the new armor made from Hydra by-products was truly phenomenal.

Covering his entire body with leather from the best parts, it's light yet leaves no gaps. Armpits or behind the knees that general armors cannot protect were also covered without hindering movement.

The gauntlets took Hydra leather gloves as a base, overlaying bone fragments along the finger joints to simultaneously secure defense, flexibility, and intimidation.

Might, who was already huge, now combined with viper-patterned horse armor to reach the realm of nightmares.

"If the Viscount Excellency and we charge as one mass, any army will retreat daring not to face us!"

Perhaps not solely Valda's bias, the knights following behind also could not suppress their admiration.

The baron who ended up facing them like that was fortunately both a knight family and a loyal subject.

"Your name is...?"

The baron looked at the Elf standing side by side next to Eugene. His stiff expression had shock, hope, and joy swirling complexly.

"Valda El Filiamor. The daughter of the last Elf King Lamaju and the person you must pledge loyalty to."

In front of her speaking calmly, the baron dismounted his horse.

"Our household has a family heirloom passed down since the 1st Era. It is a treasure guarded tenaciously even amidst the genealogy burning while suffering from plagues and invasions."

"What might that be?"

The baron answered the intrigued Valda.

"It is a portrait. It's something a certain ancestor whose name was forgotten along with the burnt genealogy was bestowed when visiting the Elf royal capital."

"The lady in the painting won't be my mother."

"Of course. However, the tiara and accessories remain exactly the same. Because they are symbols of the royal family passed down from generation to generation to the Princess of the next generation."

From the baron to his knights, scribes, priests, and soldiers. The gazes of all of them are fixed on Valda.

Radiant blonde hair like the lady in the portrait and the tiara placed atop it.

Green crystal earrings harmonizing with golden eyes sparkling like gold.

A dress woven in the style of the Elf royalty.

"She looks exactly identical to the person in the painting."

Someone among the baron's group spoke as if possessed. That single phrase was a thought they all shared.

The beautiful posture they, born and raised in the territory, had seen countless times in the lord's manor became reality and appeared before them.

There were only two differences.

Whoosh.

The gold thread-like hair beautifully scattering whenever the wind blew. A scent more venerable than any flower storm.