Book 1 Chapter 746

746.

Second Prince. Bedecos's camp.

The morale of Bedecos's faction nobles was sky-high.

"As long as the glorious heroes of Seirun are with us! We will win!"

The person who appeared to be the commander shouted, raising his sword.

"Uuaaaah!"

"Long live Seirun's heroes!"

The knights raised their swords in unison and roared.

The morale of the knights standing on the battlefield was sky-high.

However, the soldiers' morale did not come close to theirs.

This was because the ordinary soldiers were dragged out to fight against people of their own country without knowing why.

Even if they gained the upper hand, their morale could not be easily boosted.

In fact, many soldiers had received favors from the enemy soldiers on the battlefield.

"Why do we have to fight?"

"Ugh… I hate this now. I want to go back home."

"I have family in the west…!"

Resentment spread among the soldiers.

The person, who had been mixed in among the soldiers with their hood pulled up, discreetly disappeared.

A moment later.

The person, who arrived at a tent not far from the soldiers' barracks, quietly took off their hood.

It was Ruka, a half-elf and the third-ranked third-year student of Seirun.

"As expected, the soldiers' morale is at rock bottom."

"As expected."

Runia sighed deeply.

The elf students had grim expressions.

"The humans are so pitiful!"

"Ah. We must end this war quickly!"

"The enemy soldiers are also human… What a tragedy."

Sighs poured out from among the elves.

Runia made a strange expression while watching them.

'No. Just a few months ago, they were cursing humans as barbaric creatures fighting amongst themselves…'

They were seeing the civil war in the Kingdom of Deviant as a great tragedy and feeling genuine pity.

It was by no means a bad trait, but the difference in temperature was something Runia couldn't get used to.

Just then.

Someone entered the tent.

It was Rea, the top-ranked second-year student.

"Everyone! I got some combat rations that the ordinary soldiers eat!"

"Ooh! Human culture, at last!"

"I'm curious!"

"I want to try it!"

"Hey! You guys! Do you think we're here to play! You're so happy to see them eating like idiots… Ker-chok!"

Runia grabbed the back of her neck as she watched the Seirun students' excitement instantly flare up.

The Seirun students flinched at Runia's fierce aura.

"Endure it. Endure it. It's better than hating humans, isn't it?"

Ruka calmed Runia down with an awkward smile.

Ruka was right.

Runia, who had wished for improved relations with humans since the first year, didn't dislike the school's direction.

'The problem is these damn long-eared brats have no sense of moderation!'

Grinding her teeth inwardly, Runia scratched her head vigorously.

Meanwhile, the Seirun students assumed a reverent posture.

"This is very important military provision for the ordinary soldiers. We should not eat this out of mere curiosity. We must eat it while feeling their joys and sorrows."

"I agree!"

Runia covered her face as she watched them change the atmosphere.

The Seirun students were trying their best to feel and understand human culture.

'I have to spend the rest of my school life with these idiots. Should I just leave for Lumeron?'

Laughing sadly to herself, Runia stepped out of the tent.

As she took a deep breath while looking at the sunset sky, Runia suddenly spotted Eiran sitting dejectedly by the campfire, with her legs folded.

"Eiran, what are you doing there?"

"Miss Runia."

Eiran looked at Runia with a face that looked like she was about to cry.

Seeing her, Runia said,

"What? Did the humans call you the Witch of Corpses…?"

"Don't call me such a terrible nickname!"

Startled, Eiran lunged at Runia, grabbed her by the collar, and shook her violently.

"Alright! I won't call you that!"

Feeling dizzy, Runia sat down right in front of Eiran.

Then she sighed.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're here. My magic injures people, so it's not easy for me to participate in the war."

Although Runia participated in the civil war according to the council's decision, she never wanted to kill anyone.

In that sense, Runia couldn't rashly join the battlefield.

Her flames would burn not only the enemy but also allies.

If she wielded such power carelessly on the battlefield, countless people would turn to ashes.

At Runia's words, Eiran sighed deeply.

"I also have trouble controlling my strength."

It was difficult to subdue people without killing them.

Especially on the battlefield.

"Since we've intervened, Lumeron will intervene soon. Then we can lead the two factions to negotiate."

Seirun did not intervene in Deviant's civil war without any thought.

Of course, the reason for intervening in the civil war was something Seirun, who would have imagined just a few months ago, would never have done: 'We cannot stand by and watch humans suffer a fratricidal tragedy.'

Regardless, they intervened believing that if they intervened, Lumeron would intervene, and under the mediation of the two great powers, they could end the civil war.

"Yes. Then we can meet Lord Lissinas too, right?"

News of Lissinas's descent had already spread throughout the world.

Therefore, Eiran eagerly awaited meeting Lissinas.

Meeting the King of Wisdom, not anyone else.

It was when Eiran's eyes were shining brightly.

"… I suppose so. He'll surely be moving with Leo."

Runia's eyes flickered slightly.

Seeing Runia like that, Eiran looked puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

"Will Lord Lissinas always be with Leo?"

"Of course."

"Ugh…"

Thinking that far, Runia bit her lip tightly and fidgeted.

Seeing her, Eiran tilted her head.

"Why?"

"That… Because Leo and Lord Lissinas are close… that is… perhaps at night…"

"Miss Runia."

Eiran's eyes narrowed.

"What? What?!"

Seeing Runia flustered with a blushing face, Eiran said,

"You shouldn't have such vulgar thoughts."

"What's vulgar about it! Compared to those obscene novels you enjoy reading, this is wholesome!"

"What's wrong with the novels I read! And I don't enjoy reading them! It's just out of simple curiosity…!"

"You read too much for mere curiosity! And throw them away! I have to hide your books in my room now!"

"B-but! I've only kept the masterpieces I carefully selected."

"Masterpieces? What was the title of the book series in my room? Three people's…"

"Ack! Ack! Ack! Don't say it! Don't say it! You said you wouldn't read them!"

Eiran, with a bright red face, screamed and lunged at Runia, covering her mouth.

The two, tangled on the floor, struggled for a moment before falling apart, panting.

After a moment, Eiran took a deep breath and said,

"I-I'm sorry. I got excited."

"It's alright."

Runia shook her head, her face clouding over.

"Anyway… Leo and Lord Lissinas are… well… married, aren't they?"

"…That's true."

The relationship between the Hero of the Beginning and the King of Wisdom was a top secret known only to a few.

However, Runia had shared this one thing with Eiran.

"But it's perfectly natural."

Eiran tilted her head.

"…Because of Luna."

"Ah…"

Eiran's face slightly darkened.

Luna, the Star Cluster's Progenitor, whom she deeply admired.

The beautiful Progenitor who cherished them so much.

And Eiran knew what Luna said to the world in her final moments.

Runia had not only been present at the confession but had also seen the two of them before that.

Runia and Eiran felt their hearts grow heavy.

"I wish that future generations would remember the Hero of the Beginning and the Star Cluster's Progenitor as lovers."

Runia said with a slightly guilty expression.

To that, Eiran nodded.

"Me too."

Luna's confession to the world.

Eiran couldn't imagine what kind of heart Luna had when she made such a confession in her final moments.

Perhaps she just wanted to express her long-hidden feelings.

Leo and Luna.

The two of them already lived in different worlds.

Therefore, it was the wish of both of them, no, of all elves, that they would at least be remembered as lovers by future generations.

'I'm so sorry, Lord Lissinas, but…'

"And… this may be blasphemous, but… didn't Lord Leo say that marrying Lord Lissinas was a fraud?"

"That's true."

"Then, shouldn't we consider them not married, regardless?"

"Do you think so?"

"Yes! It must be so!"

"That's right. Given Leo's personality, he wouldn't tolerate being defrauded."

Runia nodded.

Seeing her, Eiran smiled broadly.

"You know, I've actually been writing a novel about Lord Leo and Luna recently!"

"…You… will be struck by divine punishment."

"It's not a weird novel!"

Eiran shouted back and brought a book from her personal tent.

"Look!"

"…I think I'll be struck by divine punishment too…"

Runia carefully opened the book with a dubious expression.

A moment later.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thankfully, it's not an obscene novel."

"Miss Runia!"

"Sorry, sorry."

Laughing "Ahaha-", Runia closed the book.

"But you wrote it really well."

The book was about the love between the Star Cluster's Progenitor and the Hero of the Beginning.

Although the characters' personalities and speech patterns were 180 degrees different from their own, it was fiction, after all.

"This will be a bestseller! I plan to spread the idea that the two of them were in love into people's minds. This is cultural victory, so to speak."

It was a rather ambitious and fatal plan.

But for Eiran, she really wanted to make it happen.

'… Lord Berkkia considered Lord Leo her father.'

That meant her ancestor considered Kyle and Luna her parents.

'I'm sorry to Lord Viharr, Miss Sia… and Lord Lissinas, but…'

Eiran couldn't help but feel more drawn to Berkkia, her distant ancestor, and Luna, her teacher.

Runia nodded at Eiran's words.

"This might actually work."

Although it was the beginning, it was very interesting.

If this novel truly became famous.

People in the world might lean more towards the love between Kyle and Luna.

Just then, Ruka entered the tent.

"Runia, Eiran. The prince's commander has come. It seems to be a strategy meeting."

At that, the two nodded and stood up.

"Oh, right, right, right. I should leave this here."

Eiran left the book she was writing in her tent.

And so, in the dim tent…

Swish-

Someone appeared.

Lissinas stared intently at the book and reached out to check its contents.

After confirming the contents, Lissinas narrowed his eyes.

'These brats. Dangerous.'

He had felt this kind of threat before.

Specifically from Berkkia.

The problem was that Berkkia and these two were clearly different.

Runia and Eiran were obviously very intelligent at first glance, and their social status was also much higher than Berkkia's at the time.

They were very dangerous opponents, possessing both the will and the ability to execute their thoughts.

He had ignored the efforts of Melina and En to connect him and Leo, but he realized it was no longer the time to do so.

Whether in the past or now, elves had a tendency to push forward unexpectedly.

Feeling a sense of crisis, Lissinas felt a sense of urgency.

'These guys are no good. I have to do something quickly.'