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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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I sat in a chair, lost in thought, holding the sleeping Eleanor in my arms like a princess.
‘The Star Witch and I are destined to become enemies.’
The Star Witch, the self-proclaimed caretaker of the witches, would never tolerate my taking them for myself.
If I, a mere pawn, dared to covet her as well, we would inevitably become enemies.
Of course, she was still unaware of my intentions and believed she had me on a leash, so I had time to prepare for the inevitable conflict.
‘The question is, what is the Star Witch’s ability?’
She was the mastermind behind the Seven Witches, a “true” witch capable of even possessing another person from a different world. Her abilities were undoubtedly more than just simple disguise.
To impose my will on such a witch, I needed to become stronger. Overwhelmingly stronger, so she wouldn’t even dare to try anything.
It was also crucial to recruit the other witches before the Star Witch could intervene.
‘It’s a race against time.’
I reached this conclusion just as,
“Mmm…”
Eleanor stirred. The effects of the drug were wearing off.
She squirmed in my arms, then opened her eyes slightly. Her eyes widened as they met mine, and she quickly closed them again.
Her relaxed body tensed, her cheeks flushed, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Her throat bobbed, and she cracked open her eyes, glancing around. She didn’t seem to understand why she was in my arms.
“Are you awake?”
Eleanor squeezed her eyes shut again, as if that would make her less noticeable.
I leaned closer, and she turned her head away, as if sensing my warm breath on her skin. A blush spread to her neck.
I whispered in her ear,
“If you keep pretending to sleep, I’ll carry you like this through the streets.”
Eleanor flinched, her closed eyelids twitching. More beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Did she find it too embarrassing to wake up like this? Only after I stood up, still holding her, did she open her eyes and struggle.
“W-What?! Put me down!”
“I told you I would do this if you kept pretending to sleep.”
“I’m awake now!”
“It’s too late.”
“What?”
Eleanor stopped struggling as soon as we left the tent and entered the main street. Instead, she buried her face in my chest, hiding from the world.
It was understandable. The moment we stepped onto the street, we were met with stares and lewd comments.
“What has the world come to? A man and a woman embracing so openly in broad daylight.”
“Shh. That’s the infamous scoundrel. You’ll be more than just punched if you cross him.”
“Hmm, then is the woman in his arms a whore? I knew it from the moment I saw her shapely ass. She must be a lewd woman.”
“Want to go to the brothel tomorrow? We can ask for the whore the scoundrel had today.”
“Hmm… That’s a good idea.”
Eleanor’s face turned crimson as she was instantly reduced to a whore, a plaything in the imaginations of the men around her.
I whispered in her ear,
“It seems you’re quite popular with the citizens, My Lady Lord.”
“I-I don’t need this kind of popularity.”
“Be careful. It would be troublesome if your identity were revealed.”
While there was no way for ordinary citizens to recognize Eleanor, who rarely left the castle, she, flustered, didn’t realize this and buried her face deeper into my chest.
Humans are social creatures. They inevitably influence each other.
Perhaps Andrei had only asked for the lives of the Montoya family, who had constantly obstructed him, to be spared because he had known them for so long. Even a bad relationship was still a relationship.
Of course, my relationship with Eleanor wasn’t at that level yet.
Even after sharing a bed since that night, she remained passive, becoming irritable whenever I was intimate with Anya. As a result, we hadn’t even attempted a proper threesome.
Still, it wasn’t entirely ineffective.
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“Why are you so late?”
Eleanor, who had been waiting for me at the gate, snapped. It was more of a playful complaint than genuine anger.
“It’s not yet time for our appointment. The bells haven’t even rung.”
“Whatever. Take this.”
She was already wearing the clothes, glasses, and carrying the umbrella I had given her. She handed me the umbrella, and as I opened it, she casually took my arm.
Our afternoon dates after lunch seemed to have become a regular occurrence. I was certain it was the highlight of her day.
“Where are we going today?”
She pulled me along, even though we hadn’t decided on a destination, which seemed to prove my point.
“Why don’t you choose this time, My Lady Lord?”
“Hmph, now you ask for my opinion? After ignoring my pleas every night and ravishing Anya and me?”
Her words were quite bold, considering we were still close to the castle and there weren’t many people around. Eleanor didn’t seem to find it strange.
Well, after spending half her days immersed in pleasure, this probably seemed trivial. How dangerous it was to become accustomed to such things.
“While your words might have forbidden it, your actions spoke differently.”
“W-What are you talking about? Do you think I have two mouths?”
Eleanor’s face flushed as she yelled. She knew what I meant but was feigning ignorance. I placed my hand on her hip, pulling her closer, and whispered in her ear,
“The one who was riding me last night, bucking her hips, should know the answer.”
“I never did that! Don’t make things up.”
Eleanor pushed against my chest with her arm, but her hand was weak. Had she learned from experience that force wouldn’t work? Or did she simply not want to resist?
“You’d be wise not to tell such obvious lies, My Lady Lord. Don’t forget, it’s not even midday yet.”
“You perv… Haa…!”
Eleanor, about to retort, moaned softly as I gently nibbled on her earlobe. She instinctively squirmed.
Then, realizing her reaction, she pushed against my chest and escaped my embrace.
“You animal! Do you have no self-control? Even animals aren’t this constantly aroused!”
“A man needs this much stamina to handle two women at once.”
“Shut up!”
Eleanor turned her back and stormed off. However, she stopped when I didn’t follow, then, after pacing impatiently, she returned and grabbed my hand.
“Hurry up!”
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Eleanor led me to the coast, where the wall construction was underway. She looked down at the captured members of the opposing faction, now working as laborers, her expression impassive.
“The Earl will attack soon, now that you’ve crushed the Montoya family.”
I stood beside her. The sea breeze was strong on the cliffs. A single misstep could send us plummeting into the abyss.
“Quaran’s coastline is a series of cliffs. With even a simple wall, the enemy wouldn’t dare to invade.”
“The problem is the harbor, isn’t it?”
The harbor, situated in the low-lying area within the ear shaped bay, was the only docking facility. Any enemy approaching by sea would have to capture the harbor to advance inland.
“The enemy won’t be able to enter the bay.”
In the future that would no longer be, Eleanor had employed a defensive strategy that utilized the unique geography of the ear-shaped bay. I intended to implement that strategy now, slightly ahead of schedule.
“What if they come by land?”
“That would be far less efficient than attacking by sea, along the coastline.”
“But if they can’t access the bay, as you said, they’ll have no choice but to come by land.”
Eleanor was right.
While Earl Dressten wouldn’t have the resources to focus on Quaran if my plan succeeded, he was capable of waging war on two fronts if he pushed himself.
However, even if he did, it wouldn’t necessarily put us at a disadvantage.
“I hope that’s the case.”
If the Earl overextended himself, it would create weaknesses that I could exploit.
Eleanor, turning to me, frowned.
“You’re scheming again, aren’t you?”
“It’s something that would benefit us all, so why not call it strategy instead of scheming?”
“Hardly.”
Eleanor scoffed and turned away, still holding my hand tightly. We walked for a while, then,
A cloud of dust appeared in the distance, and a lone rider approached. The man who hurriedly dismounted looked familiar.
“Sir Muel?”
Muel, having switched sides at the opportune moment, had been handsomely rewarded and even knighted.
“Sir Allen! You are summoned back immediately!”
It was a much sooner summons than I anticipated. It was still too early for the Earl to have fully grasped the Baron’s intentions.
I asked calmly, needing to understand the situation before acting.
“On whose authority?”
“Lord Segeric’s.”
The Baron had sent me to Quaran. For Segeric to countermand that order meant something had happened to the Baron.
Moreover, the fact that Muel had contacted me immediately after suggested everything was proceeding according to plan.
“Civil war?”
“How did you…!”
Muel couldn’t hide his surprise. He hadn’t expected me to deduce the situation so quickly from just a few words.
He quickly recovered and urged me,
“This is no time for idle chatter! Everything is unfolding exactly as you predicted! We must hurry…!”
I looked at Eleanor.
“It seems we must part ways for now.”
“Good riddance. You can stay away permanently. I’ll take care of Anya.”
Eleanor’s lips twitched. She seemed to think that with me gone, she could return to her blissful days with Anya. She was mistaken.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright, confined to the castle?”
“I’ve managed just fine until now.”
“You’ll regret that. Once you’ve tasted freedom, you’ll never want to go back.”
Having experienced it, Eleanor would be tormented by the memories of the past week’s freedom and long for my return. My efforts hadn’t been in vain.
“Don’t delude yourself.”
Of course, Eleanor couldn’t comprehend my words. Not yet.
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Meanwhile,
“Lord Joang! We have intel that Sir Muel has left Polton for Quaran!”
Despite Muel’s precautions, he couldn’t escape Joang Conrad’s intelligence network.
Joang, who had raised an army in Ailgar’s name immediately after hearing of the Baron’s assassination, was encamped near the tower where the previous battle had taken place.
“Father in law, he must have been summoned.”
Ailgar, who was present to discuss their next move, was also there.
“Indeed. With the Baron’s advisors remaining neutral, Allen is the only one Segeric can rely on.”
After the Baron’s death, Segeric and Ailgar had accused each other of being the assassin. The problem was that both had plausible alibis.
Segeric, confirmed as heir, had no reason to assassinate the Baron; he only had to wait to inherit the title.
And Ailgar, who had been staying at Joang Conrad’s territory, preparing to join the Crusades, was too far away to have acted directly.
Therefore, the Baron’s advisors, reserving judgment, had chosen to remain neutral in the conflict.
In truth, it was the result of Joang Conrad’s maneuvering, using his extensive political connections.
Without the advisors’ support, Segeric, whose forces had been significantly weakened by the previous war, was destined to lose the civil war.
There was only one problem.
Allen Tolbatz
“I hate to admit it, but his prowess is genuine. We must eliminate Segeric before he arrives and I can claim the Barony.”
“War isn’t a duel. Individual prowess has little bearing on the outcome.”
“He’s also a skilled commander! Look what he did to Sir Powell!”
“Even Sir Powell admitted that the outcome would have been different if he had properly assessed Allen beforehand.”
Joang Conrad refused to acknowledge that Allen posed a significant threat to his plans.
He had only heard of Allen’s unpredictable skills, and, being a strategist, he believed individual prowess wasn’t a decisive factor in war.
Of course, the biggest reason was that he had left room for Allen to switch sides through Josephine.
‘I need insurance. The fact that he’s hiding a bastard is proof he has ulterior motives.’
Ailgar, unaware of the agreement between Allen and Josephine, couldn’t help but be frustrated. From his perspective, it was a simple game. all he had to do was to reach Polton before Allen and eliminate Segeric.
‘That clueless old man…!’
With the two leaders of the rebellion harboring different agendas, their movements were inevitably sluggish.
Allen was rapidly approaching Polton, exploiting this opening. And a hundred mercenaries followed close behind.
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A civil war!!!! After seggs 😏
Eleanor so adorable! Anyway thanks for the chappie!