NOVEL WEB Chapter 12
Gossip travels further than spring pollen, especially among the noble class, who constantly strive to keep up with new rumors and trends like gossip and family trees.
The Red Dragon.
Ludmilla Dreg Valtaria.
She has a man now.
Initially dismissed as nonsense, nobles began to react as the scandal involving Princess Ludmilla swept through the Imperial City.
“W-Who’s the guy dating the Red Dragon?!”
“I heard it’s the second son of the Hohenberc family! Edanant!”
“Never heard that name before… Wait, Hohenberc?! That means…!”
The Hohenberc family was where Maximilian, the warrior who broke off his engagement with the Third Imperial Princess Elizaveta, came from.
In other words, the princess, who almost became family, is now linked to the noble!
Given their fondness for outrageous relationships, the scandal surrounding Princess Ludmilla spread like wings. It became the talk of every banquet and tea party.
“…….”
The Imperial City was buzzing.
The suddenly ignited scandal eventually reached the citizens.
What if it got published in the newspapers?
I anxiously glanced at the journalists, thinking about the imminent breaking news. The scandal surrounding Princess Ludmilla was surely a headliner. Various newspapers must be scrambling to cover it.
“Edan is getting famous like Max! Everyone’s talking about Edan!”
“…….”
If even the little kids know about it, the citizens must all be aware.
I messed up.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime blunder I didn’t foresee.
Was it because I had relatively little romantic experience in my past life?
Or was it my complacency in thinking, “There’s no way Ludmilla takes me seriously”?
The tale of the Hohenberc family’s second son meeting the third princess began to circulate as an outrageous exchange.
On top of that, exaggerated fake news poured in, fueling the fire.
“Welcome! I’ve been waiting!”
“Thank you for calling me.”
I stayed at a villa provided by the royal family.
The next day, I received a message from the maid and arrived at an outdoor café located within the palace.
As I arrived with Rue, Ludmilla waved at me like we were old classmates.
“Should we order batch brew coffee? What will you have?”
“I’ll have the same coffee.”
Batch brew coffee, which extracts multiple cups at once, was of course preferred by the nobility and officials, who had mountains of paperwork to tackle.
Looks like Ludmilla prefers batch brew coffee as well. What a coincidence, since it’s my go-to drink.
“Were you reading the news?”
“I read the day’s news every morning. The Emperor does as well. We need to know about events happening in the world, right?”
What would happen if “Princess Ludmilla’s scandal” became a headline in her favorite newspaper?
Hmm.
I can only imagine a huge uproar.
I pictured the Red Dragon’s fury sweeping the newspaper that dared publish such scandalous material.
I could already envision myself being burned at the stake alongside the journalists for being part of the scandal.
Getting mentioned in this scandal would certainly irk me.
“How’s the room provided by the royal family? Is it comfortable?”
“I’m grateful for your kindness.”
Ludmilla was wearing a simple outfit—a white blouse, black suit pants, and an elegant tailored jacket draped over her shoulders.
Her outfit highlighted her mature beauty. With the occasional seductive smile, she exuded an allure of maturity.
Seeing her ample bosom straining against her blouse made it a bit hard to breathe.
I flushed slightly as I watched her check papers while sipping coffee.
“Ever since the Saintess Party went missing, incidents have been nonstop. All embassies, including the one in the Rugan Principality, have been attacked.”
Ludmilla handed over a document.
Black-and-white photos of charred buildings filled the page, detailing the extensive damage caused by the attacks.
It was practically a declaration of war.
It was revenge against the Valtarian Empire, which fully supported the Saintess Party, just like the Gael Holy Kingdom.
The fact that they burned down foreign embassies suggested an impending assault on the Empire’s homeland.
Ludmilla frowned, reflecting strong concern.
“As time passes, their offensive will become bolder. We need a countermeasure.”
“Finding their base would be great.”
A sigh filled with distress escaped her lips.
I nodded gravely at her words.
“This is so delicious! Melts in your mouth! Edan, you should try one!”
“Should I?”
I shifted my gaze from the violent disaster to the girl with green hair.
Nom-.
Nom-. Nom-.
She diligently devoured her food with her tiny mouth.
It looked like a sparrow pecking at bread crumbs.
The outdoor café brunch featured Eggs Benedict, a muffin with butter topped with bacon and a soft-cooked egg, drenched in hollandaise sauce.
As expected from the luxurious outdoor café, it delivered an exquisite flavor experience.
“I’ll maximize the intelligence division’s efforts to find one particular person.”
“If they’re suitable to resolve this situation… I’d of course assist.”
While petting the fairy who was munching on her brunch like a country dog, I responded.
The person who could resolve this crisis.
The Valtarian Empire’s intelligence division was on the hunt.
They were probably looking for someone among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States or someone of equal caliber.
To clean up the ruffians preparing for the Ascension of Evil, they’d need some serious firepower.
“We’ll search for the sixth member of the Saintess Party…the warmonger, a hero of the Fourth Continental War.”
“Cough!”
At Ludmilla’s bold declaration, I inadvertently squeezed Rue’s head a bit too hard.
At that moment,
Rue spit out the orange juice she had been guzzling.
*
The Gael Holy Kingdom was busy managing the chaos that began with the disappearance of Saintess Beatrice.
What kind of being is a Saintess?
Saintesses, who inherit divine abilities from birth, are incarnations of the Earth Mother, Gael.
With the disappearance of Beatrice, who held a unique position among the Saintesses in the Holy Kingdom, the believers’ faith began to waver.
The faction supporting Beatrice, which had been the focal point of faith since she was chosen as the new Saintess, was on the brink of collapse.
“Why did Your Grace accept this proposal? This is clearly a ploy to remove the Saintess from the Holy Kingdom’s dynamics!”
Bishop Rohan expressed his strong concerns.
However, the woman praying on the floor paid him no heed.
She clasped her slender hands together.
Maintaining a straight posture, her slim waist stood upright.
Her silver hair flowed elegantly over her veil, exuding a serene beauty.
It was as if one was facing pure white with no trace of impurity. Such elegance was only permitted to the incarnation of the Earth Mother, bestowed with innate divinity.
Rohan fell silent, his anger subsiding.
“Well, I had no intention of playing into Your Grace’s schemes at all.”
I’ve changed my mind, the silver-haired woman murmured softly.
“I wonder what reason our dear successor has for disappearing? It’s quite interesting that the cherished adopted daughter of Your Majesty, who adored her superiors, has gone missing along with her favored gentlemen.”
She had beautiful silver hair cascading down to her calves.
Her sparkling blue eyes shone brightly.
Her skin was as white as the snowflakes of early winter, encapsulating elegance and grace.
Her refined appearance radiated divine beauty.
Certainly, she is the incarnation of the Earth Mother.
It was no wonder countless seekers fervently praised her.
“With the disappearance of the Saintess Party, the Ascension of Evil has begun anew… will that person, who vanished during the Continental War, not break his silence and show himself?”
The inheritor of the white dragon, who protects Goddess Gael.
The First Saintess.
Zebeline Albion Russell.
A hint of joy flickered across her blessed face.
Rohan discerned that Zebeline’s reason for participating as the Valtarian Empire’s envoy while accepting the obvious manipulations of the Holy Kingdom was to find ‘that person.’
Having served the Saintess for a long time, Rohan knew better than anyone what she wanted.
“However, the warmonger is an enigmatic figure. Some treat him as a fictional character fabricated by the Valtarian Empire. There’s nothing but wild rumors… how do you plan to find him?”
“I have a clue.”
Although numerous kingdoms, including the Valtarian Empire, have tracked his traces, he remained an eternal mystery.
Hence, Rohan shook his head, expressing his confusion.
The sixth member of the Saintess Party, the warmonger.
His existence was shrouded in uncertainty.
How could anyone possibly find him?
Yet, Zebeline had some certainty regarding the conundrum.
“During the Racial War, which was hell on earth, I was once under the warmonger’s protection. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see his face, but I got a crucial lead while being close to him.”
“Really?!”
A vital clue to locating the warmonger.
She holds that clue.
Although Rohan had once dismissed it as impossible, he began to feel the persuasive power of Zebeline’s words.
“There was a smell of gunpowder.”
“Excuse me?”
“He always smelled of strong gunpowder.”
“……”
What kind of clue is that?
Given the battlefields where shells and bullets rain down, the scent of gunpowder would be everywhere!
This is ridiculous.
I buried my head in my hands and plopped down.
I cried out, echoing the despair of a believer confronted by an atheist philosopher.
“Anyway, I will find him for sure. I intend to repay my benefactor. So, Bishop Rohan, you must prepare to leave for the Valtarian Empire with the priests.”
“…Yes.”
Zebeline showcased strong determination, brushing off Bishop Rohan’s frustrated sigh.
The benefactor who saved her life.
A person who would resolve the ongoing troubles.
The white dragon of the Holy Kingdom, having joined late into this battle, claimed she would find the enigmatic figure, just like the red dragon of the Empire.
– He always smelled of gunpowder.
It was indeed a paltry clue, but Zebeline did not back down.