Chapter 148: Chapter 148

16. Queen of the North

Dion diligently patrolled the walls once again today.

The castle was filled with an atmosphere of impending war, causing tension to pervade its halls. The guards meticulously inspected the outer walls, ensuring their sturdiness and readiness.

Today, Dion’s wall was on the side that reached the Saindart Mountains.

While it seemed unlikely that the enemy would breach their defenses at this location, the unpredictable nature of the surroundings demanded constant vigilance. The threat of lurking beasts or potential avalanches necessitated his unwavering attention, even amidst war preparations.

Ascending the wall, Dion surveyed the Saindart Mountains before him.

Although the scheduled date had not yet arrived, his nervous mind was already set in motion. The significance of the operation was heightened by the possibility that Kalcion might not return. Despite this, he harbored a fervent hope that the operation be scrapped.

As Dion prayerfully gazed at the distant Saindart Mountains, he noticed that an object was moving.

“…Hm?”

As he watched with narrowed eyes, it was like a landslide or a chunk of ice was rolling down from a glacier. He should have sounded the alarm either way. Although the castle wall was blocking it, preparation was necessary.

“Alert! On the mountain side… um?”

“Beast!”

The guards figured out the identity first. Alarm bells rang everywhere.

‘…A beast at this time?

Now was not the time for the beasts to descend.

All of a sudden, something flashed through his mind. It was a jestful remark that came out during a meeting.

[ “If you are going to come back, please catch a beast and come back quickly!” ]

…What did Kalcion reply to that?

[ “I’ll consider it.” ]

Everyone was so tired, so they thought it was just that and moved on to the next agenda. However, was Kalcion the one who said that he would just pass it by?

‘I bet he did that crazy thing… no. He’s been crazy for a while, so there’s nothing he can’t do.’

Dion shook his head and drew his sword. If a real beast had descended, he had to step in on his own. Among the nonspecial guards, those who could deal with beasts had already been selected from the special guards.

“All nonspecial guards, go down to the bottom of the wall and raise your spears! Hurry! Get down!”

With his command, the soldiers rushed down to the bottom of the wall and took a defensive posture. The closer it got, the clearer the beast’s appearance became.

Dion grabbed the hilt of his sword.

Was it really strength or acting ability that he needed right now? The beast, who had run right under the wall, set up its claws and climbed the wall. The thud sound would be heard all the way to the castle.

He nervously waited for the beast to appear.

“Grooah!”

Finally, the beast that jumped over the castle wall roared.

“Sh*t!”

Dion shouted and raised his sword. However, the beast passed him and ran inside the wall.

“Uwaah!”

The soldiers were frightened. However, like well-trained soldiers, they raised their spears without breaking the ranks. The beast stopped in front of the soldiers’ spear blades, let out another long roar and sat down.

“…Huh?”

The beast, who was sitting with its four legs spread under its stomach, purred and groaned. It was a sound that could not be distinguished as a threat or joke. It was only after the feet of the two people riding on the beast’s back touched the ground that it was revealed to be a joke.

Just in time, the wind blew well.

Selina’s long hair and Kalcion’s cloak fluttered nicely. She took a step forward, stroking the beast’s mane that had fluttered together with her side leg.

“Uuhh…?”

The soldiers hesitantly lowered the raised spear blades.

“Your Excellency!”

Dion ran as if he was running towards his lover, whom he got separated with a thousand years ago. The soldiers, who knew how much he had suffered both mentally and physically since Kalcion disappeared, nodded their heads in pity.

Kalcion sternly glanced at Dion, who bowed himself before him.

“Everybody waited a long time.”

Flutter.

His cloak fluttered again like it was staged.

“We needed a winning move, as one of the ways to lead the war to victory. Here… Lady Selina helped a lot.”

“Ah…? Aahh…”

The soldiers looked at each other and nodded their heads in bewilderment.

Suddenly ‘Lady’ Selina?

It was strange that her title had changed, and Kalcion’s way of speaking was also hoarse as if it was out of order. In the meanwhile, Dion felt a sense of déjà vu. It was clear this time, too, that the two of them had put together a coordinated act.

Kalcion’s bad acting, he wouldn’t give up until he died.

“Lady… Selina?”

Although Selina seemed to have started accumulating her own merits, it was unexpected that a title would come out of Kalcion’s mouth.

To Dion, who bewilderedly asked, Kalcion recited lines he had memorized.

“Yes. Not too long ago, She suddenly regained her memories. We couldn’t miss this moment, so we hurriedly came back.”

“Aahh… I see.”

“Yes, it turns out that Lady Selina was of royal blood among the ancient race.”

“Yes… ancient royalty… Aha.”

Dion nodded his head in disbelief. However, it was clear that he wanted to throw something to stop Kalcion from speaking nonsense.

Selina, too, found herself tormented by Kalcion’s desperate attempt at acting.

Despite rehearsing diligently during their journey, it seemed that this was the best he could muster. Moving forward, she hoped that he would recognize his own limitations as an actor and proceed with whatever strategy he had in mind.

Although the performance was Kalcion’s responsibility, why was it she who felt the weight of embarrassment? Suppressing her resentment, Selina gracefully caressed the mane of the beast.

In response, the creature grunted and affectionately licked her hand.

Analyzing the parts of the conversation, this one scene stuck in people’s minds much more convincingly than Kalcion’s acting, which only left an awkward aftertaste.

“Gasp…!”

Not only did Selina appear riding a beast, but she even tamed it like a domestic animal. It may be that she really had special powers because she was from an ancient royal lineage.

Superstition begins with a single miraculous coincidence.

A myth has already begun to write itself in the minds of the soldiers with just one staged scene.

“It was just a small return to Renbird’s grace for helping me when I lost my memory.”

She answered in a different manner than her previous outgoing tone. There was nothing difficult about it because it was an actress’s way of speaking. Rather, her tone was easier and more natural than the obstinate commoner’s tone.

However, Dion’s eyes fluttered as he was unfamiliar with Selina’s tone. Originally, he had a confident look and demeanor, but she now had the dignity of a queen of a country.

‘…Could it be true?’

Even though people were different, they became so different. She didn’t seem to be doing any rough mimicry. That was an attitude that only a person who was treated with dignity and grew up with dignity could do.

There was such a thing as the dignity that made people bow their heads. If she was to follow Kalcion or the noble ladies she had met in the past, Selina had surpassed their dignity.

“First, let’s go back to the castle.”

Dion’s confidence was further strengthened by Kalcion’s respectful courtesy.

‘This is real!’

There were operations to raise Selina’s status, but Kalcion was not the one who would treat a commoner with the same courtesy as royalty. It was clear that something really happened after he went to the Beast Mountains with her.

Wasn’t the Beast Mountains an unknown world? Things like the mysterious bloodline becoming aware can happen enough.

Seeing Selina riding on the back of the beast escorted by Kalcion, Dion came to that conclusion alone.

However, there was something he still didn’t know.

…Kalcion has become a person who will do anything for Selina.

He nor anyone else didn’t know, but that was how it happened.

* * *

The two of them climbed the beast again and headed for the castle.

Upon hearing the news, the guards came running and surrounded them on horseback. The procession of two people riding a beast instead of horses naturally caught people’s attention.

“That, isn’t that a beast?”

“Wack! A beast! A real beast!”

The people of Renbird grew up watching the corpses of beasts brought as trophies. Nevertheless, it was the first time for them to see a living one. At first, they were frightened and ran away, but were calmed down as the procession was accompanied by the special guards.

“It’s the Master!”

Someone recognized Kalcion and shouted.

“Who is next to him?”

“I don’t know. Is that woman driving the beast?”

Selina was unknown even to those outside the castle. The time she stayed at Renbird’s Castle wasn’t that long, and it was still a long way for rumors of the capital to reach this place. The woman riding on the beast’s back with Kalcion would, of course, draw people’s attention.

“Seeing that she was with His Excellency, I guess she’s not a normal person.”

“She’s probably a noble, right?”

“Wouldn’t ordinary noble ladies faint at the sight of the beast’s fur? She will not be a normal person.”

“Krrr…”

As the beast growled excitedly at the sudden increase in people, Selina snatched the reins and shut the beast’s mouth.

“HAH!”

People gulped at the sight and were amazed.

However, that was only for a while. When they were sure of their safety, they began to cheer instead.

“She is a goddess! The goddess has come!”

“The goddess has returned with the Master!”

The beast was getting more excited, so it ran faster. People cheered even louder, seeing the beast, which was faster than horses.

The procession of cheers continued for a long time until they reached Renbird Castle.

Even if Renbird had the legendary undefeated Kalcion, a war in which armies collide directly with one another will inevitably bring tension. The human trait of becoming more anxious and more reliant on the supernatural would make her the goddess.

Selina curled up her lips.

It was as planned.

Although they couldn’t keep up with the beast’s speed, people crowded all the way to the castle.

The gatekeepers were startled by the influx of people and the beast that appeared with it and swung their spears. Regardless, they soon saw two people on the beast’s back and ended up in the same state as the crowd.

The gates opened wide in front of the two of them. As Kalcion, who got off the beast first, held out his hand towards her, Selina smiled and took his hand.

At that moment, cheers exploded again.

However, Kalcion didn’t stop there. He took Selina’s hand and kissed the back of her hand.

“Welcome to Renbird Castle again, My goddess.”