“You’re splendid, Lady Serena!” Count Bodgar cried. “I never doubted you for a second!”
He had completely flipped his personality from earlier and immediately showed his humble and subservient side. The count even put his hands together in gratitude. He was that easy to read. Many citizens gathered around us, shocked when they heard the news that we had completely exterminated the enormous horde of monsters.
“Silence, Count Bodgar!” I shouted, my voice filled with condemnation. “I will escort you to the royal capital!”
“Wh-what are you on about?!” the count yelped, utterly baffled by my proclamation as the crowd surrounded us.
“It is your fault that the orcs grew in number,” I said. “How many citizens were harmed because of your callous acts? His Majesty shall not abide your crimes!”
The king had never asked me to do any such thing. I was completely unauthorized to do this, but it pissed me off that I’d worked so hard for a guy like him. So I decided to take him in as a criminal.
“It’s not my fault that the orcs reproduced to that degree!” Bodgar retorted, his rotund body trembling. “You have no right to judge me for this incident!”
He was right. While his handling of the situation had been problematic, it wasn’t a crime in and of itself. But I didn’t care. I hated him, and that was all that mattered.
“I have a list of your charges and crimes!” I shouted. “I have evidence of your numerous illegal activities within your fief!”
“Impossible!” Count Bodgar cried. The color drained from his face. “I know of no such thing! I’m innocent!”
I also knew of no such thing. I just randomly spouted nonsense, but he didn’t look like he governed his fief well. His subordinates seemed to hate him, after all. The gathered citizens remained silent. However, they seemed delighted by the count’s desperate groveling, which further confirmed my beliefs.
Just then, Alice returned. She was expressionless as usual but gave me a thumbs-up. She had gathered the evidence. Ever since her days at the orphanage, Alice was used to sneaking into people’s rooms to dig through journals and letters. It was in her nature to skulk around, so I’d had her infiltrate Count Bodgar’s manor and find evidence of any illegal activities that he might have done.
“Alice, show them the evidence!” I ordered.
“Certainly,” Alice replied. “I’ve found a secret ledger for his tax revenue, and the numbers differ from the tax reports that he was supposed to submit to the kingdom. There are additional documents that imply that he has accepted bribes to offer people jobs. I’ve also found a letter that recounts how he unjustly seized assets from a wealthy merchant by falsely accusing them.”
Alice unfurled several pieces of paper and showed them to the crowd.
“Someone, seize her!” the count shouted.
His cheeks grew red as he gave his soldiers the order, but they all glanced at each other and didn’t budge an inch. Richard stood nearby and cracked his knuckles as a form of intimidation. True to his appearance, Count Bodgar was a criminal, and I was very happy to hear that.
Whether he was a criminal or not, my actions wouldn’t have changed, though.
I just needed to rally support from the citizens so that I wouldn’t be nagged when I returned to the royal capital. I turned to the crowd.
“Citizens of this land, I am Serena Rosenberg! Under the orders of the king, I have come here to bring peace! I have set a horde of tens of thousands of orcs ablaze for your sake. It was imperative for me to do so, all to ensure that you may live in peace. However, your true enemies are not solely monsters. Certain lords of the land who engage in misdeeds and injustice are also our enemies. They have done our country wrong. They threaten not only our nation but citizens like you—the very foundations of our country—and disturb our way of life. We must band together to fight against such evil and muster our courage to face them. We cannot yield to deception and misdeeds. We must face any hardships together and act with courage! That is what is expected of us, and that is the true form of peace that His Majesty desires. Today, a new era shall dawn upon this land!”
Frankly, I winged my speech as I always did. I didn’t really understand my own words, but the citizens erupted in a mighty roar. Many even began to tear up.
Very good. As long as I accomplished these feats, there was no room for doubt. People would assume that I’d acted strictly under the orders of the king. Besides, His Majesty was to blame for pushing all these troublesome affairs onto me. If he didn’t at least clean up after my messes, it wouldn’t be worth all this hard work.
Amid the loud cheers, I tossed Count Bodgar—who was bound with rope—into the luggage space of a simple carriage. Other nobles and officials who were also suspected of or involved in various misdeeds were quickly restrained by the citizens. I suspected that these criminals would only provide testimonies that painted me in a negative light, so I wanted each and every one of them to be dealt with.
With that situation handled, I left the fief.
✦ ✦ ✦
The following day, I returned to the castle with a smile on my face.
“Your Majesty, Father, I have brought peace to the fief in question, just as ordered!” I reported back.
“I-indeed,” the king replied. “Good work.”
The two men looked slightly taken aback, but I received no scolding. I had eradicated the orcs and captured an evil lord, so there was no reason for them to make any complaint against me. I’d dragged Count Bodgar back to court, and per my request, he was pronounced guilty and thrown into prison.
I continued to bring my squires to fight against monsters. Honestly, I felt like I was leading a group of mercenaries. Everywhere I went, I was welcomed warmly by the lords and the populace. According to them, I was apparently a saintess who could defeat all manner of creatures. I could hardly believe it. I could use normal spells, but I couldn’t use light magic. I explained as much to anyone who would lend me an ear, but I was seen as a saintess who rehabilitated rowdy orphans, showed mercy to stray dogs, and was skilled with magic and the sword.
Since I’d become engaged to the crown prince, the king had presented me as such. I couldn’t blame him. If the future queen personally acted on issues facing the people, it meant that the kingdom got credit. That would allow His Majesty to wield his power and have more influence over his citizens. The royals weren’t quite all-powerful in this nation and often held meetings with high-ranking nobles to decide upon policies.
In my previous life, I’d been cast aside, and Eleanor stole the seat of future queen from me. I assumed that these conferences were to blame—the future king chose the fame of a saintess over the backing of a duke.
In this timeline, not only did I hold power and influence because I was part of a duke’s household, but I was also lauded as a hero for vanquishing monsters. If they made me into a saintess, it would be convenient for the royal family.
In the previous timeline, Eleanor had done these quests that I’d been tasked with, all by herself. Just because she could use light magic, that didn’t mean they were easy feats. She was only fifteen at the time.
What was I doing in my previous life when I was fifteen? I can only recall wasting money frivolously on stupid things. I was far too ignorant and sheltered in my previous life.
As I went to battle across the kingdom, drenched in the blood of monsters, I began to reflect on my past life.