The short summer in the royal capital came and went.
Gradually, the days grew shorter, and cooler air blew in from the north. As the trees in the capital changed colors and brown leaves began to fall, Erina arrived in the capital with a slightly rounded belly.
“My dear sister, I’m so glad you’re here! I can’t imagine the trip was a comfortable one.”
“Oh, Leorino! Thank you for coming out to meet me. Fortunately, we took our time on the way, so I’ve been feeling all right.”
Pregnant with her first child, Erina looked healthy and radiant. Leorino was thrilled to welcome his sister-in-law’s safe arrival to the royal capital.
No one seemed particularly concerned about whether the newborn would be a boy or a girl. The child would be the new hope of the Cassieuxs. They would surely be a joy and comfort to all members of the family.
“But Leorino, we have more important matters to discuss. You have decided to marry His Royal Highness the King’s brother. I knew you were different from others but…I certainly wasn’t expecting this. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. Was Auriano surprised?”
Erina laughed softly, remembering Auriano’s face when he heard the news.
“He locked himself in his study all day and refused to come out. When he finally left it the following day, he looked positively wretched—I think it came to him as quite the shock.”
He could imagine Auriano’s reaction. His eldest brother was strict, but he adored Leorino as much as his father did.
“My brother must have been heartbroken. Is that why he accepted Julian’s marriage to the Lambardian princess?”
Hearing Erina sigh, Leorino smiled without a word. Perhaps sensing something from his reaction, the wise Erina grinned and went on without mentioning Julian again.
“In the final month of pregnancy, I will return to my parents’ house. Until then, I’ll be staying here with you. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Of course. It’s been a long time since you’ve been back in the royal capital, so I hope you’ll get a chance to spend some time with your close friends and get plenty of rest until the time comes.”
“Thank you, dear.”
Leorino could sense the resolve in Erina’s smile.
Typically, as the due date drew nearer, many noblewomen retired to their domains. Nevertheless, Erina understood that she was sent back to the royal capital in order to keep her safe, given the likelihood that Brungwurt might soon become a battlefield.
Her husband, Auriano, remained in their domain. There was a chance she would never see him again. But Leorino was impressed by Erina’s courage as she tried her best to act in her usual cheerful manner, and realized all over again how strong of a woman she truly was.
Erina was to spend some time at the Brungwurt estate, and, welcoming the future margravine into its halls, the mansion suddenly felt bright and beautiful.
When she first returned to the capital, Erina actively invited her friends to the Brungwurt estate, enjoying their company for the first time in a long while, but eventually, the visits stopped. She was concerned about inadvertently troubling Leorino, as she could sense some of her friends wanted to use the opportunity to connect with him only because he would soon become royalty.
Instead, she was regularly visited by his mother. She also did some shopping for her baby, which mostly helped to dispel her boredom and the occasional bouts of depression.
Recently, even Gauff, who lodged in the Imperial Guard’s quarters, had started showing up surprisingly often.
The men of the Cassieux family were determined to provide Erina with anything she might need, given her role in passing on their bloodline to the next generation, and they pampered her as if she was their greatest treasure.
It was one month after Gravis visited Francoure. The men who knew about the betrayal of the Marquis of Lagarea once more gathered in secret.
Leorino and Ebbo Steiger were not there. Leorino voluntarily declined to participate in the meeting, saying that he had told them everything he knew and that there was nothing more he could contribute. Meanwhile, Ebbo had been reassigned and was already stationed at Zweilink in preparation for the coming war. Such was his wish.
“We have found out where the missing craftsmen are being kept.”
The men tensed at Gravis’s words. Dirk spread a map of the continent on the table.
“Are they somewhere in Gdaniraque, like we expected?”
“Yes… Here. The place appears to be called Merhelique, it’s on the eastern edge of Gdaniraque.”
Gravis pointed to an area in the far east of Gdaniraque, near the edge of the Agalean continent. It wasn’t labeled on the map.
Dirk investigated the map for a while, nodded, and pointed to a spot.
“Look. This is a tributary of the river that flows from the mountain range on the border between Zwelf and Gdaniraque. And see, it connects here to…the Marzwal River, which flows into the Gdanis Sea, where the Jastanya Islands are located.”
The men looked at the map and hummed in agreement.
“They transport the iron from Zwelf by boat, then have craftsmen turn it into weapons here. The weapons are then shipped back up the river.”
“According to the report, Zwelf’s craftsmen are also forced to work here.”
The men nodded in disgust, wondering if Zwelf was forcing even its own citizens into labor, with no regard to appearances.
“To think that our own people are being forced to work so far from our kingdom…” Ginter groaned.
Lucas’s expression also turned irate as he clenched his fists. “We must rescue them immediately.”
But Gravis shook his head. “We’re not sending in troops yet.”
“Why not?!”
“I want to leave the Marquis of Lagarea at large for a while longer. If we rescue them now with a major combat operation, Zwelf or Gdaniraque may contact Lagarea, so we will wait until the war begins.”
The men hummed at the general’s decision. It was the correct strategy. But on an emotional level, they wished to rescue the workers as soon as possible. Gravis nodded reassuringly at the men’s torn expressions.
“When war breaks out and the lines of communication are disrupted, I’ll bring the craftsmen back all at once.”
The men stirred at that.
“All on your own…? That’s too dangerous!”
“I’ll be fine. I can carry a few dozen people at a time. I hate to leave my people in danger until the war, but we’ll have to remain patient a little longer.”
“…Sir.”
“That is the most efficient strategy. I’ve already leaped to Merhelique. I have the location right here.” Gravis pointed to his own head.
The men’s eyes widened. His adjutant could hardly believe his ears.
“Sir…you mustn’t do such reckless things without telling us. To think you were out there all alone… That’s too dangerous.”
“Not at all. My feet didn’t even touch the ground. Nobody saw me.”
“Hm? What do you mean by that?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
The plan for the rescue mission was as such: Gravis would use his ability to send a scouting party to Merhelique and infiltrate it beforehand. After that, he would divide the craftsmen into several groups and have them escape to pre-designated rendezvous points. That would be the role of the scouting party.
From there, Gravis would first move each group to a secure location in Gdaniraque. The multiple long-distance round trips would otherwise be too great a drain on his stamina.
Once all the men were gathered in one place, he would bring them back to Fanoren in one final leap.
The men sighed.
They would not be of any use if the plan was something that no one but Gravis could carry out. In truth, they realized that the most efficient way to organize the operation in the distant Merhelique without the enemies noticing was to rely on the general’s special ability.
“The craftsmen will then remain in Lord August’s lands until the war settles down. Brungwurt is a good place to hide a large number of men.”
“I still wonder if the men were abducted by someone with, well, the same unusual ability as you, sir?”
Gravis nodded at that.
“Yes. I had prior contact with one of the kidnapped craftsmen. According to him, a tall man with the appearance of a kindly merchant approached him. He testified that the scenery suddenly changed and he found himself in Merhelique.”
“A tall man with a kindly merchant-like appearance…?”
Dirk bit his lip in frustration.
“A man with the same unusual ability as Your Excellency would be difficult to catch. I hope we can at least get a better idea of what he looks like…”
Gravis nodded toward his adjutant once more.
“If he’s the same man who transported the boulder to Zweilink eighteen years ago, his Power must be impressive. It’s no small feat to kidnap people without leaving a trace.”
“…Wouldn’t that mean Your Excellency could just as easily kidnap someone if you wished to?”
Gravis raised his brow at his adjutant’s words.
“It would. I could even bring the King of Francoure here in an instant.”