Chapter 116
As drinks were passed around, the party officially began.
Like most drinking gatherings, the conversation was filled with meaningless chatter. As usual, Neville boasted, Ivan and Yovan performed tricks that only twins could pull off, and the reserved Yeluna showed off how much food she could fit into her tiny body.
Laughter filled the air.
Hestia laughed so much that her stomach hurt, and tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped them away with her fingers.
“Come to think of it, it’s already been two months since we arrived here.”
“Wow… I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in one place this long, except in a battlefield.”
“And this has been the most luxurious and peaceful time we’ve had as mercenaries.”
At Lavio’s words, the other mercenaries agreed, saying they had lived too comfortably.
Hestia, sipping her whiskey, suddenly had a flash of determination.
‘Now’s the time! I need to convince them to stay here for good…!’
From the moment she learned they were members of the Blaze Mercenary Group, she had wished for them to become knights of Winston. After all, they were talented individuals who would become famous one day.
“Did you enjoy your time here?”
“Of course! It was amazing!”
“I’ll never forget these two months.”
“I wish every day could be like this.”
“I owe you a debt I’ll never be able to repay, Lady Hestia.”
The mood was perfect. It was the right time to bring up the topic of joining the knighthood…
“We’ve had a good rest, so we’re planning to leave for another adventure.”
Hestia, who was about to speak, froze in shock.
“You’re… leaving?”
“Yes, we’ve already discussed it with the captain.”
Hestia turned her head sharply to look at Luciard.
Luciard, who had been drinking wine, set his glass down and spoke.
“When we were in the capital, Lavio mentioned that they were thinking of leaving soon.”
They were mercenaries, after all—free spirits. It was already surprising that they had stayed this long instead of vanishing overnight.
“I thought you would stay with us. Neville, didn’t you say before that becoming a knight was your dream?”
On the first day Luciard came to the duke’s estate, Lavio had mentioned that staying here was a possibility.
She had assumed they all felt the same way.
“To be honest, we did consider it.”
“Being a knight of Winston would be the best job out there.”
“A stable salary, a place to settle down…”
“Honor, too. We could proudly call ourselves knights.”
“Then why…?”
“But we’re mercenaries. Staying in one place feels too suffocating.”
“As much as we love it here, we still want to explore the world.”
“When we visited the capital, we realized… we love adventure.”
Hestia saw the excitement on their faces and bit her lip.
She understood now. She couldn’t keep these free birds caged.
She turned to Luciard, wondering if he felt the same way.
Reading her thoughts, Luciard chuckled and ruffled her hair.
“Don’t worry. I’m not leaving the duke’s estate. I have Leon here—I’m not going anywhere.”
That was a relief. But when he looked at the mercenaries, his gaze was somewhat melancholic.
Then, Lavio hesitated before speaking again.
“Lady Hestia, I overheard you speaking with another noble before. You were talking about the refugees from the Novelie Kingdom, weren’t you?”
Hestia nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Actually… I’m from Novelie.”
Hestia’s eyes widened at the unexpected revelation.
‘Oh, right. None of them are from the Pastine Empire.’
They were all from neighboring countries. That was why they weren’t surprised to learn that Luciard was a noble of Pastine.
“Neville is also from Novelie.”
“When I visited a year ago, the situation wasn’t this bad. But if refugees have made it all the way here, things must be rough.”
“We want to check on our families and see if they’re safe. And as mercenaries, we might also join the civil war.”
“That’s why we wanted to ask… If things get worse, could we send our families here?”
For the first time, the usually playful Neville looked serious as he made his request.
Hestia immediately switched from her friendly demeanor to her role as the duke’s guardian.
“The Empire is preparing to accept some refugees, but we aren’t opening our borders entirely. We are only taking in those who have already arrived.”
She had no intention of officially announcing that the Pastine Empire was welcoming Novelie refugees. That would invite an overwhelming number of people.
“No matter how much we try to control entry, people will find a way in. So, we’ve allowed a small population.”
Lavio and Neville’s expressions darkened.
“You may bring your families to the Empire. But how can you be certain that word won’t spread?”
“I-I promise! We’ll make sure they tell no one!”
“But won’t your families have neighbors they care about? It may sound harsh, but as a noble of the Pastine Empire, I must prioritize my people.”
It wasn’t that she couldn’t take in just a few families.
In fact, she had already agreed with Kenneth to build a larger refugee camp than initially planned.
What worried her was the possibility of rumors spreading that the Pastine Empire was accepting refugees. Word would travel fast, and if exaggerated, the Empire could be flooded with people.
“Still, they’re Lavio and Neville’s families…” Luciard whispered, urging her to reconsider.
Hestia said nothing and looked at Lavio and Neville instead.
Then, after a moment of deep thought, Lavio suddenly stepped forward and knelt before her.
Hestia’s eyes widened, but she remained silent.
“Captain…”
“I beg you.”
“I have a mother, a younger sister, and two younger brothers. I’m not asking because this is the Pastine Empire. I’m asking because I know that you and the captain will take good care of them.”
Lavio had seen firsthand how hard they worked to improve the estate and help its people.
“If it’s not possible, I’ll send money every month to cover their costs. Please, just until the war ends… Let my family stay here safely.”
Neville hesitated before following, kneeling beside Lavio.
“M-Me too! I only have my sister and father. It won’t be a burden, I swear! Please…!”
“We’re all asking you, Lady Hestia.”
“We promise not to tell anyone about the Empire’s policies.”
One by one, the other mercenaries also knelt, waiting for Hestia’s answer.
Gallian, Hilde, and Luciard, who had been drinking with them, fell silent, watching Hestia closely.
She closed her eyes, deep in thought.
Then, a small smile formed on her lips.
Standing up, she reached out and helped Lavio to his feet.
“Stand up. You haven’t done anything wrong to kneel like this.”
“Lady Hestia…”
“There’s enough space to accommodate your families, so don’t worry too much.”
“Does that mean…?”
“Before entering the Empire, please contact us in advance. We’ll personally escort your families to the refugee shelter.”
Lavio and Neville looked at each other and smiled brightly.
Luciad, who had been tense, finally relaxed and leaned back against his chair with a grumble.
“You should have said that earlier if you were going to accept them.”
“When did I ever say I wouldn’t? I was just explaining the situation.”
Luciad gave her a sharp look as if to say it was the same thing.
“Of course, they’re your precious families, so there’s no reason to refuse. But what I said earlier is also true.”
Hestia spoke seriously to the relieved group.
“If word spreads that our Empire is accepting refugees, too many people might flood in, which could cause problems. Please make sure to keep this confidential.”
She held Lavio’s hand and stared intently at Neville. The others also turned their eyes toward him, adding silent pressure.
Neville broke into a cold sweat.
“I swear! I won’t say a word! I won’t even mention that we’re heading to the Empire!”
“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure to keep it a secret.”
“Neville knows his family’s lives are on the line, so he won’t act carelessly.”
At first, Hestia still looked doubtful, but when the other mercenaries reassured her, she finally relaxed.
‘Come to think of it, Blaze Mercenaries started gaining fame after participating in the Noveli civil war.’
Every battle they fought ended in victory, and as a result, more people started following them. By the end of the war, Blaze Mercenaries had become a well-known, powerful force.
Even though they had the strength and skill, without experiencing major events, they would have remained just another mercenary group.
‘Of course, Luciad has to stay here.’
She wondered how far the Blaze Mercenaries could go without their leader.
“When are you planning to leave?”
“We’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Huh? You’re not staying a bit longer…? Ah, but I suppose your families must be worried, so you need to go quickly.”
At first, she felt disappointed, but after thinking about their situation, she understood.
“Actually, we were planning to leave the capital. Everyone wanted to set out on an adventure.”
“But then, you two suddenly announced your engagement, and Young Master Leonhard’s birthday was coming up, so we decided to stay a little longer.”
“Besides, at that time, we didn’t know the Noveli civil war would get this serious. If we had left, we would’ve only found out about it later.”
“We’re really grateful for everything. We’ve had a great time here, and we’ll leave feeling well-rested.”
Hestia heard their appreciation and at last realized that they were leaving.
For some reason, she thought back to when they first arrived.
“…When you suddenly jumped through the window, I nearly had a heart attack.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“It happened! I swear!”
Feeling her nose sting with emotion, Hestia sniffled and raised her glass.
“So today is our last night together! Let’s drink until we drop!”
“Yeahhh!”
“Hestia, you’re really fiery tonight!”
“Now that I think about it, this is the first time we’re properly drinking together. Before, you only had a little wine with meals.”
“Come on, drink up, drink up! Let me tell you the legendary tale of Neville’s last adventure!”
“Someone shut him up.”
“And Gallian, Hilde, you both worked hard too. Let’s keep doing our best together from now on.”
As the lively drinking party continued, everyone burst into laughter, filling the night with warmth and joy.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
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