“Oh, no. I meant that I’m going to check if the Princess is sleeping properly tonight.”
“Hmm.”
“Trust me.”
For some reason, there was a sense of urgency in Laslo’s face.
Ignoring him, Agnes walked past and entered the dining room.
“We’ll do it tonight……… What should I wear?”
“Just a moment, Princess. What I meant was…”
“Oh, should I be undressed instead of wearing something?”
Agnes nervously continued towards the dining table. Laszlo’s face turned red.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Shortly after, the wizards began arriving in Sutmar one by one.
When asked if they would like to look around the land, they shook their heads and wished to see the tool used in making magic stones.
So when it was brought to them, they became excited and immediately locked themselves in their rooms to work on it.
“How did you manage to obtain the materials for the magic stones?” Laslo asked.
“Hmm. When I asked the wizards, they said it doesn’t matter what gemstones are used for the materials.”
“Really?”
“They said it doesn’t have to be expensive, so find something suitable…”
“Even a Black Sapphire?”
“Probably, right?”
His words suddenly made her realize. Come to think of it, black sapphire is a jewel too.
Immediately, she sent her servants to the wizards to ask them if they could make magic stones using black sapphire. The response came back as positive.
“Let’s send someone to Ethron right away.”
Agnes jumped up in excitement. Laszlo chuckled.
“Let’s do that. It’s good that the reserves there are huge.”
The cost of buying jewelry was expensive, so they saved a lot of money. As things fell into place smoothly, laughter kept bubbling up.
Agnes first purchased some Black Sapphires available in the market and handed them over to the wizards.
Compared to other gemstones, they held a similar amount of magical power.
Agnes hurriedly sent the servants to Ethron.
Spring has passed.
By the middle of summer, the Black Sapphires mined in the Etron mines arrived in Sutmar.
Carts continuously transported the Black Sapphires.
The quantity was so vast that from afar, it looked like a black mountain.
“Go ahead and create to your heart’s content.”
Agnes handed them all over to the wizards with a benevolent face.
“Thank you!”
Over ten wizards eagerly lit up and immersed themselves in making magic stones. She allowed them to make as many magic stones as they desired for their research, but she set a quota for each person to produce.
Thanks to this, several boxes of magic stones were produced every day.
It collects magical power in the air and puts it into the jewel, so there’s no way to run out of magic.
“It’s like digging the air.”
Agnes looked at the freshly produced magic stones today with a deep smile.
Just imagining what she could do using this was exciting.
As she exited the building where the magic stone boxes were stacked, Laslo walked briskly towards her from afar.
“Duke.”
Agnes ran to him with a joyful heart. However, as she got closer, she noticed that his expression was grave.
“Princess. Go into the castle right now.”
“What’s going on?”
“A group of lequi appeared.”
“Lequi? The ten-legged beast?”
Agnes’ face also became serious.
Even Agnes, who was not well-versed in demonic beasts, had heard of the notorious Lequi herd.
“Yes. They seemed quiet this year, but it seems like the herd has grown in number. So, please enter the castle. Ah! Zoltan….”
Zoltan, clad in armor, suddenly appeared from behind.
“Let’s go, princess.”
“I’ll leave you with Zoltan, just in case.”
A sense of unease crept in.
Agnes stared blankly at Laslo’s face.
He gently touched her shoulder and said,
“Princess. Don’t worry. Beasts rarely come all the way to the castle.”
Laslo’s voice became softer, perhaps because he felt her body hardened in fear.
“Zoltan will be with you.”
Laslo nodded at Zoltan. Zoltan understood the meaning and pulled Agnes lightly.
“Princess, this way.”
“Will you come back safely?”
Even though she knew it was a completely different situation from before, the lingering fear did not dissipate.
Agnes shook off Zoltan’s hand and approached Laslo.
“Duke. Promise me. You’ll come back alive and safe.”
Laslo smiled, about to respond with a promise but stopped mid-sentence.
Her complexion was so pale that it seemed like she could faint at any moment.
“Duke.”
“I’ll return to the castle without getting hurt anywhere.”
Agnes trembled without realizing it.
– Stay healthy.
She was haunted by that time. The image of his eyes, the last she saw before they closed, kept flashing in her mind.
Laslo hesitated for a moment, and soon dragged Agnes toward him and lightly hugged her.
“I will definitely come back.”
Her trembling body gradually calmed down. Agnes hugged him back hard with her arm.
He’s still alive.
“I will return to the Princess.”
Laslo swept Agnes’ back very gently. She buried her face in his chest and nodded repeatedly.
“Oh, if anyone sees this, they’ll think it’s a farewell before going off to war.”
Zoltan, who was watching the affectionate couple next to him, grumbled.
“Focus on worrying about someone who needs worrying. It’s faster for my brother to break his nose for falling backwards than to get hurt by a beast.”
Zoltan’s blunt words somehow brought reassurance.
Indeed, Laslo is always one of the most powerful knights in the past and even now.
“Duke. Return safely.”
Laslo carefully released Agnes from his arms.
“Please.”
Zoltan nodded.
Agnes struggled to walk away and went back with Zoltan into the castle.
As she climbed the stairs, the sound of the bell rang fast several times, unlike usual.
“It must have started.”
Zoltan next to her muttered.
The servants, initially tense upon hearing the bell toll, soon resumed their duties as usual.
However, Ney, experiencing such a situation for the first time, stood frozen, unsure of what to do.
“Should I bring a dagger at least?”
“What are you going to do with that? Don’t go anywhere and stay right next to the princess.”
Zoltan said bluntly.
The battle that began at noon that day continued somewhat sluggishly for several days.
Occasionally, soldiers traveling between the defense line and the castle announced the news.
“Nevertheless, it seems like the number of beast has decreased significantly.”
“Really?”
Ney said while serving Agnes’s meal.
“According to other servants, the Lequi never retreats once they appear, but this time they ran away.”
“That’s a relief.”
Agnes got up from her seat wiping her mouth with a napkin.
“Oh, Madam. You haven’t finished your meal.”
“I’m done. I don’t have an appetite.”
As she was about to leave the dining room, Zoltan pushed the door urgently and entered.
“Princess!”
“What’s going on?”
“The northern line of defense has collapsed.”
Zoltan looked around once and said in a low voice.
“What?”
Her heart sank.
“What about the defense line?”
It took Agnes some time to realize the significance of the defense line collapsing.
“What about the Duke? Is he okay?”
Her first concern was for Laslo.
“Brother will be fine. Please follow me first. Princess.”
Zoltan spoke to Agnes with a stern expression.
She pondered if such a situation had occurred in the past, but nothing came to mind.
No matter how much she thought about it, there had never been an invasion of beasts to the extent of the defense line collapsing.
“What are we going to do?”
Agnes tried to calm her trembling voice.
“I’ve instructed Niall to seal the castle gates.”
“What about the estate residents?”
She straightened her back, giving strength to her trembling legs.
“You can think about it later. First now…….”
“In the absence of Duke Arpad, I have full control of the castle. Am I wrong?”
Agnes took a deep breath before speaking.
“Hmm. That’s right.”
Zoltan nodded with a somewhat troubled expression.
“Since the defense line collapsed, the people living outside the castle are also in danger. Gather soldiers and send them to the village. Inform them of the beast’s invasion and advise them not to come out due to the danger.”
His expression turned strange. Zoltan opened his mouth to say something and closed it.
“…Understood, Princess.”
“Who is in charge of the castle’s security overall?”
“It’s me.”
“How many troops are currently left in the castle?”
“There are a little less than 50 knights and soldiers.”
It was a very small number to protect the castle. It can’t be helped because all troops have gone to the North to protect the defense line.
“Gather all of them and arm them. They should be ready for battle at any moment.”
“Understood.”
At some point, Zoltan’s eyes changed. Agnes anxiously beckoned Ney, who was standing by.
“Ask Niall how much food we have in the castle. We might have to prepare for a long war.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Ney bowed her head and hurried out of the dining room.
The room fell silent in an instant. Now, only Agnes and Zoltan remained.
“Sir Zoltan”
“Yes.”
“The Duke will be safe, right?”
Many thoughts crossed her minds.
When the unexpected happened, Agnes was afraid. Her palms were sweaty with fear.
Zoltan glanced down at Agnes and opened his mouth.
Poor little lady! He will be fine!❤️🔥☀️