Chapter 292

Chapter 78 – Before the Battle

After Caneli Sword left, I jumped down from the roof and returned to the manor. In the kitchen, I cut three pounds of venison into slices and boiled them, then brought the plate to the living room to eat—I had originally planned to try making venison patties, but now I didn’t have the heart for it.

My mind was preoccupied with what Caneli Sword had said to me just now.

Because of my absent-mindedness, the venison ended up in large, unappealing chunks, making it difficult to eat. I sat cross-legged on the sofa, picked out the largest piece of cooked venison from the plate, held it with both hands, and gently bit into it.

Caneli Sword said there were no crows.

No crows meant that I had already entered a dream at that time. The time would be after eating the white bird, before seeing the crow…

I remember… At that moment, I felt a bit hot and started sweating, so I sprayed some frost mist to cool down. Then, I seemed to hear laughter—I’m not entirely sure about this because I was quite happy then, my thoughts wandering somewhere else, so the laughter sounded like an illusion, faint and indistinct… It could also have been my own silent joy.

As for the two times I felt an indistinct gaze… Thinking back now, it might have been Caneli Sword.

Although the man just now kept saying he wouldn’t peek at the target’s privacy… I took his words at face value, but who can guarantee they won’t accidentally glance over once or twice? After all, both times were when I was about to go out, so it’s normal for them to look over subconsciously…

It should be something like that.

But besides that, I think there’s another possibility.

According to what Caneli Sword said, no one but Forgiveness Head could move silently under their watchful eyes, but if… it was a foreigner who could cast illusions?

Then it might be some kind of existence they don’t know about… a very skilled creature at disappearing without a trace. As intelligent as humans, deeply interested in me, becoming a peeping tom, watching me every day, enjoying pranks, and putting me into a dream—perhaps it knows something and wants to use the dream to let me know something, or recall something?

Next, it would probably be caught and beaten up, only to discover it’s actually a beautiful girl, and decisively taken in as part of the harem…?

“Chew… chew…”

… The venison is so tough.

What am I even thinking…

“Gulp.”

I swallowed the venison that wouldn’t stop being chewed, shook my head lightly, and reached for a second piece.

Crow…

Vaguely remembering, before last night, I had seen that crow again, which looked very similar to goat cheese.

That was a night I didn’t want to recall. That night, I ate the followers of the Gate of Truth, sitting alone on a high building, looking down at the houses burning fiercely below; I remained indifferent.

Memories of that night are vague, like a movie I watched three years ago, with no details left and no desire to recall. All I can remember now is that a crow landed on my shoulder, and I thought it was goat cheese, followed by countless crows flying overhead. The moon hanging in the night sky suddenly turned blood red, and everything before my eyes was bathed in blood red. Someone whispered something to me in a daze, calling me “sister”… What happened after that, I don’t know.

But I clearly knew that many people were below at that time, and only I could see that scene.

The undetected red-eyed crow, the strange dream that intruded unexpectedly…

Very similar to last night’s situation.

In the dream last night, at the final moment, there was also a childish voice calling me “sister.”

Who is she?

What does she want? What does she want to tell me… If she really exists, why doesn’t she come out to meet me…

I feel very annoyed.

At the same time, I’m at a loss.

I can’t figure these things out, and I don’t know who to talk to. Earlier, I subconsciously lied to Caneli Sword because I felt this might be related to my identity… or my missing experience. This is my intuition. These matters, I can’t casually tell strangers; I can only share them with those I trust the most.

But who should I talk to?

It seems no one…

Maybe Victoria can.

She’s so smart, she’d surely think of something crucial, but she has to prepare for battle, she has such formidable enemies, and she has so much to do; I don’t want to worry her or distract her…

… If Carlos were still here.

Now, I don’t even have someone to talk to properly… Perhaps such an existence shouldn’t exist in the first place…

Right, Margaret knows my identity. Should I tell her?

But what if she thinks it’s me who has the problem, what then…

Green grass covers the courtyard.

Sunlight streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the curtains. Amidst the light, the fine dust dancing in the air in the living room is revealed.

The girl curled up in the sofa, holding the venison like a squirrel, quickly gnawing on it, her pitiful little face full of confusion.

Summer heat.

When night came, I laid dry hay on the roof, then carried the bedding from my bedroom up there, placed it on top of the hay, locked the doors and windows of the manor, and lay down on the makeshift bed with Captain Gray, feeling the warm breeze caress my face, gazing at the starry sky above, blinking my eyes, quietly waiting for the unknown to arrive.

Sleeping in the room is scary… This way would be much better.

After waiting for a long time, nothing happened, and I couldn’t hold it back any longer.

Gazing at the neighboring mansion next door, I saw that the candles inside flickered faintly, silent and still. I knew Victoria wasn’t there tonight; she hadn’t returned.

Even if she were to return, I wouldn’t go over…

I turned my head back, gently closing my eyes.

The deep black sky was adorned with stars and the moon, clouds swirling together and dispersing, forming all sorts of strange shapes. The warm breeze rustled through the courtyard’s leaves and grass, playing a melodious tune.

Soon after, the girl on the rooftop breathed steadily.

There were no crows tonight, nor any nightmares.

…………

In the following two days after the break, Victoria did not return to the second mansion, and I spent two nights on my own roof. Nothing happened, and I slept soundly.

In those two days, the atmosphere in the capital grew noticeably tense. The patrols on the streets were no longer the usual blue-clothed Arbitration Bureau, but frequently one could see fully armed guard squads passing through. Once, while I was wandering around during the day looking for food, I saw many men, women, and elderly dressed in coarse clothing, farmers by appearance, leading cattle and pulling carts, some even with children, escorted by the guard units as they passed through the streets, their faces full of confusion.

Two days later, the number of people on the streets was no longer as numerous or noisy as before. Sometimes I heard people whispering, saying that it seemed like a war was about to break out…

Some said that Fleresk Fortress was reckless, eager to send young soldiers to their deaths for ambition. They had no chance of capturing the capital; this city had not been conquered in centuries, even without the divine relics, the capital still had impenetrable high walls, and within the city, there were forty to fifty thousand guards. Queen Elizabeth would surely win.

Others said that the Holy Maiden had not left the capital, so the war couldn’t possibly start. The capital had not been abandoned by the gods; great existences were watching over here. If they dared to kill, they would face the harshest punishment, and the Holy Maiden would use her invincible divine miracles to eliminate them.

And amidst these voices, I returned to the Royal Academy once more under the ripples of a tranquil night.

“Paylor! Look what I brought for you~”

“Paylor, was the rhinoceros carriage you rode last time from the palace? Where did you go…”

The academy didn’t seem to have changed much. Sarah was as enthusiastic and clingy as always. Daisy, sitting on the bed, was still shy and reticent. When she saw me, she tucked her shoulders and smiled shyly.

Sophia didn’t blabber about my identity to them. She was very smart, understanding my thoughts, knowing that I didn’t like creating unnecessary barriers among roommates.

And I was glad to be at ease, laughing and joking with them, finishing off the fruit pies Sarah brought from home.

Before going to rest, taking advantage of Sarah and Daisy going to wash up and change clothes, Sophia pulled me aside.

“Paylor, do you know about the ironclad guards outside the city?”

I looked at her serious and tense face, nodded first, then shook my head: “I don’t know, where are they?”

Not knowing where they were, nor when they might come. I hadn’t seen Victoria in these two days, so I had no chance to ask her.

“Even you don’t know…” Sophia pondered for a moment, looking at me seriously, “Paylor, what are your plans?”

Plans?

Of course, wait and see, see if I can help… But I couldn’t tell her that, so I shook my head again.

“Not decided yet.”

Sophia immediately said, “My father is arranging for someone to take me out of the city, with my brothers. I estimate that in the coming days, nobles will gradually send their children out of the city to avoid the war and return later. Have you noticed, the academy is clearly missing a lot of people tonight, several dorms are empty, and it will be even fewer in a few days… Where is your father? Does Duke Scarliger have any arrangements? It seems like your family is also preparing for war?”

She paused: “How about I tell my father to let you go out with my brothers? Don’t worry, he’ll agree. Adding one more person won’t make a difference.”

Sophia’s words were sincere, but she clearly forgot that in 1504, we weren’t alone.

“What about Sarah and Daisy?” I asked her.

Hearing my question, Sophia bit her lip, looking very conflicted.

“It’s fine for one person, but three… I don’t know if it’s possible, I can’t guarantee it.”

… Three people?

I immediately understood her meaning, biting my finger and frowning.

“Sophia, you’re not leaving?”

Sophia shook her head lightly, smiling beautifully with bright eyes and white teeth.

“Yeah, I want to stay by my father’s side. If the war really breaks out, in the worst case, the North District under my father’s jurisdiction will definitely be the first area forcibly recruited. I’m afraid that by then, his manpower won’t be enough, so I want to see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

When she said this, her eyes sparkled and her chin slightly lifted, showing a sense of pride and boasting to me.

But at this moment, no matter what, I admired the girl’s courage.

So I smiled too: “Sophia, you’re amazing.”

The girl took it to heart, winking at me: “Enough about me, what about you? Are you leaving?”

I shook my head: “I’m not leaving. I still need to—”

“…You’re being stubborn, learn to apply knowledge… Wow! What are you two doing behind our backs…”

The conversation was finally interrupted by Sarah coming out of the bathroom.

Tonight, no further words were needed.