I Became the Wife of the Hero Who Killed Me - Chapter 163

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Chapter 163
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At that same moment, Lombard Castle lay cloaked in sleep.
Nero, curled upon the bed most saturated with his mother’s scent, suddenly snapped his eyes open.
The Dark Magic stirring the atmosphere was wrong—deeply wrong.
“……What?”
[The Northern Wall is compromised.]
In the darkness, violet eyes burned with an eerie luminescence.
Morcatus, having seized complete control of the body, descended from the bed with fluid grace.
He unlatched the balcony windows—sealed tight moments before—and stepped into the cool night air.
The moment he sensed the faint, undulating pulse of Dark Magic shift into something catastrophic, the concentration of power skyrocketed beyond all measure.
As if he stood at the edge of the Black Continent itself.
[What in the name of—]
Morcatus’s eyes widened in horror.
This was far more than a simple problem.
The Seal on the Northern Wall had shattered—by what cause, he could not yet fathom. The Dark Magic from the Black Continent was bleeding rapidly into the mana of the mortal world.
At the same instant, Nero’s consciousness screamed within him.
Morcatus turned reflexively toward the northern mountains. His mother was there.
Bang—
The bedroom door burst open violently, and Edwin rushed inside.
His face bore the marks of shock beyond words.
[Didn’t you just return from the Northern Wall?]
“There was nothing wrong with the Northern Wall. Not in the past, not in the distant past, not in any life I’ve lived through until now.”
[Where is she? Where is my mother right now?!]
It was Morcatus, not Nero, who called Elisia “mother.”
Yet in this moment, no one noticed—not even he himself, crying out in desperation.
“Find Elisia now and protect her until I arrive. She’s on Barg Mountain, northeast of here.”
[I didn’t need you to tell me that……!]
Morcatus’s form dissolved into the air as he leapt from the balcony railing.
Edwin spun about at once.
The collapse of the Northern Wall had left Lombard’s fate hanging by a thread; countless Territory Residents now teetered on the edge of destruction.
Yet Edwin saw none of it.
Only Elisia mattered.
“My Lord!”
“Is what we suspect true?!”
Knights of commander rank, having sensed the catastrophe, called out to Edwin from the garden below the balcony.
They appeared to have reached the Duchess’s inner chamber while searching for him.
Edwin commanded without hesitation.
“All of Lombard Territory enters wartime mobilization as of now. Light every beacon in Lombard, evacuate all civilians, and dispatch immediate requests for aid to our neighboring allies.”
“As you command!”
“Furthermore, send a detachment to Barg Mountain to protect the Duchess. Should anything befall her, I will hold you accountable with your lives.”
The commander of the detachment turned sharply and departed.
Edwin leapt down from the balcony and joined his forces below.
“The Elite Forces answer to my direct command. All troops, muster before Lombard Castle!”
Worry for Elisia’s safety made his vision swim.
But he had to reach the Northern Wall now. Three divisions were garrisoned in the vicinity, yet they alone could not hold long.
He could protect Elisia only by defending the front line that faced the Black Continent.
‘Hold on, please……’
The cords of Edwin’s jaw tensed visibly.
* * *
We had celebrated well into the evening.
A great bonfire roared in the front courtyard, and everyone ate their fill of the meat and wine we’d brought.
I sat among the miners and listened earnestly to the concerns of my subjects, and regaled them with tales of my exploits in the Imperial Capital’s plaza to stir their spirits.
After playing late into the night, I had fallen into deep sleep, exhausted.
“My lady, you must wake. My lady!”
“……What?!”
Jolted awake by the urgent cry, my eyes snapped open in alarm.
I had expressly told them not to wake me until late afternoon.
Thinking the hour could not possibly have come so quickly, I turned my head—but outside lay only darkness, not a glimmer of light. It was still the middle of the night.
“There’s no time to explain. We must leave the mountain immediately!”
“What on earth do you—”
“Forgive me, but we must hurry.”
Berry hauled me upright from the bed before I could so much as protest.
Without giving me time to ask questions, she thrust my outdoor dress on me and cinched my cloak tight against the wind.
“Berry? What’s gotten into you?”
“A blue beacon has been lit across all of Lombard territory. Sir Gareth said it’s a military signal used only in wartime. It means the Northern Wall has fallen.”
“……What?”
At those words, instinctive terror seized me. My body went rigid.
‘How is this possible?’
It had only been days since Edwin returned from inspecting the Northern Wall.
And in my previous life, there had been no trouble at the wall during this period at all.
“We’re fortunate this place is some distance from the Northern Wall, but we’re still at the far north of the mountain range—we can’t afford to linger. We need to evacuate to the rear as quickly as possible.”
“Yes.”
I gathered my wits and hurriedly dressed.
Valuables were a hindrance now. I packed only what mattered for a swift descent: winter clothing, drinking water, and bare minimum rations.
When I stepped outside, the guard knights stood in formation, ready to move.
The miners stood nearby with grim faces, their travel bags in hand.
“Wait—we don’t have enough horses.”
Counting heads in the heavy silence, I realized the shortage was severe.
My own party had no problem, but the miners who lived here permanently had nothing to ride.
The miners approached me with calm expressions.
“My lady, most of us cannot ride horses. We are accustomed to walking, so we shall follow behind you and descend slowly.”
“You expect me to abandon you here and leave?!”
“It is not abandonment. It is the best choice we can make.”
“You must reach the castle at once, my lady. If the Lord has marched to the Northern Wall, the castle will be empty by now—only your direct command from the center can ensure all of Lombard survives.”
Bolik and the miners urged me forward with heartfelt fervor, telling me to evacuate first.
But I could not bring myself to answer with a confident yes.
Then Gareth interjected.
“Having untrained riders navigate these mountain paths is nothing short of suicide. Think back on how we ascended here.”
Judging the steep slopes too dangerous, we had all dismounted and climbed on foot.
Descent was more treacherous than ascent, and even for me—skilled in horsemanship—it would be tense work. Gareth’s reasoning seemed sound enough.
Yet I could not simply abandon these people and go.
“Some of my guard will accompany you down the mountain.”
“My lady?!”
“Please, my lady, do not waste your strength on us!”
“That’s right. We are people well-practiced at traversing mountain paths. The knights must stay to protect you, every last one!”
Rather than see their escort divided, the miners sat down on the ground and refused to budge.
The knights too held firm, insisting that protecting me was Edwin’s paramount order.
That was when I spotted Count Baron among the miners.
He could ride, but lacked confidence descending the steep canyon—so he had joined the group choosing to walk down.
I changed tactics.
“I cannot send my most trusted retainer—Count Baron, who has risked his life for my sake—down this mountain unescorted.”
“M-my lady……!”
The Baron’s eyes glistened with emotion as he looked up at me.
Watching this man gaze at me with those teary eyes was frankly unsettling and burdensome—but that wasn’t the point now.
The knights, who had been steadfast until moments ago, began to waver at my words.
“Well, Count Baron is your most cherished retainer, after all……”
“True. We can’t simply let him go alone.”
“If it’s Count Baron, then it’s reasonable.”
Even the miners, who had been protesting vehemently, quietly accepted it!
I could not fathom what rumors had spread between me and Count Baron—rumors so powerful that even miners who had never set foot in the castle accepted it—but it worked!!
In any case, thanks to my self-sacrifice, a portion of my guard was split off to accompany the miners.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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