Surviving as the Wife of the Swordsmanship Clan’s Troublemaker - Chapter 115

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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 115

“That body… it seems serviceable enough. I’m relieved.”
Maximus forced himself to swallow the bitter truth—the being before him was no longer his son. His son was already dead. He couldn’t afford to meet the same pathetic end here.
“I never imagined I would meet you in human form like this.”
It was the truth.
I had always known that Johannes’s shadows circled me constantly. From the moment I learned to read at five years old, Johannes wielded the weakness of my false imperial status like a chess piece, manipulating me at will.
Yet Johannes had never once revealed his true form. Each time, threats came only as a formless voice.
I sometimes wondered if Johannes truly existed at all within the Holy Church, or if some unknown power broker was merely borrowing his name to control me.
It was a foolish delusion.
And now Johannes stood before my eyes, undeniable and manifest.
“Mm.”
Johannes did not blink like a human would. There were no unnecessary movements born of emotion.
Yet the aura he emanated was beyond description—so overwhelming that my hands trembled uncontrollably.
“Once Brinihanta vanished, it became possible for me to leave Paradise.”
Johannes replied in a flat, emotionless tone.
One of the five families that had imprisoned me in Paradise—that noble bloodline commanding spirits was annihilated, and only then could my soul crawl beyond the barrier’s reach.
“Of course, my physical body still exists in Paradise. Now I can scarcely use half my power—a pitiful state indeed.”
Not even half?
Maximus’s eyes wavered with shock.
Even with such diminished strength, the oppressive presence was unbearable. This was beyond what any human could endure.
“Am I not pitiful?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked if you don’t find me pitiful—I who was confined for centuries and have only now borrowed the corpse of a dead human to escape.”
It was a rather forced question.
“I find you most pitiable.”
There was no choice but to answer.
“So humans do feel that way, after all.”
Johannes muttered that humans were slaves to emotion, then reclined deeply into the imperial throne.
“Still, since I must live as human for now, I should at least try to resemble one. What is this body’s name?”
“…Auriel.”
“Auriel. A name meaning gold. Truly befitting a prince of the Northern Kingdom.”
It was a barbed remark, spoken while knowing full well that Maximus was no true son of the Emperor. Maximus suppressed his rising fury and asked.
“What would you have me do?”
“You must kill Francesca Bloodmere, Duchess. As soon as possible.”
Having already steeled himself for this, Maximus nodded immediately.
“It will be done.”
“In truth, she should have died long ago. Yet not only does she live, the war itself remains unresolved. The fact that the Imperial Army struggles despite being deployed speaks volumes of the Northern Kingdom’s incompetence.”
“I will eliminate her without fail. Trust me.”
There was no room for excuses, no right to refuse.
“I’ll give you a day.”
“…Yes.”
That was when it happened.
Knock, knock, knock.
At the sound of knocking on the door, Maximus rose with heavy footsteps.
As the door opened, the Emperor’s aide raised his voice urgently.
“Your Majesty, a request for an emergency summit has arrived. You must prepare immediately.”
“An emergency summit? Is it because of the war?”
I thought it only natural, given that I had deployed the Imperial Army in violation of law despite the defeat.
“No, Your Majesty. This summit concerns an urgent matter related to the Holy Church.”
But the news the aide brought was entirely unexpected.
Johannes.
It was about the presence standing right before me.
Maximus turned his head slowly. Johannes had already vanished from the throne.
“What is the matter?”
“The details will be discussed at the summit, Your Majesty. It is said to be most urgent, so you must depart at once.”
“Hmm.”
The furrow between Maximus’s brows deepened. I barely had time to deal with Francesca Bloodmere, Duchess immediately.
“Is the summit to be held in the Southern Empire?”
Traditionally, summits were held in the Southern Empire where the Grand Cathedral stood. The journey from the Northern Kingdom to the Southern Empire was a distant road that took more than a fortnight even if one rode without rest day or night.
“This time, it is the Western Empire. The Western Emperor is directly presiding, and the location has been changed exceptionally, it seems.”
The aide’s report was unexpected.
“The summit will be held at the Western Imperial Palace.”
As the aide hurried to request preparations and withdrew, heavy silence settled once more over the study.
“The Western Empire, then.”
Johannes, appearing once again, murmured with interest.
“There is no need for concern. As promised, I shall deal with Francesca Bloodmere, Duchess first and then move.”
“No, this is an exceptional summit being held because of me. If you arrive late and incur suspicion, would that not be troublesome? Let us go there first.”
At Johannes’s unexpected consideration, Maximus asked carefully.
“Then I may attend the summit first and return afterward?”
“Yes, of course. I shall accompany you as well.”
Johannes’s gaze drifted outward through the window, as if looking toward a distant place.
“After all, to reach the Western Imperial Palace, we must necessarily pass through the Bloodmere Estate.”

***

A long sigh escaped her lips.
Elise’s voice followed, heavy with emotion.
“Everyone assumes being born a noblewoman must be wonderful. There are good things, certainly—expensive dresses, spacious rooms, plush beds. My personal maids say they envy me most of all.”
The frustration she’d accumulated layer upon layer within herself came pouring out like a broken dam.
“But I’m not like that. Even if I had to sleep in a grassy meadow at the foot of some mountain alongside insects, I’d choose freedom. There’s so much I want to do, so much I want to eat.”
Elise embodied exactly that spirit—a wild weed in an untamed field rather than a delicate flower in a gilded greenhouse, an adventurer endlessly pursuing new magical knowledge. It was precisely why she became Docheop’s steadfast companion in the original story.
“You must have felt quite suffocated.”
My brief response made Elise’s eyes sparkle.
“You can actually understand that? Don’t you think your current life is better?”
She assumed I, being of commoner birth, would find such complaints absurd—that I’d consider this existence a lottery jackpot. And reasonably so; to outsiders, this life would seem nothing short of miraculous.
“Of course there are good aspects now. But it’s not simply because I’ve become nobility. It’s because there are genuinely good people in the Bloodmere Family.”
“That does seem to be the case. I felt it at the wedding too—there’s vitality here, from the maids to the knights.”
“Exactly? I expected the atmosphere to be quite harsh, but it’s surprisingly different.”
“I wish I’d been born a Bloodmere noblewoman.”
Elise’s shoulders visibly drooped. I gently patted them.
“Even if you’d been born here, you’d still want to escape. This is a Renowned Swordsmanship Family, after all. Surely learning swordplay isn’t your hobby?”
“Not in the slightest. I have zero interest.”
“Exactly. What you’re truly interested in is magic.”
At those words, Elise’s eyes widened as if they might burst from her skull.
“What, what? You knew all along?”
“You used teleportation magic so brazenly that not noticing would be stranger.”
She’d crawled into the food warehouse at dawn without hesitation, yet expected me not to notice. Her naiveté was almost astounding.
“I didn’t expect you to recognize it as magic. Did that ruffian tip you off?”
“A ruffian? You mean Lord Docheop?”
What was this about now?
“Yes!”
“Wait. Our lord is not a ruffian.”
“Oh, I’m sorry for calling your husband that.”
Elise immediately backed down. Though technically, the description wasn’t entirely inaccurate. I found myself oddly defensive.
‘Why am I defending Docheop in front of her?’
Just because I’d married him, I was already acting like some besotted lover.
“No, rather—have you had a separate conversation with the lord?”
“Yes. He came to find me on the wedding day.”
If he’d gone out of his way to seek her out and speak directly, the answer was obvious.
“Did he perhaps ask you to become his ally?”
“Yes. Exactly right.”
As expected.
Unlike me, a transmigrator, he was a returnee—unencumbered by hesitation.
“Then, will you become our ally?”
And I, too, seemed to be growing increasingly shameless.
“What on earth are you people?”
“We’re not con artists, so please don’t worry. We simply need the Young Lady’s strength, and we wish to be of service to you as well.”
“Fine. I’ll trust you. This world is absurd anyway—a mage like me emerging from Cardia, a place that despises mages, is ridiculous enough as it is.”
Elise nodded with indifference.
And so we became a team.

***

Hours passed, and morning broke.
“My Lady, you have a visitor.”
It couldn’t be Elise, who was under confinement. With curiosity piqued, the unexpected guest who appeared was none other than the Duchess of Cardia, Eva.
“Would you help me?”
She grasped my hand urgently, her face haggard as though she’d spent the night awake.

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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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