The Peaceful Life Of A Maid Who Hides Her Power And Enjoys It - Chapter 19
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 19
Grinning, he rolled up his sleeves without giving the Head Maid a chance to refuse.
On the inside of his white right arm, vivid lines of various colors were neatly engraved. There appeared to be at least ten of them.
The Head Maid asked with horrified eyes.
“What is this…?”
“This side has the most marks. There are more on the inside of my body.”
Even though I knew it wasn’t the right atmosphere, I was too curious not to ask.
“How many in total?”
“I stopped counting after seventy.”
Over seventy oaths.
Even for me, who had traveled across the continent meeting various strong individuals and experiencing all sorts of hardships, it was an absurd number. A truly pure exclamation escaped me.
‘I knew he was extraordinary, but…’
Today too, I contemplate.
‘Just what the hell does this guy do and where?’
Lu spoke as if to comfort the Head Maid, who sat with her mouth agape.
“Don’t be too surprised. It’s also proof that I keep my promises very well. If I had broken an oath and spilled even once, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”
“Mr. Lu, I understand what you’re saying, but…”
“Well, if necessary, I don’t mind taking even stronger oaths. Like unconditionally killing anyone who tries to extract information, or torturing them. Any condition is fine.”
A gentle but irrefusably forceful voice said.
“Let me also take a look at that egg.”
It seems the Head Maid has no other choice.
“After the viewing, I’ll also help with Miss Daisy’s disguise.”
This is why I hate perceptive people.
* * *
Thud, thud.
At the same time, a man slowly advanced through a long, quietly sunken corridor, illuminating it with a lantern.
The artificial fire lit by refined stone, a stone imbued with magical power, was twice as bright and clear as candlelight. As if it could dispel all the darkness within the villa.
The man who slowly crossed the corridor stopped in front of his destination, the bedroom.
He knocked lightly on the door, but no answer came. After waiting for a moment, when no sound was heard even after 20 seconds, he carefully opened the door.
The room was dark.
The man extinguished the lamp and stepped inside the bedroom. Since the bed was empty, he turned his gaze to the sofa, where an exceptionally tall and sturdy figure was leaning against the chair back with eyes closed.
It was his superior and the man who held the most powerful real authority in the Pen Rota Empire, Grand Duke Raphael Zenail Pen Rota.
The man, Deshero, silently exhaled as if relieved.
‘He’s finally fallen asleep.’
The rest that Grand Duke Raphael enjoyed was too precious to cover him with a blanket.
It was his first sleep in three whole days. After gazing at his precarious profile, sharp as a sheer cliff, Deshero quietly closed the door and came out.
The driving rain and wind struck the windows, embracing the villa’s darkness. It would be nice if that sound of rain could serve as a lullaby.
Please, just for tonight, may his hero not have nightmares.
* * *
However, Deshero’s wish did not reach him.
Tap, tap-tap.
Listening to that irregular rhythm, Raphael gazed at the light faintly flickering below the ceiling and thought.
That damn dream again.
His breathing, which had been passionately rapid, gradually calmed down. As his reddened vision became clear, he recognized the face at the edge of his sight.
Deshero, his aide and also an excellent warrior, exhaled a sigh of relief with eyes red from fatigue.
[Commander, the effects of the 【Mercy Herb】 seem to be taking hold. For the next 2 hours, your breathing and pulse will return to normal and you’ll enter a *cataleptic state.]
* A state where physiological functions weaken, appearing dead but still alive
This is a dream.
It was also the hell he had experienced 4 years ago.
In the dream, he was merely an observer, helplessly watching his mouth move on its own.
Raphael caught his breath and asked Deshero beside him.
[How many 【Mercy Herb】 pills are left?]
His terribly low, hoarse voice was rough enough to be unfamiliar even to himself.
[The medicine we just used was the last one.]
【Mercy Herb】 is a type of drug that induces powerful hallucinations. Since it can be refined and used as a painkiller, it was treated as a precious medicine on battlefields.
To think there was no more of such medicine left.
[Then that means we must anticipate and resolve all difficulties within the next 2 hours.]
Deshero nodded with a gloomy expression.
Having suffered severe injuries in the process of disrupting enemy lines, he had hovered between life and death for two days before finally opening his eyes this morning.
Perhaps because it was a wound caused by magic, the recovery speed was particularly slow. The burning fever made his eyes and ears so dull that he could barely leave his bed, let alone command.
[What was the situation during the past two days?]
[Supply lines were successively destroyed, effectively cutting off our supply route. There’s no other major damage, and the soldiers’ morale isn’t bad. As per your orders, Commander, I summoned all commanders 30 minutes ago.]
With him, the commander-in-chief, collapsed and supplies cut off. It couldn’t get any worse than this.
They were currently positioned right in front of the enemy’s stronghold. They had reached this place, Quin Island, after overcoming countless obstacles.
If they could just cross that mountain of demons rolling in like waves, they could reach Grand Sorcerer Mephistopheles, humanity’s main enemy and war criminal.
Just one mountain to cross.
Then they could reach him.
While his calloused hands crumpled the cloth, tired discussions from the commanders could be heard from the makeshift tent connected behind.
[The Commander’s recovery is taking considerably longer. The magical energy from Mephistopheles emanating from the Mage Fortress seems to have greatly reduced the Commander’s self-recovery ability. Commander Raphael needs to focus on recovery for at least a week.]
[A week? Are you talking sense! Do you think that demon will just sit quietly and watch us recover? The remaining supplies are nowhere near enough for a hundred thousand soldiers here to hold out for a week!]
[Did you say a week’s grace period is needed? Then there’s no need to worry about supplies. The soldiers will continue to advance forward, forward. The number of soldiers will decrease faster than the supplies run out…]
[Shut your mouth, you bastard! Are you saying you’ll sacrifice a hundred thousand lives like that?]
It didn’t feel good to just watch his allies waver.
Raphael slowly rose from the makeshift bed with Deshero’s support.
[Wouldn’t it be better to rest a bit more before moving?]
[You know better than anyone that there’s no time for that.]
Ten years. It had been a war that lasted a full ten years.
The endless war had given wings to a hero who had been nothing more than a chess piece.
It was ironic. The more brutally his allies were defeated and the front lines were pushed back, the more powerful his influence on the Magic Alliance became.
Before he knew it, he was being called the commander-in-chief of the Magic Alliance.
Commander-in-Chief Raphael.
Hero of humanity.
The emperor who commands battlefields.
Raphael’s influence on this army is immense.
Therefore, he had to quickly finish the meeting within 2 hours and show his face to the soldiers. He had to boost morale and get one step closer to victory.
From beyond the tent that was gradually getting closer, a somewhat calmer voice could be heard.
[We have no choice but to use the Ravine Cliffs after all.]
[You mean the cliff that’s connected to the underground of Mephistopheles’ Castle? How can we use a path that barely allows one person to pass? Moreover, with a couple of gargoyles stationed there keeping watch, crossing over is out of the question.]
[It’s not the army that will cross over. It’s a person. Just one person.]
[Ha! Are you suggesting we assassinate Mephistopheles?]
[Who could dare assassinate that demon-like being? It’s enough to draw Mephistopheles’ attention. The demon army only follows his commands. While the one who strikes from behind buys time, we’ll advance to the Foot of the Hill and the front line…]
Raphael quietly entered the tent.
The first thing he saw was a broad back.
The owner of that back standing at the head seat was listening to the serious conversation going back and forth over the table.
Two military officers standing on either side kept talking without rest, their faces darkly sunken.
Originally, it should have been his place to stand. However, when he couldn’t maintain his position, only that man could replace Commander-in-Chief Raphael.
Andert.
He was Raphael’s sword and his one and only partner.
[It’s worth trying.]
Andert nodded.
[But unless someone has considerable power, they’ll just die on the cliff. It’s a strategy that could prove useless, and to send someone too exceptional for it….]
[…Commander-in-Chief?]
Twelve pairs of eyes focused on Raphael.
Some felt relief, others worry, but Raphael’s attention didn’t linger on them. He walked forward without hesitation and stood before his partner.
The man called the Emperor’s Sword.
One of the Magic Alliance’s commanders and a precious friend who had endured this hell alongside him for 10 years. A brother and family, a partner and other half.
[Andert.]
Andert turned to look at him.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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