Unlike what I expected, the banquet held on the second night was going great. Although the dance party and other events were boring, Kara’s aristocrats and local influentials were very cheerful but also serious about the banquet because they had to make acquaintances with as many ambassadors as possible.
It’s all because of the war which could bring the establishment to ruin. It’s the most dangerous threat for aristocrats and those in power. Thus, they must do anything they could to keep their wealth and social status.
Marquis Fabius and I had drinks together while Kara’s aristocrats and local influentials were busy talking to the ambassadors.
“They’re all busy making acquaintances with people from the Kingdom of Robros.”
“This is the way it is. They all just want to survive and keep their social status regardless of Kara’s fate.”
“But the Emir of Kara must be extremely distressed for sure.”
“If you know that, please take it easy. I mean, those three terms of peace… don’t you think it’s too much to ask? It’s the same as the declaration of war.”
Fabius shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, I know Kara can’t agree to those three terms of peace. But you gotta know this too. The Kingdom of Robros has put a lot of money and effort into preparation for war. Thus, we need to recoup expenses.”
I chuckled.
“Hey old man, do you know why every gambler ruins his or herself in the end? They always think about their loss and try to make it even. Sometimes, you just need to take a loss.”
“Why should we do that?”
“Those Great Desert bandits, you guys can’t subjugate them.”
“How come?”
“Their turf is very extensive. If you put a soldier in every one square kilometer only across the Devil’s Trade Route, you still need 400,000 soldiers in total. Do you think that’s possible?”
Fabius subtly looked at me.
“You’re saying exactly what Duke Wastein said.”
“Did he say that too?”
“Yes. That’s why he’s been strongly against this war.”
“What the hell? You knew it and still want to go to war against Kara?”
“It is still quite profitable for us if we conquer Kara and the Great Western Meadow regions.”
That was true only before the Shikar Tribe’s independence movement erupted. Currently, the Great Desert bandits were not raiding Kara’s merchants but there would be no exception later. It’s like a bloodbath.
No merchants could pass through the Devil’s Trade Route and the total amount of trades between continents significantly diminished.
“Do you think everything will go well just like you’ve planned?”
“Maybe not. But that’s none of my business.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am a military man. Whenever I am ordered to go to a battle and fight, I follow the order. Politics is for politicians.”
I stared at him for a moment and then nodded my head.
“Well, you’re right.”
With a calm face, Fabius gently looked at the night sky through the window.
“Whatever happens, this will be the final war in my life. And I don’t want to regret anything later so I will just go forward.”
I looked at him with my curious eyes because It’s so out of the blue.
“The final war?”
“Yes. I am very old and weak now. A human can’t stop his life clock.”
Wow. He’s acting like a crybaby.
In the Era of Destruction coming after eight years from now on, many heroes were born and gone. But this old man was the one who fought more intensely than everyone.
For instance, he alone went outside the castle gate and killed a countless number of demons at the Polkin Gateway. And when fighting against Zod, the Demon King, he was the first person who stepped forward and even made a gash on top of her foot.
Clearly, there’s a reason why he’s called psycho. The great leader of the stormtroopers during the Era of Destruction was this Marquis Fabius.
“Hey old man, you can shed bitter tears of remorse a little bit later. To me, you still look very strong.”
Marquis Fabius smoothed down his face.
“Do you think so?”
“Yeah. You will live much longer than you think. I can assure you that you live at least ten more years.”
Among all the people I knew, I was the only one who survived longer than him during the Era of destruction. He kept surviving in numerous battles and eventually became the last supreme commander of the human army.
He made a pleased face.
“Well, I surely want to live longer. Besides, I’ve just found out a clue on reaching Mind Master level here in Kara. So how can I die right now?”
“Yeah exactly. You must become a Mind Master so you can get some more concubines, have more children, and grow your hair too.”
“Sure, haha.”
Then he put down his glass and stood up from his seat.
“Are you going back to your room already?”
“Tomorrow will also be a busy day. I should get some sleep.”
“I see. Goodbye, old man. See you tomorrow.”
Before he was about to exit the banquet hall, he turned around and looked at me.
“Oh, by the way… what are you gonna do from now on?”
“What do you mean?”
“Which side are you gonna take?”
He asked me gravely but I answered indifferently.
“I am the owner of a detective agency. I don’t take sides. If anyone meets the conditions, I work for him.”
“Then you will be on our side.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because we can offer you more than Kara.”
I chuckled.
“I am sorry to say this but you guys can’t afford me.”
“How come?”
“I charge an astronomical amount of money for participation in a war because I really hate wars.”
“Why do you hate wars?”
“It’s not fun. Whenever I join a battle, our side always loses. So, I really hate going to battle.”
“How many battles did you lose?”
“To be honest, I’ve been in more battles than you. But I lost all of them. Seriously, I never won a single battle.”
In my past life, I went to a countless number of battles. In most of them, I fought against demons during the Era of Destruction yet I did have a lot of battle experiences even beforehand.
However, I never won a single battle. It’s such a mystery. And I suffered huge defeats in many battles. So, I didn’t even want to lie about my battle records.
Marquis Fabius rolled his eyes.
“So, you’re a terrible commander?”
“Even worse than that.”
“Hey White Mask, you should stay on Kara’s side then. It’s not about your skills or intelligence. You are just a damn unlucky person. It’s your fate. Just accept it.”
“Hey, don’t make fun of me. I am very serious.”
“Haha, I see.”
He barely stopped laughing and went back to his room.
* * *
It was late at night and the banquet was over. To head back to my room, I was walking fast through the dark hallway in the Palace of Kara.
Honestly, it was a bit scary because no one was around. The bright full moon outside the window made me feel even more scared because the moonlight reflected from many statues of Saintess Euroa standing in the hallways made a creepy atmosphere.
‘Why don’t they turn the lights on?’
As I turned around the corner, I heard a swoosh sound out of nowhere so I flinched a little bit. It sounded a whistle and repeated at a regular pace. Also, it was very annoying.
“What the hell is this sound?”
I got up my nerve and looked outside the window. Then I saw a young woman with blue hair swinging a spear in a training ground. Fortunately, it was a human, not something else. So, I sighed with relief.
‘Who is she?’
She was wearing a very tight, black training suit which revealed her shoulder line. Not only was her mana energy quite strong but also her movement was sharp and disciplined as if she had been practicing her spearmanship for a long time.
But somehow, her appearance from behind looked familiar as well as the spear on her hand.
“Is it Gauss, the Great Holy Spear of the Goddess of Water…?”
Gauss, the Great Holy Spear of the Goddess of Water, was one of the Seven Sacred Weapons. The Great Saintess Euroa brought it to this world. Currently, it was in the Hall of Divinity but it would choose the owner and come out to the world around next Spring.
Perhaps the one she was holding in her hand was a fake one.
Since the Great Saintess Euroa was revered as God by people in Kara, it was no strange at all if someone had a fake Gauss.
‘By the way, I’ve seen her before too… No way. Is she Padilla?’
I opened my eyes wide.
Padilla was the woman who would become the owner of Gauss next year. Then she disappeared for a while and came out to the world again when she was appointed as the commander of the 3rd Holy Cavalry unit during the Era of Destruction. Besides, she was called the Empress of Torrent.
However, she was from the Caligo Kingdom which was on the side of the Power of Darkness. She was not supposed to be here in Kara.
“Maybe I am wrong?”
Actually, I wasn’t really sure as she had blue hair and tanned skin just like Padilla.
Besides, Padilla hated the Kingdom of Robros to death. She never allowed anyone from the Kingdom of Robros to join her Holy Cavalry unit nor helped troops from the Kingdom of Robros during the battle against demons at the Polkin Gateway. Instead, she only supported troops from the Yosrahim Empire or other states.
If she was originally from Kara, that made sense because the Kingdom of Robros would eventually conquer Kara.
‘Padilla… I do miss her…’
During the Era of Destruction, she was the only person who was kind to me.
She rescued my unit many times during the battle at the Polkin Gateway. And when I was disregarded by everyone and lived like a beggar after the fall of the Yosrahim Empire, she requested the headquarters of the Kingdom of Kern for me to be appointed as a commander of a thousand soldiers.
After that, we had fought together in several battles and even ate meals together.
But sometimes she was very annoying. I always wanted to go to the second front line where Igness was defending but I had to stay at the third front line because of Padilla. Therefore, I couldn’t see Igness anymore.
Yet, I felt heartbroken whenever I thought of her last moment. When the Holy Cavalry went out to attack Zod, the Demon King, Padilla was injured so much and her Gauss was totally destroyed. Eventually, she drew her last breath in my arms.
In my memory, Padilla was a very beautiful but strange woman because she had social phobia and difficulties in expressing her emotion.
“At least, I should check it out.”
I jumped out of the window and walked closer to the woman very carefully.
She was tall enough for a woman. Also, she had a beautiful body and long legs while her blue, glossy, and smooth-like-silk hair reached down to her waist.
Her blue eyes looked like a blue sky and they were shining like a sapphire under the moonlight. Although the lower part of her face was covered by a silk mask, her sharp nose was noticeable.
Unfortunately, her boobs were not big but overall she’s a very beautiful woman for sure.
‘I think she’s Padilla but…’
I couldn’t tell it for sure since she was wearing a silk mask but her body shape was just like Padilla. I was really curious so I showed myself and walked towards her.
Once she found out there’s somebody else, she quickly turned around.
“Who is it?!”
After hearing her shout, I was reminded of a sentimental memory. Her voice was also just like Padilla.
“Hey, what’s up.”
She stared at my mask carefully and then narrowed her eyes.
“Are you Kaoyan, the White Mask?”
“Do you know me?”
“Yes. But why are you here? People can’t come inside this training ground without permission.”
“Oh, I see. But let me ask you a question. I won’t do anything stupid. Just only one question.”
She seemed relaxed a little bit.
“So, what is your question?”
“What is your name?”
“My name? You came here only to ask that stupid question?”
“It’s very important to me. Actually, you look very similar to someone I met before.”
She answered very indifferently.
“My name is Hessa Sharif Kara. Are you happy now?”
“Oh, I see.”
Hessa Sharif Kara was the name of the Emir of Kara.
What a huge embarrassment for me. I was very delighted because I thought she was Padilla. But now, if she felt threatened by me and called her guards, I might have to fight against the entire army of Kara.
As I kept standing still with embarrassment, she asked me in a serious tone.
“Do you have more questions?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then leave now.”
Fortunately, she seemed to let me go without any harm. But at the moment I was about to leave in a hurry, she asked me one more question.
“By the way, who is that person? You’ve just said I look like someone you know.”
“Oh, her name is Padilla. I met her a long time ago. It’s not a big deal so don’t worry about it.”
As soon as she heard what I said, she opened her eyes wide and shouted.
“How do you know that name?! Only a handful of people know it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Padilla is my childhood name.”
She was Padilla just as I thought. I was so happy to see her again but I could not make a happy face since she was very angry. And I couldn’t reveal my true identity.
“Oh, I see…”
“White Mask, how do you know my childhood name? I need your answer right now.”
“Well…”
She walked closer and checked me thoroughly. Shortly after, she got relaxed and made a very delightful face.
“Are you Yan, the Grand Prince?”
As she mentioned my real name, I was very astonished and my face became pale white.
“What are you talking about? Grand Prince Yan is already dead. Are you insane?”
“But only Grand Prince Yan knows my childhood name except for my parents who already passed away. We met each other on the coronation day of the Emperor of the Yosrahim Empire, right?”
She reminded me of the magnificent coronation day of my uncle when I was really young. On that day, many important figures from all over the world visited the Yosrahim Imperial Palace to congratulate my uncle’s coronation. And I could remember that there was a young foreign girl.
Sadly, other aristocrat kids bullied her because of her dark skin and she was crying. But right at that moment, I was passing by and helped her.
Of course, I wasn’t actually trying to help her but the kids became frightened and ran away as soon as they saw me. However, the young girl said sincere thank you to me because she thought I helped her on purpose.
“Well…”
“You are the Grand Prince, right?”
“No, I am not. I’d better go now. Goodbye.”
I ran away in haste. Seriously, how could this happen?
The Emir of Kara was Hessa and her childhood name was Padilla. And the foreign girl whom I helped on the connotation day of my uncle was the same, Padilla. I was so dumbfounded because I felt as if God was playing a game with me.