Wortenia Senki

Volume 2 Chapter 16 (Wavering People 5)

Editors: Tan & Arekusu.

Day 137 after being summoned to another world: (Wavering people 5)

(I see, if its a person like this, then we might be able to get her to come to our side, but still, isnt she retired? Something feels wrong)

That was Ryoumas impression of Elena, from the moment he had first seen her in the royal capital Pireaus.

The person who Earl Zerev had called Rozerias White Goddess of Warwas actually a woman by the name of Elena Steiner.

She was an old lady who had retired from knighthood around ten years ago.

One could see that she was around 50 to 60 years old.

Her blonde hair would have been beautiful when she was younger, but now it had white mixed in here and there.

She gave off the impression of an obstinate neighborhood auntie. But after witnessing her entrance, one could see that she had kept her body in good shape even after she had retired.

W-welcome, p-please come in!

Meltinas greeting came out in pieces, probably due to her being too nervous.

And the same could be said of Mikhail, who had insisted on being present on such an occasion.

Ryouma had allowed them to accompany him on the condition that they wouldnt get in his way.

Yet it seemed they were intent on doing just that, with their faces as red as if they were meeting their secret crush, and even trembling shoulders to boot.

It was like seeing how flustered girls became when they were around their first love.

(Well, since theyre this nervous, I guess they wont say anything unnecessary, which is good)

However, when he gave the whole situation a second thought, it was reasonable for them to be as nervous as they were.

After all, the person known asRozerias White Goddess of War - Elena Steiner - was a living hero of legend in their eyes.

A week ago, after Earl Zerev had informed him about her, Ryouma had decided to investigate Elena Steiner.

Surprisingly, he didnt need to put in much effort to gain information.

Since there wasnt a single citizen of the Kingdom of Rozeria that hadnt heard about her.

It had gotten to the point where even the children in town had heard the stories about her.

It reflected on how implicitly the citizens of the Kingdom trusted her.

There were a lot of tales of battles she heroically fought in.

And among those stories, the most legendary one was about The Battle of Notis.

The Notis Prairie is on the borderline between the Kingdom of Zalda and the Ortomean Empire.

Elena Steiner had been dispatched to the Zaldan Kingdom as a part of the Rozerian reinforcements, but instead of just saving the Zaldans, she had also deployed a reverse-invasion strategy against the Ortomean Empire, which had been gathering soldiers as part of their planned invasion of Zalda.

After successfully thwarting their plans, she was declared a National Hero.

Fufufu, you dont have to be that tense. Please drink some tea and calm down.

Y-yes! P-please excuse me!

Although Elena tried to calm her down, Meltina instead became even stiffer.

Well, its best to leave her alone for now, Elena-sama. And also, thank you very much for coming all the way here.

Elena answered Ryouma with a gentle nod.

I was very surprised when I received your letter. After all, I havent been a knight for almost ten years now

I can not thank you enough for listening to our unreasonable request, and I personally feel nothing but gratitude towards you.

Well, since it was written in Princess Lupis own handwriting, I had no other choice except to come and visit Her Highness.

Saying so, she elegantly lifted the teacup to her lips.

Hearing you say so definitely makes me think it was worthwhile for me to ask the Princess to write that letter.

Upon hearing that, Elena became somewhat suspicious of Ryouma.

The reason for her suspicion was obvious. After all, Ryouma said that he had made the Princess write the letter for him.

That reminds me, I have yet to ask what your name is.

Due to his previous statement, Elena seemed to have taken an interest in Ryouma.

Im called Mikoshiba Ryouma.

A surprised expression appeared on Elenas face.

Oh my, you really dont have the presence of a tactician

Certainly, when looking at Ryoumas body, one could not see anything past his muscles.

He did not look like someone who fought with his head.

By any chance, have you heard of me?

Ara~, isnt it obvious? After all, even if I have retired from the army, I still love this country. I learn about most things that happen around here, you know? And some people did not forget me as easily even after I retired as Knight ten years ago.

Hence, they talk with me about a lot of things.

Looking at Elenas face, Ryouma was convinced that she was still in contact with some of her knight friends.

(I see, she doesnt seem to be involved with the Knight faction yet, and, that could be a good thing for us.)

Currently, most knights do not hold any loyalty towards the princess and that is because General Hodram, their leader, has the ambition of going against the Royal family in the future.

Originally, the knights were soldiers who would swear their allegiance to the Kingdom and to the royal family, so that they could act as a balancing factor against the nobles and their militias.

Judging from Elenas statement, perhaps there might be a group of knights that were not satisfied with serving under General Hodram.

And they must be the ones who had become her source of information.

Is that so? Well then, its a great honor for me that Rozerias White Goddess of Warknows my name.

Elenas smile turned wry upon hearing Ryoumas words.

My, oh my, youve heard of something as old as that, huh? That title of mine, I earned it a long time ago.

You dont seem to like it very much, Elena-sama.

Its a relic of the past, after all, by the way, Ive yet to hear the reason behind your invitation to meet.

It seemed as if her nickname was a topic she did not want to talk about and thus she immediately changed the subject.

Then, lets get straight to the point. I want you to give Princess Lupis your support.

Elenas expression stiffened.

She hadnt expected him to immediately cut to the chase like he had.

Oh my, how straightforward of you

She smiled, but afterwards Elena was immediately lost in thought for a while.

But well, I guess it makes it easier to understand, and I like it, you know? Your way of doing things, that is

Her gaze and tone of voice had somehow changed, as if she was trying to evaluate Ryouma.

Thank you for your compliment. So, whats your answer?

Oh my? No matter how old I am, Im still a woman, you know? It is never a good idea to rush a lady.

Oh, please forgive my rudeness, milady. Surely, forcing such a hasty invitation upon you is impolite of me. However, we really do not have much time left.

Ryouma instantly parried Elenas chiding words.

Well, unless you let me meet the princess, I cant give you an answer right away, you know?

Oh? You want to meet the princess? To be honest, we dont have time for something as meaningless as that, you know?

WHAAAA-T!

The outrage in Elena, Meltina, and Mikhails voices was strong.

Y-you bastard!

Ryouma directed his cold gaze towards Meltina, who had begun to stand up from her chair in anger.

It was a gaze that anyone who met would understand without a second thought.

It was as if it he saying Ill murder you if you dont shut that mouth of yours!

Meltina immediately sunk back into her chair.

Im sorry for that, shes really not used to this kind of thing, you see

After confirming that Meltina had once again sat down, Ryouma slightly lowered his head toward Elena in apology.

That really surprised me, youve really got guts, dont you? Even as a hero of the army, Ive only seen a few people who had a backbone like yours.

Thank you for your kind words. After all, my life is on the line here.

Hearing Ryoumas words, Elena asked a question after straightening in her chair.

So? Why do you think its useless for me to meet the princess?

Because, if you really wanted to help the princess, you would have come to the castle a long time ago.

She is someone who has already been in retirement for ten years.

For Elena to come to the Princess aid would mean that she would have to return to active duty once more.

Under normal conditions, something like that would be impossible.

Furthermore, for her, things like money or fame were meaningless.

She had once held the position of General, thus she had no problem as far as wealth, and theres no greater fame and honor than being the hero that saved her own nation.

Even if Ryouma used loyalty toward the royal family as a reason to force her to his side, for Elena, something like that would bear no weight on her decision.

If she could be swayed with things as simple as these, then, she would already be serving either Princess Lupis or Princess Ladine.

The reason behind why she had not done so was that she was unable to judge which one was the legitimate ruler.

She couldnt just arbitrarily declare that Princess Ladine, who had Duke Gerhardts support, was a fake because Ladine could truly be a child of the previous king.

And because of her loyalty to the royal family, she had been unable to move.

From Elenas standpoint, she could not grant her support to Princess Lupis, at least not in the current situation.

That is why it was meaningless for the two of them to even meet.

Thats right, if you can see things so clearly, then why call me here at all?

Because we want your support by whatever means necessary.

After hearing Ryouma out, Elena had a troubled look on her face.

My, oh my? Are you implying that you would even use force?

If neither money nor reason could tempt her, then the only option that was left was to use force.

Contempt flashed across Elenas face.

Did I overestimate you? I thought that a capable person had joined Princess Lupis side.

No, no, I wouldnt do so rude of a thing, you know? Using force that is.

Then what did you mean?

Ryouma went on to answer Elena after a small fit of laughter.

Even if I cant tempt you with money or honor, you still came here because of the letter you received from the princess. That means that theres still some room for negotiation, right? Hence, youre going to request something else. Neither money nor honor and not even loyalty would tempt you.

It is something personal.

Ryoumas deduction immediately changed the atmosphere in the room.

His words had taken everyone by surprise.

I see, indeed, youre a sharp and capable person.

Praise came forth from Elenas mouth.

And by what she had said, one could see that Ryoumas reasoning was correct.

Then can you tell me? What is it that I really want, based on your answer, I will decide whether I will help Princess Lupis or not.

Understood, and, to be honest, I have a hunch as to what your wish is.

Upon hearing Ryouma out, Meltina and Mikhail gaped in surprise. However, Elenas expression did not falter at all.

Of course, that much is obvious, if you couldnt do even that much, then you would be a complete disappointment.

Although I said I could guess, I have no concrete proof, thus I cant really put my notions out in the open.

Fuu~, I dont know if I should call you cautious or an outright coward

Elenas gaze pierced Ryouma.

If she saw any hesitation or fear in Ryoumas demeanor, she had decided she would never accept him.

Ryouma took in her gaze head on.

In order to prove his own value.

Well, I guess that when you fight with wisdom, being cautious is necessary, right? Fine. Then, please give me some time to think it over. But foremost, please tell me your theory.

Elena could clearly see Ryoumas unwavering resolve in his gaze.

Then she decided to bet on it.

She decided to bet her own life on it

(This child, is he the last piece of the puzzle that Ive been looking for all this time? Finally, the thing that Ive looked forward to for so long has finally shown up)

Ten years had passed since she had retired from her knighthood.

However, she herself had had no intention of retiring.

She had been forced to retire.

By that man.

Hodram.

Rozerias White Goddess of War?

Elenas lips distorted in disgust.

Indeed, she had once been called so.

That name had spread across the neighboring lands, not to mention within the Kingdom of Rozeria itself.

Everyone had praised her.

However, she had not felt it.

She had not felt the blade that had been aimed at her.

Ne/w novel chaptrs are p/u/blished on no/vel(/bin(.)c/o/m

The more fame you gain, the more another person would envy you.

(If this youngster can correctly guess my wish, then, if he has the wisdom to do so, then, maybe I maybe I can finally get my one true desire!)

Expectancy and anxiety were evident in Elenas gaze.

The expectation that she may be able to finally be granted her wish, and yet the anxiety that she might be betrayed.

Ryouma immediately saw through those conflicting emotions within Elena.

A look that implied she was expecting something from him.

And apprehension that he might betray her.

He immediately concentrated on all of the information he had acquired beforehand and the newly-gained knowledge from their current meeting.

(What she wants is revenge against the Knight faction, but how far does it go? Is it only limited to Hodram himself? Or is it toward the entire faction?)

She had retired ten years ago.

Yet she had retained her influence among the knights, which meant that shes been waiting for an opportunity to take her revenge, and thats why she had never gotten out of shape.

If she had retired from the knights by her own will, then she wouldnt have needed to practice every day.

Also, one shouldnt forget the look on her face when Ryouma had called her by her famed title -Rozerias White Goddess of War.

Despite apparently disliking her own nickname, her hatred was not all-encompassing, since she was still interacting with some of the other knights.

(Well, I had already taken all of this account beforehand)

Of course, he shouldnt neglect all of the reasons she had had for coming to this meeting.

But then again, in the end, it was solely thanks to the existence of her closely-kept wish that this negotiation was possible at all.

Although her demand could end up costing her dearly.

(Fuu~, I guess I have no other choice than to give her an answer, do I?)

Ryouma made up his mind.

Although what he had was just an inkling.

No matter how much he thought about it, there was nothing certain about it.

However, he was left with no other choice besides believing in the answer he had arrived at, based on the information he had gained beforehand.

Your wish is to get revenge, is it not?

Upon finally hearing Ryoumas answer, a mix of joy and surprise radiated from Elenas expression.

Why would you think so?

I felt it the moment I saw you. They told me you had retired. Yet, youve never stopped training, not for one day, and you also get a lot of news from the knights.

And this is despite the fact that you have been retired for over ten years, which means your retirement was not something you decided on your own. And immediately after you retired, General Hodram replaced you.

And after having met and seen General Hodram up close, I can see that hes the type of person who thinks highly of himself. Please, pardon me, Elena-san, but youre a farmers daughter, arent you?

Since youre not from a noble family and you werent born into knighthood, based on his personality, it wouldnt be strange for him to do something underhanded in order to get rid of you.

I see, so you were able to understand me to such an extent

Elenas grudge could be felt in that one simple sentence.

My, my greatest wish is for that man, Hodram, I want his head on a pike, for that man is not just my enemy, but also the enemy of both my husband and daughter

Listening to Elenas words, Ryouma realized that he had been right all along.

And thus, the hatred she had kept within her heart would

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