Chapter 116

At the military meeting held at dawn, many opinions were exchanged.

The agenda concerned the date of deployment, the scale of the forces, and the timing of the surprise attack.

Of course, there were those who expressed concern about the King personally taking the field.

“Your Majesty, the knights will enter Belpasten first. Wouldn’t it be better to observe the situation for a while?”

“Hmm…”

“It bothers me that the other side seems to be leaking this information on purpose.”

As Jade spoke, Lee-Jae silently nodded.

She fully agreed. That same doubt had been gnawing at her too.

Was Ilias really that powerful?

If so, why haven’t they succeeded in sending a single spirit through?

And it doesn’t feel like a large force is hiding in Belpasten either.

The study fell into a brief silence before the Commander of the central army cautiously offered his opinion.

“Your Majesty, how about waiting a few more days? So far, the punitive army and the reconstruction forces have only clashed once. We should weaken the enemy’s strength a bit more before we move.”

The King nodded.

“For now, let’s avoid getting too close. Have the 2nd knight division and part of the central army surround Riverton.”

Riverton was the district on the outskirts of the capital where Belpasten Street was located.

The King continued:

“But I don’t intend to wait long. Contact the deputy commander of the western army. Our attack and the punitive armies must be carried out simultaneously.”

“……”

“The rest, including myself, will join when the full-scale battle begins.”

Everyone agreed, but Jade still looked unsettled.

He was one of the King’s most loyal supporters—on par with the Queen in influence.

At a time when no one could be completely free from political positioning, Jade was one of the rare few who could worry about nothing but the King himself.

He wasn’t just a commander—he was a true friend to the King.

“Your Majesty… Is there really no other way?”

“How long are we supposed to keep hiding?”

“……”

“This war won’t end unless we move first. That’s one thing even the Crown Prince couldn’t deny.”

The King believed that unless he took action, they’d remain trapped in this stalemate.

The unresolved past clung to the present—and ignoring the present would only allow it to cripple the future.

Lee-Jae, too, could only nod in agreement with the King’s words.

Everything needed to be brought to an end before the year was over.

She looked closely at Roderick’s face for the first time in a while—

And once again, a powerful intuition swept over her.

The King’s face in deep thought was calm.

So calm that it almost looked somber.

But wasn’t it always darkest before dawn?

If they could win this battle, then the path ahead of this man would shine brilliantly.

“That’s all for today. We’ll continue once we hear back from the punitive army.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Understood.”

As the strategy meeting ended, the King gave Lee-Jae a slight nod.

It was his way of saying: See you this afternoon.

There were still the state affairs meeting and countless other duties ahead.

Lee-Jae, nodding slightly, came to a halt in the corridor.

She stood still, blankly watching the backs of the King and the Knight Commander as they walked away.

Though no date for the departure had been set, she felt instinctively that the end wasn’t far off.

She turned to head to her room—to finish writing the remaining talismans and carving the rest of the bracelets.

But after only a few steps, she hesitated.

“No… that won’t be enough.”

Standing in place, deep in thought, Lee-Jae changed direction and set off for Arthur’s Forest.

How long had she stayed inside that sacred place?

When she finally emerged, her thick hair was covered in leaves, startling those who had been waiting outside the forest.

Even so, she pressed on without pause, though she looked quite embarrassed.

By the time she reached the royal chambers for her report, the King had already returned after finishing all his engagements.

Roderick, perched at an angle on the windowsill, stared at her and asked bluntly,

“Where’ve you been again? You were so late I almost went looking for you.”

“I went to Arthur’s Forest. Just for a moment for the royal report.”

The King looked like he was about to ask, “Why there?”—but didn’t need to.

He had already seen the answer.

She was holding the First King’s sword carefully in her arms.

From the way she was also carrying countless small branches, it looked like she had scoured the forest to its roots to gather every fallen scrap.

Though she’d gotten prior permission, Lee-Jae still felt like a grave robber.

Mostly because the King didn’t say anything for a long while.

She lifted the items in her arms a little higher and offered an awkward excuse.

“I don’t think it’s a holy sword, not from the signs. But I figured… it’s better to bring everything I can bring.”

“Right. I understand exactly what you mean.”

Roderick didn’t have any clear leads either.

He had no real sense of how to use the sword, where to channel power, or even what kind of power it held.

Still, he silently nodded.

His wife’s instincts, more often than not, turned out to be right in the end.

Lately, he had also begun to realize something:

The vengeful spirits no longer had power over him like before.

The dead could no longer shake him.

If he could just sever Ilias’s neck with any blade, this war would be over.

While the King was deep in thought, Lee-Jae was once again already moving.

When she slipped out of the room, Roderick looked after her with a bewildered expression.

But this time, she didn’t take long.

When she returned, she was carrying two large sacks.

They weren’t stylish, but practical—field packs usually carried by knights.

Roderick raised one eyebrow as Lee-Jae walked to the table and began quietly packing her belongings into them.

The items were of all kinds:

Talismans, figurines, bracelets, arrows, and sacred twigs.

There were well over ten cleanly carved bracelets at a glance, and more than a hundred talismans—even after she’d distributed as many as possible to the knights.

She was even packing a carving knife and a hollowed bow, just in case.

The King, having jumped lightly from the window ledge, moved to sit across from her, watching her silently.

‘Is she… really that anxious right now? What kind of expression is that?’

But despite her busy hands, Lee-Jae’s face was simply calm—

Calm and resolute.

Roderick hesitated, scratching the corner of his brow as he tried to think of what to say, then finally opened his mouth.

“Lee-Jae.”

“Yes?”

“I’m really not trying to criticize you or anything, so… don’t misunderstand me.”

Lee-Jae looked at him, as if asking what exactly he was trying to say.

“…Are you sure you can carry all that?”

The bundle she was packing as Queen was larger than what most evacuees took when fleeing their homes.

At his comment, Lee-Jae stood and tried slinging the pack over her shoulders.

For a moment, she felt like she might topple sideways, but in her mind, this was the bare minimum.

She had planned to pack at least one more bundle.

Staring at the pack with a conflicted look, Lee-Jae hesitated, and Roderick ran a hand across his forehead and shook his head.

“Well, I mean… you’re not going to carry it yourself anyway, so there’s really nothing to worry about.”

“……”

“I’m just saying, that’s all.”

“……”

“…Anyway, just leave it there.”

When she reluctantly pulled her hands away from the field pack, Roderick pulled it toward himself.

“So, you’re packing everything in here?”

Lee-Jae nodded quickly.

He soon got to work, helping her gear up for battle, and Lee-Jae smiled brightly as she spread open another large field bag.

The date of departure was set sooner than expected.

The Western Army’s commander and head of the subjugation forces was pressing hard, laying bare his ambitions.

It was as if he were only waiting for reinforcements—boasting a new victory every other day.

Before sending a message to the general of the subjugation force, the King and the Commander of the First Order of Knights quietly discussed the timing of a surprise attack.

“Your Majesty, are you planning a surprise strike?”

“Not sure. I don’t think the night would be a good time.”

“Your Majesty, it’s true that nighttime attacks usually have the advantage.”

“You think I don’t know that? But the Queen has  always said this situation is different. That kind of tactic only works when we can fully see the enemy. Besides, I don’t believe we can remain hidden no matter when we strike.”

“Jade. The descendants of Ilias see the world differently from us. They perceive a different landscape. …So does the Queen.”

“Either way, tell them to keep it secret until the day comes.”

In the end, they decided to strike both camps at dawn.

For the Royal army, which had only ever played defense, this would be their first and final blow.

At last, the day of departure arrived.

Lee-Jae was chatting softly with the spirit within the chest.

— Lee-Jae, come back safe.

“Yeah, I will.”

— If they hit you, then you hit them back hard! Tell them to stop messing with you!

The cheer was so bright and aggressive, Lee-Jae couldn’t help but laugh.

She stretched out her leg so the spirit could climb up more easily.

As it crawled up onto her, she hesitated, then said softly:

“You know… I wish there were someone else who could see you too.”

“Someone who could talk to you, like I do.”

The spirit fell silent.

“Don’t you think so?”

— Why?

“Because… being unseen for hundreds of years—doesn’t that feel unbearably lonely? Or… am I being too human about this?”

She couldn’t help it. She was human, after all.

— It’s okay. I have you, Lee-Jae.

“…Yeah. You’re right.”

But what should she do…?

This time, she couldn’t promise she would be back soon.

You can call me a liar if you want—but you can’t wait for me endlessly again, like last time.

Looking quietly at the spirit, Lee-Jae stood.

She opened one of the field packs and took out a thick stack of talismans.

She placed them carefully in the wooden chest, laid her hand over it, and breathed a prayer into the seals.

‘Resonance of the same sound. The same sound echoes and reverberates. In the moment when we call and answer one another, we will never be trapped in darkness alone.’

Her fingertips glowed faintly.

Watching the light seep into the chest along with the energy she poured in, Lee-Jae smiled.

Then the spirit—her friend—ran up to her and hugged her leg tightly again, nuzzling its cheek against her in affection.