145 Four hundred and forty-four, 'with the fire of discretion.'




 My beloved silver long sword. It's been a long time coming, but it's never going to leave my waist. Kalia stroked the hilt of her beloved sword affectionately, and slipped the iron baskets into her hands.

 The baskets are the bare minimum of armament. She is even lighter than a light infantryman. When you think of the strength of his muscles, which could cut down a horse, he could have acted just as well in heavy armor, but Kalia preferred his lightness.

 She felt that her light armor would prove her strength. The less heavy equipment she had, the more she felt she could assert that this was her power.

 A believer in power. One who does not hide the conceit of the strong. Without power, you can do nothing. You can't get anything. That's what Kalia believes with all her heart. She squeezed her slender fingers together. The basket is not bad. I can feel the power reaching my fingertips.

 You're right. If there's something you want, it's always better to grab it with your own hands.

Master Kaalia Vadnick. Take care of yourself.

 The name, already abandoned, struck Caria's ear. Her silver eyes twinkled involuntarily.

 A man named Torga, who claimed to be a member of Mordor Gorn's entourage, hung his head reverently at his side. Only his head was bowed as a courtesy to the higher ranks, but the color of his eyes was not that of a submissive.

 Of course. Kalia knew very well that Tolga was not here as her subordinate, but as a watcher.

 With the voice of the diva saint Alueno, Mordo decided to fill Belle Fain with his private army. In order to strangle Lugis, the great sinner of the Great Sacred Church. In order to dedicate his body to the Daishonin and take credit for it.

 In other words, he has abandoned his policy of softening up the heraldry. The more he deploys his private army, the more the spies in Belle Fain will know of Mordo's intentions.

 And that's fine. As long as we can kill Lugis and give his body to the High Priest, I have no problem with it. All things considered, that's what Mordor decided. Without realizing it, Kalia's eyelashes bounced.

 And so, Kalia asked to be accompanied by some of his private army. I'll get my hands on this Lugis, he said. Yes, that's exactly what he said. I came to Belle Fain to do just that.

"Don't worry about it. I'm still somewhat familiar with the sword.

 But I'm still somewhat familiar with swords," Kalia says, her cheeks tightening lightly as she gives Torga a cold look.

 Kalia's offer to accompany the private army was accepted with surprising ease. Well, it must have been a safe bet for Mordor.

 Because the man must still be suspicious of him and of Fialat. Well, that's a natural attitude for a lord to have. He knows what it means to be a lord to the point of disgust.

 The sudden arrival of a high class guest could be a trap of some kind. Oh, perhaps he is inviting the hand of the devil to plunge him into the abyss.

 It is not surprising that lords and nobles are always thinking about such things somewhere in their hearts. If it hadn't been for the saint's words, Mordor would never have sent out his private army. Kalia clears her throat in a funny way.

 It was precisely because he was a man with suspicion embedded in his bones that he accepted Kalia's words about accompanying the private army.

 He must be thinking this way. If you and Fialaat are friends, it's better to separate them and keep an eye on them. He must be wondering if there is something disturbing going on, or if he has something bad in his mind.

 In order to determine that, it is better to separate them so that they cannot do anything strange hand in hand with each other. One of you, that is, Fialaat, is in the house, and Kalia is among the soldiers on the battlefield. Of course, both of them will be escorted by their own entourage to ensure their safety.

 That way, even if they had something bad in their hearts, they would not act strangely. That's what Mordor must have thought.

 A mundane thought, but a perfectly legitimate one. It's a natural thought. But does it really apply to us? Can we really say that about ourselves and our people?

 The silver long sword is drawn. Kalia's back straightened, her eyes wide and twinkling. The dull silver glow reflected slightly in her face.

 Yes, you and Fialaat had indeed come to this city together, and had joined forces for a mutual purpose. At times, we've even worked together.

 Well, I suppose you could call that working together. I guess you could say we worked hand in hand. But if you ask me if they're my friends, they're not.

 --Because I have only one companion, Lugis.

 Yes, that's true. Rougis is undoubtedly my companion.

 Kalia's cheeks twisted. From the outside, it looks as if she's smiling. But no one would ever say she was smiling if they saw the passion and fire in her heart.

 Kalia's white canine teeth bit her lip.

 I told you so, she thinks. When the journey was still just between you and Lugis. When I felt comfortable, when every inch of my chest felt full. I'm sure I told you. Just as we were leaving Garliest.



 --What if, what if. If you ever betray me. I'll make sure you're destroyed.

 I warned you. He left me so easily. He didn't even ask me for advice. He just disappeared.

 The mere mention of this in her thoughts set off a firestorm of indignation in Kalia's chest.

 At first, Kalia was still holding on. At first, she was still trying to hold back the rage that was threatening to overflow from her chest. She even tried to understand that it was inevitable, that it was even their nature.

 Thinking about it, just like in the walled city of Garou Amalia, or in the hanging garden of Ghazalia, he would disappear without consulting me, without a word of explanation. He's selfish, he's selfish, he decides everything by his own will. She has not changed since the day she took me out of the house of Baadnick.

 So, Kalia tried to accept that this time was just like any other time. That he had no choice in the matter.

 But this time. But this time... just as she was about to sigh that she had no choice, there was an incident that caused a crack in her heart.

 That was the fact that Largd-Anne had brought it to him, albeit indirectly. Lugis had taken the hand of the saint Mattia and headed for the mercenary city of Belle Fain. Those words made a distorted sound in Kalia's chest.

 What the hell is that?

 You're not one of mine, are you? But what are you doing here without consulting me? What are you doing, taking the hand of such a person?

 At this point, Caria understood. I don't know if it's finally happening, or if she's just been looking away, I don't know. But now, in her heart, there was one thing she was sure of.

 --I've indulged Lugis too much.

 Yeah. I've been a bit naive and accepted his unrestrained behavior as unavoidable, and he's finally gotten carried away. He made the mistake of thinking I'd tolerate it all.

 But no more. Lugis, it's time to correct your mistake. You need discipline because it's yours. I'm doing all of this for you. Kalia smiles fiercely again, with heat in her eyes.

 He needs to be reminded. Without me, you're nothing. I must remind him once again that without me you will have no glory, no salvation at all.

 And you must be made to understand, deeply and profoundly, that should you ever betray me, should you ever cling to anyone else, there will be nothing but ruin and despair in your wake.

 Oh, he's a handful. He really is a handful. Lugis is a very bad person. He still doesn't know the first thing about anything.

 But I suppose that's part of the challenge. Kalia felt a flare of emotion in her chest that made her spine burn. And now it felt good, somehow.

 She understood that this was what was inspiring her to move forward. Her silver hair, parted into two tufts, swayed. It was as if it were spreading fire.

 --Now, it's time for discipline, Lugis.