The Legendary Spearman Returns

Side Story Chapter 206

“Huh...?” Kireua’s eyes popped wide open.

Iruca had been telling him the truth; indeed, a pleasant surprise was waiting for him at the gates.

“Hey.”

“Anna!” Kireua shouted.

It was Anna Grace, the Witch of the North. Her exquisite wind elemental magic had proven a valuable asset in battle. Although she used to be Kireua’s enemy, she was now his most reliable ally.

“Where in the world have you been?”

“I had some business to take care of,” Anna answered.

Anna had vanished after she had fully recovered from her injuries, which had left Kireua feeling disappointed. She hadn't shown up until now and hadn’t even told him. She had her reasons, of course.

‘It was inevitable,’ Anna thought. She was in the center of Avalon’s Palace, where the all-important Imperial Family lived. That meant that there were people everywhere. She had been wanted for high treason until recently and was called a witch for a good reason. She was the emperor’s enemy and one of the people who had attacked the Agnus family. Anna had turned over a new leaf since then, but...

‘It isn’t easy to change my reputation. I can’t let you get caught in the crossfire after we even made a pledge.’

At some point, Anna had started to see Kiruea in a special way, though it wasn’t like the timeless love that could be often seen in romance novels. It was closer to a love-hate relationship. Kireua’s father was Anna’s enemy, but it was offset by the camaraderie Kireua and Anna had built after overcoming multiple crises together.

‘...Maybe I just don’t want to admit it.’

After staring at her for a long time, Kireua approached her and grabbed her hands. “Don’t ever disappear like that again. I’ve been worried about you.”

“...You were worried about me?” Anna's eyes widened.

“Of course I was. You just vanished. What if you died or were taken hostage?”

Kireua had also been preoccupied by the chaotic battle, but he had still been worried about Anna and had constantly been on the lookout for signs of her.

“...Hmmm.” Anna let out a pleased little hum. She was smiling from ear to ear. “Do you have feelings for me?”

“...What kind of sudden nonsense is this?” Kireua was baffled. That was the last question he had expected to hear.

“You aren’t saying no right away, so I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Why do you keep spouting nonsense!? Where did you lose your marbles?”

“It’s said that the stronger you deny something, the more true it is.”

“I can feel my initial joy fading away,” Kireua said in a serious voice.

“If only your father could have seen this,” Anna continued to joke.

“I was a fool to worry about you.” Kireua let go of Anna’s hands and strode away, but Anna quietly tugged the hem of his clothes, bringing him to a halt.

“Let me come with you.”

Kireua stiffened. “...You wouldn’t say that if you knew where I’m going.”

“I know. I heard.”

“Huh? You heard? From who...?” Kireua frowned.

Someone immediately came to mind—the very same person who had told Kireua to come here.

“I visited her myself. I wanted to ask the Second Queen Consort for advice since she’s the empire’s greatest genius and all, but even I was a little scared to meet my enemy’s wife alone,” Anna explained, only half joking.

“But you were fine with meeting her daughter?”

“Yeah, there’s one big difference between the two. The Queen Consort witnessed what happened with her own eyes, but her daughter just heard what happened from somebody else. They’re absolutely not the same.”

“What advice did you ask for?” Kireua asked.

“...It was something along the lines of, ‘how can I be less of a bitch?’”

Kireua’s face scrunched up. “Iruca is really mean.”

Anna had secretly wanted Kireua to get angry on her behalf, so that made her feel better.

“I’m going off to die,” Kireua said.

“Since when has that stopped you from taking me with you?”

“Don’t joke around. I have to cross the Black Monster Forest, and it’s highly likely that I’ll only be able to bring a small group of people. Didn’t you hear that the forest changed after the dragons disappeared?”

“It’s not fine for me, but it’s okay for you?” Anna pointed back and forth between them.

Kireua gaped at her, speechless.

“Hmmm... You don’t have anything else to say, do you? The citizens and nobles of Avalon would probably want a bitch like me to be in danger rather than their honorable Prince.”

“Are you kidding me right now—!”

Anna cut him off with a kiss on his cheek as she brushed past him.

“Wh-What are you doing?” Kireua stammered, frozen like a sculpture.

Anna grinned. “Nothing. You’re just cute.”

* * *

There was a person who was watching everything from afar.

After lowering her mana binoculars, Iruca bitterly smiled. “Why don’t people know that loving people who they aren’t meant to be with will only bring them torment? Now I have to worry about it since she’s voluntarily torturing herself.”

A person wearing black clothes appeared beside Iruca without making a sound and held out their hand. Iruca passed them the binoculars, one of the numerous artifacts developed by Iceline

“Keep an eye on Anna bel Grace. The chances of her pulling another trick on Kireua seems low, but you never know,” Iruca instructed.

“Yes, Your Highness,” the person said in a monotonous voice that gave away nothing of their gender.

The Black Wind used to be an intelligence service under the Imperial Family’s direct command, but a new organization had replaced them, led by Iruca. This organization originally reported only to the Emperor of Avalon, but he believed that it was proper for a strategist to lead his intelligence service.

Of course, that created the potential for catastrophe if the leader of said organization got traitorous ideas, but the possibility of that happening was zero. The first leader of the new Black Wind, which was now called the Martial God’s Wind, was Icarus; Iruca was their second leader.

“Did Dad see them together?” Iruca wondered.

“I believe that he has. If the Queen Consorts are right and His Majesty was in Lilith Aphrodite...”

“He condoned it? Dad should know that that isn’t the right way to love his child... He’s a poor ruler in times like this,” Iruca mumbled. She liked everything about her father, but she was slightly discontent with how soft-hearted he became when it came to the people close to him. In that sense, father and son were too similar to each other.

Iruca shook her head. “There’s no other choice but for the smart sister to assist the naive brother.”

“How shall I deal with Anna bel Grace?”

“Although he has an Evil Sin, Kireua is likely to fail his mission if our intel is right and that thing is in the center of the Black Monster Forest.”

“In that case...”

“Sir Cain will be with Kireua, so deliver a message to him in secret: in an emergency, prioritize Kireua’s safety.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“As for all of you... you know what to do, yes?” Iruca asked, her voice monotonous.

“We’ll secure His Highness’s escape route with our lives.”

“You’d better. Help Kireua escape even if you have to feed your lives to it. If something bad happens to my brother but you people come back alive... I’m going to kill your entire family,” Iruca said. Her bone-chilling statements were delivered without even blinking.

Nevertheless, the agent wasn’t fazed; instead, they bowed deeply as if it were a fitting punishment.

“You can do what you wish with Anna bel Grace. It’s up to you to kill her or not. In fact, it would be perfect if you kill her...” After pondering for a moment, Iruca flicked her finger. “...No, if something happens, tell her that the way to atone for her sins is to save Kireua.”

“Yes, Your Highness! Upon our lives, it will be done!”

* * *

Using Iceline’s teleportation magic, Kireua and Cain arrived at the Black Monster Forest a week later and waited for the others.

They were deeply disappointed.

“I never expected no one to show up,” Anna bitterly remarked.

They were at the meeting point that Iruca had set for their mission, but no nobles could be seen even though the meeting time approached. At the very least, the nearby lords should have shown their faces...

“...Something must have gone wrong with the delivery of the Imperial Order. I’ll go and check,” Cain offered.

“No need.” Anna shook her head. “I already did that.”

Cain quickly turned to her. “What do you mean?”

“Have you forgotten that the wind is everywhere? I heard what they were saying through my elemental spirits.”

“S-So? What did they say?”

“I don’t think you want to hear it,” Anna flatly stated. Her usual mischievousness was replaced by a grim countenance.

Most of what she had heard was about how the Second Prince was going off to die, the Imperial Family was unfair to him, and that no one would go to the Black Monster Forest. The people were also saying that it was better to die an honorable death by fighting the enemy than to be slaughtered by monsters in the darkness.

While collecting information, Anna also frequently heard that the First Prince was indeed better than the Second Prince. She knew better than anyone else that relaying what she had heard to Kireua would only dampen his spirits.

“But you’re still going to go, aren’t you.”

“...Of course.” Kireua nodded. “I’ll wait half a day more and if no one comes, I’ll go.”

They still had half a day left until the designated time. If no one came, they had to cross the Black Monster Forest on their own.

Anna suddenly jolted. Her eyes widened as her head swiveled toward the Black Monster Forest’s dark entrance.

“What the hell...”

“What is it?”

“That thing is in there? No wonder they didn’t show!” Anna screeched.

Cain and Kireua gave her a baffled look. “What in the world are you talking about...?”