Arc 5 Chapter 1 : Windhowl City

[Raul PoV]

After fourteen days at sea, I finally arrived in Windhowl City, located in the southeastern region of the Tsardom of Slavia.

Our ship docked at the harbor, where several people appeared to be waiting for us.

After disembarking, three people approached me. Among them was a woman, followed by a man behind her.

"Welcome to the Tsardom of Slavia, Lord Raul," the woman greeted me.

She had pale blonde hair and an exceptionally beautiful face. From her clothing and the way she carried herself, it was clear that she came from a noble family.

"My name is Misha Stronov—the daughter of House Stronov, which is entrusted with governing this region," the woman introduced herself. "What is your first impression of our city?"

"Your family's city is beautiful, Miss Misha," I replied. "However, I suppose I will have to adapt to the cold weather during my stay in the Tsardom of Slavia."

"This cold weather is one of the defining characteristics of the Tsardom of Slavia, Lord Raul. This piercing cold will make sure you always remember the charm of our country. Fufufu~."

Misha let out a small laugh after saying that.

For some reason, I had a strange sense of familiarity with this woman.

Because of that, I unintentionally stared into her eyes for several moments.

"Lord Raul, is something wrong?" the woman asked.

"No, nothing," I replied. "Then, when will I continue my journey to the capital, Herminsky?"

"You will rest at our residence tonight, and tomorrow we will travel to the capital," Misha answered.

"Very well."

We then left the harbor area.

The two people accompanying Misha helped my servants carry the equipment I had brought with me.

It seemed that they would be keeping an eye on my every movement while I was here, considering that their leader had only recently been killed.

Fortunately, I had already sent some of my other belongings, along with the three young Elves, through another route to Ragusa City in the western region of the Tsardom of Slavia.

There, they would rent a secret location that I could use whenever my plans changed.

Misha and I boarded a horse-drawn carriage.

We traveled through streets covered in snow, where several people were busy clearing it away so that citizens and carriages could travel more easily.

We then passed through the commercial district.

There were countless products being sold here. However, most of the food available consisted of meat, with only a small amount of vegetables and wheat being sold.

This was because eighty percent of the Tsardom of Slavia's territory was covered in snow.

Even during summer, the temperature here remained as cold as winter on Earth.

Along the road, I also saw many citizens decorating their homes.

If I remembered correctly, the Rebirth Festival would begin soon.

"Is there going to be a festival in this country? Didn't you just lose your ruler?" I asked Misha, who was sitting across from me.

"That's right," Misha replied with a gloomy expression. "However, Princess Alisha said that we should not remain in mourning forever. We will still hold this festival to commemorate the deeds of the heroes who fought against the Fire Demon that attacked this country."

The festival would last for three days.

There would be several events, such as fireworks and a theatrical performance depicting the battle between the soldiers of the Tsardom of Slavia and the Fire Demon, Devorus.

However, for some reason, I had a bad feeling about it.

Whenever a major event occurred in this world, something always seemed to happen, whether naturally or because of human actions.

---

[??? PoV]

I had been a Knitaz for five years—the five most trusted personal guards serving the Tsar who ruled this country.

The duty of the Knitaz was to protect the Tsar and obey all of his commands.

Wherever the Tsar went, there would always be a Knitaz accompanying him.

On the night Tsar Feodor was killed, two Knitaz accompanied him to meet Duke Alvaro.

However, when we arrived at the scene, the two Knitaz who had accompanied Tsar Feodor had also been killed.

The location where the two of them had died was quite far from Tsar Feodor, indicating that the Tsar and his guards had fought separately.

The Knitaz were powerful Knights selected from among the most loyal people in the country.

For that reason, I was certain that whoever attacked the Tsar and the two Knitaz guarding him could not have been alone.

"Lord Rurik! Welcome back to Windhowl!"

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Two Mansion guards greeted me.

I had just arrived at my home.

My name was Rurik Stronov—the eldest son of Boyar Lenin Stronov, the ruler of the port city of Windhowl.

"It feels good to finally be home! Has anything changed in Windhowl over the past year?" I asked them.

"Of course, Lord Rurik! Ever since financial assistance from the central government arrived, we have been able to rebuild the infrastructure damaged by the monster attacks, allowing our economy to gradually recover!" one of the guards answered.

"Thank you both for protecting our home so well during that crisis," I praised them. "I deeply regret that I could not come here at the time because Tsar Feodor ordered me to exterminate monsters in another region."

Hearing my praise, both guards looked delighted.

"Don't worry, Lord Rurik! All of us here will never cower before enemies who wish to destroy our home!" they declared.

I smiled, patted both of them on the shoulders, and then entered the Stronov family mansion.

The servants welcomed me and escorted me to a room I had not used in a long time.

Two maids then removed the combat equipment I wore at all times and replaced it with ordinary clothing.

"Lord Rurik, would you like to have dinner with Boyar Lenin now, or would you rather wait for Miss Misha and Raul de Garcia to arrive and have dinner with them?" one of the maids asked.

Hmm...

Raul de Garcia?

Wasn't he the man rumored to be Princess Alisha's fiancé?

I also seemed to remember hearing that he would arrive in Windhowl today.

"I will wait for the two of them to arrive," I replied. "Is my father in his study? He said he wanted to speak with me once I returned."

"Of course. He has already been waiting for you in his study, my lord."

After changing clothes, I left my room and headed toward Father's study.

When I met him during Tsar Feodor's funeral in the capital a few days ago, I had somehow felt that something about Father had changed.

His aura, the way he spoke—everything seemed different compared to the last time I had seen him a year ago.

I supposed I would understand it better during our conversation this time.

Father rarely called me home unless something important was happening.

Not long afterward, I arrived in front of his study.

- Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Father, I've returned home as you ordered," I said from outside the room.

"Rurik? Is that you? Come in. The door is unlocked."

I heard Father's voice from inside.

I opened the door and saw him sitting in his chair, smoking a cigar.

He extinguished it when he saw me walking into the room.

"Sit down, Rurik. We need to discuss something serious," Father said as he adjusted his posture.

I sat in the chair in front of his desk as instructed.

"Father, what do you want to discuss? You don't usually call me home," I asked him.

"There are too many ears that could hear us if we spoke in the capital, Rurik," Father replied.

Hearing that made me slightly tense, wondering what he wanted to discuss that required such caution.

"Has the Knitaz appointed any new members?" Father asked.

"Not yet, Father. I believe we will conduct the selection process to replace the two members who died after Princess Alisha's official coronation as Tsarina of this country," I replied, trying to keep my voice as normal as possible.

"Princess Alisha, is it?" Father muttered.

I could not read his expression.

I had no idea what he was thinking.

"What is your opinion of Her Highness, Rurik?" Father asked me.

"In my opinion, she is perfectly suited and ready to lead this country," I replied.

"Besides having a beautiful face and the presence of a leader, she also possesses powerful magic like her predecessors who ruled this country. Although we lost Tsar Feodor, we do not need to worry because his successor—Princess Alisha—has an incredibly bright future thanks to her abilities.

"Not only that, the nobles and citizens of the Tsardom of Slavia also respect Her Highness and will surely remain loyal to her, even though she is still very young to be appointed as the ruler of a country."

I did not merely respect Her Highness.

I admired her.

She had even personally stepped onto the battlefield despite the extremely cold weather during the monster crisis we faced last year.

I wanted to serve her...

She was someone worthy of receiving my loyalty as a Knight.

"I see..." Father muttered after hearing my answer. "You know about Her Highness's engagement, don't you?"

I nodded.

Her future husband was the heir of Duke Alvaro, who had recently died in this country.

I had heard rumors that without the economic assistance provided by House Garcia, the Tsardom of Slavia would not have recovered so quickly.

That was why Tsar Feodor had offered Princess Alisha's hand in marriage to Raul de Garcia in exchange for this economic assistance.

"Isn't he coming here tonight? I don't think Princess Alisha would object if this engagement helps her country recover from its hardships," I replied.

However, my heart grew heavy at the thought of the woman I admired having to sell her heart for the sake of everyone else.

She deserved happiness of her own after everything she had done and sacrificed for this country.

Father seemed to notice that I was clenching my fist.

"Marrying Her Highness to a foreign nobleman at a time like this is dangerous for our country, Rurik," Father said, staring at me seriously.

"What do you mean, Father?" I asked, worried about where this conversation was heading.

"The Romanovs—the family that has ruled this country—are now reduced to only two members, and both of them are women," Father said. "Furthermore, Tsar Feodor died under unnatural circumstances before this marriage could take place. I can smell something fishy."

"Do you still think that way?" I asked him. "Don't tell me you're planning to do something to our guest! Father, there will never be a good ending for our family if we harm a guest!"

It had become a tradition in the Tsardom of Slavia.

Whether they were enemies or anyone else, we were never allowed to harm someone who had entered our home as a guest.

Families who had violated that tradition had always met tragic ends throughout the history of this country.

"No, Rurik. I will not do anything that extreme," Father replied calmly. "I will gain the support of the Boyars so that they can ask Princess Alisha to cancel her engagement to Raul de Garcia. I believe half of us already agree that Duke Alvaro is responsible for Tsar Feodor's death."

"Then who will replace that man as Her Highness's fiancé and become Tsar?" I asked Father.

However, he did not answer my question.

He merely stared at me meaningfully.

"Don't tell me..."

"Yes... You will become the Tsar of this country, Rurik," Father said seriously.

I...

I was speechless after hearing Father's words.

So it was true.

Father had changed.

If this were the Father I used to know, he would never have discussed something like this.

He had always been concerned only with matters in Windhowl and had never involved himself in political issues within the Imperial Palace.

What had happened to him?

- Knock! Knock! Knock!

There was a knock at the door from outside.

"Boyar Lenin, Lord Rurik, Miss Misha and Raul de Garcia have arrived at the Mansion," a servant announced, informing us of the arrival of our guests.

"Very well. We will come out shortly," Father replied before standing and approaching me.

"Rurik, the future of this country is in your hands. If you want to protect it, then keep that man away from Princess Alisha. Believe it or not, I am certain that he has only one goal: to influence this country according to his own interests."

I merely nodded at Father's words.

The two of us left the study and descended to the first floor of the Mansion.

When we arrived downstairs, I saw a black-haired man with one eye speaking with Misha—my younger sister.

Upon noticing Father and me, the black-haired man turned toward us.

Our gazes met.

His black eyes were like an abyss, pulling me into their darkness.

His expression was completely emotionless, as if nothing in this place interested him.

"Welcome to my residence, Raul de Garcia!" Father said as he approached the man. "Or should I call you Duke Raul from now on?"

The black-haired man shifted his attention away from me and looked at Father.

"No. I have not yet sworn my noble oath to Emperor Philip, and the ceremony will take place after graduation," the man replied. "However, I suppose you can call me Tsar once my marriage to Princess Alisha takes place not long from now."

Hearing his words made Father's brow furrow as if he were offended, especially after our previous conversation.

I felt the same.

Without realizing it, I clenched my fists upon hearing his presumptuous remark.

Perhaps Father was right.

This man really was after the position of Tsar for some ulterior purpose.