Chapter 676: 'I wore it for you in the first place.'

"Elise, make sure you assign enough people to keep watch over Duke Grant around the clock. He is to take his medicine at strictly set times every day. An Arcanist mage existence has an absurdly strong physique, he can take more potion, but he must not take less. Don’t give him any chance to wake up."

Watching Grant’s eyes rapidly turn vacant, his whole body collapsing onto the stretcher as if he were dead, the curve at Astrid’s lips eased, quickly returning to its usual calm. She turned to look at Lyra.

"Spare his life for now. Once we’ve taken control of all his territories, we’ll deal with him slowly. Let him die with a little more value."

As long as Duke Grant was still alive, the lands under his control, legally speaking, all still belonged to this royal duke. Even the exalted King of Velys, under the kingdom’s laws, had no right to strip him of his territories without cause.

To extract the maximum strategic value from capturing Grant alive, taking more checkpoints without bloodshed and then pressing in one breath toward Seville City, his life could be kept a little longer.

As for the end... whether Grant died of illness or wasted away in despair, that was another matter.

Lyra nodded. She naturally understood Astrid’s meaning, yet recalling the tone Astrid used when speaking to her, her pink lips parted.

"Astrid... are you explaining it to me...?"

Although they hadn’t discussed the specifics of what to do after capturing Duke Grant alive, Lyra had vaguely guessed it. Making kingdom nobles bleed right now might not be a good thing. Astrid’s stance was likely to keep Grant under control to extract the greatest benefit, not to kill him outright.

"Mhm. You could say that." Astrid didn’t deny it, her voice was soft.

"Going by the facts, if I handed Grant’s corpse to you for the upcoming speech to the army, the result might be twice the effect with half the effort."

Let the soldiers see their enemy suffer the same misery their own comrades had endured, pay the price one should pay for starting a war of aggression.

That would both echo the banner of justice they had raised, and soothe the emotions simmering within the ranks.

Hearing this, Lyra nodded in agreement.

"That’s true, but we’ve only just taken the kingdom’s border. There’s still a long road before we can break into the capital. We have to watch the fallout."

"Taking Coldwind City has already proven our military strength. The surrounding nobles will be spooked like startled birds when they hear of it. If we now slaughter nobles specifically, it’ll only stir more suspicion and resistance, bad for our current strategy of uniting the many against the few."

She wasn’t some hot-blooded girl acting on impulse, nor was she at an age where she couldn’t be flexible. If she acted rashly just to satisfy her craving for justice and triggered a chain of unnecessary reactions that caused more casualties, it would be a terrible trade.

As Lyra spoke, Astrid blinked, and then the silver-haired knight in armor strode up, taking her hand of her own accord.

"And besides... didn’t you say you’d trust me...?"

Lyra pressed her lips together. Sky-blue eyes caught the room’s scattered light.

"Even without Duke Grant’s corpse, I can still do it well."

...

4:30 in the afternoon. Coldwind City was about to greet the night. The howling evening wind kept battering the walls with a piercing, grating sound. The blood-red sun sank below the horizon, dyeing the distant clouds into waves.

As the temperature gradually dropped, the army’s grain distribution came to a temporary close. The civilians who had received relief rations returned to their homes. Several households gathered together to save fuel, wrapped in thick cloth as they kindled a steaming, lively stove-fire to warm the room, using the crackling flames to fight the cold that seeped in everywhere at night.

Although Lyra’s series of relief measures only barely pulled the city’s residents away from the edge of starving to death, it was still enough to see them through this frigid night. Hot soup mixed with black bread crumbs went down warm, effectively replenishing energy and letting their bodies continue working to generate heat on their own.

Some people huddled by the hearth, speaking in low voices about everything that had happened today, venting the lingering shock.

When the Valeria Empire’s army broke through the walls, all of them had thought their lives would truly end today.

Duke Grant treated the people under his rule with such cruelty, what about an enemy army? They were sallow and gaunt now, unable to lift or carry anything. They didn’t even have value as cheap labor. If they were lucky, they could find a corner and fend for themselves; if unlucky... they might become toys for an army’s vented fury after the city fell.

Most of them had believed that at first. Until the soldiers opened the granaries, until they received warm food and firewood for warmth, only then did their impression of the expeditionary army begin to shift.

At least for now, these soldiers in standardized armor were disciplined. They didn’t look like the man-eating beasts Grant had loudly painted them as.

Could it be... what the letter urging surrender said was true...

No. That couldn’t be.

Inside the rooms, voices rose and fell, doubts about the expeditionary army, the dazed unreality of surviving a disaster, and a very small number of optimistic tones.

Even after enjoying relief grain that normally only those who worshiped the Church of Light would receive, Coldwind City’s residents still find it hard to believe that an armed force would leave them untouched. If the Valeria Empire had started a war not to seize things, then why do it at all?

But no matter what, they were still alive to see the sun the next day. That was enough.

They only wondered, since the Valeria Empire’s expeditionary army had already taken Coldwind City, would they lift the blockade and allow trade with nearby cities, so they could exchange for the necessities of life: food and fuel.

At approximately five o’clock, the army assembled outside Coldwind City. Because their numbers were so great, Lyra had the instructions in advance, while she herself stood atop the towering wall with the setting sun at her back.

Lyra had given many speeches like this, post-battle remarks after the academy defeating strong opponents in the tournament, stage performances as an outstanding student, or the occasional restaurant speech to rally hearts after arriving in the Northern Frontier. Those unusual experiences had all given her precious practice.

Now, she was no longer nervous. Her delicate face held no excess expression, blue eyes quietly watching the black mass of soldiers beneath the wall.

She stepped forward. Silver-white knight boots landed on the notched stone of the battlements. Lyra leaned toward a nearby second-floor balcony. A cool, austere princess in a black dress sat by the window, one hand holding a porcelain plate, the other a teacup, long legs elegantly crossed, a pair of red eyes fixed on her.

As if granted support, the pink-haired girl’s emotions steadied further. She wet her throat and spoke gently.

"Everyone, after breaking through the border defenses, we’ve won another great victory."

"The once-unbreakable Coldwind City now lies beneath our feet, opening its gates to us, everything revealing it has..."

With Arcanist-tier mental power amplifying her voice, Lyra’s words spread in all directions, falling into every soldier’s ears.

"Throughout this process, we lost many of our compatriots. We have also clearly felt death’s shadow hanging over our heads, yet in the end, we still survived with tenacity."

"I am proud that the Empire has such an invincible army."

Her pink lips touched the rim of the cup as she took a small sip of black tea. Astrid gazed at Lyra, whose pink hair had been dyed red by the sunset, her eyes exceptionally gentle.

The girl’s crisp, bright voice echoed at the city gate, drowning out the wind. Even with the late sun at her back, the silver-white holy armor is still radiant brilliance.

...

Night. In a private home near the city wall, Lyra removed all her armor and sat down slightly beside Astrid.

"Astrid... why aren’t you staying at the central manor?"

Duke Grant’s mansion was lavish and grand. Although its living facilities couldn’t compare to the Regent’s bedchamber palace in Capital City, it wasn’t far off. In terms of overall standards, it barely met what a noble lodging suitable for the Regent’s identity should be.

At this moment, Astrid was no longer wearing the noble court dress that hugged her body during the day. Instead, she had changed into a light, night-sky-colored silk sleeping gown.

Her exquisite, alluring figure appeared and disappeared under the moonlight. Two long, well-proportioned, fair legs were softly wrapped in sleek black stockings.

Cold white skin was gently cinched by lace-patterned stocking tops; the classic black-and-white pairing lends an even more captivating visual effect.

The silver-haired beauty sat quietly by the bed. Her silver hair fell to her waist, brushing the carved hem.

Her legs rested together. Her black-stockinged feet, sheened like dark chocolate under the moon, were not hidden by shoes, but daintily revealed.

The smooth, clean arc of her ink-jade instep was veiled in black gauze, still clearly visible; and because the toe area used denser fabric, the fine tips of her toes gained a hazy beauty.

"I asked the maids a bit about Grant’s lifestyle," Astrid answered. "It’s... dirty."

Back in the border city, there was a large man-made bathhouse Grant had specifically prepared for entertaining honorable guests of the Church of Light.

The last person to use it was Monica, the Saintess of the Church of Light. As the church’s public face, she valued the purity of body and mind above all, spotless and immaculate, so naturally she wouldn’t have left the pool in such a terrible state.

After a careful cleaning and a change of water, Astrid could accept using it.

As for Grant, that was another story.

She had no intention of sleeping on the bed where that arrogant noble daily profaned his personal maids and other lowborn girls. If she had to choose, in Astrid’s eyes, even the kitchen’s woodpile was cleaner than that place.

"Eh?"

It took Lyra a second to react, quickly realizing Astrid wasn’t talking about physical dirt, but something mental.

"I understand. Then we’ll sleep here."

"It’s also not far from where the army is stationed. If anything happens, I can respond immediately."

With the Valeria Empire’s expeditionary army forcefully entering Coldwind City, the already tight housing situation had become seriously insufficient.

"Once the merit tally is out tomorrow, let some of the highly achieved soldiers move into Duke Grant’s mansion. It’s huge anyway. Not using it would be a waste."

"And we can even do it under the name of the Regent being considerate of her soldiers, voluntarily giving up superior lodging, and letting those with merits stay in a noble’s estate."

That way, the material gain will actually become secondary. The greater reward would be mental.

’Back then, when we entered Coldwind City, because I achieved outstanding merit and earned the Regent’s favor, I got to live in a kingdom grand duke’s mansion, just saying it aloud would be enough for an ordinary soldier to boast about for a lifetime.’

Lyra blinked a few times, her voice soft.

"Astrid... you really never forget to maximize benefits, no matter when..."

Clearly she herself didn’t want to stay there, yet she could turn it into a reward for others, while also boosting morale. Too sly.

If it were back when she had just been admitted to Isabell Magic Academy, Lyra might have felt it wasn’t right. But after being with Astrid for so long, the sharp-minded pink-haired girl could already understand her.

Judge the heart, not the traces. No matter what others thought, the Regent’s grace was truly given, and others truly received the blessing, then it was enough.

"What? Lyra doesn’t like it?" Astrid asked.

Lyra shook her head. "No. I just think Astrid is so smart."

Not only possessing a vision far beyond ordinary people, but also the ability to make use of every element beneficial to yourself.

As if she could do anything.

"...If it were me, I definitely wouldn’t think of it," Lyra added.

Astrid turned her head to glance at Lyra. The pink-haired girl with a pure aura had removed all her armor; now, what wrapped that warm, soft body was only a skirt and blouse wrinkled by the armor’s lining, and those two pure white thigh-high stockings covering her legs.

Without realizing it, the once somewhat blunt chosen heroine had completely become her shape.

Sensing Astrid’s gaze on her, even though she was the one in everyday clothes, Lyra grew more bashful than Astrid in her semi-sheer nightgown. Her round, fair knees gently pressed together as she whispered.

"W-what is it..."

As she spoke, the hand she had rested on the bed, lightly touching Astrid’s silver hair, stopped moving. Her pale fingertips remain among the cool strands, unmoving for a long time.

Astrid blinked, her tone gentle.

"Nothing. It’s just... you suddenly excited me so much I got a little carried away."

"And also... if Lyra wants to touch me, you don’t have to be so careful."

"I wore it for you in the first place."