Chapter 242 - 111: My Elegy Mom is a Bit Strong (6)

Chapter 242: Chapter 111: My Elegy Mom is a Bit Strong (6)

Word had already preceded them. By the time the column of soldiers appeared on the road outside of town, Aus had already organized the townspeople to line the streets in a grand welcome.

Cheers and applause erupted, and every face overflowed with joy and reverence.

The great Lord Lynch had once again led them to a glorious victory and returned home safely.

Riding atop Red Rabbit, Lynch smiled and waved to the townspeople.

Upon returning to the garrison, he immediately reverted to his role as a hands-off boss. He dumped all the post-battle administration—cataloging spoils of war, tallying and reporting military achievements, organizing the troops for rest, and so on—squarely onto the energetic and idealistic Aus.

As for Lynch, he went straight to his room, pulled the covers over his head, and slept for a full day and night.

He didn’t wake up, groggy and finally rested, until just before midnight.

By then, Lakefront Town was in the midst of a grand victory celebration, with bonfires illuminating half the town.

Seeing this, Lynch made a customary appearance at the celebration. After accepting the townspeople’s toasts and blessings, he quietly returned to his own small courtyard.

In the courtyard, a bonfire blazed merrily. Meat skewers, sizzling and dripping with fat, were roasting on a rack above it.

On a small stove to the side, Sea Song was meticulously preparing her signature "Nourishing Fish Soup." It was nearly ready, bubbling softly as a rich, savory aroma permeated the air.

The small courtyard, however, was much livelier than usual tonight.

Avril, Ophelia, and Lilith had somehow shown up as well. They were currently helping Sea Song, huddled together and chattering away.

Amadis had also come to join the fun. She was reclining in a lounge chair, a glass of the potent spirit "Water of Life" in hand. A smile played on her lips as she took slow sips, her purple eyes looking especially mesmerizing in the firelight.

Even Aus had shamelessly shown up to get a taste of Sea Song’s fish soup.

The atmosphere in the little courtyard was serene and warm.

But what surprised Lynch the most was the arrival of Catherine.

The woman, who rarely joined their gatherings, was sitting by herself on a stone stool in a corner of the courtyard.

Her once-long golden hair was now cut short to her ears. The new style made her look less of her former flamboyant self, giving her a sharper, more dashing air.

Her eyes flickered toward Lynch from time to time, as if she wanted to say something but was too conflicted to speak.

"Hey, Catherine." Amadis seemed to recall something and suddenly looked over at her, her tone light and lilting. "I seem to recall hearing... that your uncle, the ’Sword of Dawn,’ personally promised you that as soon as Lakefront Town conquered Rock Fortress, your disgrace would be wiped clean, and you could return to the Radiant Battle Group in glory?"

She sat up a bit straighter and raised her glass to Catherine, a brilliant smile on her face. "Congratulations. You can finally return to your precious Radiant Battle Group."

The words seemed to strike a nerve, and Catherine’s eyes flickered for a moment.

In fact, it was this very matter she had wanted to discuss with Lynch, the reason she had finally, after much hesitation, stepped into this courtyard tonight.

But...

For some reason, every time she was about to speak, the words—phrases like "retiring with honor," "fulfilling the promise," or "requesting a transfer"—felt like they were caught in her throat. She just couldn’t say them.

There was a time when conquering Rock Fortress, washing away her shame, and returning to the Radiant Battle Group in a blaze of glory had been her sole obsession.

Yet, now that the day had finally come, she found herself filled with hesitation and... uncertainty.

’The Radiant Battle Group was the Third Battle Group of the North Wind Legion, the elite of the Empire, a symbol of honor.’

’And Lakefront Town?!’

’Everything here was so full of life.’

’There were endless things to do each day, and every day was about striving and improving.’

’It was as if only here could she truly feel the meaning of her own life.’

Seeing Catherine’s silence, Amadis frowned. "You... Don’t tell me you’re not planning on going back?"

That question seemed to break through Catherine’s defenses, allowing her to finally make a decision.

She raised her head and straightened her spine. "And why shouldn’t I stay?"

With that, she stood up, walked right up to Lynch, and said, "Battalion Commander Lynch."

"I came here today to formally request that I be allowed to remain in Lakefront Town, in the Ninth Battle Battalion."

The small courtyard instantly fell silent.

The smile vanished completely from Amadis’s lips. "Absolutely not!" she snarled.

"This is the Ninth Battalion of the Thirteenth Battle Group, not the Sixth Battle Battalion of your Fourth Battle Group," Catherine shot back, not yielding an inch. "Here, Battalion Commander Lynch calls the shots."

All eyes fell upon Lynch.

Lynch, who was in the middle of holding a meat skewer, stared back blankly, as if he’d suddenly been thrust into the spotlight.

"Uhh..." Lynch felt the pressure from all sides. He especially noted the threatening glare from Amadis that screamed ’Just you try and say yes,’ and the mixed look of hurt and hope from Avril. Suddenly, the roasted meat in his hand lost all its appeal.

He cleared his throat. "Senior Catherine, well... I feel that, after all, the Radiant Battle Group is the Empire’s elite. The career prospects and resources are far better than what we have in this little place..."

"No, I’m not going back," Catherine cut Lynch off. "I’m staying right here."

"Catherine!" Amadis’s purple eyes blazed with irritation. "How can you be so shameless? Even Lynch is telling you to go back. Is there any point in you clinging on like this? Don’t forget how you ’arrived’ here in the first place!"

But unexpectedly...

After a moment’s hesitation, Catherine slowly raised her glistening, ice-blue eyes. "Amadis, since when is the ’relationship’ between Lynch and me any of your business?"

"After all... I’m Lynch’s ’true love.’ Wasn’t I the one who, in order to ’support’ his development of Lakefront Town, put on that little act with him, even at the cost of shaming my own family?"

"Isn’t that so, my dear... junior?"

She drew out that last word, "junior," her eyes actually showing a hint of tender affection.

"COUGH! COUGH!"

Lynch nearly choked on his meat skewer, staring at Catherine in disbelief.

’Damn it!’ He never would have dreamed that the brilliant stalling tactic he’d deployed back then would come back to hit him like a boomerang.

For a moment, the entire courtyard fell into a dead silence.

Only the crackling of the bonfire could be heard, unnaturally loud.

"Holy shit!!!"

After a moment of stunned silence, Amadis shot to her feet. "Catherine, you’re actually trying to make it real!?"

"And so what if I am!?" Catherine met her gaze without flinching. "Everyone outside is already saying I’m Lynch’s one true love!"

"So now, for me, this ’rebellious Holy Knight’ who defied her family and gave up her future for true love, to continue staying by the side of the lover she adores and would sacrifice everything for, helping him defend the frontier and build his domain... isn’t that perfectly reasonable??"

"You!!" Amadis was trembling with rage at Catherine’s brazen sophistry.

In that instant, she felt an unprecedented threat. A cold, powerful, and deathly aura began to emanate uncontrollably from her, and the temperature in the courtyard seemed to plummet.

Her purple hair floated as if in a phantom wind, and an eerie light flickered in her eyes. She was like a thoroughly enraged lioness.

But Catherine didn’t give an inch. Her Holy Light Fighting Qi began to circulate, and a sacred white glow surfaced on her skin, clashing violently with the cold, deathly aura radiating from Amadis. Neither would back down.

The two were at a standoff, the situation ready to explode at a moment’s notice.

Just as the atmosphere reached peak tension and Lynch felt a massive headache coming on...

SCRATCH, SCRATCH, SCRATCH... SCRATCH, SCRATCH, SCRATCH...

...the incongruous sound of frantic scribbling rang out.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the sound.

There was Aus, a small booklet having appeared in his hand from nowhere, furiously scribbling in it with a charcoal pencil.

His eyes were gleaming as he wrote, muttering to himself under his breath.

"Brilliant, simply brilliant! The conflict stems from the blowback of a past ploy. Emotions flare in the heat of confrontation! Two ladies, both of noble birth yet with wildly different personalities, erupt in a fierce clash over the same man."

"A total opposition of status, alignment, and power types. The dramatic tension is maxed out."

"The title shall be... *The Amorous Adventures of My Brother, the Dominator of the Undead: Holy Light Rose vs. Deathly Violet—The Rivalry Arc*."

...