Ch#65
Like all of the Seven Strongest, Egret Valentia was raised in an extraordinary environment and had displayed her genius since childhood.
Born to a father who was a Magic Tower Master and a mother who was the head of a prestigious magical lineage, she awakened her mana at age five, entered the study of circle magic at seven, and achieved mastery by fifteen.
Her innate attribute was Fire, and the specialization she delved into was Explosion.
The Flame Egret, for the brilliant blossoms of fire she conjured.
Her alias had been decided at such a tender age.
Naturally, she was arrogant.
She was a mass of absolute confidence in her own martial prowess, harboring the certainty that no one could ever be superior to her.
It was no different when the war broke out.
She ascended to the rank of the Seven Strongest of the Continent, boasting terrifying magic that made siege weapons look like mere children’s toys.
She was martially perfect.
She held the title of Marquis Valentia, having inherited her mother’s magical household.
Her appearance, if one looked past her petite stature, was that of a woman brimming with a unique charm—she was, in human terms, quite flawless.
If there were a single flaw to be found in such a woman…
“So, daughter, when are you getting married?”
Egret knew nothing of love.
Even now, at an age well past the traditional marrying years where she was beginning to hear whispers of being an old maid, she remained chaste.
It reached the point where her parents frequently wondered if she intended to live out the rest of her days as a cleric.
The reason was simple.
“I’m going to marry someone better than me. If not that, then at least someone on my level.”
As mentioned, Egret was a talented woman who lacked for nothing in terms of strength, power, or looks; thus, even if the princes or crown princes of various kingdoms were brought before her, they failed to satisfy her standards.
Kasha was the man who appeared amidst all that.
A mercenary of unknown origin, a Ghost of the Battlefield who swung his sword as if merely seeking a place to die.
The most horrific disaster created by the Western War, a walking personification of Death.
At first, it was personal curiosity.
Just how great a human was he to carve his name into the Seven Strongest with nothing but his body and a sword in this era?
How could he have single-handedly annihilated armies of thousands armed with guns and bows?
“If I’m curious, I have to go check it out. Right?”
It just so happened that Chebor, where he was active, shared a border with Kalbaran, to which Egret belonged.
That was how Egret met Kasha.
「Child, go home. This is no place for you.」
「Kyaak!」
She was kicked in the rear.
Even while slaughtering hundreds of nearby elite soldiers at an imperceptible speed, he had the leisure to knock Egret unconscious.
It was an act of mercy toward a girl who looked like a child.
That was how those around them described it, and that day, Egret thought:
‘Does this bastard like me?’
To reiterate, Egret knew nothing of men.
She knew nothing of love, and nothing of dating.
She perceived the fact that he spared only her while cutting down countless others on that battlefield as a sign of affection.
From that day on, Kasha became someone Egret couldn’t stop thinking about.
While she was harboring such restless feelings, her family egged her on.
“Daughter… is our family line going to end like this?”
It was a plea to please get married, as it could be delayed no longer.
Because her parents even went so far as to get on their knees, saying anyone would do, she found herself considering Kasha more and more as she looked for a partner.
‘There really isn’t anyone else as strong as that guy, but…’
However, actually deciding on him as a marriage partner felt a bit wounding to her pride, so from that day forward, Egret tested Kasha in various ways.
She wanted to be certain of his strength.
The conclusions were phenomenal.
“Lady Flame! Kasha blocked every single iron bolt fired by two thousand archers at once and slaughtered them all!”
He supposedly blocked thousands of steel arrows and annihilated a castle-defending army.
“Lady Flame! Kasha broke through a combined force of 300 cavalry, 3,000 infantry, 1,000 archers, and 100 matchlock gun units all by himself!”
He had single-handedly wiped out a force that could be considered the entire military strength of a small northern nation.
“Lady Flame! Kasha cut through the Great Collapse magic cast by a division of 500 mages with his sword!”
He supposedly cut through magic with a blade.
By that point, Egret had no choice but to acknowledge it.
‘Hmm, is he worth marrying at this level?’
To be honest, she wasn’t sure about her personal feelings for Kasha.
But his martial prowess was certain, so he wouldn’t be lacking as a marriage partner, and their children would surely be healthy.
There would be no scandals like affairs, either.
‘That guy likes me, doesn’t he?’
That wasn’t all.
There were frequent rumors from the battlefield back then that Kasha often spared the lives of child soldiers.
Since he liked children, she figured he would be good at parenting too.
‘Well, I suppose I’ll do him the favor of accepting him.’
Egret had made up her mind to accept Kasha’s feelings.
Thinking about it made her feel a bit more at ease.
Of course, she didn’t reveal this fact to those around her.
Because it was embarrassing.
“Hey, tell me the next time Kasha appears on the battlefield. I’m going to join the fray.”
“As expected of the Lady Flame! To personally step forth for the sake of the nation!”
“That’s not it… No, does it matter?”
She figured she could just explain it later regardless, and lived her life leisurely.
Was that the problem?
“Kasha has gone missing! A dispatch says he appears to have effectively retired from the battlefield…”
“What the fuuuuuuuck?!”
Kasha’s disappearance.
It was news that made the back of Egret’s neck seize up.
“Find him! I said find him! Hey! Bring that Geumgong bastard to me right now!!!”
Why on earth would he suddenly go missing?
Seeing as he had only stuck around the small nations near Kalbaran where she was, he must have been trying to get her attention nearby.
Was he sulking because she hadn’t accepted him for too long?
Was he hoping she would come catch him?
Unaware of his circumstances as Elric, she was suddenly seized by such thoughts.
It couldn’t be helped.
She would just have to show some mercy and give him at least one chance to confess.
It was with that heart that she had come all this way searching for Kasha.
Whoosh!
The flames surrounding her died down.
Egret had flown for three days without rest to arrive in Wibin.
‘Just you wait. You cheeky bastard.’
The corners of her mouth curled into a crooked smirk.
As part of her liberal arts education as a child, Egret had once crammed the locations of every kingdom and territory on the continent into her head.
Therefore, finding her way here wasn’t difficult, but there was another problem.
‘Mana depletion… goddamn it, seriously.’
After flying at high speeds for three days without rest, her mana was completely spent.
She was at a level where she needed at least a few hours to recover.
Clicking her tongue, Egret pulled her red robe deep over her head.
Then, she surveyed her surroundings.
“Wow, what a total backwater.”
The exclamation escaped her lips automatically at the sight of a village that looked like a literal painting of the middle of nowhere.
To put it in perspective, it was at a level where one might wonder if the border regions of the Empire—not even the capital—looked like this a hundred years ago.
‘So he’s holed up in a place like this.’
She thought he was just a guy who swung a sword without thinking, but it seemed he knew how to devise a strategy after all.
Certainly, a rural village like this wouldn’t attract much public attention.
It would be easy to hide one’s identity, especially if it were within some family or other.
‘Portman family.’
Edward had definitely said that.
She didn’t know the details, but they were likely a noble family.
Considering the shabby, unkempt appearance she had seen on the battlefield, there was a high possibility he was working some menial job like a groom or a woodsman.
She didn’t know what kind of family they were, but she felt a bit sorry for them.
Did they know that a murderer who could casually mince hundreds or thousands of people as long as he held a sword was in their house?
For some reason, a sense of duty welled up within her.
A sense of duty that she, a complete stranger, ought to save the Portman family.
Egret’s amber eyes blazed.
Now then, she would have to find the location of the Portman estate first.
It was just as she thought that.
“Hmm? The Madam came out alone today.”
“I know, right? Usually she comes out with Elric.”
“Calling him Elric… he’s the Lord now, isn’t he?”
“Oh, come on. It’s more awkward to suddenly change how we address that troublemaker just because he became the Lord.”
Information pierced Egret’s ears.
A pair who looked like a mother and son at the edge of the village were chatting.
Following their gaze, she saw it.
‘Is that woman a Portman?’
A woman wrapped in a lustrous black fur cloak was looking at goods in front of a general store.
She was a woman with blonde hair and green eyes.
Egret’s first impression upon seeing her was this:
‘She’s damn pretty. Is that a human?’
She was a beauty to the point of drawing a hollow laugh.
She had met quite a few women heralded as beautiful in her life, but the simplicity of this woman felt more alluring than their most lavishly decorated appearances.
No, was it mystery? Purity? Sensuality?
She didn’t know.
She thought of several adjectives used to describe beauty, but using any one of them felt like a misnomer.
She didn’t know who the husband was, but he must be a truly blessed man.
‘Did he slay a Demon King in his past life?’
It was a level where one would believe it even if the husband of that woman was the reincarnation of the hero who supposedly slew the Demon King thousands of years ago.
No, she had to stop her wandering thoughts here.
Egret scolded her dazed self and stepped forward boldly.
‘I just have to follow that woman for now.’
Then the Portman estate would appear.
Kasha would be there too.
“Hey there.”
Standing before the woman in a rather upbeat mood, Egret spoke.
Her robe was still pulled down low.
“Are you the Portman wife?”
The woman’s gaze turned toward Egret.
It was the moment their eyes met at such close range.
‘……What is this.’
Why is my heart racing like this?
Egret felt her heart thumping so hard it took her breath away.