Chapter 40
Episode 40. Favor Befitting Power
"Could you tell me why you entrusted this mission to me?"
Lucia, having arrived at Chancellor Federin Luwins' office for the audience, asked without hesitation.
It was unlikely that he would assign such an important mission just to avoid punishment.
Besides,
'Why something I wasn't entrusted with in the past?'
"Well, well, have a seat first. You've taken after him in your bluntness. Is it different depending on who raises you?"
She stood there without answering, as if his irritating joke meant nothing to her.
The Chancellor smiled helplessly at her and then opened his mouth in a serious tone.
"Commander Lucia, did you think we were just standing idly by regarding the Black Contamination?"
He instinctively answered her, feeling a sense of rebuke in her attitude.
And Lucia affirmed his words with silence.
It was quite an arrogant attitude, but such a provocative question was perhaps natural from her perspective.
Even after living for so long, she had never known that such a tree existed in the past, or that they had tried to counter the Black Contamination with it.
So, to Lucia, Chancellor Federin Luwins was someone who had discovered such a capable tree but failed to utilize it properly, making him untrustworthy.
The Chancellor continued, speaking to her who showed not even the slightest movement.
"Helbert, His Majesty the Emperor, and I have been concerned about the Black Contamination since before the empire was even established. It would be a foolish tragedy if we starved and collapsed as soon as we founded the country."
"Even during that bloody war, we never stopped investigating Hengen Village, where the Black Contamination first began."
He continued, saying that only the lake in Hengen Village, which had been consumed by the Black Contamination, was strangely full of life, and they took protective measures as soon as they discovered it.
In the village where everyone had left, only a family running an inn cared about the lake, which had become impossible to find in just one day.
And when flowers bloomed, they realized that the purification ability came from the tree, and seeing hope, they had the Master of the Magic Tower and Helbert take turns acting as guardians there.
However, the Black Contamination had only started five years ago.
Lucia had heard that Helbert, now in his mid-60s, and Chancellor Federin Luwins had been using that inn since they were young.
Wasn't that too close to be a coincidence?
Lucia couldn't help but wonder.
"How could such a rare tree be so close to the secret base?"
As expected, at her headstrong question, the Chancellor smiled leisurely and said,
"Suspicious? Let me tell you one thing, creating this vast country is closer to manual labor than you think. So, it's hard to know the situation of the country unless you stay in various regions and see it with your own eyes."
Hearing his words, Lucia finally realized her state.
She had overlooked the fact that Helbert and Federin had lived as wanderers in their youth, staying in dozens of hideouts in various countries, even though she had heard enough about it throughout her childhood, and she had been suspecting their intentions.
Perhaps it was natural.
To Lucia, who thought she knew the future, the information about this secret mission was that shocking.
She now sat down on the chair prepared across from the Chancellor's luxurious desk.
Who had been sitting there?
A slight warmth remained on the cushion of the chair.
"I apologize for the foolish question. Then, when are you planning to reveal the existence of that tree?"
She understood protecting the tree because there was only one.
If its existence were revealed, the entire continent would interfere in every matter to seize the tree.
But even so, considering the risk of the village burning down and the tree disappearing, she couldn't just leave it as it was.
Perhaps in the past, they had lost the tree that way and failed to find another method.
"If we find the female tree and obtain its fruit, we can expect it to have tremendous restorative power. Even if not, we can propagate it and obtain pollen. So, I plan to keep it hidden until it's properly established."
"I see. But you'll have to decide sooner than you think. The forest almost caught fire because of the Monsters that flew in."
Lucia's words were a warning about the village being burned down.
However, at her words, the Chancellor's wrinkled brow furrowed.
"Have the Black magic users appeared again, targeting the tree? Don't worry. The Master of the Magic Tower will be guarding it for a while now."
'...Black magic users? Then was that strange monster Black magic?'
The Chancellor, seeing Lucia's suspicious face, replied.
"The Black magic users must be controlled by someone wearing a white robe. The first place they were seen was the lake, and it was he who ordered them to destroy the tree on the spot."
'White robe... He definitely said my name.'
Lucia recalled the bizarre sight of the black hand emerging from the pure white robe, absorbing the crystal.
But more than their identity, her entire focus was now on their intention to destroy the tree.
She didn't think that the land was restored by sealing the Saintess and creating a sacred tree, as simply written in the confidential documents.
The fruit that the Chancellor was expecting.
If it played a significant role as expected, it meant that the fruit could be used to intentionally restore specific lands.
If so, the specific lands were the lands of the emerging noble forces.
The tree and the Black magic users, which she didn't know about before her regression, and the land of the insignificant emerging nobles being restored first, leading to the money and power they gained as if by chance.
If this connected suspicion was accurate, then the current Black magic users' intention to destroy the male tree was also explained.
'Fruit monopoly.'
She didn't know what they had received from the emerging nobles, who were currently just innocent kindergarten parents, but there was a high possibility that they would collude in the future.
But that was an event from before her regression.
What was immediately important to Lucia in the current situation was to watch over the tree so that it could reproduce normally.
Only then would their means of monopolization disappear, and whatever their purpose, the meaning of sealing the Saintess would vanish.
Of course, she would be curious about their identities and wouldn't stop chasing them, but the most meaningful thing for Lucia was that Nia would not be used as a sealing material.
"You asked why I brought you into this mission."
She was silently organizing her thoughts when she raised her head towards the Chancellor.
"What the Black Knights have done is great. They've never lost in any war, to the point where they deserve to be revered. But,"
At his sudden praise, one of Lucia's eyebrows was raised.
"Isn't this the first time you've heard the words 'thank you'?"
'You're the one who saved our children. Thank you so much. Thank you, really, really thank you...!'
The moment she heard his words, Lucia recalled the colorless words of gratitude she had heard from the woman back then.
It seemed that the report written by Leon, who had accompanied her as a secret mission supervisor, contained that information.
The Chancellor, confirming her wavering gaze, continued in a low voice.
"It suddenly occurred to me. Has the mother of a child had a chance to accept a favor befitting her power?"
Chancellor Federin Luwins.
He had been thinking about two hopes lately.
The first was discovering the hope of reviving the decaying land before the Saintess appeared.
However, after searching for years, there was only one male tree in this land.
The current empire, only five years old, was not established enough for the new empire to claim ownership of that single hope towards the entire continent and protect it.
So, it was obvious that everyone would rush in like hungry beasts to seize the last remaining prey from an insignificant owner.
Therefore, the second hope to protect that tree, Lucia.
But she was indifferent to everything and a cold-hearted loner who only saw herself.
It was natural not to trust her, who had no desire for fame or faith, and whose only goal was to become stronger.
However, an event occurred that overturned his thoughts in half a year.
Was it the altruism that came with having a child?
She, who didn't even blink an eye when a comrade died, didn't hesitate to shield a member, and the laughable thing of her secretly taking her child to and from school, even taking off the military uniform she wore like skin, happened nonchalantly.
Caring about the eyes of others? That cruel Black monster?
Moreover, Lucia chose the life of a child, not the completion of a mission, for the first time.
Seeing that, he predicted that she had instinctively opened her eyes to what she truly had to protect.
So, he had something to wish for from her.
"Of course, it's not bad for the empire if you remain an unapproachable existence as you are."
"But you wouldn't want even the Black Knights who follow you to end their lives as merely scary and fearful beings, would you?"
The Black Knights, strong but ostracized for the dark label of their past.
He, who was planning to create a solid fence to protect the tree, hoped that with this opportunity, she would come out into the light with them and be respected as heroes of the empire that no one could look down on.
*
'I have something in mind for that method, so come and see me anytime.'
Lucia stared blankly at Nia, who was munching on dinner on a holiday evening, and fell into thought.
Certainly, his words were not wrong.
After acquiring the position of Sword Master, the reputation of the Black Knights had increased even more, but their power was equivalent to fear.
This could be seen from the fact that all the members scattered after retirement, and the original lineage of the Black Knights was cut off.
She didn't know how they each finished their lives after they scattered, but at least the infamy of the Black Knights, which had not disappeared within the empire, did not allow them to live freely.
Just like she herself had ended her life in the mountains in solitude.
The life that the Chancellor was talking about.
Lucia knew, even if vaguely, what it was. No, she had come to know it through this incident.
The tearful hands of the landlady and the warmth of the children.
It was living while feeling exactly that warmth.
It wasn't bad.
But, would the members who were enjoying their foolish daily lives now have a desire for such a life?
Lucia didn't want to force all of this as always.
Because that too was nothing more than following Lucia's lead, not their own choice.
If they wanted it, there had to be a moment when they realized its value for themselves.
Just like Lucia, who had accepted all of this with the regrets of the past.
"...Nia doesn't eat this."
The child, who had been subtly watching her from earlier, carefully took her hand off the plate, leaving only the vegetables.
It was a lavish dinner now that the Imperial Palace maids came and prepared it, but had she already become accustomed to Gillianna's cooking?
"Then I'll eat it."
"......"
Lucia nonchalantly picked broccoli and carrots from Nia's plate and ate them.
And a little later,
"Nia doesn't do homework."
They gave homework to a 5-year-old? That's a strict kindergarten.
"Okay."
"......"
Lucia turned the page of her book, unfazed by Nia's small rebellion.
And then it was snack time.
"Nia wants lots of sweet and cold stuff. More, please."
Nia held out the bowl of fruit sherbet she had just finished to Lucia.
She seemed more cautious than before, as if hiding something, but it was quite touching.
The child who couldn't even ask for cookies was now asking for more snacks.
"You're eating well."
"......!"
Nia looked at the bowl in great surprise.
A mountain of fruit sherbet was piled up.
It was hard for Lucia to get sick, being the Saintess, let alone get a stomachache, so she was just happy to hear that Nia was eating a lot.
Nia forced down the cold sherbet, went into the blankets in the bedroom, and trembled, her little lips quivering.
It was an instinctive action to warm her cold body, but more than that,
'......I won't get scolded like Ivanne......!'
In fact, the child had been acting exactly as she had seen at Ivanne's house since earlier.
Ivanne getting scolded for not eating vegetables.
Ivanne getting scolded for not doing her homework.
Ivanne getting scolded for eating snacks quickly and stealing others' snacks.
Despite all those bad behaviors, Ivanne's mother, Juliana, only scolded her and didn't kick her out.
'......It's because she's her real daughter.'
The child was beyond worrying about being kicked out; she was just so envious of that.
And out of that envy, she imitated Ivanne, wanting to be scolded at least once, but unfortunately, the situation was completely different.
-Click.
"Nia, are you here?"
Mia poked her head out from the bedroom door.
"......Oong? Mia, Sister!!"
Nia was surprised to see Mia after a long time, and as soon as she got off the bed, she ran to greet her.
"Have you been well? Nia?"
Her chubby cheeks were plumper than before, and her complexion was lively, matching her purple hair.
Even young Nia could tell that Mia looked very, very pretty.
"Sister, pretty!"
"Hehe, thank you. I've been eating well lately, so I've gained some weight? But it looks like Nia is getting a lot of love from Mom too. These cheeks are so cute?"
Mia smiled brightly and pinched Nia's soft cheeks.
But suddenly, the child's small chin trembled as if she felt wronged.
"......Love......"
"Why, what's wrong? What happened?"
"......"
"Tell me. I can't come often, so if not now, there won't be another chance."
Eventually, at Mia's persuasion, the child fidgeted, hiding her hands behind her back, and said hesitantly.
"......Nia wants to be scolded."
