Chapter 9

After returning to the carriage with the excuse that she had forgotten something, Reina closed the door and drew the curtains.

“Undine.”

A cold energy poured out like a flood from Reina’s forehead at her call, and a stream of water surrounded her.

When the water disappeared, a familiar child was staring at her with a deep frown.

-No! No, no, no, no, neeever, no!

“Do you know what it is you’re saying no to?”

-You’re going to ask me to put that fire out over there! No!

“Why not?”

-If I draw all the power I need to put that fire out, it’ll affect you too! It’s impossible without a contract, and I wouldn’t do it even if we had one!

Reina gave her a soft smile. Unlike the volatile situation at hand, her faint smile was calm.

The moment Undine told her that there was no way to control the fire, she knew that she would be at a crossroads. It was an easy choice to make. She would always choose Ell in every situation, after all.

But Reina wasn’t looking at just the situation before her. She had to consider the ramifications it would have in the future.

“I don’t have any plans to ask you to put this fire out. That would put too much of a strain on you, and perhaps Ell as well.”

-Of course. Squirmy would go “Ow!” if you did.

“That’s right. I don’t want Ell to be hurt.”

It was perhaps Reina’s only desire. But this was something she still had to do to achieve her true goal.

“But if I don’t do anything, everyone will die, and that responsibility will come back to me.”

-Why is that your fault, Reina? That’s weird.

Undine tilted her head as if the situation made no sense to her at all. It was so cute that Reina reached out to stroke the elemental’s head without thinking, only to freeze with her hand outstretched.

For some reason, stroking Undine’s little head wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be.

In the end, she drew her hand back and calmly explained, “Holding power over someone also means taking responsibility for them. I’m in a position of authority, which means that I have a duty to take responsibility for my people.”

-But it’s not your—

“So, Undine, I would like you to help me.”

With this much damage, someone had to take responsibility, and she was the one with authority.

Not to mention, many were displeased with the fact that Reina had taken charge of managing the duchy’s affairs. They were sure to use this fire as an opportunity to pass the blame to her somehow.

She had no desire to allow the situation to turn in their favor.

It wouldn’t matter if she was the only one to take the fall, not when the problem was that the citizens who had lost their families and homes would also blame her.

She couldn’t allow Ell to be caught up in a cycle that began with his mother.

-B-but it’s really dangerous. Squirmy’s nervous!

“So please help me. I really need your help with this.”

***

One thought had crossed through the minds of everyone present: It’s over.

Despite the countless people deployed to help, the fire couldn’t be controlled.

Some who watched as Thushtra was flashily reduced to ashes thought it was for the best.

They considered Thushtra to be in desperate need of cleansing since it was the final stop for the poor who had reached a dead end with nowhere else to go.

The entertainment facilities clustered around the central square were lit up throughout the night, drawing the moths of Heathvilion.

Prostitutes moved about for a few coins at the bars, the gambling dens were full to the brim with those who burned through all they had, and the streets overflowed with drunkards.

“Yes, it needed to be cleansed at some point...”

The vassal had unthinkingly spoken his mind aloud, but it was enough. The viewpoint that perhaps the fire didn’t need to be put out spread.

“It was unsightly, and unsanitary too.”

“A plague could have spread from it if it had been allowed to continue.”

“It worked out for the best. There shouldn’t be any chance of a plague after it’s been cleansed with fire.”

Shrieks could still be heard from within the flames. Yet the gazes of those watching the fire grew steadily calmer.

They had no doubt that an eternal night would finally descend on the brightly lit square that had once seemed as though it would never go out.

And now, they thought that this would be their opportunity to silence the Cursed Binochet, who had been such a thorn in their sides.

“I never liked that unlucky wench running about, and now this happens.”

“She’s the Cursed Binochet for a reason. Look what happened as soon as she interfered in the duchy’s affairs.”

“We must remove her quickly.”

“If we say she needs to take responsibility for this incident, even His Grace won’t be able to do anything about it.”

Sartisan, Rompaneau, and Karlot, the three most powerful vassals of Heathvilion, were not fond of the Cursed Binochet.

Count Sartisan mocked Reina, who had left for her carriage.

“I acknowledge the curiosity that caused her to drag her pregnant self here, but it seems she’s frightened to face it in person.”

“Did you hear what she said to Baron Lonparschier earlier? I thought His Grace himself was speaking. It was amusing to see her think we were listening because we were frightened of her,” continued Count Karlot. The snort he let out spoke for his thoughts.

Count Rompaneau clicked his tongue and gave his opinion.

“Anyhow, I think it would be best to withdraw our troops now. We can’t allow our hard-raised soldiers to die needlessly in a place like this.”

Count Karlot and Count Sartisan nodded and were about to summon the secretary of internal affairs, who was in charge of the situation.

Just as they went to speak, a cold stream of water rushed past their lips. They jerked their heads up in shock at the unexpected sensation.

“W-what...?!”

The three counts turned to try and locate where the water had gone, and their eyes widened until they bulged once they saw.

“Count, I don’t recall giving orders to withdraw your troops,” Reina said. Undine was perched on her shoulder.

The men’s jaws dropped.

Undine stuck her tongue out at them.

While they were able to see elemental spirits, they couldn’t hear their voices, not being elementalists themselves.

“B-but that’s—!”

“An elemental spirit?!”

The news that the duchess had summoned an elemental quickly spread throughout the camp.

Since she had now revealed herself to be an elementalist, Reina planned to be as flashy and conspicuous as possible.

She intended to crush those who looked down on her by showing off her power.

She took the three counts into the command barracks. As expected, the faces of the vassals who saw Undine perched on her shoulder grew wonderfully contorted.

“I won’t waste any more time. I will clear the way, so have the troops suppressing the fire move under my command.”

“Hmm. If you are a water elementalist, it seems possible, Your Grace, but... won’t it be dangerous?” the secretary of internal affairs asked seriously.

It weighed on him that he was sending the Duchess of Heathvilion out into the middle of the flames.

Reina answered, “Of course it’s dangerous, but if I don’t, then they’ll all die.”

Her tone was light, but her expression was solemn.

“We’ve already wasted enough time, so follow my orders. The danger is the same whether I go now or later, so I would rather save one more life.”

Reina marked a few spots on a map of Thushtra and gave instructions on the route to take. She had never been here before, so she focused on the main roads rather than small alleys or side roads.

She only gave thought to do what she could do properly. She had never planned to save everyone in the first place.

“This should allow us to secure the main road. As for who will accompany me, I would like to ask Count Rompaneau and Sir Cedric. If you would oblige.”

It was phrased as a request, but it was no different from an order.

“As you wish.”

When Cedric answered without hesitation, Count Rompaneau had no choice but to nod.

Once Reina had chosen her companions and turned to leave the barracks, the secretary of internal affairs tried to stop her again.

“Your Grace, even if Count Rompaneau is a fourth-circle mage and Sir Cedric is a superior aura expert, it’s dangerous to take only two people. Please take a few more knights and mages.”

“More people will be a burden.”

The secretary could say nothing more to that.

Reina left the barracks followed by the vassals and officials. The closer they grew to the raging fire, the louder the screams grew. The burned and injured were scattered about.

“Somebody help! My family’s still inside!”

“Help! Anyone! Ahh! Mommy!”

Reina steeled her face to hide her trembling heart. Her eyes fluttered.

“My lady, this is the entry point.”

At Cedric’s words, Reina stroked her belly once more and took one last deep breath.

She lifted her head high. Her unshakable eyes were impressive.

She gently spoke to Undine, who was perched on her shoulder and grumbling about her complaints.

“Please, Undine.”

-’Kay! You got it! As fancy and as magnificent as I can!

Undine’s figure seemed to blur, and multiple thin streams of water swirled around Reina’s body, wrapping her like a shawl.

The streams of water rose and fell over and over, still wrapped around her. The shining blue water complemented her light-pink hair perfectly.

Before those watching could close their mouths again, Reina flicked her finger.