Chapter 582
Louise von Schwarz had received an unexpected vacation during the winter.
The one person above her, the king and her father, had ordered her to rest.
Throughout the winter, the King of Kernstadt would take over the command of the army.
However, she still had to complete a minimum handover, so it took her quite some time to convey the current situation and important matters of the Kernstadt army.
Once all the handover was complete and she had delegated full authority to the king, it was late at night, a few days after completing the handover, before she could finally arrive at the Imperial Capital through the allied forces' warp spot.
And so, at this moment,
Louise felt as though she understood what it meant for one's head to spin.
For one, it was her first time in the streets of the Imperial Capital, and it was a dark, snowy night.
While she had some business at the Imperial Palace, she had never been granted permission to go towards the temple.
Thus, she was not familiar with the streets of the Imperial Capital, and the snow-covered night streets made it even more difficult to distinguish one place from another.
And right now, Louise was both excited and considerably flustered by this situation.
She had no idea how to deal with her father's anger, but he had initially resigned himself to it.
He had accepted the fact that, because of Heinrich's presence, Louise would eventually have to raise her hand against her siblings like it was a predetermined future.
What's more, a situation she had never even dreamed of had suddenly arrived.
She was told to go to the temple.
Thus, Louise found this situation to be strangely thrilling, bewildering, exciting, and sad.
She had just come to the Imperial Capital on a whim, only hearing that she should go to the temple to rest.
Louise truly felt like a child again after a long time.
Strictly speaking, she was not particularly good with directions.
Though it would be difficult to say that she had a keen sense of direction, it was the perfect environment for her to get lost.
In fact, she had even ended up arriving at the Imperial Palace, where she had no business, while trying to find the temple.
In the end, she asked the royal guards about the location of the temple, as she was in danger of either facing the morning sun on the streets or becoming a snowman amidst the heavy snowfall.
"Here is the north side of the capital, and the temple is located on the south side."
"Ah…?"
Her mistake was not merely taking the wrong path, but going in the completely opposite direction.
Eventually, she trudged her way towards the southern side of the capital.
First, she had to cross the river to find the temple.
The famous pride of the Imperial Capital, the magic train, had stopped running long ago, so she couldn't take it.
"Even if it was running… I might have gotten more lost…"
Louise had never ridden the magic train before. She had only heard of it and seen it from a distance a few times as it made strange noises while moving when she arrived at the Imperial Capital.
Anyway, this was Louise's first-ever experience of trying to find her way alone.
Feeling like a lost child, she vaguely walked towards the south side of the Imperial Capital.
As long as she could find the right direction, she would be able to find her way through the snowstorm.
The problem was just that.
Connecting the north and south of the Imperial Capital were more than ten large bridges.
She had to cross one of those bridges to reach the south side.
"…"
However, she couldn't see anything due to the snow, so she decided to descend to the riverside promenade of Great River Irene.
In front of her eyes, she could see the frozen Great River Irene, covered in a thick layer of snow due to the winter cold.
Of course, the frozen river could be crossed on foot.
Was there any need to find a bridge?
She could just walk across the river, right? Why bother?
'As long as I can cross it…'
Instead of searching for a bridge, Louise stepped onto the frozen river.
Unexpectedly, Louise began her midnight crossing of the great river.
-Crunch, crunch-
The sound of the princess of Schwarz stepping on the snow echoed.
Louise stumbled a few times as she crossed the frozen Great River Irene.
-Thud!
"…"
Even with her master-class balance, slipping on a snow-covered ice sheet was inevitable if she didn't stay focused.
Louise stood up from her fall, dusting the snow off her bottom and glanced around, wondering if anyone had seen her.
There was no one around to see her fall in the middle of the snow-covered ice sheet. Hence, no one had seen her.
But still, with a slightly flushed face, Louise walked briskly, as if she were trying to run away.
Naturally, she fell a few more times.
——
After crossing the frozen river, Louise arrived on the streets south of the great river.
The temple and the imperial palace were buildings that could be seen from anywhere in the city, as they were located on slightly elevated grounds. It was no wonder they were called the landmarks of the Imperial Capital.
However, she couldn't see the temple or the imperial palace due to the falling snow.
Louise walked for a while.
She asked people in the sparsely populated streets where the temple was, as the snowstorm had made it difficult to find her way.
"Go that way, just head in that direction."
"Is it… far from here…?"
Unable to be outright informal or use an imperative tone, Louise could only manage an awkwardly phrased question.
"Um… You'll have to walk quite a bit."
After providing directions, the person hurried off on their own way.
Louise found her situation amusing, as she seemed like a lost child. The title of princess and heir to the number one kingdom felt like a distant dream.
Of course, besides that, she was a master-class swordmaster, but that skill was of no help in finding her way.
Still, she couldn't help but feel excited.
It was the temple, a place she had been forbidden to even look at from afar.
The moment she could see the place where her son had grown up was drawing near, and that alone made Louise's heart race.
Of course, Imperial Capital was in a terrible state, and the atmosphere could be felt everywhere.
The snowy night streets might have been beautiful, but the city was filled with an air of despair and death.
Had she visited Imperial Capital in better times, she might have felt envy, but now it was a city of death.
The few pedestrians she saw huddled as they moved along the streets, and the accumulating snow seemed to be slowly smothering the city to death.
The situation in the capital of Kernstadt was no different.
In reality, no matter where she went, the environment would undoubtedly be worse than Imperial Capital, and yet, the fact that Imperial Capital still maintained its appearance might have been enough to consider it an incredible city.
And then.
Louise suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps from beyond.
Louise stepped aside quickly, frightened by the group of people that passed by her on the road.
'…What?'
Louise instinctively knew from their footsteps and behavior that they were different.
Those who had received combat training were different from the start, not just in their footfalls, but even in their presence.
They disappeared somewhere without so much as glancing at Louise.
She didn't know what could be so urgent, but it was enough to prevent her from daring to ask for directions.
What could cause these professional fighters to move with such serious expressions in the middle of the night?
Louise snapped out of her thoughts.
Her priority now was to find the temple.
She couldn't afford to stand still, or she'd end up a real snowman.
——
As Louise walked in the direction of the temple, the night grew darker and the snow piled up even more.
This inevitably led to a problem.
'Where on earth… am I?'
It was inevitable that Louise would become lost.
She knew the temple was near, but there was no one left to ask for directions.
'I know I'm close, though…'
Louise walked aimlessly in the direction she had heard the temple was.
After a while, she finally spotted something beyond the falling snow.
'A light?'
It flickered like a blue flame.
'What's that?'
She was bound to get lost and keep going in circles at this rate.
Soon enough, Louise couldn't help but realize what the approaching blue light was.
It was a person.
A person who had activated Magic Body Strengthening.
Someone wrapped in the blue flames of mana, which strengthened their physical body, was approaching.
They were not alone, as someone else was with them, pulling something.
The approaching person was pulling something that looked like a cart.
"Is this the right place?"
"Ah, thank you. We made it. Put it here."
The figure went into what seemed like a storage area in the darkness, pulling the cart.
"I would have been in big trouble without you."
"No, I was heading this way anyway. And please, be careful with your back."
Louise watched the scene from a distance.
The young man pulling the cart, and the old man.
It was clear that the young man was helping the elder.
However, Louise couldn't help but notice something else about the young man, besides his ability to do Magic Body Strengthening.
"I want to repay you, but I'm not in good shape either."
The young man's right sleeve was loose.
"No! It's okay. I'm fine, really."
Louise stayed nearby until the back-and-forth between the old man offering repayment and the young man refusing ended.
After the old man went into the house, the young man turned around and inevitably locked eyes with Louise, who was watching him.
"Do you need something from me…? Before that… Are you okay…?"
"Um… Uh…"
Louise von Schwarz.
The princess of the Schwarz royal family spoke with an unwittingly pitiful expression.
"Can you… show me the way to… the temple?"
She didn't know much about him, but he was someone who didn't hesitate to help others despite not being in the best shape himself.
And right now, Louise desperately needed that kind of help.
The young man smiled brightly upon hearing her request.
"Oh, I have to go there too. Let's go together."
"Ah, yes… Thank you!"
Louise unknowingly hopped in place.
——
Thanks to Ludwig's guidance, Louise was able to reach the temple quickly.
Upon arrival, she couldn't help but wonder why she had struggled to find the way.
Of course, both Ludwig and Louise had turned into snowmen due to the falling snow.
Louise was grateful to the heavens for the young man who appeared just in time, a temple student who could even do Magic Body Strengthening.
However, that was not the end of it.
The temple was not a building but a whole area.
As soon as they passed the entrance gate, Louise was dumbfounded by the temple's snow-covered landscape and vast grounds.
She did receive guidance from a temple student.
But this student would go their own way, and then she would be lost again. While she could get directions, Louise was half-convinced that she would inevitably get lost along the way.
Lost outside the temple would only become lost inside the temple.
Should she grab one of the temple guards?
Louise's mind raced.
Seeing Louise's pale face, Ludwig smiled as if he knew what she was thinking.
"The inside of the temple is quite vast as well. Where are you headed? I'll guide you to your destination."
"Can I really… really accept your help?"
Though her attitude was polite, her face betrayed her joy and desperation.
"Yes."
It was amazing that someone so in need of help themselves did not hesitate to help others.
"I need to go to a place called the Royal Class Dormitory… Do you know where that is?"
"…?"
The young man tilted his head at her question.
"You don't know? Well, it can't be helped…"
"No, it's just that it's in the same direction I'm going… I was just surprised."
"…?"
"Let's go. I'll guide you there."
The person she had asked for directions also had the same destination.
The young man in front of her was neither a teacher nor a guard. So, he must be a student.
Only then did Louise become aware of the young man's empty right sleeve, which she had consciously tried not to ask or look at.
Louise knew about the incident that had happened to her son's friends as well.
The dead classmates.
And the stories of the injured classmates.
"Is your name… Ludwig… by any chance?"
"How do you know my name?"
A friend of her son!
"I'm Heinrich's mo…!"
Louise, too excited, almost misspoke and bit her tongue.
"!!!"
"Are… Are you alright?"
She had bitten so hard that she could only taste the metallic bitterness in her mouth.
——
Ludwig led the way, and Louise followed.
"I had no idea you were the princess… I apologize. No, I mean, Commander…"
Realizing that Louise was Heinrich's sister and the military commander of Kernstadt, Ludwig was flustered. He had heard about Louise, but this was the first time he had seen her face since he had never had any dealings with the Kernstadt army.
Louise vigorously shook her head in response to Ludwig's words.
"No, no, it's fine. There's no need for apologies. I'm the one who's grateful. You're a friend of Heinrich's…"
Finding out that the person who appeared just in time was not only a temple student but also her son's friend, Louise's heart soared even higher.
Louise quietly watched Ludwig's back.
His right sleeve flapped desolately in the wind.
Louise could not witness Heinrich's growth firsthand.
However, through reports, she had learned about Heinrich's school at the temple, and how he was living.
Heinrich's classmates in the Royal Class.
Thus, Louise inevitably came to know about Ludwig, and after the war began, she became even more acquainted with him.
Ludwig.
Royal Class second-year student, B-11. Technically, a stone seat with his talent being physical strength.
His talent was simple, but he possessed an extraordinary aptitude to grasp Magic Body Strengthening even before learning them.
Of course, there were three more cases like this among the Royal Class second-year students, but two of them were the Demon King and the Hero. It was disrespectful to even compare them.
If it hadn't been for the war, he might have risen to the Master Class before graduating from the Royal Class.
But the war took Ludwig's arm.
Louise could see resignation in Ludwig's eyes, and though she couldn't be sure, she thought he might still be able to fight if he continued training and practicing in that state.
For some reason, she knew of Ludwig's despair when she saw him sitting there, desolate like he had lost everything on a snowy night when the blizzard blew.
War kept taking something from someone.
"By the way, about the carriage earlier…?"
Louise met Ludwig for the first time today.
He had lost his arm, withdrawn from the battlefield, and returned to the temple.
However, on this snowy day, she saw him pulling the baggage cart of an old man she didn't know on the street.
"Ah, he slipped on the snow and seemed to have hurt his waist. So, I took him to his house…"
"I see…"
Louise smiled as she watched Ludwig scratch his head with an awkward grin.
It was a rule that anyone's mood would improve when they saw someone with a good heart, especially if they themselves had been the beneficiary of that kindness.
And so.
Louise found Ludwig's empty right sleeve all the more pitiful and heartrending.
Ludwig was the type who couldn't turn away from an old man groaning and fallen on the snowy path.
He used his own time and strength to help pull the old man's cart to his house.
Louise didn't know the details of how Ludwig had lost his arm, but she had some idea.
She had received a report that he lost his arm while trying to save a friend in danger.
In the end, his inability to turn away from someone in need had led him to lose his arm in these cruel times.
Louise couldn't help but feel the brutal truth that, in this era, a caring heart becomes a weakness as she looked at Ludwig's empty sleeve.
"It's a sad time."
At Louise's sudden remark, Ludwig quietly stared at her.
"…Yes, it is."
"But even in such times…"
Louise exhaled a white breath in the falling snow.
"Let's try our best to live."
"…"
"Let's try our best to survive."
In a world that only takes things away, you cannot simply accept being robbed.
At Louise's unexpected words, Ludwig quietly looked at her.
"Yes, we must."
Ludwig smiled, and so did Louise.
——
What's this woman doing here?
Why did she come here?
"S…Sister?"
Heinrich's face paled as he saw the unexpected visitor, jumping up from his seat. Startled, Ellen, who had been sitting by the window stroking me, quickly hopped down.
Louise von Schwarz.
An unexpected person appeared in this place.
"I also plan to rest at the temple during the winter."
"You too…?"
"Yes."
Louise spoke stiffly to Heinrich, as usual.
No, couldn't you explain a little more?
Regardless of whether Heinrich was taken aback or not, Louise looked at Ellen.
"It's not our first meeting, but I think it's the first time we've seen each other like this…"
"Hello."
Instead of greeting her as a princess and military commander of Kernstadt, Ellen bowed her head slightly as if to greet a friend's older sister.
Next, Louise looked at me, sitting quietly on the windowsill.
"Is this that cat?"
Did she know about the cat that appeared at the royal class garrison? Louise didn't seem too shocked or surprised at the sight of the black cat.
"Yes."
Ellen held me up to Louise as if inviting her to touch me.
What is this?
Are you treating me as a means to talk to strangers now?
Well, that is convenient.
Louise absentmindedly stared at the presented cat (me) and then gently stroked my head. It felt like she did it out of politeness.
"…"
"…"
As Louise stroked me a few times, Ellen stared at her.
Not just staring, but intensely gazing.
How is it?
How's our baby?
Tell me quickly.
Tell me it's cute.
Her desire was blatantly apparent in her eyes.
Louise seemed slightly embarrassed by Ellen's gaze.
"Um… It's, it's cute…"
"Right?"
Ellen, who was reluctantly acknowledged, vigorously tickled my head.
Louise's expression became quite peculiar as she watched Ellen.
Although they were not strangers, they had never had a conversation before, so Louise had no idea what kind of person Ellen was.
But a hero who shows off a cat?
Was she disappointed or did she think it was human-like?
Regardless of Ellen's behavior, Heinrich was still in a half-panic state.
"Sister… What's going on…?"
"I was told to stay in room A-1. Where is that?"
Anyway, why is this person here?
The temple is not in a situation where anyone can be admitted right now, and Louise von Schwarz is definitely not just anyone.
Bertus must have granted her access.
What does it mean that Louise was allowed into the temple?
Louise was granted permission to stay in room A-1 of the second-year dormitory.
Ironically, that room was once used by the emperor during his time at the temple.
In exchange for the King of Kernstadt taking over military command during the winter, Louise was to spend a long vacation at the temple.
Heinrich was dumbfounded by this unexpected situation, while Louise looked around curiously.
"This place is the temple…"
Whether comparing it to Kernstadt's Academy or feeling a completely different sentiment, Louise seemed quite excited, even with her stern expression.
Heinrich, offering to guide her around the royal class dormitory, disappeared with Louise somewhere. Meanwhile, Ellen was staring at the snow falling gently outside the window.