Chapter 79: The Weight of Chivalry

As if delivering a final verdict, Serol ‘categorized’ the deity of the rebel leader, who stood before her, unwavering in their conviction of being divinely favored.

‘Even if a god truly aided them,’ she thought, ‘it could only be an existence akin to an evil god.’

For some inexplicable reason, after hearing scattered mentions of ‘evil gods’ from Eve, Serol’s mind suddenly drifted to this very thought.

It was an event from many years ago, a mere fleeting sentence, and by all accounts, it shouldn’t have surfaced at such a critical moment.

But…

A sudden, inexplicable sense of disorientation caused Serol to raise her head.

‘The term ‘evil god’… one day, someone might use it for me, too,’ she mused.

Before her stood Rona. Despite her hesitation, Rona remained rooted, unwilling to move.

“But, I still want to hear what Lady Serol has to say…”

“The Lady Serol I know isn’t like this.”

“She is a righteous knight, full of chivalry. If we could arrest them and then have a proper talk…”

Rona’s words echoed in Serol’s ears, and that phrase, ‘full of chivalry,’ struck her like a hammer, shattering a mirror with a sharp *crack*.

The previous sense of seeing through a fog vanished. Serol felt as if she were seeing this place anew, her gaze sweeping across her surroundings.

‘Righteousness… chivalry…’ Many times throughout her life, she had heard others describe her with these very words.

Serol was well aware of how the outside world viewed her, the legendary knight who had brought an end to the civil war.

However…

The stark contrast between her surroundings, the blood-stained knight’s longsword at her feet, and Rona’s words of ‘chivalry’ felt jarringly dissonant.

Could she, in this state, truly still be worthy of the term ‘chivalry’?

When had she begun to grow accustomed to such environments, to such deeds?

“Rona, be careful!”

Eve frowned, her staff already poised, charged with power.

She had seen Serol, who had been hunched over in pain moments before, now pick up the knight’s longsword from the ground once more.

Rona spun around, her eyes meeting Serol’s.

It wasn’t the unfamiliar, cold gaze of earlier that night. Rona found that familiar warmth in Serol’s eyes again.

“Rona…”

Serol spoke, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

The knight’s longsword was raised high, but this time, its blade was pointed directly at Serol herself.

Serol heard the frantic whispers in her mind intensify dramatically, seemingly attempting to thwart her current actions.

Past events flashed before her eyes like a rapidly spinning kaleidoscope. In that instant, Serol saw many things.

She understood that it was the entity within her body, now employing every possible method to alter her resolve.

****

It began with two figures: one kneeling, one standing.

It was still the rebel leader and Serol, the extended longsword signifying the end of the civil war.

However, Serol, also gravely wounded at the time, had not noticed something fleeting that had emerged from the rebel leader’s body at the moment of their death, traveling along the sword’s tip and swiftly merging into her own body.

Soon after, Serol also lost consciousness and collapsed.

Next, a simple sickbed in the dead of night.

Having just concluded a war, the devastation in Kana City could no longer be described merely as ‘awaiting revival.’ For Serol to receive such medical care was already a rare fortune.

However, these conditions were clearly insufficient for the severity of her injuries.

“Cough, cough…”

After two coughs, a tearing pain erupted from her bandaged chest, a torment that made sleep impossible for Serol.

Death seemed to be slowly approaching her. Serol could feel it.

‘Death? If I die, I die. There’s nothing to fear,’ she thought. Since taking her oath in the royal palace to end the civil war, Serol had never feared ‘death.’

‘But if I die, what will become of this nation?’

Serol understood military strategy, and she understood politics; more accurately, she understood human nature.

If she died, the nation’s current pillar and ‘prestige’ would largely vanish. At that point, ‘restlessness’ would transform into ‘action’—such was human nature.

So Serol wasn’t afraid to die; she was merely afraid that if she died, the nation of Vanseti would not survive the next storm.

Thus, in the pitch-black night, beneath the dim candlelight, Serol’s shadow seemed to split into two.

“What… sacrifice? Impossible! I would never do such a thing to preserve my own life!”

“Who are you?”

Serol’s refusal was unwavering, strong, and clear.

The candlelight flickered, and Serol’s shadow wavered with it. The dancing, dimming flame was like the whisper of a demon, pouring forth tempting poison.

Along with the flickering candle, Serol’s once resolute heart wavered. Yes, she admitted that the voice had touched upon her deepest current concern.

“Even if you use the nation as an excuse…”

Serol’s tone was uncertain, and her words trailed off, weakening and vanishing like a dying flame.

‘Yes, how many people are in this nation now? How many are suffering?’

Serol could disregard her own life, but…

“Just… just one or two people…”

“For a short time, for the stability of the nation’s foundation…”

In the darkness, Serol’s self-talk was filled with agony.

Thus, two months later, the formidable Serol returned to the capital.

The doctors in Kana City were astonished. They believed it was a miracle that Serol, despite such severe injuries and harsh conditions, had recovered completely.

Inside the royal palace, Serol calmly observed the monarch on the throne, just as she had when she departed.

The King said, “Within the borders of this nation, Serol, your word is law.”

Serol was a hero, a hero who had quelled the civil war. Such a reward was only fitting.

Yet, Serol made no demands.

No gold or treasures, no official titles or promotions whatsoever.

Serol simply said, “Your Majesty, I wish to return to Kana City and serve as its governor.”

“This is my only wish at present.”

The royal palace fell silent for a moment.

Some said Serol was intelligent, that she wasn’t blinded by immense功绩 and thus became arrogant.

Others claimed Serol understood the principle of ‘great merit overshadows the master’ and ‘serving a monarch is like accompanying a tiger.’

In truth, neither was the case.

Serol’s reason for wanting to serve in Kana City was simple.

The nation was in ruins, and other countries eyed Vanseti like a tempting cake, eager to test its borders and extend their claws. There were many who sought to exploit its weakness.

By stationing herself in Kana City, she could become the nation’s sharpest blade at its frontier.