Will Heaven not forsake us?

"Miss ..., how is your body?"

"Shall we carry you?"

"I'm fine..."

Catherine was walking using a tree branch she had picked up at random as a walking stick.

The group that escaped from Terra Kaine was heading south.

But their progress was slow. Most of them were physically and mentally exhausted non-combatants. There were also some ladies dressed in clothes that were not suitable for walking.

It was fortunate that it was not snowing, but the piles of snow on the ground and the cold wind were relentlessly draining their strength and slowing down their march. If the army of the "Rose Princess of Hellrage" came from behind at this point, there would be no escape, but fortunately, there was no attack by anyone.

If they continued south along the road, they would find an inn town.

The question was whether they could reach the town by nightfall.

There was no food, no provisions for encampment, and nothing more than the Second Order's personal belongings. If night fell at this rate, coupled with fatigue, it was certain that some people would freeze to death.

While moving her legs mindlessly to drag her body, Catherine continued to think in circles, her head foggy with fatigue and drowsiness.

The night felt longer, as if several years had passed.

Had René almost possessed her to death? The anger and sadness she had seen in that moment, like the fires of hell. Was that René's heart?

The death of her father, the death of her brothers, the death of her sister ... why did they have to die? And oh, the look on René's face that seemed to fear seeing Catherine, who cried out in a fit of rage.

The holy beasts that began to attack the people of the city. Why the Holy Beast, which was a messenger of God and should have belonged to the allied army?

One knight who had somehow disappeared. Since everyone was dressed similarly, the number of knights had dwindled before it was possible to tell who had survived. Was Ghislain disguised as René said? If so, why did he disappear?

She didn't know.

She didn't know.

There were so many things she didn't know.

One thing was for sure, it was not going to end like this.

Revenge on René for killing her family? ... That was a little different. Things, Catherine felt, were no longer about René.

She just felt that she could not end her own life without unraveling the maelstrom of fate that had engulfed her and settling it all.

But in order to do so, she would first have to get out of this situation.

Her body felt heavy like it was made of iron, but she struggled to walk.

The refugees around her had fallen silent. They did not have the energy to speak out. Even so, the people who had been with her in the chapel often gave her concerned glances.

She wondered how long she had walked.

It was almost sunset when she saw a shadow in front of her on the road.

It was a group of men in large wagons, fully loaded with baggage, wearing magnificent equipment, and escorted by horseback.

At first glance, they looked like a group of wealthy traders or something.

The guards looked quizzically at the group of refugees and stepped forward to cover the wagons.

"Who are you!"

A voice shouted, and the refugees stopped walking.

Bertil was at the head of the group.

“I am Bertil Lagerbeck, Commander of the Second Order of Knights of the Royal Court of Ciel-Terra. I was in Terra Kaine, but the city fell under the attack of the "Rose Princess of Hellrage". I just evacuated with the survivors."

Even after Bertil said his name, the escorts did not make the slightest move.

That was a little strange. Bertil's name had to have some force behind it.

"I assume you are a merchant. If you have medicines, potions, food, or anything else, would you be willing to share it with us? I can assure you in my name that I will pay you a fair price."

Bertil said, and after a short pause, a well-dressed, mature man who was sitting in the coachman's seat, but not an escort, replied.

"... Unfortunately, we are not merchants... We are carrying the property of Count August von Angermüller, a nobleman of the Kingdom of Lacrima, a part of the Gireshtal Federation."

Catherine was convinced.

The Federation regarded Ciel-Terra as beneath them. If that was the case, would it be natural that they, carrying the property of the nobility of the Federation, would not bow down to Bertil.

At the same time, it was strange why such a thing was here in such a place. A murmur of doubt arose from the surrounding refugees. Were they trying to get out their assets while the Noacurio forces were retreating? Terra Kaine, which lied beyond that point, had already been reduced to ruins.

“However, I would not deny sharing our wealth with you if it were to save the lives of our brothers and sisters in Ciel-Terra. And if it is a request from the Second Knight Commander, we cannot neglect it. We have some potions and military tents. Please accept them as a donation from Count Angermüller."

Everyone was astonished by the following words of the coachman.

They did not expect that he would conveniently have the necessary supplies and give them to them.

Perhaps the man was a servant of high rank or something. He must have known his master's character and be trusted by him, otherwise he would not have been so arbitrary as to give away his master's property without permission.

Catherine did not know the name of the nobleman, Count Angermüller, but he might have been merciful and righteous, or he might have been ... calculating.

Either way, it was a situation where she had no choice but to put her trust in him.

"Thank you for your help."

Bertil put his hand on his chest and bowed deeply.

＊ ＊ ＊

Several tents were pitched by the side of the road, and a fire was burning.

Exhausted people were cheering themselves up with potions from the cargo and resting by chomping on the meager rations distributed by the Second Order.

It would be difficult to make everyone walk any further. For the time being, they could pass the night as it was and enter the inn town in the morning.

As Bertil was overseeing his subordinates who were quickly setting up camp and checking on the condition of the refugees, the man in charge of the carriage came over to him and bade him farewell.

"You weren't lying, were you?"

"...It has been a long time, Lord Angermüller. I had no idea you were in Ciel-Taylor."

"Hahaha, I believe we last met in Saktamburg, the federal capital."

This man with a somewhat inhuman air was August Bernhard Karsten von Angermüller.

Although he was a count, he was a military man without land, and a special one among them, ... an intelligence officer...

Bertil had met this man once in the Gireshtal Federation.

"I will repay you in due time."

"Please don't worry about it. We plan to collect from everyone over here as well."

Augusto smiled insultingly.

He probably meant that he would not literally collect the price, but would use it for his public image strategy.

Behind him, Kaya, with her head stuck in the carriage, was receiving a folded tent.

"That's all I have. Is it enough?"

"Yes, thank you very much."

A young girl with blue hair and eyes came down from behind Kaya, who was leaving with a thick tent. She had been unpacking earlier.

She was dressed in a maid's outfit to match her role, but she was the intelligence agent Bertil met in Terra Kaine, the woman who called herself Sherry.

"It appears you have arrived just in time. "

“Thank you for responding to my request. We would have been lost otherwise."

They exchanged sarcastic smiles. The encounter, disguised as a coincidence, had been arranged.

Bertil had predicted to some extent the date and time of the battle and had asked the Federation in advance if they would be willing to help him in case of an emergency.

After escaping from Terra Kaine, he used an emergency call mark to request rescue, and this was how the big guy unexpectedly came out of the woodwork.

There was no way he could say, "I knew there was going to be a fight, so I was on standby". So, he made a play.

"By the way, could you lend me a horse? If possible, I would like to go ahead to the inn town and use the communication station."

"I would be happy to do so. But for what purpose?"

"To clean up the aftermath of the battle. ...The details of last night's battle are still unknown. I want to contact Wesala and bargain with them before the news gets out. We have the information we need to extort the Kingdom of Noacurio before the lords of the Noacurio faction intervene."

"That's very interesting. What happened?"

“The Holy Beasts went berserk, and there were civilian casualties. Ask my people for details. I'll come back after I've put in the initial word, we'll discuss what to do afterwards."

Augusto and Shelly's faces tensed up.

This was the crossroads of how much profit could be reaped from the state-to-state exchange.

Sherry immediately pulled a horse that one of the escorts was riding.

"This horse will be good for you. It's to be ridden by strangers."

"Thank you."

With one mechanical arm gripping the reins, Bertil hopped on.

“Kaya, you take over duty."

"Be careful, Commander."

With a few words, Bertil became like a gust of wind.

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