༺ One Hour ༻
“Did you just say that the Lord was defeated?!”
Deia Verdi, who was reading a book, jumped up in surprise. The chair fell backward and clattered, but she didn’t have the time to care. The sudden news brought by the maid was astonishing.
To say that Darius Verdi, the Verdi Household’s pride, as well as its Last Guardian, had fallen.
The Verdi Household was in a crisis as alarm bells were ringing throughout Norseweden.
“The Lord is currently on his way back. Because the wound on his shoulder is severe, I called the doctor right away.”
“Start heating the room and prepare all the bandages and medicine that will be needed. Don’t forget to make some warm stew.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“And.”
The maid, who was about to carry out the order, paused. Deia closed her with hesitation and bit her lips.
“No. Let’s continue as is. His body will become severely fatigued if we use magic for the treatment, so we must create an environment in which he can rest as comfortably as possible.”
“I understand.”
The peaceful routine was disrupted unexpectedly.
Her mind flashed back to the sight of the Head of the Household sneering at the fact that barbarians were coming toward the mountain range.
‘That’s why I told him to keep his guard up!’
‘At the very least, we should have ascertained the enemy’s strength before proceeding. If he just made the same preparations as usual, this kind of thing was bound to happen.’
‘Anyway, I hate it that all the men in this household are like this!’
Darius Verdi, who returned with an injury, and Deus Verdi, who pretended to be normal – both of them were not to Deia’s liking.
Deia put on the coat that was hanging on the coat hanger and went outside.
Her footsteps became quicker before she realized it, and the sound of footsteps echoed loudly in the hallway, indicating that the situation was critical.
She was headed to the 1st floor to see Darius who was being brought in.
As she walked down the hallway, she noticed a tightly locked room.
Deus Verdi’s room.
She knew the door would never open because Deia herself had locked it with magic, following Darius’ instructions.
“Hah.”
She had just thought about it briefly while instructing the maid a few moments ago; thinking of asking for help from Deus.
At the moment, she could really use some help in this predicament.
But no.
“What could I even expect from that fool?”
Deia walked right past Deus’ room, thinking nothing of it.
She waited for about 30 minutes at the first-floor entrance, and she saw soldiers riding hastily from afar.
They looked dirty and unkempt as if they had not washed for days, and they had dark circles and drooping eyes as if they hadn’t rested properly, which made Deia feel guilty.
“L-Lady Deia! The Lord…!”
“I know! Butler, hurry up and bring the Lord inside!”
The servants, who were waiting with Deia, rushed to the cart and carried Darius into the mansion.
Deia approached the soldiers who were staring blankly and patted them on their shoulders.
“Come inside. We have prepared a meal for you, so eat well and rest.”
“Keuk, we apologize!”
“If only we had fought harder…!”
The soldiers’ pent-up frustrations erupted in response to Deia’s comforting words.
“It’s alright. It’s alright. Come on in. You’ve worked hard enough, so I’ll take responsibility now.”
Deia, who had made a firm decision, gave the soldiers who had brought Darius here food and a place to rest and then headed to Darius’ room.
Apart from the best doctor in Norseweden, the warm room was brimming with medicinal herbs.
The servants of the mansion also looked over with concern, saying they would do anything.
These people were all from the North. Their family awaited them outside the mansion in downtown Norseweden.
The thought of barbarians threatening to take over their land was unbearable, and they all hoped that Darius, the Last Guardian would protect them.
“Doctor, how is the Lord doing?”
Deia inquired with a tense voice.
“It appears that he will be unable to return to the front lines for the time being.”
The doctor replied with a gloomy tone.
A diagnosis as such was like a bolt of lightning to everyone present in the room.
Deia exclaimed angrily,
“No, that’s nonsense! Looking at the Lord’s current state, it is just a stab wound on the shoulder…!”
“Unfortunately, he is not in a good state. The unique mana that remains inside continues to eat at the wounds, not allowing it to heal.”
“…What?”
She had never heard about something like that.
The opponent’s mana was still causing damage from the inside the Head of the Household’s body?
“I’ve heard about the existence of such people in the Clark Republic. They are masters of combat who can neutralize the enemy with a single blow.”
Putting on his glasses, the doctor continued to speak, expressing his distress.
“It looks like he was attacked by one of those people. As long as that person doesn’t retract their mana, or is made unable to use their mana… The Lord’s injuries will not heal no matter how much treatment he receives.”
“Haa.”
Deia let out a deep sigh.
After breaking past the mountain ridge, the barbarians would soon attack the Northern mountain path in order to tear down the defenses there.
In order to head into the Kingdom from the north, food and supplies were essential, so they would probably plunder Norseweden.
If she had had a little more time, she could have made a better decision. But the current situation was grave, and there was no time to groan.
“I will request for reinforcements from the other Margraves and surrounding nobles.”
Everyone in the room was aware about the significance of her decision.
Giving up the rights she had enjoyed as a Margrave and humbling herself to request support from nearby nobles in order to protect Norseweden.
It was not known how the Verdi Household would be shaken and affected as a result of this.
They might be stripped of their position as Margrave, saying that they were incompetent.
But she had to protect her people.
“Gather all available soldiers and hold out for as long as possible until the reinforcement arrives. I will take command.”
Deia was about to step forward, having resolved herself…
“No way…!”
Darius, who seemed to have lost his mind, jumped up and shouted. The madness in his eyes was clear.
“The legacy of the Verdi Household is contained here in Norseweden! Are you trying to cut off the Household’s roots!”
Crack.
Deia clenched her teeth and swallowed the words she was about to say.
“Then what do you suggest? We can’t just sit here.”
“Leave it alone.”
“…What?”
It was shocking. In fact, it was even more surprising than learning that Darius had been injured in defeat.
“Just leave it be. It’s enough to say that they didn’t cross the mountain range.”
“Gee, are you kidding me?”
“Tell the people of Norseweden to keep their mouths shut and we will compensate them later for the plundering done by the barbarians…”
“Shut up!”
Deia’s voice echoed fiercely. Darius tried to reprimand his sister for her unruly attitude towards him, but Deia beat him to it.
“Are you willing to abandon your people because of a legacy? Again? You plan to repeat Verdi’s disgrace again?”
“Deia, stop talking!”
“You shouldn’t have come here like a beaten dog if you didn’t want to hear this! I’ve said this before! Keep your guard up and make thorough preparations!”
“They were out of our league. We couldn’t have stopped them anyway.”
“Is it helpful to console yourself in this manner? But you, Brother, are not in that position. You’re in a position where you have to take responsibility!”
They kept going back and forth. Meanwhile, the servants and the doctor stood motionless, unsure of what to do.
“Alright! I’ll go and stop them! I will immediately request for reinforcements from Count Tolkien and Count Herameus! I will protect Norseweden!”
And then, the image of a certain man appeared in Deia’s mind – her other brother.
“Call that useless second brother of mine as well. Even if he’s just a pest, he’s still a Verdi. He has to shoulder this responsibility with us.”
Even though he used his connections, he was a professor at the Loberne Academy for three months.
Even if he hadn’t been able to give a lecture.
“I’m sure he can at least cast a fireball.”
After waiting for a while, the door burst open and the air inside the room changed instantly.
A man with long, unruly black hair, wearing a fully buttoned coat and shoulders held confidently, Deus Verdi, stepped inside the room without hesitation.
It was such a stark contrast that it made her wonder if she had ever felt this way around the man before.
Just by his presence, he brought a cool yet foreboding chill to the warmly heated room.
Just as Deia, frowning, was about to explain the situation…
“One hour.”
Deus Verdi, with a cold expression, raised his hand and declared…
“Give me just one hour and I shall resolve everything.”
Almost as if he was the Demon promising to grant a wish. As if, they were now about to make a deal with the Demon.
