How should she choose?
Should she ignore the choice offered by the girl named Anna and force her way out?
Or should she delay a bit longer and look for an opportunity to break through?
“Madam, you need only give the order.”
In that brief moment, the subordinates standing before Serena had already prepared themselves for death.
But… must every outcome be reached through sacrifice? Were all peace, beauty, and mutual understanding destined to be nothing more than fairy tale fantasies?
This was not the reality Serena wanted to see.
If changing such a reality required a miracle… then she would create one herself!
At that moment, the Mana she had been silently gathering in her palm since stepping out of the carriage finally reached the minimum threshold required to activate high-level magic!
“Group Transfer Magic, activate!”
The moment the words left her mouth, a white light flashed, and a massive hexagram instantly unfolded beneath the carriage.
If she actively attacked these people who were seeking death, the Experimental Potion would hit the ground much faster than the Knights’ swords.
If she handed over the Signature Book, even if she disregarded her own dignity once more to seek the Bishops’ signatures, her daughter would have to endure malice for a while longer…
And next time, what kind of existence would appear to stop her?
Everything led to a single conclusion:
If she wanted to send the Signature Book to the Empire, if she wanted to secure justice for her little Elena — today was the only chance!
And the transfer magic she could use was the singular point that would allow her to seize this opportunity and reach the ending she desired!
“Ten, nine, eight, seven…”
But the countdown continued.
The girl named Anna did not seem to care about anything before her; she simply counted down in silence.
In that moment, Serena saw liberation in Anna’s eyes.
The release of the potion was inevitable.
As soon as the countdown ended, the girl would shatter the glass vial containing the potion on the ground.
Perhaps it was as the girl said…
They were ghosts who had died in the past. Only through the same method of death could they be reunited with their deceased loved ones.
Their deaths had long been predestined.
— This was what Serena saw in Anna’s eyes at the final moment the transfer magic activated.
*
“Lord Sirius, I… I do not know if I should say this.”
Sirius still did not look up at his subordinate’s second interruption. However, the slight furrow of his brow clearly expressed his impatience.
The only important thing before him was the final confirmation regarding the next attack by the Leviathan and the Monster Tide.
Everything else was irrelevant.
“You only had people persuade the refugees who lost their families in the last Monster Tide, and you even gave the only Experimental Potion from the Empire to that young girl… What if — “
“What if my dear sister-in-law handles all this and delivers the Signature Book to the Imperial Capital? If that truly happens, then it is the arrangement of the gods, a predestined outcome. Why would I need to change it?” — But though he said that, Sirius knew: the existence the Empire had already deployed there would not allow his sister-in-law to leave the Duchy alive.
Setting down his pen, Sirius rubbed the space between his brows, though his frown remained.
He never held just one card in his hand.
If he could not obtain a Witch strong enough to rival a Great Mage, he would simply find something else that could.
But Sirius was waiting — waiting for information regarding the village Serena would surely visit…
“A report! Lord Sirius! The latest intelligence has arrived!”
The moment the door opened, Sirius narrowed his eyes — what he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Success or failure would be decided now.
“The latest news confirms that a small-scale Monster Tide has formed in the border village!”
At that moment, Sirius smiled.
*
“Quick! Move now! Everyone, get going!”
The Knight Commander, having recovered from the teleportation, immediately began barking orders.
The caravan had been completely transported to a road several hundred meters outside the village. As long as they moved at full speed now, they could surely lose those lunatics from the village and escort the Duchess to the Imperial Capital!
Soon, the sound of galloping hooves and rolling wheels echoed in Serena’s ears once more.
Serena breathed a sigh of relief and leaned her exhausted body against the back of the seat.
The previous Group Transfer Magic had nearly exhausted all of her Mana; now, all she could do was trust her household servants.
‘Elena, Mother will be back soon…’
Closing her eyes gently, Serena saw her daughter — but she could not see her daughter’s smiling face.
At that moment, Serena realized a fact — how long had it been since she had seen her daughter’s smile? Her daughter… just how long had it been since she had last laughed?
In the next moment, Serena suddenly remembered the girl named Anna. She remembered those eyes that held only a longing for death and that smile which suggested she no longer had any attachments…
‘Serena, this is not something you should be thinking about. You should think about your own daughter, think about Elena — ‘
Today was her birthday. Early this morning, she had promised to celebrate her birthday together.
‘The only thing you need to do — the one thing — is to deliver the Signature Book safely to the Imperial Capital, do you understand?’
After saying this to herself in her heart, Serena took a deep breath.
She decided to stop thinking about it.
But —
Roar!!
The shrill cry of a Magic Beast exploded in everyone’s ears.
Serena understood: the girl named Anna had ultimately shattered the potion on the ground.
“Prepare to engage the enemy! Protect the Madam!!”
Amid the terrified neighing of horses and the metallic clatter of swords and armor, the image of the girl named Anna flashed through Serena’s mind once again.
“We do not care.”
‘You shouldn’t not care… really.’
“Engage the enemy!!”
The sound of rushing beasts grew increasingly frantic, turning into a vibration that shook the forest.
Serena kept her eyes closed, but her brow was tightly knit.
No matter what happened next, she had to face it.
Monsters appeared from all directions, sprinting through the forest like predators chasing prey!
From the sound, Serena knew this did not rival the scale of a Monster Tide, but it was enough to completely swallow a border village.
“We do not care.”
‘…Why don’t you care? You should care about your own life! Your parents gave their lives to save you; did they do it just to hear you say you “don’t care”?!’
The Magic Beasts roared, but they sprinted past both sides of the caravan as if they did not even see it, rushing toward the village.
This was surely the effect of that potion.
In that case, the Empire might soon master the method to control monsters.
This was for the best… From now on, there would be no more Monster Tides, no more Leviathan, and no more origins for anyone to criticize her little Elena…
This was for the best.
“We do not care.”
‘ …Tsk.’
“Turn around. Go back to the village.”
“Madam?! Are you serious?! Setting aside how hard we worked to escape that place, those monsters are the result of their own actions. What does it have to do with you?!”
‘I know… of course I know…’
“I know. But they are still subjects of the Duchy. Driving out Magic Beasts is the mission of Clan White as the rulers of the Duchy.”
“Madam!! You came here for the sake of Lady Elena!! You cannot — “
“I know! I know that better than anyone!!”
It was almost a scream, carrying a hint of sobbing and hysteria.
“But I can’t do it! I can’t leave that girl behind!! I can’t ignore her eyes!! I really don’t want… I don’t want my daughter to become like her!! If someone becomes like that after losing their loved ones, how am I supposed to save my little Elena?! Do I not know my own body? I don’t have long to live… I don’t have long at all!!”
A single tear fell, and the attendants fell silent.
“If that is the case, you need a reason.”
The lady-in-waiting beside Serena gently embraced her mistress.
“If you can give yourself a reason, a belief, then there will be hope in everything, and you will have the courage to overcome all difficulties. So, Madam… what is your reason?”
For a moment, the servants waited.
They waited for this lady, for this mother — they waited for a reason.
“A reason… my reason…”
She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, leaving only reddened skin and slightly swollen eyes.
She lifted her head, and through her blurred vision, Serena saw it —
She saw the smile she longed for from Elena.
“Because I am… a mother.”