The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War ~And Thus, I Became The Strongest Knight Disciple (♀) in The World~

Chapter 448: 16 Year Old Inglis and the Highland on Distance Sea (57)

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"Thank you for the meal—" Rafinha set down her plate, leaving only the clean bones of the fish.

"Are… are you done already, Rafinha?"

"You’ve only eaten enough for one person, you know?"

Leone and Liselotte exchanged worried glances. For Rafinha, her portion was unusually small.

It had been five days since then.

Vilma had accepted Charlotte's call for surrender. Accompanied by Dr. Vilkin, who joined the Church Founder’s side, Vilma departed from Illuminus.

As part of the surrender terms she proposed, any other Highlander who wished to follow the Church Founder’s faction were permitted to do so alongside Vilma.

When it came to the choice for Mais and the other evacuees, about seventy percent decided to go to the Church Founder’s Union, while the remaining thirty percent stayed behind in the ruins of Illuminus.

At present, the only land left was a small area around the Central Research Institute. Most of the underground sections had been flooded, and over half the Institute’s building itself was sliced away. But it offered some shelter from the elements.

As for food, they had to make do with fish caught from the surrounding sea, just as they had been eating now. While enduring this, they waited for rescue from one of the other factions of the Duke’s Party. If they could reach Special Envoy Theodore, they could even request help from Charalia.

"I’m getting a bit tired of having just fish all the time… so I think I’m done for today. Ah, I’ll go take a walk for a bit." With those words, Rafinha left the Central Research Institute building.

"Uh, um… have a good walk."

"Please be careful."

"Yes, I'll be fine."

But even her smile lacked its usual lively energy. To Leone and Liselotte, it was painfully clear that her usual vitality was gone. The smaller portions she was eating likely weren’t just because she was tired of fish.

"…And it seems like she's not sleeping much either."

For Rafinha—known to eat heartily and sleep soundly—this was out of the ordinary.

"It can't be helped."

"Yes, you're right…"

Both Leone and Liselotte understood Rafinha’s feelings. It wasn’t just a distant empathy; they felt it themselves. Because they, too, were hurting.

At first, they had believed, "If it's Inglis, she’ll manage." But as the days passed, that hope began to waver. The longer they waited, the harder it was to hold on to the belief that she might still be alive.

Though they would never cry in front of Rafinha, both Leone and Liselotte had shed tears in solitude more than once.

Inglis was someone who, regardless of circumstances, would ignore everything to take on a strong foe. Her sole focus was on becoming stronger—a bizarre trait, yet one that was strangely reassuring. No matter how desperate the situation, with Inglis around, it always felt like things would somehow work out in the end.

Despite that incredible strength, which Leone and Liselotte found almost unnaturally powerful, Inglis never acted arrogant. She was gentle not only with Rafinha but also with Leone, Liselotte, and everyone around her.

Though she seemed interested solely in fighting, at times, she would say things so insightful that it made one wonder how she could think of such things. It was as if she had the wisdom and maturity of someone far older than them.

They didn’t know why, but her presence was immensely reassuring. Losing that feeling—if it was this painful for them, then Rafinha, who had been with Inglis since birth, must be feeling something unimaginable.

So they couldn’t stop Rafinha from wanting to be alone; all they could do was watch over her. She probably just wanted a private moment to cry. Rafinha was likely trying to shield Leone and Liselotte from seeing her in pain.

"In the end, we couldn’t do anything. We lost both Inglis and Lady Eris, and now Illuminus is in this state…"

"Miss Vilma helped us… We need to be grateful."

Realistically, they had to admit they’d nearly lost everything. If Vilma hadn’t accepted surrender and demanded safety for the others, they couldn’t even imagine what might have happened to the remaining people of Illuminus, Liselotte, and the others.

And even that outcome was possible only because of Charlotte’s compassion in suggesting surrender. Given the situation, Charlotte and her forces could have forcibly taken Vilma and wiped out everyone else.

If only Maxwell or Tiffany had been the sole commanders, they surely would have taken such action. Maxwell was a general of Venefique, Charalia's current enemy, and Tiffany was a former foe they had repelled in the northern land of Alucard.

As Venefique's general, Maxwell had every reason to diminish Charalia's power, and Tiffany harbored her own grudges. It was thanks to Charlotte restraining them that things ended as they did.

Even Dr. Vilkin, who appeared somewhat compliant, didn’t oppose Charlotte’s suggestion. Concerned as he was for Vilma, he seemed almost relieved to follow Charlotte’s lead.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Before Charlotte left Illuminus, she even asked Liselotte, “What will you do?” Leone was still unconscious, and Rafinha was too distressed to recall much.

In essence, Charlotte was inviting Liselotte to come with her, but Liselotte couldn't possibly abandon Rafinha and Leone. Charalia was her true home, so she declined. Charlotte seemed slightly disappointed, and this reaction made Liselotte feel an odd familiarity.

Her name, her appearance… everything about Charlotte felt too close to be a stranger.

Showing mercy by advising Vilma to surrender rather than killing Liselotte, she even extended a hand, inviting her to come along.

To Liselotte, Charlotte’s demeanor felt almost maternal—like she glimpsed, or perhaps wanted to glimpse, a mother’s love in her.

In any case, Liselotte resolved to return home safely and report everything to her father, Duke Althea, and hear his thoughts. If Charlotte truly was her mother, she wanted her father to meet her. To one day celebrate a reunion as a family of three—there would be no greater joy.

“Either way, we have to get back safely… or there’ll be no one to report back any of this.” Leone’s words echoed Liselotte’s thoughts exactly.

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