harleyscars Page 182
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On the afternoon of June 9th.
Guided by a mysterious force, the Ursus Empire's civilian aid team prepared everything, activated the cameras installed on the merchant vehicles, and headed towards the border of Kazimir, fully loaded with supplies intended to aid the people of Kazimir.
This caravan was composed of Ursus civilians who, under the call of humanitarianism, voluntarily represented the Ursus government to provide support to the refugees in Kazimir. Moreover, the Ursus government strongly supported their every move—this seems quite normal. Presumably, no matter how stubborn the knights of Kazimir are, they wouldn't stop merchants from providing support to each other, right?
That would normally be the case. But this time it's not normal.
Under the influence of some mysterious force, a squad of conquering knights in Kazimierz strayed from their course during a routine patrol.
The message they uploaded was—
Traces of Ursus military activity have been discovered.
......
“Now that our plan has begun, I think we can talk for a long time.”
"Ah... um. But, Mr. Yang Hao? Are you really alright?"
"Haha, no problem, no problem... I just didn't sleep well this morning, really."
Meanwhile, it's afternoon tea time.
Yang Hao, along with Sonia and Hela, attended a small tea party hosted by Miss Karina—though it was actually arranged by Lord Koschie for Karina. She hoped Yang Hao could resolve Karina's problems as much as possible during the tea party, buying her time for her next tasks.
Kosiché had originally planned to come, but she was too busy and couldn't manage it all, so she could only ask Yang Hao to step up his efforts.
However, it was still a bit strange to ask Yang Hao to put in extra effort... Not only did the gentle Sonia notice Yang Hao's physical weakness, but even the innocent Hela and Miss Karina, who knew nothing about what happened last night, realized that something was wrong.
Seeing Mr. Yang Hao's trembling hands holding the teacup, and his dark circles under his eyes... Miss Karina opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything, tacitly acknowledging Yang Hao's stubbornness as a man.
They drank some tea and ate some snacks. Then, Yang Hao, while carrying Hela, who was wearing a beautiful dress sewn by Head Maid Monica, to Sonia's arms, said to Miss Karina:
"Let's talk about the future, Karina."
To be honest, the future of the Ursus Empire is currently very uncertain. There's a shortage of people, technology needs research, warlords and nobles in various regions who only care about their own interests need to be eliminated, and almost every city and village is in dire need of rebuilding—this is definitely not good news for us.
What are your thoughts on this?
"...But, Mr. Yang Hao? I'll be in Lord Koschche's body in the future, you know? It might not be appropriate for you to ask me this, would it?" Karina paused for a moment after hearing this long string of words, then pointed to herself, quite confused: "I...I don't think I'm qualified to make that judgment, do I?"
"This isn't a formal occasion, after all. And Karina, I want to hear your thoughts; I want to know more about you."
"...Since you put it that way..."
With just a few words, Yang Hao put Karina at ease and made her lower her guard.
She was quite happy to begin thinking with a worried expression, and then slowly explained her fragmented thoughts to Mr. Yang Hao, who was sitting casually in his seat and smiling at her. Meanwhile, looking at Mr. Yang Hao's profile, Sonia's mother, who was holding Hela, had a tense and uneasy expression on her face, as if she was worried that her child was going astray.
"How did my child become like this?! Not only did he break down a girl's defenses with just a few words, but he also seems to be planning to toy with her feelings?" Sonia murmured anxiously to herself, unconsciously hugging Hela tighter in her arms.
She suspected her child had gone astray, and her anxiety stemmed from the fact that she hadn't had a proper talk with Mr. Yang Hao in a long time. She reconsidered Monica's suggestion from that morning; initially, she had been mindful of her position and felt she shouldn't interfere in Mr. Yang Hao's private life...
But now it seems...
Looking at Mr. Yang Hao's profile, which seemed to have turned into a scoundrel, Sonia's mother bit her lip and made up her mind: she must correct Yang Hao's bad behavior! No matter what means she had to use!
...But Yang Hao—if he knew what Sonia's mother was thinking, he would cry foul! He was only doing it at Koschche's request!
Besides, this action was adjusted according to Miss Karina's wishes. Miss Karina wanted me to remember her, so wouldn't it fulfill her wishes for me to learn more about her? How can you blame me? Of course not!
Besides, Karina will eventually become Koschei's body. Even if she doesn't, he can't just stand by and watch Karina become an enemy of the Ursus Empire, can he?
Therefore, I did this not just for personal reasons!
It's all for the greater good!
...
Of course, Yang Hao had no idea what Sonia was thinking at this moment, so he naturally didn't have such thoughts and continued to listen to Miss Karina's explanation with a smile.
And he did indeed develop a much better impression of Miss Karina...for example—
"...I feel that rather than the Ursus Empire needing to recuperate in the future, it should...do something while it is recuperating."
"Hmm? What are your thoughts?"
“Mr. Yang Hao, my thought is... Ursus may not need to become the hegemon of this land by directly expanding its territory, but perhaps we can do so through diplomacy and by establishing vassal states or protectorates...? But I think that's impossible... after all, we can't guarantee that the heirs of the empire will always follow this idea.”
"Does that mean only immortals can do it?"
"Perhaps? But there has never been an immortal ruler in the history of the Ursus Empire. Even Lady Koschei... she only silently observes the empire and influences it."
Karina has similar political ideas to Yang Hao—but the difference is that Yang Hao's ideas are based on the premise that he owns the [Puppet Stage] and has the confidence to live forever.
But for Karina, this was entirely her own opinion. She made no guarantees, and anything she said in public would only be wishful thinking—but...
Yang Hao admires her. Now it's not just because she's Koschche's successor, but more because she's Karina.
Chapter 33
Yang Hao admired Karina. It wasn't just because of her political fantasies, but more importantly, he realized that Karina wasn't the kind of girl who thought she was worthless and therefore willingly became a Koschei puppet—she was a girl with a spirit of sacrifice. She could have become a countess or grand duke in the Ursus Empire based on her own abilities and knowledge, but for the future of the Ursus Empire, she was willing to limit her knowledge and abilities and become a Koschei puppet.
"...Kelina, you can be a better person, why do you have to be Koschei's successor?"
Finally, Yang Hao couldn't hold back any longer—he was very curious, really curious, whether a young girl who clearly had the qualifications, ability, and resources to become a Grand Duchess really believed in the promises made by Kosiché.
...
The facts told him that Karina truly believed Koschei could make Ursus better, which was why she was willing to do so.
“Mr. Yang Hao… So what if I become an earl or a duke? I am a human being… an ordinary human being. I cannot achieve a status equal to Lord Koschei in terms of time, nor can I deceive myself into believing that I can do better than Lord Koschei, who has lived for thousands of years—and if sacrificing my future can make my homeland better, then what is wrong with such a sacrifice? So… I am willing to become Lord Koschei’s successor, I am willing to give up my future… as long as it can make my homeland better.”
"...You've sacrificed too much, Karina."
"But I don't see it as a sacrifice."
"...I know this is your personal opinion, but it's too...too much of a sacrifice. You know, if I hadn't come to Ursus, almost no one would even remember your name."
"So I'm so glad... that you are Lord Koschche's husband. If it's you, then I wouldn't mind making more sacrifices."
"...Ugh."
But this is going too far. Yang Hao admires those who are willing to sacrifice for their country, for their master, or for their dreams—but he still feels sorry for someone like Karina, who is even willing to sacrifice herself to the point of gaining nothing.
While from a purely economic standpoint, such part-time work would be the kind of loyalists that rulers would be ecstatic about—Yang Hao doesn't need anyone to go that far, really. Neither does Koschie, and that's also true. Right now, Karina is like someone being molded into clay.
But the direction it's being shaped is wrong... it's just too abnormal. But Yang Hao couldn't say anything—because in a sense, this is Koschei's successor, this is his wife's new body... no matter how much he felt sorry for her, he couldn't interfere with the successor's thoughts and ideas without Koschei's permission.
But even if Koschei gives his permission, what then? This will lead to the next problem—with Koschei only having Miss Karina as his heir, where will Yang Hao find a successor who better fits Koschei's ideas?
The answer is no. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't—while Miss Elegy might be willing to provide information, what if the heir he ultimately found was someone like Miss Karina? He couldn't possibly consider the thoughts of every one of Koschei's heirs, but the thought that those heirs would eventually become faces he frequently encountered in his daily life, people he would remember...
...
He opened his mouth, but ended his statement with a sigh.
Instead, she didn't seem like the one whose thoughts needed to be analyzed. Miss Karina simply smiled and took a sip of her black tea, her eyes glazed over as she looked at Yang Hao.
“Lord Yang Hao, I am grateful that you are willing to think of me like this…” she said coldly, like a cool breeze in early spring—though her tone was icy, there was still a warmth in it. “But…you can’t change anything. I am still Lord Kosiché’s puppet, and I…do not regret my choice. If I had to say something, I would only want to be remembered by you, to remember everything about me…that’s enough.”
"...But your current state is dangerous, you know that?"
Yang Hao opened his mouth. At this moment, Karina was like a girl about to be swallowed by a hallucination... She seemed to be too engrossed in something, and Yang Hao could smell a strong scent emanating from her—the scent of desire.
Beside her, Hela, nestled in Sonia's arms, had been staring intently at the older woman before her, as if she were looking at a dying person.
"Hmm? Is that so?" She shook her head blankly, then nodded. "Hmm...maybe. After all, Lord Koschchet said the same thing to me yesterday. But...I'm not sure if it's related to my dream."
"A dream?"
Yang Hao had a bad feeling at this moment. He felt uneasy, but more than that, he realized that it seemed to be related to the way he had recently gone to the House of Lamentations—also through entering a dream. However, he had arrived at the House of Lamentations, while Karina had gone somewhere else.
I need to talk to Miss Elegy about this," he thought.
"Hmm. Come to think of it... Ever since I was chosen by Lord Koschche, I've been having a lot of strange dreams every night. I dream that I'm walking through strange woodlands... like snakes crawling across the ground. Then, I pass through a pure white gate—and afterwards watch two dead people dueling in the knight's hut. But starting yesterday, I've been dreaming about many strange places..."
"...Could you tell me more about it?"
"Yes, of course. But... Mr. Yang Hao, don't you need to work?"
"I don't have work today, but if I had to say, I have a lot of time to chat with you."
"That's great."
Miss Karina smiled, while Yang Hao watched silently.
Hela and Sonia, who were standing nearby, both noticed the strange thing about Karina. All of them.
......
"...So, Monica? What did you find out?"
"Hmm, among the personal belongings Miss Karina brought over... there are a very few books that warrant attention. Ah, or rather, fragments of books, or perhaps some strange research diagrams for Originium Arts rituals."
"What is it?"
"...This is a portion of what I copied down, and these are the names and categories of those books."
Monica provided Koschke with a catalog of noteworthy notes found among Miss Kirina's personal belongings. In addition to the catalog, there were also transcriptions of notes and hand-drawn illustrations.
Kosiché frowned, realizing that his successor might not be simply affected by a curse...
She's already starting to change. Perhaps the rest depends on whether her dear husband can bring her back.
If that doesn't work, Kosiché will have to give up on Karina.
-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------
...
night.
Just as the civilian aid team of the Ursus Empire was about to reach the border of Kau, they were attacked by the knights who were fighting on the border of Kasimir.
These knights only realized after killing everyone that the people they had murdered were civilian caravans from Ursus, and that all their crimes had been recorded by the caravan's onboard cameras.
The knights were devastated by the crime they had committed in their moment of recklessness. They decided to collect the bodies and immediately return to report the situation, taking the blame for this serious crime that could have triggered a war between the two nations—after all, Kazimierz simply could not withstand the pressure of fighting on two fronts.
But before these knights could do so, the Ursus Emperor's blade appeared behind them, swiftly killing these elite warriors who were immersed in grief, confusion, and bewilderment.
They staged the scene to resemble a scenario where, after attacking a humanitarian force in Ursus, the Knights of War were ambushed and wiped out while carelessly collecting loot. However, after dismantling all the cameras and deliberately leaving behind a few recording devices that were still transmitting signals, as well as damaged camera parts, the guards did not leave immediately.
They took all the supplies out of the vehicle, and then took some of the more valuable-looking ornaments from the civilian corpses on the ground and put them in the pockets of the knight's corpse.
"...Hiss...whoosh. I'm beginning to believe that under His Majesty's leadership, Ursus will become incredibly powerful," said one of the Emperor's Blades.
They cleaned up all traces at the scene, then dragged in the corpses of several powerful scourges and Originium-infected creatures from outside and placed them around the attack site before their work was finished.
They had to return immediately to report the situation, expose the scandal in Kazimir, and make the empire even stronger.
...
On the other hand, the guards need to report their work results to the relevant parties—
Yang Hao remained seated at the tea party. He looked up at the sky and realized that it had become quite late without him noticing.
But Miss Karina showed no sign of stopping. She chatted enthusiastically, talking about many things in her dream that Yang Hao had never heard of before, and about some places that Yang Hao considered extremely important, and also very dangerous—
A crimson church in her dream. She said she didn't know how she got in, but when she came to her senses, the beautiful sounds coming from inside made her subconsciously follow them. Before she could listen to the people talking, she was woken up by the driver, and then she felt an extremely unbearable appetite.
"...Um, I don't know what kind of place that is either..."
"So I'm very curious about that place, but... for some reason, I didn't dream about it last night."
"Really? It seems that it might just have been an accident?" Yang Hao forced a smile, then noticed that the girl had finally realized that it was not late.
"Perhaps. Oh... it's getting late. Mr. Yang Hao, I must go back to my daily studies... Could I trouble you to come again next time?"
She hurriedly got up, seemingly aware that her evening homework was a very important task. But before leaving, she glanced at Yang Hao timidly, somewhat fearfully—she was also quite aware of her own conversation. She was worried that Yang Hao would be unwilling to come again because of her unusual behavior.
But Yang Hao is not that kind of person.
"Of course you can. You must make sure to get some rest."
"I will."
So she breathed a sigh of relief.
Watching Karina's hurried departure, Yang Hao sat in his seat in silence for a long time before finally drinking the little tea he had left.
“…Karina’s condition is more serious than I thought,” he said, turning to look at Sonia and little Hela in her arms. “She’s like she’s obsessed with something, like someone who hasn’t completely gone mad but still believes they’re irreplaceable…Karina needs immediate treatment, but I don’t know how to do it—”
“Daddy, Karina—she’s obsessed.” Hela blinked, then sat in her mother Sonia’s lap and stretched out her arms to her father, wanting him to pick her up. “She’s already becoming obsessed with her own desires, influenced by the beings she’s seen in the Mansou… She’s starting to become obsessed. If this continues, Karina will soon go mad from this obsession, just like that Duke Nicolai who turned into a cup before.”
"really..."