“Haha. Estelle did fight exceptionally well. Like the Grand Duke in his prime… Ah, is that comparison a bit much? Anyway, I was truly amazed.”
Mobius, the marshal who had joined us, spoke while leaning on his giant axe, twice his height. Everyone nodded, except for Brand.
Embarrassed, I spoke up.
“It’s thanks to everyone’s help.”
“Estelle, as well as everyone, fought bravely. But how long this stalemate will last…”
The Grand Duke’s words cast a shadow over everyone’s face.
“Marshal Mobius, has there ever been a fire in the monsters’ forest before?”
The Grand Duke asked. The marshal replied.
“No, never seen it before. At least not in my twenty years of service. Spring here is too damp for spontaneous combustion.”
“Right. The fire is man-made.”
“Are you suggesting someone intentionally set the fire, Your Grace?”
I asked, startled.
The Grand Duke’s voice grew heavier.
“We can’t rule out that possibility.”
“Did the North incur someone’s wrath? Did we do something wrong?”
Adrian Eodel spoke, genuinely puzzled.
‘!’
Wrath.
Why does Medea’s face come to mind now?
“Can’t rule that out either.”
The Grand Duke affirmed.
Then, Arcadia, who had been leaning in a corner, suddenly stood up. His pale face drew everyone’s attention.
“What’s the matter, Knight Nougat?”
“Your Grace.”
“Speak.”
“The Red Caterpillar, he’s not in the cell.”
“What?”
Arcadia stared intently at the transmission stone brought from the Grand Duke’s castle, then clenched his teeth.
“He’s really gone!”
“Did he escape?”
I asked in shock.
We can’t lose him. He’s crucial evidence to bring down Rahert and Medea.
But then, a more alarming fear flashed through my mind.
‘Is something wrong at the castle?’
“Arcadia, return to the Grand Duke’s castle.”
“Your Grace.”
“It’s an order. The Red Caterpillar matter is as important as this war. Take two other knights from the second brigade with you.”
The Grand Duke’s voice held genuine concern.
“Understood. I’ll be back quickly.”
Arcadia bowed his head and then swiftly departed like the wind.
‘I hope nothing happens.’
I tried to suppress the increasingly ominous premonitions.
Even after Arcadia left, the meeting continued.
But how much time had passed? It was already a dark night.
Kaang! Kaang!
A larger and sharper eerie sound, unlike the orcs’ attack, began emanating from the wall.
Marshal Mobius suddenly hung his head.
Everyone, speechless, turned towards the wall.
“Kaligari,” the Grand Duke muttered.
Kaligari.
I remembered what Arcadia had said.
[Kaligari become transparent. Their claws can slice through human flesh like paper.]Was this sound their claws tearing through the wall? Are their claws as strong as steel?
“Gentlemen. It will be a long night. Are you prepared to survive?”
“Yes!!!” Everyone responded in unison to the Grand Duke’s call.
But I saw it. Adrian’s face turned pale as he said ‘Yes.’
I sensed it.
The Kaligari must be incomparably stronger than the orcs.
The Grand Duke’s words meant ‘Please don’t die.’
I looked around at the dozens of elite knights in the command room.
Then I thought of the faces of the hundreds of knights resting inside the walls, one by one.
I didn’t want anyone to die.
Finally, I looked at the Grand Duke. Our eyes met in mid-air. He spoke to me.
“Kaligari are incredibly fast, as big as orcs, and can become invisible when moving. They reveal themselves only when attacking.”
“!”
The recent fight with the orcs was nothing to me. I didn’t even need to use my swordmaster skills.
But a monster that becomes invisible and only reveals itself when attacking could be…
‘Tonight, I might have to reveal my true ability as a swordmaster.’
A few hours earlier.
Having entered through a secret passage, Julia headed straight for the dungeon.
The passage directly connected to the inside of the dungeon, allowing her to avoid the two elite knights guarding the entrance.
Inside the dungeon, she sat in front of Drake, huddled in the darkness, facing the bars.
Before she did, the Red Caterpillar recognized her.
“Ah… Lady! You’ve come.”
The Red Caterpillar whimpered in a low voice.
“Drake. Or should I say, Red Caterpillar. Did you really deceive me?”
Lady Julia went straight to the point, her voice tinged with anger.
“I really don’t understand what’s happening. I swear, Lady, I only wanted to warn you about the danger of that spy.”
“Spy…?”
“Yes, really. After you left that day, that woman suddenly appeared and attacked me. She had been tailing you. It was as if she had planned it all along.”
“!”
Her words shook Julia again.
The mother she never met, the father who loved her but also died. Since then, she thought the world was too cruel to her alone.
“How dare she tail me…”
“Lady, please help me. I don’t want to die like this, not when I’ve just gained my freedom.”
Julia sat in front of the Red Caterpillar, separated by bars.
“But you’ve been targeting me since you were in the institution. You met that girl you called a spy at the tavern, to get close to me. I saw it all on the video. And now you’re saying you’re not on her side?”
Lady Julia stared at the frozen Drake, waiting for his words, hoping he would present evidence of his innocence.
Finally, he spoke.
“I just said that because I dislike her… It just came out wrong. Lady Medea learned that the girl was a spy after that.”
Drake collapsed in front of the bars.
“You don’t believe me. I see…”
He sobbed sorrowfully. His weeping stirred her heart.
She too had cried like him before, countless times. She knew the desperation in such weeping.
“If you’re truthful with me, show me again. What you did for me back then.”
“Milady, that’s…”
“I’ll make my decision afterwards. Just one more time, let me be with my mother and father.”
When they had met a few days earlier, Drake had introduced her to a spell that recalled memories by making her smell a pleasant fragrance.
Julia had fallen asleep and dreamed of reuniting with her parents. She had talked, dined, and walked with them for a long time.
She couldn’t forget those happy memories.
“Waking up might be hard for you. I only learned this technique from my master crudely.”
“Don’t worry about me, Drake.”
Drake…
He still has faith in me.
The Red Caterpillar smirked inwardly.
“Well… I can’t help it. I’ll do it for you, milady.”
The Red Caterpillar, called Drake, showed his index finger in front of the lady.
Lady Julia watched his finger.
He slowly waved his finger in front of her eyes, and after a while…
“Mother…”
Calling for her mother, the lady closed her eyes.
“Open your eyes.”
Upon the Red Caterpillar’s command, she opened her eyes.
“Julia Nugent, who am I?”
“My friend.”
“Yes, you foolish girl.”
“I’m a foolish girl.”
“Yes. Now let’s wipe off that face and find my transmission stone.”
My Ex-Girlfriend Is The Regent In The Female-dominant World (Male lead transmigrates to the matriarchal world)
Two years ago, Gu Sui picked up a homeless woman in ancient costume from the street.
Apart from occasionally claiming to be a princess from a female-dominant country due to illness, her figure, appearance, intelligence, and martial arts skills were impeccable.
Naturally evolving from roommates to girlfriends, as time went on, Gu Sui found it increasingly difficult to tolerate her queen syndrome.
“Mu Jiulu, can you stop controlling me inside and out? Let’s break up.”
Gu Sui made a breakup call, and since then, he couldn’t find any trace of her.
A year later, Gu Sui, who was planning to move, woke up the next day and found himself in a different place.
“Young Master, today is the day you choose your Wife-master through martial arts competition at Jade Dew Pavilion. Please get up quickly.”
Gu Sui: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
As the only son of a general’s mansion in a female-dominant dynasty, the young empress personally issued a decree allowing Gu Sui to select his Wife-master through martial arts competition. Whoever could defeat him could marry him.
Gu Sui: “……”
He didn’t inherit the original owner’s martial prowess, so anyone could defeat him! And what the hell is a Wife-master?
Forced to come to Jade Dew Pavilion, the densely packed women below made Gu Sui’s agoraphobia act up, and his face was full of resistance.
Until he saw the Regent sitting on the second floor, with a smile on the corner of her lips, her eyes wicked and nonchalant.
Hmm… she looked a little familiar.
It turned out that the Regent also found him a little familiar.
Mu Jiulu fiddled with her bone clasp, her deep gaze locked on the man who was out of place in this world.
“Finally, I found you.”
Male transmigrates into female-dominant world
One-sentence summary: What goes around comes around, taking turns in the crematorium
