“Well, it’s not like you went for a short walk; you couldn’t be seen nearby, and there are no predators roaming around… Everyone thought something happened to you two in the forest. If you had come back just a little later, a search party would have been organized.”

Margaret vented her dissatisfaction almost like a fire-breathing dragon. Adele just sipped her tea in silence.

“Have some more. There’s not much time left to enjoy warm tea; we need to leave soon.”

“We’re leaving soon?”

“It seems we’re almost done clearing a few more small rocks. Honestly, even if you two love each other so much that you’d die together, both of you are not in good health.”

The maid’s face, who was tidying up the camp nearby, blushed at Margaret’s scolding. Adele hurriedly gestured.

“N-no, it’s really not like that. We just took a walk nearby…”

Adele stammered, blushing brightly.

She wasn’t sure why she had to make such excuses, but if she didn’t say something like that, Valentine would become an unparalleled troublemaker.

Margaret narrowed her eyes and sent a glance that suggested they were both in cahoots.

After Adele emptied the cup without leaving anything, Margaret carefully checked and gently pushed her back towards the carriage.

“…Hurry and get on the carriage. I’ll tell the master about the tea since I went to the trouble of brewing it.”

Feeling a sense of relief that Margaret’s nagging had finally ended, she climbed into the carriage.

Shortly after, Margaret brought an enormous amount of fur and tightly wrapped her entire body.

“It’s stuffy…”

“If you don’t plan on lying down sick the whole time, endure it.”

“Vision. We’ll be arriving in the capital soon.”

Adele woke up with a start at Margaret’s gesture to wake her.

Strangely, even after waking up, she couldn’t pull herself together. Perhaps it was because she fell asleep under the weight of the fur, her dreams were noisy.

After dreaming that a black figure was eerily chasing her, she inexplicably dreamed of being oppressed, and her whole body was soaked in sweat.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Margaret handed a handkerchief to Adele and asked. Adele nodded.

“Yes. I don’t remember well, but it seems so.”

“It might happen when you’re nervous. Look at the scenery outside and try to refresh yourself a bit. That’s Ingrida’s Wall.”

Margaret opened the carriage window and said cheerfully.

Beyond the window, the gigantic white wall, ‘Ingrida’s Wall,’ rose as if touching the sky, stretching endlessly to the left and right of the plain.

Erected by the great sage Ingrida to prevent the invasion of monsters a long time ago, Ingrida’s defensive wall looked like a shield held by a crouching giant.

Beyond that wall were the fertile lands where the emperor and central nobles resided, Pragma and the southern Bayern.

“It looks like the gate is opening.”
Margaret, pretending not to be excited, quickly recited with enthusiasm.

Living in the northern region, it was a natural reaction since opportunities to see Ingrida’s Wall were rare. Although Adele had lived in Bayern for seventeen years, this was only her second time seeing the actual ‘Ingrida’s Wall.’

Wooong.

Eventually, with a long and majestic horn trumpet sound, the entire gigantic wall slowly opened from side to side.

The sunlight gathered blindingly at the top of the white wall. Adele narrowed her eyes, placing the back of her hand near her eyes.

No matter how many times she saw this sight, it was always fascinating.

“His Grace Ansgar’s procession!”

Simultaneously with someone’s shout, a thunderous cheer erupted, as if the carriage would be swallowed up.

Adele was surprised, and she cringed as she withdrew her head from the window. Citizens gathered around the front of the knights, holding flowers and flags.

“Eternal victory and glory to His Grace!”

White flower petals fluttered in the air, and people cheered, raising their hands high.

Whether it was a piece of cloth or a bedsheet, anything that could be waved was swung.

“Be happy!”

“Blessings! Please bestow blessings upon us too!”

Amid the cheerful smiles and cries urging them to look this way, sporadic cries of joy and sobbing were mixed.

Valentine had expanded the eastern border with remarkable achievements, but Adele never expected such a grand reception.

“Look there! It’s the Duchess!”

“Duchess, stay healthy!”

Blessings were even poured towards her. Adele stiffly responded to the greetings, shaking hands with difficulty.

“What is all this… I don’t understand what the fuss is about. Was His Grace’s victory so significant?”

She hadn’t seen even a tenth of this crowd when she passed through here a few years ago, heading to Ansgar.

Perhaps a few couples standing by the roadside might expect some coins to be thrown as per the old tradition, but that was the extent of her anticipation.

“Well, that’s true, but the rumors about His Grace’s resurrection have enhanced his reputation. He’s now called Morigh’s blessed and considered a manifestation of Morigh.”

Margaret replied with a contemplative expression.