To the Love Born in the Lowest Place

“We should board the ship now.”

When Hayden said that, Liv gave a brief greeting to Anne.

“Then see you again, Miss Wolfe. At that time, we’ll meet in slightly different positions.”

“…”

While Anne stood still as if her feet were glued to the spot, looking at Liv, they boarded the ship. A little later, as the ship set sail and the soldiers spread out at the port receded, Liv’s mood lightened considerably. They had succeeded in completely shaking off the Emperor’s forces and leaving this country.

‘Of course, I’m worried about Emmett…’

Liv would have to quickly finish her business and return. She clenched her fist and steeled her resolve.

* * *

Liv hurriedly closed the cabin window. A salty smell was mixed in the wind.

“Sister, are you… okay with the sea?”

Knowing that Liv disliked the sea, Hildegard asked, and Liv shook her head.

“No, I don’t feel good. The voices of the gods are much stronger than usual. But I can endure it.”

Previously, Liv would have cried in pain, saying she couldn’t bear the voices, but that level of pain was no longer a problem for Liv. Liv now knew that there were more terrifying things in the world than the pressure given by the gods.

As she was curled up and trying to calm herself, Walter opened the door and entered the room.

“My sister, why are you acting so miserably?”

“Just because.”

When Liv answered in a dry tone, Walter sat down next to her and asked in a kind voice.

“You know, Liv. When we go to the Merna Empire…”

“Yes.”

“Won’t you just live there?”

Suddenly, at these unexpected words, Liv raised her head and blinked, and as if to confirm that what Liv had just heard was correct, Walter said again.

“You can live safely and richly there. I have enough friends who will help me too.”

In a situation where her life was threatened by August, those words might sound sweet enough. But Liv shook her head without even thinking about it.

“No, I won’t do that.”

“Why? You could live comfortably, forgetting about revenge and such. If you go there, even the tyrant August won’t be able to track you anymore.”

“I have something I must do.”

Liv said in a clear voice, looking into Walter’s eyes. In her eyes, it seemed as if an unquenchable flame was rising.

“I must become Emperor. That’s what I can do on behalf of those who died, and what I must do.”

Yes, she no longer had any thoughts of running away cowardly.

“…Well, if that’s the case, it can’t be helped.”

Seeing Walter backing down so easily for such a bold proposal, Liv narrowed her eyes. Walter’s attitude was probably…

“Were you testing me?”

“Hmm, yes. I was testing you.”

He sat back down on his bed and continued in a leisurely voice.

“I just wanted to confirm how much determination you had. So I could know if you were someone I could trust and help.”

“…I see.”

As always, Walter was a difficult person to understand. As a strange atmosphere flowed between Liv and Walter staring at each other, Hildegard, who had been restless for a while, intervened.

“By the way, Sister, do you know how to speak Garcian?”

“Garcian?”

Garcian was literally the language used in the now-extinct ancient Garcia Empire. Because the Garcia Empire had unified almost the entire continent at its peak, traces of Garcian remained in many countries, and the Merna Empire also adopted Garcian as its standard language.

Although she had heard that the Hilysid language Liv used was also derived from Garcian and had some similarities…

“No, I don’t know it at all…”

Liv had read many books after coming out of Abgrund, but none of them were related to other countries’ languages. She didn’t think it was immediately necessary content for Liv.

“Actually, I don’t know Garcian at all either. So I’m worried…”

When Hildegard said that and looked at Walter, he smiled as if to say not to worry.

“I’ll handle all the interpreting. There won’t be any big problems.”

“Are you good at Garcian?”

“Of course, I lived in the Merna Empire. I can say anything I want in Garcian.”

In fact, the many lives he had lived also had an influence… He could speak not only Garcian but also the languages of the Night Continent and the Eastern Continent.

Seeing Walter’s confident appearance, Hildegard seemed a bit relieved. However, Liv became thoughtful after hearing his words.

“Then I’ll learn Garcian too.”

“What? Why?”

“We’re going there to ask for help, so it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t know Garcian. I want to fulfill my duty.”

Above all, Liv didn’t like the situation where she couldn’t understand their words without Walter. Liv no longer wanted to rely only on others. Although it was unavoidable to seek help from the Merna Empire, she couldn’t achieve the entire process by relying on others.

“…Alright, I’ll teach you basic conversation.”

Walter nodded readily as if agreeing with Liv’s words, then opened his bag and took out a parchment. And he began to write down each letter on it with a pen.

“Now, Liv. These are the letters used to write Garcian. Hildegard, you come here and listen together too.”

“Yes…”

Although Hildegard seemed to have built some bond with Walter while fleeing together, it didn’t seem like her discomfort towards him had completely disappeared.

“Now, it’s not that different from Hilysid. A, B, C…”

Liv learned reading and basic speaking that day, and continued studying Garcian until the ship arrived at the Merna Empire.

* * *

“Haah…”

On the way back to the Lartman Duchy, Emmett’s shoulders were heavy as he rode his horse. If he returned to the Lartman Duchy, he would have to explain this whole situation to his vassals, call in soldiers, and deal with the atmosphere of the Edelburg social circle.

All those tasks he could do himself, but what troubled him most was…

‘Liv…’

He was so worried about Liv that he could hardly maintain his daily life properly. Whether Liv was doing well in a strange foreign country, whether the people there wouldn’t hurt Liv, whether August wouldn’t chase Liv. Various thoughts made his head dizzy. Emmett’s head was full of worries about Liv.

When he arrived at the Duchy, the guard who recognized him was startled and greeted him.

“Duke! You’ve returned?”

Seeing his reaction, it was clear that the Lartman Duchy had also been turned upside down after the fall of the Hamelsvoort family. Emmett continued riding his horse, passing the border of the Duchy and arriving at the castle.

“Duke!”

He saw a soldier running towards him. It seemed he had news to tell him, but it would probably be something like the vassals waiting for him in the castle. Emmett answered with an expressionless face.

“Yes, what has happened in the meantime?”

“A guest has come to the castle!”

“Who?”

“Duke, that…”

The guard carefully looked around and then whispered in Emmett’s ear.

“Marquis Arendt has come.”

As soon as he heard those words, Emmett quickly got off his horse and ran straight into the Ducal castle. As soon as he appeared inside the castle, the butler guided him with an urgent face.

“Duke, to the reception room…!”

When he burst through the door of the reception room, he could see a red-haired woman sitting there. Emmett shouted as if angry.

“Why are you here!”

“Why do you think I came here? I became curious whether you were dead or alive, so I came to check.”

Marquis Arendt leaned back on the sofa and giggled. At that sight, Emmett felt even more bewildered.

“Don’t you know that if it’s discovered that we’re in contact with each other, it’s all over for us!”

“Oh, the internal cohesion of the ducal castle was good, wasn’t it? What was his name… Philip? He took care of it when I came.”

At the name of the adjutant that came from her mouth, Emmett was able to feel a little relieved.

“And even if it’s known that we’ve been in contact, what can the Emperor do? Even if he’s the Emperor, he can’t attack both Arendt and Lartman at the same time, right? If he faces both our families simultaneously, it’s obvious the Emperor would lose, and other countries wouldn’t help either.”

At Marquis Arendt’s words, Emmett finally felt his mind settling. Yes, even if the alliance between the two families was discovered, the Emperor who had dealt with the Hamelsvoort family wouldn’t be able to deal with them in succession. If Arendt and Lartman united to attack the imperial family, the Emperor would likely lose, and because the Emperor would be the one attacking first, he couldn’t receive help from abroad either.

The reason why Marquis Arendt and Emmett didn’t attack the Emperor first was simple. If it was defined as a rebellion, it would give foreign powers a justification to intervene. That’s why Liv left for the Merna Empire first to make foreign powers her allies before that. In any situation, what was important was justification.

“Duke, by the way, where has the Duchess gone?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“I think she went abroad. Hmm, the Kingdom of Reboer?”

“…We’re not communicating.”

“Judging by your reaction, is it the Merna Empire? Wow, she went to a big place. Well, the Duchess’s brother studied in the Merna Empire. Good choice.”

Emmett watched Marquis Arendt mumbling to herself, then opened his mouth with a blunt face.

“Then we should talk about what we need to do now.”

“Ah, yes. First, we’ve gathered almost all the forces we can within the country… At this rate, our victory is certain, but.”

Marquis Arendt smiled as if pleased.

“We should set a date for the uprising. When do you think the Duchess will return?”