CHAPTER 40……………………………………………
In the year 620, even after gaining the upper hand in the 16th Battle of Ushi-Baran, the nation of Robiana withdrew its forces—an action driven entirely by the pride of the Black Prince Spinel.
Spinel, who had planned the battle, had ordered his aide at the time, Rios, to set up a position on the Ushi Plains with the magic corps and wait.
However, the hot-headed Rios ignored Spinel’s orders and led the magic corps to attack Mano.
By the time the Black Prince Spinel and his main forces joined on the Ushi Plains, the western wall of Mano Castle was already half-destroyed.
Recognizing the situation, Spinel quickly ordered a retreat.
He then executed Rios in front of the soldiers for disobedience and returned to the capital a few days later.
Of course, that was not all.
Upon returning to the palace, Spinel executed every Robiana soldier who had participated in the battle—simply because they had listened to Rios instead of him.
In other words, the reason the Duchy of Mano survived was entirely due to Spinel’s pride being offended by Rios’s unilateral actions.
Spinel returned to the Duchy of Mano three years later.
Later, Spinel recorded his impressions in his memoir:
“At last, I have arrived in the Duchy of Mano at the weather and time I desired.”
Spinel was born with the qualities of a tyrant, as Adamas observed—self-righteousness, perfectionism, and a narrow-minded refusal to tolerate any opposition to his will.
Yet, history had already changed.
Sapeiros had survived, the Robiana army never even crossed the Baran River, and all the other soldiers had perished.
Adamas pressed a hand to her forehead, realizing exactly what had provoked Spinel’s pride.
“He can’t tolerate disobedience, but losing is even worse.”
To think all this was amassed in just two months… impressive distribution!
Wait—doesn’t that make the woman dangerous?
After all, Spinel’s invasion of the Duchy of Mano had been triggered by a single woman.
A century later, in Adamas’s time, this man was remembered as a legendary romantic.
But that was only because he had been the crown prince of Robiana, destined to become emperor.
Truly, a damnable power.
In Adamas’s view, he was simply a monster.
Spinel, the crown prince of Robiana, coveted the Duchy of Mano not for power or influence, as Sapeiros speculated—but for a woman.
Spinel conquered the duchy and took her as his concubine.
Her name and face were unknown, but she was from the Duchy of Mano.
A woman who received a palace larger than the official residence of the crown princess.
Surrounded by roses, she came to be called the “Rose Concubine.”
The crown prince devoted all his care and love to her.
Yet, his feelings never reached her.
It was understandable. Taken by the man who destroyed her home, she was forced to live in an unfamiliar place for life.
She repeatedly tried to escape, only to be brought back.
Eventually, she even tried to end her life, but Spinel always stopped her.
Spinel not only removed all objects, fragile or not, from the palace, but also took away her voice and made it impossible for her to even walk unaided.
One stormy day, she crawled into the palace garden, forcibly swallowed roses, and took her own life—or so it was said.
In other words, she had tried to escape Spinel, even by forcing rose thorns down her throat.
Yet Spinel never let her go.
He preserved her body permanently, keeping it beside him, embracing it every night as he slept.
“Ugh… Spinel is terrifying.”
“Don’t be scared for no reason. You’ve never even seen him.”
Honestly, she didn’t even want to see him. That kind of monster.
“Wow… am I completely useless now? This is the worst.”
“What are you saying, Adamas?”
Yes. It meant all the advantages of being from the future were gone.
Her luck had run out.
No regrets. Sapeiros had survived, the magic stone mines had been discovered, and Privetina, who had intended to go to the capital, remained in the duchy.
She knew the future she remembered could no longer happen.
Still, she hadn’t wanted to participate in battle so early…
Adamas couldn’t voice her thoughts and smiled awkwardly.
“It’s just… I feel like there’s not much I can do.”
At her gloomy words, Sapeiros approached and stood before her.
“Your very existence gives me strength.”
Adamas was speechless.
No grandiose words were needed—Sapeiros’s sincerity was clear in his simple statement.
“That alone is a talent. You are.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing. Forget it. Did he have any other troops?”
—Yeah. He was just cooking.
“Did it look good?”
—A little?
“Right. He’s so confident in his troops that he can openly cook like that?”
At Adamas’s muttering, Sapeiros exhaled dryly and shook his head.
“It’s because of you, isn’t it?”
“Me? Why?”
What does this have to do with me and cooking?
“It’s because of troop composition. Last battle, you electrocuted all the Robiana forces trying to cross the river. Even Spinel can’t replace the cavalry and magic soldiers who were wiped out in three months.”
“No way… Sapeiros is right? How many cavalry and magic soldiers are there?”
—Not sure about cavalry, and there were no visible mages.
“Really? Not a single mage?”
“Exactly as I predicted. The slaughtered cavalry, magic soldiers, and even the armored knights now are actually the main army. Spinel’s current forces are only half.”
Sapeiros continued without pause.
“With this weather, they won’t be able to move easily. They’re heavy, and the Ushi Plains are marshy.”
“Then, why have you been watching the map?”
No way… she hoped he wasn’t going to attack first with these troops.
“If we wait for them to fight on their terms, our army will be annihilated. Tonight, we cross the Baran River.”
Adamas stared blankly at Sapeiros.
“What’s wrong, Adamas? Are you sick?”
“No. No, it’s a preemptive strike. Yes, you’re right. The troops are double in number. I just… thought it was strange.”
“Strange how?”
“In June… if they had attacked all at once, we couldn’t have held out.”
“Right.”
“Why was Spinel late?”
Why did he send his aide first, while he and the noble soldiers arrived late?
Adamas muttered, and Sapeiros scratched his head, quietly watching her.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Nothing. Maybe he didn’t… They just got married.”
“Who?”
“Spinel. The crown prince and crown princess ceremonies were held together. Maybe they were enjoying their honeymoon.”
Sapeiros spoke in a casual tone.
“…He received the crown princess and then came here?”
“Yes.”
Adamas breathed the heavy, humid air quietly, sweat dripping down her face.
She forced down her rising anger.
A strange foreign emperor, known only through ominous rumors.
Until now, Spinel had been just that kind of figure to Adamas.
“Los, we’ll win. Absolutely.”
Adamas placed her hand on her trembling heart and smiled brightly.
“Yes. Let’s stay strong.”
Sapeiros quietly approached and silently embraced her quivering body.
With the sound of rain tapping the dark blue tent, a cool downpour began to fall.
