Chapter 987 Aldric's Departure

In the courtyard of the Malvain family mansion, Aldric stood proudly.

He wore white armor that covered his entire body from head to toe, leaving only his head exposed.

A one-and-a-half-meter-long sword hung across his back.

"Uncle, Mother, I'm leaving now."

He bowed on one knee before Vanessa and Jason.

Vanessa wiped away her tears and said softly, "Be careful. I don't want to hear news of your death. Understand?"

"I understand! I'll come back safe and sound!" Aldric replied confidently.

Vanessa nodded in satisfaction.

Jason stepped forward and helped him to his feet.

He patted Aldric on both shoulders and said calmly, "Lead the troops like a true general. You'll become a hero in the eyes of the people. I'm sure of it."

Aldric understood what he meant and gave him a faint smile.

"Thank you for your support, Uncle. I'll make you proud."

Jason smiled contentedly.

After exchanging a few more words, Aldric turned and walked over to his horse before mounting it.

"Everyone!" he shouted, raising his sword high. "Let's go!"

"Yes, sir!" the four thousand soldiers replied in unison.

…

"Have you heard the news?"

"What news?"

"Prince Aldric has gone to the southern border to crush the rebel forces!"

"Are you serious?"

"Of course! But don't tell anyone, okay? Especially not Princess Novaria. I don't want her to hear about it."

Three maids stood together, discussing the news of Aldric's campaign against the rebels in the south.

Suddenly…

"Hey, what are you guys talking about? Why are you mentioning my name?"

All three maids jumped. They turned around and saw Novaria, dressed just like them, standing with her arms crossed and staring at them.

"P-Princess Novaria!? H-How did you get here?" exclaimed the maid who had brought up the news earlier.

"That's not important," Novaria replied coldly. "Tell me—what were you talking about? And why did you mention Aldric's name and mine?"

The other two maids gave the servant pleading looks.

Realizing there was no way out, the maid let out a small sigh and explained what she had heard.

Novaria listened with a serious expression.

Only after the maid finished did she fully grasp the situation.

"Aldric is leading an attack on the southern border?" she muttered in surprise. "Why so suddenly? And why did Seira allow it?"

She knew her older brother was capable of leading troops. After all, before becoming involved in the battle for the throne, he had been a young general on par with Freya.

Still, the news seemed absurd to her. A rebellion was a serious matter. The rebels wouldn't hesitate to kill Aldric, even if he was a prince.

"I understand."

Novaria composed herself before dismissing the three maids.

"Go. I've already cleared this area. Get back to work."

"T-Thank you, Princess Novaria!"

The three maids bowed their heads gratefully before turning to leave.

Novaria shook her head and continued cleaning the parlor, pondering the news she had just heard.

…

"Aldric is leading Duke Malvain's troops to the border? What is he doing? Has he lost his mind?"

Rafine was stunned as she read the news in the document she held.

"I don't get it either," Elina replied, shaking her head. "I'm not underestimating him. Aldric has been in the military for ten years, and there's no question about his abilities. The problem is that this is a rebellion. Wouldn't sending a member of the royal family only make the rebels even angrier?"

She wasn't particularly close to Aldric, but she knew him well enough.

He had already shown great talent in military affairs, which was why Ragan had placed him in the military at the age of eleven.

He had also achieved many accomplishments on the battlefield, though he didn't shine quite as brightly as Freya, who seemed born to be a military leader.

But a rebellion was different. It stemmed from the people's dissatisfaction with the government, fueled by two main factors: opportunity and outside support.

Aldric was a member of the imperial family. Sending him would be like throwing gasoline onto a raging fire.

Rafine placed the document on the table.

"What are you going to do now? Just let it slide?"

Elina pursed her lips.

"What can I do? Send troops of my own?"

"That's not what I meant," Rafine quickly replied. "I mean, don't you want to take advantage of this opportunity too? Aldric made his move because he saw an opportunity, didn't he?"

Even the dullest person could see Aldric's goal. He wanted to become a hero in the eyes of the public, though whether he would succeed remained to be seen.

"I don't know either." Elina shook her head. "Nolan said I shouldn't get involved without his permission."

Rafine rolled her eyes.

"He's really got you under his thumb, and you're one of the candidates for the throne. Don't tell me you're falling for his good looks?"

Elina's face flushed at those words.

"W-What are you talking about? How could I possibly like him?"

She snorted coldly.

"I've already promised to make him my advisor. Arnold also guaranteed that he'd lead me to victory. I have no choice but to listen to him."

Rafine giggled.

"All right, I understand. If you don't want to take action, I won't force you. I'll explain everything to the nobles later."

Elina's smile returned.

"Thank you."

Rafine was her right-hand woman, the person who connected her directly with the nobles.

Her presence was also what allowed the nobles to trust and support Elina, much like Margaretta standing by Cedric's side.

"By the way…"

Rafine glanced around before asking, "Where's Nolan? Why isn't he here?"

Elina picked up the documents on the table and continued working.

"He went somewhere, but I don't know where. He'll be back in an hour."

"I see…"

Rafine nodded and said nothing more.

…

The Calvron Forest was much quieter than it used to be. Ever since Malverna had slaughtered the monsters there, the forest was no longer nearly as dangerous.

Of course, a few powerful monsters still remained, but they lived deep within the forest and didn't dare venture outside.

Right now, Nolan stood in the center of a twenty-meter-wide circle. Not a single tree grew there because of the immense concentration of natural magical power gathered in the area.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the gentle breeze blowing from the south.

"This is where I opened the portal connecting the two worlds," he murmured.

Looking back, it all felt like a dream. He had returned to his world, only to discover that it was an alternate reality—not the actual Earth he had come from.

The woman he loved had lived to a very old age before passing away. The goddess had also told him that Seira had been reincarnated as someone very close to him.

So… who was that person?