Chapter 245: Those who Grab the Ankle

The Illegitimate Princess.

In the past, she was the illegitimate daughter of Ameraitz Gharast, the King of the Gharast Kingdom. There was a story that she was born from a commoner servant. There was also a story that she was born from an aristocrat whom the King fell in love with. The truth about her mother was unclear.

Only a few, including the King, knew the facts, and those facts disappeared by the time the princess appeared in the world.

In addition, the fact that she bore too much notoriety was one of the factors that did not make the truth clearer.

The Illegitimate Princess. In the former Gharast Royal Capital, rumors about her spread around endlessly, and as a result, nobody knew what was true or false in the end, including me.

Originally, the existence of royalty could not be seen as notorious. There was no one who spoke badly about the bloodline of the King, since he was protected by the bloodline of the royal family. He was, after all, the “big sword” of the nation.

So, why did the princess get so badly received to the point of creating bad rumors? That was a simple story, and one quite ridiculous.

What the royal family wanted from her was the behavior of a famous actress who talked and danced according to the script. However, she actually played a villain’s role by breaking the script, ruining the play. It was just for that reason.

In the end, during the turmoil after the catastrophe, there were aristocrats who tried to dig into the real power of the Gharast Kingdom by using the princess. Despite being an illegitimate child, she was of the same blood as King Ameraitz. It was originally going according to their script.

At the last minute, the aristocrats got their wrists twisted by a woman whom they viewed as a young and naïve girl. She took away all of the real power that was once in her father’s hands.

I could imagine what those aristocrats felt. The regrets, hatred, and wrath that sprung up in the hearts of those aristocrats were no longer just mere thoughts.

The power to tilt one world was right there, but it slipped out of their hands. It might have been much easier to go crazy than to feel such anguish.

Therefore, because of the distorted process leading up to the acquisition of the kingship, and by having the position of an illegitimate child, she was terribly hated by the aristocrats.

However, the aristocrats were not only concerned about whether or not noble blood was flowing in her body, but they cared about their wealth, and her being in power jeopardized that wealth.

That was why it was unbearable for them to see a woman, whose blood was half of a commoner’s blood, have power. As a result, all sorts of bad publicity were attached to the princess’ name. That was her story.

She was like a poisonous snake and a devil in a woman’s skin. Those were her old days…and now she, who called herself Philos Trait, was the infamy that was clinging to her back.

However, it seemed she was not just someone’s enemy in the past, but also in the present.

—

「I hope Philos city will get an advantage with this alliance. I hope we can get through the cold season well.」

One of the clerks said those words when the autonomous city of Philos was in sight. All of the clerks finally took a deep breath. The atmosphere of the escort soldiers walking around seemed to have softened a little as well.

The ruler Philos Trait nodded a little to the clerk’s words and loosened her lips. It was as if the stones that had hardened around her chest had finally lost their weight.

The Heraldic religion formed an alliance with the autonomous city of Philos, or more precisely, with the individual ruler Philos Trait herself. They vowed to build a partnership and never swing swords at each other.

Of course, that alliance did not mean a guaranteed survival. The Heraldic religion did not understand the ethics and reasoning of the Great Holy Church, and it would not be strange if one day they’d be surrounded by them on a casual day and be struck by spears.

But, at least, it could earn time. Now, time was as valuable as money. After the creation of this alliance, the next step was to stabilize the city and reassure the lives of the citizens. In any case, the outcome was somewhat favorable given the current situation, as the cold season was surrounding them fast.

A full-fledged cold breeze hit Philos Trait’s cheeks. She inadvertently bit her inner cheeks with her teeth. The cold wind pierced her body like sharp knives.

How long would the cold season last? Philos Trait narrowed her eyes and stared at the sun, where the warm sunlight had completely vanished.

Before long, the white snow resembling silk would cover the earth. Once everything was eaten by the white silk, walking properly would no longer be possible.

…The roaming monsters were now quietly burying themselves in the woods, while the earth got ready to welcome the freezing weather.

Philos Trait did not know the exact reason. But when it was time for the cold-wind rusty fairies to bury themselves in the soil, the enemies began to act more actively than ever before. The only exceptions were the cathedrals and temples that God protected.

Some scholars saw the demon beasts roaming in the snow. Some said it was their nature, while others said the snow carried magical power. No one knew the truth, only theories.

Therefore, the only thing that was clear was that, once the cold season came, the distribution would be significantly delayed.

Even if you put out a few crops, if you did not hire a certain number of mercenaries and adventurers, you would just starve. Merchants did not travel from town to town often due to the cold season.

In that sense, the cold season was welcome for both mercenaries and adventurers. Their work increased significantly because of that fact alone.

There was no doubt that one would want to sigh under such circumstances. In addition to that, Philos Trait heard that the activities of demon beasts were now seen sporadically even though this area was still a little warm. Then, what would happen if everything got covered with snow? Philos Trait unknowingly blinked her eyelids for a few times after a dark imagination emerged in her head.

How long would this cold season last? It would be great if it ended in a few months, but in the past, there were occasions where it lasted years. If that happened, the city of Philos would not be able to survive with its current savings.

It felt like; from the world of humans to the world of demons.

“Someone had said that the transition of the weather could be ominous. White snow was the proof of that. I see; that’s why my white eye was also hated since it portrayed something ominous.”

“Ah, but. If my eye is of the same quality as snow, then it will attract demon beasts as well, if that’s true.”

Just a while ago, a demon said that her eye was a good eye, not such a bad thing. Philos Trait closed her eyes for a moment right next to the city gate as she murmured in her chest.

When one of the escorts signaled, the city gate slowly began to open its mouth, making a heavy noise.

While tightening her lips, Philos Trait opened her eyes. There were a lot of things to do and things to clean up in the office.

“It is necessary to repair urban facilities in preparation for the cold season, as well as purchase a good amount of food, and visit the surrounding villages. For the villages and citizens who were damaged in this battle, it is necessary to compensate them accordingly. Will it be possible to do everything if I use the city’s treasury?”

Philos Trait was sometimes hated by her own people, but she still loved the citizens in her own way. However, listening to all the demands of the public was not the affection she wanted to convey.

She was the one to illuminate the right path and guide the people towards it. Philos Trait believed that those actions were the actions of the right ruler. It was also the way to show them affection.

Even if the public grabbed her ankle to make her fall, she wouldn’t give up. Those who were right always received the strongest wind and rain. She couldn’t allow herself to be frightened by such a thing.

Therefore, Philos Trait wouldn’t raise her eyebrows in doubt, even if she was cursed by the citizens of her city.

It was the same this time around…Showing affection was not through sweet words, but with actions.

「…What are you going to do with those? Tell me. 」

As soon as Philos Trait entered the city gate, she saw something unsettling. Nonetheless, the ruler did not show any resignation when she saw spears pointed against her. She and her escorts were surrounded by a large number of people. It felt like this was within her imagination. She opened her white eye wide and stared at the surroundings.

The citizens whom she loved and protected were now pointing their spears at her. Philos Trait just kept staring at this unusual situation with her own eyes.

How many citizens were here? There were countless numbers. They were probably one hundred or two hundred at most. Besides, the fact that such violence was being carried out in front of the gate meant that there was something going on for a while than just a random confrontation without any basis.

The sea of people broke in half when Philos Trait began to analyze the thoughts emerging in her skull. It was like creating a way. A human walked along the road and said the following words.

「It’s easy. The immoral Philos Trait, I will detain you under the authority of the People’s Private Assembly.」

The man, who was called the spokesman for the citizens, and the head of the private assembly, spoke aloud for everybody to hear. Shaking his beard on his mouth, Roseau glared at Philos Trait with gleaming eyes.

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Ohhh Roseau put Philos’ people against her… It seems it’s not easy for the Heraldic Order to make new allies.

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