“Damn it! What the hell is going on that things keep getting tangled like this?”

Queen walked down the hallway after the meeting, cursing under her breath.

At this moment, her heart was so dark and gloomy that it could be compared to a sky filled with thick storm clouds.

“Seriously, if I came as the princess’s guard, shouldn’t I just be doing the guarding? Why the hell do I have to be sent along to that place?”

Of course, Queen had a rough idea of why she was in this situation.

Even though she had the backing of the Dragona Empire for coming here, Cazerose currently had almost no standing within Bohemia.

As someone who would have to live here as the mistress in the future, she needed to establish her position to some extent, and for that, she had to visibly showcase her presence by directly engaging in challenging tasks.

This was essentially a kind of political performance, and Queen, being a witch of exceptional skill, was a good means to achieve that.

However, regardless of that fact, Queen could not accept her current situation easily.

“Of all people, it had to be Vicer. If she’s perceptive enough, she could definitely see through me…”

How unfortunate that Vicer, who presented the most discomforting presence, was someone she could not ignore, especially given her current circumstances.

Among the family members, she was likely the one who knew Queen the best, making it impossible for Queen to relax, even for a moment, while handling this matter.

“But… still, I will protect and show them. I’ve finally gained a satisfying life; I can’t let it go to waste because of this mere reconnaissance mission.”

*

“Take care and come back safely, sister.”

“Yeah, you take care of things too. Please look after Mother for me.”

“Of course, sister.”

Vicer exchanged her last words with her younger sibling before departing as a scout.

Although it wasn’t a matter of going off to die, the situation was certainly dangerous, so both Vicer and Dust exchanged their farewells with a sense of resolve.

With the farewell complete, Vicer turned her gaze forward while mounted on her beloved black horse and issued a command in a firm tone to the few soldiers accompanying her.

“Alright, let’s set off.”

“Yes.”

And so, Vicer and her small force left Bohemia’s Lord’s Castle, heading northwest.

Watching them depart, an undeniable anxiety darkened Dust’s face.

“They have to be safe… But still, if it’s Sister Vicer, it shouldn’t be that dangerous… right?”

Even though they weren’t engaging in full-scale war and merely checking on enemy movements, the possibility of encountering direct danger was relatively low if everything went smoothly.

However, no matter how one looked at it, where they were heading was a battlefield rife with bombardments and sword strikes, a place where countless people were dying.

The fact that the eldest sister was heading there with just a small group agitated Dust even further since she was already carrying the pain of having lost her eldest sister.

“But it’s Sister Vicer, after all… She’s at the level of a Grade 6 Advanced Mage, right? Plus… that person Cazerose assigned is with her…”

Among the group accompanying Vicer was Freddy Mars, the powerful witch assigned by Cazerose, the princess of the Dragona Empire.

According to the information Dust had heard, Freddy was a witch of considerable strength, even surpassing the might of the strongest wizard in Bohemia, her father.

With that in mind, Dust tried to comfort herself with the thought that Vicer had been provided with a trustworthy escort.

With a desperate wish forming in her heart, Dust murmured, “Please take care, Sister Vicer… Since Queen is already gone, if you vanish too… I won’t forgive it… Never ever!”

*

“Phew…”

“Alright, let’s take a short break here for now.”

“Yes, understood.”

Vicer and her party took a short rest after crossing out of Bohemia’s territory.

Although they were still some distance away from the Mark army led by Chris IV, it was best to avoid overexerting themselves as much as possible.

They had a long way to travel and many tasks ahead.

Moreover, now that they were completely outside Bohemia’s territory, danger lurked everywhere, so it was crucial to conserve as much stamina as possible while moving.

As they set up their camp and began to rest, Vicer’s gaze naturally drifted to the witch, Freddy Mars, who was seated a considerable distance away.

“Now that I think about it… That woman has not said a word since we got here. She doesn’t seem like the type to be so tight-lipped.”

When they first spoke, Freddy had been quite expressive and a bit shy, but now, as Vicer observed her silence, she felt the need to reassess her initial impressions.

“She might just be someone who struggles to find words, or perhaps she’s genuinely the quiet type… In that regard, she feels somewhat different from my sister.”

After that event, Dust would often think of her sister when seeing others.

Even though among those people, nobody resembled her sister to that extent, any specific trait they displayed would automatically remind Vicer of her sister, Queen Andreas.

Whether they resembled each other or not.

And so, to Vicer, her elder sister, Queen, remained a special and treasured figure.

From the moment she was born, she had always been there—Queen Andreas.

She had always been Vicer’s most cherished friend and family, a goal, and an idol.

When that sister suddenly disappeared one day, the sense of loss Vicer felt was beyond words.

It was a haunting emptiness as if the whole world had abandoned her.

Though with time, as her complicated feelings began to settle down, Vicer managed to regain some will to live, but this desire was tinged with a different character.

From the moment she picked up her weapon again until this very moment, one unwavering truth had sustained Vicer.

That was… the determined intention to find her missing sister at all costs…

And if anything had happened to her, she would surely take revenge with her own hands.

“If by any chance Sister was killed… I will never forgive that bastard. Even if it’s that Emperor Sijip… I will absolutely, definitely take his head myself.”

Her motivation for volunteering for this dangerous reconnaissance mission stemmed from such a background.

Given the circumstances, it was highly likely that her sister Queen had been taken to the Sacred Empire.

Though until now, she had been stuck relying on the information that came from sitting safely in the back due to her status as the lord’s daughter, now with the permission to venture outside Bohemia under the guise of reconnaissance, she believed she could actively seek more information about her sister.

Especially since this task involved watching the movements of the Sacred Empire, the probabilities were even higher.

With a renewed determination in her heart, Vicer began to harbor private expectations about the future.

“I will definitely find you… Queen. No matter where you are, please just stay alive…”