Episode 25.

Roef: 『 I didn't expect to see you again, Veronica. I'm surprised you found me; no one ventures up the mountain until here. 』

Veronica: 『 A−Ah, yes, I imagine. Your house is quite far away. 』

What a change of scenery. A few moments ago, Mr. Willems was about to smash Shun's face, now we were sitting at the same table while he heated his tin coffee pot and shared some coffee with us.

Roef: 『 So what brings you here? You're not visiting, are you? 』

Veronica: 『 I wish it were a visit. 』

Roef: 『 How's the hit going, boy? 』

Shun: 『 I'm fine. 』

Roef: 『 Hmph, I have to admit you hit hard. You've grown a lot since I last saw you. By the way, how is your brother? He didn't accompany you? 』

A tense silence filled the small space where we were gathered. Shun's lowered his face and clenched his fist angrily. Mrs. Aarden slouched, and her gaze grew sadder. Even so, she took the courage to speak without stuttering and break the news to Mr. Willems.

Veronica: 『 Roef…, Max… passed away. 』

He also remained silent and joined in the grief. We all stayed like that for a few minutes until he spoke again to offer his condolences.

Roef: 『 … I'm sorry to hear that… I'm really sorry… 』

Veronica: 『 … Roef, I need… a favor. 』

Roef: 『 … It has to do with all this…, right? 』

Shun's mother leaned towards Mr. Willems, begging him to grant her request.

Veronica: 『 Shun and I will manage to find a place to live. I ask you to hide Lidia and allow her to live here… I beg you, it is of vital importance. 』

Roef: 『 Lidia?!... You are the princess?! 』

Lidia: 『 E−Eh, y−yes, sir. It's me. 』

I felt the way he analyzed me from top to bottom. Of course, it was natural to doubt whether a girl covered in scratches, with a dirty face, disheveled hair, and wearing torn rags like me was really the princess of Haiza.

Roef: 『 Mmm…, I see… It means, then, it's an order from the king. 』

Veronica: 『 That's right. The king specifically requested that you be the one to hide and protect her. 』

Roef: 『 *Sigh*… and what if I say no? 』

Veronica: 『 Roef, please! 』

Roef: 『 You know I hate that authoritarian old man, Veronica. He thinks he can keep ordering me around. After what he made us do, I made my resignation very clear. Don't even think I will obey him again. 』

Veronica: 『 B−But−! 』

Roef: 『 But nothing! If he wants someone to take care of his daughter, let him do it as her father. I'm not by any means her babysitter. 』

Mr. Willems imposed himself with the utmost authority and seriousness, even without raising his voice. He got up from the table and put the empty coffee pot in a bucket full of soap and water, where he was soaking the dishes. He evaded the topic with the excuse of "washing the dirty dishes", picked up the bucket, and left the house.

I thought that if we didn't reach a successful conclusion, we would have to stay in the outskirts of the mountains and sleep in the terrible cold of the night without any shelter. After the hard journey it was to get to him, I didn't want to repeat it, absolutely not. So, I endured the pain that pricked my heart and gathered the courage to say it.

Lidia: 『 He died! 』

Roef: 『 … Huh…? 』

Lidia: 『 My father…, he passed away. 』

As soon as he heard that, he stood still at the entrance and backed away. He looked at Mrs. Aarden and wordlessly asked if it was true, to which she responded with a simple nod of her head in affirmation. He closed the door and left the bucket in its place. He sat back down and continued the talk, throwing me a poisoned dart that made me remember the tragic moment.

Roef: 『 … How did he die? 』

Veronica: 『 Roef! 』

Lidia: 『 Don't worry, Mrs. Aarden. I'm fine. 』

I took a deep breath and prepared to tell the event, beginning with a bit of contextualization.

Lidia: 『 We were invaded by Tikalt. They demolished the castle wall and part of the palace, and they also reached the military zone and the workers' residential area. 』

Roef: 『 They took over the entire castle. 』

Lidia: 『 Yes, as well as the town... Mrs. Aarden took me out of the palace through an escape route underneath, along with all the maids; we arrived at the dungeon for some reason and found my mother there. 』

Roef: 『 Queen Mireia, huh? So the king had passed by there before, right? 』

Lidia: 『 Yes, but we separated from her and all her servants. We don't know what happened to them... We found my father in the middle of the forest, along with Mr. Rask and Mr. Ruffus, arguing with King Narek. 』

Roef: 『 Wait. You said they met Narek? The red giant? 』

Lidia: 『 Red... giant? 』

Roef: 『 It's his nickname. He is called that because of his tremendous height and his red armor. Before becoming king, he was already brigadier of the Tikalt army from a very young age. He is a ruthless and very tactical man, a brilliant strategist on the battlefield, not to mention how dangerous he is with his 'thunder blade', it's said that he destroyed an army of a thousand men in a single move with that weapon. Without a doubt, he is a frightening man… Then, Luvric and the king fought with him? 』

Lidia: 『 Yes, they both did it, but it was very difficult for them to fight against him. In the end, I interfered in the fight and distracted him..., that's when...』

Roef: 『 Narek killed him… It means they ended up taking over the entire kingdom… By the way, you mentioned they argued before fighting, right? Do you know about what? 』

Lidia: 『 … Me… It was because of me they were fighting. King Narek claimed me as his and demanded that I be given to him, but my father refused. 』

Roef: 『 So that was why... That explains it... 』

He leaned back in his chair and thought while he looked at the ceiling. For his reaction, it certainly seemed like he knew something about it, something that could tell us the real reason this happened. I asked timidly: 『 U- Umm... Could it be that... you know something about this? 』

He returned to his proper posture and stared at me, answering my question with another.

Roef: 『 … Lidia, have you heard about "the war of the six nations"? 』

Lidia: 『 A−Ah, yes, a little... 』

I had read about it. I told the little I knew about the historical event in my own words. It was a war that lasted approximately 14 years, between the six largest nations of the mega continent of "Axal": Amell, Anton, Tesotl, Haiza, Tikalt, and the extinct kingdom of Korax.

All of these kingdoms were in dispute over the "mana mines", caverns where you could find an enormous amount of catalysts of all types and elements, depending on the qualities of the terrain.

In the West, the disagreement over the mineral was between Anton and Amell, and in the Center-north, it was Tesotl against Haiza, right on the border between both countries; it was a battle that lasted no more than two years in this part. The enemy had managed to control the territory for that time until his army declined due to the lack of resources they required. The soldiers began to fall ill and suffer from hunger. It was then that the kingdom took advantage of the circumstances and regained the land.

According to the records, Tesotl had not only invaded Haiza, but also Anton, trying to steal the resources of the neighboring country that was still in full war with Amell. That was why, by dispersing his forces too much, supplies took a long time to arrive, and by fighting on two different fronts, they couldn't contain both kingdoms at the same time.

In the end, Tesotl lost the war and more than half of its territory. Anton and Amell fought for years, and their battle seemed to have no end. It was then Anton received the support of Haiza, being sister nations with good relations, and unexpectedly, Tikalt had also joined.

Thus, after more than ten years, the war ended, and all nations agreed to a peace treaty, for sixteen years, there have been no conflicts, except now with the new altercation between Haiza and Tikalt.

Lidia: 『 And that's all I know. 』

Roef: 『 Very good, you roughly have the idea of what seemed to happen 30 years ago. 』

Lidia: 『 Seemed? What do you mean? 』

Roef: 『 Tell me, didn't our "victory" seem too simple to you?... Tesotl was indeed left without support for getting in where it shouldn't, but their army was one of the strongest that existed, they could withstand aggressive conditions for months, even years, and their ability to adapt was unique. So, what happened? How did they suddenly lose 90% of their men and half their territory? And better yet, where did that half go? 』

Lidia: 『 … 』

I thought about all those questions and what Mr. Willems told me. He was right; in none of the records I read did they say what happened to the other half of the Tesotl territory, only that they had lost it.

Roef: 『 Answer me this Lidia, why was it called "the war of the six nations" if only five are actually mentioned? And why is it said to be among the "largest" nations when Haiza is the smallest on the continent? 』

Lidia: 『 Eh? Well… Huh? 』

Roef: 『 It doesn't add up very well, does it...? 』

No, it didn't. Korax was missing; it was only mentioned in the title as extinct, but it was never explained how it disappeared, or even where on the continent it was. It was very strange, why not mention it in the record?

Roef: 『 Well, surely the books you read had those omissions on purpose. It was logical that this was the case. The king wouldn't let anyone know what truly happened. 』

Lidia: 『 But I still don't understand! Why would my father hide it if the kingdom won?! And why would King Narek come for me?! What do I have to do with all this?! 』

I was extremely confused and exasperated; it was so frustrating not understanding the facts or the connection I had with what happened in that war. I really wanted to know; to know the truth once and for all, to stop being on the side of ignorance in which they kept me for such a long time.

Roef: 『 Do you really want to know? 』

I was still afraid of Mr. Willems' harsh character, but I could no longer bear to continue living behind so many secrets and lies. It was time to remove the blindfold, to get out of the cage. I did not hesitate and answered with a firm: 『 Yes, I want to know. 』

Roef: 『 …*Sigh*… Okay, I'll tell you a little story, although it might be a bit long. So listen well, both of you. 』

Lidia: 『 B−Both? 』

Roef: 『 Yes, did you hear, boy? Raise your head... I'll tell you about what your parents were like. 』

END OF VOLUME 1.