Volume 11 Chapter 30 Nyx’s Anguish
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Princess Nyx of the Seron Duchy was once admired for her intelligence and grace, loved both within the royal court and among her people. Yet now, she found herself increasingly isolated. After Livia’s ‘Reversion,’ when time itself seemed to loop, Nyx had assumed others also remembered what happened before. This misunderstanding became the root of her quiet despair.
She tried again and again to warn the court, to stop the coming war with the Lesta Kingdom before it began. But her words fell on ears that could not understand.
”Your Highness, even if you say such things…”
”Lesta cannot attack us, not with the current state of their army.”
”Bakdu Fortress is an impregnable stronghold, impossible to take by force.”
”Besides, there have been no reports of famine or unrest.”
Every response was the same—calm, reasonable, yet utterly blind. Still, Nyx refused to give up. Yet her appeals for aid to Lesta seemed baseless, her calls for peace impossible. Between Seron and Lesta lay not just political enmity but centuries of deep hatred.
For nearly their entire history, the two nations had been enemies. Even now, Lesta remained nearly closed off from the world, trapped behind the natural fortress of Bakdu. Only a few ships maintained sea trade, while land travel was limited to a handful of diplomatic passes—barely a few dozen yearly. No wonder long ago even Takumi Nash’s volunteer army struggled to reach Lesta’s capital without land routes.
Such isolation came at a heavy price. Food costs were high, and Lesta’s people felt abandoned, believing Seron starved them on purpose. Meanwhile, Seron’s citizens saw Lesta as savages, always ready to invade their farmlands. History and resentment intertwined, creating a wound neither kingdom could heal.
Nyx understood all of this too well. She knew these chains couldn’t be untangled from within. Only overwhelming force could destroy them—like when both nations fell and Takumi Nash ruled the ruins. But such words could never be spoken aloud.
At that time, in another part of the world, Sheryl of the Quvarian Empire had seized power through a cold, decisive coup. Yet Nyx had neither the means nor the justification to attempt the same. She thought of Princess Naje in Lesta and dear Princess Eileen—perhaps they also retained their memories. But even if that were true, she could not reach them.
All she could do was send a secret letter to Takumi Nash, possibly still in McGaref. Day after day, she endured her solitude silently.
*
During those lonely days, the “Adamantine Witch” visited her chambers.
”I’m most grateful for your time, Lady Nyx,” the witch said gracefully.
”Oh, Lady Adamantine Witch, welcome. An honor to receive you.”
By then, the Adamantine Witch had just entered the official Witch Rankings. Born to a high noble, she became Seron’s first recognized witch—a national celebration. In this world, witches weren’t just scholars or mystics—they were military power. Later, when Lesta hired the Ironblood Mercenaries, Seron grew anxious about possible invasion. That anxiety led Seron to invite the Witch of Inferno, Scaya, after learning of Clarice—the unranked Witch of Plenty.
The two women sat across from each other at a table in Nyx’s private study. After the maid served tea and left, their true conversation began.
”What did you wish to speak about?” Nyx asked softly.
”Well,” the witch replied, lowering her voice, “I have faint memories… of before.”
Nyx’s breath caught. She studied the woman—golden curls glimmering, eyes bright with calm confidence. Her gentle smile showed no deceit.
”I remember that war,” the witch said quietly. “How this country fell… all because of those miserable commoners. I was resurrected as a ghost, so I know what happened—my house and the royal family slaughtered and plundered.”
Nyx exhaled in relief. Being revived as a ghost wasn’t something anyone could invent. This woman truly knew.
”I’m glad… truly glad,” Nyx said. “Knowing you’re an ally gives me strength.”
But the relief faded fast. The witch’s next words made her blood run cold.
”Yes. This time, we won’t let Bakdu Fortress fall,” she said, almost cheerfully certain. “The enemy once built ramps from their own dead—clever, but now we can prepare. For instance, store oil and combine it with Sister Scaya’s fire magic. Then those brittle bones would turn to ash.”
”Adamantine Witch,” Nyx said sharply. “Our goal isn’t to win the war—it’s to prevent it.”
”Oh, dear Nyx,” the witch laughed softly. “War can’t be avoided. Once we turn every last pauper into bones, we’ll call other nations to blockade their ports. Three years later, those wretched poor will be dust.”
Nyx fell silent. The tea was cold, but the air around her seemed to burn.
”Don’t think of such terrible things,” Nyx said, her voice trembling.
”But what if they surrender?” the Adamantine Witch replied, almost amused. “Wouldn’t it be delightful to let those wretched princesses—Naje and her companions who killed me—be captured, violated, and beaten to death here? Perhaps we could pretend to accept surrender, then betray and wipe them out. That would be quite the spectacle, no?”
”Adamantine Witch!” Nyx blurted out.
The witch, speaking with rapture, twisted her expression, disappointed to be interrupted. Her eyes darkened.
”Even you, Lady Nyx—you lost your parents and elder brother so cruelly, no? In the end, you married Takumi Nash-sama, but I heard for a time… you were his slave.”
”…True,” Nyx admitted quietly. “But hatred won’t change what happened. We should reduce the dead, not increase them.”
”It doesn’t matter how many poor die,” the witch replied coldly.
With those words, she dismissed Nyx’s convictions. Her view was common among Seron’s nobles. Nyx was the outlier, her compassion strange and fragile in a cruel world.
”Ah, I remember,” the witch murmured, distant. “My memories are hazy, but that war—I recall it vividly.”
She clenched her fist, staring into the air. Her eyes reflected scenes only she could see: chaos, screams, the final battle’s madness. Every defeat moment was alive inside her.
”I became a decoy for Sister Scaya to escape. One by one, my comrades fell, until I stood alone, surrounded. They clawed at my barrier, eyes wild with bloodlust. I still feel it—the fear, the helplessness. I’d forgotten… until now. Why remember?”
Nyx wasn’t part of the Bakdu Fortress campaign. She only knew the witch’s death from a report—distant, sterile, unreal.
”I couldn’t fight,” the witch continued, trembling. “I lost control, fell, wept, begged for mercy. I dropped my barrier, tore off my clothes, ready. But they butchered me. Crude spears—knives on sticks—pierced my stomach. They stabbed me again and again, until I couldn’t scream.”
She spoke of her death with chilling clarity, reliving it. Nyx listened silently, unable to interrupt.
”Forgive those wretches?” The witch’s smile twisted darkly. “You joke. I’ll kill them. All. Every one.”
Her hatred had reason, making it terrifying. Rational Nyx understood but still tried, with all her strength, to persuade her.
”Please, Adamantine Witch, listen,” Nyx said. “The famine was poor harvests from natural disasters. But Lesta spies report something strange. They say Lesta had reserves—prepared.”
The witch raised an eyebrow. “What do you suggest?”
”It doesn’t make sense,” Nyx continued. “A famine starving most in one year, no warning? It feels deliberate—someone’s causing it!”
”That’s not my concern,” the witch laughed.
Nyx froze. After so long, she found someone remembering—someone who might understand. Yet this woman looked elsewhere.
(As a last resort… perhaps McGaref…)
”Well,” the witch said, “since it’s your request, Princess, I might help—if conditions are right.”
”Truly? What conditions?” Nyx leaned forward, desperate. But seeing that cruel, elegant smile, her heart broke.
”Let me think…” The witch’s voice was playful. “I want revenge. Bring Princess Naje and Princess Eileen alive. I’ll keep Eileen in my dungeon, torture her, make Naje watch, then do the same.”
”Impossible!” Nyx protested.
”I’m generous,” the witch replied. “Once Naje dies, Lesta loses its commander, no attack. Two princesses for hundreds of thousands—fair trade, no?”
”…I…” Nyx faltered. No answer.
”I’ll leave,” the witch said, rising. “No grudge against you. And I’ll keep your famine theory.”
She smiled politely, as if discussing tea, and left.
Alone, Nyx whispered, “Takumi-sama… I’m powerless…”
Soon, terrible Quvarian Empire news shattered peace. Cornered, desperate, Nyx went to McGaref to change the future.
Notes:
• Livia – 8th-ranked imperial witch, heir of Cartera and friend of Lilus (Neige’s sister), whose death drove her to hate Quvar. Austere, sharp, and feared, she opposed the Ghost Army and toppled Emperor by using then betraying Gritch, secretly backing Princess Sheryl. First appears v9c3. Reminder: Brilliant witch who twists loyalties to save the world.
• Nyx – The First Princess of Celon Dukedom, who escapes to McGaref; next in line to the throne after the Queen’s expected death.
• Lesta Kingdom – A kingdom neighboring the Quvarian Empire; currently at war with the Seron Dukedom and potentially the Empire.
• Bakdu Fortress – A key fortress of the Seron Dukedom; its unexpected fall prompts concern in McGaref.
• Takumi Nash – Councilor of the McGaref Autonomous Government commanding the Liberation Army.
• Eileen – The second princess of Lesta Kingdom, encountered as part of reparations.
• Naje – First princess of the Lesta Kingdom and deputy commander. The tragic princess of the Lesta Kingdom who was executed for her country.
• Quvarian Empire – Ruling kingdom. Harsh world, restricted freedom.
• Sheryl – Second Princess of the Quvarian Empire, a striking beauty with red hair. Initially appears as a diplomatic envoy, but she is a reformer within the empire, seeking to atone for Quvar’s past betrayals, particularly the destruction of the Northern Kingdom. Sheryl is highly intelligent and politically savvy, using her position to gather secrets and undermine the empire’s plans to destroy McGaref. She is also a slave to Takumi, bound by enslavement magic, and tasked with sowing chaos within Quvar. Despite her circumstances, she maintains a sense of duty and hopes to bring about change. First appears in v6c26.
• McGaref – Fortress city, adventurer hub.
• Adamantine Witch – Beria. Ex-Seron court witch, slain and revived in the Ghost Army but still herself. Aristocratic, cruel to subordinates, yet hopelessly devoted to her sister Scaya—defecting mid-battle to rejoin her. Wields adamantine barrier magic, proud and scornful of ‘paupers.’ First appears v9c11. Reminder: Noble witch whose pride hides desperate love for Scaya.
• Clarice – The ‘Witch of Abundance’ from Lesta Kingdom.
• Scaya – The ‘Flame Witch,’ employed by the Dark Elves; captured after the battle where the Celon Dukedom army was defeated.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply