The Kingmaker System Chapter 752 - 751. Aftermath (1)

The night that descended upon Sestia after the day-long battle offered little beauty. It was a night of uneasy respite, one where the kingdom mourned even in victory.

A large portion of northwestern Sestia had been reduced to ruins. Houses lay collapsed beneath shattered stone and charred timber, the streets were scarred by the battle, and the smell of smoke still lingered in the cold night air. Everywhere, makeshift camps had sprung up as survivors were escorted into rows of hastily erected tents. Noble families and local officials worked through the night, arranging food, blankets and medicine while ensuring that those who had lost their homes had at least a place to rest before dawn.

The veteran generals who oversaw the relief efforts silently watched the endless stream of refugees filing into the camps. They had witnessed countless battlefields throughout their lives, yet the sight before them still weighed heavily upon their hearts. There was no triumph to be found in the exhausted faces of mothers searching for their children, nor in the hollow expressions of fathers who had survived while their families had not.

They had won against the Dark Forces, yet it was the innocent people who had borne the greatest cost.

Many knights had also fallen while holding back the inhuman enemy, sacrificing themselves so that the civilians behind them could escape. Even so, every commander present understood that the devastation would have been immeasurably worse had the noble houses not mobilized their forces the moment the attacks began. The speed with which the Ryujin Foundation had coordinated the nobles and redirected manpower had prevented what could have become the complete collapse of the northwestern territories.

Among the countless stories spreading through the refugee camps, however, one name surfaced more often than any other.

Kai Ryujin.

The young master of the Ryujin Family had become the subject of almost every conversation. Men, women and children alike spoke of the aqua-haired youth whom they had met at the Oasis Hospital in a fleeting moment, the rooms that were filled by the wounded were all healed by him. Many who had already been declared beyond saving had opened their eyes once more beneath his healing magic, while others who had lost limbs or suffered grievous wounds found themselves restored by what they could only describe as a miracle.

Before long, the name Healer Saint had begun spreading from one refugee camp to another. Those who had witnessed his miracles with their own eyes found it difficult to believe that someone so young could wield such overwhelming healing abilities, while those who had not dismissed the stories as impossible exaggerations- until they met the people whose lives he had saved.

Even so, miracles could not save everyone.

The casualties were staggering, enough to shake the entire kingdom. For most of the survivors, the Dark Forces had always been little more than terrifying stories whispered to frighten children. Though the people knew of the rogue shifters that were a problem from North whom the Grand Duke’s family had been taking care of for years, they just had no idea of how dangerous these creatures were.

Moreover, the undead and Demons belonged to ancient legends, not reality.

Tonight, those nightmares had walked through their streets.

The sight of the endless hordes of monsters descending upon their homes, slaughtering both man and beast alike, had carved itself into their memories. It was a terror that many feared would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

While grief spread throughout the refugee camps, the nobles under the Ryujin Foundation wasted no time. The moment the situation had been brought under control, relief operations began across every affected territory. Supplies were distributed, temporary shelters established, and reconstruction plans drafted before the smoke from the battlefield had even fully dispersed.

Zach and the other nobles departed almost immediately for their respective domains. There were reports to compile, damages to assess and countless families awaiting reassurance from their lords. None of them possessed the power to restore the lives that had been lost, but they had all reached the same silent resolve.

If they could not undo the tragedy then they would ensure that the people of Sestia never had to endure such suffering again.

Within the royal palace, Roger found himself burdened with yet another dilemma.

The Queen had been accused of selling her soul to a demon.

Countless knights had witnessed Katherine’s monstrous transformation with their own eyes. There was no room for misunderstanding. They had seen her turn upon the King himself, her inhuman form lunging at him with murderous intent before Princess Alys had intervened.

Yet no matter how many times Roger replayed those events in his mind, he simply couldn’t understand them.

He had known Katherine for many years. Whatever her ambitions might have been, she had never struck him as someone who would willingly destroy everything she had spent decades building with her own hands. She was calculating, patient and relentlessly determined, but she was not irrational.

To throw away her own life, sacrifice her son, and drag the entire kingdom into ruin. It simply didn’t fit the woman he knew.

Even so, Roger had no intention of defending her.

Whether she had acted of her own free will or been manipulated into it no longer changed the outcome. Katherine had involved herself with the Dark Forces, and Carlos had become one of the sacrifices. The evidence before him was undeniable. If all her schemes to place Carlos upon the throne had ultimately failed, then perhaps, in her desperation, she truly had chosen to bring the kingdom down alongside herself.

Roger slowly tightened his grip around the cool blue pendant Ocean had once given him. The smooth mana stone rested quietly in his palm, its familiar chill easing the throbbing ache behind his temples.

His thoughts naturally drifted toward its owner.

He had been trying to find Ocean ever since the fighting had ended, only to learn from his aide that the man had abruptly departed in the middle of the battle to attend to another urgent matter.

That alone left Roger deeply perplexed.

Ocean had been the first to assume command when disaster struck, mobilizing the noble houses with astonishing speed and directing troops across the kingdom as though he had anticipated the calamity long before it unfolded. Throughout the battle, reports had continued arriving from every front, and one detail appeared with remarkable consistency.

The warriors personally dispatched by Ocean had displayed combat abilities far surpassing those of even the finest knights serving the great noble families. A mere handful of them had held positions that ordinarily required entire companies of soldiers, cutting through the enemy with an efficiency that bordered on unbelievable.

Roger leaned back slowly, his brows knitting together.

Just how much strength did the Ryujin Family truly possess?

For years, he had regarded Ocean as an exceptionally capable noble whose influence extended through commerce, diplomacy and philanthropy. Tonight, however, he had been forced to acknowledge another possibility.

The military strength hidden beneath the Ryujin name might rival or perhaps even surpass that of the Royal Army itself.

If that were true, then another question inevitably followed.

How much had Ocean known about this attack before it began?

And if a man possessed such power...

Was his unwavering loyalty to the Crown genuine?

Or was Roger merely seeing the part of Ocean Ryujin that the man had chosen to reveal?

The thought lingered in Roger’s mind long after it had surfaced, refusing to fade.

Far from the Royal Palace, the Princess’s Palace echoed with the sound of shattering glass.

Colette stood at the centre of the once-elegant chamber, breathing heavily as another porcelain vase slipped from her fingers and exploded against the marble floor. Shards skidded across the room, joining the countless fragments of mirrors, ornaments and crystal that already littered the carpet.

Everything had been perfect.

Every move had been calculated. Every obstacle standing between her and the throne had been carefully positioned to disappear in a single move.

Yet, just as victory had been within her grasp...

Alys had returned.

The very woman who should have died years ago had appeared before the entire kingdom and unraveled her meticulous planning within moments.

"How...?"

The word escaped through clenched teeth before another surge of fury overtook her.

She seized the nearest chair and hurled it across the chamber. It splintered upon impact with the wall. The heavy curtains were torn from their rods, the embroidered canopy of her bed hung in tatters, and feathers drifted lazily through the room where pillows had been ripped apart. By the time her anger finally began to ebb, almost nothing remained untouched.

Colette stood amidst the wreckage, her chest rising and falling with ragged breaths as her nails bit so deeply into her palms that thin streams of blood slid between her fingers.

"I was so close..."

The whisper dissolved into an unrestrained scream that echoed through the corridors of the Princess’s Palace.

The maids stationed outside had long since abandoned any thought of entering. They stood several paces away from the chamber doors, exchanging uneasy glances as another crash reverberated through the corridor.

"When will this ever end?"

"Like mother, like daughter."

"Has Her Highness lost her mind after what happened at the amphitheatre?"

"More importantly... was that really the First Princess?"

"How could it be? Weren’t the Crown Prince and the First Princess supposed to have died years ago?"

"I heard she arrived with the Archmage."

"Some even say they’re engaged."

"Then... has the Mage’s Tower been hiding her all this time?"

"But she transformed... how could anyone do something like that?"

Another furious scream erupted from within the chamber, followed by the unmistakable sound of heavy furniture being overturned. Every maid instinctively took another step away from the doors.

None of them wished to become the next thing Her Highness decided to break.

The night at the Fairisles mansion was also quite tense.

Alys had just returned to her chambers after having a talk with Marquis Fairisles and Silas. Marquis had advised her to stay at his residence since her identity was exposed and also because his mansion was full of the safe mana mechanisms that would prevent any and all assassination attempts at her.

Marquis Fairisles still sat in his office after his talk with Alys and Silas. The two were uncertain of what was to come but they were still willing to go through it together after talking with Reina, considering Alys coming forth like this was unexpected.

Alys’s stay at the Fairisles mansion was a pure intention of Desmond Fairisles to protect the lady who was soon going to be a part of his family. But, her being there prompted Silas to stay as well.

After years of leaving home, Silas had returned to live at the mansion for the first time with the hint of permanence.

This wasn’t something that the Marquis had foreseen, he knew Silas was a headstrong and independent man and they had been at odds after Serene- his daughter died. Silas refused to inherit the title and went ahead and established the Mage’s Tower. It was quite an accomplishment that made Marquis proud of his son- not that he had ever voiced his feelings about his son’s achievements.

But, after Reina became 10 and started showing unexpected signs of maturity and ambition. He was surprised but also curious.

Slowly, he found the distance between himself and Silas reducing, though one might say it was because of Reina’s plans and sometimes unfathomable actions.

Regardless, Silas, who always stayed as a recluse started getting involved with the family and little by little Marquis found them taking steps closer one by one, till the present when Silas didn’t find it oppressing to stay under the same roof as his father.

Marquis Fairisles leaned back in his chair, heaving a deep sigh. He could feel his age starting to catch up as his old body felt exhausted after an especially long day.

He wondered when he’d be able to pass on his title to Reina as they had promised when they made a deal that he would support her with everything if she agreed to inherit his legacy. She was more than capable- even that would be an understatement if Marquis Fairisles considered how she had ended up creating the world around her. She could become the Queen- even an Empress but she wasn’t. She had chosen to hide behind a mask and a false identity of Ocean Ryujin and from there she had been doing everything for what purpose? He hadn’t found the answer for that till now.

The office was filled with the sound of steady ticking of the large clock, its pendulum swinging back and forth, back and forth.

Just as the Marquis started to get up from his chair he heard the sharp rapping sound at the window.

The Marquis quickly got up and walked to the window, opening it to have a raven swooping in and perching on the windowsill.

He slowly removed the piece of paper from the raven’s foot and unfurled it.

"."

The handwriting belonged to Kai which made the Marquis wonder if Reina was still unavailable. He knew that she was going to head to Edrisyl but, if she hadn’t returned yet, did that mean that something happened there-

The Marquis halted his thoughts. He would get his answers tomorrow of what happened, so he needs not start thinking ahead. Reina was strong, she must be fine- that’s all he needed to think.