Chapter 661: Not A Idiot
On the first night after arriving at Liya Tower Fortress, Astrid and Lyra were lodged in the Forge Command Hall at the fortress’s center, arranged by Grand Duke Charles.
This frontline stronghold, once blown to pieces by the self-detonation of a mana cannon, had been reshaped by the Church Knights using earth magic to serve as a logistics hub and bridgehead for their assault on the Valeria Empire. When the Empire mounted a powerful counterattack, the City of Light ultimately abandoned the fortress and it returned to Duke Charles.
Rebuilt three times, changed hands twice, even Lyra, who had lived at Liya Tower for months, felt a stranger in this military installation on her return.
Where the mana cannon had stood now sat a massive furnace. A very high-grade fire-element crystal was placed inside, studded with runes around it. The furnace’s rim was piled with combustible charcoal and coal; the heat it produced was carried through ducts to rooms large and small, replacing single underfloor or wall heaters and greatly reducing resource waste.
"A giant furnace for heating... really a good idea..."
Having toured the central furnace, Lyra gently flicked her pink hair. Her snow-white cheeks, warmed by the blow of hot air, were faintly flushed as if she’d had a few drinks.
"I heard from the attendants that this was Astrid’s idea?"
Astrid slipped at the blushing pink-haired girl, her delicate features, her porcelain skin slightly pearled with moisture, and nodded softly.
"Yes, I only offered the idea. The detailed design and construction were handled by Lady Charlotte and others."
"When the price of elemental crystals drops a bit, this more efficient heating system will be widely promoted throughout the Empire and gradually installed in the colder regions’ households, keeping people away from the cold."
The basic principle was the same as the heaters Astrid remembered from her previous life, but with magical elements added to make it a mana-powered device characteristic of western fantasy magic.
That way, the wealthy noble imperials could still go for bespoke wall or floor heating, luxury furniture and all, knights and the wealthy merchant class could rely on centralized heating, convenient and efficient; those without access to ducts for the time being would keep burning wood and using fireplaces to keep rooms warm until magic crystals became cheaper and pipes could be installed.
Lyra blinked, thinking of the last time she’d gone home and sat in a kitchen steaming from just-made lunch; her clear blue eyes glittered a little.
"That’s wonderful..."
Having grown up in a remote mountain village in the Empire’s northeast, Lyra feels the importance of warmth more keenly than most. If Astrid’s plan reached every town and the heat-distributing pipes were laid everywhere, people like her parents wouldn’t have their hands cracked by the cold each winter, sometimes frozen numb.
Noticing the excitement in Lyra’s voice, Astrid curved her lips and murmured.
"Is that something to be so happy about?"
It was as if an invisible pink tail were wagging.
"Yes, of course," Lyra answered.
More comforting than thoughts of the coming revenge battle was the vision of a better future, and that put Lyra at ease.
"Aren’t you happy too, Astrid?"
"Me?"
"Yes."
Lyra looked at Astrid’s eyes while holding the silver-haired beauty’s slightly chilled hand; her pink lips parted.
"Although Astrid seems cold and detached on the surface, you’re not completely without feeling."
"You’re happy too, aren’t you?"
She could feel that Astrid took pleasure in these things, albeit far less openly; not everything was written on her face.
Astrid blinked a few times, her seductive red eyes narrowing as she glanced at the metal pipes and the furnace core glowing orange nearby, her tone lazy.
"Lyra... turns out you’re not a complete idiot pretty girl..."
"?"
’I’m not an idiot at all, thank you very much.’
Lyra squeezed the intertwined snow-white hand slightly, pouting and objecting softly.
"I’m not stupid!"
But such words from Astrid didn’t make her angry; on the contrary, the word "idiot" followed by a faint joy to her, wasn’t that... a compliment about her looks? It must be!
At the thought, Lyra’s steps grew lighter. Her two smooth, slender white-silked legs crossed and swung as she walked; the hard-soled black boots clicked on the tiles, black and white flashing like butterflies.
Although they only needed one bedroom in all likelihood, Astrid and Lyra were intimate enough to share meals and sleep, Charles had not been negligent. Methodically, he prepared three rooms for the Regent’s party, including one for the head maid.
One of the rooms ended up completely unused, not even for luggage, Astrid and Lyra each had independent storage devices, and Head Maid Elise, with Astrid’s consent, received an imperial storage armband.
Lyra lay on the soft bed, turned her face to watch the fine snow outside. Back where she used to be, she slipped off her slippers and untied the black ribbon at the back of her hair.
"Last time I slept here, I was always anxious we’d be attacked. I couldn’t let my guard down. I couldn’t sleep deeply at all."
Astrid, sitting beside her, smoothed a few stray strands of pink hair, tidying them slightly.
"You don’t have to be so tense now. I just heard some news from Grand Duke Charles. Our internal informant reports that the unrest in the Kingdom of Velys is intensifying. Even if their king wants to guard against the Empire, he doesn’t have the energy."
"You can sleep well, Lyra."
Tomorrow she will inspect the troops and confirm their armaments, then move to attack the border towns of the Kingdom of Velys, applying external pressure on the royal family.
As a Holy Light Knight bearing the Empire’s honor and the will of fallen comrades, Lyra had no reason to sit out the fighting. For her, tonight was likely the last calm sleep before war.
Lyra nodded obediently and murmured.
"I hope everything goes smoothly, with as few casualties as possible."
She had crawled out of a sea of blood; she knew the cruelty and darkness of war. If the sinners hiding behind civilians could be made to stand forth and be judged, all the better.
But even newly arrived in the capital, Lyra wasn’t childish enough to believe that would be the case. War is a continuation of politics; all she could do was minimize noncombatant losses.
"I also sincerely hope those followers of the Light and the common folk aren’t fully brainwashed," Astrid said. "For now, go bathe, Lyra."
After days and nights on the mana airship, Astrid felt a bit dizzy herself.
"All right."
Lyra noticed the fatigue around Astrid’s eyes and, lips moist, asked softly, "Astrid... are you tired?"
"A little."
"Then... let’s bathe together..."
At those words Astrid raised an eyebrow, her red eyes lowered to look at the reclined Lyra. After a moment she replied.
"...Wouldn’t that make you more tired?"
"Why would it make me more tired?"
Wait, where did Astrid’s mind wander to?
Did she have that kind of pent-up need after doing it on the airship for days? Lyra’s ears went hot; she blushed and spoke in a small, coquettish voice.
"I mean, I’ll help you with the bath, wash your hair, use the bath oil, things like that."
Not right, why would she look at her problems? The one who first thought of that stuff was clearly the other person. The silver-haired princess was the one with a lecherous mind.
Astrid chuckled softly, leaned over and kissed Lyra’s lips, voice sultry.
"All right, all right, I was thinking the wrong way."
Then Astrid shifted.
"But... I don’t have the strength to help you much..."
"So-"
Before she could finish, Astrid stood, her legs sheathed in black stockings straightening as she headed toward the washroom.
Lyra’s cheeks flushed even deeper on the soft bed; inhaling the lingering, intoxicating scent, she straightened as best she could. What did that mean... that today everything was allowed? Even though she hadn’t intended that at the start, Astrid’s repeated teasing flushed Lyra’s body and dried her mouth.
When her face cooled a little and she heard the faint sound of garments rubbing in the washroom, cloth peeling off skin, the friction between fabric and flesh, Lyra thought: Astrid is too sly.
She calmed a heart that had skipped a beat, found her slippers after fumbling on the carpet with her little white-silked feet, and rose to leave the bedroom.
She will prove to the princess that she was not some silly beauty who crumbled under temptation.
Then Astrid will prove to her that human endurance has a limit, and that when it reached its peak it exploded, magic versus human cunning. The knight’s experience points went up.
....................
The next day Astrid personally went to the drill ground to review the troops, check armaments, and give a speech, using the preprepared mobilization address Grand Duke Charles had written, which was originally meant for him to deliver.
After the inspection, Astrid found things as she had expected: the troops massed to attack Velys motivated the morale of a defensive force, but they had cause, having been nearby during the last defensive war, many soldiers harbored revenge in their hearts. Their fighting spirit remained; overall they were still a reasonably capable force.
Having done the ideological work, stating she will share the same dangers and fortunes as the soldiers and going into the enemy country with them, Astrid left the drill ground and, with Lyra, went to Grand Duke Charles’s private office to finalize the war council.
"Our troop mobilization should already have been noticed by Duke Grant."
"According to our informant, this border duke we will clash with doesn’t have a strong force. His earlier offensive already wore down most of his troops; even with the Church Knights covering for him, half a year is not enough to replenish what was spent."
Charles pointed out Duke Grant’s personal territories on the map, towns, villages, terrain, roads, showing everything to the Regent.
"If we’re going to attack the Kingdom of Velys, this nail must be pulled. Otherwise the wide lands will be dotted with enemy forces and our logistics will be compromised."
If the reasons for war were simply to divert conflict and plunder wealth, logistics would be easier to solve. Take what you lack, kill when the food supply gets tense, seize cheap labor, ensure military supplies while easing soldiers’ pressure.
Charles knew well, however, that the silver-haired Regent before him cared much about troop discipline and would not allow soldiers to commit such atrocities.
His banner was the punishment of tyrants; if they began to sack and slaughter civilians as soon as they crossed the border, they would become no different from the nobles who started the war. That would increase war-weariness and provoke resistance from Velys’s populace.
So, under the premise of appearing as a righteous army, they had many things to consider.
"Grant, I remember him as a hardline warmonger."
"Yes. When the Kingdom of Velys first declared a holy war, he was the first to answer the king’s call and march on Liya Tower Fortress."
No doubt, this hefty noble was on Astrid’s list for trial.
"Then let’s start with him, as Grand Duke Charles suggests." Astrid crossed her legs, her tone grave.
"The objective remains as before: without deploying Arcanist mages first, take these key cities quickly and efficiently."
"I don’t want to force the nobles into a united front against us, like the Kingdom of Velys did earlier. Acting rashly tends to push those attacks into banding together, forming a larger obstacle to our advance."
The Kingdom of Velys was in turmoil; she had no need to expose her true aims at such a crucial moment. A cornered rabbit still bites, events in human history had shown that.
"I’ll tell all Velys nobles that the Valeria Empire seeks only the king’s punishment."
Whether they believed it or not was another matter; at least it was posturing. Until they took the capital of Velys, Astrid would not recklessly strike those who surrendered.