Audrey had never liked war. Peaceful coexistence, living and working in contentment, everyone being able to live calm, stable lives.
But now, even though she did not completely understand politics or the situation between nations, she still knew that the clouds of war were already gathering, and that the next war was not far from breaking out.
The Kingdom of Loen, located along the coast, would inevitably bear the brunt of it and become a land of turmoil.
If the threat only came from the Southern Continent, that would be one thing, but the Kingdom of Loen also had the Feysac Empire as its long-standing mortal enemy.
Once the situation in Loen changed, the Feysac Empire might seize the opportunity to launch a large-scale invasion. If that happened, Loen would be attacked from both front and rear, and the risk of defeat would be extremely high.
'Sigh… When I get back, maybe I should remind father to pay attention to the coastal defenses of Southville County.'
If the Southern Continent really dared to ambush and kill all the members of the Church of the Seven Gods, then the entire Northern and Southern Continents would be plunged into a massive war with far-reaching consequences.
Alger glanced at Miss Justice, who was deep in thought, and asked, "I want to know whether the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Loen also have plans to start a war."
"I can't guarantee that I'll find out for sure. I can only say I'll do my best." Audrey accepted this task, which closely aligned with her own concerns.
After that, everyone shared some information, and Mr. Fool also took the opportunity to talk about some knowledge from the Roselle Diary that The Hanged Man had just submitted.
….
Backlund, the residence of Earl Hall.
As soon as Audrey finished the Tarot gathering, she opened her door, summoned Susie, and asked what Earl Hall had been busy with today and what his mood was like.
Susie answered everything it had managed to learn, even though, with its current level of intelligence, it still could not fully understand the meaning of those matters.
Whenever it tried to ask Audrey about them, Audrey would always change the topic, saying that it should not read too many books or think about too many things at its current stage.
"Susie, I'll bring you something tasty when I come back."
"Woof!" Susie wagged its tail excitedly.
After leaving the room, Audrey first calmed herself down and organized what she was going to say.
Then she went to the kitchen to bring Earl Hall a serving of his favorite dessert, and only then did she knock on the door of his study.
Earl Hall rubbed his temples to ease the irritation in his heart. When he learned that his precious daughter wanted to see him, his mood immediately improved.
The door opened, and Audrey carried the dessert over to Earl Hall's desk.
"Dear Earl Hall, if you keep worrying like this, The Countess will get angry, you know."
"Hahaha, with you here, there's no such thing as a troubling matter."
Earl Hall smiled as he tasted the dessert Audrey had brought, sighing, "If everything could go this smoothly, that would be even better."
Audrey's heart stirred slightly. She walked behind Earl Hall and gently massaged his shoulders, peeking at his expression as she said, "Has something major happened recently? Even our wise and resourceful Earl Hall looks so troubled."
"Some matters concerning the Southern Continent and Southville County. No need to bring them up."
Earl Hall did not want to talk about those worries at the moment and instead asked, "How have things been between you and Baron Campbell lately?"
"Of course we're very friendly. Mr. Hastur is a very good friend of mine, and sometimes he's like a teacher who guides me forward."
"Just a friend and a teacher?" Audrey stopped massaging his shoulders. Her delicate brows knitted together slightly as she asked in confusion, "Could there be any other special relationship?"
"It's good that there isn't. Perhaps that's the best choice." Earl Hall seemed to be speaking to Audrey, yet also as if murmuring to himself.
Audrey feigned dissatisfaction and said, "Dear Earl Hall, do you really have to speak in riddles even when talking to your own daughter?"
Earl Hall smiled and replied, "I was just thinking of some things. Perhaps I should promote young people more and let them go out and gain experience."
"Earl Hall~" Audrey dragged out the title to express her dissatisfaction.
He had promised not to speak in riddles, yet he was saying things that were hard to understand again.
"Alright, alright, I'll explain it clearly." Earl Hall laughed. After signaling Audrey to continue massaging his shoulders, he spoke after a while, "War is about to begin. Southville County, which will be hit first, needs suitable people to help the Duke of Southville defend it."
"Baron Hastur Campbell, with whom you have a good relationship, is a very suitable choice."
"Because long before the signs of war appeared, he had already written a letter to the king. I've read that letter as well."
"His vision is very forward-looking. He not only predicted the coming counterattack from the Southern Continent, but also foresaw that Southville County would be the first place to face the heat."
"For this reason, he wrote many proposals on how to strengthen the coastal defenses, both to prepare for the upcoming war and to suppress pirates who might try to take advantage of the chaos."
Audrey listened blankly as Earl Hall spoke in an appreciative tone.
She had never imagined that the one who proposed strengthening Southville County's coastal defenses would be Hastur.
From Earl Hall's tone, it was clear that he had already made his decision, to recommend Hastur to go to Southville County to help the duke defend the coastline.
"At first, I was still hesitating. War is merciless, and he's still very young. He could have been allowed to grow for a few more years before being entrusted with such a heavy responsibility."
Earl Hall sighed and continued, "If that Baron were someone you liked, I wouldn't push him into this war. But I already asked for your opinion, and you gave an appropriate answer."
"Since he cares so much about Southville County, it shows that he also has a heart devoted to serving the country, hoping to restore the former glory of the Campbell family."
"Then Duke Negan and I don't mind giving him a chance to try. Young people should go out and experience the world, there's nothing wrong with that."
Audrey stood there in a daze, her hands that had been massaging Earl Hall's shoulders coming to a stop.
This was the first time Earl Hall had explained national affairs so clearly in front of her. Yet she did not feel happy at all.
Didn't this mean that, because of her, Earl Hall had finally made up his mind to send Mr. Hastur to the battlefield of Southville County?
She did not like war, because once war began, it meant bloodshed and sacrifice.
If Mr. Hastur went to Southville County, his situation would undoubtedly be very dangerous, far less safe than staying in Backlund.
Seeing through Audrey's thoughts, Earl Hall comforted her, "This has nothing to do with you. He already intended to go to Southville County. I heard about it from Hibbert, he purchased quite a bit of land in Southville County, not only land originally belonging to the Campbell family, but also a large portion bought from other nobles."
"But…" Audrey pressed her red lips together, not knowing what to say for a moment.
"He is indeed a bit young. That was also why I was troubled before. After all, he's the last heir of the Campbell family, and yet I'm personally sending him to the battlefield."
"Is it really Mr. Hastur's own wish?"
"If you don't believe it, you can go ask him right now. I believe he'll give you a definite answer."
"Then… roughly when will he leave Backlund?"
"If the situation changes, he'll have to go to Southville County by the end of the year. If things remain stable, it can wait until after the New Year."
Earl Hall answered every question, feeling a bit of heartache as he looked at the lost and bewildered Audrey.
He had always disliked discussing national affairs in front of his family, especially in front of Audrey, who was still innocent and inexperienced.
But since this matter was indeed somewhat related to Audrey, he had made an exception and explained so much.
By the time this year's New Year arrived, the girl before him, his daughter, Audrey Hall, would come of age.
She would gradually bid farewell to her former innocence and begin to learn to accept the cruel changes of the world.
"I… want to go rest for a bit. I didn't sleep well at noon today."
"Go on." Earl Hall watched Audrey leave the study. When he withdrew his gaze and looked at the dessert on his desk, he took another bite, it no longer tasted as sweet as it had at first.
In the bedroom, Susie was waiting behind the door, expecting Audrey to bring it something tasty this time.
Unfortunately, the Audrey who arrived was empty-handed, bringing nothing at all.
"Woof?" It let out a questioning sound, but Audrey seemed not to hear it. She walked straight to the bed, lay down, and pulled the blanket over her face.
Susie glanced around, pushed the door shut with its head, then ran to Audrey's side.
"Audrey, did something happen?" There was no response from under the blanket. Susie patiently called out two or three more times before Audrey's voice finally came from inside.
"Mr. Hastur… is going to leave Backlund."
"Woof?" Both of Susie's eyes were filled with confusion.
Isn't it just leaving Backlund? Is that really something worth making such a fuss about? Even feeling sad because of it?
It didn't understand. It had wanted to ask Audrey about it, but in the end, it said nothing. It lay down by the foot of the bed, wagged its tail, and fell asleep.
To it, living in Backlund or living in a small rural village made no difference.
After all, it would never leave Audrey's side. Wherever Audrey was, that was where it would be.