Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 624: Seviya’s Plea
TL: Rui88
White waves crashed against the shore, one after another, as flocks of seagulls foraged between the sky and the sea.
It was just another ordinary morning in Port Fran.
A passenger ship slowly sailed into the harbor and, with the help of a tugboat, docked steadily at the pier.
Passenger ships were a recent phenomenon. As the flow of people between the Northwest Bay and major trading posts increased dramatically, the old way of traveling by cargo ship gradually failed to meet the demand. After all, cargo ships were mainly for transporting goods, leaving little space for people. In a small space, the living conditions became poor.
Thus, shipping companies successively launched dedicated passenger ships.
Considering that ordinary passengers were not as agile as sailors, the method of boarding and disembarking was improved from a simple gangplank to a gangway with railings on both sides.
A tall, beautiful woman stepped onto the pier from the gangway, her emerald-green, waist-length hair swaying gently behind her with each step.
“Seviya Acitini?”
Not far ahead, a woman with chestnut-colored hair caught her attention and surprise.
“What are you doing here?”
Ladi Sertia approached her and questioned the female spellcaster.
Seviya gave her a faint smile.
“I have been waiting for you at the pier every day for the past few years. You said you would be back around this time.”
But the expression on Seviya’s face quickly turned to confusion.
“Where is your count?”
“What do you mean, my count?”
Ladi’s reaction startled Seviya. It was a tone filled with a mix of shame and anger, as if a sore spot had been touched.
And in Seviya’s impression, Ladi had always had a personality as placid as water, remaining calm in the face of any situation.
She had returned alone; there must be something going on, Seviya thought to herself.
“I mean… where is Lord Grayman? Weren’t you supposed to come back with his fleet?”
Ladi’s eyes dimmed. “Plans can’t keep up with changes. Lord Grayman has to stay in Crystal Shrine for a while. And I still have a pile of official duties to handle, so I came back as originally planned.”
Seviya pressed on, “What happened? Why does he need to stay in Crystal Shrine?”
Ladi turned her head away. “Paul Grayman is now the son-in-law of the royal family! Hmph~”
Although the final “hmph” was barely audible, Seviya still heard it.
“Wh… what?”
Seviya Acitini was shocked!
“Count Grayman married into the royal family? Ladi Sertia, how could you let him do that?”
“What do you mean how could I let him do that? Can I control such matters?”
“My heavens! You are so close to him all the time…”
Seviya became a little anxious, but she immediately realized that the bustling pier area was not the place to discuss such things.
“Follow me!”
She pulled Ladi along to an alchemy shop not far from the pier area, a shop opened by spellcasters who had fled from Horn Bay.
In a room in the backyard, Seviya began to question Ladi.
“Lady Sertia, why, after all this time, have you still not captured Count Grayman?”
“What do you mean?”
Ladi raised an eyebrow, retorting in an unfriendly tone.
“Alright, alright! Let me put it another way! Why haven’t you been captured by Count Grayman yet? He… he is a lord with great power! And you are so beautiful. How could the Count resist?” 𝙧аＮọＢÈs
“What’s this about being captured or not? I solemnly state to you again! Paul Grayman is my lord, and I am his subordinate who has sworn allegiance to him, and that is all!”
Faced with Seviya’s bluntness, Ladi raised her voice to a rare high pitch.
Seemingly realizing that she had been too hasty, Seviya sighed, and her attitude softened.
“Sigh, Lady Sertia! Do you dare to place your hand on your chest and swear by the sacred magic that you yourself don’t have the slightest bit of special affection for Count Grayman?”
“I…” Ladi was at a loss for words, a blush spreading across her fair face.
Seviya asked, “Which princess of the royal family is Count Grayman going to marry?”
“Catherine Rodney!”
“That princess? Oh, that will be difficult. With that princess’s status, the assistance she can give to the Grayman family will be immeasurable.”
“I know that without you telling me.”
“Then what do you plan to do in the future?”
“I plan to apply for a transfer away from Lakeheart Town, to serve as a headmistress in some other town… or even a teacher…after all, I swore an oath of allegiance to him.”
Ladi’s expression was indescribably desolate. “I have warned myself countless times that if I were to be with him, it would only bring him disaster, so it would be best to smile and watch him find a suitable partner to marry and have children. But when that day truly came, I still felt a little pained. So, I will settle for the next best thing and find a place where I won’t see him, and serve Alda silently.”
“No!”
Seviya’s voice suddenly rose in pitch.
“Why not? This is my own business!” Ladi was a little annoyed.
Seviya paused for a moment and said earnestly, “Lady Sertia, if I had my way, since you are so close to Count Grayman, why not make good use of this advantage?”
“Count Grayman is now the most powerful lord in the Northwest Bay, and a lord who tolerates us spellcasters. Just imagine, if his first wife were a spellcaster, it would further improve his perception of spellcasters. How much would that help improve the living environment for our fellow spellcasters in the Northwest Bay?”
“I have no desire to become one of those evil witches who bewitch men!”
“How is a normal relationship between a man and a woman bewitching? How is it evil?”
Ladi retorted, “Is that so? You are not bad-looking yourself. Why don’t you give it a try?”
“Ahem, you must be joking. My beauty cannot compare to yours. In any case, I implore you, even if you cannot become his wife, you must continue to stay by his side, as his assistant, and as the link between our fellow spellcasters and the ruler of this land.”
“Why?”
Seviya spoke with sincerity, “I know you are a kind person. And as the most powerful spellcaster among us, you are our natural leader. Don’t you feel you have some obligation to the plight of our kinsmen? Even just a little.”
“Count Grayman has not oppressed the spellcasters!”
“But he still has a trace of wariness. Can you deny that? If you, the only link we have now, choose self-exile, who knows if his attitude might change one day in the future.”
Ladi fell silent, a look of conflict on her face.
The figure before her moved, and Ladi looked at Seviya in surprise.
The proud sorceress had actually knelt before her on one knee.
“There needs to be someone by Count Grayman’s side who can represent us, and that person can only be you, Lady Ladi Sertia.”
She kept her head down, her tone filled with anxiety, as if she was afraid Ladi would say no.
The green-haired sorceress looked at her kinswoman, unable to say a word.
The two remained motionless, and an unknown amount of time passed in the silence.
“Sigh!” Ladi bit her lip. “Alright, then I will continue to stay in Lakeheart Town.”
“You agree?”
Seviya raised her head, and only then did Ladi notice the glistening tears in the corners of her eyes.
Her body was suddenly embraced as the other woman stood up and hugged her tightly.
“On behalf of all our fellow spellcasters, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Lady Sertia. If there is anything you need us to do, please do not hesitate to ask.”
Ladi’s tone returned to its usual indifference. “There is no need to speak of commands. Since we are all stranded in a foreign land, it is only reasonable to help each other… By the way, what were you waiting for me at the pier for?”
“I originally wanted to give you some suggestions…”
“What suggestions?”
“Actually, I have already made them clear in my words just now.”
“Hmm?”
“You had best… develop a more intimate relationship with the Count.”
“Don’t push your luck!”
