The Problem Is That the Enemy Country Is Too Warm

Prologue

Charmaine Noelle Kenders! I order you to die.

The genius magic swordsman of the century.
The youngest aura bearer and a mage with mana of over 7 stars.
The monster of Lunteubel.
The treasure of Lunteubel.
And the faithful dog of Lunteubel.

“Keuk…”

Charmaine coughed up blood as the leash was pulled.

It was the leash that she willingly put on herself as a loyal servant to the Emperor of Lunteubel, Rakan.

With her limbs bound by the chains unleashed by her disciples, she thought,

What did I do wrong?

I have never deceived or betrayed my lord, looking up to the heavens.

“Charmaine.”

“…Yes, my lord.”

Due to the pain, her voice resembled a beast’s whimper.

“You’ve done well. I knew you would bring victory to me.”

Rakan expressed his satisfaction.

But contrary to his satisfied words, he almost pulled the thorny leash even harder.

The thorny leash was created by Charmaine’s aura.

She had the power to break free from it, but she couldn’t. It would be an act of betrayal against her lord.

But why?

She had spent her entire life being thrown into the mud and rolling around on the battlefield, bringing him anything he wishes for.

She had eliminated his enemies and even brought down Elium, who had been their hostile rival for over a decade but had repeatedly failed to seize control over due to the intervention of the Magic Tower.

As proof of her loyalty, she had even brought him the continent’s conquest, which had been his long-cherished dream.

“You have served your purpose. Now die for me.”

“Just… why?”

For the first time, Charmaine questioned him.

Rakan smiled again, revealing his true intentions.

“If you’re still alive, I can’t become the strongest. That’s why you have to die.”

“…”

Just for that reason? Is that why I have to die?

The shock pierced through her ears, swallowing the surrounding noise. Her ears felt clogged.

I see.

The implication of his words was that she was to blame for being the strongest.

It was indeed a ridiculous thought.

Charmaine shook her head in disappointment.

With that one sentence, the first question she had ever asked about her lord’s actions was meaninglessly resolved.

It was a moment when everything she had endured and endured until now crumbled in an instant.

“Charmaine Noelle Kenders, I command you to die for the last time.”

And she died.

***

Chapter 1

Charmaine Pepe

***

Chirp! Chirp chirp!

The noisy chirping of birds tormented Charmaine’s ears.

‘What time is it? I should get up.’

Charmaine, who was used to waking up early in the morning when the birds were asleep, realized that she had overslept today.

Ah, it must have been a holiday.

‘But did I really lie down and sleep?’

Charmaine frowned and opened her eyes wide as she got up.

As she washed her face in a hurry, she felt a strange emptiness.

It felt like she was wearing a thin, single-layered garment.

She usually always prepared herself for battle even when she went to bed, so it was strange how light her body felt.

After looking down, she saw herself wearing a lacey nightgown instead of the thick pants, shirt, and robe she usually wore.

And it was pure white.

Charmaine froze in place.

“…What is this?”

Her voice, unlike her usual low and grave tone, came out soft and high-pitched.

She touched her throat with her hand.

My throat wasn’t even injured, so why did my voice sound like this…?

She sense something strange and looked up. Belatedly, the scenery around her caught her eye.

An untidy room with things scattered everywhere, a small and cute bed that could barely fit her body.

Clothes hanging on the hangers improperly, a pile of clothes and hangers stacked up.

And… next to the piled-up clothes, she saw her reflection in a tall mirror.

“Is the mirror broken…?”

A woman with long, silvery-blue hair resembling the summer sky looked at Charmaine with surprised pink eyes, blinking.

Her appearance was so striking that one could mistake her for a fairy.

“Who are you?”

Charmaine turned around and instantly emitted her aura, ready to fight. But there was no one behind her.

Charmaine was startled once again and looked back at the mirror.

“Is this…”

The woman standing in the mirror moved her lips in the same way as her.

“What the hell— ugh.”

Along with a momentary headache that felt like it would split her head, memories rushed in like waves.

“Guh.”

Unable to endure the pain, Charmaine grabbed her head and fell to her knees, collapsing on the floor.

The memories of that day, when she led the final war to victory, when she cruelly died from the sealing technique she personally taught her disciples, flooded in without missing a single detail.

“You’ve done well. I knew you would bring victory to me.”

“You have served your purpose. Now die for me.”

“Charmaine Noelle Kenders, I command you to die for the last time.”

With a voice that thundered in her head, Charmaine groaned and leaned her back against the bed, clutching her head.

Her throat tightened, her breath became stifled, and sweat dripped from her face in an instant.

“Haah, haah.”

After taking several deep breaths, she regained her senses. Then, she questions herself.

‘Yes, that’s right. I died, so how am I still alive? And whose weak-looking body is this?’

I was certain I had died. I clearly felt my breath being cut off.

Since I hadn’t performed any spell or created any protective barrier to revive myself, it was impossible to come back to life.

So how did this happen?

Moreover, where is this completely disorganized room?

Charmaine touched her throbbing forehead again and stood up from her seat.

Despite the pain, she stood tall with her back straight and unwavering.

“…”

I need to figure out what happened.

Charmaine stood still for a while, trying to organize her bewildered thoughts. Then she looked at herself in the mirror once again.

A faint dissatisfaction spread across her face.

“Why am I wearing such vulnerable attire, what if I’m attacked while I’m asleep? Why would I wear something like this?”

Although the Empire claimed to be safe, it was a fact that one always had to be prepared for safety.

This attire seemed unfitting, not just for defense but also for making a proper escape if 

something were to happen.

Moreover, it was a thin dress that wouldn’t even protect against the cold.

In the harsh winters of Lunteubel, where most seasons were harsh, this dress was too thin.

‘Well, it’s proof that this place has been well-guarded to this extent, so it’s not that bad. Still, I would advise them to improve the security…’

“Charmaine!”

Someone knocked on the door forcefully, causing the wooden door to tremble like thunder.

“Charmaine? Someone knows me?”

Feeling relieved, She quickly covered her body with a robe from the pile of clothes and hurriedly went out.

“Charmaine Pepe! Are you still sleeping!?”

The way he called her name was a bit strange, but…

As she was about to unlock the poorly locked door, Charmaine hesitated.

“What should I do if he realizes that my body has changed?”

If he was a disciple, he should be able to sense her magic power and quickly realize it, but if not, an explanation would be necessary.

“Charmaine Pepe! Are you off today? It’s me! Alexandro!”

She quickly decided that she would use an excuse to explain that she had temporarily taken on an odd appearance due to a failed spell.

Even though it felt uneasy to lie to someone, it was the only solution she could think of at the moment.

Charmaine unlocked the door and confronted the person calling her.

But who was Alexandro?

“…”

She opened the door, but no one was there.

First, my appearance but now even hallucinations?

As she was about to turn around and go back inside, someone pulled on her robe from below.

And it was quite far below.

“Charmaine Pepe! I’m here! It’s not just once or twice, but you keep looking for it every time, is it intentional? Ahem.”

As Charmaine lowered her gaze, she saw a chubby-tailed raccoon looking up at her.

At most, it seemed to reach up to her knees.

“…Am I finally going crazy? Why is a raccoon talking to me?”

It’s not that she didn’t know that beastmen existed, but they didn’t exist in Lunteubel.

The land of Lunteubel was vast, but due to the presence of twisted and distorted magic power in many areas, sensitive beastmen had a hard time finding a place to settle.

So there was no way they could exist. Then what exactly was this raccoon?

“Oh, you shouldn’t say things like that. Nunu taught you, didn’t she? But more importantly, take this first since it’s heavy! You sang and sang about wanting to eat sweet potatoes.”

Despite its small size, the raccoon was strong enough to carry the basket filled with sweet potatoes and handed it to Charmaine as if he was throwing it.

The raccoon’s intonation was also peculiar.

In any region of Lunteubel, such a way of speaking didn’t exist.

In a daze, Charmaine bent her knees and received the basket from the raccoon.

“Alexandro…”

It wasn’t an ordinary raccoon.

“Why are you calling me that? Are you impressed? Impressed with sweet potatoes? Sweet potatoes are better than corn, after all?”

She could also sense a hint of magical power…

“Are you also a mage?”

Charmaine bent one knee, sitting like a knight, placing her arms on her knees, and asked Alexandro, looking into its eyes.

The startled raccoon, Alexandro, backed away.

“What’s with you today? Ekk! I won’t be fooled.”

“If you’re not a mage, are you a beastman?”

“I am a beastman, but why are you speaking like that today? Suddenly trying to act like a soldier? Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and open the shop! It’s been closed for several days, and all the antique items are rotting away!”

“Where exactly is this place?”

“Here? It’s your shop.”

“No, what is the exact location of this place?”

“Ugh, so frustrating. Where is it? It’s right in the heart of Elium, the capital of the Empire!”

Upon hearing that, Charmaine swayed.

This place… is Elium?

The place in the heart of the enemy territory where I brought victory to Lunteubel?