The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1301 - 198 - The Fall Of Milham Kingdom - Part 4 (1)
Hertrude’s POV
Right now, everything I had seen before was unfolding right in front of me, piece by piece, like some cruel reenactment that refused to slow down or give me time to breathe.
The attacks on the capital were no longer distant possibilities or vague warnings in my head. They were real now. Fires breaking out, people shouting, and soldiers scrambling. Even the unrest among the civilians had begun to take shape, just like how I remembered it. The tension in the air felt thick, almost suffocating, like something heavy pressing down on everyone at once.
And the worst part?
It wouldn’t take long before that one vision came next. The one I couldn’t shake off no matter how much I tried.
The Queen... hanging.
Just thinking about it made my chest tighten. My fingers curled slightly without me noticing, nails pressing against my palm as if grounding myself would somehow stop what was coming.
Leon said he had a plan. He said it so confidently too, like it was already handled, like the future was just another problem he could solve if he thought about it hard enough. He told me he wouldn’t let that future happen, that the Queen wouldn’t die.
But right now, everything was still happening exactly the way I had seen it.
It was only natural for me to start questioning things. Not just his plan, but whether anyone could actually do something about this at all.
"Miss Hertrude," Johanne’s voice cut through my thoughts. "You seem rather worried."
I let out a quiet breath, rubbing my temple for a second before answering. "Can you really blame me?" I said, glancing at her. "I already told all of you what’s going to happen, didn’t I? And yet somehow, none of you look like you’re losing sleep over it." I shook my head a little, a faint hint of disbelief slipping into my voice. "I mean, come on. It’s the Queen we’re talking about here. The Kingdom’s sovereign. And she’s literally in danger of dying."
Johanne didn’t react right away. She just looked at me for a moment.
"We are taking this seriously, Miss Hertrude," she finally said. "It may not look like it to you, but we are."
"You might think that changing a fixed future is impossible," she continued, "and honestly, that would make sense. Most people would think the same way. But Leon isn’t exactly someone you can measure with common sense."
That sounded like something people say when they don’t have a better explanation, but she didn’t stop there.
"He has already proven himself multiple times," she said. "Whatever he’s planning right now, he’s already thinking several steps ahead. He doesn’t just react, he prepares. If anyone can do something about this... it would be him."
I stayed silent, listening.
"If it’s not Leon," she added, her eyes softening just a little, "then I don’t think anyone else could even try to break something like fate. He already changed mine, after all. So believing that he can do it again isn’t really that strange."
Her eyes were bright when she said that.
It wasn’t blind faith. It was something deeper than that.
Back then, Johanne had been a man. That was the reality she had lived in, something she probably carried for a long time. And now, standing in front of me, she was a woman. Not just in appearance, but in the way she carried herself as well as the way she spoke.
Leon had done that.
He didn’t just help her. He completely overturned something that felt unchangeable.
She believed in him, and honestly, I could see why.
Still, even with all that, the uneasiness in my chest didn’t go away.
Changing the future wasn’t just about fixing one moment. It meant preventing everything that led up to it. And the more I thought about what was ahead, the heavier it felt. The danger that hadn’t even appeared in my visions yet was somehow the most terrifying part.
It felt like something worse was waiting.
Something that made everything so far look small in comparison.
If I were being honest with myself, this ability of mine never felt like a blessing.
People liked to think seeing the future was some kind of advantage, like it gave you control or power. That wasn’t how it felt at all.
It felt like being forced to watch something terrible, over and over again, without being able to look away.
It showed me things I never wanted to see.
Things I couldn’t forget.
Sometimes, I wondered if it would’ve been better to just not know anything at all. Ignorance sounded peaceful compared to this.
"If Leon really manages to change the future..." I murmured quietly, almost to myself.
Then he wouldn’t just be someone capable.
He would be someone who could defy everything.
Even what was already written.
***
Leon’s POV
The rough sketches I had made were spread out across the table, each one capturing a piece of the problem we were dealing with.
Around me were the members of the Shadows, along with Zes, Meria, Aegis, Tilde, Veronica, Lilia, and Myrcella.
"You’re actually pretty good at drawing..." Lilia said, leaning slightly closer to get a better look at one of the sketches. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
I glanced at her, then back at the paper. "I’ll take that as a compliment," I replied casually. "Though I wouldn’t frame any of these if I were you."
A couple of them gave small reactions to that.
"Anyway," I continued, tapping lightly on the first two sketches, "these are the rough outlines of our main enemies. The Prince... and Gaspard."
Both of them were at the front of all this. The ones people would see. The ones making moves openly.
"They’re the ones handling things on the surface," I added.
"There’s another layer," I continued, shifting my hand toward the other sketches. "The ones pulling strings behind them. For now, let’s just call them the Moriarty group."
The name wasn’t official or anything, just something to label them so we weren’t stuck saying "those people" every five seconds.
The first sketch showed the man I barely remembered. The details weren’t perfect, but it was enough.
"I don’t have a clear memory of this guy," I admitted, "but I’m pretty sure this is close to what he looks like."
Next was Claire.
"She’s got an ability that lets her pass through solid objects," I said. "Walls, floors, whatever. Basically makes normal defenses useless against her."
"And then there’s this one," I went on, tapping the last sketch. "Recently escaped from prison. Also happens to be Sesillian’s sister."
"I’m not sure if there are more of them," I added, straightening slightly, "but this should give you a decent idea of what we’re up against."
The room stayed focused. No one interrupted, which was good.
"In an ideal situation," I continued, "we’d go straight for Gaspard and the Prince. Cut off the head, and deal with the rest later."
I paused briefly before continuing.
"But right now, that’s not the smartest move."
My finger tapped lightly against the sketch of the woman again.
"This one takes priority."
A few of them shifted their attention more closely.
"She’s the one making moves behind the scenes," I said. "Sending pawns our way, stirring things up, causing chaos just to keep us busy."
And honestly, it was working.
"I remember her," Lilia said, her expression tightening slightly. "She was the one who gave me information about the Silverblades back then."
She crossed her arms, clearly thinking it through.
"So she betrayed her own organization for personal gain?" she continued. "If that’s the case... why are the former Silverblades still working with her?"
"Well," I replied. "They probably don’t even know it was her. For now, though," I went on, "our best move is to track her down."
I looked around the room, making sure everyone was still following.
"If we can find her, we can stop these suicide bombings."
That was the key point.
I let the words settle for a second.
"That’s how important she is in this war."
