Clearing the Game at the End of the World Chapter 290

Chapter. 14. One Empire, Three Legends (47)

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“….”

Crack. Crack.

Shoot ahhh.

“….”

Wiggle, wiggle.

Scratch, scratch.

The sound of winter rain and burning firewood. People gathered in front of that warmth and low light.

“Good…. 7 members in total, 1 person excluded. Excluding those who are excluded, retired…. All 6 people have gathered. “First of all, let’s give a round of applause in celebration of being able to see everyone again in this crazy imperial capital.”

“Uhm…. That’s right. “It’s great to see everyone healthy and healthy again.”

“Yes? I can only say that it was truly luck… Haha, hahahaha….”

Clap clap clap.

“stop.”

The professor, pressing his throbbing brow, looked around at the group gathered in front of him one by one, along with some simple refreshments.

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.

.

.

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What on earth happened to this?

“Let’s… sort things out. Secretary, forward.”

“yes.”

At the professor’s words, one of the group sitting around, Idrasil, came to the center.

Idrasil, a stalking half-elf with a sense of duty. This guy has a great habit of recording everything that catches his eye.

“First of all, we all went together until we dispersed from the castle city. “When did you disperse from there?”

Palak.

“capital. Immediately after entering All Amperia. The wizard team consisting of Otman, Notum, and Aldrich heads to the Palace of the Flower Empress. The professor went to the empress’ palace. I hid Lucilla in the castle city using elemental magic and followed the professor over the castle wall…”

“Let’s skip over there. After that, a battle broke out, and I handed over the 1st prince and went to the empress’ palace and then to the imperial castle. The wizard team was leaving the flower empress’s palace when they were caught by the royal knights and ran away. Idrasil must have followed after me. Right?”

“yes. We were providing support fire from a high castle tower. At that time, the professor was at the main gate of Hwangseong. A group of wizards were moving near the east gate. “Lucilla ran into the palace alone-”

flinch-!

“…Miraculously, I followed the professor into the imperial castle.”

“Yes… miraculously. It’s truly miraculous…. Hey, number one I don’t understand. “Do you need some explanation?”

“Uh… I had a feeling… that would happen? confidence? assurance? “Is that the feeling you get when you find something at the bottom of the market that will definitely increase in price 10 times within 10 years if you buy it?”

Kuuuuk-

Lucilla’s ‘I don’t know either?’ With that expression on his face, the wrinkles on the professor’s forehead became even deeper.

okay. The first part, before entering the Hwangseong Fortress, was really a normal process that anyone could understand. But from there, things started to take a turn in an absurd direction.

The story that followed was literally like a novel, or even a fairytale exaggerated by street clowns.

I disappear like an illusion before the eyes of Idrasil, who followed me.

While wandering inside, he found Lucilla among the fragments of the collapsing castle, and took refuge in the underground warehouse in front of him, where there was a lot of weapons from the ancient empire.

Among them, there was the sword of the first emperor, which was known to have disappeared, and this merchant girl seemed to be possessed by the sword, put it on her back, escaped from the imperial castle, and wandered around the capital, which was in turmoil, trying to find the sword’s owner.

and. If this was a play I paid money to see, would I have thrown in a handful of coins as a tip? With all my might, like buckshot.

I don’t even know where to start, but this is a documentary, not a story.

What happened next was even worse.

“At first, you didn’t even know that guy was Gainax?”

“Yes… It’s just that a shimmering golden energy said, ‘This is the guy!’ ‘This guy!’ It seemed like he was just yelling, so I was wondering if you wanted to grab him and try to make him emperor…”

I saw the expression on Gainax’s face after I destroyed his auror that was encroached upon by the power of the Empire. He was a man who shared the joy of liberation with his mother, looking like someone who had been trapped in a cave all his life and was now seeing the light. He had a face that looked like he wouldn’t even spit in the direction of the empire, let alone the emperor. Also, how did you persuade him to give me the knife?

“Is that the result?”

“Yes… He said he brought a few days’ worth of food and a change of clothes, and that he would stay in the coach seat until I got on that carriage…”

Outside the window, where the winter rain was pouring down, a magnificently decorated carriage stood, wondering how it had survived all this chaos, and on top of it, a driver wearing a thick cloak was rubbing his hands while glancing in this direction.

“Eh-chwiing!”

As he coughed and his nose ran down, the coachman quickly wiped it away with the hem of his cloak. It’s a familiar face.

“Muto… did you say that? Duke of Glenn? “The duke’s servant?”

“yes. I also thought he was just a coachman… but he’s the next heir to the dukedom. Originally, the Duke of Glenn raised his heirs like that….”

no wonder. In a place where the cursed dead were falling like rain from the sky, I didn’t know about Duke Glenn, the hero unit, but I thought it was strange that there was a squire next to him. I guess they brought him here because he was a decent guy.

Of course, because they come from a family that has been an imperial judge for generations, their education is of a different class. It’s about education for the Glenn family, and it’s not important to us. What is important now is the person who invited Lucilla, putting a lot of pressure on her by having a nominal servant like that.

“…You sent Gainax away and stayed in that secret passage with Idrasil and the Empress?”

“yes….”

“Did you talk about something?”

“Well… the secret passage is a facility for the royal family, so it has the function of a safe house in case of an emergency, so there is also a space to rest. “The Empress said I looked very tired, so let’s make her a cup of tea to take her breath away….”

“and?”

“Well… a little bit about the family elders, their age, how they joined the warrior’s group, a story about how they lived as a merchant, and… a little bit about Teldrat’s suitor. A lot… a lot…”

Lucilla’s face, which was stuttering little by little, began to turn red. Because Lucille Line is as quick-witted as she is, there is no way she wouldn’t know which direction the Empress’s attention is focused on.

“…Smashing the emperor’s sword and its symbolic lion decoration in front of Gainax. “What did you say in front of Gainax, who looked like he had been struck by lightning?”

“Wow! Hey, Edie! Do not say! “I was in my right mind back then-”

“[Go, free man Gainax. Like you said, now take control of your own destiny.”

“Yaaah. and. What is Gainax’s answer to that?”

“[I’m a merchant… so, I guess I’ll have to pay the price.]”

“Kyaaa~ It’s killing me. Hey, Your Highness Lucilla Aedran B. Let’s pretend there has been no rudeness so far. yes? “There are more than one or two things we have done to each other’s past, so let’s call it teacher.”

“Uwaaaa#^^*@(@#!!! Ha, don’t do that!”

“Let’s see.” There were hardly any temples in the capital that were in good condition. Should I officiate? “He’s a saint, so I guess he’ll be okay.”

“Uuuuu!!!”

Lucilla’s face turned bright red and she looked at me once, then at the carriage outside the window, and eventually lowered her head.

It’s sloped, it’s sloped. You have left a big mark on the lore of Teldrat’s suitors.

In fact, the story of the women from Teldrat was a story about raising a man who was in danger or did not recognize his own worth with their own hands.

Danger. The imperial capital, where people lived well and lived well, collapses and becomes a hotbed of curses.

This is the woman who guided the new emperor by telling Gainax, who was trying to escape under the weight of the ghosts of the past empire, to do whatever he wanted to do now without worrying about the past, and led the new emperor to take up the sword. As a result, Gainax cut down her evil spirit and opened a new sky.

“….good. Incomprehensible No. 1, let’s understand that the power of the self-prospering empire recognized a daughter-in-law for the new emperor and fulfilled that role.”

“Please! “Please don’t say that!”

“why. no?”

“….”

Gainax’s reaction was great, and looking at Lucilla herself, it looks like she doesn’t really dislike it.

but. I saw the timid and dull appearance of a man with a good body, size, and masculine appearance. If I saw him jump up and run away at my word and cut down a star with a single sword, it would have hit me right in the heart.

If I have to stop by Teldrat in the future, I’ll have to ask the Aedran matriarch to give me a treat.

good. That’s it for Lucilla.

“next. Incomprehensible number 2. The forest troll who died with me and 400 horses found out that he was a weakling of the ancient empire?? There, Miss Notum. “What do you think about this bizarre play title?”

“Geuuu. “It’s no big deal.”

“I’m like this because it’s not a big deal.”

If you think about it, there were many traces of witchcraft left throughout the empire.

The walls of All Amperia were strengthened with anti-magic and ancient magic, making it difficult for even Aurors to penetrate.

Magic golems of enormous size held swords dripping with blood and stopped knights who went crazy to go to the emperor’s side, and even made bridges with their own hands for those who had the imperial family’s seal.

The imperial castle, like a fantasy, changes places with a single gesture of the emperor. It’s not even a fantasy, but practical enough to hand Lionel to Lucilla when she needs it.

As a wizard, I could not feel any magical energy, so it could be considered a mixture of the emperor’s power and magic.

It doesn’t seem like he’s an ordinary person who leaves dark footprints here and there in imperial facilities that are hundreds of years old.

“You’re probably next to me right now. King Seonjo. Just ask me. “What happened?”

As if it wasn’t over yet, the magic imprint was still shining faintly on Notum’s forehead, and Notum kept scratching his forehead as if he was bothered by it.

“Uuuum…. There was a lot of fighting when this country was created. Wild-eyed, I know the emperor. The emperor received a six-legged horse that he cherished like a child and they became friends. Agtag, who was born unable to walk well, was raised by the horse and was able to run as fast as his horse. He was so grateful that he fought on the side of his friend, the emperor. “That’s it.”

Do trolls have a language-based culture? You mean here too?

“And, is that one of the three ancestral spirits attached to you? So, the ancestral spirit that gave you strength was able to wield the imperial golem and other facilities without mercy?”

“Geuuu.”

….If that’s the case, I’m saying that without Notum, solving the Empire and the Witch quest would have become quite difficult. You have to find Notum, who was nothing more than a talking troll in Roderick’s Forest, and bring him here to complete the standard clear route? Isn’t this too far-fetched?

Regardless of the level of difficulty, this is an area of ​​irrationality. It’s unreasonable. Rather than saying that Notum is essential, it would be better to think of it as a process that was naturally skipped thanks to him.

‘Because Notum didn’t have an ancestral decree from the beginning. Notum was chosen by the ancestral spirits. If there is no Notum, he has the virtue to acquire a magic character while coming to the Empire….’

incantation. Different races. Primitive feeling. Empire Quest….

Sigh!

“Haunuman! “I guess that’s why Haunuman is on the Empire quest path!”

If the emperor’s power drew me in, it would be better to think that the real start was the fall of the balloon caused by that letter dragon…. The place where the crashed balloon landed is Haunuman. A place where heterogeneous tribes, grassland tribes, who belong to the imperial territory but do not completely belong to the empire live.

Among the opponents, there was a pair that openly used witchcraft. The guy who used his magic shield to link his tribe’s vitality and made a fuss. Haunuman, a grassland tribe decorated with primitive patterns, could often see greenskins.

If it were the standard route, the procedure would have been to recruit a witchcraft-related NPC, have an ancestral spirit related to the ancient empire reside in that person’s body, and gather together to make an oath.

Of course, in my case, thanks to Notum, who I can confidently contribute to as the best output in Greenskin history, I was able to secure the Ancestral Spirit in advance and defeat the ignorant in Haunuman.

‘Perhaps I was recruiting someone from the tribe of the shield-wielding guy I met after the game that I sent to Roderick? Now that I think about it, the way the leader’s daughter looked at me seemed like she was asking me to take her with me.’

Anyway, this solves one more problem. As expected, thanks to Notum, which I trust and use, the Haunuman line that returned unnaturally has been logically connected.

“finally. Incomprehensible number 3. Aldrich… came in earlier and told us everything, so let’s move on. “Nothing’s wrong with Otman, right?”

“Hmm… I feel kind of left out. There is none. We suppressed the witch’s tower and stopped the curse from spreading with her allies… and once we were done, we worked to put out the fire in the capital. “Thanks to the rain starting, I was able to rest a little earlier than others.”

“Good… Then, I heard most of what happened when I wasn’t there.”

organize.

Lucilla – Teldrat’s suitor who became a true legend. She raised the first prince of the empire, who was in despair after a long journey, and gave him the sword that opened a new destiny for him. It is assumed that in exchange for her sword, which she handed over, she will receive the key to the main gate of the newly built imperial palace.

Notum – Oath of the ancient empire. If the ancestral spirits agree immediately, the entire castle wall of All Amperia can be destroyed with the magic contained in it, and various magic golems ranging from 5 meters to 10 meters can be used within the capital.

Aldrich – God.

Sigh!

“evil! Why are you hitting me! “God is a fan of people!”

“Oh well, it’s not God!”

“Ma…. Wow! They say that they removed all the curses and other things that the person who was a saint had, and inherited the divine status created purely by the soul of a saint! What is it if it is not the power of God, created by the soul that was originally a piece of God?”

“How many times have I told you that it’s not that big of a deal? It was just… replenishing my exhausted vitality and putting broken dishes back together. The power possessed entirely by one person. That’s about it. In terms of strength alone, I am much weaker than before. Since there are no evil spirits to trade vitality in the crevices of the soul, even simple black magic cannot be used. Now I’m just a slightly healthier old man than other old men of the same age. Even now, my mother… brought me to the capital, so the spirit is wandering around me. “It’s too much to send them away one by one.”

As Aldrich said that, he gently swept the empty space. Through the dim firelight, I could see a faint light shining on his fingertips. A colorless light that resembles a wave of waves rather than light.

Seeing Aldrich’s face become awkward, the professor stared at him quietly and then opened his mouth.

“then. From now on, will you live for them?”

“…I’m not going to make an excuse for leaving because I wasn’t helpful. I’m sorry. I can’t ignore them. In the eyes of those people who lived with blank faces contemplating the pain, I saw the face of Neria, who had filled me for 52 years. I can see her mother’s pain as she lived as a witch. I… want to help them rest with the power I inherited from my mother. I think I’ll spend the rest of my life with that. “I feel sorry for you, but I have to say sorry…”

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For a moment, there was silence among the group as they reflected on the weight of those words.

“…That’s good, well. “Isn’t it a happy ending?”

As always, isn’t the role of a leader to say what needs to be said in these situations?

When Aldrich looked around at the group with eyes full of regret, the professor opened his mouth as if it was no big deal.

“Congratulations, Aldrich. In the end, you have finally shaken off all the trouble in your heart that you have been holding on to all your life.”

“It’s shameless to end up like this, just getting help… Thank you, I really appreciate it, everyone. As a warlock, I don’t believe in gods or miracles, so all my gratitude goes to those who brought me here…”

match.

Clap clap clap.

Applause once again rang out in the dark room. A round of applause of congratulations and encouragement that expresses indescribable emotions through actions, different from the first.

“You worked hard, Master. I learned well. “Thanks to you, I learned about spirits and was able to meet ancestral ghosts.”

“No, Notum, you have unimaginable talent, so you would have been able to make that talent bloom even if it weren’t for me.”

“…The time I lived without meeting the ghost old man was several times longer than the time I met him. During those years, the only things I held in my hands and swung were rocks and wooden clubs, so the old ghost was wrong. he learned I realized it, and a lot has changed. This all happened after meeting the ghostly old man. thanks.”

Notum’s thick hand wrapped around Aldrich’s shoulder, and a bright smile appeared on his green face, revealing all his fangs.

“Congratulations, Aldrich. In fact, every time I saw your mana, which was as solid and heavy as heavy water, I thought it was amazing, but at the same time, I was anxious that the water, which was stagnant and could not flow, would lose itself. “Now that the water has found a way to flow again, it’s definitely something to celebrate.”

“Otman. “You…”

“Hehehe. Even if you don’t say anything, you know everything. What am I? Aren’t you a person who lives with the flow? If I’m lucky, someday I’ll be able to reach my own sea. Until then, I plan to just move on. A clear stream of water in a small valley is good, but if possible, it would be better to ride on a strong river to leave at least a trace on the riverbed.”

Two wrinkled arms hugged each other, and at the sound of the glass bottles in each other’s robes meeting and clinking, both old men burst into laughter.

“Lord Aldrich….”

“Lucilla. You have a lot to feel sorry for. You should always see yourself as yourself. I have always seen Neria’s lost life in your shadow. Neria was such a bright child too. She, Neria, was such a lively child. If she were alive, she would have grown up to be such a bright and lively girl. “You shined so brightly, but I couldn’t even face you properly.”

“Even if you say that, it doesn’t mean that Mr. Aldrich doesn’t always take good care of me. I don’t have a grandfather, so I thought about how it would feel if I had one. Oh my, it’s not like we’re breaking up forever, so why am I crying like this? hmm! iced coffee! hmm! Congratulations… Congratulations, Mr. Aldrich!”

Lucilla, perhaps trying to hide her tears, deliberately speaks brightly and lies in Aldrich’s arms.

“Elves don’t care much about separation. Eventually she will return to dust and be reunited with her mother tree. But… Borca, and even you. If there is anything I learned from watching human breakups. People don’t mourn breakups. “It seemed like he was grieving and trying to come to terms with the breakup.”

“That… is an interesting opinion.”

“The reason Lucilla is crying is because she remembers that you won’t be there on the journey ahead. Notum expressed his gratitude because he knew that there would not be many days to express gratitude in the future. Since humans live a short life, they seem to know a lot about how to cherish the moment. Even though I’ve just been in the world for a while, I don’t know how to sympathize with them as much as they do…”

Palak. Palak.

“The moments of you that remain with me. “I will cherish it and think about it carefully.”

“It was a message from an elf… I received a precious gift. “I hope you return to the forest safely, Idrasil.”

With a blunt face, he opened a notebook full of grime and wrote about Aldrich. Idrasil shows his embarrassed face, his hand grabbing the professor’s collar, and his smile as he shares a sedative with Otman.

At the unexpected gift, Aldrich had to struggle to swallow the emotions welling up between his wrinkled eyelids.

And then, it’s your turn. The professor, who had been watching the whole scene, approached Aldrich.

“Ultimately, it’s a moment that every party goes through. A party member leaving your side.”

“No matter how many times I apologize to you-”

“There are so many different ways to do it. As we are humans, the longer we interact with each other, the more the parts that annoy us become stand out. There are people whose discord piles up and scatters like a broken vessel. There are also cases where, with the highest probability, an unfortunate accident leaves only a cold grave behind, dividing people into two groups: those who survived and those who did not. Just like us now, we achieve our goal at the end of our journey. Leaving in blessings in search of a new life. “It’s very rare, but it’s also the best looking.”

“Professor, this guy….”

“I think our party is moving towards its ideal form. A total of seven. Two out of ten. Achieve what you want, find a happy life, and retire. “Wouldn’t the moment when this number reaches seven be a happy ending for all of us?”

The professor’s calloused hand touched Aldrich’s wrinkled hand.

“Please stop by the temple occasionally and contact me. If there is someone who claims to be a heretic, all you have to do is say, ‘The priest who communicates with this communication has a direct line to the saint.’ There will be more than one priest who will come out barefoot. “I can do that now.”

“Hehehe, really, it’s like you until the end. “It’s like you…”

And so, with the final greeting.

Aldrich stood up and bowed deeply to everyone in the group.

“I will leave here the first words of gratitude that will last the rest of my life. Unforgettable experiences and unforgettable memories. I am truly grateful for being the friends I will remember in the last moments of my life. Thanks to you, I was able to achieve a wish that I thought would never come true and set out to find a new goal. Now, traveling the world. “I want to live the life of a person who guides the lost like these people…”

Pop. Pop….

“I’m going to be shameless and ask you to vacate my seat at the professor’s warrior party.”

Tears finally fell from the dry eyes of the old man, who was bent down almost to the floor.

As if encouraging his future, the remaining five party members applauded enthusiastically.

Clap clap clap clap-

Muto, the servant and heir of the dukedom, who was just watching from the outside, blushed and clapped at the story he had unintentionally overheard, then cautiously knocked on the window as if he had suddenly thought of something.

Knock knock.

“I… I’m sorry for disturbing the atmosphere that warmed my body as it froze in the winter rain. The entire Saint’s party has received an invitation from the Duke and Gainax. Beyond the celebration, I would like you to attend the coronation ceremony for the future of the empire. Well… if you go now, I, who was watching in front of you, will be beaten to death by the Duke… How could you not?”

“Heung! Mmm. Growing old and disgraceful… Yes, coronation. That was it. Umm…”

“Uh… I did everything I needed to do. Are you going to see it? Still, you are the adult in the group. “After seeing Lucilla go, you can have a farewell party with a set and leave.”

“It’s a coronation. Ah, did you mean that? but. If the situation is chaotic, the law is to stabilize the imperial family first and prevent the aristocracy from being shaken. Yes, Lucilla, umm… I guess I should go see this.”

“….to? uh? uh??”

“That guy has been waiting for a long time too, but now that he’s spoken, let’s leave. I have something to talk about with that friend from Gainax. “If I wait any longer, the guy who plays the coachman will freeze to death.”

“Excellent judgment, saint! I’ve prepared a few more carriages elsewhere, so if you don’t have enough, you can take them there. Ah, Aedran Hwang…. Lady, you must ride here. “Is there a need for a separate ceremony?”

Maybe he was quick-witted, or maybe he was just waiting for this moment.

A good talker… Something similar, thanks to Muto, the heavy and gloomy atmosphere became brighter.

“Uh, uhuh, I… My dress is all torn, and the clothes I’m wearing right now are only for merchants, and my face isn’t even there yet, so I’m ready.”

“Aren’t all the survivors gathered in the capital now survivors of the city? We have plenty of experts ready, so all you have to do is show up. Come on, let’s get on. hurry!”

From the tone of voice that seems sly but takes control of the situation to the hand gestures. Meanwhile, the carriage carrying Lucilla advanced through the half-cleared streets of the capital, and mischievous smiles appeared in the eyes of the group watching from behind.

“Let’s go too. “They say I waited a long time.”

“Okay… let’s go.”

slam!

With the sound of the coachman’s reins hitting the horse’s back, the carriage carrying the rest of the party followed suit.

Aldrich decided to fully enjoy this trip, which would be his last event with his group.

****

fantasy,