◈ 383. [Side Story] After the battle
The next day, those who had come as relief forces began to leave the Crossroads one by one.
“The city-states all want to help the Crossroads and the Prince.”
The head of the Confederation of Southern City-States, Vallen, stroked his handsome beard and winked at me.
“I hope to have a constructive relationship going forward.”
“This is the one I’d like to take care of, Lord Vallen.”
We shook hands firmly. Valen led the militia out of the city.
“… … If the monsters are on the move again, feel free to ask for support.”
The chief of the ‘Mirage’, a nomadic people from the west, said this while wearing a turban.
“All humans in the West were born to kill monsters. Even if they’re not greenskins, it’s our pleasure to kill them.”
“I will contact you again soon. chieftain.”
He placed a hand on his left chest and bowed slightly.
It was a Western-style greeting, and I followed suit, expressing my respect.
The other chiefs also came out one by one and exchanged greetings before leaving with their soldiers.
I sent each one politely and politely.
Among those who came to the relief army, there are three remaining forces.
They were the Dragon Blood Knights from the Principality of Bringer, the Fairy Reconnaissance Corps led by the Elf Queen, and the warriors from Princess Yoon’s Aryan Kingdom.
“I can’t thank you enough for the Grand Duke.”
I glanced at Dusk Bringer standing next to me.
She called all 500 soldiers who had reassembled in her home country to the Crossroads, and they were of great help as a relief force.
In my gratitude, Dusk Bringer shrugged.
“Should I just be so grateful? Now, 500 of Guain’s soldiers and thousands of Guain’s refugees are in your territory. Are you going to get eaten by Gwa-in?”
Dusk Bringer joked, baring his sharp teeth. I laughed bitterly.
“Because I believe that the Grand Duke is not like that.”
“Heh, the guy without a horn… … .”
Dusk Bringer grumbled, rolled his round eyes at me, and then suddenly gave me a slap on the back.
“There is a saying that “victory and defeat are the same.” Victory or defeat, it means that you always experience it from the point of view of dealing with the military.”
“yes?”
“There is no need to be excited by victory or depressed by defeat. Keep in mind that commanders must always be prepared for what comes next.”
“… … .”
I thought I was maintaining a poker face, but this Dragon Lady must have seen all of my insides.
I laughed bitterly.
“Thanks for the advice, Archduke.”
“Heh, I didn’t mean to ask for thanks. It was just because I couldn’t look like a child trying hard.”
Dusk Bringer snorted and walked towards his knights.
“Guwain will go north to pick up the people who fled. See you later.”
Dusk Bringer mounted his horse and galloped off to his men.
The next thing that came to me was an elf woman walking calmly with a large deer beside her.
Fairy Queen, Skuld.
She smiled slightly and bowed her head to me.
The four teardrops in a diamond shape under her left eye really stand out. I also bowed face to face.
“Finally, the two of us can talk calmly, Prince Ash.”
“I have been waiting too, Queen… … sir.”
For a moment, I hesitated on what to call it.
He is a representative of a race and is much older than me.
However, since the tribal war 100 years ago, elves have fallen into slavery to humans, and it would be ridiculous for me, the prince, to call them too high… … .
When I hesitated, Skuld covered his mouth and laughed.
“Whoops. I’m just a representative of the remaining elves in the borough. It doesn’t matter if you treat me badly.”
“No, it can’t be… … Is it okay if I call you Queen?”
“sure. Please call me at your convenience.”
After a benevolent smile, Skuld opened his mouth with a serious face.
“The reason I came to have a conversation with you this time is about the future world… … .”
I was listening seriously, but Skuld suddenly stopped talking. She was looking behind me with her wide eyes.
“… … what. Wait, wait.”
“yes?”
“As if I saw something strange… … .”
I also looked the way Skuld was looking.
“… … .”
Hiding behind the alley walls there, looking this way… … The appearance of Belldandy… … .
“Hee!”
Belatedly noticing this gaze, Belldandi hurriedly hid across the alley.
No, I’ve already seen it.
Skuld opened his mouth wide and shouted in a shrill voice.
“Berdandi sister?!”
“Aaaaaaagh!”
Terrified, Belldandy jumped out from the other side of the alley and ran to the other side to escape.
no what! why run away
“sister?! That’s right, Belldandy! World tree, my God! Stay there, sister! Sister!”
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Skuld hurriedly ran after Belldandi. The 50 Fairy Scouts also followed her.
“… … .”
what. What. So, what was the conversation you were trying to have with me?
Watching the parade of elves chasing and being chased, I smiled and looked ahead.
The head of the last salvation army – Princess Yoon was smiling brightly in front of me.
“I waited a long time, Your Highness. Is it my turn now?”
“Princess Yun. I wanted to say thank you and be careful on the way, but… … .”
Yoon Arian took off her armor and was wearing a comfortable outfit.
No, it’s not just comfortable, he’s wearing pajamas and even slippers.
Furry slippers in a soft-looking fur robe.
Looking at her outfit, I asked in a cold sweat.
“Do you want to stay here a little longer?”
“Rather than going back to my hometown empty-handed like this, I’d rather see the world while I’m out.”
“There are many good tourist destinations, but there is no need to stay in a harsh place… … .”
“It’s a rough place, so there’s something to learn. Being next to you, the 3rd prince, it will be easy to understand how the empire is going.”
I laughed awkwardly.
Well, if 100 of the strong warriors of the Aryan Kingdom were to stay as guests, I would welcome it with both hands up.
“Don’t worry. Because it won’t harm your lungs. Then, I understand that you allowed me to stay… … .”
Yoon narrowed his yellow eyes and smirked, then suddenly blurted out his words.
She was looking behind me with wide eyes.
no what Why do people who talk to me from earlier keep finding something behind me?
I was embarrassed and looked back.
In the alley behind me, Kuilan and other members of the penal unit were walking loudly.
Everyone is covered in green blood, as if they had been mobilized to clear away goblin corpses all night.
As if going to a public bath to wash her body, she takes off her upper body and is holding only a towel.
“I… … What are those men?”
I explained to Yun, who was looking at me as if possessed.
“They are friends of the Beast tribe, called the Maple Rang tribe. It’s mine.”
“Pectoralis major God, look at that muscle… … .”
Yun now opened his mouth wide and swallowed even his saliva.
Oh, come to think of it, did I say that this woman’s ideal type is a muscular, muscular, long-legged pole? That’s the standard of beauty in northern countries… … .
“Besides that red hair… … ! Just by looking at it, it looks so warm… … !”
“… … .”
The members of the penal corps are now in a mode somewhere between beastmen and humans, and their bodies are lightly covered with red hair.
Seeing that, Yun’s eyes widened even more.
No, did you have a taste for suspicious furry?
“Those nice hairy muscles… … No, I need to talk to the warriors! Then, Your Highness the Prince! next time!”
Yoon left me alone and hurriedly ran towards the punishment unit.
I saw Yoon jump on the back of Kuilan who was walking without knowing why and clinging to it.
Quylan, who was suddenly attacked, spat out a shrill scream in fright. Yoon doesn’t even pay attention and rubs his cheek against his fur… … .
“… … .”
Like the fact that he was courted by a troll king in the past, it was Quilan who was subtly popular.
I turned my head. I hope you get through it well, Quylan… … .
Right next to the place where the heads of the relief army were sent off, the serenade airship had landed, and the adventurers from the base camp were huddled together. I came this way
“Geronimo! Oh, Geronimo! It was alive, it was alive!”
For some reason Kelly Bay is roaring.
Kelly Bay was making a fuss while hugging the body of the emptiness, almost crying in front of the emptiness.
I broke into a cold sweat and asked around.
“Why are you here?”
Kelly Bay’s assistant, Hannibal, answered with an awkward smile.
“It looks like this airship was designed by Master Kellibey.”
“Oh, so… … .”
“yes. She seems to be emotionally battered when the ship she thought was wrecked and sunk is back.”
No, crawling inside the Thruster seems a bit risky… … .
Anyway, Kelly Bay let it go and thanked the other adventurers one by one.
In the meantime, I tried to build friendship in my own way, but there were far more adventurers who treated us like cows and chickens.
Everyone came out of base camp and ran to save Crossroads.
“You don’t have to thank us.”
An adventurer nodded over there.
“Because we were only brought in under the threat of an unknown guy.”
“yes? Nameless?”
“If you don’t help crossroads salvation, they say you won’t ask for their help when exploring the Lake Kingdom in the future… … can you star That guy is the only rule at the bottom of that lake.”
Hearing that, I turned my head to look around, and Moo-myeong was standing over there.
And in front of the nameless stood a serenade.
I approached the two people who were having a casual conversation. Both Mumyeong and Serenade looked at me and were happy.
“ash.”
“majesty!”
“cotton. serenade. Everyone has been through a lot.”
I laughed bitterly in front of the two of them.
“You are always in debt.”
“Debt. don’t say that I just did it because I like it.”
“It’s as the nameless said. It is a girl’s joy to help Her Highness. Please stop saying sad words about debt.”
The two smiled brightly. Ugh, dazzling… … ! I had tears in my eyes and rubbed my eyes.
“By the way, what were you two talking about?”
At first glance, they are two people who do not seem to have any contact. Do you have anything in common?
“Aren’t we both merchants? After talking, we have something in common.”
“We were exchanging necessary information with each other.”
“Ah, come to think of it, you’re both merchants.”
One is the only merchant inside the dungeon of the Lake Kingdom, and one is the giver who runs the largest troupe in the world.
I hadn’t even thought about it, but there was something in common.
“Anyway, we’re going back to the bottom of the lake soon… … Kelly Bay is like that.”
Kelly Bay now seems to have rolled into the engine on the airship’s thruster.
A crackling sound is heard from inside the airspace… … what are you doing
Anonymous smiled bitterly and nodded.
“I’ll leave Kelly Bay alone for now, and return it later.”
“I will.”
I thanked Anonymous again.
“Thank you, Anonymous. also helped. And saving Lily… … .”
I was about to list the things I was thankful for, but Moo-myeong raised his hand to stop him.
“We, the Lake Kingdom, are responsible for the monster’s invasion of people’s lives. It’s no different than the original sin committed by our lake kingdom, you guys are covering it up instead. I am the one who should be sorry.”
“… … .”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop the monsters properly.”
After that, the nameless smiled faintly.
“And thank you.”
“what?”
“For surviving. For not collapsing and for enduring it.”
“… … .”
It didn’t collapse, la.
I endured it, la… … .
I swallowed my words for a moment and looked back at the messed up city.
Did Crossroads really not collapse? Did you really hold out?
I, yet… … Are you okay?
“You will continue to overcome. I believe.”
Moomin gave me a tight grip on my shoulder and turned around.
“Then see you again. ash.”
Nameless took the lead, fluttering the hem of his robe, followed by base camp adventurers one after another.
After the adventurers disappeared, I slowly looked back at the serenade.
“serenade.”
“majesty.”
“thank you so much. always.”
Starting with the airships, the relief force dispatch lobby, and countless others… … .
How could this person be so devoted to me?
There are many words overflowing inside, but I couldn’t bear to come out.
I held Serenade’s hand without a word. Serenade smiled shyly and tried to tell me something,
“Oops!”
I suddenly shuddered and swallowed my screams.
“serenade? what’s the matter?”
Surprised, I urgently checked her condition, and only then did I find it.
The bandage wrapped around the shoulders and waist under Serenade’s shirt.
Serenade hurriedly waved her hands.
“Sir, don’t worry! While fighting in the airship, only a few goblin arrows grazed… … .”
“… … .”
“It’s really fine! It’s just a little bit of a brush. Because Elise was very upset, she just overwrote the bandage… … .”
The white forearm of the serenade who said that and the bandage wrapped around her slender waist were oozing bright red blood.
Serenade repeatedly laughed and said it was okay, but I couldn’t hear her voice properly.
Inside me, there was the sound of something collapsing.
