Chapter 44
With a crack, a spray of red fluid spread across the ground.
The monsters that had been relentlessly charging at them paused as their numbers were drastically reduced.
Poooooo-!
A shrill blast echoed from behind them.
A sigh of relief could be heard from the castle, which had been guarding the front lines as tightly as ever, as the invaders retreated.
Leaning against the ramparts, the knights and soldiers who had been fighting for four days relaxed and watched the retreating enemy.
“Ah, it’s over.”
“Come on, you freaks.”
One after another, the soldiers and knights collapsed like marionettes whose strings had been cut, gasping for air.
There was no time to celebrate their survival. This was just another day.
And just like that, the battle ended for the umpteenth time.
On the front lines, the one man who had slashed the most monsters and created the most mountains of corpses.
A flamboyant-looking man, out of place on the battlefield, pulled off his gloves, soaked with blood and bodily fluids.
His purple eyes, unusually red today, were deep in thought.
“Why don’t you come back at least once?”
It wasn’t the constant stream of monsters that cluttered his mind, nor the scattered problems that seemed to pile up and threaten to explode in the northern castle by the day.
“This is not a solicitation or anything, but a final piece of advice as your friend.”
“If you do this and she really does fall down and doesn’t get back up, I’m going to have to tell you…”
“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
Normally, he would have ignored it, but today it lingers in his mind.
A voice that wouldn’t go away even after slicing and dicing tens of thousands of monsters.
“What are you doing, standing there, Your Excellency?”
Valer, Archduke of Halbern, looked back at the being that had roused him from his reverie.
The knight, like himself, was soaked in blood and bodily fluids, exhausted from a long battle.
“Jaren.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Do you think I should return, too?”
A rather casual question.
It was an esoteric question that was difficult to contextualize, but Jaren quickly picked up on it. That didn’t mean it was easy to answer, though.
“Well, that’s your choice, Your Excellency.”
“Like you, who came along to see the dragons.”
“…Yes.”
Jaren pouted his lips at the blow, then glanced back at Archduke Halbern, who was lost in thought.
The Archduke of Halbern had been in a constant state of low-pressure lately, which had added to the already gloomy atmosphere in the northern castle.
‘Was this the reason?’
“What, Saren, even the Knights don’t say it out loud, but they wonder about it. Wasn’t the journey north a bit of a rush?”
The color deepened, turning from purple to violet, and the eyes held Saren’s.
“My lord disappeared for days, then suddenly he had a baby, then he went to the imperial palace, then he travelled north without telling us. We’re all stuck in this northern castle one after another.”
The fact that no complaints were forthcoming spoke volumes about how much the Archduke of Halbern was trusted by the knights.
“I see.”
As if he were free, the Archduke of Halbern removed his uniform.
It was a coat of many enchantments, but it was soaked with monster fluids from four days of rolling on the front lines.
“Jaren, do you hate this land too?”
“Well, who could love a land like this?”
Jaren rolled his eyes, then smirked, wanting to get the point across.
“Not that they don’t, but some of them are nervous they’ll have to spend the rest of their lives here.”
Still no response.
No answer.
The glowing purple eyes looked up at the sky. A pale blue moon silently illuminated them.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Do you remember what the holy man said, that the monsters started getting wild when we got here?”
“Ah, yes. Isn’t that what he always says? As far as we can remember, the monsters in the north have always been fucked up.”
“Well, it’s accelerating.”
“What?”
Not exactly demanding an answer, Archduke Halbern looked away from Jaren and into the distance.
The northern castle was the only road that led to the plagued land of the Abyss and the territory of the humans.
The other paths were blocked by fortresses and borders that even the strongest and most vital monsters could not pass through.
“How many years have we been stuck here?”
“Six years, isn’t it?”
Six years.
A long time if you ask her, a short time if you ask him.
“Maybe once in a while.”
Is it time to go back?
“??”
Archduke Halbern commanded, gripping the hilt of the sword he’d left lying bare.
“Get ready, Jaren.”
“What? For what?”
“To fulfill your wish.”
“…?”
Archduke Halbern lowered his eyes.
“Let’s go see the dragons.”
“???”
Jaren rolled his eyes in confusion.
‘What did he just say?’
He looked at his lord again, and for the first time in a very long time, he was smiling faintly.
***
Master Quian, Duke of Mubisk and the Crown Prince’s mentor, marveled at the Crown Prince Pession’s recent achievements.
“You really do shine by the day.”
“You’re not a genius for nothing.”
“I know. At this rate, I may have to rework my training plan.”
Perhaps the recent events had inspired him, but there was a certain determination in the sword-wielding Pession that he hadn’t seen before.
Lord Jade squared his shoulders with pride.
“How is Aaron?”
“Ah, Aaron…”
Sir Jade trailed off, seeing Aaron fretting over his sword. Master Quian chuckled.
“I see he’s stuck. Well, he is a cowardly creature.”
“Not so cowardly as…”
“He’s afraid of his own power, afraid that he might harm others too easily, and that’s what cowardice is.”
Lord Jade wanted to say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to retort.
“That’s why they sent her to the palace to be a guardian knight.”
The castle was too delicate a place to wander the battlefield. On the other hand, she might be better suited to protect someone.
“We’ll have to get over the… wall.”
“Is that so?”
“Well, it doesn’t matter if we don’t.”
Master Quian didn’t mind.
“I don’t mind letting go of the sword. These are times of peace, and in times of war, I would have told you to take up the sword, but in times of peace, there is no reason to live in bloodshed.”
He had taken up the sword in the family tradition, and his children would naturally do the same, but he would be happy to support them if they chose a different path.
“Do you really think you’re going to smell anything but blood after holding the sword?”
“Haha. When Master Quian says that, it stings.”
“Master!”
Pession, who had quickly finished his quota of training, ran up.
“Are you done?”
“Yes!”
The smirking Quian suddenly turned into a wicked grin.
“How’s the muscle building going for that weak fellow you mentioned before?”
At first, he didn’t know who that ‘frail friend’ was, but he recently found out by accident.
It was Arellin of Halbern.
‘That can’t be easy.’
You’re supposed to be the famous Sihanbu.
Pession’s expression turns serious.
“Well, I’ve been working her hard, but I don’t think she’s gaining any muscle. She’s still too flabby.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Quian recalls the conversation from the second Arellin Health doctor, which had just taken place.
“She can’t seem to get healthy at all. What can I do?”
A statement that shocked everyone who believed they could just do it.
She’s exercising and not getting healthier!
As everyone stood there dumbfounded by this unique situation, it was Master Quian who offered the only solution.
“Maybe we should give her a proper workout.”
“But I already gave her exercise?”
“I mean systematic exercise.”
“Systematic exercise?”
You don’t train knights or soldiers haphazardly.
If they’re weaker than you imagine, you don’t train them for the common man. Quian had an alternative approach, treating his opponent like a newborn.
“First, we need to build muscle.”
“Muscles!”
Pession had an epiphany.
“Yes! That’s what I’ve been missing!”
So they put their heads together and came up with a systematic exercise plan.
‘It can’t be just exercise, I see.’
“Oh, yeah.”
Quian, whose mind was elsewhere, interrupted.
“Is she eating right?”
Pession, who had been hanging his head in disbelief, snapped his head up.
“Diet?!”
Pession’s eyes widened.
“Yep. She needs to eat a lot of meat to build muscle.”
“Meat!”
“She shouldn’t eat just any meat. I’m going to share a special ‘muscle-building diet’ with you, so you can try it out.”
“Oooooh, Master, thank you!”
Master Quian smiled at the excited Pession.
Well, you’ve done something good again today.
***
“Pessioooooooon!”
What kind of a bastard are you?
For teaching this fiend the forbidden knowledge of dietary control.
