◈ 358. [Side Story] Convocation order
“I’ve been here since a while ago, but I didn’t notice. I didn’t even bother to stay still, so I just tried to appeal to my presence.”
Ash spat out like an excuse.
Between Lily and God Hand, who were devastated, the one who came to her senses first was Lily.
“No, Your Highness! Every time our relationship is about to develop a little, doesn’t he show up and disturb us these days?!”
“It’s not that I show up every time, isn’t it just that you guys are falling in love all year round?”
The chattering Ash stretched out his index finger forward.
“Anyway, why am I here! Shadow Squad! convened at noon Come to the drawing room. And Lily, have a meeting about artifacts in the afternoon.”
“Ah, I get it… .”
“I will be there by noon, Your Highness.”
Lily and God Hand responded hurriedly. Then Ash took a breath and inhaled.
“And boys. I’ll give you some serious advice. Listen carefully.”
After that, it made a strange noise.
“Don’t talk about marriage before a big battle!”
“… ?”
“That’s a danger flag! If you want to live long, discuss it when there is no big battle! It’s a story that I’m really worried about, so keep that in mind! okay?!”
I know roughly what the story is about.
Lily, who was looking at Ash with dumbfounded eyes, murmured shyly.
“Hey, by the way, Your Highness. This city is attacked by monsters all year round… … ?”
“yes.”
“If so, when are we supposed to talk like this?”
“… That’s right.”
Ash lowered his finger shyly and quietly opened the door and went outside.
“okay. Then let’s talk about what we were talking about… … See you guys later… … .”
Click.
The door is closed.
“… .”
“… .”
In the hellish awkwardness that followed, God Hand and Lily kept their silence.
The two lovers swallowed their respective cups of honey water and were lost in thought, unable to meet each other’s eyes.
and.
“… .”
“… .”
Looking at the two of them, Burnout and Body Bag, hidden in the corner of the dorm, couldn’t find the timing to go out.
“I’ve been waiting for you since before… When should I go out… … ?”
“… .”
“Ugh, I want to go to the bathroom… .”
Burnout patted his stomach as Body Bag was in pain. It meant hungry.
The two young elves looked at each other again. Lily and God Hand were still avoiding each other’s gaze without speaking.
Hiding behind the wall in the corner again, I thought of the body bag and burnout at the same time.
‘Adults have a lot of difficult things.’
***
Manor house.
backyard garden. gymnasium.
Lucas and Evangeline were training with wooden swords and wooden spear shields in this place, which was more expanded and polished than before.
Even though it was still midwinter, Lucas was wearing short sleeves and Evangeline was wearing a sleeveless shirt that left her arms exposed. Both were drenched in sweat.
widely! Tadat! Chew!
Without a single conversation, they only exchange glances with each other and share sums with weapons.
This moment when attack and defense come and go like a catch ball, and each other is completely immersed in the flow of attack and defense –
“Invade this body~!”
Quylan suddenly appeared and jumped in.
“?!”
“Eek what!”
Jumping between the two puzzled knights, Quylan smirked and sprayed a fist.
Lucas and Evangeline were surprised, but easily countered his attack and counterattacked again.
After a brief cacophony, the three of them started exchanging attacks with each other again like flowing water.
In the meantime, thanks to fighting together in practice and training, breathing with Quylan was quite good.
The three avant-gardes soon fell into a state of trance and continued their unison.
In the middle of such a picturesque three-way battle-
“I’m intruding too~!”
Suddenly Ash jumped in.
“Master?!”
“Are you a senior?!”
“Whoa! Leader! How dangerous!”
As the three frightened people hurriedly retracted their attacks, Ash, who had dug in, took out his magic wand [Maestro] and lightly hit the three on the shoulders one by one. clap clap clap!
It was stinging, but [Maestro]’s special effect gave it a random buff.
As the three looked at Ash in bewilderment, Ash grinned and shrugged.
“Yah-! Morning exercise is refreshing. Anyway, since I hit you one by one, did I win?”
“Ah Captain! This is a foul, a foul!”
“Yeah, no. Surprise is also an effective strategy in practice. I won at the point where you got hit by my cane.”
Evangeline yelled at Ash, who was trying to force himself.
“Seniors! You decided to exercise together and then went somewhere else! The morning workout session is over!”
“Yeah, I’m going out again anyway. Senior, you are busy. Exercise next time.”
“You’re running away again, you rogue senior! Poor health man!”
“Yeah~ Yes, I’m the bling bling prince~”
Ash groaned and skillfully teased Evangeline before chinning Lucas.
“Gather everyone in the drawing room by noon. This is a defense meeting.”
“My lord, that word… .”
“We almost have all the tools we can use for this defense. So, the planning of the operation is over. Today is the delivery.”
Ash waved his hands and hurried toward the carriage prepared in the courtyard.
“Then, have a good morning training! See you later!”
“… .”
“… .”
“… .”
The three of them, who were looking towards Ash, looked at each other again.
The sweat hasn’t cooled down yet.
The time for the buff magic Ash gave me was running out. If possible, I want to move more while the buff is applied.
The doctor passed without a word. After exchanging glances, the three busily swung their attacks at each other again.
***
Cross Road Downtown. Inn ‘Etty’s Honey’.
One floor here was completely occupied by wizards.
Currently, the number of battle mages belonging to the Crossroads is six in total. Except for Lily, who is the senior magician among them, five.
All five of them were staying at this inn.
And all five of them were now rushing into Junior’s room.
‘… How did it happen?’
Junior swallowed his saliva while wearing a cone-shaped hat.
Right now, in front of her, four young wizards, boys and girls, similarly wearing cone-shaped hats, were wrapping their heads while writing something on a scroll.
“Juju sister! I don’t understand this formula!”
“Jooju sister! Can’t you just explain the magic operation one more time?!”
“sister!”
“sister!”
Young wizards chirped like chicks begging for food. Junior felt like crying a little.
These four wizards were wizards from the magic academy of a nearby city.
Beginners who managed to use one attribute magic, which is unreasonable to be called a proper wizard.
As soon as they turned 16 or 17, they were poor enough to throw themselves into the front lines to earn money with magic in their hands that they hadn’t fully learned.
Although he was hired, he had not been able to go to the front line yet because of his poor fighting ability. This time, these children came to find Junior.
They want to do their part as well, so please teach them.
I thought of myself in the past, and also of my younger siblings back home, so I accepted it… … There was a problem.
It was true that Junior was a typical genius wizard. In addition, he grew up self-taught without a good teacher.
That’s why I had no experience or talent to teach someone.
Mana management, which was as natural as breathing for her, was possible for ordinary wizards after complex theoretical understanding.
However, Junior had the experience of growing up and comforting his younger siblings in his hometown.
He had accumulated know-how in dealing with young children.
Junior taught the children while establishing his magic theory from the ground up.
Young wizards learned her theory, which was very much focused on practice, like a sponge sucking up water.
“Juju sister! Be really great! You said you came up with this theory by yourself?”
“Jooju sister! Are you a genius?!”
“Juju, she is a god!”
“Jooju! Juju!”
Ju… … don’t call me juju slowly getting embarrassed Just say Junior.
As Junior trembled with his face reddened, the young wizards became more excited and chanted her nickname.
A clear male voice suddenly intervened in the gap between the young voices that were getting louder and louder.
“Jooju! Juju!”
“… .”
Junior, startled, glanced at him, and Ash was standing there.
Ash, who had been chanting after Junior’s nickname, hurriedly cleared his throat when he was caught by Junior. Junior gnashed his teeth.
“majesty… What’s going on here… … ?”
“Kuhm! No, I just came to announce. There is a meeting at noon, so all of you come to the manor house.”
“I understand, Your Highness… .”
As soon as Junior lowered his head, Ash shouted again with a mischievous face.
“Jooju! Juju!”
“… .”
Flaw!
Lightning flashed from Junior’s fingertips, smiling like a fox. Ash hurriedly ran away.
***
North of the city. shelter.
A place currently used as a base for refugees from the Principality of Bringer.
Here, in the central tent, Dusk Bringer and her dragon blood knights were having a meeting.
“I have been in contact with the Knights of my home country.”
The head knight of the Dragon Blood Knights – the gray-haired old knight Endymion reported. It was about the situation inside the Duchy of Bringer.
“Thanks to both Lark and the 1st Legion’s focus on the civil war in the Empire, resistance within the home country is now beginning to find vitality.”
“Even if they are trampled and trampled, it is indeed the people of wine that rise again.”
A bitter smile crossed Dusk Bringer’s lips.
“The king fled to the next country like this… .”
“Because Your Excellency is alive, the people of my home country have not let go of their hopes. Do not beat yourself up for this.”
Endymion cleared his throat and continued.
“Anyway, there aren’t many of them, but they say they’ve sorted out some troops. There are about 10 knights and 500 troops.”
“… .”
“As the knights who survived until the end, they are the most elite of the best. Enough to raise the beacon of a counterattack again in the home country.”
Endymion scrutinized Dusk Bringer’s notice.
“What shall I do, Your Excellency? Even if you go back to your home country… … .”
“no. I am not going back right now.”
Dusk Bringer placed a hand over his slender body.
“Anyway, as long as I have dragon blood in my body, and as long as that damned imperial emperor-Traha and his first and second sons are aiming for this dragon blood, the invasion will resume at any time. It’s not the best idea to go back right away and recapture the duchy. Anyway, if they set their mind to it, they’ll just be trampled on again.”
“What if?”
“… I have an idea.”
Dusk Bringer glanced at the walls of the Crossroads visible through the open tent.
“The future of our Principality of Bringer lies here on the monster front.”
not exactly.
It belongs to the lord of this place, 3rd Prince Ashe.
Having inherited dragon blood, she had a hunch. Now is the time of destiny, and this is the place of destiny.
“Call all available forces here to the Crossroads and gather them.”
The faces of the knights became stunned when they were told to bring their home country’s troops here. Endymion asked cautiously.
“Are you thinking of hitting the Crossroads here and putting it under our dukedom?”
“Do you see me as a man who is so easygoing?”
Dusk Bringer growled, baring his sharp teeth.
“Here on the southern front they accepted us and the refugees. He is one of our few friends in this world. What will be left if we look behind them?”
“… .”
“I am the Dragon Lady. I will not forget grudges or grace.”
Revenge for grudges.
repay the favor.
It is paid back with double interest. That is the dragon’s way.
“We are mobilizing all we can to help stop this monster invasion. no.”
The knights were even more surprised by the words that followed.
“We, the Principality of Bringer, unite here with the southern front until the end of this monster war.”
“yes?”
“His Excellency, why is it so… .”
Didn’t the monster’s invasion continue over the past hundreds of years? Do you know when this monster war will end and continue to apply?
In this situation where the home country, the Principality of Bringer, is being trampled under the feet of the empire… … .
“Trust the wine. This is the way to save our Principality of Bringer.”
Dusk Bringer said confidently.
‘Everything is inevitable.’
The appearance of a black dragon at the base of the monsters.
The fact that he, the last enemy dragon, had to defect here.
There are no coincidences. It just happened what had to happen.
As if the karma of dragon blood was passed on to herself, who was once an ordinary human girl… … .
“Well, and in fact, it is unavoidable.”
A smirk crept across Dusk Bringer’s lips.
“Because wine is the ‘honorary knight’ of this city… … There is also a duty to save from the invasion of monsters.”
“… ?”
The dragon blood knights looked at each other in puzzlement at the incomprehensible sound. Dusk Bringer laughed without bothering to explain.
It was then.
Kik-!
There was the sound of a carriage stopping outside, and someone jumped out and broke into the barracks without hesitation.
“Good morning everyone!”
Ash appeared, facing the rising morning sun from behind.
Looking at the young prince’s sparkling black hair and the smile beneath it, Dusk Bringer suddenly thought.
The smile of the previous Duke of Bringer who inherited dragon blood from her.
That smile too – it shone like the sun.
It was so beautiful.
“Convocation, convocation! Please come to my mansion by noon today!”
