Among the heroes, soldiers, and kings who remained .
We all cried and laughed and celebrated victory… and survival.
At the same time, he was saddened by the death of his comrades and the damage suffered on the front lines.
I wanted to continue to be intoxicated with the joy of victory under the bright sunlight again, but the damage that needed to be repaired was too great.
Cities were destroyed, walls collapsed, and people died. I immediately gathered those who could move and ordered them to take care of the situation.
“We will do it. No, please let us do it!”
Ordinary soldiers with relatively less injuries rushed forward.
In particular, the soldiers of the Aryan Kingdom were active at the forefront.
Although they were saddened by the destroyed city, they couldn’t help but rejoice in the fact that their country had been saved in the far north.
Those who survived were a mixture of those who were sad and those who were happy.
This battle was such a glorious defeat and such a crushing victory. It wasn’t strange that each person felt different emotions.
Looking at the faces of people with different colors… I felt fortunate.
I’m glad I can be sad and happy.
The world continues like this.
“Let’s fix the city first…”
I said, looking at the people moving around in the morning sunlight after the most urgent recovery orders were given.
“When the people who took refuge return and manpower is replenished from each country… we will also have to retrieve the bodies of the 30,000 warriors who died fighting the Black Dragon in the south.”
Most of the casualties of this battle were concentrated there. It must be resolved.
“Of course I will, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Jean Valen of the City-State Alliance, who had received and delivered my instructions along with the other kings, nodded.
Valen, who was hit by a direct hit from the first breath, looked like his beloved mustache had all burned off.
He had bandages wrapped all over his burnt body. But now he was standing next to me.
“Are you feeling alright, Lord Valen?”
When I asked carefully, Valen tried to touch his beard with his fingertips, as was his habit, but when he realized that his beard was burned and gone, he lowered his hand awkwardly and answered.
“Is there anyone decent here right now?”
“….”
“But living doesn’t end just because you’re not okay, right? “You have to do your job.”
He already lost his mind during the last Lord of the Flies match.
In this battle, he also suffered this many injuries. He was a person whom it was not strange to leave at any time.
But instead of running away right away, I was trying to do everything I could to the end.
“That’s because running away also requires courage.”
When asked carefully why, Valen answered as follows.
“I was born a coward, so I’m afraid of being criticized behind my back. “I want to do everything I can to show off as much as possible and then get rid of him.”
He spoke honestly and smiled awkwardly. I also smiled.
Because of people like this, the world will still survive.
“…A lot of people have died and been injured this time. No, there have been more deaths and injuries than ever before.”
As I muttered while looking at the south wall, which had been restored at best, but had collapsed again, Valen gave a stern voice.
“Even if it is full of scars, victory is victory, Your Majesty the Crown Prince. “Your Majesty has achieved a truly mythical feat.”
“….”
“So… leave the rest of the handling to us and go get some rest.”
He tapped me on the back and sent me deep into the city.
“Your Majesty, there are many other people who need to be comforted.”
I decided to be grateful for the consideration. All key instructions have already been given.
I was standing outside the castle walls and slowly walked inside the city. The destination was a temple.
‘Everyone must be in need of care.’
Injured heroes are also heroes, but recovering heroes who have once immersed themselves in darkness is also a problem.
If I had to express it in game terms, would I say that my darkness attribute propensity was completely exhausted? In this battle, it was useful due to the circumstances, but this also had serious side effects.
How should I neutralize this darkness? I walk while thinking.
“….”
Kelly Bay could be seen in the distance.
The old dwarf blacksmith was quietly looking up at the [Solid Superstition] attached to the front of La Mancha, which had made an emergency landing.
Instead of a face filled with regret or sadness… stay calm with a calm and peaceful face.
“….”
I headed into the city without bothering to talk to him.
Inside the south gate of the Crossroads was Verdandi.
She was carefully watering the buds that had bloomed at the base of the tree that remained where her sister Skuld had died.
Surprisingly, the sprout, which had been cruelly neglected in a snowstorm without sunlight, was still alive… and sparkled with young green as it received the water provided by Verdandi.
“….”
I didn’t even talk to Verdandi.
I walked inside the city, which was half ruined but full of people.
Diarmudin joins the surviving wizards and hugs each other and cries, and Kuilando meets the beast people, puts their arms around each other’s shoulders and shouts loudly.
At the entrance to the temple, Thorkell was arguing with a young priest over a broom, telling him to sweep it or to just rest…
I didn’t bother to comfort him. There was no comfort. I decided not to force them to stand up and drag them out of the darkness.
Because they seemed to already know where to look.
“….”
On the bench outside the temple, Lucas, who had received first aid treatment, was sitting with an expression on his face that looked like he was worried about something.
I quietly walked over and sat down next to him.
“Master…”
Lucas muttered for a moment, as if he had a lot to say, but then closed his mouth.
We sat on the bench for a while in silence, basking in the sun.
I also had a lot to say to Lucas. There were things to scold and things to praise. A story about the real Ash and a story about the fake me. There were a lot of them.
But we decided to open up about those things later and keep it simple for now.
“It was a lot of hard work.”
He said this.
I reached out my hand to Lucas, who was shaking, and tapped him on the shoulder. And he smiled.
“Good job.”
Then Lucas trembled…
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.”
“oh?”
I started crying ….
“Uh.”
He let out a polite, sad bear-like cry, so I laughed without realizing it. No, it’s a bit weird if the boss laughs while the subordinate cries.
I stood next to Lucas, who was crying with many emotions, and patted him on the shoulder for a while.
Life does not end just because you step into a dark swamp.
Is it just darkness? During the long journey of life, it is not uncommon to step on all kinds of dirt.
There is no need to get that frustrated or give up.
All you have to do is shake off your muddy shoes and walk to the next path again.
So I decided to wait for people to get out of the swamp on their own. Because I believe they are all looking straight ahead at where they need to go.
“Seniors!”
“Prince!”
“majesty-!”
At that time, the remaining main party members who had completed first aid inside the temple – Evangeline Damien Jr. rushed out.
There was so much to say to everyone, but first we each shared a hug.
“Let’s all sunbathe together!”
He pointed to the bench where Lucas sat.
Everyone looked like they didn’t know what was going on, but they followed my instructions and sat down on the bench. And right after that, his face cleared up.
“Wow, the sunlight….”
“Was it this warm and bright?”
“Shall we do nothing for a while and rest like this…”
The children who sat around Lucas said nothing, quietly basking in the sun, and silently comforted Lucas. Lucas chuckled and swallowed his tears.
After laughing at the main party members, I entered the temple.
I walked around the temple and interviewed wounded soldiers. However, it was not possible to meet those who were seriously injured.
Chain was like that, and so was King Poseidon, who returned under his own power through the teleportation gate. I had a lot to share with these two.
And above all, my father. Emperor Traha ‘Peacemaker’ Everblack.
The emperor, who personally drove the secret ship La Mancha, suffered more serious injuries than any other hero. Without any time to rejoice in victory, he was transported to the temple and has been undergoing surgery ever since.
“….”
As I looked at the tightly closed door inside the temple, I realized it again.
After this battle… a lot will change.
When we finished touring the temple and went outside, the main party members were dozing off under the sun, probably because they were tired from the fierce battle.
Even Lucas, who was whimpering, fell into a nap, making a sound as if he had run out of energy due to being mentally and physically exhausted and even crying.
Looking at the children sitting in a huddle, sleeping soundly with their heads resting on each other’s shoulders… I covered my mouth and laughed.
Thorkel quietly brought a blanket and I placed it on the children’s laps.
“I will wake you up in a reasonable amount of time.”
“Thank you, Thorkell.”
I also gently patted Thorkel on the shoulder.
“You had a hard time.”
Thorkel let out a silent, faint laugh and bowed his head to me.
As I left the temple and entered the main street, a carriage came and stopped in front of me.
“majesty!”
It was a carriage on the top of Winter Silver, the driver was Elise, and the person sitting inside was Serenade.
“It looks like you will be stopping by many places today, so we hastily airlifted the carriage.”
Serenade asked, smiling brightly as she opened the door.
“Where can I take you?”
I took a deep breath and turned my gaze to the north.
“To the north gate.”
I put my hand on my chest and looked back at the warmth inside… I let out in a firm voice.
“To the military camp of the Principality of Bringer.”
***
The military camp of the Bringer Duchy was quiet.
All the unharmed soldiers were deployed to the city restoration project, and the injured soldiers were in the temple.
And as if they knew I would come… the dragon knights were waiting for me with calm expressions.
“Welcome, Your Majesty the Crown Prince.”
Perhaps because the dragon’s blood was recovered, they did not have the strong power they once had.
Instead, he was detached… Like a dry tree standing under heavy snow, a strong will emanated from his eyes.
Four to three rows of dragon knights, who were noticeably older than before, saluted me. And immediately got to the point.
“Is your Excellency safe?”
“….”
Instead of answering, I spread my hand out and a red flame lit up in my hand.
The faces of the dragon knights who knew the meaning of this flame fell. Their strong, statue-like faces were filled with childlike sadness.
“ah…!”
I calmly declared to them as they sat down due to lack of strength in their legs.
“The ancestor Dusk Bringer bestowed his flame upon me.”
“….”
“And… he went to rest. “His body was recovered by me and preserved with magic.”
I tried my best to keep my voice from shaking as the three dragon knights fell to the ground and cried.
“As soon as manpower returns to this city, we plan to retrieve the bodies of all fallen soldiers as quickly as possible. The Archduke’s body will also be collected at that time… and a state funeral will be held in the Principality according to the tradition of the Principality of Bringer.”
The Dragon Knights, who were sobbing frantically, asked in watery voices.
“Then now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince…”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Now I am the heir to the Bringer Principality… “It’s Dawn Bringer.”
Then the three dragon knights roughly wiped their eyes, stood up, adjusted their appearance, and shouted,
“Loyalty!”
They all shouted in unison and got down on one knee in front of me.
“Meet the new Archduke Bringer!”
“Meet His Excellency the Archduke!”
“Meet His Excellency the Archduke!”
What does it mean to them that I, the crown prince of the Everblack Empire, have become the Duke of the Principality of Bringer?
Also, what does it mean to the people of the Principality of Bringer? How will it be received by the people of the empire and the world?
I didn’t know everything yet, but the Dragon Knights swore loyalty to me without hesitation.
“Please continue the great will of the previous Grand Duke…!”
“…I will. “It will definitely happen.”
I smiled and spoke with confidence.
“Because I am his son.”
At those words, relief flashed across the faces of the dragon knights, and they bowed their heads deeply towards me.
okay. This world is full of unknown things… but there are also certain things.
The fact that Dusk Bringer’s flame flows within me with her will.
– I love you, Ash.
I closed my eyes tightly, thinking back to her last words.
I will do so, Grand Duke.
Just like you said…just like that.
