Advent of the Three Chapter 138 The end of a long journey [2]

Chapter 138 The end of a long journey [2]

"Cough...! Cough!"

My chest ached.

Holding onto my mouth, blood dripped down from the gaps of my fingers.

Every part of

ached.

".....It's so beautiful."

"The scenery. It has changed so much."

I could hear the voices of the mbers of the first subjugation squad beside . They were staring at the scenery with brilliant gazes.

"Was that tree there before?"

"No, it wasn't."

"And what about that rock?"

"How would I know?"

"This waterfall?"

"It was."

They just wouldn't stop talking.

I stared at them while holding onto my chest.

"Cough...!"

The fight had been a hard one. We didn't manage to kill the Hellhounds, but that had never been our goal to begin with.

We just wanted to get out of there.

To...

Get back ho.

"Onward to Ellnor...! Hahaha."

Tud, Tud—!

The ground shook slightly. Turning around, I stared at the army of zombies following us from behind.

"You couldn't send them back...?"

"No."

Aurelia shook her head.

"I don't have enough mana."

".....That's fair."

She had been one of the most active in the last battle. It wasn't easy to hold back the Terror Ranked Hellhound. It was in fact a miracle for her to have been able to hold on after the last spell.

"What are you going to do once we go back?"

"....."

Aurelia didn't answer imdiately.

In that brief mont of silence, I noticed that everyone was looking at her.

Eventually, the words did leave her mouth.

"I don't know. I never really thought about it."

"You didn't...?"

"I thought I'd be stuck here forever."

Strangely, Aurelia's steps seed light as she walked.

".....I do have a little brother though. I wonder how he's doing. I rember telling him to keep count of the amount of ti I would be gone for. Is he still keeping count?"

"Pftt, as if. He probably stopped counting a week in."

Daphne placed her hand over Aurelia's.

"You're such an adorable little thing. Even after so much ti passed, you're still the sa."

"Stop."

Aurelia brushed Daphne's hand away.

"Hehe, look at this cutie~"

Daphne ended up hugging Aurelia tightly as she struggled under her embrace.

"Ugh...!"

"Hahaha! Let

join!"

"No!"

"Akh!"

"Hur. Hur."

I stood to watch the scene with a smile. They looked like a family. A happy family of four.

"What about you...?"

And then, their attention turned to .

"What are you going to do?"

".....What am I going to do?"

I wonder about that.

"Probably go back to the Academy."

Everyone besides Leon probably thought I was dead. But would they even care if I was dead...? I could still recall the faces of a few, but to what extent did they care?

"Haha."

I really didn't know.

"I also want to go back ho."

"Oh, right. You're quite young yourself. I didn't really take note of it considering our situation."

Liam walked around , closely patting my body in the process.

"Wow, what muscles."

"Did you say muscles...?"

"Crap! Stop him! He's going to—"

It was too late. Shoving Liam aside, Gork started patting my body all over.

"Wow! They're so developed muscles! I couldn't tell before, but you have so talent."

Smack—!

His thick hand smacked against my back, and I winced in pain.

"Ukh!"

"Hur! Hur! When you co to visit , I'll make sure to teach you how to develop your muscles further."

"Stop it! Can't you see he's injured?"

"Cough...!"

Coughing, I glared at Gork who awkwardly turned his head.

"Uh, yeah."

"Anyways~"

Daphne turned to look at .

"You're welco to visit us anyti."

"Haha, yeah. Co visit us. Our journey is about to end, but that doesn't an that we shouldn't see each other again."

"There's no need to be so reserved. We still haven't taught you a thing. Only Aurelia had that pleasure."

Seeing them look at

like that, I could only shake my head.

"....Fine."

I was planning on visiting regardless.

"Co now! Our journey is almost over!"

"Let's go back...!"

Punching the air, Gork and the rest rushed ahead.

I stared at their back for a mont before shaking my head.

These guys...

They were such children.

Our journey continued.

The scenery continued to change.

Sotis we'd stop to observe it. I had seen the scenery before, but it had been with different people.

"That's another new thing."

It was nice to see them enjoying the journey.

".....I wish this journey lasts longer."

Aurelia smiled beneath the hood as she spoke.

"It's so pretty..."

The wind blew, and her hood fluttered.

"Julien."

My gaze t with hers.

In that mont, I could see a change in her.

For once, her cold facade seed to lt ever so slightly.

"It had been so long since I'd seen the outside world. I used to take it for granted, but..."

The wind blew again.

Her hood fluttered further.

".....I didn't know it was so pretty."

Right.

I turned my head to stare in the direction of where she was looking at.

'It's pretty indeed.'

Rocky peaks jutted into the sky, casting long shadows over the landscape. Besides us, a small stream flowed gracefully, its clear waters winding through the valley.

Trees flourished, their leaves rustling in the breeze.

"....."

Without a sound.

I imprinted the sight into my mind.

And then...

Several figures appeared in the distance.

They stared at

for a mont before rushing towards .

"J-Julien...?"

The first one to co was Professor Hollowe. He seed startled by my appearance. He probably didn't think I was still alive.

"Julien? Isn't that the na of the cadet that died?"

Another figure appeared.

I didn't know who he was, but I could more or less guess.

"You didn't die?"

I opened my mouth, but no words ca out.

My lips were parched.

How long had it been since I had last drunk sothing?

Before I could even say anything, a figure rushed from behind.

"Haaa... Haaa..."

I recognized him in an instant.

It was Captain Travis.

"You...!"

His eyes seed to be fixed on Aurelia. There seed to be a deep seethed hatred in his eyes as he looked at her.

That was when I finally found my voice again.

"W-wait."

All attention fell on .

Before I could say anything else, the wind blew again.

Swoosh—

Aurelia's hood fluttered again, finally falling back to reveal her features.

".....Ah!"

Captain Travis's face underwent a dramatic change in that mont.

"S-sister...! H-how...!?"

I could tell he had recognized her.

I felt my head ache.

Just as I was about to explain, he rushed towards

and grabbed

by the collar.

"What happened?!"

His voice was hoarse as he spat to my face.

"Y-you, it's you isn't it?"

His grip on my clothes tightened.

"You're the fucking necromancer, aren't you? The one fucker who has been screwing with us for so long...! It-it's you...!"

"....."

I didn't reply.

Logically speaking, his accusations made no sense.

I was still young. The necromancer had been haunting the town for thirty years. It was a stupid assumption to begin with.

Even so...

I couldn't find the words to reply.

And as if he knew too, his grip on my clothes wakened.

".....W-why is she here? Y-you disappeared and then ca back. E-veryone thought you were dead, but explain to

this..."

He pointed at Aurelia and the others.

"Why are they all dead?!"

"....."

I took a mont to stare at him and the people behind him.

They were all looking at

with the sa skeptical gaze as he was.

I couldn't bla them.

Turning my head slightly, I fixed my gaze on the four other people who stood by my side. Without their hoods, I could see them clearly.

Their faces were pale, and their eyes were closed.

There was no trace of breath in them.

They were dead.

They had long been dead.

"...."

Overwheld, my chest trembled as I took in the sight. The mories of my ti with them flashed for a mont and I reached out, placing my hand atop the captain's before finally finding my voice again.

"My na is Julien Dacre Evenus."

In the silence, I spoke. Not to Travis, but to the unfamiliar man that I presud was from the Empire.

"I've co back with them to relay important information to the mbers of the Empire."

"....."

"These people over here are the mbers of the first subjugation squad."

I introduced each mber one by one.

"Aurelia Blackwood, Gork Staten, Liam Markken, and Daphne Richards."

I spoke slowly.

"They, the first subjugation squad, had been wiped out during their expedition with the exception of Aurelia Blackwood who beca the sole survivor. A Rock Dragon was found at the entrance of the Mirror Crack."

"W-what...?"

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Captain Travis's voice cracked as his grip on my clothes further loosened.

I turned to look at him.

"For thirty years, she kept the Dragon sealed. For thirty years, she..."

I pursed my lips and looked behind .

"....Tried to bring the dead back to their families."

"A-ah..."

"And for thirty years, she had been scorned for it."

The grip finally completely loosened.

I kept my gaze fixed on the Captain.

"I-I ask you a favor."

I clenched my teeth.

It was starting to get hard for

to speak.

A familiar pain washed over . It wasn't a physical one. Pursing my lips, I finally forced the words out.

"...Please welco them back ho. Their journey. I wish for it to finally end."

.

.

.

The cold pierced my skin.

A familiar road t my sight. We were close to the town walls.

"For how long did you know for?"

Aurelia's voice reached my ears.

"About what?"

"That we were dead."

"...."

How long had I known...?

"From the start."

".....Is that so?"

"Wow~ That's so unfair."

"Hur. Hur. Look at this guy. He's been happily talking to himself the entire ti."

"....."

Everyone's voice continued to reach my ears.

But the only one that I could focus on was Aurelia's.

".....I'm sure everyone will be disgusted by what I did."

Her voice.

It was so clear.

"I've been thinking."

On the day that the raid failed, she knew the Rock Dragon would eventually attack the town.

Too weak to seal it, she used her life force.

That day,

She died.

"How could anyone accept us in the state that we are?"

In the last monts before her death, she used [Corpse Control] on herself.

With that, she was able to remain faintly conscious.

"Had I been stronger, would all of this have been avoided?"

That day,

She lost her voice.

"Would I have been able to warn them?"

The Hellhounds never attacked her for a simple reason.

They only attacked the living.

But without her voice, she couldn't stop the subjugation squads from coming.

In the end, everyone who ca died.

".....Would things have been different then?"

From the mont soone dies, their life force depletes.

To keep the Dragon sealed, she used their life force.

And with ti, her strength increased.

So did the number of people that died.

"Would I have been able to send them all back to their families?"

The attacks...

They had never really been attacks.

It had just been her attempt at trying to send the dead back to their family.

"Hey, Julien."

Aurelia's voice grew faint.

"Thank you."

"....."

"Talking to you. For the past few days, I felt like I was alive again. Even if I'm just a creation through of mories that you've seen."

"....."

"You didn't hate

for being cold, right?"

I shook my head.

"No."

"That's good. I'm tired of being hated."

".....I will never hate you."

A familiar set of walls appeared in the distance.

They were tall, and grand.

"It's been so long..."

Aurelia muttered faintly.

"....Ho."

In the silence,

We stepped through the gates.

Thousands of eyes stopped on us as we entered. All of us.

Standing on each side, they looked at us.

The citizens of Ellnor.

It was a scene that was reminiscent of one from a mory I had buried deep in my mind. The mory of the ti when the first subjugation squad had been sent out.

But in contrast to the warm atmosphere from back then, this one felt cold.

At least, until...

Clap—

Soone clapped.

Clap, Clap—

What followed the first clap was a second, and before I knew it, the entire town had started to clap.

Clap, Clap, Clap—

Amidst the welco of the crowd, the cold that pierced the world seed to have shattered.

What replaced it was a comfortable warmth.

But our journey wasn't over yet.

There was still one last step.

"Stop."

Adorned in brand new clothes, Captain Travis stood in front of us. That was when we all stopped.

"..."

The clapping stopped, and silence took over the place.

Without a sound, Captain Travis stared at Aurelia.

Fiddling with the pocket watch in his hand, he took a deep breath.

"15.598,467 minutes."

His voice echoed loudly throughout the entire town.

"That's how long it took for you to co back. Not a day has passed where I didn't count each minute. Like I promised, I didn't leave. I stayed here to wait for your return..."

Despite his best attempts, his voice eventually cracked.

"....I-I stubbornly waited each day. Even as the years passed for your return. Despite everyone telling

that you had died, I knew you would return. I... I..."

Drip. Drip.

Tears started to fall down the side of his face.

"M-my sister promised . O-f course she'd return."

Keeping his face straight, he tried his best to stop the tears from spilling.

But that proved to be an impossible task.

"I-t must've been so painful. To hold on for so long despite everyone hating you. A lot of ti has passed, and we thought we had sowhat moved on, but..."

Lifting his head, he looked around.

He took in the expressions of the citizens as they looked at the familiar faces of the undead.

"S-seeing everyone return, you've finally given all of us closure. A-and for that, thank you. As the town's captain, I..."

Forcing a smile, the Captain brought his arm to his forehead in a salute.

Drip...! Drip.

As his tears stained the ground, he stared at Aurelia.

"S-sister no... Aurelia Blackwood. As the Captain in charge of Ellnor, I welco you, and all the mbers of the subjugation squads back to Ellnor."

Drip.

"You can rest now. You've done your job."

"....."

In the silence that took over shortly after, I t gazes with Aurelia.

Despite knowing that she was dead, for a brief mont, I thought I saw a smile on her face.

Not just hers, but Gork's, Daphne's, and Liam's.

I didn't say anything to them and just nodded my head.

'Go.'

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The zombies at the back were the first ones to fall.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Gork, Daphne, and Liam followed shortly after that.

And lastly...

Thump!

Aurelia fell to her knees.

Without a sound, she stared into the distance.

"I can rest now...?"

Her voice yet again reached my ears.

"You can."

I replied with a smile.

"Hehe, it's a pity."

"What is...?"

"I-I wanted to enjoy the scenery for a bit longer, but..."

She looked at her brother and all the citizens of the town.

"....This is good too."

The cold returned.

It pierced at my skin.

Aurelia took one last look at the town before finally falling over.

Thump!

That day.

All mbers of the 255 subjugation squads returned.

At the helm of it all was Aurelia who brought them all back.

This was...

The end of a long journey.

Her journey.