Ugh...
Evangeline looked quite pale. Perhaps it was due to her injuries and the strain of overseeing the funeral ceremony.
"Evangeline, are you okay?"
I approached her with a look of concern. She responded with a small, serene smile.
"Of course, Im fine. Whos the toughest person on this front? Isnt it ?"
With a hint of bravado, Evangeline lightly slapped the injured part of her body.
"Aaargh!"
She imdiately let out a horrifying scream and crumpled to the ground. What the...?
"Whyd you have to show off like that?"
"I... I... thought I was going to die just now... I swear I saw my fathers face..."
"You shouldve rested at the temple..."
She had been strongly advised to rest in the temple, but Evangeline insisted on taking charge of the funeral.
"But with Sir Lucas in that state, I had to step up."
Evangeline quickly got back up, her lips trembling as she tried to muster a smile. Beads of sweat poured down her face.
It seed she felt a heavy sense of responsibility for the outco of the recent defense battle.
Thats probably why she, despite her severe injuries, continued to push forward.
"...I was confident."
She muttered while looking at the newly dug graves.
"I had awakened, learned new skills, and I believed. I believed that our allies wouldnt get hurt anymore."
"..."
"If I had a shield. If I had a spear. I was sure I wouldnt lose anyone else. That was my confidence."
Evangeline bit her lower lip.
"I was wrong. I was complacent. I wasnt enough. I still have a long way to go."
"You did your best."
"I rushed forward despite being a shield knight. Instead of protecting our allies, I focused on annihilating the enemy. Yet, I couldnt even kill their leader, and hence couldnt protect our allies properly."
Evangeline was reflecting on her battle with Lunared.
"If I had done my job, I couldve stopped the enemys general at the northern wall, and naturally, the damage elsewhere wouldve been minimized."
"..."
"I am clearly at fault."
"Evangeline."
I softly reassured the young knight.
"You dont need to harbor such thoughts. Im the commander here. If I had properly understood the enemys intentions, we wouldnt have been scattered like this in the first place."
It was true.
Lucas, Evangeline, Damien.
The three, having awakened their ultimate skills, were imnsely powerful. But this ti, they couldnt unite. They had to fight separately.
Their combined synergy couldnt manifest.
If the three of them had complented each other on the sa battlefield, the defense battle would have played out differently.
"The fault is mine as the commander. The responsibility for the deaths during this defense lies with ."
But Evangeline shot a sharp look.
"Please, senior! Dont try to shoulder it all by yourself."
"What?"
"Do you already forget our conversation when I decided to stay on this front?"
Was she referring to when she decided to stay during Stage 3?
...At that ti, Evangeline had clearly said,
"Ive told you Ill shoulder the resentnt and responsibilities of the people youre trying to bear."
"..."
Yes.
She had said that.
"Im the heir to the Crossroad Margrave. Soday, I will govern this city."
"..."
"You dont have to give everything. But senior, please share a bit with ."
With her large erald eyes wide open, showing her pronounced canine teeth, Evangeline flashed a radiant smile.
"Its too heavy for you to bear alone, isnt it?"
"...Evangeline."
"Im here, and were by your side. Dont forget that."
It was then I realized.
She knew I was struggling alone and took the initiative to oversee the funeral to be by my side.
Her thoughtfulness and kindness left speechless.
Evangeline is growing up so fast.
... Though her height remained the sa.
Ahem.
We stood silently atop the hill, watching the settling graveyard. Most of the crowd had dispersed.
"Arent you reciting a poem today?"
Evangeline unexpectedly asked. I turned to her, puzzled.
"A poem?"
"Yes, like you did at my fathers funeral. I thought you might do it again this ti."
"..."
I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck.
She has a surprisingly sharp intuition. In truth, I had prepared a tribute poem, but the timing seed off.
"Want to hear it?"
"You have a pleasant voice. Go on!"
Evangeline closed her eyes, ready to listen, and cupped her ears. It felt a bit embarrassing given the setting.
Taking a deep breath, I began to recite my short poem.
Co closer, for we too shall beco fallen leaves soday,
Co closer, for the night approaches and the winds blow.
Autumn.
Death.
And the need for each other...
There were a few more lines, but I stopped there. Evangeline, who had been silently listening, smiled warmly.
"Its beautiful."
"You think?"
"Its lancholic but has its own charm."
As she shrugged, a red leaf fell beside Evangeline. Looking up at the tree, she murmured,
"Its already autumn."
"Yes. Its autumn."
When you joined us, it was just turning spring. Now, its already autumn.
Ti is relentless.
Have I used my ti aningfully?
Have I led the frontlines here properly?
"Senior!"
As I was about to lose myself in thought again, Evangeline playfully jumped in front of . I was startled.
"Geez! With your condition, move gently!"
"Get a new armor! Mines all wrecked!"
Before I could chide her more, I paused. Right, the golem armor Evangeline had been using was now in tatters.
"Dont worry. Ill get you the best one."
"And a shield and spear too! Theyre all worn out. Im not sure if they can be repaired."
"Dont fret about that either. Ill replace them to your liking."
I had a new armor in mind, and upgrades for her exclusive spear and shield were awaiting.
Youre going to grow even more, Evangeline.
Excited, Evangeline hopped around, but soon held her injured area, groaning in pain. Watching her, I thought:
Equipped, with her attributes set, taller, with a balanced physique, and...
Soon to be a Margrave of Crossroad.
Youll grow into a fine adult.
I grinned, seeing Evangeline mature ntally beyond recognition in the past six months.
...But when will she grow taller?
Youre the title character in the gas limited edition. Youll grow to match that title illustration, right? The cover isnt a scam, is it?
***
After most of the people had left the cetery, I headed towards Kurehas grave. Kuilan and the Penal Squads five mbers were still guarding the place.
"Kuilan."
Upon calling the na of Kuilan, who had a hood attached to his robe pulled down deeply, he slowly removed it. A face that seed a mix between a wolf and a human erged, yet unmistakably, it was Kuilan.
"Your Majesty."
"How was the funeral?"
"Perfect. There couldnt have been a better ceremony."
I had specifically ordered it. To give Kureha the best and most respectful send-off possible.
"When we reclaim our holand, we might relocate the grave, but for now, the funeral was too splendid to think about that."
Kuilan stared quietly once more at the grave of his brother that he had been observing all day.
"...Hopefully, he can rest a bit easier now."
"It would be good if that were the case."
While its hard to imagine what could console the dead, after all, funerals are more for the living than for the deceased.
"Im grateful for the wonderful funeral and for treating us like humans despite our current state."
Then, Kuilan hesitated before saying,
"But we probably cannot stay in this city."
"..."
I was at a loss for words.
Crossroad had been attacked by werewolves. Many had died.
In such circumstances, it was unlikely that the Danpunglang tribe, which shares the sa wolf blood, could live peacefully in the city. While they look quite different, they still share many similarities with werewolves. And those who had suffered the werewolf attack would definitely not be welcoming.
"Every two weeks following a full moon, well look like this...half-human, half-beast."
Kuilan gestured to his reddish, fur-covered hand.
"We may look like dogs shedding fur every season, but well turn into these wolf forms bi-weekly. The locals might find it terribly uncomfortable, dont you think?"
"..."
"But, it doesnt seem right to leave the front lines entirely, especially after what Your Majesty and the others have done for us."
Kuilan glanced at , deep in thought.
"What do you think we should do? I want to hear Your Majestys opinion."
"...There is one option."
I began slowly.
"It might be a bit strenuous for you all."
"Weve camped in rugged mountains and marshlands, survived while being pursued by the Imperial Army."
Kuilan grinned.
"Just tell us. Well follow."
The other mbers of the Penal Squad nodded in agreent.
I took a brief breath and said,
"Were going to establish a forward base. How about you guys stay on-site there?"
***
Forward Base.
It was situated near the lake, the very place where we had fought the Black Spider Legion during the tutorial.
Originally, this was the primary defensive line of the monster front here. Only those monsters that couldnt be stopped here flowed and struck Crossroad.
If we could only restore this damaged place, we could significantly reduce the monsters reaching the Lords Castle at Crossroad.
But, of course, the problem was its maintenance difficulty.
Right on the enemys doorstep, it was tasked with withstanding the enemys first wave head-on. If it ever fell, the stationed troops would be decimated.
Because it was so close to the enemy waves starting point, just sending materials for reconstruction was a tough job.
Given this, we had been preparing the required materials for a long while now, but the actual reconstruction work had been at a standstill.
Moreover, since the defenses had been successful for so long, there had even been thoughts like, Do we really need to pour money and manpower into restoring the forward base?
But the situation had changed.
In the recent defensive battle, the monsters had broken into the city. Civilians had been hard.
In protecting the civilians, soldiers had also fallen. I felt it deep in my bones.
The battlefield shouldnt be in the city. We must keep it as far from the city as possible.
We start constructing the forward base.
No matter how long it took, or how much money and materials were wasted. Human lives were more important than ti, money, or resources.
Kuilan, hearing my words, nodded in agreent.
"Sounds good! Since we have excess strength, we can certainly help with the base restoration."
"That would be truly appreciated."
"However, in return, build us a space in the forward base that only we can use. Thats reasonable, right?"
"Of course. Live in it like kings."
"Hahaha! Did you know my moniker was once the Bandit King? I already had plans to decorate it like a fortress!"
Kuilan, with a hearty laugh, tilted his head.
"So, how exactly does this restoration process work?"
"Normally, laborers would load the construction materials on carts, and then, mbers from the rchant Guild would begin the reconstruction."
Thus, in the ga, between stages and during tis without monster invasions, only then could you send laborers for the restoration.
Moreover, with travel taking three days each way, the actual ti for reconstruction work got even shorter. It was a long-term task.
"Lets use a shortcut."
I smirked devilishly, causing Kuilan to shiver.
"Youre generally such a good person, but sotis you laugh like a real villain, you know?"
"Lets skip discussing my grin, and just listen up."
It might not have been an option in the ga, but I believed it was entirely possible in this reality.
Planning a victory from outside the rules. And the first step was...
"Teleport Gates!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)