After the funeral procession concluded, I visited every newly made grave.
"Prince Ash."
In front of one of the graves, a man, silently stroking his fine beard, turned to look at .
It was Valen, the leader of the Southern City-State Alliance.
"Lord Valen."
As I approached and called his na, he glanced briefly at the new grave in front of him. I looked at the grave as well.
It was the grave of the rcenary group, Insect Busters, who had joined us in the defense battle thanks to Valen's introduction.
Experts in pest extermination, yet during the first battle at the forward base, five rcenaries were unfortunately captured by the King of Flies.
Unable to retrieve their bodies, they were buried in empty coffins, and having no ties to this city, there were hardly any mourners.
Only Valen stood in vigil, as if he were the chief mourner.
After a mont of silence, Valen spoke up.
"The Insect Busters."
"Yes."
"Truth be told, I had no personal acquaintance with them."
"Yes."
"I had only heard of their reputation before I scouted them to co here."
Valen let out a long sigh.
"It feels strange."
"How so?"
"It feels like I've led them to their deaths. To a very lonely and isolated end."
"..."
"It's not just them. Of all the soldiers I've brought over ti, not many have survived."
A hot wind blew by.
With my hair tousled by the late sumr gust, I asked him.
"Do you regret it?"
"As the leader of the Southern City-State Alliance, I shouldn't. But on a personal level... Yes, I regret it."
Valen murmured bitterly, looking at .
"Even just recruiting soldiers brings such pain, I can only imagine how much more distressing it must be for you."
"No matter how much my heart may burn, can it compare to the grief of the bereaved? Can it compare to the agony those who died felt in their final monts?"
How could it compare?
No matter how much my heart may burn...
I briefly paid my respects in front of the Insect Busters' grave. After finishing my mont of silence and raising my head, Valen asked .
"Your Highness, will there be many more deaths to co?"
"There will be."
"Honestly, it feels like my heart might break."
"..."
"The thought of that giant monster scares , and the pain of losing the people I've brought... It's shaful. To feel this way and still be the leader of an organization."
"There's no need to feel ashad. It's only natural for a human being."
"What should I do? Can people as weakened as I am continue to fight?"
I thought of Candler. How she, having once fled, miraculously returned and fought again.
Such miracles, such sacrifices... I can't demand them of everyone.
"There's about two months left until the next battle."
I changed the subject.
"Take that ti to collect your thoughts, Lord Valen. To see if you can continue to fight, or..."
Or...
Even if you choose to leave, I can't hold you back.
Valen, and all those who have fought here so far. I know better than anyone that they have already done their best.
That they have fought hard enough.
That it's enough for their hearts to be broken. Because I know.
Hesitating for a mont, Valen replied with a bitter smile and bowed to .
"I will do that, Your Highness."
***
When the southern wall collapsed.
Many were unable to evacuate in ti or were swept away by the collapse. Half of the casualties in this battle occurred here.
Among those caught in the collapse were magicians.
"..."
Junior, with reddened eyes, looked at the grave in front of her. In front of the grave, two young magicians were lying face down, wrapped in bandages, crying.
They were the young magicians who had ford a party under Junior, learning magic from Junior and Dearmudin.
When the wall collapsed, these young magicians, not yet physically hardened, were caught in the disaster.
Eventually, two died and two were injured like this.
Junior quietly approached the crying young magicians and stroked their shoulders. The three of them cried together.
"..."
Standing behind them, Dearmudin stared blankly.
"The children die, and the elderly survive."
His hollow murmur dispersed into the sumr wind.
"The children die, and the elderly survive..."
"..."
I stood quietly beside him, paying my respects.
There was nothing else I could do but mourn.
***
Skuld and Kellison.
The imperial-style funeral was not held for the Elf Queen and the Dwarf King. Instead, we held separate funerals, each adhering to the distinct customs of their respective races.
Skuld's wooden coffin was filled with white flowers, while Kellison's tal coffin was stacked high with gold coins.
Yet, no matter the form or the order of service.
The human heart is the sa.
Elves holding hands and singing their holand's mournful songs, Dwarfs silently pouring cherished tals into the coffin, all were crying.
Verdandi and Kellibey, dressed in mourning clothes, tried to hold strong but eventually shed tears.
"..."
After paying my respects in front of their coffins, according to the customs of their races.
As I turned to walk away, I saw a towering figure with blue hair in the distance.
It was King Poseidon XIII of the rfolk.
As I approached, the rking spoke.
"I underestimated them."
"..."
"I thought less of them because they were younger or seed weaker... I secretly looked down upon them. I thought I was the best here, among the kings gathered for being of different races."
Instead of his usual sign language, King Poseidon XIII expressed himself fluently in spoken language.
"But that was not the case at all. Those two were far greater kings than I."
"..."
"To sacrifice their lives to save their subjects, to save the world... Even if I had such power, I wouldn't have been able to do the sa."
King Poseidon shook his head, openly admitting his feelings.
"I'm ashad of myself for presuming too much."
"Their sacrifice is noble and grand. However."
I stood beside King Poseidon, watching the coffins being lowered into the ground together.
The two deceased kings had left wills.
They requested to be buried here upon their death and to be reburied back in their holand after the world had been saved. Just like that.
Watching the tombs being made in each one's style, I continued.
"That doesn't an those of us who survive should feel guilty. We shouldn't regret not having died like them. That wouldn't be what they wished for."
"..."
"What they've left behind, what we need to carry forward, thats what's more important."
King Poseidon exhaled deeply, his hand trembling slightly as he held his trident like a staff.
"What did they want to leave behind in this world by sacrificing their lives..."
After bowing deeply towards the completed tombs.
King Poseidon, straightening his back, murmured heavily.
"Our rfolk need to reflect on this as well."
***
After visiting the tombs of all the heroes and soldiers,
I visited Burnout's grave again last. I had been concerned because Bodybag had been crying so sorrowfully when I was here earlier.
As the sun dipped towards the west, painting the graveyards red with the sunset.
Bodybag, dressed in black mourning clothes, was crouching in front of Burnout's grave. In front of her, Lilly was sitting in a wheelchair, also dressed in mourning attire.
"Oh!"
Holding her young son, Sid, in her arms.
The child, too young to understand the nature of a funeral, flailed his limbs innocently. He was growing quickly but was still small.
"Godfather is here, Sid."
"Wah!"
"Ah, Your Highness! You've co."
After waving back to Sid and Lilly, I headed towards Bodybag.
"Oh, my back."
Standing all day was tiring. I groaned and plopped down next to Bodybag on the ground.
"..."
Bodybag glanced at with reddened eyes and nodded slightly. I gently stroked her light green hair.
After a mont of silence, Bodybag slowly began to speak.
"Your Highness."
"Yes."
"My codena, Bodybag, ans 'corpse bag'."
We listened quietly as Bodybag struggled to speak.
"Its the bag used to collect and carry the dead comrades. And true to my codena, all my comrades have died, and I have carried their deaths, surviving alone."
"..."
"I'm scared now. To beco soone else's comrade. To beco close to soone else. In fear that they might die. That they, too, might end up in my body bag..."
Bodybag's face buried into her forearm.
"All my comrades are dead. There's no way their deaths aren't my fault."
"..."
"I'm scared... Maybe it would be better for to die quickly too, to join them... Then, no more..."
I placed my arm over the trembling Bodybag and slowly began to speak.
"Bodybag. Do you know what the role of a body bag is? It's to safely return the deaths of allies to their holand."
"..."
"That's why you can't die. You must live, live long, to rember the deaths of your comrades... their lives."
Bodybag's trembling eyes t mine. I nodded slowly.
"Just as Burnout wished, Bodybag. Survive. Survive and prove it. That Shadow Squad existed here. That all five of you lived here."
"..."
"That we are fighting here, exactly you."
After a while, Bodybag asked in a faint voice.
"Is that... enough?"
"I don't know."
I smiled wryly.
"But let's start from there."
"..."
"It's okay to stay hunched over for a bit longer. Let's slowly stand back up. On these ruins. Together."
That's when Sid, who had been looking this way from Lilly's lap, began to flail, reaching out his hands.
With an unintelligible babble similar to "Ah-ah," Sid's small, chubby hand touched Bodybag's wan cheek.
Bodybag stared blankly at Sid.
Light green mixed with a faint brown - Sid's eyes, very much like his father, Godhand.
A faint smile passed over the tearful Bodybag's lips. Sid laughed heartily, pressing his palm against Bodybag's cheek.
"..."
Quietly smiling at this scene, Lilly suddenly turned her gaze towards the graves.
As if searching for a grave that wasn't there.
The nonexistent grave of Godhand, still officially missing but whom everyone had already accepted as dead.
***
The ceasefire period proposed to us by the Black Dragon Night Bringer lasts until the next great flood.
In other words, until right before the next boss stage - Stage 40.
Stages 36, 37, 38, 39... It ant skipping four defense battles without fighting.
Of course, taking the monster's words at face value isn't safe, but it seems like he's the type to keep his word faithfully. So, we've gained so respite, to an extent.
Roughly two months...
After the funeral, in the evening.
I visited Serenade.
The Silver Winter rchant Guild's Crossroad branch was busy. They had been deployed at the forefront of the reconstruction efforts.
Continuously incoming supplies were being carried out again by the workers.
Passing through that busy scene.
"Serenade."
"Your Highness! If you had sent word, I would have co out to et you..."
"How could I when you're so busy."
Entering Serenade's office, I imdiately made a request.
"I have a request. Send a proclamation to every country, every city, every village in the world."
"A proclamation, you say?"
"Call it a notice or even an advertisent, but there's sothing we need to announce to the whole world on a grand scale. Can you do it?"
"Of course. It's not a difficult task. Leave it to ."
Pulling out fresh paper from her desk, and clutching a quill in her hand stained with ink from the day's hard work.
Serenade looked up at , her silver eyes sparkling behind the lenses of her glasses she wore whenever she worked.
"How should I write it, Your Highness?"
"Heroes Wanted."
Behind Serenade, the window with wooden blinds half-drawn.
Turning my gaze towards the window leaking in the sunset, I recited as I had thought.
"Financial compensation, high. Honor and glory, exceedingly high."
Serenades quill, fluently catching my words with elegant strokes, paused at my next statent.
"Survival probability, low."
"..."
"Success probability, exceedingly low."
...Rustle. Rustle.
The montarily halted writing resud as if nothing had happened. I, without showing any sign, continued.
"Yet, those who wish to save the world. Those who have sothing they must protect. For everything they love, to stand against destruction, to fight the world's worst monsters."
I concluded.
"Without exception, all should co to the world's southern end, Crossroad."
"..."
"By the na of Ash Born Hater Everblack, commander of the World Guardian Front."
My speech ended, and the writing by Serenade eventually stopped as well.
Silence descended in the office.
Serenade looking down at the sentence, and , watching the city through the window.
The sll of ink on Serenade's hands. The sll of paper. The scent of the bandages wrapped around . The dry sll of blood.
The distant noise of construction, the faint shouts of workers, and the elegies softly drifting in from the graves...
"Serenade."
Cutting through the silence between us, I suddenly asked.
"If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you do today?"
"..."
Serenade slowly lifted her head, and I turned my gaze from the window to her.
Our eyes t through the sunset streaming through the window.
After a mont of thought, she spoke.
"I'd... hold a festival in this city."
"And?"
"I would dance with you. Until the mont the world ends."
Serenade smiled.
So, I smiled too.
"Then let's do that."
"Really?"
Stepping closer to the puzzled Serenade.
I took a new piece of paper from the table, took the quill from her hand, and wrote a second proclamation.
In about a month's ti, on the upcoming new moon.
There would be an autumn festival in Crossroad.
"Even if the world really were to end..."
I smiled, handing the completed proclamation to Serenade, who blinked in astonishnt.
"Would you still dance with , partner?"
Heroes Wanted.
And the announcent of the Autumn Festival.
Holding the two proclamations, Serenade looked at with reddened eyes for a long while... and then smiled brilliantly.
Late sumr was ending, and early autumn was approaching.
The third year's Crossroad Autumn Festival was drawing near.
--TL Notes--
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