Crossroad. City center.
"Aaahhhh!"
Crying.
Serenade.
She clung tightly to , sobbing her heart out on my chest.
"Se, Serenade? It's okay, calm down..."
"Heuuuugh."
"This is hopeless. She's completely regressed to infancy."
I gave up trying to soothe Serenade and raised my hands in defeat.
Serenade's personal maid, Elize, rushed over and tried to comfort her.
"My, my lady. Everyone is watching, please calm down..."
"Aaahhhh."
"Uuuuh, please don't cry... You're making want to cry too... snff."
Elize wiped her reddened eyes and sniffled. Why did she have to cry too... Several characters were breaking down today.
Elize also failed. Serenade continued to cling to like a cicada, crying loudly. Elize gave up too, raising her hands and wiping her eyes before smiling at .
"Welco back, Your Highness."
"It's still too early to be relieved."
I smiled bitterly, looking at Serenade's tear-streaked face.
I couldn't tell her that I had died and co back to life, nor how much of the man she loved was left in .
Instead, I gently patted Serenade's back.
Everyone around us broke into a cold sweat seeing Serenade's pitiful state.
"Has the guild master always been like this...?"
"Maybe she's been holding it in all this ti..."
"I get it. This is the second ti Ash has gone missing and co back. How worried must she have been?"
Kellibey grumbled, patting my back roughly. Other heroes followed suit, hitting one by one, saying, 'This is for Serenade.'
Stop hitting , you guys! Lucas, don't just stand there with your arms crossed, do sothing!
"...I didn't want to see such a touching scene."
Crown, who had joined us, grumbled from behind, and Damien, next to him, rubbed his tear-filled eyes.
"Snff, snff... I'm sorry. This isn't the ti for this..."
Serenade finally cald down, sniffing and stepping back.
She was right. It was cute and heart-wrenching, but now wasn't the ti to be relaxed.
I carefully wiped Serenade's tear-stained face with a handkerchief and asked.
"Serenade, where is His Majesty the Emperor?"
Before I left for the expedition, I had inford the Emperor about the final strategy... Operation Night Closing.
I had advised him to consider it if all other defensive plans, from Plan A to F, failed.
And now, with all other plans rendered useless, had the Emperor prepared this final strategy?
"He is in the warehouse district, preparing the last strategy you left, Your Highness."
As expected, my father, the Emperor, didn't waste his experience!
"I also helped prepare it. This way, please."
Following Serenade's lead, we rushed over.
Amid the warehouses destroyed and burned by Night Bringer's breath, we saw a standing hangar.
Even though giant monsters were fighting outside the fortress walls, threatening to destroy the world, the production guild mbers inside the hangar worked tirelessly without even blinking.
And what they were working on was...
"...What?"
It was an airship I had never seen before.
It was much smaller than an aircraft carrier on Earth but had a similar shape.
The deck extended forward, and the hatch also opened forward, allowing heroes to co and go.
Overall, it looked like a mix between Alcatraz and Geronimo. The beautiful curved design and tightly fitted armor were like Alcatraz, while the bulky rear thrusters resembled those on Geronimo.
The weapons seed to be hastily attached. There were about ten machine guns capable of firing magic bullets at the front, and all available ammunition, including Dwarf-made guided missiles, were loaded in the back.
I gaped at the impressive airship that had suddenly appeared. Where did this thing co from?
"During the salvage and repair of Geronimo, we accumulated technology, gathered ancient information from across the continent, invited master craftsn from various races..."
Serenade lowered her voice and looked around cautiously.
"Ahem. The design plans we bought under the table from the Imperial Airship Fleet, and the core technology from an Imperial engineer we scouted... all combined to construct this new airship for the guild, Your Highness's personal vessel."
Serenade awkwardly explained, as if caught revealing a prepared birthday gift too soon.
I couldn't close my gaping mouth. They made a new ship just for from the start? I never expected this.
"Actually, it was barely flight-capable and far from complete, but His Majesty transferred many parts from Alcatraz, combined with Crossroad's magical construction techniques and the full capabilities of the production guild. Now, it can fully function as an airship."
As I approached, the production guild mbers, covered in oil and gri, stood up and saluted . I silently returned the salute.
Everyone had fought together without giving up until the very end.
‘I thought I'd be putting my father in the retired Alcatraz as a pilot and forcing it to move…’
I was truly taken aback and carefully examined the new ship. Serenade continued her explanation.
"It’s an assault landing ship designed prioritizing the deploynt and recovery of heroes. Its na is..."
She glanced sideways at .
"Please na it, Your Highness."
"..."
At that mont, a na ca to mind as if it had been predetermined. I slowly uttered it.
"La Mancha."
"La Mancha..."
Serenade rolled the na around in her mouth and tilted her head.
"What does it an?"
"It’s a aning we have to create from now on."
Then soone descended the new airship’s deck and approached .
"Now that it has a na, it just needs to launch."
It was, of course, the Emperor.
He looked at with his characteristic steel-like face, containing unexpected relief, and smiled through his beard.
"I was about to take this airship alone and charge into the sky, but now that you’re back, I should hand over the helm to you."
"I can't let you monopolize the first monuntal flight, Father."
Although I needed to stay here to deal with matters on the ground...
As I exchanged a silent father-son dialogue with the Emperor, soone cautiously called out to .
"Ash."
It was Kellibey. He gestured toward the Siren statue [Steadfast Superstition] he was dragging along the ground.
"Can I attach this to the bow?"
"Of course, Kellibey. I’d actually prefer it."
Kellibey's face brightened as he hurriedly dragged the statue to the front of the airship.
While Kellibey attached the statue to the bow and the production guild mbers made final adjustnts to the airship, I addressed the assembled heroes.
"We have no ti, I will explain Operation Night Closing! The plan is simple."
I felt like a peddler every ti I said ‘simple’ or ‘easy’, but this operation was genuinely straightforward.
It was just difficult to execute.
"All special forces will board this airship, La Mancha, and fly south… to approximately this point."
Pointing to the sky damaged by Naless's pillar of light on the map, I continued.
"The heroes on the ground will mark the exact target area. Then, you will pierce through the barrier at that point and keep ascending..."
Thud!
I tapped the map with my finger and finished the explanation.
"Slice through all the following barriers and break through to the highest point."
The Emperor, who had been listening quietly, chuckled.
"Easy to say."
Indeed. The operation’s outline was extrely simple, but its execution was far from easy.
We had to dive into the central area of the wicked darkness, where re proximity would corrupt the mind, and slice through the malevolent entities trying to corrupt us while soaring to the sky’s end.
‘But this battle is beyond easy or difficult. The ti to consider possibilities has long passed.’
It’s about whether we succeed or not. That’s all.
Whether fortunate or not, the current special forces heroes were already tainted by darkness in body and soul.
They could withstand the curses emanating from the dark barrier. Because their minds were already corrupted, they could endure additional corruption.
"No ti to waste. Prepare to launch imdiately!"
"Aye-aye!"
The special forces, without a word of complaint, imdiately gathered their equipnt and ran towards the airship.
Lunared hesitated, looking around nervously, but with many eyes watching, he groaned and reluctantly headed towards the airship as well.
‘Go, people of La Mancha.’
As I watched their retreating figures, I called out to Lucas, who was the last to grab his gear and leave.
"Lucas."
"Yes, my lord."
He stopped imdiately. I approached him.
"Rember this: It doesn't matter where you land or where you wander. Just don't forget what we were looking at."
I untied the tattered black flag of the World Guardian Front that had been fluttering on my banner and wrapped it around Lucas's left arm.
Lucas, looking at the long black flag fluttering like a ribbon from his left arm, stamred.
"But my lord, the flag..."
"I’m fine."
I smiled broadly.
"I always have it."
I patted Lucas on the back, still looking confused.
"Go, quickly! Open the path for !"
That seed to snap him to attention.
Even with the fierce face bearing traces of beastification, he gave his usual serious expression and bowed deeply.
Then, he ran heavily towards the airship. I watched him until he was out of sight.
"The Alcatraz may be stripped to its bones, but it’s still operational."
The Emperor then moved towards the adjacent hangar.
"I will take Alcatraz and support La Mancha. Son, I leave the ground to you."
"Thank you, Father."
"Ash."
When I glanced back at the Emperor, his eyes no longer sparkled with a golden glow.
"I can sense a certainty in you that wasn't there before."
Instead... there was the joy of a king.
The relief of a father looking at his grown successor.
"Have you found the answer to the trials I set?"
"..."
I smiled silently, and the Emperor chuckled, showing his teeth.
"I can't die before hearing that answer."
"..."
"If you have confidence, then probabilities don't matter. Believe in yourself... and follow the path you’ve chosen."
The Emperor waved and left.
After organizing the team to launch into the sky.
"Thank you, Serenade."
I faced Serenade, who had prepared the airship, and expressed my gratitude and request.
"Please oversee La Mancha's launch process until the end. I will go to the wall to command the rest of the operation."
"Your Highness!"
Serenade, who had called , clenched her fists as if making a resolution, and looked up at .
"I've made my decision too. I will fight until the end of this life, without giving up. So..."
She smiled brightly despite her exhausted face.
"I won't just wait anymore."
I chuckled softly.
She really didn’t know herself.
She had never once just waited. She had always fought in the best way she could.
"Serenade, what you've done so far is more than enough... Uuuuff?!"
As I was about to comnd her, she grabbed my collar, pulled in, and pressed her lips against mine.
Ah, so not waiting ans this kind of action?!
"Se, Serenade? Everyone’s watching, just calm... Uuuuuff."
Serenade did not calm down and showered with kisses repeatedly. It seed her inner limiter broke after crying so much earlier...
Everyone around us pretended not to see, turning their heads. Damien blushed and cleared his throat, and Crown muttered in frustration.
"...I didn't want to see such a passionate display."
Shut up! I didn't want to show it either!
"Go on ahead."
Serenade finally let go of , her previously haggard appearance now shining with vibrance, smiling radiantly.
"I'll catch up soon."
"..."
I squeezed her hand once firmly.
Then I turned and walked towards the wall. Damien and Crown imdiately followed on either side.
Crown’s eyes narrowed as he looked at from behind his mask.
"I didn't want to see such a warm display..."
"Shut up! If you repeat that line one more ti, I won't let it slide, Crown!"
Feeling embarrassed, I grumbled, while Damien chuckled.
"Hehe. Still... it was much better than seeing everyone cry."
"..."
"Indeed, with the prince here, the front lines co alive."
Right. What's the big deal about a kiss show?
If the world doesn't end and everyone can tease and laugh... what’s there to worry about?
‘I will see it through.’
To protect the monts where people can laugh.
I would sprint down the last remaining path to victory, no matter what.
With renewed determination, I hurried my steps towards the wall.
"Let's go. While the people in the sky split the darkness, those on the ground have their own tasks to do."
Crown chuckled and made a joke.
"Then what should the people of the lake do?"
"...Just follow quietly."
But seriously, Crown, you jerk, haven't you been enjoying making jokes since earlier?!
--TL Notes--
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support or give feedback, you can do it at /MattReading
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