Chapter 74: Return
Sirius looked at Windwall.
The path to Windwall touches the heart of the Empire.
If Windwall is taken, the Empire dies.
“Brothers and sisters, today we rewrite history. Yulia, that wicked and bloodthirsty tyrant, has stained this land with poverty and fear through her greed.”
Sirius recalled the past.
The memory of starving at the Haven Orphanage.
No matter how many times he pleaded, the Empire abandoned the orphanage.
“Remember our friends and family who perished under the Empire’s oppression. While we starved and shivered in the cold, they were simply drinking wine in front of their warm fireplaces.”
The commander of the anti-Empire forces, Sirius, could not forgive the Empire.
“Saintness of Vengeance, bless us!”
The saintess, Eileen, stepped forward.
And quietly prayed.
“The starlight is watching over us. We will not lose our way even in the darkness!”
Sirius spoke.
“Everyone, advance! Fight until our swords pierce the tyrant’s heart, until our spears bring down her minions! Until freedom spreads across this land, until the starlight proclaims our victory!”
The anti-Empire forces advanced.
The tide had already turned.
The Empire could never bear the weight of its karma.
***
“Hmm. What a load of nonsense.”
Yulia remarked simply.
From atop her tank, she assessed the battlefield.
Troops, disadvantaged.
Morale, broken.
Righteous cause, lost.
Ascal, gone.
Yulia was no fool.
This war was likely unwinnable.
Still, she chose to be here because it was better to grasp at a slight chance than to face a slow and certain death.
“Prime Minister Debrue, where is our Empire’s Devil?”
“He fled.”
“How... How can this be? Without him, what are we to do...”
How laughable.
For a general to be so weak.
The Empire had been rotting from the core since Yulia became Empress. No matter how competent Yulia was, she couldn’t revive a decayed tree.
‘If only I had found Ascal a little sooner.’
Would she have been able to save the Empire then?
This was a time too late for regret.
Yulia had already let Ascal go.
She wanted him to live happily.
But a small part of her hoped.
That in this crisis, he would appear like a hero.
‘Ascal. What are you doing right now?’
Yulia slowly opened her eyes.
“As expected, there’s no way he would... What, what is that?”
There was something in the sky.
A white horse with wings and a giant white dragon were flying in the sky!
“Isn’t that... the legendary Pegasus?”
“Then, is that the mythical White Dragon?”
Like children, everyone looked up at the sky.
Both the Empire and anti-Empire forces stared dumbfounded at the sky.
Why on earth are there Pegasus and White Dragon here?
And then, a song began to be heard.
A voice amplified by a mana stone echoed in their ears.
「Bellum cessate, fratres, pax sit in terris」
It was a beautiful woman’s voice.
But then.
“She really can’t sing...”
“Wow, that’s terrible...”
They lost their strength.
The adrenaline that had been surging drained away at this ridiculous sight.
And so.
Both sides lost the timing to advance.
***
“We’ll arrive at Windwall soon! Ascal, what should I do?”
“If you have nothing to do, just sing to relax.”
“Shall I?”
Ascal took out the mana stone amplifier he had sneaked from Bernstein and placed it near Sushia.
Thanks to that, everyone heard Sushia’s song.
It was a terrible singing voice.
“Hihing!”
Fer expressed its pain.
Thanks to that, Ascal almost fell from the sky.
“But what’s our goal, Ascal? What can we do by getting involved in this war now?”
“Have some peanuts, Bernstein.”
“Thank you, Miss Sushia.”
It was a sharp question.
To Bernstein’s question, Ascal replied.
“Have you ever blocked for five minutes or guarded an entrance, Bernstein?”
“I can’t even guess. Is it a saying from somewhere?”
“The goal is simple. We buy time until the dragon appears.”
The fire-breathing ancient dragon, Karnax.
That ancient dragon will interfere in the battle at Windwall.
After that, the dragon will rampage indiscriminately, like a resident furious about noise between floors.
“And then we become dragon slayers, Bernstein.”
“...Turns out you’re the craziest one, Ascal.”
Ascal laughed.
***
The White Dragon and Fer landed on the ground.
They positioned themselves at the top of a triangle, with the anti-Empire and Empire forces on either side.
This formation made it difficult for anyone to move rashly. First, they needed to identify the newcomers.
“Identify yourselves! Intruders!”
Sirius shouted, his voice booming with a touch of magical power that made everyone’s ears tingle. Ascal shouted back.
“You’ve grown, Sirius.”
You’ve grown up well, leading the anti-Empire forces.
Ascal, wearing a half-mask and using a voice modulator, deliberately hid his identity.
Sirius grew more curious about the identity of Ascal, who had suddenly called him by name.
“I won’t say it again. Identify yourselves, intruders.”
Sirius examined the newly appeared group.
Their numbers were absurdly low.
Two men and a woman who didn’t seem combat-capable.
However, there were a Pegasus and a legendary dragon. Acting hostilely could create complications if they sided with the Empire.
Ascal pondered.
‘What alias should I use... At times like this, there’s only that.’
Ascal shouted, swallowing his pride.
“We are the Knights of the Night, and I am the Prince of the Night! Commander of the anti-Empire forces, Sirius!”
After doing this a few times, it becomes routine.
But seeing Sushia and Bernstein desperately stifling their laughter, Ascal felt a wave of profound embarrassment.
“Then answer, Prince of the Night! Whose side are you on? The side of the wicked Empire or ours?”
“I am on no one’s side. I have come only to warn you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“White Dragon. Fire a breath attack forward.”
Kwoooaaaah!
The White Dragon breathed a blast into the empty plain.
The ground froze in an instant.
It was an area-wide attack of near-final level.
Everyone who saw the White Dragon’s breath lost their words.
“One more time. This time towards the mountain in the rear.”
-It’s hard to do it twice without an orb.
“I’ll give you a honey pie.”
Ascal tossed a honey pie into the White Dragon’s mouth.
The White Dragon, like a border collie, opened its mouth wide and swallowed the honey pie.
And once again.
Kwoooaaaah!
The mountain shook with the breath attack.
“What, what are you doing!”
“Creating a disturbance in front of the landlord.”
Ascal sat down on the spot.
He had done everything he could.
Now, they needed to appear...
It would be troublesome if they didn’t show up on cue.
「Foolish creatures, daring to disturb my slumber. Your insolence will turn to flame and ash!」
The fire-breathing ancient dragon, Karnax, had appeared.
The landlord had arrived.
「The Prince of the Night invites the Empire forces to a raid party (Reason: Ancient Dragon Raid).」
<The Empire forces have accepted.>
「The Prince of the Night invites the anti-Empire forces to a raid party (Reason: Ancient Dragon Raid).」
<The anti-Empire forces have accepted.>
Windwall: Ancient Dragon Karnax Raid
Participating Forces
- Anti-Empire Forces
- Empire Forces
- Spiders
- Prince of the Night
<Victory Condition: Death of Ancient Dragon Karnax>
<Defeat Condition: Anything Else>
Ancient Dragon Karnax’s HP: ██████████ 100%
- Karnax’s powerful flame breath covers the battlefield.
- The White Dragon breathes ice, slowing Karnax’s movements.
- The Empire forces fire cannons.
- Bernstein assembles a giant golem.
Ancient Dragon Karnax’s HP: ██████░░░░ 60%
- The anti-Empire forces join the battle.
- Ascal actively swings his sword.
- The White Dragon retrieves its orb and breathes again.
- Yulia supports with magic.
Ancient Dragon Karnax’s HP: ███░░░░░░░ 30%
- Sirius dies.
- The saintess dies.
- The giant golem is destroyed.
- The Empire and anti-Empire forces are half annihilated.
- Ascal protects Yulia.
The raid failed.
***
“Honestly, it was a shame. Admit it?”
“It was you all along, Ascal. It really was you. Hehehe.”
Yulia laid the battered Ascal on her lap.
“Now that we’ve checked the patterns, let’s do better in the next try. We were a bit short on tanks.”
“Look here, look at me, Ascal.”
Ascal seemed to be staring into the distance.
This sometimes happened.
In the chaos of war, losing oneself.
Especially when teetering between life and death.
“Stay with me. You have to stay with me.”
Yulia shook Ascal.
If he closed his eyes now, it would be a direct path to the afterlife.
Ascal looked at Yulia.
“…Lia.”
“Yes, it’s me. Yulia, your Lia.”
“I’ve realized.”
“Tell me. Yes, keep talking. You mustn’t lose consciousness.”
Ascal spoke with a fading voice.
“How to escape from the Empire. This time, for sure.”
“Even at this point, you’re talking about running away again… you’re really consistent.”
Yulia let out a hollow laugh.
“Fine. Keep running, Ascal. No matter where you flee, I’ll find you dozens, hundreds of times.”
Definitely.
“…Ascal?”
“He’s gone. He’s left us.”
Sushia said calmly.
“I’ll follow him. I’ll die with him.”
“No. You have to escape.”
“What’s the use of escaping now?”
“It matters.”
Above Sushia’s head as she spoke, the starlight was shining. It was an unusually bright light.
“Let’s try one more time. Everyone, let’s start over and do it together.”
***
“Gasp!”
Ascal woke up.
His whole body was drenched in sweat. It felt like he had been having a nightmare.
His memory was hazy. But the thought that he absolutely had to slay the dragon remained clear.
As he looked around, he was surprised.
There were so many people.
“He’s awake!”
“He’s finally awake!”
Ascal looked around.
Before him stood the Crown Prince, Kain, Devon, Laika, Jerobe, Serena, and Yulia. Along with others.
Elenia and Sushia knelt behind, hands raised.
“You didn’t wake up for a whole week. We were so worried, thinking you were dead!”
The Crown Prince said with concern.
“Of course, if we’re talking about who worried the most, it would be your aid here.”
“I worried a lot too, you know.”
Serena grumbled.
“…Lia?”
Lia, half-collapsed, was sleeping while holding onto Ascal’s bed.
Then, Lia opened her eyes.
“Ascal.”
“Lia. Perfect timing. I have something to say.”
“…Yes?”
Lia looked confused.
“The next Minister of Evaluation is you. I’ll retire after slaying the dragon. I realized that a minister who appoints a successor can legally retire from the Empire.”
“Hahaha! The first thing you say after waking up is retirement! Truly like you!”
“That, that position is too much for me.”
“Ah, no vetoes allowed.”
The Crown Prince laughed.
“Well, you were going to step down as Minister of Evaluation soon anyway.”
“Really? I hope my next position isn’t the guillotine.”
“Such jokes. You’ll like it, I’m sure.”
The Crown Prince hid the appointment letter for the Prime minister behind his back.
It might be too stimulating to show to a recovering patient.
***
Ascal resumed his ministerial duties after a long time.
“This can’t be. Why is this work so easy?”
Oddly enough, the work was easy.
It felt like an experienced veteran of over ten years had taken over his body.
***
Ascal swung his sword.
Seeing this, Lia spoke.
“…I didn’t expect you to be so skilled.”
Then Lia, holding a sword, said,
“I’ll help you with your training.”
“It’ll just sully your eyes.”
“No. Ascal, you’re very skilled right now. It’s as if, with just a small push, you could break through a wall.”
“…A wall?”
Lia’s voice changed.
“You’re close to becoming a Swordmaster, Ascal.”
Ascal squinted.
“The evil spirit hasn’t left, I see.”
“Yes. Call me that if you want. It doesn’t matter. I’m far more useful for training than that other one. Come at me, Ascal.”
“Die, evil spirit!”
Yulia sighed.
Then, she smiled softly.
