112 – Red Earth (2)
The sun did not set on the red land beyond the mountain range. But it’s impossible not to sleep before the final battle. Therefore, the group decided to keep watch every two hours, starting with the glen.
“Why don’t you sleep a little more?”
30 minutes before shift.
Glenn, who was looking at the bonfire, suddenly felt a figure approaching his side.
“I’m the kind of person who can’t sleep without a bed. I can’t sleep at all.”
Siron sat down opposite Glenn. Then he reached into his pocket and took out a bottle of alcohol.
“So I’m going to have a drink.”
“…That’s a funny joke.”
“It’s not a joke.”
Pong-
“Do you enjoy drinking alcohol?”
“He’s the kind of person who doesn’t turn down drinks.”
“Then… Father, why don’t you have a drink too?”
Siron, wondering what to call Glenn, placed a cup full of alcohol in front of Glenn.
“What kind of alcohol is this?”
“My uncle recognized me right away.”
“My brother doesn’t show it, but he likes to drink.”
“It’s nothing special, it’s just alcohol that was in the basement of Dawn Castle.”
Siron poured alcohol into the cup in front of him. Glenn suddenly felt puzzled by the alcohol scene that had opened up.
‘Do you want to borrow some alcohol?’
“Is there something you want to ask?”
“It’s been a while since we met, but it doesn’t seem like we talked much, so I feel frustrated. Don’t you want to have an honest conversation between father and son?”
“…”
“I want to do it.”
After taking a sip of whiskey, Siron let out a drunken sigh. I couldn’t sleep well, so I drank a glass of alcohol before going to bed, but the energy was still there.
However, it was never in bad condition. As Hugo said, asking when one will die is a burdensome subject, no matter how bold it may be.
‘I haven’t heard yet.’
“Do you remember the letter?”
“…letter?”
“It’s a letter delivered through Yuma. Five years ago… Is it six years ago? It seems like it’s been so long you don’t remember.”
“ah.”
Glenn took out an old piece of paper from his pocket. It was a letter from Siron received through Yuma six years ago.
“Do you still have it?”
“Of course. The content was extremely brutal, but wasn’t it the first letter you sent me? I kept it in my arms as a talisman…”
widely-
Siron took the old letter from Glenn’s hand. The old letter was thrown into the bonfire in front of Glenn.
“It’s giving me goosebumps, so I’ll burn it right away. It’s something I gave you, so it’s okay, right?”
“uh…”
“So, I’ve been wondering philosophically about when I will die for quite some time. I have a prophetic father, so isn’t it time for me to get an answer? Yes, that’s how it happened.”
Siron ignored Glenn’s regretful expression.
“I think the situation of a father having to answer when his son will die is a bit too much.”
“I’m a little selfish.”
“…That’s right.”
Glenn sighed deeply at Siron’s answer.
“I have lifted many curtains and peeked into the future, but not a single one of them was yours.”
Glenn continued his explanation while looking at the sky.
“I don’t know either. It’s another story to be able to know the entire future just because you have the power of prophecy, but for some reason, even when I tried to see, a murky curtain kept falling.”
It’s still the same now.
I tried to see the future of Siron with a strong wish, but it seemed as if I could not see it, and then my vision became blurry.
Siron took out the watch from his pocket. There is time left until the next shift.
“Then, let’s talk about something else.”
Siron was very interested in the apostle that Glenn predicted.
“Who is the apostle we will be dealing with? What does he look like? What weapon does he use?”
“I don’t know who the apostle is. He didn’t say his name or anything. He looked like a knight wearing red armor and the weapon he used was a large sword.”
“How strong is it? Is it strong enough for us, who are still immature, to deal with?”
“Strength cannot be known until swords meet.”
“Then… how many people are there to deal with the Apostle? Do I really have to do it alone?”
“It would be better if we join forces.”
It wasn’t Glenn who answered. Yuma, dressed a little unkempt, sat down near the bonfire and spoke. This time, she had a pocket in her hand.
“It would be better if we join forces and do our best to deal with the apostle.”
“Isn’t it difficult to determine superiority or inferiority in that way? If the title of small family head is awarded based on the last blow, the person who caused the most damage will suffer the loss. The coming-of-age ceremony must have also played a role in determining who will become the next family head. .”
“That will be fine.”
Glenn looked a little further away. The border point between mountain ranges and red land. Dozens of demons were looking at this place.
“It’s for them to decide.”
*
Meanwhile, there were girls overhearing their conversation.
Perhaps out of consideration for the girls who were in their most sensitive period, Lucia and Siriel shared the largest of the three tents.
Siriel spoke softly towards the ceiling.
“Lucia, are you sleeping?”
“No. There’s no way I can sleep while having a conversation like that.”
Lucia’s voice as she answered was a little subdued.
Because the distance between the campfire and the tent was not that far, my developed hearing caught all of Siron and Glenn’s conversation without my intention.
“Me too. They just talked about someone dying… so I can’t sleep well.”
Although she answered calmly, the conversation between Siron and Glenn from a while ago was lingering in Siriel’s mind.
Lucia let out a heavy breath towards the ceiling.
“I told you that being an apostle is extremely dangerous. I’m not religious and I don’t really believe in superstitions. Just, devil. If you talk about who will die before the final battle, it seems like someone will actually die.”
“…Speak softly so I can’t hear you.”
“Really? You really don’t care? Why do you keep saying things that bother others?”
Lucia clutched the cover tightly, feeling anxious.
Perhaps because they were the father and the son, Glenn and Siron had no intention of holding each other back.
*
The beginning of the snow-covered mountain range. The garrison of a punitive expedition organized according to the orders of the emperor.
Among the tents with Changcheon’s flag hanging, the largest tent was filled with quite a few people.
“Fortunately, there were no major injuries.
Cardinal Devialet, who oversees the expeditionary force’s health, said as he lifted his hand from his giant tree-like arm.
“However, I recommend that you recuperate like this for a week. No matter how much you do, continued fighting will cause permanent damage to your body that cannot be healed even with holy power.”
“…I understand.”
Hugo bowed his head at Devialet’s diagnosis. And Hugo got up and walked out of the tent.
Without taking off the armor.
“Sir Hugo. You need to rest.”
Devialet sighed at the patient who was unable to recognize her body condition.
“I’ll be right back. I’ll just have to sort things out a bit.”
“…”
Devialet watched Hugo as he walked out of the tent.
The expedition has reached its end, and just taking a break creates a huge gap in the frontlines. For that reason, Devialet couldn’t catch Hugo.
“How is the captain’s condition?”
Devialet shook his head at Hugo’s adjutant, Johann’s question.
“To be honest, it’s not good. The upper elixir is fine, but the blood flow from the lower elixir to the heart is getting thinner day by day. The mana concentration in the blood is also getting lighter.”
“then.”
“Yes, as you may have noticed, it is a decline that comes with aging.”
Devialet thought of his red hair that had faded here and there.
‘Is Hugo’s era coming to an end?’
Devialet was well aware of the prestige of the Empire’s greatest knight, so he did not let his outrageous thoughts out loud.
However, it is clear that Hugo is not the same as before.
In Lucerne, Devialet was a priest with a lot of experience in expeditions, so he had many opportunities to see Hugo’s activities up close.
But he couldn’t find his old self in the Hugo he saw today.
Hugo’s injuries were not caused by a magical beast. He was able to avoid the onslaught of attacks from the demon beasts and cut the beast’s massive body into pieces. However, perhaps because he was quite exhausted, he was unable to avoid the falling object and was crushed. Just three years ago, Hugo didn’t make such ridiculous mistakes.
‘Lord John, you missed the right time to withdraw from the front line.’
Devialet stared at the old knight with a wrinkled face.
Johann Urheim, his hair and beard have all turned white. It is contrary to the status of the empire that an old man who looks like he will do anything today is guarding the front lines.
“As an outsider, what can I say, but you have to make a choice slowly.”
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Devialet decided to say what he had been thinking all along.
“select?”
“I recommend increasing the frequency of reorganization.”
“However, there are still many demons that have not been sorted out. If the wires are emptied frequently, there will be a huge gap in the power.”
“A week is not long for the body to find its place. It will take every other week.”
“In the meantime, what about the soldiers who are about to die on the front?”
“…It is natural for soldiers to die on the front lines.”
Devialet rubbed her sore eyes. He, too, felt intense fatigue from being away for months.
“That’s not all.”
Devialet packed his bags to head to the next field. Although Hugo was the most critical, there were still many patients in the garrison to take care of.
“We need to find a successor to fill Sir Hugo’s shoes.”
“…”
“As long as he is a human, Sir Hugo will become weaker and weaker. It may not be tomorrow, but if he continues to overwork his body like this, he will not be able to swing a sword within a few years. Big. Big.”
Devialet turned his back on the blank-faced old knight.
“Once Sir Hugo dies it is too late.”