Following the guidance of the White Dragon Corps, the beastmen crossed the divided strait and crossed over to the continent. He said he would cross over to the land of the World Tree under the protection of the legion.
I tried to thank Eldwig separately, but he had disappeared by the time the work was wrapped up. I would have returned to Harvadonia.
On the other hand, right before the prisoners left, representatives such as Gryfion, Opus, and Beduel came to us to say their last goodbyes.
“We must part now.”
For some reason, I knew that we had to break up now, but when I actually heard that, I felt a heavy burden on one side of my heart.
“I don’t know how to thank you guys.”
“I didn’t do anything… … .”
I’ve been talking grandiosely, but I haven’t actually solved anything.
It was Kiran who solved the problem at the Wall, Alakhish who mortally wounded Shar’kath and even sealed it, and it was Yeriselica who brought the prisoners to the continent.
It seems like he went through a lot of hardships, but most of it was meaningless. I was about to let out a wry smile at that thought, but Bethuel hugged me and Cassena in turn.
“Be happy. I will always pray to the gods for you to be happy… … .”
“Chief, now, rest in peace in a warm land.”
When she received a farewell message surrounded by the Durankus tribe, Cassena’s face instantly became covered with tears.
I looked at it with a smile, but Griffion came up to me, knelt down in front of me, and looked straight into my eyes.
“Cancel that.”
“yes?”
“You said you didn’t do anything. Not at all. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to cross the barrier, and we would have been enslaved to Baek Do-ryeong by now and wandering over there.”
“The thing that defeated Baek Do-ryeong was—”
“—It is you. Kavan’s son, Lane Ludwig. You shed tears for us, you went to the barrier for us, and you came back for us. You are the one who fought for us over and over again.”
Looking at those noble eyes, the memories of the past half year unfolded in my mind as tens of thousands of fragments, and my eyes grew hot.
Even though I looked like I worked really hard, I really couldn’t do anything… … .
“I will never forget anything you did for our honor. I and all of my people will not forget.”
Then, Griffion took off the silver-blue jewel the size of a fist that was hanging around his neck and put it in my hand.
It was asleep, but I could sense the greatest power swirling within it.
What the hell is this? Seeing how Black Sheep resonates, it must not be an ordinary thing.
“Cheonghyeon. It is a keepsake left by the warrior Enuel to our ancestors.”
“yes?”
“It was said that it was a jewel attached to the blade of Sharillion, the true holy sword, and it is something passed down from generation to generation to those who have been elected warchief.”
“Why are you giving it to me? take it back i can’t take this never.”
“No, you have to. this is not giving It’s up to you. As a token of the covenant.”
“A covenant… … ?”
“I promise. Whether it’s you, your descendants, or whoever comes to us with this jewel and asks for help, all the beastmen promise to help unconditionally, regardless of the importance of the matter, without asking anything. our friend.”
Prisoners value honor, and never make any promises carelessly. They risk their lives when they promise, and they keep their promises until their lives run out.
When I realized the meaning of the words of the warchief of such beastmen and the weight of the act of handing over the sage, tears flowed from my tightly closed eyelids.
“You are a great warrior, Lane Ludwig. Don’t keep your head down. don’t shed a tear Warriors do not shed tears when parting.”
“… … !”
“It is to bless each other’s future and let it go with a smile. When a friend passes away, remember the last laugh and give him peace.”
Barely holding on to her crumbling stance, she barely smiled and grabbed the hand of a large, bloody bird of prey that Grypion held out.
The warriors applauded enthusiastically as if they agreed with Griffion’s will.
At that time, only Cassena, whose eyes were red with tears, argued with a sullen face.
“Why don’t I give it to you? please give me too! I want to remember you with something like that!”
Then, not only Griffion, but all the beastmen scratched their heads as if they couldn’t understand.
“No, weren’t you guys one?”
“One?”
“Since they hung out like that day and night, of course I thought they were married.”
There was a moment of silence.
Aki, who had been sleeping comfortably in my arms, sneezed in her sleep.
Cassena’s face, who understood the meaning of the words, turned red in an instant, and began to frantically draw strokes in the air.
“No, no! I’m worth so much! What nonsense! I’m stuffed and my nose is stuffy! Why am I marrying Lane! uh?!”
great dynamism… … Small pebbles on the ground floated up and rained down on the warriors like a shower. The warriors freaked out and ran away.
“stop! Wrong! I get it! Even if Cassena’s descendants bring it, we’ll do our best to help!”
“Don’t act like it’s a bonus!”
As expected, only Bethuel, the chieftain of the Durancus chief, was the only one who stopped Cassena’s rampage. Beduel put the ring he was wearing on his index finger into Cassena’s hand.
“Compared to Cheonghyeon, it’s very lacking, but this is a symbol that only comes down to the chiefs of our Durrankus tribe.”
“… … ?”
“Casena, this is proof that we are friends. Will you accept it?”
While the Durancus tribe cheered, Cassena, who had put the ring on her thumb, chewed her lips sadly. Is it desperately holding back the cry that is about to burst out again?
After silently paying their respects to Aki, the alter ego of Arakish, the beastmen began to cross the divided sea, led by Grypion.
That’s how I broke up with the prisoners. After being transferred to Harvadonia, it was truly miraculous until he came here.
There, the Durancus tribe warmly welcomed us… … And it was the tribe where Barrzen was.
As I was idly watching the back of her ruthlessly moving away like this, a tear ran down my cheek as the images of my old warrior party mates suddenly overlapped with that back.
The pain of losing a relationship, the feeling that we won’t be able to meet again like this… … As I reached out, Cassena shouted in a voice that suppressed her crying.
“We can meet again!”
“yes… … ?”
“After graduating from school, you can visit and meet once a year! That’s right! It’s okay to meet again! We’re not parting forever!”
yes, that’s right… … The words Cassena shouted to console herself warmly penetrated my heart.
We’ll meet again.
Because we can meet again
As we watch the procession of beastmen waving at us disappear into the darkness, someone approaches from behind.
“Casena.”
It was Madelia Page, a heroine as beautiful as Cassena, but taller and more dignified in her every move.
“mom.”
Madelia’s expression contorted in pain at those words that came back naturally when her name was called, and she hugged her daughter tightly and sobbed.
“how… … me, me… … You make me worry so much, because of you… … .”
I was going to scold you if we met again, but I was going to tell you outright that I’d look old for decades because of you, and that I wouldn’t be forced to do it again.
The moment I felt my daughter’s body temperature again.
The moment I smelled my daughter’s body odor again.
The moment I heard my daughter’s laugh again.
All the words I had been thinking the whole time coming here couldn’t be put into words, and only tears flowed endlessly.
“miss.”
“Lady Cassena.”
“I’m really glad you’re okay.”
The magic guards and escort knights of the Page family, who had served and protected Cassena since childhood, also raised their eyebrows while wiping away tears.
“Hey, I meet a lot of beastmen on the other side of the wall! Also, learning magic from a wonderful jinryong named Arakish, huh? But it’s strange, there are so many things I really want to say when I meet my mom, but the words don’t come out… … .”
Cassena thought it was strange that her mother hugged her and cried. Without even noticing that his own throat was choking.
Watching the scene from a distance, I felt my heart ache.
That’s why I had no choice but to look up at Pippi sitting on top of my head and whisper a strange question.
“If I could have come back 300 years earlier… … Would they have cried like that?”
“Friede, you cried often. Cry, cry.”
“okay?”
In the past, I would have just swallowed my sadness, but now, when Yeriselica said that the chain of broken bonds might be reconnected… … .
“I’m going south, Pippi.”
“South? South? South?”
“I have to take Aki to ＜Fire Manli＞. Are you going with me?”
Then Pippi, who had been flapping her wings vigorously asking if she was asking for something obvious, landed on her shoulder and rubbed her face against her ear.
“Friede said, Fifi, tell me when you’re ready to leave for Linn, I’ll wait for you at ＜Fire Manli＞.”
“what… … ?”
“If you succeed, succeed, succeed, I’ll be waiting for you at ＜Fire Manli＞. said Friede.”
What does success mean? … ?
For a moment, Friede’s giggly smile flashed through my mind as he blew smoke into my face.
It must have been 200 years ago, so there’s no chance he’s still alive. Still, though… … .
“Rain Ludwig.”
Around that time, the sound of luxurious horse hooves was heard, and the crown prince, Raida Eijin, appeared driving a white steed.
“You gave birth to another child while I hadn’t seen you for a while. A guy like you is called the king of stamina?”
“No, Your Highness, this is… … .”
My appearance was quite comical.
From noble mtl dot com
Aki was carried in a swaddling bag, and Mirnguardia was carried on his back in a basket previously used by Arakish.
Ryda teased me with a mischievous smile.
“know. It was just a joke. The water dragon gave orders to keep quiet to the imperial army and adventurers, but I don’t know how long that will be followed in this era.”
It must be saying that I was in charge of Mirn Guardia.
Except for the beastmen, only Madelia and Rida knew Aki’s true identity, but Mirngardia was in a dragon egg state, so there was no room for excuses.
“Of course I will do my best to keep it confidential. But don’t expect too much.”
“no.”
“I’m sorry.”
“yes?”
“You talk as if you will solve everything, but there is someone else who actually solves everything.”
“No, no! Without Your Highness, bloodshed would not have been avoided, and the position of the beastmen would have been greatly reduced. So do I.”
“Thank you for saying that, even if it’s a pretense. Then, if there is a chance, see you later.”
When Ryda turned her horse’s head and was about to turn toward the Imperial camp, I shouted.
“I will think about it seriously.”
“hmm?”
“The Mage Castle’s position… … I will think about it very seriously.”
Raida raised her eyebrows, and the next moment, she smiled broadly and nodded. As soon as Raida left, the sorceress Sagan, who was following me, pulled the reins in front of me.
“Lane Ludwig, grandson of Skalge Ludwig. I’ll look forward to the day when we can get back together for the position of the Magic Castle later.”
“I’m just thinking about it, so don’t expect too much.”
“joy.”
By the time Sagan left in pursuit of Rida, silence had already settled in the wetland, which had been full of turmoil.
The imperial army, which was pouring out swords and armor in an orderly manner, was also boarding the warships, and the beastmen roaring with the smell of beasts were crossing the sea, and the white dragon corps scattering divine energy were leaving one by one.
I glanced at Cassena, who was sharing a tearful encounter with Madelia, and smiled wryly.
‘It’s time for us to part, Cassena.’
* * *
In Bellewyn, the mansion of the Ludwig family, since that day, shapeless darkness has always roamed.
The laughter that filled the mansion with splendor had long since ceased, and the ladies-in-waiting and butlers lived each day holding their breath for fear of being swallowed up by the darkness.
“The days are cold. Let’s stop listening… … .”
The master of the Ludwig family, Brim Ludwig, always visited the grave of her dead son and stayed up all night in tears.
He hardly ate or drank, so even though he was emaciated… … Do you want to die along with your son?
“Would you have been happy?”
“… … ?”
“Have we ever made that child happy… … ?”
When Brim Ludwig started crying again, Kavan Ludwig patted him on the back with a tearful sigh.
“I would have been happy anyway. I met a good mother like you… … I won’t have to take care of Brando anymore. He is only four years old now.”
It was around that time that the mansion became noisy.
The mansion should have been terrifyingly quiet now that Sherry Ludwig, who had become the legitimate heir to the family, had left for ＜Ribarden＞ magic school.
The commotion did not stop, and when I was getting nervous about what was going on, a lady-in-waiting came running.
“Princess! Master!”
Something was strange. Since Lane Ludwig’s death, all the servants had been careful in their behavior and had never made such a fuss.
The lady-in-waiting, who almost fell several times, finally arrived in front of the two of them, breathed heavily and opened her mouth with a smile on her face.
“Come back, come back. Alive, come back… … !”
Kavan was so absurd that he couldn’t even think of asking.
Coming back, who?
You mean Sherry Ludwig is back? or father? Or the younger brother who went back to college?
“Rain, Master Rain… … You just got back! He said he was hungry, so he served me a meal right away… … .”
Kavan’s eyes hardened.
For a moment, I thought it was a bad prank, but what was the reason for a maid to risk her life in a prank?
“What now?”
I didn’t feel it at all. The fact that the son’s name was on the lips of the lady-in-waiting again, that the son’s actions were being reported through the lady-in-waiting.
Why not?
These are stories that can only happen if the child is alive.
“Is that child alive?”
That’s why, in a daze, with a voice that trembled uncontrollably, she just retraced what the lady-in-waiting had said. At the same time, Brim’s sobs stopped.
“Yes, my lord. He is on his way to the banquet hall. I’m with Master Bran. Uh, um, and… … .”
“… … ?”
“I don’t know how to say this. Master Rain’s daughter is also with us… … .”