Pick me Up – Chapter 249 – The Sun Princess (2)
The interior of the tent was modest, in contrast to its luxurious exterior appearance.
Rugs made from wild animal skins covered the floor, and on them, there was only a round table and a few plain wooden chairs.
Pria was standing next to one of the chairs.
She had her back to me.
'She's changed.'
I could see it right away.
Her silver hair, which barely reached her shoulders before, now flowed down to her waist, and her figure, once stick-like, had become more rounded, resembling that of a young adult.
She wore the same silver dress she had on when we first met on the 15th floor.
'Back then, I thought it was like putting pearls on a pig.'
But now, I couldn't help but think it suited her perfectly.
I slowly approached Pria.
"I'm sorry. I was delayed by some circumstances."
"......I see."
"I tried to come as quickly as possible, but I didn't know it would take three years."
Pria turned to look at me.
She had a soft smile on her face.
"If you were busy, there's nothing to be done. I'm glad you're safe."
"......"
"During your absence, I've worked hard to fulfill my duty. What do you think? Don't you think I now fit my status as a princess better?"
Pria lifted the skirt of her dress and spun around.
'She says nothing.'
I thought she would say some reproachful words or at least complain.
Although her appearance had changed, her attitude remained similar to that on the 50th floor.
It was hard to believe Yoshu's words about her crying through the nights waiting for me.
"Three years..."
"It's okay. Knowing you're alive is enough. You don't need to apologize anymore. This is a battlefield. It's not the time for trivial chats. Even now, our soldiers are fighting for us."
Pria spoke in a low voice.
Then, she smiled slightly.
"Hehe, anyone from the royal family must know how to separate personal matters from professional ones."
"You've grown a lot."
"If I were the same as before, I wouldn't have the face to look at you. I had to change. For myself, for you, and for Taonier. Anyway, Han, welcome back. We welcome you with open arms."
Pria wiped a tear from her eye and then hardened her expression.
I took a deep breath.
'Three years can change a person.'
It seemed she had learned to control her emotions.
Rather, it seemed she had been forced to change.
If she hadn't changed, she couldn't have led the organization.
"How is the situation outside? If there's any dangerous place, I can help."
I opened my mouth.
Now that I had a mission, I had to fulfill my role.
Pria pointed to a map on the table.
It was a thick leather map showing the battlefield situation.
It seemed to be treated with magic, as the images on the map constantly moved.
'It seems we have the advantage.'
The blue arrows on the left side of the map were pushing back the red arrows.
"Yoshu, explain the situation to Han."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Yoshu entered the tent.
He bowed and pointed at the map with the scabbard of his sword.
"The current situation is overwhelmingly in our favor. The ratio of forces is 1 to 10. The Order's army is in retreat, and the battle will end in about 30 minutes at most."
"There's a wall, right?"
"We've also infiltrated an elite unit there. When the main force arrives, they will open the gate from inside."
"In short..."
"Unfortunately, it seems you won't have the opportunity to intervene in this battle, brother. You can stay here and have a quiet conversation with the princess. This battle is practically won."
"I don't need to go out?"
Yoshu nodded.
I crossed my arms. Sometimes there are missions that complete without the hero having to do anything. Is this one of those easy missions? I never thought I would see such a stage in Taonier.
"Are you sure? There's no enemy difficult to handle or anything like that?"
"The elite forces of the Order's army fled long ago. What remains are only stragglers."
"......Wow."
I could only be surprised.
Until now, all the missions had been extreme situations, but now it was completed automatically, even if I did nothing.
'The difficulty of the 50th floor had a great impact.'
Tens of thousands of monsters had appeared.
Even so, this was surprising.
I felt an unease, as if the mission would fail if I didn't go out immediately.
"Yoshu, I want to go out and cheer on the soldiers. Can you attend to Han in the meantime?"
"At your command."
"Let's finish our conversation later."
Pria smiled at me and left the tent.
From the sound of multiple footsteps, it seemed another group of guards had followed her.
Only Yoshu and I were left in the tent.
"This is..."
The situation had changed too much.
I had always fought in unfavorable conditions.
"So, you mentioned a civil war with the prince. What's the general situation?"
"The imperial capital, where the prince is, and the holy city, where the Order is. If we capture those two regions, the prince's forces will disappear from Taonier. And this is... the last stronghold before reaching the holy city."
"......"
"We can say we've practically won."
I scratched my neck.
It seemed not only Pria had changed.
Yoshu explained what had happened after the battle in the forest.
After the 50th floor, the mercenaries, who were scattered in different factions, gathered under the name of the princess.
It was expected. At that time, Pria had emitted a blinding light and destroyed the monster egg. They had witnessed a scene that seemed taken from a myth.
"Although the empire and the Order put a price on the princess's head, everyone knew the truth. Those bastards did nothing while the monsters attacked the citizens of the empire."
"......"
"Well, at first I decided to follow her for a gold coin, but over time, I realized she was the only one who could save Taonier. At first, I thought we didn't need an emperor, but it turned out to be complicated."
Yoshu shrugged.
Then, he looked at me seriously.
"When this civil war ends, I intend to crown the princess as the new queen of the country. Taonier has been full of annoying nobles and members of the Order. It was time to change things. New ideas need a new leader."
Yoshu's eyes did not waver.
I could clearly see he was serious.
"I don't know where you come from or who you really are... but I appreciate you tying your fate to the princess's."
"We've strayed too far. The battle isn't over yet."
"Yes, that's true. It was hard for me to handle it alone, but now that you're here, I feel relieved."
Yoshu laughed out loud.
He was still as cunning as when he was a child.
Yoshu unfolded another map on the table.
It was a map of Taonier. I could see the areas the princess's army had captured.
The whole map was tinted blue, except for the central area, where the imperial capital was, and the east, where the holy city was.
'This is the last stronghold before reaching the holy city.'
I sat on a wooden chair and rested my chin in my hand.
The civil war had advanced much more than I expected.
The war was almost over.
'The final bosses are the saint and the prince.'
Both seemed to be isolated.
Fortunately, we wouldn't have to face them at the same time.
Since this place was near the Order's base, we would meet the saint first.
'If we kill those two...'
Would the Taonier scenario end?
Probably not.
There was still the main dish.
Even if we eliminated all the monsters, if we didn't defeat the prince, it would all be in vain.
That guy was a monster who could distort the laws of physics by himself. Just like El Cid.
I accepted Gugukon's contract to beat that guy.
According to Yoshu, the prince hadn't shown his face since the battle on the 50th floor.
If he had intervened, the civil war would have taken a different course. I didn't understand why he hadn't.
Yoshu continued with trivial talks.
He talked about how he had come to be known as the King of Mercenaries for just a gold coin.
From what I understood, he had started taking care of famous dungeon explorer mercenaries and had started a management business.
'It wasn't something that really interested me.'
Wow!
A sudden victory shout shook the tent.
Yoshu murmured.
"They seem to have captured the fortress."
"So quickly?"
I looked towards the tent entrance, covered by a curtain.
[Stage cleared!]
[Han (★★★★★), Jenna (★★★★★), Belkist (★★★★★), Kishasha (★★★★★), Katio (★★★★★) level up.]
[Reward – 100,000G]
[MVP – Belkist (★★★★★)]
I no longer had doubts.
As Yoshu had said, this mission completed without us having to do anything.
It seems Belkist had excelled while I was away, as he had been named MVP.
Such an easy boss stage.
I almost felt disappointed.
'......'
Long live Her Highness the Princess!
The cheers continued outside.
Shortly after, the entrance curtain opened and Pria entered.
"Is it over?"
"This battle is over. But..."
"The main dish remains."
Yoshu murmured.
"The elite forces of the Order are entrenching themselves within the holy city. Not just soldiers, but also various monsters. From here on, we'll have to be prepared for casualties."
"...The saint will appear."
"That woman is quite troublesome."
"Don't worry. I'll take care of her."
I leaned back in the chair.
Now I could deal with the "Evil Eye" that had been so annoying.
Only cutting off that woman's head remained.
I looked at my body.
A white light slowly enveloped my entire being.
It was the signal to return.
"Wait a moment. I still have things to say..."
Pria quickly approached me.
I shook my head.
"It's okay. We'll see each other soon."
"But...!"
"Did I ever lie to you?"
"You said the same thing and then left me alone for three years! Are you going to leave again?"
Yoshu cleared his throat and left the tent.
Pria approached me with a pleading expression.
'It seems she really has been waiting.'
I smiled slightly.
Finally, she had returned to being the girl I knew.
"This time it's true. I'll be back in a week."
"Really?"
"Yes."
If the next mission was the holy city invasion, it wouldn't take long to see Pria again.
"I have something to tell you. So, you must return."
"Didn't you say we should separate personal matters from professional ones?"
"After the holy city invasion, we'll take a break."
"In that case, it's fine."
"Promise."
Pria extended her pinky finger towards me.
'Do I have to do this too?'
Finally, I intertwined my finger with hers.
Though unintentionally, I had made her wait for more than three years.
"I'll be waiting, Han. Until we meet again."
Pria's smiling face was the last thing I saw before the light completely enveloped me.
"Wow, this is incredible! It gives me goosebumps."
In the Rift of Space-Time.
Jenna hugged her shoulders, making a big scene.
"Isn't it a dream? How can it end like this? It's ridiculous."
"If there are difficult missions, there must also be easy missions, right? This time it ended easily, but from now on we'll have to work quite hard. Don't neglect your training."
"Yes, big brother. I'm going first. Good job, everyone!"
Jenna waved energetically at me and left the Rift of Space-Time.
Then, Katio and Kishasha followed her.
But Belkist remained silent next to me.
"Did you meet her, Major?"
"Her?"
"The great princess."
"It's not what you think. I just assessed the situation."
"You might not see it that way, but she could have different feelings. Although I haven't talked much with her, it's obvious from afar. Keep your distance. It will only be a problem later."
Belkist finished speaking and slowly walked away.
I closed my eyes.
'It will be a problem later.'
For me, it hadn't been even a year.
But for Pria, it had been ten years.
'Sigh.'
The distortion in the axis of time and space.
Above all, when the climb is over...
'What a dilemma.'
I couldn't decide now.
I had to focus on the mission ahead.
I clicked my tongue and began to walk.
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