C194
I thought about transporting the body to the Empire and delivering it to Duke Cassius, but no matter how much I thought about it, it didn't seem like a good idea.
Transportation was difficult, but the problem that bothered me the most was that there were many people there who had been harmed by Liena.
Will they welcome Liena's tomb? Will Liena be able to rest comfortably?
So I asked Caius, who had lived on this land long ago. Is there a suitable place to bury the body?
"This is the right place," replied Caius, stroking his beard, and immediately began to build the tomb.
Shwraank...
I watched with astonished eyes as the castle collapsed to the ground with a loud roar.
"Is this the right place?"
"Yes. After all, isn't it enough to put a corpse in a coffin and bury it in the ground?"
"Yes, that's true."
... But I didn't know that the building where we ate, slept, and lived until a moment ago would be buried in the ground.
As soon as Caius touched the magic circles engraved in various places, the ground suddenly gave way, and the building collapsed from within.
"It was originally a place that would disappear with the decline of our demon race. However, I changed my mind and left it behind in case the descendants who went to the human world changed their minds and decided to return."
"People like the Cassius family?"
"Yes. A thousand years ago, we lost most of our people in a war that you called the Monstrous Wave. Unlike the demonic beasts, we were a minority before."
"I understand."
"The remaining people, wondering if this was fate, accepted to rest quietly here. But not everyone agreed."
"Then among them..."
"Yes, my son Cassius was also there. He said he would live among humans. He fell in love with a human woman and had children."
He looked at his former home disappearing with eyes full of emotion that I didn't know if it was longing or sadness.
"In truth, I thought that with his personality, he wouldn't get along with humans. He had such unnecessarily high pride that he didn't know how to bow to others."
"Well, it's similar to the opinion the Cassius family receives in the empire. It's a very noble family."
Caius laughed.
"It's been a thousand years since then, but it seems his temperament hasn't gone anywhere. Still... it's a relief. Knowing that they live well among humans."
I finally understood why the demon king had been unable to sleep fully and had remained here until he turned into a statue.
He remained in the place for a thousand years, waiting for his son and his descendants.
So if he returns to his hometown after being chased by humans, he will be welcomed back anytime.
"That's right. Everyone is doing very well, so you don't have to worry."
He smiled at my words and happily bid farewell to the fortress that he no longer needed.
Beside him, I thought about Liena's coffin placed in the center of the fortress.
"Liena, you have a huge tomb."
It was also time to say goodbye to this difficult relationship.
"Terence."
I leaned slightly against Terence, who was beside me.
"What's wrong?"
"I just wanted to tell you that I love you."
At my sudden confession of love, he gave me the same response without the slightest hint of surprise.
"I love you too."
As I looked at him, I promised myself that I would convey my feelings to my precious person as much as I could.
Life is unpredictable and no matter how long it seems, it can end tomorrow.
"Where are you going?"
After the castle disappeared into nothingness, Caius asked our group.
"I thought I would run out of magic power after activating this final spell, but I still have some left. I'll use teleportation magic to take you wherever you want."
"Is that possible?"
"Yes. If I can't even use that level of magic, then the title of demon king is wasted."
As expected, there must be something different about the demon king.
"Anyway, my role is over, so if I have any magic power left, I should use it for our descendants."
"Thank you! But actually..."
I felt grateful, but I felt a little guilty because he was very kind to me. I'm not Cassius or anything like that.
"Well. You don't have to say anything more than that."
But he patted me on the shoulder with a benevolent expression and interrupted me.
For a moment, the thought crossed my mind that he might have been deceived by me even though he knew the whole story.
There's no way to confirm it now that he's kept his mouth shut.
So we immediately returned to the empire and rested comfortably in the imperial palace... It would have been really nice to say that it happened, but there was a place we had to stop before that.
"Oh, by the way, a while ago I heard some warning news from a certain demonic beast, and it told me that a fairly large number of demonic beasts are trying to invade human territory."
If only the former demon king hadn't brought up this astounding topic.
"Why?!"
"From the perspective of the demonic beasts, they prepared the best monstrous wave, but it ended in vain, so some radicals took the initiative and vented their anger."
"......"
"Even so, compared to the monstrous wave, the numbers are definitely small. It's probably not even a twentieth."
"Where did they say the destination is?"
"They said it was the most populated area on this continent."
Naturally, the place that met those conditions was the capital of the Asteroth Empire.
"This is not the time! Let's hurry!"
Although it was a much smaller scale compared to the monstrous wave, we couldn't remain silent.
Terence, Lucy, and I dragged along a stray parrot, which wanted to further investigate the territory of the demonic beasts, and relied on Caius's magic.
In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the border area of the empire, facing a horde of monsters attempting to advance towards the capital.
Although I had never been here in person, it was an area I knew. The County of Miloam.
"Descendant, stay healthy," With those words left behind, Caius, who had exhausted all his magical power, turned into dust and dispersed.
I hoped that this time he would sleep peacefully alongside his compatriots.
After a while, we arrived at Miloam Castle and I met with some people I had missed quite a bit.
They were Elliot Rood, an uncommon genius who had been sentenced to life imprisonment and incarcerated, and Count Miloam, an extravagant lord who was anything but noble.
"Why are you here...?!"
"Oh! Who are these?! His Royal Highness and Lady Wallace, Oh, you're now Viscountess Lucibiu!"
They greeted us quite ostentatiously.
"I would like to ask you that. Shouldn't Elliot be in jail?"
Elliot condescendingly snorted in response to my question.
"I don't know, but according to imperial law, when there is great chaos in the country, like a monster attack, prisoners can be temporarily mobilized under the authority of the lord in charge."
Oh, I had also heard about that.
Since prisoners have fewer rights than common citizens, the government tends to act without hesitation when there is a shortage of labor.
For example, using them as bait to lure monsters and discard them.
Of course, in the case of Count Miloam, it seemed like he was borrowing Elliot's wisdom based on the relevant law.
"What? Most of Thomas's troops were people who were farming until yesterday. It's dangerous to put them here!"
"It's okay, it's okay! Don't shout until my ears fall off!"
They were so busy arguing things among themselves that they didn't even have time to have a proper conversation with us.
Additionally, those two individuals weren't the only familiar faces in Miloam Castle.
"Your Highness the Prince! How did you get here?"
"Ethel! You're safe!"
We soon met with Terence's men, including Jack and Vinetta.
"Were you guys here?"
Jack looked at his master and nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes! He ordered us to wait patiently, but His Highness went to a dangerous area, so how can we be the only ones in a safe place?"
Vinetta was the next to speak.
"I tried to get as close as possible to the realm of the demonic beasts where His Highness and Ethel were, but I got stranded here due to the monsters that suddenly appeared."
They said they couldn't stand idly by watching their country being trampled by monsters, so they decided to help Miloam's army.
"What kind of bandage is this?! Your Highness, are you seriously injured? How did you get hurt?"
"Ethel also looks very tired. You two will rest in Miloam Castle. We and the Miloam army will definitely defend this land."
I made eye contact with Terence as I looked at Jack and Vinetta, who in turn were concerned about us.
What can I say, we rushed with enthusiasm for another fight, but it seemed like it would hardly be our turn to step forward.
At dawn the next day, Miloam County was attacked by a large group of monsters.
The people resisted with one mind and one voice.
The soldiers fought bravely, and the common people actively helped in the battle, providing food to the soldiers.
As I watched from Miloam Castle, the people moved tirelessly all night.
That cruel yet majestic scene stirred up an indescribable emotion in me.
"The goddess chose me as an apostle, but I am not the only one who saved the world."
Everyone was heroes who worked hard to protect their precious lives.
At that moment, Terence, who had gone out, returned to the room we were assigned.
"It seems that some monsters stealthily climbed over the castle wall and invaded. I'll be back after a while."
"Is it okay? You're injured and tired..."
"I'm fine. Even if I'm not, I have to go. Whatever happens, I'm a prince. This is my people's home."
As expected, he was the man I loved.
So, can I sit quietly here and twiddle my thumbs?
"I want to go too."
"It's dangerous. You collapsed yesterday..."
"The same happened with Terence. And don't worry. Who am I? Even after all this, I saved the world."
In the end, Terrence smiled and said, as if he couldn't help it.
"I'll be right by your side."
"That's what I expected."
We left the room having a light conversation.
In the following years, those who remembered the battle of this day, called the Siege of Miloam or the small Monstrous Wave, would say.
The second prince and Viscountess Lucibiu suddenly appeared and defeated many monsters.
It happened that we were proudly included in the list of the victors.
---
Previous - TOC - Next