Chapter 173
Chapter 173 – Preparation
— Sirius —
With the help of Zenodora’s group, Beowulf and Strongest Sword-Jiisan, we managed to get over the fifth day and make a comeback on the war progress. In the evening, I managed to stop Jii-san from trying to chase the monsters that began to retreat all at once. When we returned to the main gate with Reus and Julia, who were following us from behind, many soldiers greeted us with a voice of joy. The cheer of the soldiers was no less than they did to celebrate Julia’s success. It was probably because the battle was over or they saw Strongest Sword. I thought it felt good to be so happy, but for some reason, Jii-san was looking at the soldiers in a bad mood.
“So noisy. If you have the energy to back, it’s better to swing your sword.” (Lior)
“I feel the same way. But they are glad that Strongest Sword has come. Let them be like that a little bit more.” (Sirius)
“Fine. By the way, who is this Jou-chan?” (Lior)
“Sorry for introducing this late. My name is Julia.” (Julia)
Julia was delighted to see the person she admired, but the other side was an old man who went his own way. Even though Julia’s eyes turned to be like an innocent child, he felt that it was troublesome.
“I’m Ikki Tousen. I’m a swordsman in a journey. I don’t know who you call Strongest Sword.” (Lior)
“What are you talking about? Jii-chan is Strongest Sword.” (Reus)
“Shut up! I’m Ikki Tousen.” (Lior)
Speaking of which, I felt like he had said in the past that he would retrain as a swordsman and lived under another name, not as Strongest Sword, Lior. I stopped Reus from asking any further. Then, Albert and the imperial guards, who were waiting in front of the main gate, approached us.
“Welcome back, everyone. Thank goodness Julia-sama and Reus came back safely.” (Albert)
“Seriously, it was flashy, isn’t it? I also want to go all out one day.” (Reus)
“You can leave the cleanup to us. Sirius-san and the rest, please take a rest.” (Albert)
Everyone seemed to be tired, but there weren’t so many seriously injured. I was relieved. As Beowulf and others walked sideways to see whether there were monsters that were still alive among the dead corpses, Emilia descended from the top of the wall and reduced the falling speed with wind magic.
“Thank you for your hard work, Sirius-sama. Here you go.” (Emilia)
“I appreciate it. By the way, I can’t avoid the blood spilled from the assault.” (Sirius)
When I received the towel that she had offered, I wiped the blood spilled from the monsters on my body, I noticed that Emilia was looking at me with awfully feverish eyes.
“It was a really great fight. I’m proud to be Sirius-sama’s attendant.” (Emilia)
“That’s because Jii-san was with me. Well, I’ve been doing long-distance warfare for the last few days. So it was a good exercise today.” (Sirius)
“Aah, there’s still some dirt here. Leave it to me!” (Emilia)
As always, Emilia was excited and happy to take care of me, but there was a person next to me who was excited in many ways.
“Kuhh! You’ve grown up to be such a beautiful woman… That’s priceless!” (Lior)
“Ten years have already passed. It’s normal for me to grow up. Do you also need a towel, Ojii-chan?” (Emilia)
“And it was so worthwhile… guhaa!? Hey, are there any living monsters?” (Lior)
It seemed that he was too happy with Emilia’s growth, and his overflowing emotions couldn’t be suppressed. The tears flowed like a waterfall… the soldiers around him were starting to distance themselves from the unsettled old man who was hit with sentiment. Reus, who was talking to Julia, approached me, but I was looking at Jii-san with a troubled face as if I couldn’t hear the conversation.
“What is it? Even though he said that Nee-chan was glowing, did he see her properly?” (Reus)
“Glowing? I don’t really understand, but you should also be prepared for it. Aah, please wipe Ojii-chan’s tears as well.” (Emilia)
“I can’t help it. Hey, look at your nose.” (Reus)
“Muguhh!? Why are you doing this, brat? Shouldn’t it be Emilia!?” (Lior)
A towel was pressed against his face. I thought it was normal to get angry, but what was that bold remark about? As I was looking at Jii-san who began to chase Reus by swinging his sword, Zenodora’s group, who was checking the surroundings from the sky, descended.
[It looks like there are no more small fries. Even so, this is the first time I’ve ever seen monsters run away like that.] (Zenodora)
[We were called. By the way… what are they doing? Aren’t there no more monsters?] (Mejia)
“Aah… don’t worry about them.” (Sirius)
After that, we went to the gate of the frontline base, bringing together Zenodora’s group and Jii-san, who was stopped by Emilia’s calling.
—
Later, we had a strategy meeting with only Zenodora, and when we entered the dining hall where everyone went there earlier than us, the hall was chaotic if I had to summarize. In addition to the disciples who stood out, there were Dragonkin in their humanoid form and the old man known as Strongest Sword. The noisy part was that many soldiers were gathering to see them at a glance, but it was mainly caused by Reus and Jii-san who were noisier than the soldiers.
“Jii-chan! You can’t eat that alone!” (Reus)
“You’re noisy! This is all mine!” (Lior)
It seemed that Jii-san was monopolizing the grilled meat on a large plate.
‘Seriously… I know you’re hungry, but that’s so childish.’
“This was made by Emilia, alright!? So, I will eat everything!” (Lior)
‘So childish…’
I supposed that Emilia would soon stop the fuss, but currently, she seemed to be cooking extra food in the kitchen in the inner hall, and there seemed to be no one trying to stop Jii-san’s reckless behavior. Albert and Keith probably were by the Beast King side. At the moment, only Reus, Beowulf and Jii-san were sitting at a table. In the next table, there were Mejia and three Dragonkin who were watching the fight between Jii-san and Reus while eating.
“It’s noisy, but is it supposed to be noisy when during the meal?” (Mejia)
“Yes, that’s true in a sense, but aren’t we similar?” (Rai)
“Yes. Remember the time we had the dishes made by Sirius-dono?” (Kuva)
“Some of them were fighting each other to find out which one was delicious.” (Eye)
Other than the dishes that Emilia seemed to have made in a hurry, there were also other preserved foods such as dried meat and cheese. It seemed very satisfying to see that it fit the Dragonkin’s preference. The problem was, they were eating quite a lot. Jii-san was also the same. I should worry about the depletion of supplies, but I didn’t have to worry about it already. In order to tell everyone what had been decided in the strategy meeting earlier, I sat at the desk where Reus and Jii-san were fighting for the grilled meat.
“Stop it, you two. It’s noisy, and what if you drop those previous foods?” (Sirius)
“Aniki. This dish is for everyone to eat, right? So, we should share it and eat together!” (Reus)
“No, it’s my meat!” (Lior)
“Reus. I know what you mean, but that’s not the last of it. Just give it all to Jii-san.” (Sirius)
This was probably not about eating meat, but the act of monopolizing food was unacceptable. Even though Reus could eat portions for several people, he was someone who could endure if everyone wasn’t satisfied. However, since the other side was Jii-san who lived by instinct, it wouldn’t be effective to forcibly tell him that. It would be quicker to solve the issue, so I was sorry for letting him did whatever he wanted…
“In exchange. I won’t let you eat the next dish. I will stop you with my might.” (Sirius)
“Hoh. Interesting. If you think you can, try to stop me!” (Lior)
“Speaking of stopping you, Emilia will also try to stop you. And unlike the quickly prepared meat, the next dish is more elaborate…” (Sirius)
“Eat it! This brat, and that brat, you eat it!” (Lior)
““Mugahhh!?”” (Reus/Beowulf)
Jii-san immediately aware of the disadvantage of the situation. He forcibly pushed meat into Reus’ and Beowulf’s mouth. I didn’t mean that the food was poor, but I didn’t want him to handle the food in such a mess. Under such circumstances, Emilia, the final weapon, returned with a platter, but behind her, there wasn’t only Marina, but also Reese and Princess Liefell.
“Aah, Sirius-sama. Welcome back.” (Emilia)
“The meeting is over. They’ll be ready soon, so sit down and wait.” (Reese)
They must have joined together on the way to cook together. With the usual soft smile, Reese began to line up the dishes on the table together with Emilia. Thanks to their help, we were ready in no time. When everyone was seated, I said that I had something to tell and that caught everyone’s attention.
“This was decided at the last meeting that we’re going to abandon this frontline base.” (Sirius)
“Is that so? No wonder you told me I could use the ingredients as much as I liked.” (Emilia)
The instructions had probably been handed down to the whole, and when we noticed, most of the soldiers around us had almost disappeared. They were running around the building and preparing to abandon the base.
“We will leave this place tonight, except for a few. Or actually, I convinced everyone to do so.” (Sirius)
“Even though Zenodora-san and Jii-chan came, do we still have to leave this place?” (Reus)
“We can still fight, but the others are at their limit.” (Sirius)
No matter how much we tried, we couldn’t make up for the whole battlefield. Thus, they would get through between the openings, and the base would be attacked. Defense equipment and walls, which were said to be the iron walls, had been heavily diminished by the battle of the past few days. It was safe to say that it would be destroyed as soon as possible. Rather than relying on unstable tools to make bigger damage, they should go back to their well-defended home country while the strength still remained. The fight was still going on. Jii-san, who was absorbed with the boned meat, had an unhappy expression, as if he couldn’t stay silent when hearing that we were going to retreat.
“What? Why are we running away? I need to slice some more.” (Lior)
“After going rampage this much, aren’t you having it enough already?” (Reus)
“This person won’t be satisfied if it’s just half a day. It has to be at least one day.” (Beowulf)
“That’s fine, but it’s troubling if you move as you please. There will always be a place where Jii-san can play an active part, so please don’t try to charge alone.” (Sirius)
“Ojii-chan, please remain still until Sirius-sama allows you to do so.” (Emilia)
“If Emilia says so, I have no choice.” (Lior)
With Emilia’s words, it was very easy because Jii-san would abide. The rest were Zenodora and others, but they promised to adapt to my movements, so there wouldn’t be any problem. As I continued to convey other contents decided during the meeting, Princess Liefell asked me if there was anything I was concerned about.
“You have managed to convince everyone well. Especially sending the non-combatants back to Sandor. All that remains are those who decided to stay, right?” (Liefell)
“Well, I managed to do it because I have my own reason, and there are also Jii-san and Zenodora-sama’s group here.” (Sirius)
Most people were reluctant, saying that this was a place to die, but I convinced them with my suggestion and I actually threatened them a little bit. I could understand the desire to die on the battlefield as a soldier, and the pride that they wanted to protect their country by betting on their life. But if they were proud warriors, they would want more satisfying battle and death. Even if they kept fighting here, they would only be crushed and killed by the amount of monsters that reached no limit.
“Even if we don’t run away, we can charge together, right? Not only Jii-chan and Beowulf, we also have Zenodora-san and others.” (Reus)
“I just heard about the situation here. Anyhow, there is somebody who manipulates the monster, right? I don’t think it will be difficult with our war potentials, so I also agree with Reus’ suggestion.” (Beowulf)
“I have considered that strategy. But it’s too early to do that.” (Sirius)
Certainly, now that we had Jii-san and others, it was possible to break through Lambda’s group or perhaps the mastermind behind all this. However, this was originally the problem of Sandor. Therefore, I didn’t think we could solve it with our own help.
“The fact that a well-known superpower solved its problem with the help of strangers is… something that is not good for the country itself. If we’re going to charge, I think we should at least report it to the king.” (Sirius)
“Aah, I see.” (Reus)
“That’s surely true. I didn’t consider it enough.” (Beowulf)
“That’s not it. Certainly, we don’t serve the country, and if that’s true, we don’t have to worry about it. However, there is another reason to decline. It’s to lure Lambda’s group who haven’t showed up at all.” (Sirius)
The only things that emerged in the last few days were monsters and the exact copy of Lambda. For Lambda, the frontline base was just a passing point, so it was expected that there was no need for him to show up. To begin with, his purpose was revenge, and rather than just straying from a correct path, he was trying to destroy Sandor at the expense of various things. If there was that much obsession, he would definitely see Sandor being attacked.
“When it’s time to attack Sandor directly, he will show up. Even though he’s strong enough, this frontline base is not close to the target that he’s aiming for.” (Sirius)
“What if that guy doesn’t show up?” (Reus)
“In that case, as what Reus and Beowulf said earlier, we will charge forward. We and the volunteers will break through the monsters and aim for the one who is manipulating the monsters.” (Sirius)
If it was hard to attack from the ground, there was a way to break through from the sky on the back of Zenodora’s group. So, it wasn’t a bad bet. I briefly explained the prediction and the flow of the future. After drinking the tea that Emilia had prepared before I noticed it, I began to summarize the plan.
“Well, that was why we are leaving from a unit that’s ready to withdraw, so it’s going to be quiet here soon.” (Sirius)
“Understood. Now that you have sorted your things, please take your time to eat, Sirius-sama.” (Emilia)
“No, it’s fine. I don’t have to hurry. We’re going to stay here until morning.” (Sirius)
This was also troublesome to persuade. It would be dangerous to retreat while being chased by monsters. At the beginning, I was stared because of this planning, but most of them were convinced when I explained the reason and about our group members. There were Hokuto and Zenodora’s group, so it was easy for us to retreat. Even if we were chased by monsters, we would be able to retreat easily.
“Is there anything left to do until morning?” (Emilia)
“I’m going to check tomorrow’s formation. Perhaps, Lambda will appear because of Jii-san and Zenodora’s group.” (Sirius)
In fact, I wanted to talk to Lambda again, so I wanted to increase the chances of meeting him even a little. I was too busy to consider it when Julia was in danger. There was no rebut from everyone even after I explained it, so I expressed my apology and was grateful for my decision. Then, I turned my eyes again to Jii-chan and Beowulf.
“Now, the hard part is only until here. It’s a bit late, but let’s celebrate the reunion with Jii-san. Shall we?” (Sirius)
“Ouh! Not just with Zenodora-san’s group, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Jii-chan and Beowulf.” (Reus)
Upon returning to the frontline base, I had to go to the conference room. So I didn’t have the time to talk slowly, I didn’t need to introduce myself since we had already met each other before. For that reason, I was thinking about hearing the encounter between Jii-san and Beowulf, but Jii-san began to make a fuss, waving his cup while still eating.
“Ugh… not enough! Alcohol!” (Lior)
“That’s the third cup, isn’t it? I don’t mind, but the others can’t drink it, so be patient, alright?” (Sirius)
The soldiers in this frontline base didn’t drink because they continued to fight monsters for these five days. Rather than letting him know the fact, the spirit of Jii-san, who could continue to drink calmly, seemed harder than steel.
“Emilia cooked such a delicious meat, but the alcohol isn’t enough! Brats, prepare it quick!” (Lior)
“Why me?” (Reus)
“It’s pointless to go against him. Is there any alcohol I can get at the back?” (Beowulf)
“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll prepare for it soon.” (Julia)
Julia, who had finished her business, came before Beowulf and the shocked Reus. Jii-san’s voice was so loud that it could be heard from afar. When she knew that there wasn’t enough alcohol, she ordered the imperial guards to bring it from the kitchen.
“Hei Emilia, who is this Jou-chan?” (Lior)
“Didn’t I say it earlier? She’s Julia.” (Reus)
“Is that so? Or rather, I’m asking Emilia, not you.” (Lior)
“This is Julia-sama. She is the first princess of Sandor.” (Emilia)
“Princess…?” (Lior)
When Jii-san became aware of her royal status, his mood became noticeably worse. But that might be natural. Before he met me, he was spending time in Sandor, and the disciples he had trained seemed to be killed by arrogant nobles at that time. However, it was said that the present Sandor king took over the reign after Jii-san left, and he cleaned up those nobles. Above all, Julia wasn’t involved in the circumstances at that time, so I told him that there was no reason to dislike her, but I couldn’t make sense to this old man.
“Strongest Sword… No, Tousen-dono. I’m sorry for this late, but thank you very much for helping us.” (Julia)
“I don’t care. I just came to swing my sword.” (Lior)
“Even so, your sword save many soldiers. I would like to thank you on behalf of everyone.” (Julia)
“Do it what you want. I’m eating meat now, so don’t disturb me anymore.” (Lior)
He was just unapproachable. The way this childish Jii-san treated the words of gratitude was terrible. However, Julia didn’t seem to care at all. She continued to talk without stopping after profoundly bowing her head.
“I don’t know what happened at that time, but Father said that he wanted to apologize for what the fools of our people once did to you. If you have time, would you please meet the king and his vassals?” (Julia)
“Hmmph, if I feel like it.” (Lior)
“I’ve been saying up to this point as the princess of Sandor. Now, I want to tell you this as a swordsman.” (Julia)
“Swordsman, is it?” (Lior)
“I want you to teach me swordsmanship! Haah–!” (Julia)
The action was too sudden, and everyone who was watching her stopped for a moment. With her enthusiastic yell, she swung the sword that she had pulled out of her back and swung it down to Jii-san’s head. It was impossible to say that people shouldn’t be surprised. Of course it was relieved because the sword was stopped, but as expected, this wasn’t considered as rude.
“Ju-julia? What are you trying to do!?” (Liefell)
“Of course, this is for the sake of being taught by Strongest Sword-dono. I heard from Reus that it was better to swing with murderous intent than to speak poorly.” (Julia)
“No, did I say so!?” (Reus)
Julia had heard a lot about Strongest Sword from Reus, and apparently she seemed to have put the content into practice at this time. Certainly, in the case of Jii-san, he was more on action than poor words… No, I thought the attack would be more pleasing, but I didn’t expect that she would really do it. Did her instincts make her do that or did she trust Reus that much? Anyhow, it was an unprecedented princess who didn’t want to lose against Jii-san. By the way, Jii-san didn’t move and only looked at the sword in front of him even though it might be considered rude if he was suddenly attacked from the side.
“What? Are you surprised and can’t say anything?” (Julia)
“Nonsense! I just know that the sword will stop. Ojou-chan, will you put some more murderous intent in your sword!?” (Lior)
“Yes! Please excuse me!” (Julia)
The reason of the shout seemed to be different from the intention. After eating meat, Jii-chan quietly began to observe Julia, who seemed to care about being rude.
“You don’t have enough murderous intention. Your sword swing is light. Well the… where did you learn swordsmanship?” (Lior)
“It’s self-styled. I’ve been fighting various swordsmen to hone the skills I need.” (Julia)
“What is the reason for swinging sword?” (Lior)
“It’s interesting! It’s fun to go down the path as a swordsman and fortify your swordsmanship!” (Julia)
“…Hmm. I don’t like royalty, but you’re weird, Jou-chan.” (Lior)
Some people disliked when there were similar people with them, but in the case of these two, they got on well with the situation. Our theory that we could get along better if we tried to kill each other seemed to have been proved wrong, but this Jii-san’s unique sensibility was still strange. Jii-san put up a fearless smile from the grumpy expression he had a moment earlier, but there was still something else Julia wanted to say.
“I’m concerned when you said about the royalty, but that’s not a problem. I will eventually give up my royal status and marry Reus as a woman.” (Julia)
“Wait a minute, Julia. Don’t throw it away, alright!” (Liefell)
“You don’t need to say it anymore. I’ve already decided!” (Julia)
“Hei, aren’t you worried about this woman? Seriously, if you have time to skip reality because of her, you better swing your sword.” (Lior)
“Shut up! It’s natural to take care of women, and if you like them, it’s natural to be a couple. Even Nee-chan became Aniki’s wife!” (Reus)
“What did you say!?” (Lior)
When Jii-san heard that Emilia had become my wife, he shouted while squeezing the cup he was holding. Everyone on the spot realized that the atmosphere was clearly turned unpleasant. Beowulf took the initiative ahead of everyone, probably because of his experience, shouted while reaching out for me.
“R-run away! I’ll pull out my sword!” (Beowulf)
“Aniki! Damn it, can I stop him with my sword?” (Reus)
“…Hmmph!” (Lior)
The two interrupted to protect me, but surprisingly, Jii-san stopped moving when he grasped the sword on his back. Then, he grabbed new grilled meat with an uninterested expression, and shredded it. Reus and Beowulf were stunned by his unexpected behavior.
“What? Why are you looking at me with such a face? Do you both want to be sliced up?” (Lior)
“No, that’s… not it?” (Reus)
“Yeah, I definitely thought that you’re going to turn violent.” (Beowulf)
“Noisy! I’ll have to admit since he’s the man who beats me!” (Lior)
“I think it’s weird that people who aren’t Emilia’s immediate relatives say so much in the first place.” (Liefell)
Princess Liefell made an approach to close the argument, but it seemed that didn’t reach his ears. Even if Jii-san admitted it by the mouth, he might not be able to consent from the heart. Then, Reus asked him as he continued to eat meat to relieve his anger.
“Then, what if a man other than Aniki says that he wants to marry Nee-chan?” (Reus)
“That’s not it. I’ll think about it if he can fight me and win against me a hundred times.” (Lior)
Was he only considering and not allowing it to happen even a hundred times? When I thought how Jii-san had become much stronger than in the past, which he said he was in his heyday, I felt that it was nearly impossible.
“If Aniki didn’t get him, I feel like Nee-chan will be single forever.” (Reus)
“Reus. I understand you don’t mean that, but that’s a bit rude.” (Emilia)
“I’m sorry!” (Reus)
“Nuhahaha! What a pitiful brat.” (Lior)
“I think that’s Ojii-chan’s fault, right?” (Emilia)
“Ugh!?” (Lior)
Even though Jii-san was known as the strongest swordsman, he was like this in front of Emilia. Julia, who was sitting in a nearby seat, looked seriously at Jii-san’s appearance that looked like a child being scolded by a parent.
“He’s completely emasculated, isn’t it? You don’t want to see this kind of figure from Strongest Sword who you admire, right?” (Liefell)
“That’s not it. I’m glad to know that my future sister-in-law is such a great person.” (Julia)
“You’re so positive…” (Liefell)
“Uh… I feel weird when I’m upset.” (Marina)
“Marina cares too much about the surrounding. Boys like Reus seem to have characteristics that look most attractive to people like you, right.” (Liefell)
“Y-yes!” (Marina)
Even though few years had passed, Jii-san acted familiar to us. The problem was it was difficult to handle him, but it wasn’t too bad since Beowulf was used to being pulled by Jii-san as well. I guessed it was rude to leave Zenodora’s group out of the conversation, but they were enjoying foods that were good for preservation, so it seemed better to talk to them after they had finished eating.
When the prepared dish was cleared up, the Beast King, who was preparing for the retreat with his soldiers, appeared in front of us with Keith and Albert.
“Well, even in this situation, you seem to be as usual. I heard the voice even before entering the dining hall.” (Beast King)
“This is embarrassing. Well, it’s noisier, and above all, it’s quieter with few people.” (Albert)
The frontline base where thousands of soldiers alone were stationed, was already sparsely populated with the presence of people. The dining hall was lively because we were there, but if I went a step out of the hall, I would be in a lonely atmosphere where the presence of people had almost disappeared.
“I was going to leave as soon as I was ready to withdraw, but I want to talk to everyone before that.” (Beast King)
“Then, I’ll see you off.” (Sirius)
“No need. I’ll see you soon anyway. You were so active today, so you should rest slowly. Then… is that the rumored Strongest Sword?” (Beast King)
“I am Touse–… Hmm?” (Lior)
There were two people who still hadn’t finished eating yet. One of them, Jii-san looked up, noticing the gaze directed by the Beast King. By the way, the other person who kept eating was Reese. Jii-san had never held back even when dealing with royalties. However, was the presence of a strong man felt from the Beast King not negligible? After rinsing the meat in the mouth with alcohol, he laughed fearlessly.
“Hoo… interesting. Not only a wolf and dragons, there’s also a cat.” (Lior)
“Father is a Lion, not a Cat! Are you a fool?!” (Keith)
“Calm down, Keith. It is an honor to have the famous Strongest Sword to feel that. I would like to ask you if I have a chance, but that isn’t the case right now.” (Beast King)
“Absolutely!” (Lior)
Actually, Jii-san wanted to fight not only me and Hokuto, but he also wanted to fight Zenodora’s group right now. However, he was in a situation of being forced to endure because he was stopped by Emilia. In addition, Keith couldn’t help to feel hurt on his body because Jii-san felt the ability of the Beast King. Since the pace of drinking became faster, he said it in a state of being amazed.
“I admit that you’re strong, but are you alright to drink so much? Instead of tomorrow, can you even fight right now?” (Keith)
“Do you think my sword will become slow because of this water!? What a noisy cat.” (Lior)
“I’m a Tiger!” (Keith)
For now, tiger and lion were both cats, so he wasn’t wrong. However, Keith found it unpleasant. While Jii-san treated the angry Keith in that way, Albert thought that this situation was going to prolong. He avoided them and approached us.
“I heard the situation from the Beast King. We are waiting for you and others to return to Sandor. I don’t think I need to worry if Marina and Shishou are together, but please be careful.” (Albert)
“Yes, Nii-san. You should be careful too.” (Marina)
We planned to meet again in less than half a day, but Marina had chosen not to go with her brother, but to stay with us… or rather Reus. Marina might want to stay, but Julia would also stay with us. I guessed she must have decided now. Incidentally, Princess Liefell also stayed here. It was a matter of course. Well, she had been staying close to Reese. The Arbitray soldier came to report while we continued our conversation. Then, the Beast King calmed the angry Keith down, and turned his back.
“Alright then, we’re going back first. I’ll try to persuade the people over there, but don’t be too late.” (Beast King)
“Of course. I was the one who told them this plan, so if I make an unnecessary move, they will hold a grudge against me.” (Sirius)
“Hoh. If you understand that, that’s good. Shall we go?” (Beast King)
Then, after seeing the Beast King left the dining room with Albert and Keith, I explained my upcoming plans and got up.
“Now… we’re going to initiate it slowly. You don’t need to do much until morning, so rest and watch out.” (Sirius)
“Understood. I’ll be ready to leave.” (Emilia)
“Oh, let me help you too. The injured people are gone and I have almost nothing to do.” (Reese)
“Wait, Reese. You should rest.” (Liefell)
It was probably because Reese had been treating people for five days, she didn’t show the tiredness like she did on the first day. However, that didn’t mean that the number of injured people had decreased. There was no doubt that her burden was increasing. I wanted her to take proper rest since she had been supporting everyone from behind.
“Liefell-hime is right. Everyone can do their best if Reese is fine. So, I want you to rest.” (Sirius)
“Sirius-san. Alright. Then, I’ll do that.” (Reese)
“Sleep well. We will be watching over you. I’m also going to sleep with you, you know.” (Liefell)
“In that case, I can’t sleep. Please stop. Nee-sama is hugging too tight.” (Reese)
As usual, the close siblings and their attendants went to the bedroom. This time, Zenodora’s group, who had finished their meal, called me out.
“Hey Sirius, do you need our help? I’ll work as much as I eat.” (Zenodora)
“I need your help a little later. You can do whatever you want unless you reach out to distant monsters.” (Sirius)
“Then, how about we take a look around this base? It’s not bad to see what people have made.” (Zenodora)
“This guy and his unusual taste… Well, I’m going to sleep a bit. It was more troublesome to keep flying here than to fight monsters.
Based on what I heard from Zenodora, the dragonkin sent to support were supposed to be Zenodora and the three dragons, but it seemed Mejia joined in voluntarily. His reason was to return the favor to me, but I didn’t think I lent him a favor because what I did to his brother. Yeah, I told him about that, but he was rather an earnest Dragonkin. He was similar to that difficult Jii-san. Then, he was finally satisfied with eating the remaining dishes and alcohol. He stood upright while rubbing his belly.
“Phew… I’m satisfied. Who will swing a sword with empty belly anyway. You’ll be my opponent, brat.” (Lior)
“Didn’t Aniki tell you to take a rest? And Nee-chan also told you to stop until this whole thing is over, right?” (Reus)
“Emilia only told me not to fight the Dragons and the wolf, but she didn’t say about you. Plus, if you’re training, you won’t die. If we do it lightly, it will be fine.” (Lior)
“In the case of Tousen-san, even a wooden sword can kill people, isn’t it?” (Beowulf)
Beowulf was grumbling with empty eyes, as if he had experienced it. Although he was told many times and it made no sense, Jii-san grabbed the neck of the two while laughing out loud and went to the training ground.
“If you want an opponent, I’ll be the one! I want to feel the swordsmanship of Strongest Sword!” (Julia)
“““Julia-sama!?””” (??)
“Good! That includes everyone there!” (Lior)
“““Us too!?””” (??)
In that way, Julia and several imperial guards were getting involved with Jii-san. When I saw them off without saying anything, Emilia, who was cleaning up, laughed bitterly.
“Aren’t you going to stop them?” (Emilia)
“Well, he’s not going to stop. I hope this will make Jii-san a bit more mature.” (Sirius)
This was a situation where tiredness should be avoided, but Jii-san seemed to be fine. Even though he had been swinging his sword for almost half a day, he didn’t feel tired. But since I couldn’t leave Reus and the rest alone, I might have to go and see how they were doing later. I stroked Emilia’s head to calm her heart as I was thinking about the future flow.
—
After that, I separated from Emilia, who went to organize the luggage. Then, I walked alone on the battlefield where the dead monsters rolled out of the wall. In the early morning, if Lambda couldn’t be found in the enemy’s formation, we would withdraw immediately. So, it would be good to rest as long as there was no night raid, but I thought that it would be better than not doing anything. I walked along the wall, stopped at regular intervals and planted mana stones on the ground.
“…Should I set it in this location as well?” (Sirius)
The mana stones were engraved with a magic formation that produced a golem. This was developed by Magna-sensei, who was a teacher in the Elysium school. He usually hid behind the headmaster, the Magic Master, but the magic and the skill of his main attribute, soil, was very high. Perhaps, he was better than the headmaster on that aspect. Let alone being made of soil, he could create golem made of iron. The magic formation for golem created by Magna-sensei was taught to me with the exchange of new confectionary tasting right for one year. I supplemented for his honor. It wasn’t only for confectionary, but he trusted that I wouldn’t abuse it.
“This is to protect people. So, I can use it without hesitation.” (Sirius)
However, even if the performance was better than the typical golem, the number was few compared to hordes of monsters. It was like a drop in a bucket. But still, I could earn some time and reduce the number, so the effort wasn’t a waste. I could concentrate on my work since Hokuto was on top of the frontline base, watching the surroundings.
“The smell of death… huh?” (Sirius)
It had been somewhat dissipated by the magic of fire and wind, but it smells like so many people and monsters had died. No, it might be a bit of an atmosphere. As I continued working while remembering the previous life where names like a hero or a god of death were given to me since I killed many people, I gave order at the same time Hokuto reacted.
“Hokuto, wait.” (Sirius)
After confirming that Hokuto didn’t move, I looked back. Suddenly, something that had grown from the ground began to wrap up the corpse of a nearby monster. Apparently, it had been nourishing itself by eating the monster. It gradually changed its shape after completely consumed the monster.
“…I wanted you to show up a bit earlier.” (Sirius)
“Why do I need to adapt to your convenience?” (Lambda)
It turned into Lambda who attacked Julia the other day.
—
Extra/Bonus Act 1 – The scene that couldn’t be incorporated into the main story well.
– Marina snapped at Strongest Sword.
※ Lior , who saw Albert, made a fool of his opponent.
“Wait a sec!? Don’t ridicule Nii-san!” (Marina)
“Who is this Jou-chan? Doesn’t she want to live?” (Lior)
“This girl is my sister-in-law.” (Emilia)
“What a cute Jou-chan!” (Lior)
“…It’s the first praise that I’m not happy so happy about.” (Marina)
– The unique sensibility of Strongest Sword.
※ A scene where Jii-san remembered the scene of Keith who got angry being called a cat instead of a tiger.
“Eiii, that cat is noisy. Well, it may be interesting if I fight against all youngsters. They should be like appetizers, isn’t it?” (Lior)
In the sense of this battle-maniac old man, such opponents like Reus and Keith seemed to be an appetizer of alcohol. When I thought about it, I was probably the main dish, and Hokuto and Zenodora’s group would probably be the side dishes.
– Jii-san tried to take over the position.
When Jii-san was told that Emilia had become my wife, he acknowledged it while grinding her teeth.
“Look, if you make Emilia cry, I will not forgive you! I’ll cut you off immediately!” (Lior)
“I was told a similar thing by Emilia’s Ojii-san.” (Sirius)
“What did you say? She has Ojii-chan other than me!?” (Lior)
“Yes, we have one. That reminds me, Lior-Jiichan is not our real Jii-chan anyway.” (Reus)
“If I kill him, I will be the true Jii-chan…” (Lior)
“You definitely can’t do that. So, I want you to stop, alright?” (Emilia)
—
Extra/Bonus Act 2 – When a Sword meets a Wolf and Dragons
While chasing after Sirius, Strongest Sword, Reus and Beowulf arrived at the Hypne Continent. Then, they walked along the main road leading to Sandor.
“Let’s hurry a bit more, Tousen-san. It’s finally possible to join Sirius-san and others.” (Beowulf)
“I know. Goodness… what a trivial talk. Saying that there are monsters here… I don’t feel like dealing with weak monsters.” (Lior)
Lior wasn’t only chasing after him as he would go to challenge anyone that had strong presence. Thus, their journey was so slow that they couldn’t keep up with Sirius. The other day, he heard a rumor that a huge wolf other than Hokuto was seen, but he couldn’t find it and it ended up in vain. Eventually, Lior became moody because of the wasteful way of approach, but then, he noticed something and looked up at the sky.
“Ooh, there are strong dragons flying.” (Lior)
“Eh? Where is… eh, for real!? You have found it well.” (Beowulf)
Beowulf could see the dragon flying over the sky, but actually, it was so far away that he couldn’t recognize what it was until he was told. He looked up at the dragon with admiration.
“Hmm, I still can’t determine that. But… it seems to be strong. It looks different from these dragons.” (Lior)
“They are dragons that can fly to that height, and it’s quite large. It would be hard if we get attacked.” (Beowulf)
“I want to challenge it. Come down.” (Lior)
“Just let it go. There are five of them, you know?” (Beowulf)
Even if he could use the techniques that shredded the ground, he had regrets since he had no skill against the sky. Beowulf sighed at Lior who tried to call the dragons out loud, but he felt uncomfortable and twitched his mouth.
“Uhm… is something approaching?” (Beowulf)
“Hahaha! My wish is granted once in a while! Come at me from anywhere!” (Lior)
“No no no!? Let’s run away, alright!” (Beowulf)
Lior was gladly prepared himself, but the dragons changed its trajectory in the middle of descent, and stayed at the height where his sword couldn’t reach. But as the dragons passed them by, a white wolf descended in front of them.
“Nuuu!? Th-this is…!?” (Lior)
“Eh? Could it be…” (Beowulf)
Beowulf, who had prepared for battle, noticed that the white wolf was Sirius’ partner, Hokuto. So, he relaxed his battle posture. But then, Lior immediately drew his sword and laughed.
“Nuhahaha! A strong wolf is right here. Come, fight me!” (Lior)
“…Woof?” (Hokuto)
“This wolf is Sirius-san’s Beast Companion, you know. It seems he appears before us because of certain circumstances…” (Beowulf)
“Nurryyaaaa!” (Lior)
Without hearing what Beowulf said, Strongest Sword… or rather, the foolish swordsman, swung his sword without hesitation. However, Hokuto, who had heard about what kind of person was Strongest Sword, was calm and kept his distance while avoiding the sword swing with light side steps.
“Nuhaha! Did you avoid it easily!? You’re really that guy’s companion!” (Lior)
“Didn’t you hear what I said!?” (Beowulf)
Hokuto was suddenly attacked. Although it was fine to fight back, Hokuto gave an adult-like response by not entertaining the old man while keeping a certain distance. Beowulf was desperately trying to stop Lior. While doing so, the dragons who had turned around, descended behind Hokuto. If Hokuto wasn’t there, people would think that this was a desperate situation, but Lior’s eyes were on fire.
“Hahaha! Good, this is good! This is going to be a deadly fight!” (Lior)
[Aren’t they really on our side? I don’t think I want to fight them.] (Zenodora)
“…Woof.” (Hokuto)
It should be that way but… yes, Hokuto barked as if he was in a troubling situation. On the other hand, Beowulf, who felt seriously unpleasant because of that response, clung to Lior’s arm and said the words he had thought.
“If you fight them without permission, Sirius-san will be angry with you! Are you sure it’s fine!?” (Beowulf)
“Hmm, I could ask for nothing better! I’ll take him seriously!” (Lior)
“Then… look, if Sirius-san gets angry, Emilia-san also will get angry! Are you sure you’ll be fine with that!?” (Beowulf)
“No, I’m not!” (Lior)
At that point, Lior withdrew his sword and Zenodora explained the situation. As soon as they heard that Sirius and others were struggling, Beowulf became worried, but Lior got mad while putting all his power into the whole body… no, he was vexing.
※１
“Damn it! How enviable! Take me with you!” (Lior)
[Enviable!? Even though you ask for it? Why are you so demanding?] (Mejia)
[Well, if he knows Sirius, we should take him. Alright, let’s have someone bring him.] (Zenodora)
[Eh!? I… I’m carrying Hokuto-dono.] (Rye)
[I will carry the man. But with such a stranger on my back… gohooh.] (Kuva)
[No no, I’ll carry the boy! My back is uncomfortable and I feel bad for that old man.] (Ai)
“Somehow… I feel sorry for him.” (Beowulf)
[You seem to be struggling too.] (Zenodora)
“…Woof.” (Hokuto)
Apparently, their feelings were transmitted regardless of tribes.
※２
In the end, it was decided by Janken, which led to a slight delay in departure.