Here’s the chapter, enjoy~
ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 11 – Like A Hero King
Inside the White Knight’s Castle, which towered over the capital of Ishtalika, a great nation across the sea.
It was a few hours after the battle in Birdland had been settled.
Chris rushed to the top floor, where the royal family’s rooms were lined up, her proud blonde hair swinging in a great hurry.
“Hah…hah…”
She knocked on the door, but without waiting for a reply, she jumped into the room, following her momentum and emotions. Inside, Krone and Olivia looked tired and heartbroken.
They were sitting side by side on the couch, and judging by the pile of papers on the table; they were in the middle of work.
Chris went over──.
“Olivia-sama! Krone-san!”
She jumped into the air and hugged them both.
“C-Chris!? What’s wrong with you all of a sudden…?”
“Kyaa──what’s wrong?”
The two were surprised by the sudden embrace, but the worst was in their minds when they noticed a single tear running down Chris’s cheek, right next to their faces.
But soon, they heard a voice filled with joy, and their expressions turned joyful.
“We won!”
“Chris-san, that means──!”
“Yes! Thanks to the efforts of Ain-sama, who joined up with Lloyd-sama and the others, we were able to win the battle against the hordes of half-monsters!”
The two of them embraced Chris tightly after hearing what they wanted to hear the most.
Olivia smiled despite her tears and murmured in a small voice, “I’m glad,” over and over again. Krone’s body also trembled with joy, and she layered the strength of her loved one who had gone to war on the star crystal’s glow that shook her right arm.
“…I must do my best too.”
Hearing Krone’s murmur, Chris huffed and let go of the body that had been embracing each other.
“I can’t let this fade away! I’m going back to the port now and continue preparing!”
“You rushed here for Krone and me, didn’t you?”
“Actually, I did… I left my knights behind, so I’ll have to apologize when I get back… Ahaha…”
“Fufu, Chris has cheered me up.”
“I feel better too, Chris-san.”
Everyone can understand why she would want to hurry up, and there was no one to blame.
The three of them exchanged one last heartfelt smile, and Chris left Olivia’s room and put her hand on her chest as she looked out the window.
“Ain-sama, I will be by your side soon.”
She looked at the sky as she placed her hand on the magic stone she said she would dedicate to him.
She looked up at the snow falling from the vast sky over Ishtalika and silently put her thoughts into her heart.
◇ ◇ ◇
──It’s probably snowing in Ishtalika by now.
Remembering his hometown, Ain clutched a magic stone in one hand and was secretly absorbing magic power.
(As I thought, it’s more satisfying this way.)
Recently, this tendency was strong.
Whether it was because he had many opportunities to use a lot of magic power, he did not know, but doing this was more satisfying than eating a normal meal.
(Well)
Ain finished sucking the magic power and looked around.
It was now the early morning of the day after the victory, and the army of Ishtalika was lined up outside Birdland.
Another day had passed since they had used the entire day to recharge themselves, and now it was time for the march.
Morale was not low, but there was a scattering of bewildered and anxious knights. No wonder. After facing such a large army, it was no wonder they were like this, thinking they would have to fight with them again.
“…..”
Standing in front of the lined army, Ain pondered over their appearance.
“Ain-sama.”
Lloyd, who had lost one eye, spoke to him.
According to Varra, who had been brought in, there was no room for recovery, even immediately after the battle. But Ain could still recall Lloyd’s stern words, “It’s a small price to pay considering that my life was saved through one eye.”
“I am prepared to be punished in any way as soon as I return to our home country.”
“Eh? Why?”
“I am responsible for the demoralization. The reason is that I could not take better measures, and my eyes were gouged out. The presence of Ain-sama has boosted morale, but these are matters for which I am responsible.”
“No, you are not responsible. This war was hard, no matter who was in command. It is because of you, Lloyd-san, that I can stay in a fighting condition like this.”
Lloyd looked as if he wanted to say something, but when he was told that everything would be fine, he closed his mouth.
Then Dill came running up to them.
“It’s about time to go. The preparations are finished.”
“Thank you. …But I’m a little concerned about going on like this.”
“Morale, you mean?”
Ain nodded.
As a matter of fact, the morale at the time soon after Ain’s arrival, shortly after the end of the battle of Birdland, was so high that it could not be compared to now.
Morale was notably high because the crown prince, who was supposed to be in his home country, had come to support the victory.
However, morale was gradually declining as they recalled Heim’s large army.
“Wait, I’m going to go talk to the others.”
“…Yes!”
The figure of Ain, who turned his back, was filled with a high spirit, a capacity that made people want to cling to him, and a tenderness that his father, Lloyd, would have directed toward him.
And there was no mistaking what Dill felt.
“It’s okay.”
He begins to speak in a calm voice.
Though calm and gentle, his voice was heard by all the knights, and it caught their attention.
The knights were waiting for him to continue to ask what was okay.
Ain’s face was gentle, with a hint of serenity.
“Everything is going to be alright.”
He showed his compassion to everyone in the army just as a mother soothes a crying baby.
It was unclear what he meant by “everything will be fine” or why, but everyone still felt a certain heat in their hearts.
Don’t worry, if you stay by his side, you will be fine. They could not help but feel that in their hearts and in their bodies.
Ain drove his horse further here and stopped at a small hill a short distance ahead.
He looked around at everyone’s faces and then nodded to the fact that morale was returning.
With the morning sun at his back──.
“──We will be heroes.”
He said, looking at the war that was about to continue.
“──We will be heroes.”
Soon the knights were cheering, and the heaviness of just a few seconds ago was gone. Now they were only excited by the crown prince’s words.
“Raise your swords!”
The sound of the knights drawing their swords in unison echoed through the sky of Birdland.
Lloyd, Dill, and Majolica were also trembling. They shouted his name in high spirits, with a courage that was soaring in Ain’s voice that created a heightened sense of pride in their hearts.
“Now──!”
The knights were superimposing the legend of the first king on Ain.
This was especially true when you consider that the opponent of this war was the surviving enemy of the Demon King’s War.
But the only thing on Ain’s mind was the thought of victory. The fact that the words he had just uttered were those of Gail, whom he had seen at the shrine of Sith Mill, had completely slipped from his mind.
Eventually, Ain sought the direction of Heim.
” ──Let’s go!”
He uttered the signal to march in all his heroism.
Thanks for the chapter
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