Nameless opened her eyes three days after the battle had ended.
"…!"
As soon as she regained consciousness, Nameless startled and bolted upright. She grabbed the iron sword placed by her bedside and looked around cautiously.
"This is…"
It was a guest room in the Lord's mansion.
Though it was a guest room, it was being used as a makeshift infirmary.
Across the hallway, makeshift beds were lined up. Wounded soldiers lay in a row, and weary priests bustled about, tending to the patients.
Nameless looked down at her body, stiff and wrapped in bandages.
‘Why am I here…? I was fighting Night Bringer and then…’
Originally, she intended to delay the departure of the King of Flies, but then she decided to confront a greater evil that appeared.
The Black Dragon. Night Bringer.
Following the King of Flies, this evil dragon was confronted by Nameless.
- Where are you going, Black Dragon?
- Naturally, to bring destruction to the world.
After a brief exchange, they engaged in battle. They were never in a relationship that required much conversation.
Nameless fought the ancient evil dragon for three days in a battle that shook the heavens and the earth – but in the end, she couldn't withstand it. In fact, she was never a match to begin with.
She just clung on and endured.
After depleting all her 'light', she would die, resurrect, and then cling on again in an attempt to stop the Black Dragon’s advance.
As an immortal, she had no reason to fear death.
Despite this, she ultimately failed.
Night Bringer, annoyed by Nameless, who kept resurrecting and clinging to him, did not kill her but simply subdued her and took her away.
Thus, she was now in Crossroad.
Nameless blamed herself for not being able to stop Night Bringer and, at the same time, was relieved that Crossroad remained safe.
"Ugh…"
As she struggled to get out of bed, intending to leave the room,
"Please rest a bit more."
A calm voice reached her.
Looking in that direction, she saw a familiar man with ash-gray hair and glasses - Aider, the Lord’s advisor.
Through her foggy thoughts, Nameless struggled to remember his name before calling out to him.
"...Aider."
"Your injuries are severe. Even for an immortal, pain is still pain, isn’t it?"
"My pain is meaningless. More importantly, Crossroad…"
Before Nameless could say more, Aider gently pushed her back down onto the bed.
It was a weak gesture, but strangely, Nameless could not resist Aider’s touch. Eventually, she quietly sat down on the bed.
"How is Crossroad?"
After a moment of silence, Nameless asked. Aider shook his head bitterly.
"…It’s a mess."
"It's all my fault. If I had stopped those monsters sooner, or if…"
Nameless lamented with a look of despair.
"If our Lake Kingdom… hadn’t fallen into darkness…"
"..."
"It’s all my sin. How can I ever make amends…"
Listening quietly, Aider faintly smiled.
"I’m sorry, Princess. But dwelling on the past is not the style of this city."
"...?"
As Nameless looked puzzled, Aider pointed outside the window.
"The Lord is already taking action."
The room Nameless was in faced south, and from there, she could clearly see the southern part of the city.
In the utterly ruined southern part of the city…
"Search & Recovery!"
Ash shouted as he and his men hurriedly moved around.
"It's Search and Recovery! We search, rescue, and recover!"
"Yes!"
"Today, from this area to that side! Come on, everyone! Let's do our best until lunch!"
"Yes-!"
Heroes and soldiers with minor injuries, along with workers, rushed in and started shoving their shovels into the debris of collapsed buildings.
The dead and injured had all been rescued and dealt with in the past three days, so now what remained was clearing the rubble.
Watching the bustling city in a daze, Nameless heard Aider speak.
"We've lost a lot and many have died. But we can’t just stop."
"Is Ash… okay?"
"Of course not."
Aider sighed softly.
"He must be suffering more than anyone."
"..."
Everyone knew.
That Ash was clearly pushing himself too hard.
On the recovery site, leading from the front, issuing commands energetically, and moving busier than anyone, but... everyone knew he was suffering as if he might collapse at any moment.
Yet, because his effort was both heart-wrenching and needed here,
Everyone just pretended not to notice, following his orders and dedicating themselves to the recovery effort.
"...I'll go help too."
Nameless finally managed to get up again.
With a resigned sigh, Aider helped Nameless into a new robe over her bandaged body.
As Nameless was adjusting her robe, she timidly asked Aider.
"Aider, if it's okay... could you tie up my hair so it's out of the way for work?"
Aider smiled faintly.
"Of course. Gladly."
Nameless’s long white hair was neatly tied at the back.
Thus, Nameless walked towards the southern part of the city, rolling up the sleeves of her robe.
How to repay the sins committed by the Lake Kingdom was unclear, but one thing was certain.
Contributing to the effort here and now would be more helpful than a hundred apologies.
"Ash!"
Turning to the sound, Ash saw Nameless and also shouted out loud, as if emboldened.
"Is there anything for the Lake Kingdom’s best worker to do?"
***
Barracks. Ariane Kingdom quarters.
"..."
Hesitating for a moment, Kuilan carefully opened the door and stepped inside.
"Whoa!"
"Who’s there?!"
As the massive werewolf approached, the warriors of the Ariane Kingdom instinctively raised their weapons in defense.
Kuilan stopped and showed his hands.
"...It’s me."
"Ah..."
At that moment, Kuilan was transformed into a silver-red werewolf, regardless of whether it was day or night, whether the moon was out or not.
The warriors of the Ariane Kingdom recognized Kuilan but still looked at him warily. Kuilan silently surveyed the interior of the quarters.
"How’s Yun?"
"...She’s alive."
A priest from the Ariane Kingdom, who had been tending to their own warriors, emerged from the back.
"But the paralysis poison injected by the monster was so potent that... The poison is still having a lethal effect, causing her to fall into a coma."
"Can she recover?"
"..."
The priest fell silent.
Kuilan quietly placed what he had brought down. It was a basket of flowers, though it was hardly visible behind his enlarged hands.
"I'll come again."
As Kuilan turned to leave, the priest spoke to his back.
"There's no need."
"...?"
Looking puzzled, Kuilan met the priest's gaze as the latter explained.
"The king has ordered our return. Our delegation from the Ariane Kingdom has decided to return to our homeland with the princess."
"When?"
"Tomorrow."
"The airship... The Ariane Bear can't fly. How are you supposed to return?"
"We'll have to walk if we must. The path is there, after all..."
Kuilan growled in disbelief.
"Walk all the way to the Ariane Kingdom, with a patient in this condition? And you're planning to start tomorrow?"
"...The king's command is absolute."
"Staying here to recuperate is what's best for Yun now. Even just for a few days! You know that as well."
"Isn't this place the most dangerous of all!"
The priest shouted back.
The priest trembled in front of a silent Kuilan.
"This place, swarming with such monsters, is... the most dangerous place in the world."
"..."
"The fight here is noble. It is great. But so what? Does that mean our princess has to die here?"
The priest shook his head disapprovingly.
"His Majesty has ordered our return through emergency magical communication. He wishes to see his daughter before she passes."
"..."
"Whether we stay here or make the long journey back, it's all dangerous... It would be better for Princess Yun to pass away in her homeland, in the embrace of her family."
The rest of the Ariane Kingdom warriors seemed to agree, nodding their heads somberly.
"...No."
Only Kuilan shook his head.
"That can't be."
"Excuse me?"
Crash!
Kuilan suddenly kicked the ground and rushed past the priest into the quarters.
The startled people of the Ariane Kingdom hurried after him. Kuilan easily broke the lock and burst into Yun's room.
"..."
Yun lay on the bed, dying, her face covered in cold sweat and her abdomen wrapped in blood-soaked bandages.
Kneeling on one knee, Kuilan carefully sat beside Yun's bed and growled.
"If the wound was inflicted on the monster front, then the cure must also be there. The best chance for Yun to survive is to recuperate here, not to make a hasty journey north for months. I cannot let Yun be taken away."
The Ariane Kingdom's priest was astounded.
"That has nothing to do with you!"
"No, it does."
Kuilan looked down at Yun's pale face with deep, well-like eyes.
"This person is my..."
***
"Bodybag."
The elves' quarters.
Lilly was continually knocking on Bodybag's door.
"Bodybag. You have to eat something."
"..."
"You haven't had a sip of water for three days. You'll die at this rate. Let's eat something, okay?"
Bodybag remained silent.
Lilly sighed deeply and slowly said,
"Bodybag, there's a funeral tomorrow."
"..."
"We have to send off Burnout on her final journey. If you stay like this, Burnout will be sad too. So please..."
"...Lilly."
For the first time in three days, Bodybag's raspy voice seeped through the door crack.
"I've lost everything. I've lost everything. Now, I have no one left."
"..."
"Why am I still alive? Godhand, Burnout, Skull, Oldgirl, everyone's dead. Why am I still here?"
Lilly rested her forehead against the door. Inside, Bodybag sobbed.
"I should have just died during my time with the Aegis Special Forces, completing the mission. Back then, at least there was no hope. We were just bullets, expendable. Once we served our purpose, we could lay everything down and die peacefully."
"..."
"But here, I learned what it was to live happily, to live like a human... And then, one by one, they died. To embrace hope only to die, that's what it means."
Creak-
The door slowly opened.
Bodybag appeared, pale from days of crying without eating or drinking, trembling.
"Why, why am I alive and hungry? Why am I alive and thirsty... when everyone else is dead? Why am I alive and sleepy, dreaming, wanting to see everyone... Why am I alive."
"Bodybag."
Without a word, Lilly opened her arms to Bodybag.
Staggering forward, Bodybag fell into Lilly's embrace and cried.
"It's okay. Eat, drink, sleep, live. It's not shameful. It's not cowardly. It's okay. It's all right..."
Holding the trembling young elf, wracked with guilt over the loss of comrades, Lilly whispered softly.
"Let's live, us..."
***
Crossroad's south. The remains of the wall.
"..."
Verdandi sat aimlessly in front of the yet-to-be-reconstructed wall ruins.
The wall, an ancient wooden structure blackened by fire, still retained its shape. It was the legacy of the World Tree summoned by Skuld at the cost of her life.
Verdandi looked down with a blank gaze at the spot where her sister had fallen and died three days ago.
Skuld's body, merged with those tree roots, had been anchored here.
Ultimately, Verdandi had to cut her sister's body from these dead tree roots with her own hands to prepare for the funeral.
"..."
The image of her sister's dried-up, dead face haunted her.
'If I hadn't run away...'
If she had succeeded the elven royal throne instead of pursuing the Holy Grail, she could have been the one to sacrifice herself here. Then, Skuld might still be alive.
'It's all my fault, my fault...'
As Verdandi contemplated, elves cautiously approached her from behind. They were elderly elves wearing ancient decorations.
"Verdandi."
"..."
"The only rightful successor left to the elven royal family... is you."
"..."
"You must accept the crown."
"I'm not worthy."
Verdandi shook her head.
"How can I, who abandoned the kingdom and the people to wander for a hundred years, now wear the crown with any dignity?"
"However."
"Enough. Leave me. How can we discuss succession before we have even held the late queen's funeral?"
The elves closed their mouths and retreated en masse.
As the sound of their departure faded, Verdandi pulled a dagger from her bosom and thrust it into the ground.
Thud!
It was right in front of where her sister had fallen and died.
"Indeed, I cannot become a queen."
Verdandi clenched her teeth, staring straight ahead.
"I must kill all monsters and avenge my sister... I cannot take on a role like that of a queen."
Holding the dagger that trembled with murderous intent, Verdandi stored her cold hatred in her heart.
"Wait for me, Skuld. Even if I cannot be a good queen..."
Dark shadows began to seep into her large, clear green eyes.
"I am confident I can be a good avenger."
--TL Notes--
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