"We won, just like that?"
"What part of that victory seemed easy to you?"
"I am still alive. I didn't think I would be by the end of the war!"
"The war is far from over, I hear Lord Barda killed the prince of Gumina ..."
"Serves him right! that rat bastard."
"I get that, but with the son dead, do you think the King of Gumina will be resting on his hands?"
"Oh right, he'll have to retaliate!"
"Let him! Who said the Kingdom of Tristan is a pushover. We are not afraid of him!"
"We have Soft Hands on our side, what can be afraid of?"
"Hey, show some respect, the man saved my life!"
"Man? You don't know anything, he is not a man ..."
"We know, we know, he is a mage,"
"That is not what I meant, he's not a man or a mage, he is a god!"
"Cut the bull!"
"How else could he have gotten the key of Thogodan!"
"So now we supposed to start believing in fables?"
This had initially begun as a heated discussion among 3 drunk warriors but quickly escalated to the entire bar.
These kinds of conversations were happening all over the Kingdom, especially among warriors. Everyone was drunk with the victory that they had achieved.
The war was not over, not by a long shot. There remained a lot to be seen, and Gumina would make a comeback. Even if they didn't, Tristan would not let the invasion of their land go unanswered.
Despite all that, there was a reprieve. Moreover, it had come in the best possible outcome.
War was a sad affair. Many deaths resulted from the war. However, in the grand scheme of things, the war was a net win for Tristan. In terms of grown and development, Tristan, the Kingdom now, was leaps and bounds far ahead what it was before the war.
This was not so shocking. The union of the city-states was always something that had been discussed.
There was a balance of power that existed which prevented the cities from making a move on each other. Tristan may have been the largest, but any antagonistic move on its part would have lowered its might and influence.
Moreover, in times of peace, who wants war? A cataclysmic event was needed to make them come together. The war with Gumina was one such event. To achieve an overwhelming victory against insurmountable odds was just a cherry on top.
I mean come on, it doesn't get any more insurmountable than facing a tsunami and living to tell the tale.
When the civilians learned of the news, they took to the streets in celebration. Even cities such as Kiton and Fulah, not forgetting Retoa and the smaller cities, the ones that had banded with Tristan from the get-go.
They too were celebrating the victory. This let to the solidification of the recently formed Kingdom in the hearts of the people. They took out their ID cards and waved them around.
The warriors would come home, kiss their children, and embrace whatever family they had. They would then take out their uniforms and store away their guns.
Their call as warriors was not over yet. Despite the desperate battle, the pride in their hearts would weld deep as they would recount how they were part of the battle. Remember, most of those that survived were pretty far back.
As the tales of the victory spread, so did the names of the warriors who fought in it.
The Queen of Tristan did not hide back like the other monarchs and chose to be at the front lines with the men. She even endured a severe attack that would have killed her had there not been a mage nearby.
She had made sure the actions of that mage were known. She even held his name close to her heart and vowed to be worthy of his sacrifice. She did not take it lightly.
Tales of how the fierce Commander Catalina could not miss a shot even if she tried spread like fire. She had taken down 2 royalties in one go and sent the prince of Gumina running.
Deeds of how the Brave Commander Manga had faced a swarm of hell-bugs and fought his way through them to kill the mage, and surprise surprise, came out alive.
The astonishing fights that occurred in the ships, the battle of the mages, and of course, Lord Abu who lived up to the legends.
However, none of these heroes even came close to the accolades that Barda received. His astonishing arrival on the battlefield right when he was needed. How he came in!
How he sent the prince of Gumina running and chased him. How he had been able to summon an attack exactly like the one he had deflected. Well, not exactly, but so much cooler.
Of course, all these pale in comparison to watching him lead the mages in stopping the ocean. Many still had trouble believing it happened, but everyone in Reuze swore by it.
All these deeds were further enhanced by the fact that no one knew where he came from. He was a stranger to everyone. His life before coming to Crane City a big question mark. All this further added to his mystery. Everyone was curious, they just had to know.
However, there were no answers available. The man himself was flipping through some properties listing, wondering what he would buy.
For efficiency purposes, he had called over the proprietor of Llama Realtors with instructions to come with his product portfolio to the Palace. This was the owner of the largest realtor covering Kabu, Icutum, and Tannin, yet Barda could simply call him over to save his time.
Barda wanted to buy property as himself, no longer attacking his name to an Adventurer Team or the Kingdom. After this, he had stabilized his place in this society, not just as a selfless hero but also as a merchant and genius inventor.
There were quite a lot of things Barda wanted to achieve. Seeing the guns on his enemy's hands had been a wake-up call for him. He needed to get off his bum and get to work.
Suddenly, Barda realized he had a new lease of life. He had a reason to keep living. Previously he had been more like a robot, simply moving with the whims and operating on the most logical way forward. Hell, even his relationship with Lady Maara was based on logic, no emotion involved.
Little did he know that this was an activation required after his interaction with the first guide. Since he didn't even believe Rowan's story, to begin with, he couldn't have suspected this to be the case.
Some features of his personality would be unlocked, and he would be more human. The effect was so subtle but necessary. All measures and precautions had to be taken to throw off the scent of any would-be onlooker or observer. The enemy must never suspect, at least not before Barda was ready to take them on.
"I hear you are shopping for some properties?" Lady Maara walked in the chambers where Barda was meeting Grushin, the realtor.
For Grushin, to be summoned by the Hero of Tristan was one thing, but to get to interact with the Queen up-close was a whole different thing altogether. Her movements, her face, simply out of this world. An angel leagues above him in every respect, he could only bow respectfully.
"Ah, Come to help me choose? By the way, I am super broke, any chance I can cash in the Adventurer's reward sooner?" Barda asked her casually, his attitude contrasting heavily with Grushin.
"You do know you are entitled to lands, right?" The Queen asked patiently, as though she was speaking to a toddler.
"I am?" Barda asked incredulously. All this was news to him.
"You were named Lord Barda, that title comes with certain benefits too."
"Hmh, how about that," Barda muttered before asking, "What kind of benefits?"
"You shall be named Duke over an area for starters," The Queen begun.
"Let's do that now, please," Barda replied enthusiastically as he rose up. "Mister Grushin, how about we reschedule this meeting." Realtors don't usually mind rescheduled, do they?
"Not that fast, we first need to hold the official ceremony to commemorate the victory and the unification of the Kingdom," the Queen got all Queenly as she spoke.
"At that time, we shall bestow the Hero of Tristan the title of Duke,"
"Do I get to name my new lands?"
"You want to name your new lands?"
"Of course, do I?"
"I guess it's your prerogative, just out of curiosity, what do you want to name?"
"Bardania!" The Queen's mouth hang in horror, to think this hero guy had such a shameless streak. Barda did not think his naming skills were horrible at all, in fact, they were top-notch, the author's however ... 'Let me not ridicule him too much or my character might meet an untimely death."