Al-Ghurad's death felt almost weightless, as if it wasn't real.
The people of Endeavor, who had been watching with bated breath, stared in disbelief at the sword protruding from Al-Ghurad's back.
"Did we... win?"
"Ha, hahaha! We did it! We blocked him! The war is over now!"
As someone let out a cry of joy, the soldiers on the fortress wall joined in with shouts of their own.
"We won! It's our victory!"
"Victory for Endeavor! Hail! Hail Barry Sanders!"
Thunderous cheers echoed across the now-empty battlefield.
Most of the orcs, who had barely survived a nearly fatal blow, fled in disarray.
Especially with the Orc Lord, who had been the focal point of the orcs, dead, it was only a matter of time before peace returned to the Endeavor Fortress and the surrounding Grandis Kingdom's borders.
"We've got materials! Good materials!"
Luna released her control over the summoning magic and approached Adrias with a cheerful smile.
Adrias gently lowered Al-Ghurad's body to the ground, propping it with his own body, and drew his sword.
As he did, the reality of Al-Ghurad's death seemed to sink in, and the onlookers began to gather around the body of the once-great Aura Master orc, intrigued.
"Luna."
"Yeah!"
"Don't you need various other materials for the engraving?"
"Ugh! I can't do it right now."
Adrias turned to Dawson, who had been observing Al-Ghurad like others.
"May I take Al-Ghurad's body?"
"Technically, you're supposed to report to the palace, but..."
Dawson sent glances to those around him one by one, then smiled mischievously.
"Al-Ghurad's body seems to have disappeared without a trace. We didn't see anything."
"That's right! We didn't see anything!"
In response to the crowd's agreement, Adrias nodded appreciatively.
Then, Luna absorbed Al-Ghurad's body into a spatial artifact.
"You are not only a hero of Endeavor but also a hero of the Grandis Kingdom. I will make a detailed report to the palace."
Instead of Adrias showing delight at Dawson's words, those around them shouted.
"Barry Sanders! Hero of Endeavor! King of Necromancers! The one who killed the Orc Lord!"
"How did someone so young manage to attain such swordsmanship and dark magic? No, could it have been possible to master both sword and magic at the same time?"
"Can't you tell just by looking? That must be a fake face. Have you ever heard of Barry Sanders before? A famous dark magician who must be hiding his identity. It wouldn't make sense otherwise."
As the knights exchanged their opinions and sometimes praised Adrias, Dawson approached and spoke.
"The war may be over, but your duties are not. Please, take some time to rest in the lord's castle. As for your compensation, I will report to the higher-ups immediately so that you can receive it soon."
"Understood."
Although the war was over, the post-war procedures that could be even more challenging than the war itself still remained.
They couldn't afford to rest idly, as leaving things be might lead to outbreaks of epidemics or various other problems.
Fortunately, Adrias and Luna, having managed to avoid such post-war processes, returned to the lord's castle. They washed away the dirt and foreign substances from their bodies and finally found some relaxation.
With no immediate plans to head to the Great Forest, Adrias intended to first receive the compensation from the Grandis Kingdom and finish Luna's soul engraving. After that, they would depart.
'More challenging than expected.'
The journey into the Great Forest turned out to be longer than anticipated. Adrias hadn't expected it to take this much time. If the war had gone on a bit longer, he might not have been able to visit the Dragon's Tomb and would have had to return without it.
'But it worked out for the best. I needed a lot of money for reinforcement attributes and Amy's business, and things turned out well.'
With Al-Ghurad's body and the completion of the soul engraving, this journey turned out to be beneficial in many ways. He had told the truth about wanting the compensation in gold, so he planned to use it to purchase the materials needed for the soul engraving and make some progress in strengthening. He didn't intend to spend all of the remaining money on reinforcement; Adrias thought it wouldn't be bad to support Amy with some of it.
"Friend, you seem in a good mood."
"Luna, are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah! I'm fine."
Despite her delicate appearance, Luna had a sturdy constitution. She seemed to be in good health, even after fighting Al-Ghurad.
Her vibrant appearance amazed those around her. With her eyes gleaming, she exclaimed, "Looking forward to the Great Forest. It's my first time going!"
"By tomorrow, the materials for the soul engraving and the compensation from the kingdom should arrive. Let's take a break until then."
"Sure!"
.
.
.
.
On the way to the Great Forest, military carriages were overturned everywhere. Unmarred blood was splattered around, and echoes of battle cries and the last cries of the fallen resounded.
Crunch!
The white-armored knight, who took a life with chilling resolve, glanced coldly at the fallen orc.
Looking around, he noticed that the number of orcs had significantly diminished compared to when he had first arrived at the scene. The surviving soldiers sent admiring glances to the white-armored knight, and as they approached to strike up a conversation, the commander of the unit shouted.
"Greater news than before! The Orc Lord has been defeated at Endeavor Fortress!"
"The news of the enemy's supreme commander's death! The war is a victory for our Grandis Kingdom!"
"Wow!"
The unexpected news was met with cheers from the soldiers.
Evan von Orlean, the white-armored knight who had joined during the pursuit, approached the commander who had delivered the news with an expression of surprise.
"Is that news certain?"
"Oh, Sir Evan! Yes, it's true. The information has just arrived, so it's likely to be accurate."
"I heard that the Orc Lord was an Aura Master."
"We still haven't received an official report on who exactly killed him. But we've received news that Luna Pendragon visited Vayatra Fortress recently. Following that, it's highly probable that she supported Endeavor Fortress. I'm guessing that Luna Pendragon might have personally killed him."
"Hmm, I see. Thank you."
"It's not a problem, Sir Evan. Without your assistance, our unit would have been wiped out. Sharing this kind of news is nothing compared to that."
With a humble gesture towards the commander who bowed his head, Evan, who didn't think he had done much, wiped the orc blood off his sword and cleaned his blade methodically.
"Well, this is an unexpected turn of events."
As the commander went with the soldiers to deal with post-war matters, Evan was left alone and quietly departed.
Since he was on his way to Vayatra Fortress, it took him several days to travel from there to Endeavor Fortress.
During that time, he had little concern if Luna left, but he decided not to be anxious about it.
The purpose of this mission was undoubtedly Luna Pendragon, but Evan didn't harbor any strong negative feelings towards her, so he didn't feel a great sense of duty.
Originally, the target he had been assigned was Eve Millenium, who was now dead and gone. Having been a lifelong adversary, Luna's presence held more of a sentimental value than the sense that she needed to be killed.
'Fascinating, Luna Pendragon. Have you grown?'
A strange and indistinct emotion seemed to be conveyed.
Muttering to himself, Evan formed a faint smile as he gazed at the sun that had risen in the sky, its brilliance as unwavering as always.
Today, as well, the light covered the world.
.
.
.
.
"His Majesty Sergyios is quite disappointed that he couldn't deliver it personally."
Phillion placed a chest filled with gold nuggets in front of me and spoke.
The reward I received this time amounted to a total of 7.3 billion wil.
It was an enormous sum of money.
'Honestly, compared to real rich people, it's not much.'
While it could be argued that the amount was small for saving a fortress, the reward had already been predetermined, so there was nothing I could do about it.
At the same time, I didn't want to resort to peddling, and it wasn't favorable for me, who wanted to keep my identity a secret.
'Let's think of it as a bonus.'
While I had asked for all of the reward in gold, I intended to use some for reinforcement, even if to reduce the volume.
"Oh, and these are the materials you mentioned yesterday. I managed to gather some by asking around quickly, but I couldn't get them all. The rest might take some time."
"This should be sufficient. I'm planning to leave by tomorrow, so the rest is fine. Thank you for your efforts."
"You're the hero of Endeavor. This is nothing for you. I'm actually more disappointed that you can't take a more comfortable rest."
After finishing the conversation, I turned to Luna, who had received her reward alongside me, and asked, "Is this enough?"
"Yeah, I have some materials with me too, so it's enough."
After relocating, we laid Al-Ghurad's body on the wide space.
The body of Al-Ghurad, who had died the previous day, looked peaceful, as if he were sleeping.
'I could summon him as an undead, but...'
It would be much better to enhance my basic specs.
No matter how strong a summon was, it would be useless if I died.
"Wait a moment! It won't take long."
Luna began taking out various items from her extradimensional artifact and started drawing complex magic circles.
The magic circle she was drawing looked entirely different from anything I had seen before, which made it quite interesting.
'Come to think of it, this is my first time actually seeing it. I knew Luna could use it in the game, but I've never received it or seen it used.'
The technique of Soul Engraving was such a peculiar skill, and very little was known about it.
Naturally, it was a technique that had been passed down through generations.
Luna seemed to have practiced more than I had thought, as she quickly created a complex magic circle.
After that, there were several steps involving complicated magic, and about three hours later, all preparations were complete.
"Stand there and wait. I'll be done in a moment! It won't hurt at all! Well, it might hurt a bit, but you'll be fine! Probably."
She babbled something nonsensical, which made me a bit anxious, but I had enough confidence to endure whatever pain might come.
Taking the spot Luna indicated, I stood there, and soon the magic circle began to resonate.
Beside me lay Al-Ghurad's body.
Wuuung.
A fairly powerful magical force emanated, and as Luna chanted a unique incantation, the magic circle gradually grew intense.
Seeing Luna in that moment, her eyes sparkling with various colors, I found her incredibly beautiful.
'Her appearance is truly remarkable.'
The term 'beautiful' was insufficient to describe it.
She exuded an otherworldly mystique, as if she weren't human, and as Luna attempted to command, I could feel a mysterious force.
"Eve Millennium."
I never expected her to command Eve Millennium at this moment.
I hadn't even used my soul during the fight against Al-Gurd.
Wowwaaah―!
As she commanded Eve Millennium, an incredible force burst forth, causing the magic circle to shake.
Gradually, Al-Ghurad's body next to me began to break apart, and soon turned into a red form that flew into the air.
"Ashuruk, Kamedioudushtaba..."
As she chanted, Luna came closer, and then placed her hand on my forehead.
"Bahira jigorohwahn... Agaya, you're not from this world, are you?"
Taken aback by Luna's sudden words, I looked at her face, and her eyes, emitting light, stared directly at me.
"What's...?"
At that moment, a sharp pain pierced my forehead, and a sudden excruciating agony spread throughout my body.
"Uhh..."
I tried to endure it, but more than the pain, I was bothered by what Luna, or rather, Eve Millennium, had said just a moment ago.
Did she know? No, how could she? Or was it something she had said originally?
Whooong―!
The magic circle's response grew more intense, and while the pain increased, I managed to withstand it.
And then, the red form of Al-Ghurad that had been hovering in the air began to be drawn into my body.
At that moment, the pain I had felt until now seemed like a joke.
It was an otherworldly agony that could not be described as mere pain.
It felt as though a tattoo was being etched onto my soul.
"Ugh."
I hadn't expected it to be this intense.
I felt like a fool for being so confident.
"Being able to endure to this extent is a first for you. As expected, my daughter's friend is truly unique."
Even in my vague consciousness, Eve's words were clear.
Thanks to her words, I managed to endure without losing consciousness.
"Hehe, fascinating. It's really hard to see this as human mental strength..."
Eve Millennium suddenly stopped talking, her expression growing serious.
Then, she leaned in closer, staring deeply into my eyes.
"Why is there space left?"
What is she talking about?
When will this agony finally end?
However, whether she knew my thoughts or not, Eve expressed astonishment.
"Why is there still space left even after accepting one soul? Is this truly the nature of a human?"