"Ugh..."
Evangeline looked quite pale. Perhaps it was due to her injuries and the strain of overseeing the funeral ceremony.
"Evangeline, are you okay?"
I approached her with a look of concern. She responded with a small, serene smile.
"Of course, I'm fine. Who's the toughest person on this front? Isn't it me?"
With a hint of bravado, Evangeline lightly slapped the injured part of her body.
"Aaargh!"
She immediately let out a horrifying scream and crumpled to the ground. What the...?
"Why'd you have to show off like that?"
"I... I... thought I was going to die just now... I swear I saw my father's face..."
"You should've rested at the temple..."
She had been strongly advised to rest in the temple, but Evangeline insisted on taking charge of the funeral.
"But with Sir Lucas in that state, I had to step up."
Evangeline quickly got back up, her lips trembling as she tried to muster a smile. Beads of sweat poured down her face.
It seemed she felt a heavy sense of responsibility for the outcome of the recent defense battle.
That's probably why she, despite her severe injuries, continued to push forward.
"...I was confident."
She muttered while looking at the newly dug graves.
"I had awakened, learned new skills, and I believed. I believed that our allies wouldn't get hurt anymore."
"..."
"If I had a shield. If I had a spear. I was sure I wouldn't lose anyone else. That was my confidence."
Evangeline bit her lower lip.
"I was wrong. I was complacent. I wasn't enough. I still have a long way to go."
"You did your best."
"I rushed forward despite being a shield knight. Instead of protecting our allies, I focused on annihilating the enemy. Yet, I couldn't even kill their leader, and hence couldn't protect our allies properly."
Evangeline was reflecting on her battle with Lunared.
"If I had done my job, I could've stopped the enemy's general at the northern wall, and naturally, the damage elsewhere would've been minimized."
"..."
"I am clearly at fault."
"Evangeline."
I softly reassured the young knight.
"You don't need to harbor such thoughts. I'm the commander here. If I had properly understood the enemy's intentions, we wouldn't have been scattered like this in the first place."
It was true.
Lucas, Evangeline, Damien.
The three, having awakened their ultimate skills, were immensely powerful. But this time, they couldn't unite. They had to fight separately.
Their combined synergy couldn't manifest.
If the three of them had complemented each other on the same battlefield, the defense battle would have played out differently.
"The fault is mine as the commander. The responsibility for the deaths during this defense lies with me."
But Evangeline shot me a sharp look.
"Please, senior! Don't try to shoulder it all by yourself."
"What?"
"Do you already forget our conversation when I decided to stay on this front?"
Was she referring to when she decided to stay during Stage 3?
...At that time, Evangeline had clearly said,
"I've told you I'll shoulder the resentment and responsibilities of the people you're trying to bear."
"..."
Yes.
She had said that.
"I'm the heir to the Crossroad Margrave. Someday, I will govern this city."
"..."
"You don't have to give me everything. But senior, please share a bit with me."
With her large emerald eyes wide open, showing her pronounced canine teeth, Evangeline flashed a radiant smile.
"It's too heavy for you to bear alone, isn't it?"
"...Evangeline."
"I'm here, and we're by your side. Don't forget that."
It was then I realized.
She knew I was struggling alone and took the initiative to oversee the funeral to be by my side.
Her thoughtfulness and kindness left me speechless.
'Evangeline is growing up so fast.'
... Though her height remained the same.
Ahem.
We stood silently atop the hill, watching the settling graveyard. Most of the crowd had dispersed.
"Aren't you reciting a poem today?"
Evangeline unexpectedly asked. I turned to her, puzzled.
"A poem?"
"Yes, like you did at my father's funeral. I thought you might do it again this time."
"..."
I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck.
She has a surprisingly sharp intuition. In truth, I had prepared a tribute poem, but the timing seemed off.
"Want to hear it?"
"You have a pleasant voice. Go on!"
Evangeline closed her eyes, ready to listen, and cupped her ears. It felt a bit embarrassing given the setting.
Taking a deep breath, I began to recite my short poem.
Come closer, for we too shall become fallen leaves someday,
Come closer, for the night approaches and the winds blow.
Autumn.
Death.
And the need for each other...
There were a few more lines, but I stopped there. Evangeline, who had been silently listening, smiled warmly.
"It's beautiful."
"You think?"
"It's melancholic but has its own charm."
As she shrugged, a red leaf fell beside Evangeline. Looking up at the tree, she murmured,
"It's already autumn."
"Yes. It's autumn."
When you joined us, it was just turning spring. Now, it's already autumn.
Time is relentless.
Have I used my time meaningfully?
Have I led the frontlines here properly?
"Senior!"
As I was about to lose myself in thought again, Evangeline playfully jumped in front of me. I was startled.
"Geez! With your condition, move gently!"
"Get me a new armor! Mine's all wrecked!"
Before I could chide her more, I paused. Right, the golem armor Evangeline had been using was now in tatters.
"Don't worry. I'll get you the best one."
"And a shield and spear too! They're all worn out. I'm not sure if they can be repaired."
"Don't fret about that either. I'll replace them to your liking."
I had a new armor in mind, and upgrades for her exclusive spear and shield were awaiting.
'You're going to grow even more, Evangeline.'
Excited, Evangeline hopped around, but soon held her injured area, groaning in pain. Watching her, I thought:
Equipped, with her attributes set, taller, with a balanced physique, and...
Soon to be a Margrave of Crossroad.
You'll grow into a fine adult.
I grinned, seeing Evangeline mature mentally beyond recognition in the past six months.
'...But when will she grow taller?'
You're the title character in the game's limited edition. You'll grow to match that title illustration, right? The cover isn't a scam, is it?
***
After most of the people had left the cemetery, I headed towards Kureha's grave. Kuilan and the Penal Squad's five members were still guarding the place.
"Kuilan."
Upon calling the name of Kuilan, who had a hood attached to his robe pulled down deeply, he slowly removed it. A face that seemed a mix between a wolf and a human emerged, yet unmistakably, it was Kuilan.
"Your Majesty."
"How was the funeral?"
"Perfect. There couldn't have been a better ceremony."
I had specifically ordered it. To give Kureha the best and most respectful send-off possible.
"When we reclaim our homeland, we might relocate the grave, but for now, the funeral was too splendid to think about that."
Kuilan stared quietly once more at the grave of his brother that he had been observing all day.
"...Hopefully, he can rest a bit easier now."
"It would be good if that were the case."
While it's hard to imagine what could console the dead, after all, funerals are more for the living than for the deceased.
"I'm grateful for the wonderful funeral and for treating us like humans despite our current state."
Then, Kuilan hesitated before saying,
"But we probably cannot stay in this city."
"..."
I was at a loss for words.
Crossroad had been attacked by werewolves. Many had died.
In such circumstances, it was unlikely that the Danpunglang tribe, which shares the same wolf blood, could live peacefully in the city. While they look quite different, they still share many similarities with werewolves. And those who had suffered the werewolf attack would definitely not be welcoming.
"Every two weeks following a full moon, we'll look like this...half-human, half-beast."
Kuilan gestured to his reddish, fur-covered hand.
"We may look like dogs shedding fur every season, but we'll turn into these wolf forms bi-weekly. The locals might find it terribly uncomfortable, don't you think?"
"..."
"But, it doesn't seem right to leave the front lines entirely, especially after what Your Majesty and the others have done for us."
Kuilan glanced at me, deep in thought.
"What do you think we should do? I want to hear Your Majesty's opinion."
"...There is one option."
I began slowly.
"It might be a bit strenuous for you all."
"We've camped in rugged mountains and marshlands, survived while being pursued by the Imperial Army."
Kuilan grinned.
"Just tell us. We'll follow."
The other members of the Penal Squad nodded in agreement.
I took a brief breath and said,
"We're going to establish a forward base. How about you guys stay on-site there?"
***
Forward Base.
It was situated near the lake, the very place where we had fought the Black Spider Legion during the tutorial.
Originally, this was the primary defensive line of the monster front here. Only those monsters that couldn't be stopped here flowed and struck Crossroad.
If we could only restore this damaged place, we could significantly reduce the monsters reaching the Lord's Castle at Crossroad.
But, of course, the problem was its maintenance difficulty.
Right on the enemy's doorstep, it was tasked with withstanding the enemy's first wave head-on. If it ever fell, the stationed troops would be decimated.
Because it was so close to the enemy wave's starting point, just sending materials for reconstruction was a tough job.
Given this, we had been preparing the required materials for a long while now, but the actual reconstruction work had been at a standstill.
Moreover, since the defenses had been successful for so long, there had even been thoughts like, 'Do we really need to pour money and manpower into restoring the forward base?'
But the situation had changed.
In the recent defensive battle, the monsters had broken into the city. Civilians had been harmed.
In protecting the civilians, soldiers had also fallen. I felt it deep in my bones.
The battlefield shouldn't be in the city. We must keep it as far from the city as possible.
'We start constructing the forward base.'
No matter how long it took, or how much money and materials were wasted. Human lives were more important than time, money, or resources.
Kuilan, hearing my words, nodded in agreement.
"Sounds good! Since we have excess strength, we can certainly help with the base restoration."
"That would be truly appreciated."
"However, in return, build us a space in the forward base that only we can use. That's reasonable, right?"
"Of course. Live in it like kings."
"Hahaha! Did you know my moniker was once the Bandit King? I already had plans to decorate it like a fortress!"
Kuilan, with a hearty laugh, tilted his head.
"So, how exactly does this restoration process work?"
"Normally, laborers would load the construction materials on carts, and then, members from the Merchant Guild would begin the reconstruction."
Thus, in the game, between stages and during times without monster invasions, only then could you send laborers for the restoration.
Moreover, with travel taking three days each way, the actual time for reconstruction work got even shorter. It was a long-term task.
"Let's use a shortcut."
I smirked devilishly, causing Kuilan to shiver.
"You're generally such a good person, but sometimes you laugh like a real villain, you know?"
"Let's skip discussing my grin, and just listen up."
It might not have been an option in the game, but I believed it was entirely possible in this reality.
Planning a victory from outside the rules. And the first step was...
"Teleport Gates!"