"Have you taken something like a miracle potion recently?"
Saintess Margarita asked me this as she performed the royal diagnosis.
"Huh?"
I was caught off guard by the sudden question. What the heck! Aren't you like half as good as Heo Jun?! (TL Note: Heo Jun is basically Dr. House, but from the 14th century Korea. It's a famous Korean drama.)
"How did you know?"
"If I couldn't sense a foreign magic power inside you, shouldn't I be fired as a priest?"
Margarita withdrew her hand from me with a cynical tone. The light that shimmered with divine power in her hand faded away.
Lying on the bed with a cool towel on my forehead, I looked at Margarita with admiration.
"So, what should be done now to get better?"
I asked, expecting that she would naturally know the treatment now that she knew the cause.
Her answer was far from reassuring.
"Stay sick for a few more days."
"What?"
"It's simple. Your body needs to absorb the foreign magic power that entered it. That's why you're feeling unwell... Don't worry, time will take care of it."
So, what she meant was there's no cure and I should just suffer.
Damn it! I can no longer consider you half as good as Heo Jun! It's a blasphemy against the representative physician of the Joseon era!
"Margarita! You are... A quarter as good as Heo Jun!"
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"No, it means you're a fine doctor..."
As I stumbled over my words, Margarita chuckled and eventually stood up.
"Think of it as magical malaise. Don't overdo it and get some rest."
"But today is the start of the defense battle..."
"Don't you have capable subordinates? Don't worry, they'll handle it well."
After saying that, Margarita hesitated for a moment.
"...Am I mistaken? I think I gave you the same advice last time too."
"Huh? Did you?"
"Last time it was overwork, this time it's malaise... Before that, your left arm was shattered. You seem to be accruing injuries frequently."
Margarita let out a soft sigh.
"You've barely been on the job for a year, and you're already wearing yourself down, Your Highness."
"Ah, I definitely heard this nagging before..."
"If you want to avoid this in the future, exercise."
"What?"
"Maintaining a healthy body through regular exercise will help prevent these ailments. I'll remind the knights on my way out, so once you're a bit better, start exercising regularly."
Ugh! I hate it! I hate outdoor activities! I just want to stay indoors!
"Cancel it all! You're just 10% of what Heo Jun is!"
"Yes, yes. Rest well and make sure to exercise."
Margarita left...
As she did, my party members who had been waiting outside swarmed into the room.
"We heard everything, boss. Leave this defense battle to us and get some rest!"
"No, I mean, I'll entrust it to you guys, but I still have to go and watch..."
Before I could say anything more, my party members all frowned and made a hum~ face, so I gave up.
Fine. In this stage, things were indeed easier than usual.
The monsters invading this defense battle were a Harpy legion.
They were air-flying types, but it's snowing now. The mobility of aerial units was significantly reduced.
We even finished distributing earplugs to all the soldiers to counter their main attack method, the sonic scream.
Plus, the boss monster Harpy Coloratura had already been killed during a free quest. A considerable number of its elite units were also taken down.
It really was on the easier side. Even without me, the defense would be efficiently executed.
"...Alright. I trust you guys, so I'll leave it to you."
I met the gaze of Lucas, who stood at the center of my party members.
Initially, Lucas had taken over the stage preparations for me, as I hadn't been feeling well for a few days. He would handle it well.
"Still, if anything unexpected happens, let me know immediately. Don't push yourself and execute the mission slowly. Got it?"
"Understood, my lord."
Lucas responded in a calm voice.
"Don't worry about the defense mission, and rest well today."
I couldn't see his face under the helmet he was still wearing, but as the protagonist of this game, he was reliable.
"Then I'll be going, senior! Gimme a high five!"
"Sure, kill 'em all!"
Starting with Evangeline, my party members gave me high-fives one by one before heading out.
I watched the retreating backs of my subordinates through the window.
Not only my main party but also other stalwart heroes like Dusk Bringar's Dragonblood Knights and Kuilan's Penal Squad were on the front lines.
'No need to worry.'
Alright, time to trust my subordinates and catch some sleep. My constant exhaustion would only hinder the battlefront further.
I closed the curtains and snuggled into bed.
Soon enough, my heavy body sank into sleep as if submerged in water.
***
"Lately, it seems like my senior is becoming more unstable."
Crossroad's southern outpost, a forward base.
Standing on the fortifications, Evangeline, who had been waiting for the incoming monsters, spoke.
"It's not just his physical condition but... mentally too, as if he's being cornered?"
"..."
"He always seems to feel responsible. For every subordinate who gets hurt and dies... When it's actually normal for people to die on the front lines."
Lucas turned his helmeted face slightly to look down at Evangeline.
Amidst falling snowflakes, her fangs glistened as she exhaled a white breath.
"Like he can't accept the idea that someone dying is normal. Like he wants to change that somehow. That's why he puts himself on the front lines, damaging his own body. Is that why he struggles so much?"
"Do you wish for our lord to change?"
"I don't know..."
Evangeline bit her lip, letting out a hum.
"I don't think my senior is an efficient commander. To maintain such a distorted front line, one should be able to coldly calculate lives like ammunition. That's what I think."
"..."
"But I like my senior as he is now."
Evangeline shrugged her small shoulders.
"Struggling to save his subordinates, getting shaken, crying, and suffering... that human aspect of my senior, I like."
"Oh?"
As Lucas chuckled as if he had caught something, Evangeline turned red and frantically waved her hands.
"No, no! I don't mean 'like' in a romantic sense! I mean, as a subordinate, it's admirable! You get it, right, sir?!"
"You don't have to explain it to me, miss."
Lucas' voice, tinged with a slight chuckle, soon turned grave.
"...I don't know much about our lord."
"What?"
"I've served him my whole life, but I still don't know what's in his heart."
It was rare for Lucas to reveal his feelings this way. Evangeline listened attentively, her eyes widening.
"But I thought it was fine. I found it sufficient to live as a faithful hound, clearing the obstacles before my lord."
- If I forget, you lead me. I will trust you.
Just as he had been ordered eight years ago.
He had lived as that faithful hound, standing before Ash, guiding the way, killing the enemies.
But now.
"Lately... it's presumptuous of me, but I think I'm beginning to understand him a bit."
Unknowingly, he was overstepping his bounds.
"He seemed so human. Too human, in fact. And so, unknowingly, I felt a sense of kinship. At some point, I felt we had become friends rather than master and servant."
Lucas's hand tightened on the hilt of the sword that rested at his hip.
"But these days, as you said, my lord keeps distancing himself... and I've been feeling uneasy about it too."
"..."
"I am merely a Knight. My role is to clear the path for him. And yet, I had been harboring undue concerns as if we were truly friends."
He couldn't expect more than the role of a Knight for himself, having betrayed Ash and caused Dustia's death.
Though he had momentarily forgotten, his sudden awareness of his own role was likely due to the past that had unexpectedly resurfaced.
"..."
Inside his helmet, Lucas closed and reopened his eyes before muttering softly.
"Yes, a Knight should remain true to the role of a Knight."
"Huh?"
"Evangeline, can you take command of the defense today?"
Evangeline's eyes widened in surprise at the abrupt question.
Lucas quickly glanced back toward Crossroad.
"I have something else to do."
"..."
"I'm counting on you."
Evangeline firmly closed her lips. Her sharp fangs lightly pressed against her lower lip.
You're becoming unstable too, Lucas, just like Ash.
And that worries me.
She kept these thoughts to herself.
"Alright! Take care!"
Instead, she flashed an enthusiastic smile.
"I've always wanted to try leading the troops! After all, I'm going to be the Margrave here someday! I should get some practice in!"
Though Lucas's face was hidden inside his iron helmet, Evangeline thought he had smiled.
"Thank you, Evangeline. Well then."
Lucas turned and walked toward the teleport gate set up at the forward base.
As she watched the knight move away through the falling snowflakes, Evangeline turned her body the other way.
In the distant southern black lake, she saw monstrous birds with feathers emerge, screeching horribly.
"All troops, prepare for battle!"
The young knight shouted energetically, gripping her lance and shield.
"Let's quickly take care of these monsters and soak our shoulders in hot bathwater!"
"Ooooh!"
The soldiers raised their weapons in unison.
The troops were quite accustomed to Evangeline's command, having seen her take the reins of leadership in several battles.
The heroes naturally prepared for battle, following Evangeline's orders.
And so, toward the forward base guarded by humans,
Squaaawk!
Hundreds of harpies began to descend from the sky.
***
Crossroad Central Prison.
"Oh, Captain Lucas?"
"It's time for you to lead the defense, wha... huh?!"
"Ca-Captain Lucas! What are you doing... Aaargh!"
Thwack! Thump! Crash!
The guards were swiftly knocked out by the bare fists of Lucas, who then entered the prison.
Inside his cell, Mason waited with a smile on his face.
"Lord Lucas, you've come."
"Come out, Mason."
Lucas quickly found the correct key among the bunch he had taken from the guard captain and unlocked Mason's cell.
He also freed the other four agents captured along with Mason, gestured them to follow, and said, "Let's go. I'll guide you."
"Wait, my lord! What about these handcuffs..."
Mason and the agents requested their handcuffs be removed, but,
"More guards will be here soon. Our priority is to get out."
Lucas coldly spat out the words and stubbornly took the lead.
Mason and the agents had no choice but to follow Lucas in handcuffs.
The streets were empty, swept by swirling snow. As they slipped into a back alley on the outskirts of the town, Mason smirked.
"A wise decision you've made, Sir Lucas."
"..."
"Lord Fernandez will undoubtedly treat you well. Succeed in this mission, and the McGregor family will be restored. You'll also secure a high position in the Imperial Family."
Listening to Mason's repetitive parroting, Lucas, who had been trudging through the snow-covered alley, suddenly halted.
"...But there's something I don't understand, Mr. Mason."
Lucas turned around, tilting his helmeted head to one side.
"Why did Lord Fernandez ask for 'that thing'?"
A few days ago, when Lucas visited Mason at night, he had heard what Fernandez had requested.
He also knew precisely what mission Mason had been assigned here.
But he couldn't understand it at all.
Because Fernandez had given Mason a truly bizarre task.
Although he asked again, Mason only chuckled.
"We're just hounds that obey commands, aren't we? If told to bite, we bite; if told to fetch, we fetch; and if told to die, well, we die."
"..."
"The content of the mission isn't our concern. What matters is whether we can execute it or not. That's all."
"..."
"So, Sir, can we proceed in that direction to complete our mission?"
"No."
Swoosh–
Lucas slowly drew his longsword, [Karma Eater], from his waist.
The sleek blade glinted with an eerie metallic sheen as it met the cold air.
"You all will die here."
The four agents behind Mason flinched and stepped back. Mason watched Lucas with a furrowed brow.
Exhaling a white mist, Lucas muttered,
"I will never betray my liege again."
"..."
"So, Mr. Mason, even if you were once a loyal servant to my family..."
The vivid blue glare leaking from beneath Lucas's helmet was so intense, it looked almost like flames.
"If you're an enemy to my lord, I'll cut you down."
"..."
"I'll bear the disgrace of spilling tainted blood in the name of McGregor... Die quietly here."
Listening to Lucas, Mason's lips slowly stretched into a broad grin.
"Ahh..."
From within his unkempt beard,
A savage smile, as wild as raw meat, curled up.
"As I thought, you would do this, huh?"
His laughter sounded as if he was too delighted to contain himself.