"I've been here for a while but you didn't notice. Just making my presence known since it was awkward to just stand by," Ash muttered as if making an excuse.
Caught in a bewildering silence, it was Lilly who first regained her composure among her and Godhand.
"No way, Your Highness! Do you always have to appear right when our relationship seems to be progressing and get in the way? Is it a hobby of yours these days?!"
"It's not that I always appear; maybe you two are just constantly in love no matter the season?" Ash grumbled and then suddenly pointed forward with her index finger.
"Anyway, the reason I'm here! Shadow Squad! There's a gathering at noon. Come to the reception room. And Lilly, we have a meeting about the artifact later in the afternoon."
"Ah, understood..."
"We'll be there by noon, Your Highness."
Lilly and Godhand replied in a fluster, and then Ash took a deep breath and said,
"And kids. I seriously want to give you one piece of advice. Listen up."
What followed was an odd remark.
"Don't talk about marriage before a big battle!"
"...?"
"That's a dangerous flag! If you want to live long, discuss such things when there's no battle in sight! Seriously, it's a concern for you so keep that in mind! Got it?!"
Lilly, looking incredulously at Ash, muttered in dismay.
"But Your Highness, in this city, monsters attack all year round...?"
"That's true."
"So when can we ever have these conversations?"
"...Good point."
Feeling sheepish, Ash lowered her hand and quietly exited through the door.
"Right. Then continue your talk... I'll see you kids later..."
Click.
The door closed.
"..."
"..."
In the ensuing hellish awkwardness, Godhand and Lilly maintained their silence.
The two lovers, unable to meet each other's gaze, drowned in their thoughts while sipping their cups of honeyed water.
And then.
"..."
"..."
Observing the two from a corner, Burnout and Bodybag had missed their chance to leave.
"I've been waiting to leave... but when's the right time...?"
"..."
"Ugh, I need to go to the bathroom..."
As Bodybag groaned in discomfort, Burnout patted her stomach, a sign she was hungry.
The two young elves glanced around again. Lilly and Godhand were still avoiding each other's gaze, silent.
Hiding once more behind the wall, Bodybag and Burnout thought in unison,
'Adults have it tough.'
***
In the lord's estate.
The backyard garden. The training grounds.
In this place, expanded and better maintained than before, Lucas and Evangeline were training with wooden swords and spears, shields in hand.
Despite the midwinter season, Lucas was dressed in short sleeves, and Evangeline wore a sleeveless shirt that bared her arms. Both were drenched in sweat.
Thwack! Clatter! Swoosh!
Without a single word, they exchanged glances and divided the rhythm of the fight with their weapons.
In this moment, completely absorbed in the flow of attack and defense like a game of catch—
"I, Kuilan, make my entrance~!"
Out of nowhere, Kuilan burst in.
"?!"
"Ah, what the heck!"
Caught between the two startled knights, Kuilan let out a sly laugh and threw a series of punches.
Lucas and Evangeline were surprised but effortlessly parried his attacks and retaliated.
After a brief discord, the three of them started flowing smoothly again, exchanging blows.
Thanks to the consistent real battles and training together, their coordination with Kuilan was quite solid.
The three vanguards were soon lost in the zone, seamlessly continuing their rhythm.
In the midst of this picturesque three-way duel—
"I'm joining in too~!"
Suddenly, Ash jumped into the fray.
"My lord?!"
"Senior?!"
"Whoa! Captain! That's dangerous!"
Three startled players hastily retracted their attacks when Ash, who had slipped in between them, lightly tapped each on the shoulder with her magic wand, Maestro. Clap, clap, clap!
It stung a bit, but due to the special effect of the Maestro, a random buff was applied.
The three looked at Ash in disbelief, and Ash just shrugged with a cheeky grin.
"Hey! Morning exercises are refreshing. Anyway, since I hit each of you, that means I win, right?"
"Ow, Boss! That's cheating, you know, cheating!"
"Mmm~ Not really. Surprise attacks are a valid strategy in real combat. By the time my wand hit you, I had already won."
Evangeline shouted in frustration at Ash's sophistry.
"Senior! You promised to exercise with us, where did you go again? Morning training is almost over!"
"Mmm~ Anyway, I'm about to head out again. Senior is busy. Let's do the exercise next time."
"There you go running off again, you delinquent senior! A delinquent health nut!"
"Mmm~ Yeah, I'm the bling-bling prince~"
After teasing Evangeline skillfully, Ash gestured to Lucas with her chin.
"Gather everyone in the parlor by noon. It's time for the defense meeting."
"My Lord, does that mean..."
"We've gathered almost all the means for the next defense. The strategy is set. Today, we relay it."
Ash waved her hands dismissively and rushed off toward the carriage prepared in the courtyard.
"Then, have a good rest of the morning training! See you later!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Watching Ash disappear into the distance, the three exchanged glances once more.
Their sweat had not yet dried.
The time for the buff magic Ash had cast was running out. They wanted to move more while the buff was still active.
Without a word, their consensus was clear. With exchanged glances, they resumed their vigorous attacks on each other.
***
In Crossroad town, at the inn 'Etty's Honey'.
An entire floor here had been taken over by magicians.
There were a total of six battle magicians assigned to Crossroad, and excluding the senior magician Lilly, that left five.
All five were staying at this inn.
And now, all five were crammed into Junior's room.
'...How did it end up like this?'
Junior swallowed hard, her conical hat pressed down low.
Before her, four young boy and girl magicians with similarly pressed hats were hunched over scrolls, scribbling something feverishly.
"Sister Juju! I can't understand this formula!"
"Sister Juju! Can you explain the magic power operation one more time here?!"
"Sister!"
"Sister!"
The young magicians chirped like fledglings begging for food, and Junior felt a surge of wanting to cry.
These four magicians were from the magic academy in the nearby city.
They were barely proficient in one elemental magic each and, as such, were hardly proper magicians.
As soon as they turned sixteen or seventeen, desperate for money, they took the incomplete magic they had learned and threw themselves into the front lines.
They were employed but lacked combat ability, so they hadn't yet been able to join the front lines. This time, they had come seeking Junior.
They wanted to do their part and begged her to please teach them.
She had agreed, reminded of her old self and her siblings back home... but there was a problem.
Junior was a typical genius-type magician who had grown through self-study without a proper mentor.
Thus, she had no experience or natural ability to teach others.
What was instinctive magic manipulation for her required complex theoretical understanding for the ordinary magicians.
But Junior had experience back in her hometown, pacifying and caring for her younger siblings.
She had her own know-how when it came to handling little kids.
Starting from the basics, Junior established her own theory of magic and taught it to the children.
The young mages absorbed her intensely practical theories like a sponge soaking up water.
"Sister Juju! You're amazing! Did you really come up with this theory on your own?"
"Sister Juju! Are you a genius?!"
"Juju, she is a goddess!"
"Juju! Juju!"
...Please, don't call me Juju. It's starting to weigh on me. Just call me Junior.
As Junior's face flushed and she trembled slightly, the young mages cheered her nickname even louder.
Amidst the growing din of the young voices, suddenly, a clear male voice cut through.
"Juju! Juju!"
"..."
Startled, Junior turned sharply to see Ash standing there.
Ash, who had been chanting Junior's nickname, coughed awkwardly and pretended to be distracted when caught by Junior, who then ground her teeth in irritation.
"Your Highness... What brings you to this place...?"
"Ahem! Well, I just came to announce that there's a meeting at noon, so everyone should come to the lord's manor."
"Understood, Your Highness..."
Junior bowed her head in acknowledgment, and soon after, Ash called out again with a playful look on his face.
"Juju! Juju!"
"..."
Crack!
A spark of lightning flickered from the fingertips of Junior, who smiled slyly like a fox. Ash quickly fled the scene.
***
In the north of the city. The refuge.
Currently, it served as a base for the refugees from the Bringar Duchy.
In the central tent of this place, Dusk Bringar and her Dragonblood Knights were holding a meeting.
"We've made contact with the knights back in our homeland."
The Dragonblood Knights' leader, an old knight with a mane of white hair named Andymion, reported on the situation within the Bringar Duchy.
"Thanks to the civil war drawing the empire's attention, resistance within our homeland is starting to regain its vitality."
"A people that rise again no matter how much they are trampled upon, truly, they are my subjects."
A bitter smile crossed the lips of Dusk Bringar.
"To think, a king has fled to a neighboring country..."
"It's because you are alive that the people of our homeland have not lost hope. Do not blame yourself for this."
Andymion, clearing his throat, continued.
"Although their numbers are few, they've managed to organize some military strength. Ten knights, around five hundred soldiers."
"..."
"These are the elite of the surviving knightly forces. They are more than capable of reigniting the beacon of counterattack within our homeland."
Andymion cautiously gauged Dusk Bringar's reaction.
"What shall we do, Your Excellency? Shall we return to our homeland now...?"
"No. For now, we do not return."
Dusk Bringar placed a hand upon her slender frame.
"As long as I carry the blood of the dragon within me, and as long as that damned emperor of the empire—Traha and his first and second sons covet this dragon blood, an invasion will resume eventually. Returning now to reclaim the duchy is not the best course of action. They would only trample us again if they wished."
"What then?"
"...I have a plan."
Dusk Bringar glanced beyond the open tent at the walls of Crossroad.
"The future of our Bringar Duchy lies here, on the monster front."
No, to be precise.
It lies with the lord of this place, Prince Ash.
The dragon-descended lady sensed it was a moment of fate, a place of destiny.
"Call all the available forces to this place, Crossroad."
The knights looked pale at the order to bring the already scant forces from the homeland here. Andymion asked cautiously.
"Do you plan on conquering Crossroad and bringing it under our duchy's control?"
"Do I look to you like someone who would act so rudely without respect?"
Dusk Bringar bared her pointed teeth, growling fiercely.
"The southern front has been a refuge for us and the displaced. It's one of the few allies we have in this world. What would be left if we were to strike them down?"
"..."
"I am the Dragon Lady. I do not forget grudges or debts of gratitude."
Revenge for grudges.
Recompense for kindness.
I return it all with hefty interest. That is the dragon way.
"We will mobilize all the force we can to assist in repelling this monster invasion. No."
The knights were even more surprised by what followed.
"Our Bringar Duchy will ally with the southern front until the end of this monster war."
"Excuse me?"
"Your Excellency, why go to such lengths..."
Hadn't the invasion of monsters continued for hundreds of years? How could one sustain support not knowing when this war would end?
Especially when their homeland, the Bringar Duchy, was under the imperial army's boot...
"Trust in myself. This is the lifeline that will save our Bringar Duchy."
Dusk Bringar spoke with conviction.
'Everything is inevitable.'
The appearance of a black dragon at the monsters' lair.
That she, the last of the Crimson Dragons, would seek refuge here of all places.
There are no coincidences. Only things that must happen, happening as they should.
Just as the dragon's bloodline was passed on to her, once a mere human girl...
"Well, and there's also the fact that there was no other choice."
A sly smile played on Dusk Bringar's lips.
"After all, I am currently this city's 'Honorary Knight'... It's also my duty to protect it from the monsters' invasion."
"...?"
The Dragonblood Knights looked at each other, puzzled by the cryptic statement. Dusk Bringar chuckled without offering an explanation.
That's when it happened.
Creak—!
The sound of a carriage stopping outside was heard, and then someone leaped out, barging into the tent without hesitation.
"Good morning, everyone!"
Ash appeared, with the rising morning sun at his back.
Seeing the young prince's sparkling black hair and the cheerful smile beneath it, Dusk Bringar suddenly remembered the smile of the former Duke Bringar who had passed on the dragon's blood to her.
That smile, too—had shone like the sun.
Had been just as beautiful.
"Everyone, gather up! Come to my residence by noon today!"