The 45th defensive battle, which plagued us with an unbelievable number of zombies and their infectious nature, ended as anticlimactically as it had begun.
Even after Cromwell was completely dead, some monsters still moved according to their individual principles, but within a day, they each ceased movement.
Like toys with their batteries drained, they stopped and hardened.
"It seems the legion was fundamentally flawed from the beginning and couldn't sustain itself for long."
Three days after the battle ended.
I stood on the wall, looking over the city as it was being cleaned up, listening to McMillan's musings.
"Structurally and fundamentally... they were literally monsters gnawing away at their own flesh. They consumed their limited magic and bodies, as well as their own members, rushing towards inevitable destruction."
"..."
I confirmed through [Map Creation] that there wasn't a single monster left.
I turned to look beside me.
"You've worked hard too, Sir McMillan."
"Not really. I just got up after lying in the infirmary the whole time during the defense."
McMillan, speaking nonchalantly, was missing his left hand, and a metal prosthesis was attached to his lower jaw. He leaned on a crutch.
To keep La Mancha operational and make an emergency landing, McMillan had entered the engine room filled with infected people alone.
Thanks to him, La Mancha made it back to Crossroad, leading to the timely development of the cure, ensuring the patients' safe treatment and facilitating the defense.
But McMillan himself was severely injured.
I looked at the metal prosthesis where his impressive jawline used to be, which once added to his suave appearance.
"No need to be so regretful, Your Highness. I can speak perfectly fine. They say I can even smoke my pipe again once I'm healed. Scars can be covered with a beard."
He spoke a bit awkwardly and then smiled, rubbing his jaw.
He then moved his hand to his philtrum.
"Well, since it won't grow on this side, I'll have to grow a mustache instead."
"Planning to cover your mouth with a mustache...?"
I should gift him a splendid wig... no, a fake beard later.
We stood in silence for a while, looking at the monster carcasses being cleared outside the city, then sighed softly.
"These zombies, in the end, we can only guess at their mechanism, but nothing has been clearly revealed... It's unsatisfying."
"That's the essence of monsters."
McMillan laughed heartily.
"Unknown principles, unknown reasons, shapeless and originless evil sweeping through our world."
"..."
"Your Highness, you've had an uncanny understanding of monsters so far, but in reality, that's... not normal."
Only then did I vaguely understand the mindset of others on this front.
I have information. I know most of what the monsters look like, their weaknesses, their origins.
For me, monsters are targets to be strategized against rather than feared.
But what about most people?
Unknown, strange monsters appearing out of nowhere, attacking in incomprehensible ways, destroying homes and taking lives.
Fear stems from the unknown, and thus, monsters are terrifying.
Having faced these inexplicable monsters several times, I began to grasp the true appearance of monsters as seen by the people of this world.
"No matter how incomprehensible monsters are, they can't be harder to understand than people."
McMillan suddenly laughed shyly. I blinked.
"Is something wrong?"
"Well, ahem!"
McMillan's voice was excited.
"I've had a lifelong unrequited love. I confessed more than ten times and got rejected every time, so I gave up."
He scratched his neck, looking away.
"But apparently, she heard about my severe injury and coma. When I woke up in the infirmary, there she was, nursing me."
"Well..."
"And then, ahem. Somehow, we ended up talking, and... we've decided to get married once this war is over."
The sentence "when this war is over~" is dangerous, but—
The smile on his prosthetic-jawed face looked genuinely happy, so I couldn't help but laugh. McMillan couldn't hold back his laughter either.
"Losing a hand and splitting my jaw, yet ending up with my unrequited love. Life is unpredictable."
"Congratulations, Sir McMillan... Can I congratulate you?"
"Of course, Your Highness. Thank you."
Is this also part of the 'Love Blossoms on the Monster Front'?
For a moment, I had such a whimsical thought and then asked the smiling McMillan.
"Sir McMillan."
"Yes."
"You said understanding people is as difficult as understanding monsters, right?"
"Yes."
"So, are you more afraid of people you can't understand, or monsters you can't understand?"
McMillan smiled with his injured jaw and asked me back.
"Your Highness, are you more afraid of a ghost under a bed in the dark, or a person?"
"..."
I was momentarily speechless.
Just then, a woman appeared, striding up the wall. She wore a practical coat, had a tall and strong build, and her deep eyes radiated intense determination.
"Ah."
As soon as I saw her, I knew she was McMillan's beloved.
McMillan's shoulders tensed visibly, and his cheeks flushed even more in the winter cold.
"Then I'll be going. Have a good time, Sir McMillan."
As I was about to leave, patting McMillan's shoulder, he called out.
"Your Highness!"
"Hm?"
"It may be an incredibly presumptuous request, but..."
McMillan spoke loudly, as if for his fiancée to hear.
"Would you officiate our wedding?"
"Huh."
To ask the crown prince to officiate—
And at a wedding whose date is unknown.
But I nodded readily. McMillan was also my comrade, and this was a very cheap favor.
As I stepped aside and nodded to McMillan's lady, she hurriedly bowed deeply to me.
Then she began to scold McMillan.
Why wasn't he resting when he was hurt, why was he spreading news of the wedding already, why was he making presumptuous requests to the crown prince...
Leaving McMillan to be soundly scolded by his fiancée, I thought.
He's a man who dares to ask such things of the crown prince. Hold onto him tightly. He's a genuine man.
Imperial airship commander McMillan thus withdrew from the front line.
Another cherished hero left my front.
***
The sight of Griffins flying over Crossroad has become an everyday scene.
Mikhail and the Sky Knights patrolled from the sky to ensure no monsters were left.
"Mikhail!"
I waved to Mikhail as he landed after his regular patrol.
"Good news!"
"Good news?"
As he dismounted from his Griffin, looking puzzled, I grinned.
"All the other Sky Knights who were being treated at the temple have regained consciousness!"
Among them were Mikhail's five wives.
All infected but safely recovered.
Mikhail's face lit up, and he hurried with me to the temple.
Inside the temple, the five queens of the Vermillion Kingdom were gathered in the same room.
"Mikhail!"
As we entered the room, all five queens rushed out to hug Mikhail.
"We were so scared..."
"We thought we'd never see you again..."
"Are you okay, Mikhail? You're not hurt, right?"
"I'm fine. You all went through a lot."
Mikhail hugged his five crying wives, also tearing up. The young king and queens, still children, touched each other's cheeks to ensure they were safe.
I stood quietly outside the room, watching this scene.
"It's fortunate they survived, but..."
One of the queens looked down at her arm dejectedly.
"Our bodies are covered in scars..."
During the infection process, the infected bit each other.
The queens' bodies bore numerous human bite marks. Some wounds were deep enough to leave scars that wouldn't heal easily.
For newlyweds wanting to look beautiful for their partners, this was a disaster. I felt sorry that they were brought to this monster front during their honeymoon and were injured in their first battle.
But I didn't need to apologize.
Mikhail kissed each scar on his wives' bodies and whispered with a smile.
"It's okay. I'll make sure these scars don't matter by leaving my bite marks on your bodies every night."
...Wow.
What?
Is he crazy?
This is the kind of line a boy king with five wives would say...?
As a lifelong bachelor, I was frozen by this terrifying line, while Mikhail's five wives blushed deeply and playfully hit their husband, saying, "What are you saying in front of guests!"
But they were clearly pleased, their smiles reaching their ears. Does that actually work...? Is this the power of being married?
'If I said that to Serenade...'
I imagined it briefly.
...No, no, I can't. It would be terrifying.
I could vividly picture Serenade, completely out of control, storming towards me like a Terminator.
'I'm scared...'
That line is too heavy for me. I'll leave it for a distant future...
Anyway, the atmosphere among the queens, who were struggling with physical and emotional wounds, quickly lightened. As Mikhail continued to comfort his wives, he glanced at me and whispered.
"Learning from my sister helps in times like these."
"..."
Is this the spouse-soothing technique learned from his sister, who has five husbands?
It seemed the future of the Vermillion Kingdom was very bright. For some reason, that thought struck me.
'...Is this also a conclusion of 'Love Blossoms on the Monster Front'?'
Facing a monster invasion, it almost turned into a bloody honeymoon. No, it was somewhat bloody.
But seeing Mikhail and his queens smiling happily reassured me a little.
As I left the room, I fell into thought.
'Since they came here for their honeymoon, I should provide some entertainment for them...'
In a few days, it would be the New Year.
The usual New Year's festival.
Although it would be difficult to enjoy the festival as leisurely as in previous years with the final battle imminent... it would still be a good change of pace.
Thinking of such peaceful thoughts for the first time in a while, I noticed something strange.
'Wait, but...'
We had definitely defeated all the monsters and the enemy commander.
'Why hasn't the stage clear notification appeared?'