Chapter 203 – Spring When the Snow Melts (1)
The spire of the old castle that soared into the sky collapsed with a loud noise.
The dark red earth was soaked in the light of the rising sun, soaked in the blood of the last owner who occupied it, and the dark demonic energy slowly began to disperse.
The soldiers of Rochear, the 12 Leagues, and the members of the Royal Knights could not believe what they had seen.
It’s been at most a month and a half since we’ve been advancing relentlessly towards the Demon World.
Finally, the demon troops gathered in front of the demon castle were turned into powder by a sword that flew through the air and disappeared.
The conquest of the demon world, humanity’s long-cherished wish, has come to an end.
Beyond that moat is the destination.
However, no one could easily come forward.
It was because I couldn’t bring myself to go ahead of the man standing at the forefront of the battlefield.
“Good job, Louis.”
Terra approached Lewis, who had retrieved the holy sword.
“The priests of the Holy Kingdom will arrive a little later. “Once they purify this place and set up a camp, it will be enough to leave it to others from then on.”
“…”
“We have to go back now. “The royal family is also waiting.”
“Okay.”
Esther was watching from a little distance.
The sight of the last piece of demon falling to the ground, and Rochear’s long-cherished wish finally coming true.
Unlike the expressions on her soldiers’ faces, she had no sense of elation or joy.
Even when I touched her chest, there was no great realization or change.
“Esther.”
However, the accident was possible.
Regarding the man in front of me.
The war was over, but if Louis had not been there, Rochear would have continued to march into hell.
The damage to all the soldiers of the 12 Alliances, Holy Kingdom, and Kingdom gathered here must have been enormous.
It is not difficult to guess the treatment and compensation he will receive after returning to the capital.
He will definitely become more than just a state guest, he will become a national hero.
“Esther… ?”
“It is nothing.”
Now it was time for her to keep the promise she made to herself.
Esther released the spear she had been holding for so long from his hand.
After taking one last look at the edge of the collapsing demon world, she turned around.
“Let’s go back.”
***
I’ve been sleeping a lot lately.
It seems that he is quite tired from destroying the Holy Kingdom and immediately clearing out the Demon World.
Her return trip was as if she was almost unconscious in the carriage and was trembling as if she were one with the pavement.
A few days later, a familiar voice was heard in the darkness.
“Louis.”
“…”
“Louis.”
“Umm…”
A calm tone without any elevation or pitch even when the name is called several times.
When she slightly twisted her body and opened her eyes, I saw her clear eyes that seemed to have melted ice caps looking down at me.
“Esther? I’m all dressed up, it’s already arrived… ?”
“I am parting ways here.”
“Huh?”
“It’s the North Sea.”
The faint scent of the sea tickled the tip of my nose.
I thought we would go to the royal road together…
When I tried to raise her body, she pressed me down with her breasts without hesitation.
I guess I learned it from someone, but it was a method that women often used when they ignored my opinions without even trying.
Of course, I wasn’t stupid and this hadn’t happened once or twice, so I was already immune enough.
“Since you have made Rochear’s long-cherished wish come true, I must also keep my promise to you.”
“Ugh… !”
“I will borrow your companion for a moment. Go to Thessalon and take everything you owe from the royal family. “I will follow you soon.”
“Keck… !”
“Thank you for making my wish come true.”
“…”
But she couldn’t resist gently stroking her head and whispering in her ear.
Due to the rushing water, I ended up losing strength in my neck and lying down.
.
.
.
How much time has passed?
When I opened my eyes again, the passenger had changed.
Esther and Terra were nowhere to be found, and the carriage was also different from the one they had ridden before.
Instead, Erzsebet, who looked like she was carrying all the suffering in the world, looked at me and sighed.
“When you wake up, straighten your clothes. “We will pass through the gate soon.”
“Are you in Thessalon already?”
“Yes, everyone is here. “I was just joining you from the outskirts after you fell asleep for the celebration event.”
It seems like they have prepared their own kind of hospitality, like the commonly known car parade.
As I was blinking, not yet awake, she frowned and bent her knees and came towards me.
As soft white-gloved hands smoothed her hair, she fell asleep again.
Either way, Erzsebet continued to nag me, smoothing out the wrinkles in my clothes.
“The festival will be held for three days starting tomorrow. The room you will be staying in is already prepared. When you enter the royal castle, meet with the ministers and have an audience with your father, but please don’t do anything unnecessary.”
“Why are you suddenly arguing when you’re explaining things so well?”
“On the last day, rewards will be given through non-performance awards. Other than the lot behind the bayou pavilion last time, there are many other things. If there is anything else you would like to have, please let me know in advance. “There are also royal treasures and artifacts, so I will take care of your share.”
“…”
“Oh, and write a few letters while you’re here. It’s natural for Adela and Liv, and also for Viscount Ruhilen and the Holy Kingdom. Things haven’t been going well since you held the ceremony last time. “Parenzia keeps trying to cut off trade with the royal capital?”
Yes, Darling was very angry.
She went to tell him that she had to visit the demon world for a while, but he didn’t even open the door.
I nodded silently, determined to make her feel better as soon as I got back to Parencia.
“Okay, I accept it. This is something that Yun Hoe-gong left behind. You might as well keep it.”
“This… All right.”
“And where is Ice and Snow? “The only people in the carriage that followed were Margrave Hubblet and Lady Nova.”
Then I remembered.
Esther.
The fact that she did not come to Thessalon but returned to Edanbury.
“What’s wrong, you?”
“It will come a little later. “Terra too.”
I turned my gaze outside, remembering her last appearance in the dark.
As soon as he confirmed that the demon world was being sorted out, he gave up his original magic without the slightest hesitation.
I wanted to stay with her because it was a choice I made solely for my own sake, but it seems that the Empress of the North did not want to appear weak.
“Is it so… ? Well, you must be busy. “If you come only on the last day, there will be no problem.”
Erzsebet sighed softly once again, saying that everyone was only waiting for compensation from the royal family after the war.
***
There was nothing special for me to do at the improvement event.
All I could do was stand side by side with Ergébet in her private carriage as it slowly passed by and wave her hand.
Hublett and Nova, who followed behind, also looked tired and received flowers from the crowd.
If Adela had been there, she would have been very happy.
“Did you sing Adela and Liv too?”
“Everyone is only looking at us, so don’t talk to us.” “The semester has just started and they have already received rewards for their merits.”
“Then what about Caroline?”
“I am busy resolving the internal problems of the Holy Kingdom. In the first place, her royal family doesn’t really owe her anything. She said don’t talk to me more than that? See you in front.”
Leaving the scolding behind, I fell into deep thought.
So doesn’t that mean that there is absolutely no one I know in the castle where the festival is taking place?
I could see a future where I would be alone at a party, rummaging through snacks with my old colleagues.
I slowly approached Erzsebet and crossed my arms.
She was the only person who could save me.
Suddenly attracted to me, someone next to me said, “Ugh!” There was a sound, but the crowd’s cheers got louder.
– Louis! Louis! Louis!
— Savior of Penheim! Guardian of the royal family!!
“Da, are you crazy? “Aren’t you going to let go of this?”
“I believe that the princess will never abandon me.”
“Louis… !!”
Ergé Bett, unable to do either this or that, forces a smile and waves his hand.
After watching her reaction, I entered the palace and arrived in the same room as last time.
The reactions of the several nobles I encountered on the way here were varied.
However, mostly there was a strong sense of caution and fear.
“Everyone has been bitten, so don’t run around and cause trouble. Stay in your room until the banquet tomorrow. “If you need anything, ring the bell.”
Bang!
The sound of the door closing was quite loud, as if his pride had been hurt for teasing him a bit.
Being alone again, I naturally laid down on the bed.
As it was already evening, I decided to get some sleep, which I was lacking.
Right then——
Smart! Knock knock! Knock knock!
Someone outside knocking on the door with a cheerful beat.
Esther had also left, and Liv and Adela were left alone at a party they never came to, so there was nothing to point out.
“Who is it… Huh?”
“Hello, Louis!”
It’s a gourmet ball.
Not very useful.
“Woah, don’t close the door! Why are you treating me so poorly!?”
Katreya pushed me away and entered the room.
It’s a bit late, but the reason I visited the royal capital was to discuss the merits of the last war with the Holy Kingdom.
If you think about it, there is no reason why the five archdukes could not be invited as well.
Adela and Liv didn’t come because they had already received compensation through a ‘some kind of deal’ that I couldn’t understand.
Lehel was in a state where she could not come.
“Why did you come here?”
“Of course I have something to say. I heard you got married? Congratulations.”
She handed me two luxurious paper bags.
“Is it a gift?”
“Yes, a bag. Made from the skin of a black mamba. “Do you think girls will like it?”
Will your dead pet like that choice?
“What’s the matter?”
“No, nothing. What is there to say more than that?”
“Because of the last war, I didn’t have a single phantom animal left. I participated in this banquet because I wanted to see if I could get my money back from the royal family. So…”
Katreya said to me, folding her hands to her chest.
“If you have children later, can I lend them a loan?”
“I do not need.”
“Ah, yay! For a moment… !!”
When Katreya, whose impure intentions were clearly visible, was pushed out of her, she struggled between the cracks in her door.
She must have been very distressed without Lehel as her companion.
“He suddenly came to see me, so I asked what business he had, and he said, ‘What nonsense are you talking about? Let’s go.'”
“Ha, just take a look! Then I am the magic teacher! “I’ll be your teacher!!”
“What does it mean that there is no recovery…” …”
“Is there anything? After about 20 years, the cubs left behind by the black mamba will grow up!?”
It’s funny to mention a child that hasn’t even been born yet, but I don’t know what you’re thinking.
At least it was clear that there was no reason to accept her offer.
“If it’s a phantom beast, the princess is there too, so go and ask for it. “In about 20 years, I will find another polar bird in the Ravier Mountains and raise a chick.”
“…”
“Do you want me to go?”
“Well, actually, that’s not the problem…”
“Then what is it?”
There was something else she really wanted to say.
As the mouth of the gourmet ball stuck between the cracks in the door opened, she began to understand the reactions of the ministers she had seen when she entered the palace a moment ago.
“Now you are a very threatening person to the nobles of the capital.”
“Yes?”
“Lets think. Who are your girls? She’s the second daughter of Count Rocheire and the illusionist. And if you list the people who opposed the marriage, you can say that almost all the important powers on the continent are included.”
When I thought about it, it was like that.
I heard from Erzebet that Caroline and Darling were very dissatisfied.
“The other comrades worked with you to purify the demon world even though the war was over, and the royal family even owes you a debt.”
“Hmm…”
Come to think of it, is that right?
“The moment you take even one step into the politics of the Kingdom of Penheim, the nobles will start to tremble. Especially in this discussion, the words that come out of your mouth are like a thousand people. “If you join hands with Roshyar and ask for the entire Demon World to be your territory, who can object?”
“I’m not particularly interested in that.”
“Because the princess knows this, she is worried but not wary. But not other nobles.”
There was a reason for Erzsebet to sigh deeply.
There was no need to hide his identity anymore, so why did he give him the same end room he used last time?
In the end, a gourmet with no magic tower or phantom beast came to me——
“Even though I don’t get along with Lehel, I surprisingly like kids a lot. “It’s because he’s so cheesy.”
I guess I just wanted to look good.
“Louis? “Are you listening?”
I don’t think I’ll be wolfing down snacks at the party tomorrow.
