Final Chapter: Heroes’ Respite
Jint had a rare smile on his face as we were about to arrive back in Eintorian.
“You’re in awfully good cheer. I don’t see you smile often, Jint.”
The man remained impassive no matter what I gave him, but it was a totally different story when it came to Mirinae. We had found a lot of stuff in Brijit’s treasury, and I’d allowed Jint to pick something out as a present for her. There was enough there that I could have let him take as much as he pleased, but receiving a large amount all at once wouldn’t have as much of an impact.
But giving a man returning from war one beautiful treasure? That was far cooler, right?
“I wasn’t smiling!” Jint insisted. “I was just practicing the expression.”
The heck does that mean?
“A shame you’ll have to return home looking like that though, all bandaged up.”
Jint’s chest wound hadn’t healed yet, so he couldn’t take the bandages off yet.
“What’re you talking about? It’s fine. When a man comes home from war, you expect him to have some wounds!”
“Oh, yeah?” I challenged him. “You can talk big in front of me, but you won’t sound so tough in front of Mirinae.”
“That’s not true,” Jint firmly denied it. I mentally scoffed at his bravado.
Anyway, that’s how Jint and I returned to Eintorian. There was much more to do still. I needed to get that iron mine developed, after all.
“Master! Welcome home.”
When we arrived at the gates of the domain, the head chamberlain and all my retainers, who had learned we were coming somehow, were there to greet us.
“Your Excellency!” My retainers bowed before me.
“You don’t need to greet us like this. On your feet, everyone!”
I dismounted from my horse and gave each of my retainers a pat on the back. Not that there were that many of them.
“Oh, right, Hadin. Did anything happen in the domain while I was away?”
Nodding to acknowledge the question, Hadin said, “No, sir. Nothing of particular note.”
“What can you tell me about the state of the domain’s forces, Yusen?”
“They’re improving, little by little! But before that, I heard about what happened. Hard as it is to believe...”
“We’ll discuss it at length later. I want to survey the domain starting tomorrow. Get things ready so I can.”
“Yes, Your Excellency!”
“Okay, you’re dismissed!”
I left behind my retainers who all looked eager to talk to me about one thing or another. I was dead tired. I didn’t have the energy left to start managing the domain right away. I couldn’t remember a good night’s sleep since going to the war zone. That’s why, with my castle home in sight, there was no room left in my head to think anything but this:
I just want to sleep!
“Your Lordship!”
Mirinae, who had been standing at the back of the group, rushed forward. The moment she did, Jint, who’d been standing behind me, looking a little out of it, burst into a grin. I’m sure she wanted to call Jint’s name first, but called out to me instead because she knew how to read the room.
“Jint didn’t cause you any trouble, did he?”
“Of course not. It’s thanks to Jint that I made it back in one piece. But I got him hurt out there. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be! We have a greater debt to you than you’ll ever know, my lord! It’s only natural he’d put his life on the line to protect you!”
After saying this, Mirinae approached Jint.
“You dummy. You’ll need to train harder! How could you let yourself get hurt after boasting you’re the strongest all the time?! Come with me!”
“Hold on, Mirinae! What about our touching reunion...?”
“Oh, shut up!”
Mirinae dragged Jint off by the ear. Battle fiend or not, he couldn’t fight back against her.
And he was just saying it wouldn’t be like this too. What a hoot.
Well, even with the two of them acting like that, Jint still looked overjoyed to see Mirinae again. I have to confess I was a little jealous, honestly.
“Let’s head to the castle, Head Chamberlain. I’d like to put everything aside for the moment and get some rest.”
“Understood!”
I climbed into the carriage he’d prepared, planning to get some sleep. Leveling up, sorting items—it could all wait. When the carriage finally came to a stop, my one and only home, Eintorian Castle, stood before our eyes. When I went inside, all of the maids were there, bowing their heads in unison.
“Welcome home, Master!”
It was a sight anyone would envy, but one I had become so used to that it stopped even registering at some point. This was probably what it meant to become numb to something.
“Just get back to work already. I’m going to my room.” I coolly ignored them as I headed towards the stairs.
I want to rest. I desperately want to rest!
“Actually, Master, there is a guest waiting for you,” the head chamberlain called after me.
A sudden visitor?
“A guest? I’m too tired today. I’ll see them tomorrow.”
“Is that so?”
“Hold on? Head Chamberlain... You haven’t prepared women and had them sent to my room, by any chance, have you?” I asked with a harsh look, realizing what he might have meant by the word “guest.” The head chamberlain hurriedly shook his head.
“Certainly not!”
“Good then. I’m going to sleep, so see to it no one interrupts me until I call for them. Understood?”
Having given these strict orders, I climbed the stairs. I had only gotten solid rest a few times in recent memory. Most days all I’d been able to get was a nap. Ironically, I had the feeling that the only lengthy rest I’d been able to take was the five hours I spent in that trap with Euracia. As a result, my feet quickened their pace of their own accord.
The bedroom was finally in sight.
I opened the door!
I saw the bed, at last—my bed, the place I could sleep!
This was the bed where I’d first awoken in this world.
It was the only place I could sleep soundly now.
This was the home where my heart was in this world.
I jumped into bed without delay. Then threw the covers over myself.
So comfy. This is it.
Soon my eyelids were growing heavy, and my body sluggish.
But that’s when it happened.
Suddenly, the window shattered with a loud smash.
Just as I was drifting off!
“What now?”
I sat up and looked towards the window. Wind came in past the shattered glass, along with an uninvited visitor. The same one who’d destroyed my window before. The moment our eyes met, she gripped Rossade, facing me in the same fighting stance she had used that time as well.
“Are you...a villainous lord?”
She asked me the same question as then too.
Oh, yeah. That’s right, huh?
I had dropped by the Runanese capital. And then I was delayed there for a few days. So it wasn’t impossible, time-wise, for her to have gotten here before me.
“And what if I am?” I asked.
“I’ll kill you,” she replied, much like back then, leveling her blade at me with a bloodthirsty look on her face.
“Whoa, hold up! Hold up! Seriously? Stop it! Euracia!”
“Hmph! This is your punishment for ignoring a guest.”
“You’re saying that merits a death sentence?”
“...”
Euracia’s sword hand stopped. Although, the fact that I could feel it pressed up against my throat was still a bit of a problem.
“You’re treating me far too coldly after saying you’d welcome me as a friend!”
With that, she lowered her blade. But because she’d jumped onto the bed with a lot of force, we suddenly found ourselves very close together.
“Besides!” Euracia exclaimed.
“Huh? There’s still more?”
Euracia started acting coy when I asked that.
“Once I returned to Rozern and thought it over, you were the first person to ever joke with me, and it was my first time ever being treated like a friend...”
“You’re going to kill anyone who jokes with you?”
“I lowered my sword, didn’t I?! Anyway, that’s how it is!”
How what is? What is she on about? How did she come to that conclusion?
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Nothing more, nothing less!”
“Like that tells me anything!”
Euracia’s cheeks got a little flushed. Then, with a somewhat frustrated look, she continued.
“I want to be somewhere where my heart feels at ease! In Rozern, I’m not me—I’m the stern princess. Unable to laugh or cry...”
“Huh? So you’re saying your heart feels more at ease around me?”
With a meek nod, Euracia graciously admitted it.
What’s going on?
“You don’t like that?” she asked.
“Uh, it’s an honor, actually,” I replied.
Yeah. I mean that genuinely. Of course it’s an honor.
“I said before that I’ve decided to trust you, and I’ll obey you. That’s why I came. And I want to see what becomes of your ideals... Won’t you let me be with you?”
“Hey! Whoa, hold up!”
“What is it?”
“Why’re you gripping Rossade again? Are you gonna kill me if I say no?”
Euracia twitched a little, letting go of Rossade, then began to play with her hair with one hand. Then she burst out laughing. She was showing me a rare smile! Despite all the time we were in Rozern together, I’d only heard her laugh like this twice. Once in the darkness, and once just now.
Which meant I’d never seen it properly before now. I’d tried pulling on her cheeks to force a smile once, but that had ended in a colossal failure. To think she was finally smiling naturally. Because I’d wanted to see it so badly, I found her smile somewhat dangerously charming.
On top of that, Euracia moved closer to me.
“It’s not like that! I want to ask you something. I was thinking I might threaten an answer out of you.”
“Another question? Didn’t you ask me everything back then?”
“It’s a very important question,” she stressed, moving closer again.
She was so close I could hear her breathing.
Scratching her cheek with her index finger, Euracia took a deep breath.
“You said I wasn’t your type, didn’t you? Well... What is your type, then?”
Martial 92.
Command 97.
A person with stats like those was suddenly asking me my type.
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