episode_0157

When I returned to the village after the long battle, what greeted me were not smiles of relief, but tears.

“Oppa, that arm…”

“I gave it to the Demon King. Considering the scope of the battle, it was a cheap price to pay. It was also the price for the sins I committed.”

I felt a huge empty space on my right arm, but now Camilla was on my right.

“… Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“…… It’s a little hard to keep the balance, but I think I’ll get used to it soon. ”

I gave them back the necklace and hair ornament and wondered what to do.

I knew that my condition was not good enough to just say that I was okay.

What would be the best way to reassure them? If they tried to move around as if they were fine and fell over, it would definitely be a disaster.

If so, the best way would be to express it nonverbally and with minimal body movement. There would be only one way to satisfy that condition.

“… It’s okay.”

I am.

I tried to pull the corners of my still lips as close as possible.

“….. Are you laughing just now, oppa?”

“….. Are you laughing just now?”

“Raoul… Are you laughing now?”

“Are you laughing just now…?”

Not only Mother and Liesel, but even Camilla and Her Highness the Empress seemed surprised.

Is my smiling face that shocking? I don’t know. I’ve raised the corners of my mouth a few times, but I’ve never used my facial muscles like this.

“It looks like a baby deer that got hit in the head with a hammer is chewing on marijuana and laughing.”

I turned my gaze towards His Majesty.

“I hope your lost ear is okay.”

“No, I’m not okay. I heard the sound of a fly buzzing somewhere… No, I heard the nonsense of a baby bird buzzing without arms.”

“No. It’s not nonsense. My staff is actually ringing. I guess it’s me who has a hearing problem. I can hear the sound of someone who hasn’t even been hurt by the Demon King getting angry.”

“No, Count. I wasn’t hearing things. I was holding something. I was holding a greatsword that was burning with fire.”

We had a great time clashing our weapons against each other.

After this time, there will be no reason for us to take up those weapons.

I wanted to give the weapon time to say goodbye, because there must be meaning in the time I spend saying goodbye to this friend who protected my life all my life.

At that moment, when their weapons crossed, His Majesty opened his mouth.

“So… do you plan on coming back? To the capital?”

“… I lived my whole life hiding in the shade, avoiding the sunlight with my eyes turned away.”

“Isn’t this the final destination of the shadow?”

“No. The tree that covered the shade is gone.”

Because there was a precious person who cut down that damn tree.

I was finally able to wake up to the sunlight.

“I want to put down roots here now.”

“… Well, I knew you would say that. Anyway, please understand my feelings. You bastard who is so bland and reckless. ”

“Yes?”

“You’re an indifferent guy who doesn’t know how lonely a capital city is without a close friend. You’re sure to get either erectile dysfunction or hair loss.”

Only after hearing that story did I realize what I did wrong.

“I will visit you often.”

“I’m visiting a friend, but I can’t wait to see you. Tell him I’m coming over. And since I’m planning on coming too, always clean up.”

“A friend is coming over, do I really need to go through the hassle of cleaning?”

“This kid pretends to be emotionless, but he does his best to use whatever I say to be disloyal. Really.”

“So you don’t like it?”

“No. That’s the best, you son of a bitch.”

His Majesty smiled, patted me on the back, and then climbed onto his horse.

“Now I have to do what I have to do.”

“What do you mean by “I have to do it”?”

“Now that we’ve caught the lion, we should catch the dogs that brought the lion to us and boil them in a pot. There are too many vicious dogs that we’ve kept alive just because we need them.”

It seemed as if he was trying to punish the nobles who had avoided punishment because they were in front of the Demon King.

Sooner or later, the wind of blood will blow, but that too will be their karma.

His Majesty is not so cruel as to ask his children to do the sins of their fathers. He would surely give those children a chance, and if they were worthy, they would somehow succeed.

“… Your Highness the Empress.”

“Now I’m thinking of putting down my sword.”

“Then, Your Majesty, are you planning to hit me with your bare hands?”

“Even in normal times, if His Majesty did something wrong, I would hit him with my bare hands. No matter how bad my temper was, I would stab my husband with a knife. I’m not such a hopeless woman, am I?”

“Usually, a good person does not hit his spouse no matter how much he does wrong.”

“… Anyway, I’m going to put this sword down and focus on my work as an empress and a mother.”

No matter how much I thought about it, I could only picture a future where he would get angry while working, swear, and swing a sword.

Of course, he’ll swing his sword five or six times a day, but he’ll still do it.

Of course, the future successor born to that person will have a somewhat difficult childhood, but that too will be a memory.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I look like this, but I’m quite cultured…”

“Ugh.”

I almost burst out laughing without realizing it, and a sharp sword strike flew in and cut off my hair.

“… Until next time, stay healthy. You won’t need to take any medicine anymore.”

After saying so, Her Highness the Empress also climbed into the carriage.

Come to think of it, I didn’t tell some people that I had been sick and that I had completely recovered.

I had a feeling I would have a lot to talk about today.

To do that, you first need to try your luck.

“I.”

That I was able to meet my loved ones at the threshold of the afterlife and receive salvation.

He said that he received the grace he gained in this way and was granted life by the Demon King.

He said that he was able to fight because he had the power given to him by the Queen of Dragons and the King of Ghosts.

I will speak proudly.

“I was able to live because I died once.”

Then it seemed like everyone had question marks on their faces.

“I met Leila and confirmed our feelings for each other and kissed.”

“What…?”

“I received a confession of love from the Queen of Dragons, and by withholding it, I gained her power.”

“……..”

“The Demon King put everything he had into my body.”

“Hey you piece of shit…”

“That’s why my body is only mine…”

At that moment, Camilla’s spear flew in and pinned my collar to the wall.

“… I’m so upset right now?”

“I don’t understand English. I was just telling the plain truth.”

“Sigh… Okay. Tsk. I’m just thankful that you came back alive… What. After you finish talking, come to my room. I have a lot to talk about.”

As Camilla turned her back, Kyle started laughing and poking me in the ribs.

“Would you like to take off the sticker now?”

“What does that mean?”

“Haa… This is what I mean when I say you’re shy. Hugging a woman…”

“I’ve hugged the woman several times.”

There were times when I hugged Lisel when I was little, times when I hugged Empress Leila in joy on the battlefield, and times when I put my hand on her waist while dancing at a ball.

“That would be the same for Camilla too.”

I could say that with certainty because I had hugged her often.

And at that moment, I lost consciousness due to a lightning-like fist that flew in.

So the next day, I opened my eyes in pain and smiled as I looked up at the ceiling that seemed familiar to me.

I was grateful to still be alive, but I also smiled because I didn’t know how long it had been since I woke up with such a light heart.

I felt relieved after throwing away all the heavy things I had been carrying. Even if I didn’t carry them, the precious things were already engraved inside me. I realized it now.

“… You almost died right after you came back from the battlefield.”

My maid, Betty, was cleaning my room, her brown pointy ears perking.

“Yeah. Of course, the strongest among us is Camilla. If His Majesty had thrown a punch, I could have fought back… But I still can’t win against Camilla.”

“Honestly, after hearing the content, I thought it was correct.”

“Children have different perspectives.”

“…… Phew. It wasn’t just me. Lizel-nim, Ratri-nim, and Kyle-nim also admitted that it was worth getting hit. ”

“It seems like I have no one on my side in this world. It’s so strange.”

“But isn’t it true that there is no one on the side of the person who makes a slip of the tongue?”

“…….”

I stared blankly at the face of the child who was cleaning my room.

“… Your eyes are swollen. Did you cry?”

“….. No way.”

“And there’s dirt under your fingernails. Like you dug some dirt.”

“Haha… I was cleaning up the garden this morning.”

“And there’s a faint scent of flowers… Is this scent marigold?”

“No, really, what kind of monster is it?”

“… No.”

I was just a human being with a little bit of intuition.

A normal human being who just wanted to be loved by someone, not a monster or anything.

“… I don’t know what you asked, but it seems like you asked something pretty important.”

I wonder if I buried a pet that I was secretly raising.

“… Yes. It was very precious.”

“I see.”

I decided to stop asking questions there, since I wasn’t a pervert who wanted to know the inside of a young girl’s mind.

“May you rest in peace, too.”

“… Yes.”

“If the tomb looks lonely, tell me. I have some high-quality fabrics bestowed by the Imperial Family. I think it could cover a small tomb.”

“I think that would make you mad.”