Ch.128Red Moon (2)

Another week passed, then a day. Three more days wasted without any results.

Despite deploying knights to somehow find their hideout, they were just going in circles.

Even with the Emperor personally urging them on, reality remained unchanged, and after twelve days passing in the blink of an eye, they finally had to make a decision.

“If we’ve searched the entire empire and found nothing, it likely means they’re hiding somewhere we already know well.”

“…You don’t mean Terazein, do you?”

“What other possibility is there? We’ve deployed hundreds of thousands of soldiers, not just knights, to thoroughly search the continent. We’ve used dozens of large-scale teleportation spells with mages. Mountains, seas, even uncharted wilderness not marked on maps have been searched… doesn’t this mean they must be hiding in one particular place?”

The Emperor quietly pointed to a corner of the map.

Areas that had been searched were painted over in different colors, but there was one place that still retained its original color.

A moment of silence fell over the assembly as they confirmed it was the territory of Terazein.

“We cannot delay any longer. According to Evan Fried, there’s a possibility that Mabet is still alive. We must eliminate him by any means necessary. Before the red moon rises, before the ancient dragon fully regains its power, we must subjugate it. Kaisel.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor handed the battle axe to Kaisel, who was prostrating himself, then looked around again.

He couldn’t lead the front lines himself. Not only would he be of no help, but his death would obviously cause chaos.

It was still too early to entrust everything to Kaisel.

“You will lead the army.”

This would be the final battle. They had to defeat the ancient dragon Mabet in this fight.

The longer they delayed, the more time they gave to Extinction, the more disadvantageous it would be for the Empire.

Though it would surely be a heavy burden, the Emperor had no intention of reversing his decision.

After all, shouldn’t someone destined to become Emperor possess the appropriate capacity?

With the feeling of laying a cornerstone, the Emperor intended to entrust everything about this matter to the Crown Prince.

“…I understand.”

Kaisel slowly bowed his head. Feeling all the ministers’ gazes upon him,

he simultaneously felt a tingling sensation running down his spine.

Born to suit greatness, he felt not even a trace of burden in this position. The only thing in his mind now was victory.

There was one woman who concerned him, but Kaisel deliberately pushed that thought away as he gripped the battle axe.

As Kaisel stood up again, the ministers around him knelt down before him as one.

What should be—no, what must be the final battle.

Raising the axe symbolizing military authority above his head, Kaisel slowly opened his mouth.

At this moment, the one action the Empire needed to take.

Deployment. With that single command, all the forces the Empire could mobilize began to move.

#

“I hear we’re deploying to Terazein. The target is Mabet, and I’ve received orders as well.”

Airin sighed deeply at Evan’s words as he held up a paper bearing the Emperor’s seal.

She wanted to fight alongside him, but with her body in this condition, how could she possibly join the battle?

She could only hope for his safe return and wait here for news of the outcome, a reality that made her furrow her brow slightly.

“Are you displeased?”

“Who would enjoy a situation like this?”

“Still, if we fight before Mabet fully awakens, there shouldn’t be any danger.”

The ancient dragon Mabet hadn’t appeared in the novel, but most of the dark wizard’s forces had.

Among those who hadn’t appeared in the novel, Roman and Hatan had been completely eliminated by him,

so if he had to identify the remaining threat, it would probably be the ancient dragon Mabet.

At least, among humans, there was no one who could hurt him.

Evan now had a certain confidence in his abilities.

Even fighting Theorad, he could maintain complete superiority,

and in a battle against Extinction, he could use even more of his power.

Ascalon, the light spirit, dragon blood, and dragon language too. Of course, if Scarlet appeared possessed by Mabet, he would need to use his full strength,

but at least in the preliminary battle to subjugate Terazein, there would certainly be no problems.

“…Besides, I’m not going alone.”

Thinking of Chris’s face, Evan let out a small laugh.

Despite saying he had retired and would take it easy, with no one else to lead the elves, Chris had naturally stepped up.

Perhaps after this subjugation was over, they could share a drink together.

Lost in these thoughts, Evan naturally lay down and rested his head on Airin’s lap.

“Are you sleepy?”

“I have to deploy in a few hours. I thought it might be better to… stay like this for a while.”

Lying on her lap and looking up at Airin’s face, Evan smiled.

Despite having a major battle right ahead, he strangely didn’t feel nervous.

Was it because he couldn’t quite grasp that everything would end after this battle?

Or was it simply that he instinctively felt this fight wouldn’t be that dangerous?

Evan didn’t bother searching for the answer to that question. He simply enjoyed lying on her lap, looking up at her face,

feeling the faint heartbeat coming from her slightly swollen belly beside him.

“Airin.”

“Stay still. I’ll fix your hair.”

“Let’s get married.”

Flinch.

Airin’s hand, which had been stroking Evan’s hair, momentarily trembled in mid-air.

To her gaze that seemed to ask what he was talking about, Evan calmly continued.

“After the baby is born, when you’re feeling better… how about having the ceremony in the garden?”

“…Is that how you’re supposed to propose marriage?”

At her slightly cold gaze, Evan awkwardly pulled at the corner of his mouth,

but he thought it might be better to say it this way.

It might be nice to set the mood a bit more, to speak a bit longer, like when he confessed.

But somehow, it felt like this was exactly the right moment to talk about marriage.

After smiling awkwardly for a moment, Evan sat up again and stared at Airin.

“I’m not joking. I wanted to set the mood a bit like when I confessed, but I guess I’m not that romantic a person.”

“…You know what? I was planning to propose first.”

Airin glared at Evan with a dissatisfied expression. Why on earth would he bring up marriage now?

She had planned to talk about it when the war was over, when they were alone on some nice hill.

A proposal heard before she had fully prepared herself

made Airin’s heart race unnecessarily. Had Evan been thinking the same thing? Marriage, marriage.

Brushing her slightly reddening cheeks with her hand to regain her composure, Airin casually opened her mouth toward Evan.

On the surface she looked quite calm, with an expression that seemed like she might reject the proposal, making Evan’s shoulders tremble slightly.

“Are you serious?”

“Who in the world would propose as a joke?”

“…I don’t have a very good personality. I don’t know how to pretend, and I say exactly what I don’t like. I’ve never cooked before, and I might be much less capable than you think.”

“I still love you.”

“I’m not confident about raising a child well. I’ll try… but I don’t know if I’ll be a good mother. I’ll rely on you a lot. But if you try to teach our child strange things, I’ll get angry, and I don’t like being away from home for long. Always stay by my side. Even when you’re with the child, love me more than the child.”

“Of course, I will.”

About to continue speaking, Airin suddenly pressed her lips together as emotion welled up.

She opened and closed her lips, trying hard to control her unmanageable feelings.

She still had much to say, and she was certainly happy… but she couldn’t understand why tears were coming.

Evan approached from behind and embraced Airin as she hugged her knees and lowered her head.

He gently wrapped her trembling shoulders and wiped her eyes as she occasionally sobbed with a hiccuping sound.

“…I want three children.”

Letting out a chuckle at her voice in the midst of this, Evan nodded slightly.

Have one more child…? No, before that, could he handle it?

Various thoughts mixed together, but ultimately what Airin was saying was one thing: that she would accept his proposal.

“I once told you I would stay by your side forever. Do you remember?”

“I… remember.”

Her tear-mixed voice affirmed it.

Thinking back briefly, he thought perhaps he had liked this lady since then.

Meeting at the end of spring, spending autumn together, and through winter.

In that winter season, to the woman who first blessed his birth. He thought he must have felt a moment of affection when he said those words.

“Now I’ll finally keep that promise.”

Airin, her cheeks now completely dry of tears, rubbed them and stared at Evan.

A face much different from four years ago, yet unchanged.

She now knew for certain that the green light she had seen at the festival was actually Evan’s eyes,

that what she had been looking at during that festival was Evan’s face.

When had she developed feelings for him? Was it when she heard him ask if she was alright?

When he told her he wanted her to smile at the Crystal Palace?

In winter, when Evan returned injured after fighting the dark wizard?

When she first felt emptiness? All those moments still remained vividly in her heart.

The heart does not settle in an instant.

Like rain that wets the body and flows down,

like paint that spreads and colors the entire paper when it falls.

Emotions that gradually seep in eventually spread out as the fruit of the heart.

Her hand touched Evan’s chest and brushed past where his heart was.

The sensation at her fingertips, the beating she felt inside.

Airin smiled faintly at the tickling feeling at her fingertips and slowly raised her head to look at Evan.

“Let’s change rings, since we won’t be apart anymore. I’ll have new ones made with diamonds.”

“Alright.”

“…About the proposal, let’s pretend I didn’t hear what you said today. I was planning to propose first.”

“What do you—”

Thump.

Airin pulled Evan’s head to her chest.

To prevent him from speaking further, she pursed her lips slightly.

It tickled her chest as Evan tried to open his mouth with muffled sounds…

After taking a moment to steady her breathing and calm her racing heart, Airin spoke again.

“Just be satisfied with this for today. I didn’t hear that proposal, so I won’t answer it.”

“……”

“But… there’s one thing I want to say.”

Like playing the piano, her fingers tapped Evan’s hair in succession.

The song Evan had taught her before. The serenade she had heard in Seiren.

After playing with her fingers for a moment as if pressing keys, Airin slowly moved her lips.

With a gentle expression, mimicking the face Evan had made when he confessed to her once.

“I love you.”

To hide her suddenly flushed cheeks, Airin didn’t let go of Evan.

She wanted to speak a bit one-sidedly right now. She was also a little upset at Evan for proposing first,

and she wanted to monopolize these last few hours of leisure, even if just a little.

“I don’t know exactly when it started. Just that at some point, my eyes began to see you.”

The knight who had seemed foolish, the knight who had looked at her blankly had now grown so much.

At one time they had been similar in height, but now she couldn’t meet his eyes without looking up.

It was somewhat frustrating that she couldn’t reach his lips even on tiptoe.

But at least now, she could hold him in her arms.

Looking back on her memories, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly when she had started to like him, no matter how much she thought about it.

Just, at some point. When she came to her senses, her heart was already racing.

Her cheeks growing hot, recognizing the knight named Evan as a man,

feeling happiness when holding his hand. Feeling excitement when kissing, losing sleep when embracing.

“I love you.”

But to explain all these feelings, her eloquence was far too lacking.

So she said it again. As always, those four syllables that were never enough to fully convey her heart.

And… promising herself that next time, she would properly propose to Evan.