Ch.289Reunion

After finishing a satisfying bath, I was guided to the reception room where Frider was waiting.

Florence cast healing magic on me again and headed to the ward to look after the wounded, while Leonore went to her bedroom saying she didn’t want to intrude on a reunion between friends, so I was the only one left.

Rain? That stoic woman naturally followed Leonore.

—-

“It’s been a while.”

Frider’s appearance had changed a bit since I last saw him.

His reddish-brown eyes were bloodshot to the point of looking bright red, with dark circles under his eyes. He looked gaunt, as if he hadn’t slept for several nights.

A tired smile appeared on his face, which was full of fatigue.

“Looking at your pale face reminds me of the Great Fire. I didn’t expect you to come all the way here in that condition. Hot springs are good for recovery, but this isn’t a good time for a vacation.”

His dishonest way of speaking hasn’t changed much.

Just looking at his slightly curved eyes and slightly excited voice, his true feelings of happiness are obvious.

“It’s quite cold for a reunion. If you’re happy to see me, shouldn’t you honestly say ‘Thank you for visiting, Professor’?”

“Who would say such a…! Wait, what? Professor? You…?”

He still gets upset easily.

I leaned back on the sofa in the reception room with my arms crossed and grinned at the surprised Frider.

“Yes. Surprisingly, I am now an honorary professor at Remnant Academy. Do you know what that means, Student Frider?”

You’re a student and I’m a teacher, Frider.

As a special admission student in your second year, you probably won’t attend many lectures, but you should maintain basic courtesy even in private.

“Now, shouldn’t you address me as ‘Professor’ with respect when calling me, Student Frider?”

“I should drop out.”

It was an immediate answer without any hesitation.

—-

“So, what happened? I heard about the suppression of the civil war.”

Frider getting straight to the point.

Indeed, neither of us was in a good state for small talk.

Frider looked like he would collapse if he didn’t sleep right now, and I too had accumulated quite a bit of fatigue from the forced march.

Besides, although I had been treated by Florence on the way here, I wasn’t completely recovered yet.

“If you know that much, haven’t you heard all the important parts? Well, it’s…”

I explained to Frider what had happened while drinking the milk tea served by the maid.

The battle at Zeren Plains, the subjugation of Isabella on the islands, and the aftermath.

I didn’t reveal that Ophelia had snatched Isabella’s soul.

“Not only a professor but also a Radiance and a Hero…? And even Leonore the princess is now your exclusive knight…? The Empire must be nearing its end… Well, it lasted quite long.”

Frider sighed in disbelief and brought his teacup to his lips.

Unlike mine, his cup was filled with strong coffee. That’s almost at the level of a stimulant.

“Don’t say such ominous things about it ending. I’ve been through hell trying to maintain the country’s appearance.”

From the east to the southwest, through the islands, and now to the north.

I’ve practically combed through half of the Empire’s territory. And the enemies I’ve defeated are countless. Wouldn’t that make me an unparalleled loyal subject in the Empire’s history?

“Anyway, that’s the end of my story. Now I’d like to hear your story. I heard that the northern wall collapsed, but I don’t know what happened after that.”

“The northern wall… Yes. The northern wall collapsed. Because of just one beast, the barrier containing Faelrun’s history…!”

As if the memory suddenly came back to him, Frider gritted his teeth and growled.

The handle of the teacup he was holding shattered with a sharp sound.

His anger is reaching the sky.

Well, he already disliked werebeasts, and now he’s suffered such a major defeat. His resentment must be as great as his wounded pride.

“Why don’t you calm down? You can rebuild the wall later, right? You know, after driving out all the werebeasts.”

“…You say it so easily. You’re not wrong, but who knows when that will be… At least for now, it’s impossible. Those disgusting beasts are blocking even our approach to the northern wall.”

Frider closed his eyes and placed his hand on his forehead, trying to suppress his rising anger.

From what I’m hearing, it seems the werebeasts haven’t completely withdrawn.

“So, what exactly is the situation now?”

“I don’t know. None of the reconnaissance teams sent near the northern wall have returned, except for the first unit.”

—-

According to Frider, it was certain that the enemies who had retreated to the Sky Mountains had come down again.

The only unknown was how many there were. It was impossible to send scouts to confirm.

Sending a small force would result in them not returning, but sending a large force might lead to annihilation if it was Rurik’s trap.

In the end, the only solution was to strengthen the defenses of Faelrun Castle and wait for reinforcements.

Reinforcements… well, they should arrive.

Although I hurried here, the Duke of Faelrun would also return immediately once the news of the northern wall’s collapse reached the islands.

…Though I don’t know when he’ll arrive.

We were able to move this quickly because we were just four people, but the Duke of Faelrun’s northern army consists of thousands of troops. Unless he abandons all his soldiers, a forced march like ours would be impossible.

Especially after the fierce battle in Benes territory, trying to reach the north without proper rest would be physically overwhelming.

Frider had also anticipated this and had been organizing the remaining troops for days without proper sleep.

With all other masters dead, she was the highest commander of the remaining forces and their only pillar of support.

She had to somehow raise the morale that had hit rock bottom, devise ways to repel Rurik if he attacked again, and reassure the anxious northern people.

It was too much for one person to handle.

—-

“Are Demian and Millia safe?”

“Safe… is a bit ambiguous. Demian is currently under treatment.”

Frider’s expression noticeably frowned.

“Treatment? Was he attacked by werebeasts?”

I was wondering why I hadn’t seen him. Was he seriously injured somewhere?

“Haa… that would have been better. No, would it be better…? Anyway, it wasn’t because of werebeasts. If anything, it was his own fault.”

“His own fault?”

Frider let out a deep sigh.

“As soon as he recovered from the injuries he sustained during the retreat from the northern wall, he devoted himself to training until exhaustion to improve his skills, which was fine… but because he was too tired, his vision was blurry when he went to find a bath.”

Oh, don’t tell me…

“Unfortunately, it was a bath where maids and female knights were bathing as a group. What happened next is obvious, isn’t it?”

“……”

Did he get beaten up by the female knights because he was tired and flustered?

“Given his skills, he managed to dodge the knights’ attacks despite being tired and flustered, but Millia was there too. Millia, who couldn’t recognize Demian because of the steam, threw whatever was at hand… a stone, which hit him squarely on the head and knocked him unconscious. They say he almost had his skull shattered.”

My goodness.

That’s an embarrassing injury to talk about anywhere.

“That’s… I don’t know what to say…”

“He was immediately taken for treatment… he should wake up again tomorrow. Millia is also there with him.”

I see. So Millia has become stronger…

To think a reflexively thrown stone could almost shatter someone’s head.

======[ Sky Mountains ]======

As Frider had predicted, the werebeasts who had retreated into the Sky Mountains had come down again toward the northern wall.

They had retreated to guard against reinforcements when news of the end of the Empire’s civil war reached them, but days had passed without any sign of those reinforcements arriving.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have destroyed Faelrun Castle before returning… That mage made unnecessary fuss and misled my judgment. Or did he want us to retreat like this?’

Rurik couldn’t understand.

If the mage were in front of him, he would have torn off his limbs first and asked what his intentions were, but the mage had temporarily left, saying he had business to attend to.

After much deliberation, Rurik eventually moved his forces back down the mountains.

He didn’t know when the reinforcements would arrive, but since things had come to this, it didn’t seem bad to inflict one more blow.

It took a full day to regroup the forces scattered throughout the Sky Mountains.

“So, who did you say arrived?”

Rurik, sitting on the ruins of the northern wall, asked the pureblooded warrior prostrating before him.

A rabbit werebeast with long ears, bright red eyes, and muscular legs.

For a herbivore species with low combat ability, they were quite useful due to their excellent reconnaissance abilities and mobility.

“I confirmed a small carriage entering Faelrun Castle. I couldn’t see who it was, but I could clearly hear the commotion inside the castle. They were saying that the ‘Were Eater’ had arrived.”

“Were Eater? To think they would come personally. This is going to be interesting.”

Rurik smiled, baring his teeth.

Indeed, it seemed the news of the northern wall’s collapse had reached the islands. The Empire’s reinforcements would also be marching toward the north.

However, seeing that only one carriage had arrived, it seemed only she had rushed ahead… which confirmed that there was still time before the reinforcements arrived.