Ch.341Chapter 341: Epilogue – Toward a New Future Never Before Experienced

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After returning to Night Haven on an airship and taking a brief rest, about three months of hectic daily life passed by.

Some might ask what kept us so busy when the Empire’s age-old nemesis, the Demon God, along with countless demon hordes under his command, had vanished overnight along with the Demon Realm.

The aftermath of that final battle with Desire had ripple effects that reached even the regular soldiers and Imperial Knights stationed at the border regions.

These effects weren’t severe enough to threaten the Empire’s stability.

In fact, it presented an unparalleled opportunity to simultaneously strengthen the Empire’s dominance and administrative power, making it more of a blessing than a crisis.

Still, preparing for such a windfall wasn’t easy.

A thousand years.

For a full millennium, we had faced off against this long-standing hostile force.

Literally overnight, they had collapsed, leaving the territory north of the Dragon Claw Mountains—which they had essentially illegally occupied under Imperial law—as an empty space that could be incorporated into the Empire simply by planting our flag.

Unless the Imperial administration and the royal family were fools, they recognized the necessity of systematically managing this suddenly expanded territory, barren though it might be.

As a result, they entrusted the preliminary work—before research and observation could begin on this unknown land untouched by Imperial rule for a thousand years—to the Imperial Knights, who were closest to the area.

Though officially labeled as “research and observation,” in reality, it would be more accurate to call it exploration through reconnaissance, the first step toward bringing this land under Imperial administration.

Normally, this would be a task for the scholars of the Imperial Geological Institute and Map Research Institute.

But even for them, who valued practical experience over theory and considered fieldwork a basic qualification, this northern territory was an extremely harsh and wild land.

Our mission was to survey the land in advance so their research could proceed without complications.

As soon as the royal decree was issued, Night Haven erupted with both cheers and sighs in equal measure.

The cheers came from the regular soldiers, most of whom were of northern origin.

The sighs came from the majority of Imperial Knights, except for some northerners among them.

Both reactions were understandable.

Most people from the Empire’s northern territories believe themselves to be descendants of an ancient kingdom that supposedly existed before the Dragon Claw Mountains even earned that name.

The ancient kingdom… Yes, the one whose name isn’t even remembered, known only for being reduced to ashes overnight when Fafnir, driven mad by Desire’s curse on his entire race, rampaged through its capital.

After Ancestor Lumen Lanos defeated Fafnir and they barely began rebuilding the kingdom from ashes, the Demon God descended and created the current Demon Realm, forcing them to flee rather than reclaim their land—a story passed down through generations to those who grew up breathing the northern air.

Who among them would refuse the opportunity to proudly set foot on their ancestors’ ancient land in their lifetime?

It made perfect sense that soldiers who volunteered to serve in this frigid land would be fueled by anger toward the Demon Realm that had “illegally occupied” their ancestral lands.

This was especially evident from the particularly loud cheers coming from the soldiers recruited from the Kessler March, who claimed direct lineage from the old kingdom.

There was no doubt that for them, this northern territory exploration wasn’t just about surveying uncharted land, but about fulfilling the weighty mission of reclaiming their ancestral homeland.

On the other hand, the frustrated Imperial Knights were recruited and selected primarily based on skill, resulting in a high proportion of non-northerners among them.

They instinctively knew that exploring this uncharted territory would be even more difficult and strenuous than their already demanding duties at Night Haven, hence their sighs.

This, too, was completely understandable.

While it was called “uncharted territory exploration,” the regular soldiers who grew up in the north were somewhat accustomed to the flesh-biting cold and wouldn’t be too hindered in outdoor activities.

But for knights less accustomed to the cold, this mission could in some ways be more challenging than the fierce battles against demons they’d grown tired of experiencing.

Difficult, yes, very difficult. Even with proper cold-weather equipment, we’d be lucky to manage three hours of exploration per day.

Veteran knights who had reached superhuman levels of controlling their metabolism through activated battle energy might handle extended activity without problems.

But clearly, no one would be happy about undertaking forced marches more grueling than what they’d experienced during their junior knight training, climbing and descending mountains repeatedly.

How am I so sure?

Because when my sister delivered the imperial order to all Imperial Knights in her dry voice, I too sighed deeply from the pit of my stomach and lamented.

No one would be happy about this.

Except for Excel, who was actually pleased about having more opportunities for casual conversation with my sister.

And Shizu, who just listened silently to my sister’s mission briefing with a composed expression.

Of course, despite the sighs, no one was brave enough to openly shirk their duties.

When my sister, who had unpacked all her belongings in the official residence with the intention of staying at Night Haven, set an example as the highest field commander after receiving the imperial order…

What madman would dare to defy that?

Whether they were internally shedding tears of blood or not, there were no issues with the Imperial Knights’ attitude toward performing their assigned duties.

Me? I worked hard too. I didn’t want to get caught slacking by my sister and have lightning strike my head.

Besides, I actually enjoyed the time because I could spend it with Shizu during each exploration mission, so it wasn’t really that difficult for me.

Humans are adaptable creatures, and even members who initially complained found their own training methods in these difficult and tedious missions, with some achieving remarkable growth.

So we managed to get through these three months in this desolate place, even though our archenemy had disappeared.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard—it definitely was difficult.

The cold was so severe that calling it “flesh-biting” doesn’t do it justice. It made me miss Night Haven’s garrison duties and the annual subjugation festival we always held at the end of the year.

Looking back now that it’s all over, the mission environment itself wasn’t as bad as expected.

The volcanic activity that had been occurring intermittently at the mountain peaks since the collapse of the Demon Realm had stopped.

And the bitterly cold climate, which had been so frigid it would make your tongue hang out despite the volcanic activity, gradually changed to somewhat more livable weather.

In truth, the weather wasn’t the problem. The problem was the land itself.

The unknown territory beyond the mountains…

The area beyond the mountains, where the Empire’s archenemy had established the Demon Realm, was a place where even geologists from the royal geological institute and cartographers from the map research institute couldn’t freely set foot.

The royal family and Imperial administration misjudged this land because they didn’t know it well.

And we, who prided ourselves on having spent many years with our bones growing thick in this land, misjudged it too.

It was vast. Just the site where Desire’s obsidian palace had stood was jaw-droppingly enormous.

The newly revealed territory after their disappearance was so vast that it truly exceeded imagination.

So vast that we couldn’t explore it all during the three months we spent there.

There were suggestions to use airships, but thick clouds and fog persisted throughout the three months despite the volcanic ash having cleared, as if to keep the mysterious land mysterious, hindering exploration.

In the end, there was no option but to explore on foot.

Truly, we spent those three months exploring the north until we were sick of it.

…I experienced so many things.

I want to pull the ears of my past self who called the heavily falling white snow, unmixed with volcanic ash, a “spectacular sight”—snow can be terrifying.

And yet, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw Shizu’s face, cherishing everything she saw and smiling even in the face of such blizzards.

Fighting demons, fighting the Demon God, and saving the world—these experiences were different in nature, but they were precious nonetheless.

…Though if someone asked me to experience it again, I’d seriously consider submitting retirement papers and living on a pension.

Anyway, the stress that built up during those bitter three months ends today.

Why, you ask?

Because right now, Shizu and I are on a transcontinental train heading to a resort in the southern part of the continent for an extended vacation.

Screeeech-!!

Though it’s improved since the first time I rode it, the still-noisy friction of iron wheels made me realize I was indeed on a train.

Compared to the ultra-high-speed transcontinental train I took when I first went to Lanos Duchy after finishing the subjugation festival in the north, the speed wasn’t much different.

But in terms of the emotional aspect of ride comfort, there was a significant difference.

The suspension that failed to properly absorb lateral vibrations, the joints supporting the connections between cars that shook whenever we crossed uneven sections, and the hard, uncomfortable passenger seats.

In truth, these were actually quite good facilities, but having experienced something much better initially, I was feeling the reverse effect.

Still, it didn’t matter.

Honestly, no matter how bad the train’s ride quality was, it was blissful compared to the days spent repeatedly climbing up and down the Dragon Claw Mountains.

“…Hehe.”

Shizu was snuggled up next to me, giggling in her sleep about something that seemed to please her.

Just facing the ever-changing scenery reflected in the window was enough to instantly dispel the fatigue accumulated from the three months of hardship and the final battle before that.

This is an important journey.

It’s our first trip to enjoy time alone together after finally achieving what I’ve been striving for since my regression—defeating the Demon God, the minimum condition for protecting Shizu’s happiness.

“…I hope it goes well.”

Because it’s also a journey to make a once-in-a-lifetime confession.