episode_0120

A little while ago, in the grass on top of a hill overlooking the battlefield.

“Count Ravenna, are you listening!”

Lisia forgot that she was about to cast a spell on Raven and paused for a moment.

“Your son is back!”

What else could that word mean?

Doesn’t this mean that he will exercise his blood-inherited rights and officially demand the position of count?

Up to this point, it was a conclusion that those who still had enough spirit to think properly on the battlefield would have vaguely come up with.

‘That means, perhaps.’

But the girl’s thoughts were a little different.

The thinking that went one step further went roughly like this.

Since I couldn’t make a fuss, I first calmly looked back from the beginning.

‘Raven was a little reluctant to become a count.’

This was because I thought there would be a lot of troublesome things to solve on my own.

To be honest, as someone who watched most of the events from the sidelines, I could quite understand the concerns.

‘But I told him I would solve it together.’

Since it had only been a few days, I remembered it clearly.

In fact, there was nothing wrong with having a noble position as long as the annoying issues were resolved. It was also a fact that Raven himself acknowledged.

‘And just now, he said he would run for the earldom.’

It might be okay if nothing had happened, but if we had that conversation together and coincidentally made that declaration not long after.

So this is… Without any room for interpretation, doesn’t it mean that he wants to be with you?

‘In short, accept!’

Lycia, who used her brilliant mind to unleash her imagination and finished a hearty bowl of kimchi soup with white rice, came to that conclusion.

So, when I saw Raven coming back, I immediately ran to ask if anyone else was going to interfere.

“Can I understand this as consent?”

However, I did not forget about healing. A little light shone through the tip of his finger, and any injuries he may have had disappeared beneath the armor.

Then he immediately looked up at Raven with anticipation. Raven seemed to think about what that meant for a moment, and then asked again.

“You mean accepting the title of count?”

“Yes.”

As expected, is there still a judgment that he is just a child by his standards?

I was a little disappointed by those words. Still, I only felt a bitter taste inside, but I answered calmly without showing it.

“I decided to do that. I’m sorry for not telling you in advance.”

“No, you don’t need to apologize. Because it was Raven’s decision to make.”

Raven then opened her mouth as if to say something, but for some reason she stopped.

He looked at himself for a moment, breathing slightly out of breath due to the rush to get here, and then asked again.

“Were you worried?”

“A little bit. That’s why I’m with you.”

Raven didn’t pat her, saying she was amazing like usual, nor did she say anything in return.

Young’s reaction was weak, so I thought he might be in a bad mood, so I talked back to him to encourage him.

“But just trust me!”

“You?”

“Yes, because we decided to be together.”

After that, a casual question and answer continued for a while. When Raven asked him about trivial things, he answered honestly and lightly.

He seemed to feel a little better than before, and his expression seemed much more relaxed. I was disappointed for a moment, and soon found myself chattering happily.

Yes, I was actually happy enough at this level. For now, let’s wait a little longer until he becomes an adult.

With that in mind, I stayed by Raven’s side for a while.

And when my heavy breathing subsided and I felt like I was adequately rested.

“… You too have grown up a lot now.”

“, Raven muttered as she passed by and stood up.

The period of time we spent together was not so short that we could not recognize the subtle sincerity contained within it.

The girl’s eyes widened slightly, but soon became filled with light joy.

“I’ll be back again, so take care.”

And Raven disappeared, saying something she usually said as if she had never done anything like that before.

He, who was left behind, watched the scene behind him, and when he noticed other people coming nearby, he hid himself.

Raven seemed to be talking about the next attack with the approaching knights. Then he nodded once, cast his gaze towards himself one last time, and left.

It hid in the grass and watched it silently, and only when the people started moving away did it come out rustling.

Even then, I was dumbfounded and stayed in place for a while.

Is there a reason why my thoughts changed a little while I was out fighting? Actually, it was good for me.

Very smooth. It seemed like Raven’s mind was gradually opening up.

If you shake it just a little, it wouldn’t be difficult to open it completely. The completion of the project, which had a target deadline of two years, seemed to be within reach.

*****

Just as I was about to nag her to be careful on the battlefield, I made eye contact with the girl.

What it contained was worry. At the same time, the sharp pain I felt here and there disappeared as if it had never existed.

A light was softly fluttering at the tip of the slender finger.

I stopped pounding lightly. After thinking about it a little, I realized that I was not in a position to say something like that when I came home with a lot of injuries.

The nagging voice reached my throat and quickly returned. What took its place was a humble question.

“Were you worried?”

“A little bit. That’s why I’m with you.”

It was an answer without the slightest hesitation, as if he was stating an obvious fact.

“But just trust me!”

“You?”

“Yes.”

Then he lowered his face slightly, smiled brightly, and continued speaking.

“Because we decided to be together.”

There was an experience from before that came to mind along with those words.

‘For those issues, I’m there, right?’

Didn’t he find comfort in thinking about Lisia saying those words?

It’s a joy to be able to rely on someone and be someone you can depend on.

And looking back, haven’t I been through many situations like that with Lisia? I just recently realized this surprising fact, albeit belatedly.

I thought it would be a shame to treat Lisia as a child forever.

So, I may have only been thinking that way until now.

“… You too have grown up a lot now.”

Now that I know, it seems the time has come to change that thought. With that in mind, I opened my mouth quietly and spoke.

Beyond trust. Someone with whom I can sometimes share my pain.

Being someone you can rely on had that meaning.

Even if it was only for a moment, it didn’t seem like what I felt on the battlefield was an illusion.

“I’ll be back again, so take care.”

I stood up to attract the attention of the knights approaching from afar.

And before leaving for the battlefield again, he turned back to see if the girl was well hidden. In the distance, a slightly red face was faintly reflected through the grass.

*****

The end of a battle begins with one side retreating.

It often looked like the one side that had been defeated and was running away was unilaterally chasing after them, and there were also cases where both sides retreated without notice.

Cavalry charges occurred several times, and soldiers were seen leaving the battlefield one by one.

It was a sign that fatigue was approaching its limit. So at this point, it was time to outline the outcome of the battle.

“Your Majesty, even though it is from behind, it is dangerous because arrows may fly in.”

“It won’t take long, so it’s okay. I’ll go out for a moment and see for myself.”

The damage status was reported one after another, but the entire situation of the war could not be known with a few simple numbers.

Mental factors such as morale and fear could only be known by seeing them in person.

Heinrich stepped out of the barracks and carefully examined the battlefield.

The nobles and soldiers who followed one after another created a human wall, but I was able to see a little bit through it.

It wasn’t easy to do so in a place filled with excitement after seeing blood, but I tried to maintain my composure.

Calmly and objectively. I repeated those words in my head a few times and opened my eyes.

At that moment, a knight ran out in front of me and started playing tag again.

“Are you cowardly trying to run away! Fight fair and square!”

“Lightsaber, the lightsaber is flying!”

I didn’t know if the rumor had somehow spread in this commotion, or if I had experienced it myself and realized it.

In any case, even though he knew better than anyone that running away with the enemy in front of him was a disgrace for a knight, the cavalrymen scattering here and there were noticeable.

It wasn’t a bad sight to see fish running away like they were scattering in a lake where stones had been thrown.

“General, tell me honestly. Is the probability of winning high?”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. There is no clear victory in sight for me. Please allow me to retreat.”

Nevertheless, the reality was harsh.

Not everyone fighting had infinite stamina, nor did they have the ability to cut through armor with a single blow.

Those who lacked courage got scared and ran away without even swinging their sword properly.

Raven showed results that exceeded expectations. He even said that he would move according to his wishes, so how could he not be happy?

But regardless of that, I had to go back when I had to go back. Today, I decided to be satisfied with the fact that I gave Rudolph a sense of crisis in some form.

“Let’s retreat immediately. Pick the right time to send the signal.”

It seemed like he still had the strength to fight further.

Still, if you poured everything you had into it without even leaving enough energy to withdraw, you were likely to be annihilated.

Not long after the general nodded, a loud trumpet sounded throughout the battlefield.

It was a sound not from our allies, but from Duke Rudolph’s camp. It was like raising the white flag first. Normally, we might have gone on the offensive here and caused greater damage, but we didn’t have much time to spare.

Soon, the sound of trumpets erupted from the friendly camp as well.

The soldiers who had hesitated until just before, wondering if they should pursue the enemies, decided that this was the time and put down their weapons.

And the knights were returning from far away. At the front of them was a knight holding a shining lightsaber.