Since the Liches engaged with the wizards had all been destroyed, the tide of battle had no choice but to tilt in their favor.
It took less than four hours to clear the corpses that had filled the area in front of the capital.
“We won!”
“Hurrah! For Hor!”
The cheers of those who survived the fierce battle echoed throughout the world. Amidst the people shouting at the top of their lungs, Alisa and Alan stood still, staring at a single spot.
It was the place where their father had stood—the place where he had stood alone before turning into a handful of ash and vanishing. The gaze of the two people staring at that spot remained deeply somber.
“Alan, Master.”
Before they knew it, Richard had approached them. He placed a hand on their shoulders.
“…Are you alright?”
His touch carried a significant amount of sincere concern. Alisa pulled her gaze away from her father’s final resting place and looked at Richard. Soon, the corners of her mouth lifted weakly.
“That’s because the question is coming from you now.”
Alisa knew very well what the question “Are you alright?” implied. Asking such a thing while knowing they weren’t okay was like a request for them not to show their pain.
The burden on his shoulders was far from light.
“We are fine. Haven’t we seen too much death to be grieving now?”
Numerous forces from the Southern Continent had gathered around Laplace and the Church of Hor.
The reputation of the Great Magic Family that Markus had been so proud of was now a thing of the past, and Laplace would become the new ruler of the Southern Continent.
There was no time for those who had risen to such heavy positions to mourn.
Richard looked up at the cracked sky. When that Rift fully opened, they would face many more deaths once again. They had to prepare quickly. Resolve filled his eyes.
“So,” Alan muttered, having kept his mouth shut until now. “Where did those things you called Legion Commanders go?”
Richard quietly raised Bad Bond. Alan’s face contorted violently at the massive Demonic Energy felt from the black blade.
As someone who loathed Demonic Energy, it was an unavoidable reaction.
“I suppose I should hear the full story.”
Alisa activated the Eye of Laplace and slowly examined Richard and his sword. She saw the powerful souls trapped within the blade.
And she saw Richard’s soul, which had grown to an unbelievable degree. It was impossible to dismiss all of this as a change that occurred in such a short time.
“Um, I’ll explain it later. It seems I’ll be a bit busy for now.”
Richard turned around with a weary voice. In the distance, the knights were rushing toward him.
They were expressing their full indignation toward the Saint who had made them worry.
***
The Typhon Kingdom had completely collapsed. Now that even the Undead could no longer be found, it was nothing more than a dead kingdom.
The joy of victory was brief. The knights and wizards crossed the ruins, thinking the same thing over and over.
They realized that if they didn’t stop the Rift in the sky when it opened, ruins like these would fill the entire world. That could never be allowed to happen.
Thus, the commanders of each nation looked at Richard with fervent eyes.
“We will not forget Hor. We have felt his debt with our whole bodies, so we will continue to serve him with sincere hearts.”
Whenever the armies gathered from across the nations returned to their respective homes, they always spoke those words.
Richard greeted them with a benevolent smile each time. Humans seek God when times are hard. Since the sky had foretold that Eodom would come like a thief, the Church of Hor finally became the focal point for humanity.
‘Now the remaining task is the Northern Continent. Well, I’m sure Vallach explained it well.’
Vallach did not participate in this battle. He did not serve Hor, nor was he someone rooted in the Southern Continent.
He was, quite literally, a perfect outsider. The war he would participate in was the one to come. Thinking of Vallach, who had left with his pouty face, Richard cracked his knuckles.
“Ludwig. It’s time to meet that stubborn old man.”
The road back to Laplace was very long. As the armies that had gathered with one heart and mind returned to their countries one by one, eventually, only the men of Laplace and Riot Castle remained.
After walking for a while, the border of Laplace came into view. Since they had come this far, their role as traveling companions was sufficient.
“Master. Then we shall head back to the Northern Continent now. You’ve worked hard.”
Richard bid his farewells.
“Are you leaving as well?”
Alisa, who had been walking silently while looking ahead, bowed her head. Soon, she looked back at him. She tried to hide it, but the regret was clearly visible on her face.
“It’s not over yet. We have to use our time as efficiently as possible.”
“Still, you’ve finished a great task, so isn’t it too cold-hearted to leave immediately? I still have a mountain of Magic I want to teach you.”
Richard’s eyes widened. It was unexpected to see her trying to hold onto him like a child. However, Richard was a cold-hearted man.
“We will face each other again soon anyway.”
As he bowed to her, Alisa nodded reluctantly.
“Promise me instead.”
“Yes?”
“Next time we meet, give me at least a little bit of your time.”
‘Well, I can do that much.’
***
As a brilliant white light crossed the sky, the knights of Riot Castle stepped firmly onto it.
“You could have said something a bit sweeter, but didn’t you turn your back too coldly?”
They had been walking along the sky path for a while. Arvat suddenly started talking nonsense.
“What is that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”
Richard questioned him, unable to understand the meaning, but Arvat’s face looked annoyingly mischievous.
He had a meaningful smile and held up his pinky finger next to his face. Richard suppressed the urge to snap that finger.
“What? Why are you holding up your finger?”
Arvat only chuckled without replying. ‘Did this guy get bitten by an Undead during the chaos?’ As Richard swallowed hard at the sudden thought, the knights behind them let out a cheer.
“They say flowers bloom even on the battlefield! Oh, it’s so sweet I could die—!”
“Spring has finally come for our Saint!”
It felt as if a festival had broken out on the sky path for everyone except him. ‘No, what in the world is all this fuss about?’ Richard scratched the back of his head and spoke to Moritz.
“Hey, why are these guys suddenly talking about spring…”
But the look in Moritz’s eyes was unusual.
“Shut up, you damn bastard.”
*Whoosh.*
For some reason, Moritz, who seemed extremely angry, brushed past him. Seeing that, the knights burst into boisterous laughter.
‘Why? Why is Moritz angry and why are the knights so excited?’
“Young Master Moritz, first love is always supposed to be heartbreaking.”
Only after seeing Gide pat Moritz’s shoulder with a serious face did Richard realize. No doubt these machos had misunderstood his relationship with Alisa. ‘Idiots. We’re just teacher and student.’
‘Let it be.’
Richard didn’t bother to step forward and deny it. It wasn’t that he was admitting to a romance with Alisa, but rather that the current atmosphere wasn’t entirely bad.
After a big battle, psychological aftereffects tend to linger unknowingly.
The best way to treat those aftereffects was to laugh, even if it was forced. Alisa would have probably stayed quiet like him if she were in this situation.
“Still, don’t laugh too much! Don’t you Temple Knights have any dignity!”
However, the knights who were laughing at everyone but him seemed annoying.
They walked for a long time. As they followed the path of light across the sky, the end of the sky path eventually reached Riot Castle.
“The 1st Unit of Temple Knights will mount their horses and assemble at the North Gate!”
Richard called together the knights who were originally the swords of Bartenberg. To him, the Lord of Orde Castle asked with a tilt of his head.
“Are you going to the Capital?”
“No. We’re heading to Bartenberg. We have to finish the urgent business first.”
“I understand. Saint, I will look forward to the day we meet again.”
The Lord and the knights, along with the Prophets of Snowfall and Marquess Trantis, expressed great regret.
Richard and the 1st Unit left them behind and passed through the North Gate of Riot Castle. The territories and cities they passed along the way urged them to stay for at least a day, but unfortunately, they didn’t have the time.
Actually, it would be more accurate to say his mind wasn’t at ease rather than a lack of time. With the cracks in the sky deepening day by day, he had no desire to rest.
***
Richard had obtained the Eight Swords of the Stars. At the unexpected news, Ludwig felt a sense of shock for the first time in a very long while.
“Lately, you’ve been staring out the window all day.”
He was keeping his gaze fixed outside the window as if he were waiting for someone. When Leo pointed that out, Ludwig spoke.
“They’re coming. The ones who left home.”
“Pardon? Is that true?”
“Yes. They’re provocatively stimulating my senses.”
Ludwig suddenly saw his own reflection in the window. A fierce smile was etched on his lips. It was a smile that bloomed naturally at the energy of the youngest child felt from nearby.
“He’s here, he’s here!”
Vallach, who had been sitting in a chair sipping Holy Water, jumped up.
“Ahem. Since my lovely disciple is coming, I can’t help but go out to meet him.”
After letting out a few fake coughs, he jumped out the window. Soon, Vallach’s back, riding upon a star, disappeared as quickly as a dot.
Leo, who had a look of embarrassment at the sight of such undignified behavior, glanced at Ludwig.
“How does the Lord feel?”
“About what?”
“The fact that the youngest Young Master has achieved something remarkable. And that he has now built a force strong enough to threaten Bartenberg.”
‘How do I feel…?’
*Tap, tap.*
Ludwig’s finger tapped against the windowsill.
“Shouldn’t we find out?”
The smile reflected in the window was revealing an increasingly fierce aura.
*Rattle.*
Everything in the room began to tremble as if it were about to break.
“Whether it’s his achievements or his forces. If they’re merely bloated in size, he will never be able to surpass Bartenberg.”
Leo smiled slightly. It had been a very long time since he had seen the Lord look so joyful.