It felt like a crack was forming in my vision.
Thanks to that, the one who supported me before I fell was Helia. However, the moment I faced Helia, I felt an inexplicable emotion. It was a rather uncomfortable feeling.
Why was I feeling uneasy around Helia? Even Hans himself didn’t know. But the strange fragments of memory from earlier wouldn’t disappear. They kept swirling in my head.
It was as if someone was forcefully injecting it into my mind. Because of that, Hans’s expression wasn’t very pleasant. Helia, who was supporting him, certainly wouldn’t miss that look.
“Sir, do you have any wounds?”
“No, no.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
“I’m fine now, so let go.”
Instinctively, Hans created some distance from Helia. He believed it was better to keep some space for now. Helia felt a bit disappointed, but still withdrew obediently.
Thanks to Helia’s compliant retreat, Hans felt a twinge of guilt. Am I overreacting? Am I unwittingly hurting that girl?
However, that thought quickly vanished. There were the kingdom soldiers alongside the Royal Knights charging in front of him. Hans stared blankly at the scene and finally spoke.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“By the command of the Commander, we have eradicated all the monsters outside with the kingdom’s forces.”
“?”
“This fortress is ours, Commander.”
While Hans was fighting Ares, the remaining members of the Royal Knights had joined the kingdom’s army. With the Royal Knights joining, the already advantageous kingdom forces gained overwhelming superiority.
Before long, they managed to eliminate all the monsters around them. Soldiers lined up with precision looked up to Hans, making him feel quite burdened.
So, Hans inadvertently averted his gaze. But there was no refuge. The other members were also looking at Hans. Only then did Hans realize what they wanted.
‘They want me to declare victory? Me?’
A victory declaration meant announcing to the soldiers that they had won. Surprisingly, the declaration was very important. Until the commander declares victory, they can’t be certain.
Moreover, the soldiers’ morale would fluctuate based on the commander’s declaration of victory. Therefore, Hans, who immensely disliked burdensome things, turned to Melissa.
“Melissa, why don’t you declare it?”
“Huh?”
“You commanded the soldiers, didn’t you?”
“… But…”
“Don’t ignore your accomplishments.”
From Hans’s standpoint, he was pushing this onto Melissa to avoid the burden, but Melissa was shocked instead. Objectively, the crux of this war was none other than the Royal Knights.
At first, she had some confidence. The expertly trained elite troops dispatched by the kingdom and even the guard unit joined in. Honestly, she had thought the Royal Knights were unnecessary.
But real life was different. In the face of the Blood Demon, the quality and quantity of soldiers didn’t matter. If the Royal Knights hadn’t entered the fortress as per the plan and dealt with the Guardian of Mud directly…
If that were the case, it wouldn’t have been so easy to win this war today. Even if they barely managed to win, there would have been tremendous sacrifices. Nevertheless, he was willing to concede his credit.
‘How can you do that?’
Melissa couldn’t understand. Isn’t it normal to try to inflate your own achievements and take more for yourself? However, she easily found her answer. She read the intentions in Hans’s eyes.
He was the Commander of the Royal Knights. A man who mediated between races and even made the orcs follow him. Could he possibly be unaware of the rivalry between the guard unit and the Royal Knights?
No way.
Of course, he knew.
Yet, he chose to concede his accomplishments. But it wasn’t a mockery. Right now, Hans was looking towards something greater. Something else that was to come.
‘This man is genuinely trying to win against the demons.’
Yes, Hans was looking beyond this battle. A future where all monsters and demons would be eradicated from this continent. It was a treasure that humans once enjoyed but ultimately forgot.
He was trying to reclaim the treasure named freedom. That’s why he conceded his accomplishments in this battle. To maintain a more favorable relationship. In the end, Hans wasn’t interested in accolades.
Melissa felt an unbearable sense of shame. Why did I choose the path of a knight? Wasn’t it to protect the powerless people and cut down the kingdom’s enemies with my sword? But what about now?
‘I was blinded by jealousy and forgot the great cause.’
Frustrated by an unchangeable reality, satisfied with her current position. Jealous of others rising up, she tried to undermine them. That’s the kind of hero that Melissa, or rather, the author living in this era had been.
“Thank you, Sir Hans. But I cannot declare it.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t have the qualification.”
“You don’t have the qualification?”
“Yes. So, please. Sir Hans.”
Melissa bowed her head. She had no confidence to meet Hans’s gaze directly. As a fellow knight, it felt disgraceful. But it’s okay. She could find it again from now on.
‘Why is this guy such a pain? Ugh, seriously.’
Naturally, Hans, who was unaware of Melissa’s feelings, was internally cursing up a storm. He thought it was most fitting for Melissa, the captain of the guard, to give the speech.
But then, suddenly, Melissa gained some weird epiphany and, saying it was okay, conceded to him. Left with no choice, Hans thought for a moment and finally raised his sword to the sky.
“Our victory!!!!”
Waaaahhh!!!
A brief and concise victory declaration.
However, its effect was tremendous.
The soldiers screamed at the top of their lungs.
They announced this victory, as if to proclaim it to the entire continent.
*
The news of the victory quickly spread throughout the kingdom. The Human King, who had anticipated their win from the start, set the next step in motion. They would announce this victory widely to solidify their position.
Then, the plan of action would proceed. The king immediately sent in soldiers and technicians to repair the fortress. Soldiers were stationed there. At the same time, the weakening barrier of the holy kingdom was reinforced.
This was the first victory in nearly 100 years since the demon invasion and the first battle that had yielded territorial gains. Other races began to get stirred up upon hearing this news.
The Human Kingdom had originally been the most declining nation and race. They couldn’t even produce properly trained members of the Royal Knights. Moreover, they had been looked down upon due to the sins committed by humans over the years.
Yet, this Human Kingdom was the first to recover territory and, as a result, strengthen their barrier. Naturally, other races couldn’t help but be affected as well. There was also greed.
‘Is this a chance to reclaim our old lands?’
‘If done right…’
‘We can do it too!’
It was the same for other races wanting to reclaim their old territories. In fact, the reckless expedition of the Royal Knights was prompted by the ambitions of the races. And of course, it ultimately failed.
But the desires that had frozen due to the expedition’s failure began to thaw and reignite with fervor. And at the center of that desire was the Royal Knights. Hans himself was unaware, but
The fact that no expedition could proceed without the Royal Knights was imprinted in the minds of all races. Naturally, the prestige of the Royal Knights soared significantly.
And that meant the Royal Knights would become far more significant. Surely, they could heavily involve themselves in the politics of the state. But right now, the fire under their feet was what was important.
Worrying about a future that might not even exist was pointless. In this intensified obsession with the Royal Knights, Hans remained in the fortress.
“I never thought the king would come personally.”
“I heard the national treasure is here.”
“That’s right.”
Hans nodded. The national treasure of the human kingdom sleeps beneath Ares’s Bridge. A treasure created by the first Human King to protect humans. Although it was scattered here and there now.
If they could find it and utilize it, they could gain the upper hand in the war against the demons. The king surveyed the fortress, looking around. After a while, he began tracing the walls of the fortress.
He was at the left wall of the courtyard when, upon touching it, a creaking sound came from it, and the once ordinary floor began to open sideways. It was a stone door. Hans said.
“It seems to be hidden underground.”
“Yes, we cannot let it be taken away.”
“Well then, use the national treasure well.”
Hans turned away. What remains could just be entrusted to the king.
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