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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Near the castle gate, atop the wall, a large crowd gathered.
To witness the execution of the former Royal Knight Commander.
“Former Royal Knight Commander, Blake.”
Standing on the wall, in full view of everyone, Elsie pointed the Royal Sword at her former nemesis and said,
“Do you have any last words?”
“I have committed a grave sin.”
“What sin did you commit?”
“I used the power of the Demon Lords to overthrow the royal family and deceive the people for three years, throwing the nation into chaos.”
The former Royal Knight Commander prostrated himself before Elsie, confessing his wrongdoing.
Elsie said to him in a cold voice,
“If you have committed a grave sin, you must die.”
“T-That’s not what I meant. I will do better from now on. I’ll do anything you command, Your Majesty.”
“Well, I can’t trust someone who betrayed me once not to betray me twice.”
At those words, the Knight Commander began banging his head on the ground.
Crimson blood flowed from his forehead.
“That’s not true! I don’t know how to convince you, but I swear I will never betray you again!”
His blood pooled on the ground.
But Elsie noticed.
That he was slowing down.
And he wasn’t hitting his head as hard anymore.
“Then can you do this too?”
“Just give the order!”
“Bang your head on the ground until you die.”
He lifted his head.
His expression hardened.
“Your Majesty, I apologize, but that’s…”
“Didn’t you say you would do anything?”
“If you just spare my life…”
But Elsie’s expression remained unchanged.
Seeing her expression, he seemed to realize his fate was sealed.
“Damn you,” he spat, his face contorted with hatred.
“Your father was the worst king, obsessed with alcohol and women!”
“I know.”
“Your family! They repeated that filthy incest to protect their pure bloodline and threw the illegitimate children into the White Tower as test subjects!”
“I know that too.”
“And you stand there so righteously! Do you think you’re so different from me?”
Elsie replied,
“At least I didn’t sell the nation to the Demon Lords, deceive the people, and drive the country to the brink of ruin.”
“Yes, I admit to that. But do you think that erases the sins committed by your father and your family?!”
“I said I know everything. Sins don’t disappear. I will bear the responsibility for everything as the king. I will reveal all the wrongdoings of the previous dynasty and apologize to the people.”
The impact of that wouldn’t be small.
But if she didn’t speak out, the people would be even more disappointed.
A second coup could occur someday.
“You’re still naive! Do you think you can bear all of that alone?”
It would be difficult, perhaps as difficult as enduring the 72nd Demon Lord’s attack.
But that was a different matter from punishing this heinous traitor.
Ignoring his ranting, Elsie said,
“Then, as scheduled, I will carry out the execution.”
The Royal Sword shone before the traitor who had driven the nation to the brink of ruin.
And the former Knight Commander’s head fell to the ground with a thud.
“Clean this up,” she ordered a nearby enemy knight.
The enemy knights were currently serving as the royal guard, taking over the duties of the Royal Knights, who needed time to regain trust.
The Black Knights, on the other hand, had refused, stating they wanted to return to their original positions.
“The Lodreim kingdom is gradually returning to normal.”
She stood on the wall and looked out over the kingdom.
The western wall, destroyed during the siege, hadn’t been repaired yet.
The walls were originally built to defend against external threats before the barrier existed.
Now they were pointless.
‘I should use the money for repairs to restore the economy.’
The economy had suffered the most during the past three years.
It seemed to have improved temporarily due to the influx of money, but considering the reopening of the borders, price stabilization was necessary.
The value of the Lodreim Kingdom’s currency, once used as a standard currency in other countries besides Sak, had also plummeted.
‘There are so many problems to solve.’
She couldn’t solve all of them alone.
Some problems could only be solved through the combined efforts of the people.
But she was crucial in this process.
“Your Majesty!”
“Be strong!”
“We support you!”
The new ruler of the Lodreim kingdom.
Ercia La Lodreim .
At this time, the only one the people could rely on was her, who had risked her life to defeat the Demon Lords and save the kingdom.
Hearing the cheers of her people, she smiled.
And then turned back towards the castle to resume her duties.
Her blonde hair, now grown past her shoulders, fluttered like golden waves in the wind.
‘I’ll be waiting, Allen.’
Until the day she could return to being Elsie.
She would protect the Lodreim kingdom here.
Because she trusted him.
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“To the Central Sea Islands, correct?”
“Yes, to the Central Sea Islands.”
At the Cult’s Lodreim Kingdom branch.
This time, I obtained a pass under the identity of Allen Blake.
It was clear that the Demon Lords would now know my disguised identity due to the recent operation.
“Seo… no, Allen.”
Yuseora also decided to call me Allen now.
Seo Yoo-rang was just an alias, and the real Seo Yoo-rang was back on Earth.
My identity was closer to Allen.
“Are you sure you’re okay to leave already?”
“Why? Because of your body?”
I could move now, but I hadn’t fully recovered from my internal injuries.
Considering the large number of Demon Lords gathered in the Central Sea Islands, it would have been better to go there in optimal condition.
But it was alright.
“I’m fine. I might not be at my best, but using a sword isn’t a problem.”
I realized during the recent battle against the Demon Lords that I needed to improve my stats further.
Even with my Swordsmanship reaching S-rank, with my current stats, it was difficult to inflict significant damage on Demon Lords.
But Yuseora wasn’t just worried about my physical condition.
“Are you sure you don’t need more time with Elsie?”
She now knew about my relationship with Elsie.
So that’s why she was worried.
I was planning to leave the Lodreim kingdom the day after regaining consciousness.
But this was also fine.
“I already made a promise with Elsie. To return quickly. And she understands that I need to go to the Central Sea Islands urgently.”
The reason I had to go to the Central Sea Islands quickly.
It was mainly because of Gwen.
Her lifespan was continuously decreasing even now.
‘I have to hurry.’
The reason I hadn’t told her the sword’s location was because it wasn’t simple.
A rather complicated procedure was required to obtain the sword.
And it was impossible for her, who didn’t have a Constellation, so I had to help her.
Gwen said she wanted to have a child.
There wasn’t much time left for her wish to come true, and considering the time she needed to find a suitable partner, there was no such thing as too much time.
And it didn’t end with just having a child; I wanted to maximize the time she could spend with her child.
“But…”
Speaking of promises with Elsie, a question came to mind.
“What was that agreement you made with Elsie?”
“Huh?”
“Elsie said she made some kind of agreement with you while I was asleep.”
Yuseora’s face flushed red.
“W-We didn’t make any agreement.”
She was clearly being suspicious.
But if she didn’t want to talk about it, I wouldn’t pry.
It couldn’t be anything harmful to me if Elsie agreed to it.
“Then you’re not uncomfortable, right? Knowing about my relationship with Elsie.”
Since I would be traveling with her for a while, I confirmed it with her again.
I could be considerate if she felt awkward.
“Of course not. That’s personal, and we’re comrades professionally.”
She seemed to distinguish clearly between personal and professional matters.
That was Yuseora for you.
She was quite straightforward, aside from her strange quirks.
‘Well, she’s the one who successfully revived her family’s business alone.’
Then I could rest assured.
“Let’s go then.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
Leaving places had become routine.
And I would return to the Lodreim kingdom soon to pick up Elsie.
So, it was just a temporary farewell.
‘I’ll be back soon.’
I looked at the castle walls in the distance.
Elsie stood there, her blonde hair fluttering like the flag of the Lodreim kingdom.
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An elderly woman carved a small wooden figurine in the plaza.
A shadow slowly approached her.
And called out,
“Grandma Mari!”
“Is that Ann?”
She seemed to have been too focused on her carving to notice.
She turned her head at the familiar voice, and there stood the boy with the candlewick hair.
“It’s been a while.”
“Hehe, things have been hectic at home lately.”
“I can imagine. The sun doesn’t set during Nameless Day anymore.”
Naturally, the boy couldn’t make a living just by selling candlewicks now.
“So, did things work out?”
“Well, I’m not sure yet. But according to a merchant from Basil, our family’s candles should sell well in other countries too.”
“Oh, that’s good news.”
“Yes, I have to make them every day now, instead of just during Nameless Day.”
“Yes, it’s all thanks to Her Majesty.”
As she spoke, her hands didn’t stop moving.
And the boy noticed a change in the figurine she was carving.
“Huh? It has a face now.”
Not only the figurine she was currently working on, but also the ones placed beside it, all had faces.
“Didn’t you say you would never carve faces?”
“I did.”
“Then why…”
“That was about the Nameless King. Look closely at the figurine again.”
The boy picked up one of the figurines on the table.
It was in the same pose as before, hands clasped together in front.
But the shape of the hands was different.
“There’s a space between the hands.”
She replied,
“It’s a place for a sword.”
“A sword?”
“Because Her Majesty wielded a sword herself to protect the kingdom.”
The boy finally realized who the figurine depicted.
“It’s Her Majesty.”
The young queen who protected the kingdom and ascended the throne.
The adults said they shouldn’t necessarily like her because of the bad things the royal family had done, but she was already popular among children of the boy’s age due to her beauty.
And even the adults seemed to approve of her actions.
“Yes, it seems a new era has begun. I should let go of the old hero and carve the hero of the new era.”
The boy’s eyes widened.
“The hero of the new era…”
He muttered for a moment, then asked,
“Can you teach me? Carving, I mean.”
“Suddenly? Why?”
“Someone needs to carve the hero of the new era even after Grandma Mari is gone.”
She flared up at his words.
“Hey! I’m not dying anytime soon, you brat!”
“S-Sorry!”
But she liked his idea.
“Then bring a box from over there and sit beside me.”
As the boy ran to get a box, she recalled.
The two of them, buying the figurine with a silver coin that day.
And the girl, carefully placing the figurine in her pocket.
‘I wonder if Her Majesty still has it.’
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