Chapter 469: Divided into North and South

Leaving only the sick and wounded in the city, the reorganized Heraldic army lined up in front of Garoua Maria’s city walls. There were about three thousand, including the volunteers from Garoua Maria.

It was hard to say that the numbers and equipment were sufficient, but having everything was a luxury. They weren’t in a position to desire luxury, so they had to make do with the things they had. That was how war and life were.

I put my foot in the stirrup of my horse, looked at the figure who stood next to me, and spoke.

「Are you really coming? You can turn back now. There’s nothing wrong with waiting in Garoua Maria. 」

I told Leu there would be no turning back when the army starts moving. Her white hair swayed, and her eyes that resembled fresh blood looked up at me.

Leu showed a gentle, yet fleeting smile. Even though she had the same face as the Jewel, she gave off a completely different impression, probably due to her good nature.

「No, Lord Lugis. With Lady Filaret gone, I can’t just wait here. 」

White breath caressed her lips. She was dressed up warmly, but she still looked a little cold.

Jewel Bar Agathos fell asleep after the battle with Gear Rabel. I didn’t know if it was because her stored magical power had been depleted, or if Leu had lost her demonic function.

One thing was certain, she was just a weak child now. She wasn’t suited for the battlefield.

I would have liked to leave Leu behind in Garoua Maria.

「Being powerless is not an excuse to be worthless, Lord Lugis. 」

No matter how much I tried to persuade her, Leu stubbornly refused to give in. No, considering her faith, it was probably a natural choice.

She wanted to lend a helping hand. That was Leu’s faith, and everything she believed in. I sighed.

To be honest, I couldn’t agree with Leu’s faith at all. Sacrificing one’s life for someone else. I thought it was admirable. I would applaud if it were a Saint’s words.

But when a young and defenseless girl professed those very words, how many people could praise her?

Humans should live for themselves. Wasn’t it better to live a life that satisfied you? Why couldn’t that be the case for her?

But seeing Leu, I didn’t feel like confronting her faith.

All that was left of her was her faith. If I took away her faith, what would be left?

I sighed deeply again as I grabbed Leu, who was like a very small child under a blanket, to my horse. I could see the horse’s hooves kicking the snow nearby.

「So this is the current Jewel Agathos. Things change, don’t they? 」

I turned towards the voice that spoke and saw the demon Doha Surah lying down on his horse. Since he was originally a magical beast, he was probably compatible with horses, but that wasn’t how I envisioned it. This fella was a very irresponsible guy.

Doha Surah blinked his large demonic eyes and touched his horns.

「The Jewel I knew was a woman who was so ruthless that she would even stab her own family. I remember that she was able to do everything on her own. 」

Doha Surah looked at Leu intently, opening his lips in a suspicious manner. Agathos’ behavior was different from what he remembered.

I felt the same way about that. The Jewel Agathos I had seen before never showed tolerance towards anyone.

If anything, she was even more cruel and only saw others as objects. A disaster befitting a magical devilish being.

What was involved in her transformation? Was it a coincidence, or was it Leu’s presence itself? Leu timidly opened her mouth in response to Doha Surah’s words.

「…Agathos told me not to say whatever I want. 」

「Is she awake? 」

She hadn’t fallen asleep; she had simply retreated. In fact, she seemed surprisingly fine. It was a waste to be worried.

Just as Doha Surah was reminiscing of Agathos through Leu, a messenger came flying in to inform us that we were ready to march.

When I suddenly looked up, the majestic sight of the Bolvat army came into view. The sight of an army numbering 40,000 and lined up in order was, in a word, overwhelming.

I wouldn’t have survived if I had collided with them today. I felt chills running down my spine.

The man who led the entire army, Sorcerer General Mastigius, quietly approached me with his horse. I joined him on my horse, and Mastigius smiled cheerfully and spoke.

「Last night was fun, Lord Lugis. Sometimes it’s not bad to have a drink with someone as honest as you. 」

「Yeah, me too, General. I guess there really wasn’t any ulterior motive. You were only concerned about Filaret’s well-being. 」

Mastigius smiled broadly once more and didn’t reply. I shrugged my shoulders in response. Well, I guess he had no political motives.

「…As per the military council, we will now split into north and south and head for the capital of the Bolvat Dynasty. We will be parting ways, so let’s pray for each other’s safety. 」

It took about a month for a normal army to travel from the walled city of Garoua Maria to the capital of the Bolvat Dynasty. It could take a little longer since were traveling through the death snow.

There were several roads, but there were only two that looked big enough to carry an army.

The main road was built for the army to ride on, and the secondary main road was for merchants to drive their carriages on. The former was for the Bolvat army, and the latter for us, the Heraldic army.

The reason for splitting the army was simple. It would be difficult to coordinate marching speeds due to the different composition of both armies. Moreover, splitting the army could avoid total annihilation in the event of a demon attack. But to tell the truth, this splitting thing was to prevent discord from forming between the people who had once killed each other.

Of course, there was no way that everyone would make peace in a hurry. So it was a necessary measure.

「The secondary main road is a bit of a detour. You are going to arrive at the intersection first, but if you’re too slow, we might defeat the Great Demon first, Lord Lugis. 」

Mastigius’ flippant remark made me smile as I replied.

「That would be easier. Do as you like, as long as you prepare some alcohol and food, that’s fine with me. 」

I noticed that Eileen and Hind, who were waiting behind Mastigius, were looking at me with suspicious looks.

They probably didn’t expect that leaders of opposing armies would be exchanging such light-hearted words with each other.

As soon as we finished speaking, Mastigius thrust his fist out from his horse. It was an old greeting, and we clasped our fists together. Mastigius laughed, as cheerfully as ever.

「Well then, let’s meet in the capital. For the sake of our tomorrow…」

「…Yeah. We don’t need great ceremonies. Let’s just go, see, and kill. 」

We lightly clapped our fists at the same time. With that, we both turned our horses around. There was no turning back. The time to rest was over. It was now time to go against the Great Demon and the magical devilish beings.

What lay ahead was something that had not even happened on his previous journey.

What would happen, and what would come?

I closed my eyes involuntarily. I saw Ariene behind my eyes. I wondered if she was safe. Ariene’s body had been taken away by Altia, and her soul was oppressed. That didn’t mean she was safe.

Anxiety caressed my lungs. I had to hurry, to be faster. I had to get Ariene back. There was no point in me being here now.

She was my everything on my previous journey. My support. She had undoubtedly saved me. So now it was my turn to save her.

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Well, Lugis will never give up on Ariene, huh? I think its about time he moves on…That’s the only missing character development.

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