Chapter 104
[Your wish has awakened a particular Praise you possess.]
[Praise, , is beginning to exert powerful influence over Queen Alicia.]
‘What the—?’
Lloyd hesitated.
A message appeared before his eyes.
It was completely unexpected.
Was this what it felt like to have a helping hand light the torch of hope?
Ding-dong.
[The One Who Carries Magentano]
[Praise Grade: Kingdom Chronicle]
You came running before anyone else.
You drew out the deadly poison that coveted my heart.
Without hesitation, you drove it into your own chest.
You gasped for breath in my place.
You stumbled in place of my gaze.
You smiled as you braved death itself in my stead.
And in the end, you even carried my very body.
You protected me, made me truly indomitable.
Brave Frontera, how could I not know?
How could I ever forget?
As long as my breath continues,
As long as your heart quietly beats,
You will forever be my savior.
[Praise Effect: As the savior of Queen Alicia Termina Magentano, you receive her absolute trust. Your opinions and advice to Queen Alicia will generally receive a very favorable response. Also, for as long as she reigns, you will never be suspected of treason or rebellion.]
[Praise Region: Magentano Kingdom]
[Praise Duration: Matches the reign of Queen Alicia]
“……”
A message glowing brightly before his eyes.
After reading it all, Lloyd glanced up.
He watched Queen Alicia’s face.
Her face, deep in thought.
Slowly, her expression began to relax.
The furrowed lines between her brows faded.
Her knitted eyebrows gradually softened.
The tight line of her lips slowly curled upward.
Finally, she gave a faint smile.
A positive look turned his way.
Was it his imagination, or did her eyes contain a faint, bitter smile?
“Lloyd Frontera, you are truly reckless and hopeless.”
“I am immeasurably grateful for Your Majesty’s favor.”
“…Immeasurably grateful? How can you be so sure of what I’ll say?”
“I believe Your Majesty will grant my request.”
“Ha. Brimming with confidence, aren’t you?”
“It’s not confidence—please consider it proof of how well I understand Your Majesty’s heart.”
“You certainly have a silver tongue.”
“Once again, I am immeasurably grateful, Your Majesty.”
“But what if your prediction is wrong? What if I do not grant your request?”
“In that case, you may scold me as harshly as you wish.”
“tsk. You never give an inch, do you?”
Queen Alicia let out a short laugh.
And finally, she gave the answer he’d been waiting for.
“Very well. I will grant your request.”
“I am immeasurably grateful, Your Majesty.”
“Enough with the flattery.”
“……”
“I’ve carefully considered your counsel. It’s truly clever. I can feel how thoroughly you’ve tried to draw me in.”
Her smile twisted into a smirk.
“Even just looking at the fact that I have nothing to lose by heeding your advice. If, as you say, a disaster of monsters unfolds in the east, then my prestige and authority will only rise for having anticipated and prepared for it. And if your prediction proves false—”
“Your Majesty will not suffer any loss at all.”
“Correct. I can simply dismiss it as a routine military exercise. Even such a movement would be enough to briefly turn the political gaze outside, away from the confusion in the capital after the assassination attempt.”
“Then, how much support were you thinking of providing?”
“I intend to send five hundred of my personal troops.”
“By five hundred, do you mean the White Lancers?”
“Yes. Is it not enough?”
“Not at all, Your Majesty.”
Truly, it wasn’t.
To send the White Lancers, the royal guard, was a tremendous gift.
They might not be the very best, but they were among the elite of the elite.
They would be far more helpful than a few thousand mediocre soldiers.
After that, Lloyd discussed a few more details with Her Majesty.
The command over the reinforcements.
The timing and supply issues.
Of course, the discussion didn’t take long.
Every minute counted now.
So Lloyd secured Her Majesty’s promise of support and withdrew.
He went straight back to his quarters.
He hurried preparations to return to the barony.
The very first thing he did was wake Javier and Julian.
“…Is that true?”
“It is. Why would I be causing all this fuss otherwise?”
He quickly summarized the information he’d shared with Her Majesty.
Both of them, still half-asleep, instantly sobered up.
“I understand. We’ll have to depart immediately.”
Javier sprang out of bed at once.
He started hurriedly packing for the journey.
Julian was no different.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“I said, what are you doing?”
Julian had started packing a bag, just like Javier.
Lloyd grabbed the clumsily packed bag out of his arms.
Julian flinched in surprise.
Before he could protest, Lloyd quickly said,
“What if you come along and we all die together? Then what happens afterward?”
“…What?”
“Think about it. Let’s say we all go back to the barony. If something goes wrong and we all die because we couldn’t protect it, then who’s left to carry on the family line?”
“……”
At last, Julian seemed to understand what Lloyd meant.
Lloyd drove the point home.
“That’s why you have to stay here. At least one person needs to stay safe. Right?”
“But, I…”
“Listen to me, Julian.”
He bent down a little.
He met the boy’s gaze at eye level.
He looked quietly into his eyes.
“This is our role. When there’s something hard or dangerous, it’s my job to step up and handle it. And you? You just stay put. Cheer for me from behind. That’s enough. If I ever fall, that’s when you step up. You save your strength for that. Understand?”
“…Big brother.”
“What.”
“You’re really no good at being serious.”
“…Damn it.”
He felt embarrassed.
He ruffled the boy’s curly hair with his palm.
Just then, Javier’s voice called out.
“Lloyd, I’m ready.”
As expected of a Sword Master.
He’d already packed for both of them, moving with skill beyond ordinary people.
Lloyd straightened up.
He looked down at Julian and flashed a grin.
“Alright, I’m off.”
He hoisted his pack.
Turned away without hesitation.
And inwardly let out a sigh of relief.
‘Phew. Operation: Leave Fewer Loose Ends, success.’
He’d worried that Julian might insist on coming along no matter what.
So he’d put real effort into preparing lines to keep him in the capital.
Thankfully, it worked.
‘Once I’m back at the barony, I probably won’t have the luxury to look after anyone.’
He might not even have the time to look after himself—it could very well be a fight for his life.
If he brought Julian, who still couldn’t protect himself—
It would only put the boy in danger.
And possibly put everyone else at risk, too.
So for now, leaving him in the capital was best.
With that, Lloyd left the inn, letting out another inward sigh.
Waiting outside was exactly what Her Majesty had promised.
Two fine steeds.
Even enchanted with acceleration magic.
“Whew.”
He couldn’t help but whistle.
The court mage himself had poured effort into casting this, the highest-grade acceleration magic.
Because of it, swirling translucent silver currents wrapped around each steed’s four legs.
“Let’s go.”
He mounted right away.
Glanced at Julian, who’d rushed out in a hurry.
“I’ll see you later.”
Crack!
He spurred the horse’s flank.
The steed burst into a sprint.
“…!”
The speed was incredible.
Julian vanished behind him in an instant.
The landscape ahead blurred with speed.
‘What is this, a supercar with a zero-to-sixty under three seconds?’
Gritting his teeth, Lloyd gripped the reins.
He lay flat against the horse’s back.
He was profoundly glad he’d learned to ride from Javier before.
And these steeds were smart, too.
They dodged obstacles or leapt over them on their own, and even seemed to care about the human’s comfort in the saddle.
Despite their insane speed, the ride wasn’t too rough.
Lloyd glanced to the side.
“Hey, you alright?”
“Yes, of course.”
Javier’s steed was no less impressive.
In fact, Javier handled the speed with far more skill than Lloyd.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Clatter! Clatter!
Lloyd and Javier.
Their two steeds raced down the capital’s main road in the silver dawn, leaving gleaming trails in their wake.
Julian quietly waved as the two vanished in the distance.
Eventually, his waving hand stopped.
Slowly, his fist clenched.
“……”
Julian’s face was set.
Unconsciously, he bit his lower lip.
‘Am I still no help to big brother?’
His brother had comforted him with kind words.
Told him to stay here.
That at least one person had to be safe.
That someone had to be responsible for the family’s future.
He understood what his brother was trying to say.
But he also sensed the part his brother didn’t say out loud.
‘I’m just a burden.’
He wasn’t a fool.
Even if it wasn’t spoken.
Even if someone tried to hide it.
Sometimes, you could feel the truth.
Just now, when his brother talked him out of going back to the barony together, he felt it.
‘He is worried for me, but he also sees me as a burden.’
Clench.
His fist trembled.
Was it out of frustration?
No.
‘I’m just so ashamed and sorry.’
He wondered what he’d been doing with his life up to now.
Javier, his peer, was already a Sword Master.
Even setting aside such a genius, surely there had been enough time for him to develop a skill that could help.
‘I want to be helpful to brother, too.’
He needed to grow stronger.
He needed to find something he could do.
Resolving himself, Julian lifted his head.
Even after Lloyd and Javier had disappeared from view, he faced their direction, repeating his resolve:
‘Just wait a little, brother. I’ll work hard too. I’ll become someone you can count on. So just wait a little.’
When that day comes—
He would run to the barony as Lloyd and Javier had.
He would stand shoulder to shoulder with his brother and face hardship together.
Beneath the deepening late summer dawn,
Julian bit his lip firmly.
♣
Thudthudthudthud!
Hooves pounded the ground.
By now, the leaves had begun to fall.
They scattered in the storm of galloping.
Lloyd and Javier kept riding, relentless.
The court mage’s acceleration spell was truly remarkable.
The steeds barely tired.
As long as they maintained about seventy percent of top speed, they could keep going all day.
Even so, it was faster than a normal horse at full gallop.
Lloyd and Javier focused solely on the ride.
They kept food and rest to a bare minimum.
Each of them had advanced to the third circle in the Asrahan Heart Technique.
That was the only way they could manage this pace.
They had no time for unnecessary talk.
They rode on, eastward.
Toward the rising sun and moon.
Toward the barony that would soon face danger.
They gripped the reins and spurred their horses without stopping.
Finally, after just five days, they reached the border of the barony.
“……”
He took a weary breath and looked around at the familiar land.
Thankfully, the barony was just as he remembered.
Waves of green fields coloring the reclaimed land of Marez.
From there, the straight, paved road began.
Villages dotted along the road.
The lord’s manor.
The central town beyond it.
And still, the paved road continued.
All the way to the bitumen mine at the foot of the eastern mountains.
Lloyd’s gaze didn’t stop there.
He looked even farther east.
He traced the mountain’s foothills upward.
Past the mid-slopes, over the summit, and beyond to the sky above.
It was morning.
Ordinarily, the sun should have been rising over the mountains.
But the sun was nowhere to be seen.
Storm clouds?
No.
It was something far blacker, far more unnatural.
A massive, writhing black mass blocked out the sun.
It let out a grotesque screech, more bizarre than any thundercloud’s roar.
Batzuzuz! Buuuuuuuu—!
The flapping of thousands, hundreds of thousands of wings.
It grew in real time. Drew closer. Expanded.
Before they knew it, the entire eastern sky above the mountains was covered.
A locust swarm so massive its numbers were beyond counting.
“…Is this what you were talking about, Lloyd?”
Maybe it was the terror and awe of the sight.
Even Javier’s voice was trembling beside him.
And Lloyd?
Of course he was, too.
“You scared?”
“A little. Do you have a plan?”
“Of course.”
He’d come prepared.
He’d spent the whole ride here working out the details.
The 500 White Lancers must be making their way here at breakneck speed not far behind.
All he needed to do was buy time until they arrived.
So now, it was time to protect the territory as planned.
‘If I don’t, I’ll never get to slack off for the rest of my life!’
If he failed?
Even if he survived and escaped to the capital, he’d become the Queen’s summoned beast and work himself to death for the rest of his life.
That was not a future he could accept.
Click!
He drew a steel shovel from the saddle.
He looked over at Javier.
Their eyes met.
“You’re with me, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’ll explain as we go. Let’s move. Hyah!”
He spurred his steed’s flank.
They tore down the hillside, cutting through the wind.
They plunged straight into the reclaimed fields of Marez.
Before the sudden calamity of a locust swarm—
Toward the panicked residents of the fields, Lloyd shouted the first item on his prepared list:
“Pot lids! The biggest ones you’ve got!”
* * * * * * * *
(T/N: Still not back to a regular upload schedule, but I’ll be uploading at least 5 chapters per series every week, in order based on the most recent series I picked up. No fixed days yet, but I’ll keep the bulk uploads coming as best as I can!)
