Volume 7 Chapter 3 Each On Their Own Path, A Brief Farewell
As I entered the circle with Moruru, Alex praised Moruru, saying "Oh, you brought Moruru? Good kid!" and handed over some meat. Moruru excitedly cheered "Yaaay!" and clung to Alex.
"Alex, what's up?"
"Ah, let's talk about what's to come."
While I also started helping with the cooking, Alex spoke. When I glanced at the others, they seemed to be still gathering, eating and chatting with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
Alex said,
"I'm thinking of training others than you at my place to defeat the strongest second person I've asked, the Demon King of Nivlheim, Queen Hell, Wade."
"Hmm...?"
I narrowed my eyes, sensing the others' unease, and Alex tried to reassure me, saying "Just listen."
"That Queen Hell is incredibly strong. If I sent Wade's party, only Wade would come back, and I don't want that to happen either."
"You're saying some pretty harsh things, Alex."
Toxy said with a hint of sarcasm, and Alex retorted, "It's possible the other way around too."
"Wade might die protecting any of you. In fact, during the battle with Sieg, Wade was cornered to the brink of death, right? The enemy's strength is on a different level."
When asked if we were ready, everyone except me remained silent.
Alex continued,
"So, I want to raise your strength to the level of the quasi-strongest. Like Philia in Mudi, or the Four Heavenly Kings in Sieg."
If you reached that level, you wouldn't die against Hell, Alex said.
I was still confused, so I asked Alex,
"Alex, how big is the power gap between us and the Four Heavenly Kings?"
"I've wondered that too."
Sandra agreed with my words. Alex nodded, saying.
"Let's use Sieg as a common benchmark. The Four Heavenly Kings are all capable of injuring Sieg."
With those words, everyone except me froze, and I finally began to understand.
It was Sandra who raised an objection there.
"I beat Brada, the 'Discarder'... though I couldn't reach 'Fist of the Dragon'."
"Yeah, that's right. So Sandra is the closest to the qualifying line, excluding Wade. Brada's fighting style is pretty versatile, so it's not like you can't reach her."
It's not about how we're going to deal with the Four Heavenly Kings, but about how we can push our own strengths to reach the top, even if it's just by a little. The Four Heavenly Kings can do it, but the rest of us can't.
"I understand...!"
At times like this, Ice is always the first to make up her mind.
"I don't want to be left behind by Wade-kun, so... please, help me out!"
"Yeah, we shouldn't let opportunities to get stronger slip away. I'll do my best too."
Once Ice decides, Clay follows. Then Toxy gets flustered and looks at Sandra.
"I'll do it too!"
"Wait, what?! You're going to do it too?!"
And since Sandra is willing, Toxy gets cornered and agrees. It's pretty funny to watch from the sidelines.
"Alright, it's settled then. Wade, is that okay with you?"
"Yeah, if everyone's okay with it, then I'm fine. But what about me in the meantime?"
"That's an 'Oath', of course."
"No way, I'm going to take him down alone..."
This is crazy. It's unbelievable.
As I'm in shock, Alex lets out a troubled laugh and says, "No way, you can't do that alone, that's just reckless."
"Wade, I'm thinking of giving you a romantic storyline. And on top of that, I want you to take care of a few people outside of these 4."
"I see. Then, what's the plan?"
I think for a bit. Then Moruru clings to me and looks up at me.
"Moruru don't really get it, but Moruru wants to go with papa Lately, I've been stuck with uncle lord, and it's been so boring!"
"Ah, you're really clingy. Hmm... yeah, that's right. I don't want to put you in harm's way, but you've been saying things like that and staying away from me..."
It's like I've already handed over my precious child to Ridge, relying on Lord as a last resort. I don't want that to happen.
As I thought that, Alex said, "Then, leave it to me."
"Do you have some kind of plan?"
"Yeah. It's not something I can talk about loudly. I'll tell Roman the details, so let's hear it in a place where there aren't many people."
"O-okay."
I thought, "As usual, this guy's got a lot of secrets," and then, "Well, that's natural, since Alex is the emperor, after all," and I accepted it.
"..."
Why am I, of all people, hosting a home party with the emperor at my house? It's getting harder to understand.
"Well, it's time to say goodbye to Wade-kun for a while. It's going to be lonely."
Clay said that, and the 3 ladies-in-waiting looked at me with sad eyes, as if they were going to be lonely. I nodded and raised my cup.
"But this temporary goodbye is for a better future. It's true that it's sad, but it's not something to be sorrowful about. Let's toast to a new beginning."
"Yeah... Wade-kun, cheers."
"That's right, isn't it? Cheers, Wade!"
"Cheers... It's true that that I'm lonely tonight."
"Sandra, stop saying things like that in front of the kid."
"Yes."
Sandra, who was scolded by Toxy, became sulky. Ice and I exchanged a glance, thinking, "It's like Sandra's being scolded by her mom, and Toxy's like her kid...".
"That's right. Let's toast to a new beginning. And, about the detailed schedule..."
Alex began to explain the details to the 4 of us in a smooth tone, so I picked up Moruru and tried to join in on the conversation about the Rebellion Flame.
But, in the midst of that, I noticed Frain drinking alone in a corner.
"...Alright. Moruru, go tackle that guy in the corner. He might get angry, but don't back down and tease him. Can you do that?"
"That scary guy...? Nn... I'll do it!"
"Go for it!"
"Woo!"
I put Moruru down, and Moruru charged straight at Frain. "What the heck are you doing?!" Frain shouted in surprise, and Moruru teased him, saying "Yaaay, loner!" and came back.
"Moruru, perfect score! That was the best teasing ever!"
"Hehe, Moruru's a talented kid!"
"Amazing! Moruru's cute and amazing! No challenge is too great for her!"
"Hehehehe."
As I was showering Moruru with affection, Frain approached me with a stern expression, looking like he was about to blow his top.
"Hey... Wade, are you making fun of me?"
"Huh? Yeah."
"I'll kill you."
"Killing's not good, let's just settle for a beating."
Bam, and I got punched. "Papa?" Moruru cried out.
I burst out laughing.
"That was effective... Frain, you've got some arm strength now..."
"Can I go now?"
"No way. You're not getting out of celebrating with me. I'm not letting you off the hook."
"Ugh, this is such a hassle..."
I casually put my arm around Frain's shoulder, and we sat down together in a corner. Frain looked like he'd given up, and was just going along with it.
I sat Moruru down on my lap, took a sip, and asked her a question.
"So, weren't you supposed to drink for the dead guy too?"
"I'm drinking now, aren't I?"
"I thought we were going to have a fun drink, but it looks like we've got a lot to talk about. We've been through a lot, but we made it through somehow."
"Yeah, that's true. Let's celebrate again, for now."
We clinked our glasses together for the second time, and Frain and I took a sip. Moruru jumped off my lap and said "I'm going to play with Ridge!" before running off.
"Your kid's really free-spirited, aren't you raising her properly?"
"I'm raising her with lots of love, so she's free to be herself. That's proof of healthy growth. She listens to what I say, too."
"Hah, you're not kidding. When you first came to the training grounds, you were really quiet and didn't say a word. Now, you're like a young punk who doesn't care about anyone else."
"Cut it out, don't praise me like that."
"You're becoming more and more unbeatable."
As I chuckled, Frain forced a laugh and took another sip of his drink. Then, he asked me a question.
"I heard from Sylvia and Gold."
"Yeah, they're going to become blacksmiths. For sure, only those 2 can handle Durandal's maintenance."
"Both of them were pretty strong. Especially Gold, who had a lot of guts. Sylvia was quick to cry and complain, but she still followed us."
I kind of sensed what Frain wanted to say and replied.
"Don't worry. I'm also a high achiever. I can easily earn as much as those 2 in no time."
"Ah, I'm counting on you. Both of them are iron magicians, but I don't get why they became adventurers. They'd be better off as blacksmiths, and they'd probably make a fortune. Especially those guys, they don't seem satisfied with Durandal's performance."
"...Seriously?"
Is Durandal still not strong? Huh? Hearing that made me feel uneasy all of a sudden.
"But, is you yourself okay, Fray?"
"What's wrong?"
"I mean, in a short period, half of your members are gone, right?"
One person died in the war, and the iron magic siblings left. Only Kadras, Dream, and Frain himself are left.
Then Frain replied like this.
"No problem. We're leaving this city anyway."
"That's..."
"Ah, it's different from what you guys were talking about earlier. I mean, we're leaving this city and not coming back."
When I heard that, I tightened my lips. Frain continued.
"I saw the lord's announcement and immediately thought, 'Ah, there must have been a secret deal.' They just transferred the title to Alexander, but the actual power remains the same."
"That's right. The Margrave Karditsa house is now the Marquis house, and they're still in charge of politics."
"Rather, it seems like the new magic technology called Rune Letters is coming in. Karditsa will become even wealthier. That was obvious. But..."
Frain let out a sigh with a disappointed expression.
"But behind that deal, my friends died."
"..."
"They weren't completely good people. I heard they were former members of Nightfather and did some bad things. But they were my friends."
"I see..."
"I know that politics can be like that, and I was taught by my crappy old man. I know that it's not all sunshine and rainbows, and that it's not just about being clean and pretty. But..."
Frain was drinking alone.
"You're telling me to forgive my friends' deaths? No way, I can't do that."
"...Yeah, I guess so."
I clinked my glass against his and took a drink. Frain drank some more, his face reddening a bit.
"I've done enough to help you with your revenge, so that's enough. But I can't stay in Karditsa. So, we're leaving Karditsa and heading to the Roman Empire's capital."
"The capital?"
"Yeah. We'll raise our flag again there. We'll get stronger allies and make Kadras and Dream stronger too. I'll get stronger too. Just you watch, Wade. I'll catch up to you in no time."
As he said this, it seemed like he was getting drunk, and Frain stumbled and leaned against the wall. Kadras and Dream, who were watching him, came over, saying "Oh oh" and "Ah ah".
"This brat's already down. He's still as weak as ever. Wade boy, look at this brat, with his burn scars and thin skin, getting all red when he's drunk."
"Shut up... Just leave me alone..."
"You're such a loser, Brat. You're the only one not celebrating. If you're going to be sad, do it with everyone else. We'll join in too."
I read the atmosphere and stood up, deciding to leave Frain to Kadras and the others. I took a few steps, and my legs felt a bit unsteady. I thought maybe I'd get some fresh air outside.
When I went outside, the cold spring wind brushed against my cheek. It felt like winter had just ended and a new spring had begun after the Karditsa war.
Then, I heard the sound of the door opening behind me. Two sets of footsteps. I turned around.
There stood a young noble lady, Ridge, and her butler, Windy, who was also my old enemy.
"You're alone at a celebration like this?"
"Young lady, you're getting cold. Please take my cloak. Wade-sama too."
"Ah, thank you."
I had Windy put a cloak on me like a master would, and I looked at Ridge.
"It seems like everyone's got their own issues. What about Moruru?"
"She ate a lot and then just went to sleep. Although she's usually quite clever, at times like this, she become a lot more childish and get troubled, even more so than you."
"Thanks for always playing with her."
"No, it's what I wanted to do."
I recalled an incident from the past. Back then, Ridge was a lot more arrogant and overbearing than she is now. But now, she's really kind and has even gone out of her way to help us.
"Kids grow up fast, don't they?"
"I'll return those words right back at you. A adventurer who was only slightly stronger than Windy until just recently has now become one of the strongest in the world."
"Look, you've gotten good at returning compliments."
"Well, I'll take that as a compliment."
Ridge and I stood side by side, chuckling to ourselves.
Just then, a strong gust of wind blew. Ridge trembled.
"Shall we go inside?"
"Yes, Wade-sama."
Windy opened the door, and I lightly said "Thanks" as I entered. Somehow, I was thinking about deciding on the members to take with me to defeat 'Oath'.
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