Chapter 71
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Epilogue - Nadia Leonhart
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"Luca? Is that the young man's name?"
"Yes... He's the only young man living in our village."
"Then why hasn't he shown up yet? Where is he?"
"He must be working somewhere. But is there really such a prophecy?"
"Indeed. It's a legendary prophecy passed down through the emperors of the Empire. Don't you people know of it?"
"We're just ignorant farmers, after all."
"Enough. Just bring him here already. What are you waiting for? The fate of the Empire hangs in the balance!"
"I already sent Eli to gather everyone, but who knows where that boy is..."
"You mean the village chief doesn't even know where his own villagers are?"
"Well... I'm called the chief, but I don't really have any authority."
"...Hah. Fine. We don't have time to waste waiting like this. I'll find him myself. Luca! Luca! Where are you?"
"Oh, Knight! Just wait patiently, and the kids will..."
"We don't have time for that! This is... This is... Damn it. Luca! Luca!"
"Knight! Goodness gracious. Where the hell is that Luca kid hiding...?"
"Damn it... Where the hell are you? Luca! The fate of the Empire rests on you! Luca! Where are you?!"
Luca!!!
"...!"
A memory from the past flashed by suddenly, and a drop of ice-cold dew splashed onto my cheek. The frost that had settled on the uncovered blanket in the pre-dawn chill was so bone-numbingly cold that it shattered even the remnants of my dream, dragging me fully into reality.
"Hah..."
My white breath scattered in an instant, moistening the air before me. The barracks were still shrouded in darkness, so dawn must be a fair while off yet. In demon territory, the sun sets earlier and rises later. It was a fact I'd only learned after arriving at the border region. We hadn't even reached the combat zone, but the surroundings already felt utterly alien.
"Hoo..."
The front lines, of all places.
Just a week ago, I'd been tucked under a down comforter in a mansion in the capital. Now, here I was, shivering under a thin blanket in a barracks without a proper stove. At least it was a tent to myself—that was some small comfort, I suppose. It felt pathetic and pitiful, finding joy in something so trivial.
Should I never have left the capital?
No, to begin with, I never should have set out blindly on that journey just because of the prophecy.
...
Luca.
I murmured the name I hadn't found that day once more.
I'd first heard of the prophecy in the imperial palace. On the day I received my knighthood and was heading to my assigned order, I overheard palace maids whispering about it in hushed tones. They dismissed it as some empty fairy tale, giggling among themselves, but I was different. The mere fact that such a prophecy was still circulating in the palace meant there had to be some significance to it.
And hearing it on the very day I was knighted felt like fate.
After that, assigned to trivial duties in the knight order, those thoughts only grew stronger. There was no way I'd been born just for this. I hadn't become a knight for this. The more days I spent in tedium, the more obsessed I became with the prophecy. Eventually, upon hearing reports of mounting casualties from demon attacks, I set out to find the hero foretold.
No one understood, so I didn't explain properly before leaving. Armed only with the clue of a youth from a village blooming with mint flowers, I wandered the Empire.
It wasn't easy. Even so, I succeeded. On a clear, blue summer day, arriving at a village atop a hill overflowing with white mint blossoms, I instinctively knew my destiny was near.
When I heard there was only one young man in that village, my heart swelled so much I had to hold my breath to calm it. It already felt like I was the protagonist of the legend. The mentor who unearths the legendary hero. His sole companion. Imagining the role I'd play, I shouted his name.
But that day, I didn't meet him.
As if it was my fate, no matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find him.
Having failed to meet the hero, I returned to the capital. In a fit of defiance against my destiny, I volunteered for the front lines.
Maybe facing death would let me find my fate.
Maybe I could escape the sneers of buying my title with money and restore my honor and my family's. Despite my family's pleas, I headed to the border.
And so, shivering in the northern cold, I endlessly reminisced about the past. Regretting my current choices, then comforting myself. Wandering through memories, barely clinging to reality. Repeating this cycle countless times, one question always lingered in my heart.
Was the one I couldn't find that day the hero who would save the world?
Or my last chance?
...
I couldn't fall back asleep.
I finally rose, fastened my collar, and headed outside the tent.
Though dawn approached, the border's atmosphere was lax. It bore the name of vigilance, but reaching the actual front where enemies lurked was still a good distance away. Even the sentries dozed off sleepily, taking it easy, and officers spotting them just passed by without a word. I frowned deeply at their pathetic display as I brushed past.
No matter how peaceful the era, that attitude was unacceptable. The local officers let it slide, so I held my tongue, but irritation kept surging. Knights were still dying on the front lines. People were still fighting out there somewhere.
Of course, most deaths were from illness, but that was nonsense. Surely it included diseases from wounds. The demons were growing stronger, and this false peace was on the brink of shattering. The world needed a hero. One to awaken tension in this complacent age.
Yes. The world was in crisis.
That's why we needed a hero.
No, we had to have one.
"We have to. No matter what."
I muttered to myself as I hurried through the peaceful space. I'd only meant to think alone at first, but seeing all the sleepers made me crave the sight of even one awake soldier.
"...Cough."
Suddenly, the acrid stench of tobacco wafted from somewhere. Coughing at the unfamiliar smell clinging to my clothes, I felt joy at finally spotting someone awake and headed that way. There, in a corner, sat a woman smoking alone.
"Haaah..."
Her face, perched on a dirt mound puffing her cigarette, held the same leisure as the others. But the scars and small wounds mottling her body hinted at a life far from easy. Perhaps a soldier from the front lines? I approached closer and cleared my throat deliberately.
"Ahem."
"...?"
She glanced over, nodding her head lazily in greeting. Expecting a salute, I was thrown off and gaped blankly. Regaining composure, I cleared my throat again and spoke.
"From the front lines?"
"..."
Only then did she look my way properly, setting down her cigarette to reply.
"Talking down to everyone will make life here tiring, Knight."
"What did you say?"
"I'm Vanessa, dispatched priest from the Ennesic Order. First time at the border, I take it?"
A dispatched priest. A bit disappointing she wasn't a soldier, but the word "border" thrilled me with its frontline vibe. I nodded solemnly in response.
"Yes. Heading to the front lines at dawn. Here for supplies on the way?"
"No. Going home. They told me I'd done enough and to get lost. After wasting my youth on a pointless war, now they feel sorry. Lucky me. I was getting sick of seeing dead faces anyway."
"Still, fulfilling your duty and going home shouldn't feel too bad. Your family must be proud."
Vanessa furrowed her brow slightly at my words, then smirked.
"Can't sleep, huh? Sit here and chat with me, then. Smoking alone gets lonely."
"I don't smoke."
"Just keep me company. I won't force the bad habit on you."
No reason to refuse, so I plopped down beside her. Butt on bare dirt felt off-putting, but I'd have to get used to it. Once seated, she took a drag and spoke.
"Why'd you come here?"
"To fulfill my duty as a knight. Dying in bed is the ultimate dishonor for one."
"Over half the knights I saw on the front died in sickbeds."
"I mean dying old without fulfilling duty. Not literally."
Irritated, she gave me a strange look and asked out of nowhere.
"What's your name, Knight?"
"Nadia Leonhart. Or Knight Nadia, if you prefer."
"Nadia. Were you named that from birth to be called Knight Nadia?"
"No."
"Then who the hell saddled you with that damned duty?"
Tobacco smoke drifted into my eyes suddenly. As I coughed, she shook her head.
"The stench of battlefield corpses is far worse, Knight. Duty means nothing there. Not everywhere on the border's like that, but my front lines were hell on earth. Fighting mindless demons day and night. Less than half the soldiers survive a week, and plenty of knights get dragged off alive by demons, never to return. No one knows what happens to them."
"...I've already resolved myself."
"No. You won't know until you experience it. If you're after glory or honor, give that passion to the orphans on the streets. Over ten soldiers asked me to look after their families before leaving. Some not even married. Drives you mad."
"I..."
"The imperial court has already lost interest in this front. Even those pushing offensives gave up. They know prodding just racks up losses. That's why they're pulling troops."
"But..."
"Just say you can't do it now and ride the carriage back with me. Better that way. I need hands for the orphanage I'm starting. Come along. Pay won't be stingy."
She pointed behind her, looking at me. I followed her finger, then turned back.
Normally, I'd snap at such presumption. But her words carried an irresistible weight; I couldn't rebel.
Suddenly, Father's words surfaced. Forget the family glory, just live ordinarily, he'd said.
Like any normal person. Just like that.
...
Just ordinarily.
If that's what he wanted...
I never should have become a knight to begin with.
"I can't do that."
Vanessa looked up at me quietly. A flicker of pity in her bright blue eyes.
"Crisis looms over the Empire. Someone must prepare. No matter what."
"Well, you can think that. Maybe crisis is coming."
She exhaled her last puff, grinding out the cigarette butt.
"But sometimes, people create crises to seize opportunities."
"What did you just...?"
"Priestess!"
A soldier came running breathlessly toward us. Bathed in the rising sunlight over the ridge, he grinned brightly.
"Carriage is leaving! Got all your stuff?"
"What stuff do I have? Just these scrawny tits and holes that bleed all day."
"If you're that lonely, marry me."
"Tobacco's bad for babies. If I had to choose between kids and smokes, I'd die for the smokes."
"Haha... Anyway, congrats on discharge, Priestess. Kinda sad, though. You were our hero."
"A world that doesn't need heroes is true peace. Gotta go now."
Vanessa stood, brushing dirt from her rear. Before leaving, she glanced back at me.
"Come to Mailer if you survive and return, Knight. I'll treat you to coffee."
"...Thanks. I will."
"Sure."
She nodded curtly like when we met, then strode off without hesitation. The soldier saluted her back, and I watched wistfully before speaking.
"Hey, do you know when the carriage to the front lines leaves?"
"Pardon? Oh, that one's leaving soon too. You'll be with us, then. What's your name?"
The soldier turned eagerly at my words. His smile gave me a sense of reassurance.
"Knight Nadia Leonhart. Soon?"
"Huh? Leon...hart?"
But his smile faded the instant he heard my name. After staring long, he replied in a suddenly icy tone.
"I heard Knight Leonhart was staying at the border."
"What? Who said that? I came here for the front lines."
"Do you have orders?"
"Yes. But no obligation to show you. Why do you ask?"
"...Understood."
As I snapped, he glared sharply. Then added indifferently.
"Got it. Carriage is over there. Grab your gear. Opposite direction's to the capital—don't mix them up."
"Won't happen."
"Whatever."
He left quickly before I could flare up again. I swallowed my anger, glaring at his retreating back.
"Damn..."
Sensing from his brusque departure that life here wouldn't be pleasant—perhaps a string of misfortunes—I realized it intuitively. Maybe turning back now was wise. The world already mocked me; retreating wouldn't add more jeers.
Yes. As she said, no glory to find on the battlefield.
"..."
No.
No way.
What does a cowardly priestess fleeing know?
And you lot judging me by my name alone—what do you know?
I'm Nadia Leonhart. Knight Nadia.
I've dreamed of being a knight since I was little. And I achieved it. Father's help or not, I did it. I achieved it!
...
Suddenly, epic tales of heroes I'd read came to mind. All heroes rise above trials and adversity. Yes. I'm that hero. I'm not fated to age ordinarily.
Yes.
My destiny starts now.
I don't need some hero.
I'll surely become stronger.
With resolve hardened, I stood. Dirt and filth clung like with the priestess, but I ignored it. Bathed in the rising sun, I strode confidently ahead. Toward the path of glory. Toward the shining destiny awaiting me.