Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Back to Francia (3)
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Sunlight filtered through the thick morning mist.
The cool air washed through his lungs, chasing away the lingering drowsiness.
The schedule started early, before the dew had even dried.
After finishing his preparations and stepping out of his room, Allen was waiting in the courtyard.
"Let's go."
The merchant group was bustling from the early morning.
Their destination was the back gate of the compound.
He had heard there was a separate entrance used by the Independence Army. After passing through a few gates, the area quickly grew quiet.
"Everyone's already here."
Allen said.
At the back gate, Iriel was there along with Lucian, Lake, Freddy, and Ches.
Lucian was exchanging farewells with Iriel.
"You always have to be careful."
"How do you do that?"
At Iriel's words, Lucian flashed a rotten smile. Iriel then grinned widely and added,
"I'm kidding, kidding. With his personality in tatters like that, his skills should keep him out of real danger."
Iriel shot me a glance as she spoke. I let her impudent behavior slide.
Because it was true.
I knew full well that my own personality wasn't great.
Lucian shrugged at me.
"I get it, but that's just Iriel's personal opinion."
"Better than just having a trashed personality."
I said, looking at Iriel. She looked utterly exasperated.
"Hey, my personality is actually pretty great? I only act like this around you. I give back exactly what I get. So don't think I'm like you. Everyone around me praises my outstanding character. Even if they don't know the full story."
Iriel crossed her arms and glared at me after unleashing that torrent. I looked at Lucian and said,
"I didn't know your little sister was such a fool she couldn't tell flattery from sincerity."
Lucian chuckled and said,
"That's how she is."
"Oppa!"
Iriel shrieked. Lucian plugged his ears and looked at me.
"Still, it's good to see you two getting along."
"This is getting along?"
I questioned whether he was in his right mind.
How could anyone see this as getting along?
He raised the corner of his mouth and patted my shoulder.
"Take care of her. Her personality's like that, but she's the one I love most."
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"
Iriel pouted her lips.
I said,
"Don't worry, I won't let her die."
"I'd prefer if she didn't get hurt at all."
"You ask a lot."
"That's why I'm sorry. And really grateful."
Lucian dropped his smile and turned serious.
"I wonder if I've placed too heavy a burden on you."
"It's not a burden you placed—it's one I took on myself."
These weren't empty words; they were sincere.
It was I who had vowed to kill Halent Barrein.
Lucian hadn't chosen me; I had chosen him. This load was one I had shouldered myself.
I said,
"This is nothing heavy."
I wasn't downplaying the responsibility I'd taken on. I had the strength to bear it now.
If anything, I was grateful to Lucian, who still dreamed of Francia.
Because it was him—no one else—that I could trust with Francia.
In truth, I was the one who had effectively placed the responsibility on him.
"Then I'm relieved."
Lucian laughed heartily.
We wrapped up our conversation, promising to meet again.
The farewells with the others were brief too.
All the words had been exchanged the night before.
"Sir Jeneth! Please come back safely!"
After hugging Allen tightly and making a fuss, Ches and Freddy said with faces full of regret.
"Smooth out those faces. Your ugly mugs look even worse like that."
They grinned at my words.
"It won't take that long."
"Yes. Understood."
They nodded eagerly with sparkling eyes. I mounted my prepared horse.
"Then we'll be off!"
Iriel, also mounted, waved her hand.
Lucian waved back at her.
With her vigorous farewell as the last, we left the merchant group.
Clop, clop.
The sound of hooves rang out steadily.
The streets were quiet in the early morning. As we exited the city along the main road, the dim world sharpened under the sunlight.
An endless plain stretched before us.
We began racing across that vast expanse.
The border was still far off.
* * *
In the deep forest thick with birdsong.
By a babbling stream, two people sat side by side like sparrows.
The ones scrubbing the dishes were none other than Iriel and Allen.
"Brother, let me do it. Go rest."
"No, we finish faster together."
Two days after leaving the merchant group.
They had already reached the Francia border, and in that time, Iriel and Allen had become like real siblings, relying on each other.
Iriel calling Allen "brother" was because she was currently dressed as a man.
And the reason their bond had grown so close so quickly was largely thanks to Jeneth.
"But isn't that guy really infuriating?"
Iriel glared toward the dense thicket.
Beyond it, Jeneth was resting alone at the campsite.
"He won't lift a finger for any chores. Doesn't a Sword Master have hands? Or feet? Why does he treat us like servants? Is being a Sword Master all that matters?"
All the miscellaneous tasks on the journey—from first to last—had been handled by Allen and Iriel.
Jeneth hadn't moved a single finger, claiming, "What I do is different from what you do," and just complained.
"He won't even shut up with the nagging. We're doing all the work, but he makes all the fuss."
"...What can we do? We just have to put up with it."
Allen shook his head resignedly.
"Still, he's much better now. Before, he was touchier than a teenager going through puberty."
Allen recalled the days he, Freddy, and Ches had suffered.
Jeneth's strength was one thing, but his talent for making others work was exceptional too.
"Even worse than now?"
Iriel's eyes widened as she spoke.
"This is nothing. Back then, there wasn't a day without a lump on my head. It's only this good because I learned to read the room and flatter him."
"Th-that's impressive. Must've been tough. That guy's definitely a demon."
"We big-hearted ones have to endure. Let's fight on together."
They shared their sentiments, building a deep camaraderie.
'Those two...'
Leaning against a tree trunk, I furrowed my brow toward the thick bushes.
They were whispering quietly, but their voices rang clear in my ears.
Seemed like they were using me for dessert; my lunch must've been pretty filling.
"Hurry up already. Why's dishwashing taking so long?"
"Right away!"
Allen shouted from beyond the bushes.
Soon after, Iriel's grumbling voice followed, but I closed my ears and eyes. The cool breeze soothed my mind.
A short while later, the two returned with the cleaned dishes.
Only then did I open my eyes and look at them.
"Clean?"
"Yep, shiny like new."
I nodded in satisfaction.
"If you don't trust us that much, do it yourself."
Iriel grumbled while packing her gear. I looked at Allen and asked,
"Seems the youngest has a lot of complaints?"
"Haha, no way."
Allen laughed heartily.
"Tell him I have ab~solutely zero complaints."
Iriel said to Allen.
Allen relayed it to me smoothly.
"She says yes."
Lately, Iriel and I communicated only through Allen.
"We should reach Francia before sunset if we keep this pace."
Allen said, checking the map and changing the subject. I nodded in response. We planned to cross the border before nightfall.
"Then let's head out."
After finishing preparations, we set off again.
Leaving the forest, the vast plain filled our view once more.
We crossed that broad land like a single gust of wind. Dust from the hooves trailed long behind like a tail.
How long did we ride?
The sun hanging in the sky was sinking toward the west.
And far off, Francia came into view.
The mountains undulating like waves were dyed red.
Allen, riding ahead, gradually slowed.
I and Iriel, riding alongside, also reined in our horses.
A massive rock marking the border stood before us.
Allen pulled his reins and said,
"From here, it's Francia."
"It's been so long."
Iriel murmured softly.
Her expression as she gazed at Francia was complicated.
She had passed this way with Lucian ten years ago, or so I heard.
The image of a young Iriel from memory surfaced.
The sight of her holding Lucian's hand and heading to a distant foreign land felt vividly real, as if I'd seen it.
"I never thought I'd come back like this... It looks good."
Iriel's eyes welled up.
We paused, captivated by the scenery.
We all looked at the same place, but each saw something different.
Because we were seeing our own lives embedded in Francia.
I was no exception.
Faces long forgotten resurfaced.
A life long forgotten resurfaced.
Funnily enough, they grew clearer with each passing day.
Like finding a book you'd forgotten in an old bookshelf, things you didn't even know you'd forgotten were drawing me closer to my past life's reality.
That's why the tip of my blade didn't waver when aimed at enemies.
Even after crossing over from one life to this, I had no hesitation in judging them.
Last time I saw this view, I had vowed.
That when I returned, I would set Francia right.
The current Francia was full of wrongs.
Those who kept their honor had lost everything, while those who sold out the country thrived.
A land where betrayal and oppression were the only paths to prosperity.
In today's Francia, the more honestly you lived, the hungrier you got.
So I would change it.
By judging the guilty and dismantling everything they'd built on sin.
I would right the inverted justice.
As the supreme under heaven, invincible under heaven, I had the power.
* * *
Three shadows stretched long across the plain.
Compared to the endless land, it was a modest group.
But no one knew.
What history these small steps would etch into Francia.
They now stood at the beginning.