Ending Maker Chapter 123
Ending Maker Chapter 123
Chapter 46 — Traffic Control #3
Night fell.
The ravens and the Eastern Army, both busy since daytime, settled in for the night at separate locations.
The ravens established a position on the Snowflower Wind Plain.
They joined up with the follow-up force that had trailed behind them, erected fences, set up barracks, and then tightened their security.
The Eastern Army returned to their own encampment.
The Western Army had already been crushed, but they did not entirely loosen the reins of tension.
Because each other existed.
Because they were wary of each other.
For the ravens, this place was enemy territory.
For the Eastern Army, the ravens were old enemies.
Oil and water.
Two groups that could not mix.
A single battle could not erase the hundreds or thousands of clashes that had come before it.
"Still, we can't keep fighting forever."
At Cordelia's words, Yuder nodded.
"Right. At least this time, it's better to part without fighting. For both sides."
The two of them were currently talking inside the Eastern Army's encampment, not the ravens'.
To put it bluntly, it was for political reasons, and to spell it out, it went like this.
Yuder and Cordelia were northerners.
The moment northerners arrived, they moved their lodgings to the northerners' encampment.
As expected, they were northerners through and through.
The Eastern Army was greatly exhausted from the battle with the Western Army.
If Yuder and Cordelia sided with the northern army, what would happen if the northern army attacked under cover of night?
Could they stop it?
In short, it was a matter of stoking fear and tension.
On the other hand, when Yuder and Cordelia stayed inside the Eastern Army's encampment, there was the following psychological effect.
Yuder and Cordelia were, after all, the Guardians of the Wild.
If the two of them were on this side, the northern army would not easily attack.
Because the two of them were the children of exceedingly distinguished houses even in the north.
In a sense—no, to put it bluntly, it was viewing them as hostages, but it could not be helped.
Considering the relationship between the north and the Wild Lands.
Of course, just as returning to the northern army's encampment would provoke the Eastern Army, Yuder and Cordelia staying among the Eastern Army did provoke the ravens, but when viewed from a step back, the situation was different.
'The Eastern Army can't strike the ravens.'
They had taken too much damage for that.
Moreover, those gathered here now were not the eastern elite or anything of the sort.
It was the result of recruiting as many people who could fight as possible to swell their numbers.
Would they take another gamble in this situation?
When so many had already died, and countless livelihoods had been destroyed?
'There are also the wild gods.'
Either way, they were gods.
Furthermore, Great Storm, who played the role of the wild gods' representative, was a wise figure.
Red Gale, the humans' representative, was likewise, and Great Storm and Red Gale had always opposed fighting the north.
In other words, the possibility of the Eastern Army striking the ravens first was extremely slim.
'But the ravens are a different story.'
The Eastern Army had greater numbers, but from the ravens' perspective, that was only natural.
In all the countless battles up to now, there had practically never been a time when the ravens outnumbered the barbarian tribes of the Wild Lands.
And the ravens had seen it.
The Eastern Army was weakened right now.
So if they trampled them here and now, if they drove the blade in one more time.
They might be able to bring about the downfall of the Wild Lands.
They might be able to eliminate the north's old enemy, its long-standing affliction.
It was an enormous temptation.
Moreover, unlike the Eastern Army, whose command was dispersed, the ravens' command rested with only one person.
Count Hraesvelgr.
If he made up his mind, even if Count Chase opposed it, the ravens would attack the Eastern Army.
'So we have to stay here.'
To reduce the possibility of fighting even a little.
"Ugh, it's complicated. Wouldn't it be nice if fighting side by side just made everyone friends?"
As Cordelia spoke, drooping her shoulders as if dejected, Yuder handed her a warm cup of tea as if to comfort her.
"It's fine. Even if being friends is too much...... at least they won't become enemies."
"I hope so."
Cordelia, who let out another deep sigh, accepted the teacup from Yuder, and Yuder smiled again.
In truth, Yuder had one more dark purpose (?) in arranging lodgings in the Eastern Army's encampment.
'Because if we go back, we'll have to use separate quarters.'
No matter how engaged they were, they would not be allowed to share quarters.
Of course, sharing quarters didn't mean they would do anything extraordinary, but still, Yuder wanted to be with Cordelia if possible.
'Hmm...... I'm kind of desperate too, huh.'
How had it come to this?
While Yuder was agonizing alone, Cordelia's eyes went wide.
"Wow, this is good?"
Because the tea was delicious.
In a way, she was a truly easygoing person.
"You try it too. It's really good. It tastes like it'll increase your stamina."
"Hmm, I don't quite know what that tastes like, but I think I get it."
Yuder, who answered with a grin, slowly drank his tea and cast his gaze into the distance.
'It should be wrapping up soon.'
The talks between the ravens and the Eastern Army.
Far from their tent, in a kind of neutral zone between the ravens' camp and the Eastern Army's, representatives of both sides were holding talks.
The ravens' representatives were Count Hraesvelgr and Count Chase, and the Eastern Army's representatives were Great Storm and Red Gale.
'I hope it ends well.'
He could roughly guess what they had to discuss.
The ravens' withdrawal and the Eastern Army's promise of non-aggression.
Since neither side wanted to fight, it would likely be resolved amicably unless something unusual happened.
"But Yuder."
"Hm?"
When he turned his head at the sweet call, Cordelia, sitting with a blanket over her, had propped her chin between her knees and continued speaking.
"Since the Wild Lands episode is over...... we should head to the royal capital now, right?"
"We should."
The Saelun Kingdom, one of the continent's two great powers, was fated to meet its destruction through three events.
The first of them was the invasion of the northern barbarians, and the second was the 'Night of Slaughter.'
'An unprecedented catastrophe in which the Saelun Kingdom's royal family was virtually annihilated.'
With the north already reduced to ruins and the royal family gone on top of that, even the mighty Saelun Kingdom had no choice but to take its first steps toward destruction.
"If we can stop the Night of Slaughter too...... things will really get better. We'll be able to overcome all of the Seven Calamities."
In the original work, by the time the Seven Calamities began, the Saelun Kingdom was already on the verge of collapse, so it wasn't much help.
But if it remained intact, if it preserved its national power on par with the empire, it would be a great help in stopping the Seven Calamities.
"Heh, I'm excited."
"About saving people?"
"Huh? Oh. Well, that too...... but the royal capital arc is fun."
Cordelia answered, pursing her lips as if slightly embarrassed.
And Yuder nodded as well.
"Right. The royal capital arc is fun."
The north was in a chaotic state, but even so, the north had not completely collapsed by the time the royal capital arc progressed.
So at least up through the royal capital arc, the Saelun Kingdom still had vitality.
As befitting a royal capital where countless people gathered, there were tons of big and small events, and among them were several that could stir Cordelia's girlish heart.
'The flow will definitely be different.'
Because they had to attend not just battles, but also splendid events like balls.
'Right, the ball. The 300th anniversary founding ball.'
Yuder was very much looking forward to that ball, which would be held with great grandeur.
Because there, where not only the Saelun Kingdom's people but also foreign dignitaries would gather in droves, he would be able to show off Cordelia's beauty.
"Hm hm, I like it."
As Yuder let out a doting smile, Cordelia frowned.
"What, what are you thinking about? Your smile is creepy."
"No, nothing. Just. Want more tea?"
"Yeah, give me more."
"Here you are, my lady."
Yuder poured tea into Cordelia's cup, then continued speaking.
"Either way, once we go to the royal capital, there'll be a lot of meetings. New Playable Characters will show up in droves too."
"Right, right. There's Princess Daphne and Prince Dion too."
Cordelia's cheeks flushed red as she gazed into the distance as if imagining it.
"You like Daphne and Dion?"
"Yeah, because she's pretty. And Dion is handsome. Dion is really handsome. He's cool. And he has a good personality."
As Cordelia spoke with a silly grin, Yuder's face stiffened in contrast.
"Yuder?"
"No, hmm. I see. She's pretty. He's handsome."
Dion. He'd remember that. Dion.
Yuder's gaze sank coldly, and Cordelia, blinking as if her intuition only dulled at times like this, tilted her head.
And it was right then.
"May I come in?"
At the question from outside the tent, Yuder and Cordelia looked at each other, and without either being first, they nodded.
"Yes, come in."
When Yuder gave permission, a boy entered from outside the tent.
It was Great Storm.
"What brings you here? Did the talks go well?"
At Cordelia's question, Great Storm nodded.
"Mm, yes. They went well. The northern army will begin withdrawing again from tomorrow, and we signed a non-aggression pact agreeing not to attack each other for the next five years."
"Wow! That's great! Right? Yuder?"
"Yeah. This is the best possible outcome."
When Yuder agreed as well, Cordelia felt relieved anew and spoke to Great Storm.
"Did you come all this way just to tell us?"
"Yes, that's part of it...... but there's something I thought I should tell you two."
Having said that much, Great Storm looked at Yuder, and Yuder held out a teacup he had already prepared.
"Like I said during the day, we'll pin the Dragon Vein explosion on the demon worshippers. So you two should stick to the same story. You were the ones who reduced the damage from the blast. Understood?"
"Yes."
"......Yes."
Yuder answered calmly, though with a slightly sheepish face, while Cordelia hunched her shoulders and answered timidly.
Great Storm chuckled at the two's reactions, took a sip of tea, and continued.
"And this...... I want only you two to know. I'm telling you because you are the Guardians of the Wild."
At that moment, the surrounding area changed.
They were still inside Yuder and Cordelia's barracks, but the very air became different.
Great Storm's sanctuary.
His holy ground.
"The Dragon Veins have changed due to the aftermath of this great explosion."
Yuder and Cordelia flinched.
They had thought there would be an impact, but it seemed it would be greater than they had imagined.
The Wild Lands were originally a land where people could not live.
People had been able to live there thanks to the aid of the wild gods, who were rooted in the Dragon Vein springs, but if a problem arose in the Dragon Veins themselves, and if because of that the wild gods could no longer wield their former power—
"Don't be scared. Don't worry. It's gotten better."
"It's gotten better?"
"Yes. How should I put it...... should I say communication has become smoother? You could also say the blood vessels have widened."
Everything that had been obstructing the flow of the Dragon Veins had been blown away by this great explosion, and on top of that, the High Elves' infrastructure had even been incorporated into the Dragon Veins.
With blocked passages opened and blood vessels widened, it was only natural that blood circulation would become smoother.
"Moreover, the Golden Dragon King has awakened. And that one plans to recover strength on the Snowflower Wind Plain. In other words, a new Dragon Vein spring will form on the Snowflower Wind Plain—and at that, one of an enormous scale never seen before."
The moment he heard the series of explanations, Yuder grasped why Great Storm had said only the two of them should know about this.
"A kingdom...... is going to be founded?"
At the question that skipped over all the intermediate steps, Cordelia blinked, but Great Storm did not. He nodded with a bitter smile.
"Probably so."
The west, heavily affected by corruption, had been devastated, and with even the wild gods annihilated there, it had become a land where people could not live for the time being, Dragon Veins or no Dragon Veins.
The east likewise could not be entirely free from the explosion of the Dragon Vein springs.
All of the wild gods' sanctuaries had been destroyed, so until the sanctuaries were restored, it would be difficult to enjoy the same life as before.
"So we'll simply build anew."
On the Snowflower Wind Plain.
With many wild gods pooling their power.
A haven where many tribes would live together, a great city that would become the center of the Wild Lands.
"It will probably become a land better to live in than before, in many ways."
"Wow."
Cordelia was purely admiring, but Yuder was not.
Because the tribes of the Wild Lands, who had lived scattered until now, gathering in one place implied the possibility of a new kingdom emerging.
And that in turn hinted at another possibility.
'War.'
The conflict between the north and the Wild Lands had a long, bitter history.
But the fighting up to now had been between the north and barbarians who were not properly unified—who, even when they united, were ultimately nothing more than a coalition of many tribes—just a large number of savages.
But if a kingdom were founded in the Wild Lands, if the barbarians became truly one—
"Whether a kingdom will truly be founded, or whether it will ultimately split apart again, we do not yet know."
Great Storm spoke, having read Yuder's thoughts.
And Yuder became newly aware of the fact that he was Yuder Bayel, the second son of the Bayel household.
A threat to the north.
A threat to the Saelun Kingdom.
"It'll be fine."
Cordelia took Yuder's hand. Having grasped the general flow from the two's conversation, she smiled once more.
"It's Red Gale and Red Wind's country. It'll take a long time to build, and just because they build it doesn't mean they have to fight, right? They could become friends."
It was a very soft thought.
It was optimism.
But Yuder nodded without realizing it.
It wasn't only because he was smitten with Cordelia.
Because things really could turn out as Cordelia said.
There was no need to abandon hope.
'She's like an angel.'
No, was she a real angel now?
As Yuder's mood softened, Great Storm spoke again.
"We will tend our wounds here and build our strength again. So, Yuder and Cordelia, Guardians of the Wild."
Great Storm, pausing for a moment, rose from his seat.
He spoke, offering his respects as courteously as if addressing the Golden Dragon King.
"When you need help, seek us out at any time. We will never forget the debt we owe you. Even if you leave the Wild Lands, even if you are far away, even if the dizzyingly swift flow of time comes to lie between us and you—we will not forget. We will remember your names. You are our benefactors. Guardians of the Wild, our sworn friends."
Yuder and Cordelia also rose from their seats and offered the same respects.
Cordelia nodded with a swelling heart, and Yuder spoke on behalf of the two of them.
"We have heard you clearly. You won't regret it later, will you?"
"......Just keep it reasonable. Reasonable."
They would help anyway.
Great Storm, having finished a handshake with Yuder and a three-second embrace with Cordelia, left the barracks, and Cordelia suddenly bounced up and down on the spot.
"Ugh, I'm excited. Anyway, I'm excited."
She had felt it on the battlefield too, but she truly thought it had been a good thing to come to the Wild Lands.
Yuder felt the same.
Even setting aside the benefit of being able to receive the Wild Lands' help in the countless events to come, his heart was pounding. It felt warm.
"Alright, let's stop here for today and sleep. We'll have to return to the Saelun Kingdom starting tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah, let's sleep."
They had already washed and gotten ready for bed, so the two lay down at once, and Yuder put out the light.
His heart was full, but perhaps because so much had happened today, sleep washed over Yuder the moment he lay down.
But right at that moment—just as he was about to fall asleep.
"But Yuder."
"Hm?"
"I have something I'm curious about."
"Oh, what?"
Yuder turned over toward Cordelia, and Cordelia was already turned over toward Yuder. The only thing between them was the firewood, its embers nearly gone.
"What was that thing Dad gave you at the end today? It was an item I'd never seen before."
"Hmm."
"Hmm?"
"Hmm."
"What is it? Huh? What is it? If it's something good, let's share it. Huh?"
No, I'd like to share it too.
Up to there.
Yuder, afraid his feelings might leak out even through his eyes, lay flat on his back and squeezed out his voice.
"Let's sleep. Later, I'll tell you later."
"Tch, so unfair."
Cordelia grumbled, and Yuder tried to calm the turmoil in his heart.
Fortunately, the face of Count Chase, which he hastily conjured up, helped.
'Let's sleep.'
For tomorrow.
Yuder glanced over at Cordelia one last time and smiled at the sight of her, already fast asleep.
* * *
The next morning.
With a final farewell to Red Wind, who clung to them weeping and wailing, and Rough Avalanche, who bounced up and down waving his hand, Yuder and Cordelia left the Wild Lands.
And at the same time, in a completely different place.
"Is that so? I understand."
Princess Daphne, her long, shining golden hair flowing as if forged from molten gold, spoke in a whisper as she gazed at the blazing flames.
She slowly turned and looked up at the sky.
"Yuder Bayel and Cordelia Chase."
The Fated Pair.
Having murmured in a low voice, she wore a faint smile, and a single white bird soared up toward the north.
And then, another place.
Beyond the Saelun Kingdom, in the heart of the Argon Empire, which possessed the largest territory on the continent.
A young man drew his sword.
He lowered the sword at his side and gazed south.
Maximilian de Abyss.
The true protagonist of Hero Legend 2.
One of the four greatest swordsmen representing Pleiades.
He took a step forward.
He began his journey to the Saelun Kingdom.