Ending Maker Chapter 127
Ending Maker Chapter 127
Chapter 47 - Engagement Ceremony #4
The party that arrived in Langesthei visited the high-end lodging where they had stayed before once again.
"Then rest up."
As soon as they unpacked in the room, Count Chase took Gale and Adelia and left the lodging.
It was to exchange greetings with the notables of Langesthei, including Sir Barua, the commander of the Blue Lion Knights in charge of Langesthei's security.
"Don't cause trouble, okay?"
"Okay, okay. Are we kids or something?"
"Yeah, kids. Ones with several prior runaway offenses at that."
At Adelia's sharp fact-bombing, Cordelia pouted her lips but couldn't protest, while Yuder exchanged a slightly different conversation with Gale.
"Please give him my regards."
"Yeah, I'll do that."
Yuder and Cordelia also had a passing acquaintance with Sir Barua, the commander of the Blue Lion Knights.
Ordinarily, it would have been proper for Yuder to go along and greet him as well.
But—
"Let's stay quiet for a while."
"Yes, brother."
Thanks to the love elopement that had stirred up the entire northern part of the Saelun Kingdom, Yuder and Cordelia were too embarrassed to show their faces anywhere.
For a while, as Gale said, it was better to stay quiet.
"Just because you two are alone, no funny business, okay?"
"I said I got it!"
When Cordelia gave a slightly irritated answer, Adelia chuckled and immediately went over to Gale and linked arms with him.
"Then let's go, Lord Gale."
"Yes, Lady Adelia."
Gale, who smiled somewhat bitterly, escorted Adelia forward, and Count Chase, who had been quietly watching that sight, took a step with a very small smile.
And the two left behind.
"Ugh, seriously. I can't stand watching that."
"Why? It's cute."
"It's not cute at all. That's my sister, not some stranger, you know?"
When Cordelia scrunched up her face, Yuder laughed quietly and then held out his hand.
"Why?"
"No, let's go too. Now that it's finally just the two of us, we should take care of the things we put off."
"Things we put off? No, more importantly, because it's just the two of us?"
"Yeah, because it's just the two of us. Let's hurry and go."
Yuder, who answered with a grin, snatched up Cordelia's hand and moved forward, and Cordelia blinked before her cheeks flushed.
'What is this? What, what, what?'
Something they had to do because it was just the two of them?
Cordelia was now seventeen years old, and like other kids her age, her imagination and curiosity were thriving.
And because of that, during the short time it took to go up from the first-floor lobby to the third floor where Yuder's room was, she was able to run through all sorts of wild fantasies.
"We're here."
"W-wait. I'm not mentally ready yet...."
She said it reflexively, but Yuder opened the door without paying it any mind, and Cordelia, hesitating, was led by Yuder's hand into the room.
And about thirty seconds later.
"Tch."
"Cordelia?"
At Yuder's question, Cordelia scrunched up her face and pouted her lips.
What was this inexplicable sense of disappointment?
'No, well... I figured it'd be like this. It would've been awkward if it wasn't, too.'
On the bed in Yuder's room, all sorts of items were neatly laid out.
"Settling accounts and organizing are essential, after all."
Yuder spoke with sparkling eyes, and Cordelia let out a sigh before nodding.
"Fine, let's sort it out."
"Good. First, I laid out the things with high utility."
Yuder, who spoke with a bright face as if he genuinely enjoyed organizing like this, pointed to the object at the far left of the bed.
"First, Moonlight. The Snow Queen's core has been removed, but Melissa still remains. It's still enough to use as your main weapon, Cordelia."
"Still, we'll have to upgrade it once, right?"
"It should be possible once we go to the royal capital. If we take part in Maeve's auction house, we might even be able to get something better."
Maeve's auction house referred to the largest auction house in the Saelun Kingdom, located in the royal capital.
It was a place with all sorts of sub-quests attached, so it was a must-visit location if they went to the royal capital.
"Next is Heavenly Judgment?"
"Yeah, I thought about handing it over to Lena, but... we need a hidden trump card on our side too."
Cordelia, who had only just become a 9th-rank angel, could not draw out all of Heavenly Judgment's power.
But even so, it was too precious a weapon to hand over entirely to Lena.
"I can always raise the rank. Our princess will work hard, right?"
"Yes, Daddy. Just give me lots of allowance."
Cordelia, who answered with a beaming smile, looked at the Sword of the Eastern Warrior placed next to Heavenly Judgment.
"Yuder, what are you going to do about swordsmanship?"
"I'm going to think about it once we go back to the main house this time."
He had considered switching classes from martial artist to swordsman altogether, but after opening the fourth gate of the Nine Heavens Nine Gates, Yuder's thoughts changed again.
The Nine Heavens Nine Gates could pour energy into all things in creation, but what could most naturally express that power was still fist-and-foot techniques based on the pure physical body.
"Still, I have no intention of giving up the sword entirely. I can use it for finishing moves."
"Well, that's true."
Anyway, even now, the Sword of the Eastern Warrior felt like a pistol for the finishing move Blood Wolf Hell Slash.
'There are plenty of swords with built-in finishing moves.'
Even if he didn't use it as a main weapon, there was ample reason to carry it around.
Cordelia herself didn't particularly use a sword either, but wasn't she carrying around Heavenly Judgment?
"Then your main weapon is these gauntlets?"
"For the time being, probably."
They were the gauntlets obtained at Frost Anvil, modified by the blacksmiths of the Wild Lands.
Since they also contained the power of the wild gods, it seemed fine to use them as his primary weapon for a while.
'Though it seems like I'll swap these out too once we reach the royal capital.'
It was a little regrettable toward the wild gods, but it couldn't be helped.
After all, swapping to the highest-level equipment every time you reached a new town was one of the joys of RPGs.
"The wild gods' divine artifacts can be used for a long time to come, right?"
"They're high-utility tools, after all."
Blade Song's divine artifacts: the Coziness of One Pyeong and the Wolf Transformation Hide.
Great Storm's divine artifact: the Arrow of Winged Wind.
As Yuder said, they were high-utility items that would remain useful even after they became stronger than they were now.
"Next is...."
Cordelia, who smiled and turned her gaze to the side, suddenly narrowed her eyes, and Yuder let out a fake cough and pretended to look elsewhere.
"Excuse me, Mister Yuder."
"Yes, Lady Cordelia."
"What is this?"
"Useful equipment."
Cordelia's eyes narrowed even further, and Yuder's fake cough grew a little louder.
The rabbit set and cat set placed among the items that were boldly meant to be kept for the future.
In the Wild Lands, there were many people wearing similar equipment so it wasn't a problem, but in the Saelun Kingdom, these were pieces of equipment that required courage just to wear at all.
"You're not telling me to wear these around, are you?"
"No, but if you keep them, someday they might be use...ful, don't you think?"
Yuder glanced at Cordelia's reaction, and Cordelia quietly looked at Yuder with eyes that were now almost closed.
A few more seconds passed like that.
"Ahem, let's move on."
Yuder, who let out another fake cough, pointed to the items placed next to the rabbit set and cat set.
"The ancient Magellan relics we got from the Wild Fairies are for strengthening elemental power, so even if they're a bit inconvenient, it'd be better to carry all of them."
"Hm."
Cordelia's gaze was still on the rabbit set, and Yuder hurriedly pointed to the things next to it.
"Next are the things Father gave me. Most of them were given for me to consume, but... there should be things that could help you too, Cordelia, so I laid them out for now."
Numerous medicines filling half of the wide bed.
Since most of them were items meant to enhance Yuder's stamina, Cordelia wasn't particularly covetous of them.
But there was exactly one thing that caught her attention.
"Huh? Why is only that one missing?"
"Huh?"
"No, you know, the one my dad gave us last time. The one he said to take later."
When Cordelia drew the shape of a box with her hands and spoke, Yuder, who flinched for some reason, let out a fake cough and said,
"Ahem, that one, as Father said, is for later...."
"What is it that you're like that?"
"Ahem, there's such a thing. Kids don't need to know."
"Hey, you're a kid too, you know? You and I are the same age, you know?"
"You still don't get it even at this point, so no. I'll tell you later."
Having said that much, Yuder shut his mouth firmly, and Cordelia puffed out her cheeks as if dissatisfied, but didn't press further.
Because she knew well that once Yuder shut his mouth like that, he wouldn't open it no matter what.
"Tch tch tch, anyway, is that all the items?"
"Yeah, there are some odds and ends, but... they're not things we'll keep using. This much should be enough for what we'll take with us until we reach the royal capital."
"Hm... then we should get armor first. Even if it's not full plate."
"Probably. Both you and I suit light armor more than heavy armor, so we should look into that."
Ever since joining up with Count Chase, both Yuder and Cordelia had been wearing outfits befitting a noble house's young master and young lady.
They looked good, but they were uncomfortable and had practically no defensive capability.
"Good, next let's move on to checking our abilities. You remember our levels, right?"
"Of course. I'm 71. You're 70."
When Cordelia even drew a V-sign and grinned, Yuder clicked his tongue and said,
"You happy?"
"Yep yep, soooo happy."
Because either way, she had beaten Yuder—beaten that Outboxer009.
"Yeah, enjoy it all you want. I'll overtake you soon."
"What's that? You're lower level than me. I can't hear the words of a low-level loser very well?"
Cordelia even shook her shoulders in delight, and Yuder clenched his teeth.
Because the day he first met Cordelia came to mind.
"Anyway."
"Yeah, anyway."
When Cordelia agreed to the topic change as if granting a favor, Yuder continued with a sigh.
"If we add up all the titles we've collected so far, our stats are close to around level 80. On top of that, I have the Nine Heavens Nine Gates and you have witchification and angelification, so in practical terms, it's safe to say our combat power is above the mid-80s."
"By Cordelia route standards, the average level at the start of the royal capital arc is usually early-to-mid 40s, so... that's incredibly high, isn't it?"
"Right. What's more, the timing is far earlier too, so it's even more amazing."
There was originally about half a year's time difference between the Cordelia route and the Yuder route.
Since both Yuder and Cordelia were rotten fossils, they didn't bother saying it to each other, but the events of the original work were perfectly arranged in chronological order in both of their heads.
'Regaining the memories of the previous life was almost identical to the starting point of the Cordelia route, so if we use that as the standard....'
The starting point of the Cordelia route as 0.
The time when the barbarian tribes' great northern invasion began was about half a year after 0.
The 300th founding anniversary ball, which could be called the start of the royal capital arc, was also about half a year after 0.
But no matter how the progression went, the 300th anniversary ball was always slightly ahead of the barbarian tribes' great northern invasion.
'And the current point in time is about three months after 0.'
In other words, there were still three months left until the 300th anniversary ball.
"Should we go straight to the royal capital?"
At Cordelia's question, Yuder shook his head.
"No, it would be good to go early and prepare, but... it's too early. There's no proper justification to go to the royal capital right now either. Even if we set the schedule as fast as possible, we'd arrive at the royal capital about a month before the founding ball."
"You want to just play around for two months?"
When Cordelia asked in surprise, Yuder shook his head again.
"No, that makes even less sense. Time is gold. Let's each train for about a month and prepare various things, then set out for the royal capital."
"Train for about a month, then spend another month going to the royal capital while clearing quests?"
"Exactly."
Both Yuder and Cordelia had rapidly grown stronger in the Wild Lands, so they needed time to fully make their newly gained powers their own.
In a game, leveling up was the end of it, but this place was reality.
"Training aside, what do you mean by preparation? What are you planning to do?"
At Cordelia's question, Yuder's face turned sly as if he had been waiting for her to ask, and he let out a sinister laugh.
"Hehehe... should I call it a secret plan to steal the royal capital's heart?"
"Don't laugh like that, it's creepy. You look like a con artist."
"Yes, ma'am."
When Yuder quickly fixed his expression, Cordelia sat on the edge of the bed and asked,
"Steal their hearts? What are you talking about?"
"Even if we're the children of the northern twelve families, once we go to the royal capital, we'll end up being treated like country bumpkins. As you know, the royal capital arc can't be progressed by simply smashing through things."
"Still, wouldn't it be somewhat possible now? Our levels are high."
"No, well, that's true. But you know too that there are things that can't be solved by strength alone. In the first place, there are enemies far stronger than us now stationed there too."
"Hm."
It wasn't a snowfield like the Wild Lands, where the uninhabited land was several times wider than the inhabited land.
The royal capital.
The capital of the Saelun Kingdom, one of the continent's two great powers.
The strong swarmed there, and apart from pure military force, there were also those with immense political power.
"Military force alone won't do. We have to exercise political power to some extent."
Among the enemies of the royal capital arc was Duke Antarius, known as the Duke Protector, one of the Ten Great Swordsmen.
There was a limit to getting through with military force alone.
'Of course, in the end, military force will have to accompany it.'
The main enemies of the royal capital arc were the Devil's Hand and the corrupted high nobles.
To deal with them—no, to take the lead in the political landscape of the royal capital arc—influence was needed as much as military force.
"Mmm... fine. So what exactly are you preparing?"
"I'll try it out first, and if it goes well, I'll tell you. It's something that will definitely need your help anyway, Cordelia."
"Ugh, seriously. Don't make me curious, just tell me."
"Later."
Yuder shut his mouth firmly again, and Cordelia stamped her feet as if annoyed, but there was nothing she could do.
"Okay, so is that everything?"
"Pretty much? There's one last thing left, though."
One last thing.
It was when Cordelia's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Yuder, are you in there?"
At the voice from the balcony, Yuder and Cordelia spun around in surprise. It was Count Chase.
"Father?"
"Dad?"
When Yuder and Cordelia hurried over and opened the balcony door, Count Chase, standing with a solemn face and wrapped in a red cloak, slightly furrowed his brow.
"Were the two of you together?"
"Yes, we were organizing our luggage together. The things we brought from the Wild Lands."
When Cordelia answered immediately, Count Chase glanced over the two people's shoulders at the bed, then soon relaxed his expression and said,
"I see. Anyway, Yuder, it's nothing new, but you really are small. Take this."
"Ah, yes."
Yuder quickly held out both hands and received the leather pouch.
"It's nothing much, but it'll help. And... it's a secret from Adelia. Understood?"
At the voice that was slightly lower than usual, Yuder and Cordelia blinked once, then understood.
Because they felt like they understood why someone who had gone out to greet people had suddenly returned, and why he had appeared through the balcony rather than the door.
"Hehehe, Dad really is the best."
When Cordelia smiled brightly and hugged his arm, Count Chase, who raised the corners of his mouth for just a moment, soon let out another fake cough and said,
"Then I'll be off."
"Yes, take care."
"See you later, Dad."
When Yuder bowed his head and Cordelia waved, Count Chase, who acknowledged the two's greetings with a glance, launched his body into the air again and exited through the balcony.
"He's such a good person."
"Hmph. Gale is already fully grown. Of course Dad should be looking after our Yuder instead."
Cordelia, who grinned with some inexplicable sense of victory, turned her gaze back to Yuder.
"So what is it?"
"A height-growth medicine. It's a medicine that makes you grow 1 cm when you take it."
"Ah, that! The item ranked 3rd in 'things I wish existed in reality,' right?"
"Exactly."
Yuder, who smiled pleasantly and put away the pouch, returned to the room with Cordelia.
"Mm, good. We can sneak out at night to meet the Fall Fairies and get Autumn's Blessing...."
"I feel like eloping at night has gotten way too familiar."
"This time it's not so much eloping as just a short nighttime stroll."
"You talk well. So what's the last thing?"
"Huh?"
"No, you said earlier there was one last thing left."
"Ah, that."
Yuder, who grinned as if he had deliberately drawn it out from the start, suddenly took Cordelia's hand and whispered,
"Close your eyes for a moment."
"My eyes? Why?"
"Just close them for now. Don't you trust me?"
What was he doing?
Cordelia was suspicious, but she closed her eyes for now, and Yuder led that Cordelia into the small room attached to the large room.
"You can open your eyes now."
He said it was the last thing—had he prepared a surprise gift or something?
Cordelia, whose heart fluttered slightly, gently opened her eyes, then furrowed her brow.
"What is this?"
On the table, there were only a few clumps of black cord coiled up like balls of thread.
An item she had never once seen in Hero Legend 2.
But that was only natural.
Because ordinarily, it was an object that did not exist in Hero Legend 2—in the world called Pleiades.
"Detonating cord."
Yuder spoke, and Cordelia blinked.
"Detonating cord?"
"Detonating cord."
But Cordelia only blinked again. She had never heard the term before.
"What is that?"
For some reason, it was a name that made her heart pound, but she couldn't tell exactly what it was.
So Yuder gave Cordelia a brief, to-the-point explanation.
"It's a cord that explodes."
Detonating cord.
As the name suggested, it was explosives molded into the form of tape or cord.
It was something he had made little by little during the spare time after the battle on the Snowflower Wind Plain ended.
'It's only a prototype, though.'
Once he returned home, he planned to make something more proper.
'Since Cordelia can use telekinesis and can cause explosions anytime, anywhere, the uses would be endless.'
As she always boasted, she was good at anything physical, so using detonating cord like her own hands and feet would also be possible.
'She'll like it, right?'
Yuder looked at Cordelia, and Cordelia stared at the detonating cord with a blank face. Soon, rapture spread through her blue eyes.
"Detonating cord."
Cordelia trembled, then turned to look at Yuder. She leaped up and hugged Yuder.
"I love it! Our Yuder is the best!"
Yuder was slightly unsettled by the rapture spreading through Cordelia's eyes, but soon smiled. As if savoring Cordelia's embrace for the first time in days, he tightened his arms around her.
The meeting of detonating cord and Cordelia.
It was the moment the 'Witch of Explosions,' who would later shake the entire Saelun Kingdom, was born.