When Love Comes True (2)
This victory celebration was undoubtedly destined to be recorded as a profoundly significant event in the history of the Liberia Elf Kingdom.
The scandal between the Demon King Slayer and the Warrior Captain! Eyewitness accounts from the nobles who had attended the celebratory banquet spread like wildfire through newspapers across every region, blanketing the entire Liberia Elf Kingdom.
A romance between a human and a high elf was a fresh and tantalizing topic for the elves. Young ladies, in particular, showed intense interest.
"A romance that started from a lord-vassal relationship! This is front-page gold!"
"We can't let the rival papers scoop us! Exaggerate it to the max—even make shit up if we have to!"
The Demon King Slayer who had subjugated Maou Sabnack was a figure drawing the attention of every nation on the continent. And his romantic partner, Ardena Valencia, was a celebrity in the Liberia Elf Kingdom as well.
The high elf warrior captain who had achieved an undefeated record without a single loss was the object of admiration for all warrior maidens and the very symbol of the warrior captains.
It was only natural that the elves were wildly enthusiastic about their romance.
"Congratulations!"
"When's the wedding invitation coming?"
The warrior maidens of the Helenwood Knights beamed with smiles as they placed gifts one by one on Ardena Valencia's desk.
At last, warm spring was beginning to arrive in the midst of the cold winter.
The knights under her command, who genuinely respected Ardena, offered their heartfelt congratulations and shared their joy through modest gifts.
"Th-this is inexcusable...! I got swept up in the moment... What the hell was that magic spell! Bariteon Trident, I swear I'll settle things with that bastard once and for all!"
After her subordinate warrior maidens left the office, Ardena tore at her hair and slammed her forehead against the desk repeatedly.
Everyone had found out.
All the attendees at that victory celebration banquet knew. The High Priestess, her fellow warrior captains, the members of the Yetzirah Council, and even the diplomats dispatched from foreign lands—they had all witnessed it.
Maybe it would be better to just die.
Rather than endure further humiliation, perhaps cleanly ending it all would be the wiser choice to wash away the shame.
Overwhelmed by crushing shame that felt like it could shatter her shoulders, Ardena seriously contemplated taking her own life.
"Ugh! What the hell is this 'engagement' bullshit!"
Spotting a newspaper on her desk, Ardena hurled it into the trash after reading the false headline: 'In fact, the Demon King Slayer and Warrior Captain Ardena have been engaged for a long time!'
A barrage of speculative articles ran rampant. Claims that they'd been engaged for ages, or that they'd carried on a secret affair crossing borders even before meeting on the battlefield...
To chase popularity and attention, they were churning out all sorts of sensational stories.
"But what about the Undefeated Covenant then?"
"Idiot, you forgot Yushin Gilliard beat Captain Ardena in that duel?"
"Oh yeah! So Captain Ardena has to uphold the Undefeated Covenant no matter what..."
Voices of her subordinate warrior maidens gossiping beyond the office wall drifted in.
They were speaking softly enough not to reach the office, but Ardena's ears were sharp enough to pick up even faint sounds from afar.
"Hoo..."
The golden-haired high elf warrior captain let out a deep sigh and slapped her cheeks.
She couldn't keep being embarrassed forever.
She decided to toughen up a bit.
She'd mustered the courage to confess, after all.
It was mortifying enough to make it hard to even lift her face, but she had to push through somehow.
'I haven't heard any response from Yushin yet. It was just my one-sided confession—no answer means nothing's set in stone.'
Right now, Yushin was probably at the academy with Alonne.
After the war's conclusion, the Liberia Elf Kingdom, having reclaimed peace, was returning to everyday life.
Bria Academy had announced normal classes would resume.
In response, Valencia family second daughter Alonne had shouted, "Can't I rest for at least a week?!"
She'd thrown a tantrum about not wanting to go, but since her attendance was sorely lacking compared to her classmates, she grumbled all the way but still headed to the academy.
"Hoo..."
Ardena let out another deep sigh.
She'd fled Valencia Castle like she was escaping.
She didn't have the courage to face Yushin.
A powerful sense of déjà vu washed over her.
It felt like something like this had definitely happened before...
"Senior Captain Ardena."
The female warrior captain called out to Ardena. It was Liana Linehold.
Apparently off duty today, she hadn't gone to the academy and was at Maherith Palace instead.
Liana often stopped by the palace on her days off.
"Captain Liana."
"Um... congratulations! I never doubted that you'd succeed, Senior Captain!"
Liana offered her congratulations.
Ardena nodded.
Her heart was still pounding with embarrassment.
But she couldn't keep avoiding it forever, so she humbly accepted.
"Thank you."
She forced a smile as she spoke.
"Are you Warrior Captain Ardena?"
While Ardena was chatting briefly with Liana, an imperial knight clad in armor emblazoned with the Holy Empire's emblem approached.
He was the guard of Imperial Chamberlain Tanya Mainz.
He'd come all the way to Ardena's office to relay Tanya Mainz's message.
"The Imperial Chamberlain requests an audience."
The Imperial Chamberlain wanted to meet.
Ardena looked puzzled at the unexpected summons.
The imperial delegation was returning to their homeland today.
To report back on Maou Sabnack's defeat and the Liberia Elf Kingdom's victory.
But before departing, it seemed Tanya Mainz had unfinished business and had sent a knight to request a meeting.
"You summoned me."
After parting with Liana, Ardena followed the imperial knight to where the delegation was staying.
She'd answered the Imperial Chamberlain's call.
Tanya Mainz—she was the third most powerful figure in the Holy Empire.
Since the Liberia Elf Kingdom was allied with the Holy Empire, Ardena couldn't ignore the Imperial Chamberlain's authority.
"Nice to see you, Warrior Captain Ardena."
The white-haired ogre girl thanked Ardena for graciously accepting her summons.
She first offered her a seat.
Ardena sat across from her as directed.
As if prepared in advance, an imperial knight deftly brought coffee with practiced skill.
Unlike regular coffee, it had a strong aroma.
It was mocha coffee, popular among imperial citizens.
"Pretty bold, huh? I was there too, you know. In my hundreds of years, that was the most entertaining victory banquet I've ever seen."
"Ahem!"
At Tanya's teasing question, Ardena cleared her throat awkwardly and turned her head.
Her face burned hot.
Like freshly brewed coffee.
Tanya burst into laughter at Ardena's innocent reaction and took a sip of her coffee.
"If you end up having a wedding, send an invitation to the imperial palace at least. No matter how busy I am, I'll make time. Yushin Gilliard might be a hero of the Liberia Elf Kingdom, but he's a hero of our Holy Empire too. Gotta see the wedding of the guy who saved the empire, right?"
Ardena had no response to Tanya's words.
Marriage...? She'd never even considered it.
Well, she had—in fantasies in her head, anyway.
"That... is that...?"
Taking a sip of coffee to calm her confusion, Ardena spotted something and asked Tanya about it.
Jet-black armor, stained dark.
What the imperial knights were carrying was the dragon armor Yushin had used in the Maou subjugation battle.
Yushin was the only one who could wield the gold dragon's armor.
But ownership of the armor ultimately belonged to the Holy Empire.
It seemed they intended to store it back in the imperial treasury.
"Gonna put it back in storage. That thing's a monster. No good comes from abusing it."
Tanya harshly criticized the dragon armor, treating it like a cursed abomination.
"If I may overstep... If Yushin is the only one who can wield that dragon armor... how about lending it to us temporarily? We'd pay a fair price. That armor played a pivotal role in subjugating the Raging Flames Demon King."
Ardena cautiously inquired.
Sabnack wasn't dead yet.
Though she'd lost her immortality and even her authority, Sabnack was still a monster capable of annihilating a nation.
Ardena was certain Sabnack would seek revenge on Yushin.
Out of concern, she asked the Holy Empire, which held ownership, if they could loan it long-term.
She believed the High Priestess would agree with her view, so she proposed it to Tanya Mainz.
"Lend it to that idiot, and he'll just keep abusing its power. He used it multiple times in the Agares subjugation and again in this Sabnack fight. Doesn't even know the price of getting hooked on that abomination."
The ogre let out a deep sigh, ruffled her hair, and spoke again.
"The authority on that cursed armor is called Death's Reprieve—literally. It postpones death. Or in a way, hastens it... It grants temporary immortality at the cost of the user's lifespan. The more you abuse it, the sooner you die."
It trades lifespan for temporary reprieve from death.
Tanya intended to reclaim it to the imperial treasury because she was sure Yushin would keep abusing it without regard for his own life.
"At the cost of lifespan... just postponing death temporarily...?"
Unable to believe it, Ardena asked again in a trembling voice upon hearing Tanya's words.
The ogre nodded.
At that silent affirmation, Ardena felt an indescribable disgust toward herself for having suggested borrowing the dragon armor even temporarily.
"I'm telling you this for one reason only. Because you're the only one who can protect Yushin's safety, Warrior Captain Ardena."
If he hadn't had the armor, would he have fought?
No.
Even without it, without the dragon's authority, he would have fought Sabnack in the end.
Tanya pleaded with Ardena.
She mustn't let him get dragged into any more Maou subjugations.
To preserve whatever lifespan he had left intact, he needed to part ways with Maou hunting forever.
The high elf warrior captain nodded heavily, her face somber, in response to that plea.