Chapter 43: the end.

"Uwaaaaa...! So, Leader was thinking about us in those moments...! Uuuuu...Leader....uuu..."

Lucy surprises all of us by crying just as Erevain finished telling me her story or at least the part concerning her.

Ah, she started hugging Mika.

"It's alright you idiot...it's alright..."

Aww Mika is comforting her with head pats. So sweet and cute.

I look around and everyone is looking at Erevain with teary eyes or trying to hold back their crying.

"..."

Heck, even I am trying my best! Edge Alter does not cry in front others. Edge Alter does not cry in front of others. Edge Alter does not…AAAAH I WANNA CRY SO FUCKING BAD!

"Leader..."

Erica is looking at Erevain with an expression that looks like she is going to start crying at any moment.

Look! Even her lips are trembling!

"*sob*"

Even Gabrielle is having a hard time maintaining her usual smile!

"I apologize, My Lord. It seems I have dampened the mood with my story..."

No! Don't lower your head! It isn't bad!

"...but I do not understand, everyone. I remember that I told you all of this sometime after it happened. Did I not? Why are you reacting in this way now?"

Asks Erevain as she shoots a curious gaze at all the other Maid-Knights who are in the carriage.

By the way, I can hear Sophie sobbing in the pilot seat and saying 'so...so...that is why...uuu...' and to think that she was so eager to tell me ‘all’ about Erevain just a few days ago.

"Huh...? Isn't it obvious? *sniff* It's because...it moves our hearts...*sniff*…when a woman is saying those things about us...*sniff*…with that voice...*sniff*…and those loving gazes you showed while doing so...*sniff*...it’s too effective! Uwaaaa...."

Lucy, you are so right.

"Eh…?"

Don't be so confused, Erevain.

You made such beautiful expressions while telling your story that I burned them into my mind next to Nerinne's and Ilya's expression folders...

Of course, everyone is nodding agreement.

And now, Erevain is turning beet red.

Adorable.

Oh! This is a good prompt for bonus points in her route!

"Erevain..."

I quickly move and take her delicate hand, pulling it towards my face gently.

"M-My Lord—?!"

Then…I kiss it.

"...say the word and I shall make it rain fire on that foolish father of yours and his accomplices."

And add a cool gaze for more doki doki.

"...!"

Mission accomplished!

NOW GIVE ME GEMS!

I mean...

Erevain is so red that if this was a manga, she would have smoke coming out the top of her head.

So cute.

Hehe, I won this time!

"N-No...My Lord. That would put others in danger and...I do not wish for retribution. It happened five years ago, so I had time to process all those emotions into something useful for the situation we were in through the years. And I protected my people regardless of what happened after. That is what mattered the most."

My instinct tells me that you are saying the truth, but you are still making a heavy smile...while holding my hand tightly.

Yes...telling me that story would still make some of those feelings come back even for a little bit.

Right, Erevain?

Aaah, such a precious and righteous heroine...

Then, the only thing I can do is give you a warm expression.

"*ahem*"

Right! Everyone else is here!

I personally do not care, but Erevain lets go of my hand quite quickly when she notices that.

"Ahhh! Come on! Way to ruin the moment just because you're jealous, Gabrielle!"

"My goodness, whatever do you mean? Can you say that again?"

"Eeek! Mika protect me!"

"Eh?! W-What are you saying you idio—?! Wait, do-don't try to hide under my cape!!"

Wow.

Gabrielle shot quite the scary look at Lucy without breaking her smiling ojou-sama expression for a second.

There goes another name to the list of people I do not want to make mad.

Current #1 place is taken by Nerinne, of course.

"Oh my, why are you saying that dear~~? I am but a simple Goddess full of love, not someone to fear, right, dear~~?"

Hahaha...did I say that? I meant #1 in my heart and soul, of course!

"Fufufu~~I am glad to know that, my dear. You too hold that place in mine."

My heart can't take all these sudden changes from fear to love...

"Hmmm?"

Nothing!

_______________________________________________

There is still a part of the story I want to hear though.

One that is obviously missing.

What happened after the battle? How did they manage to save Erevain and hide in the forest?

"Is My Lord wondering about what happened after I fell?"

I widen my eyes immediately in surprise to Erevain's comment.

She is really good at reading me in these types of moments or do I become that easy to read?

"Hmp—*cough*! Indeed, it is something that has been on my mind."

YES, I MANAGED TO STOP MYSELF FROM ANSWERING AS A TSUNDERE!!

"Then, please My Master, let me and Erica tell you what happened in the battlefield and the palace. And, of course, about how we ended up in exile."

Says Gabrielle while softly putting her right hand on her chest and lowering her head, showing that it would be an honor to do so.

Something that Erica does as well.

"Very well but be quick about it."

"As you wish, Master. Please Gabrielle tell your part first."

Says Erica with a polite tone.

"Worry not, My Master. This is more of an epilogue to the story than another chapter if we were to put it in literary terms."

Ahh…Gabrielle really knows how to push all my right buttons when it comes to an ojou-sama type, and not only with the way she talks, but in the way she acts in general…

That flair…

And so, this beautiful ojou started with her part of the story.

________________________________________________

We were certainly surprised the moment our Leader used a skill as powerful as the [Astral Barrier], but that surprise turned into tension the moment we noticed with whom he was fighting.

The Dragon Lord of the Eternal Winter.

A certain muscle-headed warrior wanted to go immediately after noticing that, but I stopped him.

"What are you doing, Gabriel?! That's a full-fledged Dragon Lord right there! He needs all the help he can get!! His barrier is barely holding on!!! Let me pass!! RAHH! [Headsplitter]!!!"

"And what?! Do we leave the soldiers and the other knights who need us unprotected?! To let them die without being healed?! Don't be stupid! Think for a moment!! The second we leave this place to go and help Leader, our people will lose all the ground we've gained! [Bone-crushing Palm]!"

It is not wise to have a heated discussion in the middle of a battlefield with a comrade, even more so when one is being swarmed by undead and lizardmen, but I could not let him abandon his position.

Even if I wanted to do the same thing.

The fight then intensified when the forest in front of us turned white and a part of the enemy’s forces was lost to the icy blast.

It is not that they grew desperate…rather, they were…elated.

"What do you want me to do then?! Let my friend die?! He’s your friend too!! Get down! [Cyclone Slash]!!"

"Umph! He is! That is why I want you to trust him!! And if he dies, he does so with honor!! He is holding off a Dragon Lord by himself just to buy us time to turn this fight in our favor! Even a stalemate will do while that thing is with him! You know that!! Get back! [Exploding Palm: First Form]!!"

"GigigGYAAA—!"

*SPLOOOORSHION*

"SHIT! SHE IS PLAYING WITH HIM! COME ON!!"

"STOP! LISTEN TO ME, KRISTOFF! WE CAN'T GO! LOOK! LOOK AT HOW MANY WOUNDED ARE TRYING TO RETREAT! IF WE LEAVE, THEY ARE DEAD! OUR OTHER HEALERS ARE OCCUPIED! IF I DON'T HEAL THEM ON THE WAY, THEY ARE DEAD! AND THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK ARE DEAD TOO IF YOU LET THESE BASTARDS GO TO THEM! YOU ARE FREE TO PUNCH ME IN THE FACE IF HE DIES PROTECTING HIS PEOPLE AND US! BUT...YOU. ARE. NOT. LEAVING! GOT IT?!"

"GN…DAMN IT ALL! [GREAT CRUSHER]!”

My…he was, and is, a hotheaded, battle junkie, drunk but never heartless.

Never heartless.

After that, we fought so many enemies that I lost count, but we were advancing steadily.

And for a moment, we were scared when we saw Leader frozen for brief period of time that seemed to last an eternity to us.

But we kept fighting and helping those who were retreating.

Even some lesser dragon lords fell to our rushed attacks.

Yet, whenever we looked, Erevain received an attack that could have been his last.

But he did not fall.

Not until he did...

We both saw it.

“"EREVAAAAIN!!!"”

It was also then that I felt an overwhelming killing intent emanate from that Dragon Lord, one that even surprised her own forces.

I thought for a moment that Leader must have done something that made her furious, but then that killing intent suddenly vanished and she left, taking her forces with her.

It was certainly something difficult to believe, but at that time there was something more important to pay attention to than trying to figure out why that happened, and that was trying to feel Leader’s life force.

But…I was so focused in doing so that I was blinded to what was happening in my surroundings, that is until Kristoff made me aware of it.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY! WHY ARE YOU BLOCKING MY PATH! THAT'S YOUR CROWN PRINCE RIGHT THERE!! WE CAN STILL SAVE HIM!!"

That is when I turned around and saw the same soldiers we protected, and even healed, pointing their swords at us.

That…was unexpected to say the least.

But that was not all, Knights that belonged to the orders were also among those blocking Kristoff’s path.

"I am sorry, but we cannot let you go."

"Sorry? They are traitors!!"

"Yeah! They left just in time to not be here when the attack started and arrived conveniently when it ends! Despicable!!"

"You thought you could just swoop in and be the heroes?! Well you've got it wrong, you scum!!"

"Cease with those accusations! That is but one side of the story! They saved some of your lives!"

"Shut up! My brother died in the first hours of the attack! Where were they then?!"

That is some of the things they said.

Our people.

The ones we always fought to protect.

They were obviously blinded by the mass of feelings that come out after such battles, but even then, I cannot say that I was not...irritated.

But for Kristoff it was worse.

He was mad, desperate, and filled with disappointment.

To makes things worse, he personally knew a lot of the people shouting those things at us.

Go to enough bars in the capital and you end up making a lot of acquaintances.

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He shouted their names.

Told them that those things were lies.

But no one believed him.

The King himself had made it known that we had abandoned them, betrayed them…sabotaged them, and he did so right in the middle of the battle.

Shattering their morale and leading to the bloody chaos we arrived to.

We were branded deserters and traitors who even allied with the Dragon Lords but were discarded, just as we supposedly did.

"The crown prince is dead? Serves him right for trying to curry favor with those monsters! Ptoo!"

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE DEAD!"

"NO, KRISTOFF!"

My, my…I barely managed to stop him when one of them spit on what happened to our friend. It was clear that it was an attempt to provoke us and lead us to make our situation even worse.

I knew that well, but I cannot deny that I also felt an urge to bury my fist on that knight’s chest.

A knight that had an emblem I did not recognize on his armor, one whose face felt familiar and then I remembered, he was one of Reignitz’ men. That trash.

Sadly, as a result of me stopping Kristoff, the punch that was reserved for that fool went to my face.

Hard.

It made me almost fall but he stopped me from falling.

"That's worth double, you annoying bastard."

After that, they took our weapons, seemingly sealed our magic, cuffed us, and took us inside the capital.

There we were reunited with the rest of our comrades, except the scouts, who disappeared the moment they noticed something was wrong.

And those bulls...they made us walk to one of the plazas near the gate we entered.

"Everyone! Look! And listen! These are the traitors who abandoned you in your hour of need! They thought they could play us! Letting things get worse, get bloody and tragic! Then they would appear and conveniently repel the siege! All for the sake of glory! Oh, the greed of them! But this world is just even in surprising ways! As for the greedy Fallen Prince! He died at the hands of those he sold us to! Hahaha! Come and see the shameful faces of those he left behind!!"

Those were Reignitz' words fanning the flames of ire in the citizens’ hearts and spreading the King's lies. That trash that only fought in the places were the weakest enemies were.

Meanwhile, the citizens that saw us...said many things.

There were cries of anger, sadness, disappointment, and disbelief.

Even the families of our comrades that were born in the capital were present.

Some were forsaken...others ignored, and others still believed in them.

But it was like our hearts were being constricted...

And that was what the King and Ulthane wanted…

It was their attempt to break our spirits, one that was painful, but sadly for them, that was not enough.

Because we knew the truth.

What hurt us more than anything was seeing our people consumed in this fabricated turmoil.

When we arrived at the plaza, there was a cage in its center.

It was clearly made to humiliate us even further.

We were thrown in there one by one.

I was the last one.

And the moment one of the bulls I had saved got near me, I did something that I am not proud of doing as a healer.

"Light and nature, take away the blessing you gave...[Open Wounds]."

"Agh—!"

There he fell on the ground as all the wounds he had suffered in battle opened at once, along with their respective pain.

Ohohoho…that surprised the other bulls quite a bit, for my magic was supposed to be sealed.

But they made a very simple mistake, one they would have not if they had been something more than trash, and that was that we healers are particularly resistant to sealing magic.

After all, we are always being targeted by spells of that nature in the battlefield.

Of course, they pointed their weapons at me after that, but none got close.

They were…afraid.

"You know who I am. You know that what I give I can take. I will go inside the cage as you wish, but the moment you try something else…you are dead."

A healer is one who saves lives, but there are always two sides of the coin and healing magic is no different.

The bulls just stood there trembling and pointing at me with their swords until I entered the cage.

"Wow, you stop me from punching one of those bastards, but you just casually go and open all his wounds. That’s just great. Just great…"

"Save it, Kristoff. Yes, I did it, but inside the capital where they can just go and have him healed by another healer. Although...it will take some time thanks to the side effect of that spell."

"You're the worst."

After that, we waited.

Waited for our comrades that were not in the cage to do something.

Ah, yes. In hindsight that was quite petty of me, but please do not tell Kris I said that.

Your turn, Erica.

________________________________________

Thank you, Gabrielle, and yes, it was petty of you.

Please abstain from doing so again.

We cannot sully our Master's reputation with such acts.

Now, as Master asked me to be brief, I shall be as brief as possible.

When I separated from everyone, I entered the capital using one of the secret tunnels that the Royal Family has access to.

And I was made aware of our status as traitors from the voices of the surface that would echo in there.

So, I kept to the shadows even inside the tunnel.

Even if stealth is not my specialty, having knowledge of said tunnels made me able to traverse unnoticed through the capital.

First, I went back to our headquarters and grabbed the spatial storage bags that were there.

Specifically, those that contained various things that could be useful in a situation that called for an escape.

A conclusion that I got from the things said by the Royal Knights who were guarding the entrance to the headquarters, unaware of its secret entrance.

Then I went to the palace, but I was stopped by none other than Licht and someone I never expected to be there…

“Oh, it seems that today my dear Elder Brother’s attendants are fated to meet with me. Could it be bad luck? What do you think…Mary?”

"..."

"Hmm, you do not have to be so silent. After all, you helped me take care of Euphy back there, did you not? With her gone I can move on with my plans much more easily."

The words he said while making that…smile, were words I could not believe.

That I did not want to believe…

Let alone what they implied.

And yet I…shamefully let myself be angered by them.

Even if I knew that he wanted exactly that.

"What did you do, Licht?!"

"Prince Licht for you, Eric. Now more than ever. And I did the same thing I did to my dear Elder Brother; I took care of them. But I have a more important question, how are you here? Were you not escaping from the imminent siege on the capital?"

"You know that is not the truth! You were the one who asked Prince Erevain to go to...my Goddess…YOU! You were behind this!! You lied to us and sent us to Ryze Village!! Why?! Why would you betray your brother?!"

"Surely you jest. I would never betray my dear Elder Brother, but I guess it is a matter of perspective. And well, even if you were to try and denounce me as the terrible master mind behind your unfortunate circumstances, need I remind you of your status...traitor?"

He was right, I was without options in that matter.

For no one of importance would believe the word of someone branded as a traitor.

Nevertheless, he was clearly involved, but I...I still wanted to believe that Mary was not.

"Mary!! Are you going to let him do that?! The Prin—Erevain is fighting!! He threw himself at the attack of the Dragon Lord commanding the enemy!!"

"..."

"Our friend!! Your best friend!! The one you…"

"..."

"Say something!! I do not want to think about it, but he might die tonight!! Are you going to let him die a traitor?!!"

"..."

"ENOUGH! My dear Elder Brother is not going to die. You will do best to not say more foolish words."

In hindsight, that was the first time I had seen Licht truly furious, incredibly so.

As was I.

"Haa…you are of no use. Mary, take care of him quickly since Father is waiting. He must be all agitated because of the teleportation circles suddenly activating without his permission."

"Do not dare show your back to me unless you are ready for the consequences. Water hear me and maim my enemies [Water Bla—GUH!"

I tried to attack him, but Mary appeared suddenly in front of me and struck me hard enough to leave me without breath.

But speed was never one of Mary's fortes...

It was as if the Mary that had been beside Licht had been an illusion all along, and the real one was waiting in front me, I just could not see her.

"I am sorry..."

That is the only thing I heard before I shamefully lost consciousness for a brief period of time.

After that, I was being carried by the Royal Knights to the cage Gabrielle mentioned, but the scouts made their move and freed me.

They had raided the place where they had our weapons and half of them were waiting outside of the capital with them.

That meant that they arrived at the same conclusion as I did at the time, we had to escape.

As for Gabrielle and the others, they did not have to wait long for us.

We took out the bulls that were guarding them and freed them.

All while the oaf that is Ulthane was nowhere to be seen and if he had been there, I...

"I know at least 40 ways I could've taken us out of that cage with only my necklace! Idiots! They let me keep it just because I told them it's a family heirloom! Ha! All my family's heirlooms are tools of the trade!"

"We know Roxxargeraffe! Less talking and more running!"

In any case, there was nothing left for us to do but run.

We did not even stop to fight those who tried to block our path.

We did not need to.

The bulls were weaker than us.

And...some citizens helped us.

They threw themselves at the bulls, even some of the guards fought them or fought other guards who were trying to help them.

It was…nice to see that some people still believed in us.

Then, when we arrived at the gate, we found it locked tightly but...

"Water, flow freely and show your wrath! [Disastrous Torrent]!"

...I exploited a weakness in the locking mechanism that I had overheard in a conversation at the palace.

Even if a servant is not supposed to use such things for their benefit.

Still, that must have surely vexed Licht since he was the one who talked about it almost in front of me.

And I was fine with that.

The gate opened and we kept running.

Meanwhile, the civilians that supported us kept stopping our pursuers from following us, be them guards or knights, they were effective.

For even the bulls did not stoop so low as to attack civilians.

Of course, they could not if they wanted to establish themselves as trusted knights of the Kingdom.

Thus, we ran until we arrived at the place were Leader fell and what we saw surprised us.

He was covered in Moonlight Roses, heavily wounded and on the brink of death, but...somehow still alive.

Needless to say, we all cheered for a moment while the healers did their job, at least enough so that we could be able to move him.

In the end, we entered the forest and kept going deeper until we were so far from the capital that no one would be able to find us.

That is how our exile began.

________________________________________

"To think that we would be seeing the capital again after so much time has passed from that...I thank you, Master."

""""Thank you, Master.""""

To be continued (cue collage ending of their 5 years of "camping"!!) (And that's a wrap! The flashback arc is done! With this we'll return to the isekai shenanigans!)

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