Thud thud thud thud-!
Pababababat-!
‘Hmm?’
While exchanging blows with Lucia, Caron saw it.
“So cute!”
Adonis being showered with cuteness.
“Adonis, do your legs hurt? Want this big sis to carry you?”
“…There is no need for that. I’m not old enough to rely on others.”
“Eek! Look at that confidence! How cute!”
Pulling his cheeks, patting his head, and even hugging him with their entire bodies.
It had long surpassed rudeness.
“Those bastards…!”
Caron witnessed the scene of elder abuse(?).
Pow!
In an instant, his head turned to the side. Lucia’s fist had struck Caron’s face.
“Wh, what! How can you get distracted while fighting!”
“…Don’t you think this wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t started throwing punches in the first place?”
“Hmm… I guess so?”
Sighing deeply, Caron turned his gaze to the back.
He had to show those ill-mannered fools who were mocking an elder.
“Just leave them be. You know. To others, he just looks like a frail boy.”
Caron flinched. It was as Lucia said.
To him, Adonis was someone to be revered, but to those who didn’t know the circumstances, he was just a boy who needed protection.
‘I made a mistake. If not for Lucia, it could have been a big deal.’
He thought she was just a reckless, scatterbrained filly. Had she grown a little?
Caron was about to revise his evaluation of Lucia from a reckless filly to a slightly less reckless filly.
“And who knows? He might be enjoying it.”
“…What?”
“I mean, it feels good to be called cute. Even that old man doesn’t seem too upset about it.”
“…Do you think he’s a pervert like you?”
“Who’s a pervert!!”
Lucia clenched her fists. She seemed ready for another round.
Caron became lost in thought.
‘I was going to use the secret weapon that kid gave me for a big incident later, but…’
Now that they were heading to the battlefield, what could be a bigger deal than insubordinate juniors?
The thought was brief. Caron decided to use the secret weapon Zero had given him.
A secret weapon that could turn a reckless filly into a well-behaved, docile filly.
“Come to think of it, I got something interesting.”
“Huh? Something interesting?”
“Yeah, a really funny photo that would make anyone burst out laughing.”
“A funny photo?”
Lucia tilted her head. Caron held out a photo to her.
It was a group photo. Zero, Rezé, Luna, Rodelin, and…
Lucia wearing an extremely short academy uniform.
“Wh, what! How did you get that, Uncle!”
Lucia reached out in surprise, but Caron’s hand was faster.
It had long been tucked away.
“Give it back right now! Before I kill you!”
“Who will be faster, you killing me or me scattering a hundred copies in the air?”
Caron was a master of dagger techniques.
Scattering a hundred photos in the air was nothing to him.
“Gr, grr…! What do you want!”
“I like your quick judgment. Unconditionally obey my orders until this mission is over. Then this photo won’t see the light of day.”
“Just you wait until it’s over! You perverted uncle!”
“Anyone who sees this photo will probably think you’re the bigger pervert.”
“Ugh, ughhh…!”
Lucia clenched her fists and trembled.
‘With this, one unstable factor is eliminated.’
Caron was about to show a victorious smile inwardly.
A woman approached them.
It was Sylvia, Lucia’s academy classmate and friend.
“Uncle, hello?”
“Sylvia… It’s been a while.”
“It has. Sorry for the late greeting. There were too many prying eyes until now.”
Not only were most members of the subjugation force wary of Caron, but it was also Sylvia’s first mission since her retirement announcement.
Showing familiarity with the commander Caron would only lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and gossip.
After a few days had passed since the initial merger and Adonis had captured everyone’s attention, she finally came to greet him.
“There was no need to go that far. I didn’t gather idiots blinded by jealousy.”
“Is that so? My mistake. Since it’s been a while since I’ve been in real combat… I thought it would be better to be cautious.”
“…Unlike someone, you have depth.”
“That ‘someone’ better not be me?”
“Your perception is remarkable at times like this, Lucia.”
Crackle-!
Sparks flew between the two.
Seeing this, Sylvia chuckled.
“By the way, Uncle Caron, you’re still… the same as ever.”
“What do you mean?”
“Tormenting my friend. You often used to torment Lucia.”
“I wasn’t tormenting her. I was just scolding her.”
“That means you care about Lucia a lot, right? I’m jealous. I wish you’d dote on me too.”
Caron and Lucia’s gazes simultaneously fixed on Sylvia.
“Who cares about whom!”
“Who’s getting doted on by whom!”
Seeing the two of them retorting while leaning in, Sylvia thought.
These two haven’t changed one bit.
“Hmm~ Was it my misunderstanding? Anyway, please torment me a little too. Don’t just do it to my friend.”
“…I don’t have such hobbies.”
“Oh my, that’s quite unfortunate. Then what could be the reason for tormenting our Lucia?”
“Tsk, I’ll be going now. The marching speed has slowed down.”
“Hoho! Take care, Uncle.”
Sylvia smiled with her unique eye smile.
Caron turned around and chuckled.
‘Uncle, huh…’
It wasn’t unpleasant.
After all, there weren’t many left who could call him ‘Uncle’.
‘…Sylvia, I’m glad you’ve improved a lot.’
Caron recalled Sylvia’s appearance just before her retirement.
Disheveled hair, eyes that looked like she hadn’t slept, a lifeless gaze, and wrists and neck that never seemed to heal.
It was hard to believe that person was the same as this Sylvia.
‘Time is a good medicine.’
A good medicine that heals wounds.
Caron glanced back.
He saw Lucia being held in Sylvia’s arms.
‘That child’s wounds… still don’t seem to have healed.’
Caron always thought.
Lucia’s time was sixteen. It seemed to be stuck at that age.
Moreover, while Sylvia took a brief break, Lucia had been wandering battlefields non-stop since she was sixteen.
If something were to happen like this, Lucia might never be able to get back up again.
‘I hope meeting Sylvia will help…’
No one knows how it will turn out.
Caron simply.
Silently ordered them to advance.
“Sylvia! You’re amazing! Chasing away that perverted uncle!”
“You should stop too. If you torment Uncle too much, he’ll become useless. He already has a lot on his mind.”
“Tch! What do I care about that! It’s not like I’m the commander.”
“This girl, really…”
Lucia threw herself into Sylvia’s arms.
She knew the nagging would be long if she didn’t.
“Ahh~ So this is the leisure of a married woman. It’s cozy and relaxing, feels nice~.”
However, Lucia couldn’t enjoy the leisure.
The nanny, who had appeared at some point, was narrowing her eyes at her.
“Hoho, the young lady should also gain the leisure of a married woman soon.”
“…Nanny. Right now is a moment of utmost peace of mind for me. Could you refrain from such talk?”
“If you get married, your mind will become even more at peace.”
“…Let’s not talk about that.”
Lucia turned her body to the opposite side. But there was no one on her side there either.
“Lucia, Nanny is right. You can’t get married like that. You need to learn to accept the other person’s words.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Have you learned to cook a little?”
“If she had, I wouldn’t have to take care of her, would I?”
“That won’t do. Even with servants, you should occasionally be able to make delicious meals for your family…”
“Aaaah! Stop! Stop!”
Lucia covered her ears tightly.
Even her friend wasn’t on her side! What on earth was marriage!
Sylvia covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled.
At that moment, her sleeves lifted slightly, revealing her wrists. Wrists covered in scars.
“But… is your body okay now?”
Lucia knew well how Sylvia was back then.
It was a miracle she had been active for over 10 years after the war, given her mental state.
“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ve overcome it all now.”
“Sorry, but I need to know. Why exactly did you return? You could have just… continued living as you were.”
Marrying a good man, having children.
Spending busy days taking care of a growing child and the territory.
The only fights that would occur were attacks by lost beasts and mischief by delinquents.
Nothing could make Sylvia unhappy.
Except for coming to the battlefield on her own feet like now.
“…I have a daughter.”
“Huh?”
“Lucia, you know… I want to give her only good things.”
Food, clothes, playtime, and so on.
And this included.
“A world without war. I wouldn’t want my children to experience such a world.”
To pass on a good world.
To not pass on the pain she had experienced.
That was the reason the scarred Sylvia picked up a sword again.
And the reason she came here.
“Let’s end the war with the Black Mages with our own hands.”
“Sylvia…”
“I should get going. If I seem too close with the higher-ups, I might come across as dislikable.”
“What’s wrong with being a little dislikable?”
“There’s an intangible pressure that a hero like you can never empathize with~ Anyway, see you later!”
Sylvia turned around, her hair fluttering.
It had been so long since Lucia had seen those fluttering light brown locks.
It was a new feeling for Lucia. At the same time.
“Nanny.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“In this fight, protect Sylvia. Please.”
“…I understand.”
Lucia vowed. In this fight, absolutely.
She would not lose a friend.
When they were almost at their destination to rendezvous with Elester, near Kalos.
“What is… that?”
A huge magic circle was floating in the sky above Kalos.
Unknown characters danced around. Along with an ominous wave of dark purple mana that was eerie just to look at.
“…Regrouping is the priority. We’ll analyze it later.”
Now there was only flat ground to the destination.
They mounted the horses prepared by the rats and hurried their steps.
After about two hours of riding.
“We arrived earlier than expected. Good work, everyone.”
They were able to meet with Elester.
Adonis exchanged light nods with him, and Caron immediately stepped forward.
He knew well that now was not a situation for greetings.
“Lord Elester, what’s with that magic circle?”
“It suddenly appeared last night.”
“Can you tell what kind of magic circle it is?”
“I haven’t analyzed everything. But I did figure out the magic that takes up the largest portion. ‘Fog’ and ‘Concealment’.”
The magic circle floating in the sky above Kalos.
The Black Mages, they boldly announced their presence here.
It couldn’t be called a good strategy. However.
“…We can’t ignore their numbers.”
“That’s right. The mana concentration is so thick that detection magic is completely jammed.”
Not only the enemy’s location but even the number of Black Mages couldn’t be ignored.
“Is it a trick to hide their low numbers, a threat for escape, or…”
A sign that they were ready to fight and to come at any time.
With too little information, it was impossible to be certain which it was.
At that moment, Lucia stepped forward.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? A coward puffing himself up. Basically begging us not to come.”
“…Jumping to conclusions is forbidden. It could be a trap set by the enemy.”
“That’s possible too. But the goal is to at least gather some minimal information, right? Let’s just clash with them for now. Their numbers will keep increasing in the meantime anyway.”
Lucia’s advice that wasn’t quite advice.
But Caron’s decision on it was quick.
“We’re going in. Everyone, get ready.”
–TL Notes–
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