kscans

Chapter 228 - The End of the War.

The battle at the border was over.

As I lay battered and broken, an equally battered Tina approached me.

"I can't exactly say you're okay, can I? Neither of us, really."

Her expression held a hint of relief.

I was on my knees. "But my magic is almost gone. If that happens, I'm counting on... you..."

Those were my last words before I lost consciousness.

The General watched the fleeing monsters for a moment, then snapped back to the present.

"Huh?! Is everyone alright?!"

He scanned the area.

Everyone but him had passed out.

He shook a nearby knight awake and had him assess the situation.

"Numerous injuries, sir. A few fatalities. No one is unharmed."

The losses were staggering.

The damage was even worse than the year before. The great war with the monsters had yielded nothing but casualties.

"Treat the injured immediately," the General commanded. "Use every last potion we have. Don't worry about the cost. And get 'that' ready. I'm going to check on those two."

He looked toward Amon's battlefield.

A void. A space dominated by silence. He was worried about them.

When the General arrived, the scene could only be described as horrific.

A massive hole, roughly twenty meters in diameter, with no visible bottom. It must have been the dragon's doing, but the scale was on another level. He honestly didn't want to make an enemy of it.

In fact, he never wanted to see it again. He scanned the surroundings and spotted the two of them.

"Lady Tina," the General said. "How is Shinsuke-kun?"

Tina looked at the sleeping Shinsuke. "He's just unconscious. His magic is completely depleted, and his injuries are severe. I used the potion I had, but it's still not safe to..."

"You didn't use it on yourself?" the General asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I had enough for two, but one portion was nowhere near enough to heal his injuries. I just have some burns and a broken left arm. I would be grateful for a potion later."

"Then use this," the General said, pulling a high potion from his pouch. "I used one during the battle, so I'm not that tired."

Tina thanked him and drank it. The burns vanished, and the bone in her left arm set, but she still couldn't move it. She was far from fully recovered.

"Thank you very much," she said. "Shinsuke and I won't be able to move for a while, so we'll rest here."

The General thought for a moment. "Understood. I'll send a knight later. If you need anything, ask them."

With that, he headed back to where the others were.

Alone again, Tina whispered, "You're so reckless... I really can't take my eyes off you..."

She smiled as tears streamed down her face.

At the border's front-line base...

A soldier on watch spotted a red smoke signal rising in the sky. He immediately reported it to Chevre.

"General... you did it," Chevre murmured, tears welling in her eyes.

The red smoke signal was the sign of a successful mission. She immediately contacted the capital via the wireless transceiver.

In the throne room of the capital...

The Guild Master stood before Emperor Yorune, who was seated on her throne.

"Isn't it about time you gave up? Any more of this will only lead to more casualties... Your Foolish Majesty?"

He said it with a smug, sneering look.

The nearby knights wanted nothing more than to cut him down where he stood, but for the safety of the Emperor and the capital, they couldn't.

"I have no intention of leaving," Yorune said, her resolve unshaken. "I will simply wait for word from those I trust."

The Guild Master sighed. "Haaah. Good grief. If those trusted comrades of yours are dead, there's no way they can contact you. Are you alright in the head?"

His words dripped with scorn.

The knights were at their limit.

Just then, a voice crackled from the wireless transceiver behind the throne.

"This is Adjutant Chevre! Your Majesty! Please respond!"

Yorune immediately grabbed the transceiver. "This is Yorune! What's the situation?!"

"Mission successful!" Chevre's voice was filled with joy. "The General and his troops have done it!"

"Thank you!" Yorune exclaimed. "Confirm their safety at once!"

"Understood! Sending a rescue team immediately!"

The transmission ended.

Silence filled the room. The knights glared at the Guild Master with fury in their eyes.

A cold sweat broke out on his brow. "W-Wait a minute. The monsters at the capital are still..."

At that moment, Captain Magnes burst into the throne room. "Forgive my intrusion! The monsters in front of the capital have just fled all at once! The reason is unknown, but there was a large tremor just before they left! We believe that may be the cause!"

More good news.

The tremor had been felt inside the castle, but they hadn't paid it much mind.

The Guild Master's face turned pale. "U-Um, Y-Your Majesty? I..."

Before he could finish, the knights drew their swords in unison and surrounded him.

The Guild Master let out a small shriek and raised his hands.

"Throw him in the dungeon," Yorune commanded, her voice devoid of emotion. "I will decide his fate later."

"As you wish," the knights replied, their faces beaming with joy as they arrested him and dragged him away. He shouted something as they led him off, but no one was listening anymore.

Now alone with Yorune, Magnes said, "So Father and the others succeeded."

"Yes," Yorune replied, a smile gracing her lips. "They did. And those two did as well."

She rose from her throne and walked to a window with a view of the sky.

Looking up, she whispered to the heavens, "Now, things can finally return to normal... Father."

She believed that her father, in the afterlife, would be pleased.

Three hours later...

A rescue team from the base arrived at the site of Amon's battle, where the General and his troops were resting and receiving treatment. Several doctors administered first aid on the spot, and those who couldn't move were loaded onto carriages.

Of course, Shinsuke and Tina were among them.

"Alright," the General announced. "We're returning to the base. Even those who can move should take it easy and rest."

With that command, they began their return journey.

The trip was uneventful, with no monster attacks along the way.

Some voiced their confusion as to why the monsters had stopped attacking.

"I'll explain later," the General said. "First, I must report to Her Majesty the Emperor."

He didn't elaborate.

The General was perplexed. That monster that appeared from the sky... there was a possibility it was the legendary dragon.

But why had it helped them? Or was it not help at all, but some other intention? There was no point in thinking about it further. For now, he would say nothing unnecessary. The others would only be as confused as he was.

Fortunately, the only ones who had seen it clearly were the General, Shinsuke, and Tina.

There were others who had been conscious at the time, but the dragon's roar had knocked them out. When they came to, they remembered nothing. 'Why did I pass out?' 'I don't remember anything after the lightning struck.' They had no memory of that moment.

Most likely, the overwhelming terror had caused them to delete the memory. In a way, this was convenient.

"Regarding this incident," the General said in a low voice to Tina, who was sitting beside the sleeping Shinsuke, "I would ask that you not speak of the dragon to anyone."

"Understood," Tina replied. "I agree that it's not something to be spread around."

The General looked relieved and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, in the capital...

Situation reports were being exchanged between the nations.

In every case, the monsters had suddenly disappeared.

In the Republic, a massive amount of seawater from the ocean had formed a wall like a waterfall. In the Church, a pink mist had appeared, causing everyone to lose consciousness. In the Kingdom, a giant lizard had been slain.

Inexplicable things had happened.

"Here as well, the monsters that had surrounded the capital suddenly vanished," Yorune said. "According to eyewitnesses, they left as if they were fleeing. Frankly, I have no idea what's going on."

She looked exhausted.

No human had ever experienced anything like this.

"It seems we'll have to wait for General Goltor's report," Olivia said. "I'm going to start dealing with the aftermath here, so please contact me as soon as you know anything. I'll be waiting, anytime."

With that, she ended the transmission.

"I'll be waiting as well," Lustolfo added. "I'd like to hear tonight, if possible. Queen Olivia probably feels the same."

He also ended the transmission.

"I have post-war matters to attend to as well," Altorine said. "I'll talk to you later."

She cut the connection quickly.

Now alone, Yorune looked up at the sky. "Please hurry back and tell me what happened, General."

She sounded like a lover waiting for her beloved.

General Goltor is a married man.