Chapter 692
“Sorry for being late.”
As everyone’s eyes gathered on him, Kamibarez’s eyes welled up with tears of emotion.
“Simooon—!”
She spread her arms wide and ran, throwing herself tightly into Simon’s chest.
‘Uh, huh?’
Simon was flustered at the girl who suddenly rushed at him.
The familiar black school uniform, the familiar crown of her head. And more than anything, the adorable bat wings fluttering, fluttering, fluttering with joy.
‘Why is Kami in the North?’
As he blankly looked down at her, Simon suddenly felt his chest become damp.
“Simon.”
Burying her face against his chest, she slowly lifted her head.
Those large eyes were glistening with tears of emotion. After examining Simon’s face with a trembling look, she then bloomed into a radiant smile like a flower in full blossom.
“I’m so glad you’re safe!”
‘Ah.’
Simon felt his own face flush without realizing it.
“Y-yeah.”
At that moment, Grand Duke approached from behind, arms crossed, with a mischievous smile.
“This is amusing. Is she your girlfriend?”
Both of them turned back, faces red, and shouted,
“No!”
“No!”
Their reaction made the Grand Duke laugh out loud.
“Good.”
She tossed back her long hair and turned her back.
“I’ll lend you my office, go on and share your stories. Once you’re done, come out to the training ground outside the castle. I’ll hear the report there.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you!”
Simon and Kamibarez shared all that had happened in the Grand Duke’s office.
Kamibarez spoke of waiting for Simon in Bilkenos, and then somehow ending up fighting the ‘Fourth’.
Simon recounted how he joined the Northern Army with the Grand Duke and fought the North Star.
Of course, Simon had no choice but to leave out anything regarding the Legion Commander or Xairos.
“Sorry, Kami.”
Simon scratched the back of his head.
“You got dragged into trouble because of me.”
“N-no! I was the one who stubbornly insisted on coming here!”
She shook her head. The adorable bat wings followed, fluttering flap flap.
“And besides, catching evil undead that torment people is the duty of a necromancer! I also got to put the results of our special lessons into practice right away, so it was a great learning experience!”
Simon suppressed the urge to pat her head, smiling kindly instead.
“But Kami, how did you know I was in northern Carlos?”
The destinations for each student’s special lessons were top secret.
They were never to be revealed externally, and even fellow Keyzen students were not allowed access to such confidential information.
Yet Kamibarez, simply because she “wanted to return to school with Simon”, had broken through that secrecy.
When Simon asked, Kamibarez blinked innocently and fluttered her wings.
“I talked with Lady Neftis!”
Simon’s eyes widened.
“With Lady Neftis? Directly?”
“Yes! Her subordinates said I needed authorization from the higher-ups, so I called with the crystal sphere, but suddenly—what a surprise!”
She closed her eyes as though recalling that moment.
“It turned out Lady Neftis herself answered the call! She asked me a few things, then told me Simon was in northern Carlos, but asked if I’d be alright with that. She said she could send me there, but to be careful!”
Simon gave a wry, awkward smile.
‘What on earth is she thinking?’
As always, Neftis’ actions were far beyond prediction.
She had exposed the existence of the 7th Legion during the Dark Emperor’s time, she had suddenly brought in the special lessons system, and sent Simon off to the North without warning.
In the end, thanks to Kamibarez’s brilliant efforts, Bilkenos was safe, but Simon could clearly picture Jane suffering under the burden of cleaning up her superior’s mess.
“Still, rules are rules. Could you keep it a secret that I came to northern Carlos?”
“Yes, of course!”
Reunited after so long, the two chattered away happily.
The return to Keyzen was scheduled for the very next day.
Although their return was already considerably overdue, the school seemed understanding of the unavoidable northern incident and was willing to consider their circumstances.
‘Ugh, when am I going to finish all the piled-up homework and assignments?’
He thought he’d have to stay up all night to complete the tasks delayed during the war.
‘Oh, right.’
Simon belatedly remembered that the Grand Duke was waiting for his report, and stood up.
She must be very curious about what happened with the North Star.
“Rest here. I’ll go give the Grand Duke the report.”
Kamibarez nodded brightly with a big smile.
“Yes, Simon!”
* * *
Leaving the castle, walking a little through the garden, one arrived at the Grand Duke’s training ground.
Simon walked at ease, now familiar with this place.
He remembered the times he had trained here with the Grand Duke. When he failed to grasp her teachings, she would scold him, strike him with a scabbard, and then suddenly gaze at the sky, firing the Bow of Tempest, only to return again.
Now all of that was coming to an end.
“Ah.”
He spotted the Grand Duke.
She was in training clothes, sitting on a tree stump.
The Bow of Tempest she rarely parted with lay on the grass, and exercise equipment was scattered all around.
“You’ve come.”
She turned and smiled.
Simon also smiled as he approached her.
“Training?”
“Out of habit, I put on my training clothes and picked up the equipment when I came here, only to realize.”
Her voice was tinged with a strange sense of regret.
“That the war is over, and there’s no need for it anymore.”
“......I see.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Nothing serious. I should be fully healed in a few days.”
“That’s a relief.”
Simon then reported in detail the events of the Frost Field.
Since she was a fellow Legion Commander, he could tell her everything about Xairos and the matters involving the Commanders.
The truth of the North Star whom the North had been fighting was that it was actually ‘Xairos’.
Once a guardian protecting the North under Yona’s orders, over time he believed Yona had abandoned him, and his mind deteriorated, consumed by his command.
The North Star crept into that weakened mind. Xairos thought he had killed the North Star and become the North Star himself, but in truth he was only being manipulated by it.
Thus, for the five years Xairos had bought them, the Grand Duke grew strong enough to stand her ground, and a bloody struggle ensued between her and Xairos, who had become the North Star.
“I see.”
Now knowing the whole truth, she seemed deep in thought.
Lifting her head, gazing up at the sky, she gave a bitter smile.
“I owe Xairos an apology.”
Simon was startled.
He had thought that, since they had fought as mortal enemies until now, even if the North Star had vanished, she might still hold Xairos accountable. But instead, she revealed a feeling of guilt.
“How could I resent Xairos, he was our benefactor who protected the North for so many years.”
Her voice fell heavy.
“If I had paid more attention to Xairos, perhaps none of this would have happened. But during those five years, I was overwhelmed without a moment to breathe. Duties as a Grand Duke, training as a Legion Commander, unifying the divided North, instilling pride into citizens drowning in despair. I was too busy just keeping myself together.”
“......Grand Duke.”
She gave a self-mocking smile.
“But that too is only an excuse. I and the North were too busy enjoying the peace bought by Xairos’ sacrifice.”
She slowly lifted her hand, clenching it into a firm fist.
“For those five years, we arrogantly believed peace to be natural. And we paid the price for it, for a long time. There is no such thing as peace without cost.”
Simon silently nodded.
Then the two of them discussed Frost Field, and agreed on what to say.
The Grand Duke only ruled the North. She would reclaim the territories originally belonging to the North that the North Star had taken, but she would acknowledge Frost Field as the ‘domain of the 7th Legion’, and recognize Xairos’ autonomy. And she promised to block citizens from entering Frost Field.
However, since the people were still intoxicated by victory, they needed a firm reason to prevent them from venturing into Frost Field.
“There’s no need to think of one. Frost Field doesn’t only have undead.”
“You mean monsters.”
“Yes.”
Frost Field was home to an uncountable number of monsters.
In truth, the North Star’s presence in the North hadn’t been entirely negative. He had also served to control the unrestrained growth of monster populations.
In the past, there had even been times when monsters had been far stronger than the North Star.
If monster numbers exploded beyond control, or if undead grew too dominant, either way the humans of the North would suffer. The balance between undead and monsters was crucial.
“Before returning to Bilkenos, Xairos also told me,”
Simon folded his arms.
“That death cannot easily triumph over life.”
“It is the truth.”
The monsters of Frost Field had terrifying fertility and numbers. Especially during breeding season, they produced offspring beyond counting, and those young became adults in only a few years. Soon, their numbers could swell enough to cover mountains.
“I plan to cooperate with Xairos, reducing the monster population.”
The Grand Duke spoke calmly.
“Of course, compared to the war against the North Star, this is nothing.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Peace.
One thing was certain, the North had truly regained peace.
As time passed, once Xairos firmly established himself as the North Star, the flow of monsters southward would lessen. Then perhaps the North could finally see a true golden age.
“The war is over, the North will find peace.”
Stretching his arms, Simon said,
“And the Grand Duke will be somewhat freed of duties too.”
“That is true.”
“What do you plan to do from now on?”
“Well.”
She closed her eyes.
“I’ve been pondering that myself.”
Jin Arskalt had lived solely to protect the North, to defeat the North Star.
But with peace arriving, she would be freed from Arskalt’s duty.
“What about living as just ‘Jin’, a human being, not as the Grand Duke of the North?”
At Simon’s question, she gave a slightly embarrassed little cough, hmph.
Simon asked again.
“Is there anything you want to do?”
“I’ve never really thought about it.”
“Then what about something you’re interested in, or a hobby?”
“None.”
Someone who had poured their entire life into duty, once granted leisure, no longer knew what they liked or what they should do.
That saddened Simon.
“Well.”
A playful smile touched her lips.
“Perhaps entering the royal court of the kingdom would be fun, I could knock down the arrogance of those central nobles.”
“Ahaha! True.”
If the Grand Duke of the North turned her eyes from the North and set her sights on the capital, the politics of the Carlos Kingdom would descend into turmoil. Exactly what the nobles feared most.
Simon scratched the side of his head.
“But that wouldn’t be because you enjoy it, Grand Duke, it would just be because you dislike nobles.”
“That’s true. In fact, I despise politics.”
She closed her eyes for a moment in thought, then looked at Simon.
“?”
As Simon blinked curiously, she spoke.
“Come to think of it, there is something I’ve recently taken an interest in.”
“What is it?”
An enigmatic smile played upon her lips.
“Education.”
Simon suddenly felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and his spine.
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