âââââââ
the human kingdom had obtained a national treasure.
the news quickly spread to the other races.
like the human kingdomâs treasure, other races also possessed weapons left by their ancestors to fight the demons. though now, they were all lost.
surprisingly, until now, the other races hadnât tried to recover these artifacts.
the reason was simple, the cost was too high.
the balance of power between the races was, unexpectedly, not that different.
this, of course, excluded the dragons and vampires.
in any case, wasting resources searching for artifacts whose existence was uncertain would inevitably lead to repercussions.
thanks to the royal knightsâ mediation, conflicts between the races had significantly decreased. but hadnât a territorial dispute between the dwarves and beastmen erupted immediately after the royal knightsâ collapse?
thatâs why they were hesitant to search for the artifacts.
they didnât want to waste their strength needlessly. but then, the human kingdom, considered the weakest, suddenly found their national treasure.
[the human kingdom has claimed new territory.]
[and theyâve obtained a national treasure too?]
[this is dangerous. the balance of power is shifting.]
this posed a threat to the other races.
immediately after the royal knightsâ collapse, the human kingdom had seen the most significant development among the allied races.
putting aside everything else, they had recommended hans, an exceptional talent, to the collapsed royal knights, and their subsequent support of the royal knights was a contribution beyond imagination.
furthermore, they used their connections to establish relationships with the dwarf kingdom and the 12 tribes, initiating various projects.
recently, they had even extended their reach to the orcs and elves, with whom they had previously had little interaction.
now, it was no longer possible to simply dismiss the human kingdom.
their influence was steadily growing. and in this situation, they had expanded their territory and obtained a national treasure?
[we cannot remain idle.]
[we need a plan.]
[and for that....]
a sense of crisis, of being left behind, coupled with the desire for power.
ironically, this stemmed from hope.
the hope that they too could fight and defeat the demons.
and their gazes naturally turned towards the symbol of that hope.
âthe dwarf kingdom has requested our support?â
âyes.â
hans clicked his tongue.
the human kingdomâs victory in the siege had expanded their territory, and they were continuing to advance. he had thought they finally had some breathing room.
but what was this? other nations kept sending requests.
moreover, the dwarf kingdom was an ally of the human kingdom and one of the royal knightsâ biggest sponsors.
he couldnât simply ignore them. and with ruby, a dwarf, among his knights, ignoring the request seemed like a surefire way to a bad ending.
hans sighed.
âso, where are they attacking this time?â
âactually, the dwarf kingdom isnât launching an expedition.â
âtheyâre not?â
âno.â
âiâll explain.â
ruby interjected between cluna and hans.
clunaâs expression momentarily soured, but ruby ignored her.
hans, however, was concerned about cluna.
it should be less dangerous.
âsince itâs a dwarf matter, ruby will definitely participate. iâll just take one more person.â
ânice!â
âis anyone physically up to the task?â
hans wanted to give his unit members some rest, especially the young helia, and yuren and cluna, who had worked the hardest.
however, his unit members had other plans.
âthis is my chance.â
âa chance to get ahead of the others!â
âi canât miss this.â
until now, they had always cooperated.
they had to.
during the true demonsâ invasion, they had barely won by focusing on the immediate enemies.
the second expedition had been a matter of the royal knightsâ survival. but this was different.
this was a relatively manageable request, allowing him to adjust the number of participating members.
and that meant an opportunity to get ahead of the others.
if they could share a bed with the commander during this request... it would solidify their position.
âit seems no oneâs willing to back down.â
âapparently not.â
âshould we settle this by force?â
âsettle it by force? how did you even reach that conclusion?â
as his unit members naturally drew their weapons, hans panicked and stopped them.
after some struggle, bayard was chosen to accompany them to the dwarf kingdom. the reason was simple.
âbayard gets along best with ruby.â
???? important notice ????
); }
âthatâs true!â
âth-thank you, commander! i wonât forget this favor!â
âitâs not a favor.â
from hansâs perspective, bayard was the easiest to manage. clara and yuren were difficult to control, and helia and cluna were slightly intimidating.
bayard was the safest choice.
after deciding on the personnel, hans packed minimal supplies and departed immediately on a wyvern.
he felt like staying any longer would only lead to unnecessary conflict. ...or rather, that was an excuse.
since that day, the day the unknown memory surfaced, hans had been subtly avoiding helia.
he didnât understand why. he simply felt uneasy around her.
âruby.â
âyes? what is it?â
ânothing.â
he had considered discussing the issue, but he shook his head.
he didnât want to burden his unit members.
he would sort out his thoughts during this request.
he couldnât avoid helia forever.
thatâs what he thought.
âââââââ
[translator notes]