Chapter 1146: Fort Battle Aftermath

I looked around for Wickerman after scolding the Evil God Fragment, but he was nowhere to be found. We then regrouped with the Kranzel army, and the Dullahans had disappeared too.

According to Donadrond, they all vanished at the same time. Wickerman must have unsummoned them.

It’s hard to say who really won in the end. Kranzel lost half of its army, and the fort they were trying to occupy was literally vaporized.

On the other hand, Raydoss lost an important stronghold, the Carmine Flame Knights, and a powerful relic.

I suppose we can call it a draw, with Kranzel gaining only a slight advantage.

More importantly, we need to discuss our future plans. Well, the only ones capable of deciding that are the nobles, the knight commander, and Donadrond.

We may have joined the battle midway, but Fran’s technically still in the middle of her transport mission. That’s yet to be marked as complete.

Fran stood with her squad in front of Maleficent and Persona. They had neatly lined up in two horizontal rows without a word of conversation.

No one would be able to recognize them as troublemakers anymore.

What’s even more amazing is that they all made it through that fierce battle. It seems they maintained a united front and held the line well. I’m sure some had near-death moments, but everyone survived.

Fran looked somewhat smug as she stood with her squad at her back. She must be proud of training them well.

「I hereby declare your mission complete. Black Lightning Princess-dono, you and your squad have done a wonderful job. Everyone else, the guild officials will inform you of your unit assignments, so please follow their instructions.」

「「「 Yes sir! 」」」

「Good answer. I still have some business with the Black Lightning Princess, but everyone else is dismissed. Thank you for your hard work.」

「「「 Thank you! 」」」

The adventurers responded with a salute, each thanking Fran as they left.

「Thank you so much!」

「Captain, I’ve been reborn thanks to you!」

「Captain! W-Where can I get more curry?」

「Call us again if you ever need anything! I’ll reach your side no matter what!」

Fran shook hands with each as she sent them off. I noticed a hint of loneliness on her face, and I don’t think it’s my imagination.

And for that guy who wants curry, you can probably buy it at Bulbora when the war is over.

「That’s all of them.」

『Yeah. It feels so quiet all of a sudden.』

「Nn.」

Maleficent and Persona approached us after everyone else was gone.

「Let’s move somewhere a bit more appropriate.」

「Okay.」

Maleficent appeared to have a hint of instability and panic when we first arrived on the battlefield, but he seems to have regained his composure now.

He was now back to the aloof, unreadable demeanor he had at the beginning of the transport mission.

As for Persona…

「…?」

She’s even harder to read than Maleficent. Well, I guess she looks pretty energetic, so there’s nothing to worry about.

Maleficent guided us into a small tent, where he reviewed Fran’s performance in the rank-up exam.

Well, the review was pretty much all compliments. It seems Maleficent thought Fran was not only appropriate for Rank A, but also vastly exceeded his expectations.

She literally rehabilitated a squad of troublemakers and saved the Kranzel army, all within the request deadline. Fran accomplished so much that any of her flaws paled in comparison.

That said, Maleficent didn’t have the authority to promote her to Rank A on the spot. His evaluation will be sent to the guild, where the branch heads will meet again to decide whether or not Fran can be promoted.

Apparently, the process will take at least three days.

「Speed is one of the most important things to an adventurer, but I suppose the higher ups forgot that fact.」

「…」

「Hahaha. You think so, Persona?」

「…」

We got through the rank-up exam successfully, which means we will be talking about the war next.

「Black Lightning Princess-dono. I believe you intend to continue participating in the war, yes?」

「Of course.」

Fran already hated Raydoss plenty, and that feeling only grew after meeting Avenger.

Avenger revealed many of Raydoss’s unforgivable deeds, and asked us to avenge him with his last words. Well, we can summon him now, so his last words were kinda meaningless, but it’s the feeling that counts.

There’s no way Fran will back down now, which means I need only to support her.

「I understand. However, the disappearance of the fort means we will have to reassess our strategic objectives. Keep in mind that Kranzel is the one leading the war effort, so a single adventurer like yourself will not be able to act alone.」

Fair, it’s not like the guild can take any land for itself. Our client, the Kingdom of Kranzel, must first decide what they want to do before we can move.

「Where we go may vary greatly depending on the situation on the other fronts.」

「Other fronts?」

「That’s right. Kranzel currently has its army divided into three divisions, each after a different fort.」

Our current location is the westernmost battlefield, the one with the largest number of soldiers. There are additional Raydoss strongholds to the east, which Kranzel is attacking with smaller divisions.

That said, it appears those divisions contain Rank A adventurers as well as former Rank A adventurers, more than enough manpower to take a fort.

And these three divisions were currently discussing Kranzel’s future course of action.

「I believe it will take some time before they can reach a conclusion, so rest your body in the meanwhile. Oh, and I would appreciate it if you could take some time to play with Persona.」

「Nn. Got it.」

「…!」

The moment Fran nodded, Persona rushed in and tackled her, giving her a tight hug. It seems she really wanted to play.

Perhaps it’s because we just made it through a fierce battle, but this gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling.