61 – Patience-1

“The intelligence department was aware of your whereabouts.”

“…”

I had no intention of saying anything until then.

The imperial palace had put up a fuss, so I couldn’t tell them to draw attention.

“You wouldn’t have to save me?”

“It’s for the citizens of the Empire. And, you still have unpaid debts.”

It wasn’t unusual for Eleanor to go out and rescue people.

She was the one who turned away from dying people in the hero’s party, but that was because it was an emergency situation.

“Since when did you become so interested in me? Ever since I gained the power of a hero? Ever since I realized I was needed for the protection of the imperial family?”

“…even without that, I would have apologized.”

Maybe that was her true intention. Somewhere in her heart, a reflection on what she was doing. Or maybe there was a desire to encourage me.

However, it was already meaningless.

“when?”

“…”

But those priorities were down there.

she was busy Even though it wasn’t a giant like the Orc Lord, it was constantly dealing with a group of monsters that were at that level or a little less than that.

The moment I thought it was okay not to apologize to me right now, there is no guarantee that those words will come true even after many years.

There must have been instructions from the emperor, and I must have felt bad for not moving according to her will right away.

He might have thought that reconciliation with me could have been done at any time after all those things were over.

“Even if it’s late, it’s something you have to do. Not only me, but His Majesty the Emperor will help you.”

It was fortunately out of misfortune. Aside from gathering magic materials that were impossible to obtain, gathering people to participate in small and expensive magic materials or rituals was a near-impossible task.

“…Yes. What are we going to do now?”

it makes sense If you ever thought of apologizing to me, it’s a bit deceiving, but it wasn’t impossible to apologize now.

Eleanor bowed her head sadly.

“…Until then, I hadn’t thought about it.”

When I talk to her, sometimes I feel like I’m talking to something other than a person.

Imperial knights, princesses, and warriors. As if that identity is the essence of a person named Eleanor.

That would have been sincere.

“I thought I would die. I never thought about the next…”

Always had plans for the next one. So, of course, I thought I would be ready for the next move as well.

But now, she was too weak.

“Is it okay if I follow you and atone for my sins?”

A visceral reluctance welled up.

“With that body?”

“…I told Celia in advance. I couldn’t participate in this fight, but if you keep following me and casting healing magic, I’ll be able to recover soon.”

I wanted to reject it outright, but I also felt my limits.

If the hero’s power still remains, even her fully recovered body will be weaker than me.

But even taking that into account, she was the best prosecutor. According to the Holy Sword, the strength of the hero gradually fades after the defeat of the demon king.

How much longer can I have this power?

At any rate, if my power were to disappear at any moment, wouldn’t the journey be cut off?

Considering her character, she will keep that promise to the end for a moment to help me once. Unless, at least, the demon king is resurrected and aims for the empire.

“Okay, let’s talk later. Parseer, what about you?”

No matter how you look at it, it was a small body that was invisible to a wizard who had lived for several hundred years.

If it wasn’t for the conical hat that was worn down, the first person who saw her would never think of her as a wizard.

“That spell is the magic I wrote right after I came here.”

“…No way.”

“I just didn’t save my magic.”

Of course, a magician of her level could use the minimum amount of magic even in an unprepared situation.

It was not impossible to use Meteor without preparation to split the formation of Orcs and burn countless Orcs.

“Are you serious?”

I couldn’t believe it when I thought of her act of cherishing even a drop of magical power like a psychopath.

“Now, your life is just more important than what you can do with that magical power.”

Has she changed a bit too?

“I thought you were busy preparing. The reason I saved you was to help me return…”

“I’m making an effort. Still, freshness is as important as the presence or absence of ingredients in magic rituals. There are things that cannot be obtained even with money and effort…”

Farseer stroked his purple hair with his small fingers.

“And above all, if you die here, it’s all for nothing.”

I heard all the questions

“Please, I beg you, so don’t ever… see my face again.”

Maybe it was a moment to say thank you.

Whatever Eleanor’s intentions, her help was timely. It wasn’t that I was forced to bow my head because I was afraid of my power.

It was the same with Parseer. At least not like Nerwen, who had no choice but to bow his head to me to break something like that curse.

I was very complacent. Emotions preceded them, so they couldn’t create a means to control them.

Of course, no matter what method you use, there will be no way to confirm that the control is working properly.

If the best mages and emperors work together, they will be able to evade or break any curse or oath.

Anyway, they came here on their own volition. to prevent me from dying.

I couldn’t understand that. If he had stood in front of me to betray me and kill me, I would have felt a little more at ease.

Because I can really fight to kill them this time, because I can get angry without any hesitation or guilt.

But they didn’t. I acted with dedication, as if I had become a bad person.

If you would have treated me like this a little bit sooner, it would be okay if you didn’t have to do anything until the demon lord was defeated, at least if you had treated me like this on the way back.

I began to understand the saintess’ heart a little.

“Why are you here now…”

If it had been a little faster, I wouldn’t have to hate it this much.

“Even now, I will atone. It doesn’t matter if I’m a porter or a more humble position. I’ll do whatever you ask me to do.

Eleanor bowed her head deeply. It was the first time I’d seen her apologize.

Because she was always proud of her actions. I didn’t do anything to apologize for later.

“…Can you really?”

She is different from others.

She wasn’t the only one who swore to be eaten like a slave, but Nerwen’s and hers were different.

Elf lifespan and human lifespan are different. Even if Nerwen serves me while I am alive, it does not dedicate her entire life.

In an extreme case, he could have entered the world tree and stabbed me in the back. Breaking the curse was her purpose.

Besides, Nerwen and she are facing different weights. I don’t know what the Great War of the World Tree is like, but no matter how important it is, she won’t be able to do it like the princess.

It was clear that Eleanor would soon leave, saying she would take responsibility for the empire.

Confused, I looked down at her with a complicated state of mind.

/////

“The Orc troops that went into the raid a while ago were wiped out.”

Creon’s fierce gaze was directed at the emperor. Creon’s demeanor in front of the huge throne was quite rude, but only the emperor and his guards could see it.

The servants standing behind did not have to see it, and if the emperor was hostile to Creon, he could point it out regardless of his attitude. After all, there was no one to blame for the rudeness.

“I’ve heard a little about Jim… what do you think?”

This was the first official report. Creon and the emperor had to confirm each other’s intelligence and intentions.

“They said that Baron Enerel did a great job. As a result of the investigation, it was confirmed that the size of the enemy was not small, and there were even oak roads.”

“Hoo.”

It was a statement close to the truth, but it could be distorted at any time.

If Creon wants it, ‘the number of Orcs has been inflated too much.’ They could have caught the same fault, and they could even doubt the authenticity of the Orc Lord.

There were not a few eyewitnesses, but the testimony of ordinary farmers and soldiers could be mistaken, and the nobles could be put under pressure.

But Creon acknowledged that it was a huge threat. As a result, it must be acknowledged that the lord of the princess faction fought bravely and made a contribution.

“Others were there, but they don’t seem to have played an important role. It is said that Baron Enerel defeated the Orc Lord alone and led the fight to victory by digging into the enemy camp.”

In a way, it was only natural to downgrade the emperor’s most faithful servants and blood relatives, the princess and Farseer, to ‘others’.

“is it…”

Creon pushed the situation he wanted. To lower the influence of the princess and make Enerel a huge military attack.

There is no benefit to them right now, but as these things pile up one by one, his existence itself becomes politically significant.

There is little chance that the emperor will capture him, so if he takes the time and the aristocratic faction recruits Enerel, he will be able to deal a major blow to the emperor.

“What can I do, Your Majesty?”

The Emperor had to choose.