Chapter 566: Kalwin Rebirth 3
The next morning, I woke up to find myself sleeping in what appeared to be a guest room somewhere. Warmth on either side.
“……Nu”
“Suu……suu……”
On a simple but clean bed, Luna was sleeping with me with her left arm up like a hug and her face tucked in around my right armpit (Though I don’t have an arm). After confirming this, I dropped my head on the pillow once more and recalled the day yesterday, when everything ended like a storm. And now that it’s all over.
“……Going back……I can go home, right?”
I mutter. I had been looking forward to the day when everything would be over, but it felt strange to suddenly be able to go home.
“Of course you’re going home. Leave the rest to me”
My mutterings were answered from within the darkness. I looked up lightly, but I couldn’t move any further because I was afraid I might wake Apple up.
“Dianne. ……Leave it to you?”
“Essentially, I’m responsible for everything that goes on in Kalwin. You’re just holding things together until I get back”
“……I, I see……what is it?”
“You go back to Polka as soon as you can. ……As always, being alone hurts too much. Both your body and your mind”
“……There are people who have been hurt more deeply than me and I’m an outsider after all, so I don’t have any emotional scars”
“You have it all wrong”
Dianne says in a gentle, enveloping tone of voice.
“The hearts of people creak not only when they are beaten or robbed. ……It is when a gentle person has to dive into a not-so-gentle reality, make impossible decisions, endure unreasonableness and try hard to understand insanity that cannot be understood. Your heart can never be at peace. Can you let your mother or your child experience the same fear and make the same decisions that you did before today?”
“……That is”
“It’s not that we don’t feel pain, it’s not that we don’t have scars. Sometimes pain is taken for granted. ……It’s painful for you right now. Your face is blotting out the unexplained frustration of having to do something, hounded by the phantom of grief and responsibility. It’s like looking at a soldier who is wounded, but is still strong enough to say, 『As long as I can move, I’m not a wounded man』”
“……I, I didn’t mean it that way”
“Until you can heal that arm, reassure Selenium, Jeanne and your mother and be able to say, 『I have to train as a blacksmith』, you are not allowed to come back here. Don’t worry, I I can rebuild this country much better than you”
“……I, I’m sure you’re right”
“However, it is also prohibited. ……Saving people, towns and countries is not something that can be achieved by rushing alone. It is something that will continue for many years to come. Therefore, think about things from the perspective of 『You』. It’s 『Us』. Believe in your friends, including me”
“……I can’t believe I’m leaving you here, Dianne”
“What, if dragons are going to protect the country from monsters, then it’s only a matter of people. It’s a good thing as long as we can train people who can take on that responsibility, so it’s not a long story. ……Besides, there are things that can be cleaned up. If you don’t clean things up, you’ll never be able to achieve your goal, right?”
“My goal……?”
“You’re still sleepwalking. ……I thought you were going to make Neia a female slave”
“Eh, ah……yes, I was”
“Neia won’t retreat to Polka with you unless she thinks they can do without her in this country”
Dianne said in a teasing tone, but it was true. I can’t let Neia live in Polka without making her worry about her homeland.
“I’ll make sure that Neia comes to Polka, since I’ve made you go that far. That’s what this is all about. ……It will take time to build a system in a country where there is nothing, but you will come to see me, won’t you?”
“……I feel like I was banned from coming back earlier”
“Of course, I’ll wait long enough for you to grow an arm and take a breather”
“……As soon as possible”
After all, this person is willing to go through all the trouble. No, I guess she feels responsible for having to face all of Kalwin’s messes. But it’s because of Dianne that I’m convinced that I’m beneath other people. Rainer couldn’t allow anyone to rise above him and that’s what happened. It’s important to have someone to look up to.
“Well, it’s almost dawn”
Dianne muttered and opened the wooden door of the window. The blue sky just after dawn appears brilliant to eyes accustomed to the darkness. Although the angle of the angle prevents the dawn light from falling directly on the bed, the light hitting the walls and Dianne’s skin makes me imagine a fresh sunrise that heralds the arrival of a new era in this world.
“Ah……”
“Nni……, huaa”
Apple and Luna finally wake up to it.
“It’s morning. You two. ……Come on, get ready to go home!”
Dianne blasted them, squinting into the sun.
————————————–
The dignitaries from each country will of course be sent back to their home countries promptly. For this purpose, many dragons, including the silver dragons, were to be dispatched and on top of that, they were to arrange for as many empty carriages as possible when they returned to their home countries. These are vehicles for immigrants. As expected, they would be transported dozens of times, but the psychological load of long-distance travel is much different between being transported by dragons in a regular vehicle and riding in a carriage. It was also decided that around ten deputies and technical instructors would be sent to Kalwin from Trot, Celesta and Renfangas, respectively, to work together for the time being to rebuild the city. They will support Kalwin through discussions and cultivate its extra capacity so that it can serve as a base for the demon territory pacification project in the future. The condition of the demon territory should be improved by using this valley as a base from which to proceed with investigations and build a modern labyrinth as appropriate. It’s a very long time in the making.
“So how about……Princess Stana?”
High Priest Duke, or the deputy king, asks his opinion to King Ulysses, who is getting ready to go home. The former king left the preparations to Ector and pondered for a while.
“It would be good to add it to the immigrant’s first arrow”
“Ha……that heart”
“If she loses her authority, she can do nothing anyway. But people who have only known a life of oppression will still appreciate the banner. She is the perfect person to unite the people of the new country”
“But I imagine she will resent being thrown out of the palace like that”
“At best, she should resent the old man. ……After she realizes the powerlessness of a queen without her people, she will be untouchable once Smithson has won her over”
“Eh, it’s me!?”
“You have decided to save the people and I’m willing to make it easier for you to do so?”
“…………”
From now on, the king is suddenly turning the bowl around. With a face like it was natural. It’s understandable that he was feared when he was active, but I think it must have been difficult to get along with him. Both enemies and allies.
“Well then, Neia. Leave this to me”
“Brian, I know I’m……in this critical time”
“It’s okay because Dianne-dono is here. Besides, you haven’t been counted as a hero for over a year now. Don’t worry, first of all, go and rest with Beatrice”
Neia was to accompany Beatrice to Polka for the time being. Brian decided that it would be too much to ask her to accompany us alone. ……I feel like they’re paying more attention to me than that. Over a dozen other people will be accompanying me on my return trip to Polka, including villagers from the craftsman village who were diagnosed by Hilda and determined to require early treatment and members of the Ace Knight Corps who were injured in the battle. It turns out.
“Leda. I’m counting on you”
“Leave it to me”
I also asked Leda to bring all the Elders who were waiting for their injuries to heal at the Crystal Palace to Polka. The dragon’s injuries can be healed in Polka. They would not be left to suffer forever.
“The festival was a spectacular one, but in the end, the most tedious part of a battle is the cleanup”
“There is no battle for the sake of battle. It’s only natural that what comes next is what matters. Besides, no one expects you to clean up the mess, Annette
“That’s right. I guess it’s over, it’s over, yay
Great Knight Chief Annette and Great Knight Chief Lister were also sighing at the situation, which couldn’t be resolved easily as they prepared to have Sahul carry them. A grand finale like a fairy tale doesn’t happen that often. There are still problems beyond that and the people who are working hard will not disappear. ……In a sense, I think Renfangas is the best example of that.
“One day when you have some free time, High Priest Duke……and the acting king, please come to Polka. I’m sure that leg will heal too”
“……I look forward to it, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be free for a while”
High Priest Duke replied to my parting words with a wry smile.
“Then you’d better get yourself well, Andy”
“Yes”
Beside me, Dianne pokes me with her finger and kisses me before sending me on my way. I pull my face away from her, thinking, Dianne, you’ve learned how to do this naturally in front of people. She is a gentleman. And then the dragons flew from the backyard of the royal palace in threes and threes, returning the heroes to their homes. We watched them and then Maia, Laila and Broll’s formation crossed the Blue Snake Mountains and set course for Polka.
———————————–
It was well past midnight when we arrived in Polka. It was already dark when we tried to see the old town and the only bright spots were the baron’s mansion, the tavern and the hot springs with their bonfires still burning.
“Sorry, Boyd”
“No, it’s the least I could do”
We got off the carriage at a meadow near the forest and crossed the meadow with Boyd on our backs, listening to Naris and Keiron discussing whether we should go to the tavern first, the inn, or the hot springs…….I was spoiled because without one hand, I would have a terrible time if I fell. In addition, Beatrice is carried on back by Neia, not Goto…….both of them are small in stature, which makes me smile a little. Irina was following us at a bit of a gallop.
“I wonder if we should go straight to Breakcore now”
“No, we’re tired from the trip, so let’s wait until after the night. I don’t think it’s a good idea to come in at night”
“I thought Breakcore didn’t sleep”
Even if Breakcore is good, if we suddenly barge in with dragons, the silver and red ones will be surprised”
……Well, I’m just being reasonable about it.
“I’d rather go to Selenium’s”
“I see……”
“The Baron’s mansion”
Boyd carried me back on his back and quickened his pace, then slowed a little later when he noticed that Irina was having trouble.
The first people to greet me when I arrived at the baron’s mansion were Jeanne and Fennel.
“I knew it was you guys”
“I saw something go down over there. Did Andy make it?”
“Right here, right here”
Boyd’s body was so big that they couldn’t see me from the front. Even so, they can still see dragons in the night sky. As expected of a dwarf’s night vision.
“You’re all right, aren’t you? I was a little scared when 100-man commander said something scary……what happened to your arm?”
“Ah……emm, I’m going to have Breakcore fix it tomorrow”
I’ll have Boyd take me down and they’ll notice something wrong with my right arm, but I won’t go into detail about how it happened. I’ll explain it when I have more time.
“I heard that Selenium was in labor……”
“Ah……”
“……Uh, the child was born……wasn’t it?”
I was worried about Jeanne and Fennel, who reacted somewhat subtly, as if they were going to bite me.
“……Emm, right now……it’s better to stop”
“……H, Hey. No way”
I didn’t suspect it at all until just now, but suddenly I’m worried. The birth of a child is not completely safe, even here in Polka. Stillbirths happen and sometimes mothers die. I had tried not to think about this possibility. But to be suddenly told such a thing as if I were being doused with cold water.
“Jeanne……!?”
“E, Emm…….”
Jeanne clammed up and I tried to grab Jeanne’s shoulder……with both hands, but I still only had one hand, so I shook her with just one hand and tried to question her.
“……Andy, san……?”
I hear Selenium’s voice from behind me. I turn around, thinking, thank god, Selenium is at least……safe.
“……What happened to your arm……? Who did that?”
Selenium is smiling and shaking, holding an adorable baby in her arms. I mean, let’s put aside the question of why she’s behind me.
“S, Selenium, calm down! Just calm down!”
“E, Emm, Selenium-san’s been a little unstable since before and after the birth!”
“Not only Andy’s leg, but also his dominant arm……em, Dianne, what’s going on? Did you kill the murderer?”
“H, Hey, really calm down Selenium, I did this myself! There are some circumstances!?”
According to Selenium, who later regained her composure, 「Andy-san was too short」. ……Hu, that’s what happens when you run short.