Chapter 766

After enjoying a grand feast, just like the mountain of dishes waiting to be washed, even if all the battles were over, we couldn’t just relax and rest. No matter what, the cleanup was always left to those who remained.

“Injured, over here! Shaulite Church Order priests, handle the emergency treatment! The rest, start a fire to keep everyone warm!”

“Priests with any strength left, use the Blessing of Purification! We need to erase the dark magic Nidhogg scattered!”

“Gather the Dragon’s Remains in one place! They belong to Her Majesty Astika as spoils of war!”

The Holy Legion was twice as busy cleaning up as they were during the fight. Whether it was due to their religious sense of duty or just wanting to get out of this freezing mountain as soon as possible, who knows?

Meanwhile, we stepped back, started a campfire, and took a break. Since we couldn’t find proper firewood, we had to rely on the fairies for help.

“Is this really okay…?” Rana muttered, glancing at the fairies who willingly became firewood without any protest.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. We’re going to cremate them all for purification anyway, so what’s the harm in burning a few early?” I patted Rana’s shoulder and smiled.

As I lit a cigarette wrapped in a World Tree leaf I found in Ereneisia and took a deep puff.

“Haaaaa…”

This is… amazing.

In both my past and current life, this was the best cigarette I’ve ever smoked.

How unfair that the fairies monopolize something this good. I was so entranced that I started seeing dinosaurs flying in the sky.

…Wait, why are they flying?

“Uh… is that a World Tree leaf?” Ophelia, suspicious of my dazed expression, tilted her head and asked.

“Yeah… why?”

“…That’s practically a hallucinogenic drug for humans, you know. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“What the hell.”

This was a drug?

“Huh? Really? Spit it out, spit it out! Quick, ptooey!”

I threw the half-burned cigarette to the ground and shook my head.

Rana, panicking, quickly stomped out the cigarette.

“Haa, haa…”

The flying dinosaurs disappeared like a mirage. I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and sighed in relief.

“Those damn fairies, what kind of drugs are they carrying?”

I almost became a drug offender.

In the original story, it was supposed to restore energy, but no wonder I felt so entranced.

—

While I was messing around like that, the rest of the group also gathered around the campfire to rest.

Damien, who had passed out after cutting off Nidhogg’s head, was covered in the Holy Light of the healing priests and was fast asleep. Milia was clinging to him, sharing body heat.

Ophelia was busy collecting leaves from the fairies’ corpses, while Nigel and Ja-han…

“It was my lightning that took down the Guardians. Without my lightning paralyzing them, your flames wouldn’t have done anything. They would’ve dodged everything.”

“Ha, without the firepower of the Red Lotus Blade, you wouldn’t have been able to wipe them out. At best, you’d have taken down one.”

They were arguing over who contributed more, or maybe whose weapon was better. Who knows?

They’re really going at it. They were arguing like this earlier too. They’re going to get along at this rate.

[Why does that knight keep trying to one-up Ja-han? Anyone can see Ja-han is several times better.]

‘That’s just you, just you.’

I shook my head at Hersela’s complaints and turned my gaze to the battlefield scattered with corpses.

Specifically, to Asha, who was busy cutting off the fairies’ hair and carefully peeling off the few remaining Dragonkin scales.

She looked ten times happier than when she blew off the dragon’s foreleg with the Pile Bunker.

When I asked what she was going to do with it, she said fairy hair was incredibly soft yet tough, perfect for bowstrings, clothing linings, or even underwear.

“I’ll make a few sets for Ha-shal-leur too!”

“Uh… sure, thanks.”

I could only nod awkwardly at Asha’s bright smile.

Wearing clothes made from the corpses of other races… but then again, the armor I’m wearing is made from Ryu-rik’s fur, so who am I to judge?

Ah, so warm.

Ryu-rik was such a warm-hearted man.

—

Seilon, who had been busy directing the Holy Legion in the cleanup, finally finished gathering the scattered corpses and burning them. He approached me, knelt on one knee, and greeted me.

“The situation is finally under control. It’s been a while, Your Majesty Astika. I hope you’ve been well.”

“I’m always fine. And you? How have you been?”

Seilon smiled and nodded.

“Yes. Thanks to you revealing the Holy Mark, the misunderstandings have… somewhat cleared up. Things are peaceful now.”

…His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

After I left the Holy Kingdom, the nickname “Seilon the Well-Ended” spread like wildfire, whether it was an honor or a disgrace.

“Uh… that’s good to hear.”

Well, uh… sorry about that.

But, you know, it’s better to be known for being big than for being small or fast, right…?

“Some devout citizens challenged me to duels, claiming I had defiled the Saintess… but thankfully, after some duels and conversations, they cleared up their misunderstandings and left.”

“……”

In front of Seilon, who was laughing with a resigned expression, I could only wipe away cold sweat in silence.

If I had ten mouths, I still wouldn’t know what to say.

—

After helping Seilon up and sitting him down, we chatted for about twenty minutes about the current state of the Holy Kingdom.

Finally, the purification of Nidhogg’s remains was complete.

“Oh…”

Unlike the grotesque appearance of the fairies’ hearts, the dragon’s remains, stripped of flesh, were overwhelmingly majestic.

Even I, who thought it would just look like a dinosaur fossil, found it impressive. I can only imagine how it looked to the others.

“How are we going to move that?”

“Disassemble it and load it onto the airship. Not sure if it’ll all fit.”

“Didn’t we send the airship to Pailoon territory? If we land it here, it might get attacked and destroyed.”

Asha, who was busy packing up the remains of fairies and Dragonkin, tilted her head and asked.

As she said, the airship was currently near Pailoon territory. We had to send it far away to avoid attacks from Dragonkin or fairies.

“Right, so we’ll send a messenger to call it back. Until then, we’ll have to guard this place.”

“Camping in this cold? What kind of suffering is this…”

Ophelia sighed and blew out smoke from her magical cigarette.

“Then why don’t you go down and come back? Just fly non-stop for four days without sleep.”

“…Camping sounds better.”

Yeah, I knew you’d refuse. It’s much more comfortable to make a shelter and endure than to fly around in the cold wind.

“Who are you planning to send as the messenger?”

“Well… the Holy Legion needs to return to the Holy Kingdom, and I need to stay here in case of an attack… Damien’s in no condition, so it’ll have to be someone on horseback… which means…”

I stroked my chin and thought for a moment.

I jokingly suggested Ophelia go, but with a mage’s stamina, such a forced march would be impossible. So, there was only one option left.

“Nigel, you’ll have to go. I’ll lend you Cascador. Ride it to Pailoon Castle and find the airship to deliver the message.”

“Huh? M-me?”

Nigel flinched and shook her head slightly. Her eyes darted around like an earthquake had hit.

What’s with the sudden reaction?

Knowing Nigel, it’s not like she’s refusing because it’s too hard.

Her uncharacteristic reaction made the rest of the group look at her curiously.

Except for Ja-han, who was looking at a distant mountain peak, indifferent.

“Why, are you too injured?”

“No, uh, um, ah. It’s not that. It’s just… uh, well… eek.”

Nigel’s face turned bright red as she stuttered.

Her gaze wandered aimlessly, her hands fidgeted, and her speech was halting. It was a bizarre reaction.

“Uh… are you really not hurt? The treatment should’ve finished…”

Did she hit her head? She looks fine, but maybe there’s internal bleeding…

I reached out to touch her forehead with a worried expression.

“It’s not that, it’s just…! I, uh…”

Nigel, who had been rambling, closed her eyes tightly, bowed her head, and finally answered in a tiny voice.

“I… can’t ride Cascador anymore.”

“……What?”

My jaw dropped.

“What?”

“Huh?”

Ophelia and Milia’s jaws also dropped.

[What…?]

If Hersela had a mouth, hers would’ve dropped too.

If words had physical power, this bombshell would’ve caused an avalanche in the Sky Mountain Range.

“……?”

As the group fell silent, doubting their ears, only Rana tilted her head, not understanding what was going on.