Chapter 98
Rex, the son of Belzark.
Like the other orcs, on the day of his coming-of-age ceremony, he joined the army with an axe and began cutting down enemies.
At the age of twenty-two, he faced his first near-death experience, and the following year, he faced another.
At twenty-six, he achieved his first notable exploit worthy of being called an ‘accomplishment,’ becoming someone whose name occasionally circulated among the soldiers.
By the age of thirty-three this year, the number of mutants killed by his hands exceeded ten thousand, and the lives he saved numbered over one hundred thousand.
Rex, the son of Belzark, was not someone who should be called a ‘genius,’ but he was courageous and just, fitting to be called a hero.
“Damn.”
Yes, damn it – the hero.
“Bastard of a… beggar.”
I gently placed my hand on Rex’s fallen body.
The adrenaline from the battle subsided, and the silence around me began to ring in my ears.
“…”
Ice-cold. A large hole in the abdomen, and blood continued to flow.
I tried my hardest to lay Rex’s body flat. Naturally, his body wouldn’t budge.
“Rex, are you still awake…?”
No matter how much I strained, the body wouldn’t move. Lying face down like that, it would be hard for him to breathe.
Helplessly, I managed to turn just his head to the side.
“…Shit.”
Rex’s face, turned sideways, was deathly pale. His breathing was faint, and his skin was ice-cold.
“Shiiit…”
I collapsed in the spot. Feeble lightning erupted from the floor. The noisy sound of electricity echoed between my skin and robe.
[Serenity]…
prevented me from succumbing to sorrow completely.
I would feel much lighter if I could just burst into tears.
Today, I owed my life to Rex three times.
So, sitting sprawled on the spot, I silently prayed with clasped hands.
I didn’t know to whom I should pray.
Yes, Rex believed in Astellara, so I should pray to Astellara as well.
“…”
Thus, silence reigned again.
For what felt like eternity.
“…Rise.”
Not long after, the silence shattered.
The owner of the voice was the Sword Saint. I immediately rose to my feet and shot a bolt of lightning toward the source of the voice.
The white flame grazed past the Sword Saint.
I glared at him with resentment, and he looked at me with sympathy.
“Move…”
“Why did you arrive so late?”
I know.
I know that the Sword Saint went to deal with the Grand Marshal. I know that I’m in no position to question him.
I understand that the reason I managed to gain the upper hand against Maltiel was because of the pressure that the ‘Sword Saint would soon arrive’ was weighing on him.
I understand that Rex’s death was entirely due to my lack of strength.
I know that Alter’s death was also due to my weakness.
From the start, it was a mistake to pretend to be a genius and deceive everyone…
“Move. Nothing is over yet.”
“What do you…”
The fight is over.
The presence of this human means the third Grand Marshal, Michael, is dead.
The fourth one was killed directly by Rex, so the war in Valleland is…
“Straighten up, General. The battle may be over, but the war isn’t. Tend to the wounded. If we act quickly, there are still many lives we can save.”
“…Save, Rex?”
“It’s not just Rex Belzark. Alter Heinzel, Maxwell sergeant, Martellion lieutenant, and Hames corporal as well. There’s a chance if we move now.”
Alter.
“Did you see Alter? Where is…”
“I only have three more minutes before I must leave the battlefield. I will bring the critically injured to Gridia. You can remain here, since your injuries are not severe. I can only carry so many, so please stay put.”
The Sword Saint said this and then stepped into the deep hole, approaching Rex. He tore his clean sleeve and used it like a bandage.
“The battle is over, but the war isn’t. Remember that, General.”
He repeated his words and briefly inspected Rex’s body where a large hole pierced the abdomen. Then, without staunching the wound, he lifted Rex onto his back.
Perhaps the Sword Saint judged that bringing Rex to Gridia faster would give him a better chance of survival than applying a makeshift tourniquet?
I don’t know.
The Sword Saint’s actions lacked hesitation.
Then, carrying Rex on his back, the man disappeared like a mirage.
Only a dark crimson puddle remained on the ground, still and unmoving like solid metal.
The electrical disturbance between my skin and robe finally fell silent.
Silence covered my vision.
A faint crimson filled my sight.
Soon after, something gray flickered in the corner of my vision. I slowly lowered my head to identify the thing taunting my sight. Then, a bright yellow something greeted me.
“…”
Gradually, indistinct colors began to take shape.
I soon figured out the identity of the mysterious yellow silhouette.
It was Lir.
Her robes were soaked in mud and gray, and even her normally pristine skin was the same.
There was a red stain near Lir’s eyes. Instinctively, I reached up to touch it. My hand lightly brushed against her face.
Using my right hand, I swept across her face, but I felt nothing.
Lir grabbed my awkwardly moving right hand with worry and asked,
“Are you okay? I’ll call some clerics…”
“It’s fine. Just a sprain.”
I lied so Lir wouldn’t leave my side.
And silently prayed for time to stop.
I don’t know why I prayed for that. Maybe it was because I feared what was coming.
Some would die, some would survive, some would go missing.
The battle was over, so the general had to take care of the soldiers.
I’d have to separate the living from the dead, pile the bodies scattered across the battlefield onto carts.
I didn’t want it.
I wanted to just toss everything away and exchange silly jokes with Lir.
But I couldn’t, could I?
“…What about Rex and Alter?”
“…”
This time, Lir’s delicate hand touched my face. Tears welled up in her crimson eyes and then streamed down her cheeks.
“They’ve passed the critical point, they both did.”
“…Are you sure? Really?”
I laughed loudly in response to Lir’s answer.
The outcome I hadn’t wanted to know by pausing time turned out to be much better than I expected.
I don’t even remember the last time I laughed like this. Two weeks ago? Maybe more than three weeks ago.
“It’s Gridia.”
“Freaking… I might start going to church from today.”
Lir stopped crying mid-tear and let out a faint laugh.
Seeing that laughter, I laughed again. Though it sounded like I was forcibly holding my breath, it still felt good.
“…Master is currently asleep. Gridia said at the latest, he will wake up within this week, and Rex will wake up within ten days.”
“Rex wakes up first?”
“Because he is strong. Master is an old man over eighty.”
“Right… Alter was definitely old. I guarantee it, one hundred percent.”
The excitement that came from knowing they were alive and would wake up made my words spill out on their own.
It was hard for Lir to laugh easily in response to my teasing jokes.
She still managed a small smile.
That’s enough for me.
“…Rest.”
Her slender fingers brushed my hair backward.
Following her fingers, my gaze naturally turned upward.
Only then did I notice the sunset far away, gradually disappearing down the hill.
“…Them.”
And against that sunset, stood the giant shadow of an orc carrying a massive flag on his back.
Behind the orc walked an elf, holding a broken warbow.
A dwarf clutching a small hammer and a human with a large nail hurriedly chased after the orc and the elf.
Soon, they all paused at the top of a moderate-sized hill.
The orc erected the flag on the highest point of the hill. Judging from its appearance, its height was well over ten meters.
The elf placed his hand on the flagpole set firmly by the orc. Soon, thick rope extended.
The elf kept pulling until the rope was taut and handed it over to the dwarf who followed. The dwarf received the nail from the human and started hammering.
…That flag was, no matter how long I looked, still ridiculously large. Watching the massive sheet drooping without the wind added to the absurdity, cooling my initial awe.
A flag taller than fifteen meters. And it wasn’t collapsible—how did they fit it into a carriage?
Endless jokes kept forming in my mind, but for some reason, I didn’t want to voice them.
It wasn’t just those.
I even found myself secretly praying for the wind to pick up and make the flag flutter.
“…”
A giant sheet of cloth, paint, and an absurdly long pole – that was all it was.
No magic, no special treatment – just a simple and plain flag.
Even so, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the flag for a while.
That was the minimum tribute the survivors paid to the fallen.
And also the message the dead sent to those who survived.
We stood today. So, we entrust tomorrow.
<italic>51,123 deaths</italic>
<italic>4,123 injuries</italic>
<italic>11,577 missing</italic>
<italic>6,781 survivors</italic>
<bold><italic>Valleland War</italic></bold>
<bold><italic>Victory of the Allied Forces</italic></bold>
