A new day dawned in the eastern country. As the sun shone brightly along the snowy hill, Leona and Krieg were saying their goodbyes as Robert waited for them with arms crossed, leaning against the wooden wall on the side of the cabin.
"Thank you once again for everything."
With Avalon in her hands, Leona bowed respectfully to Sylphia—who in her human form, patted the tactician on the head.
"I just did what any grandparent would. Feel free to visit again when you get the chance, I'd be glad to have you as a guest."
"And here you were being against the idea in the first place." Robert rolled his eyes while cursing silently. "Old hag."
"I heard you the first time, old man."
She hit his arm with a soft punch.
The next one to bow was Krieg, but he did so while also holding a sheathed Arondight in his right hand.
"Thank you for your aid, aunt Sylphia." He lifted his head with sharp and focused eyes. "I promise I'll protect both Leona and Arondight to the best of my abilities."
The dragon knight smiled before nodding once.
"Trust in your skills, Krieg. You are strong enough to call yourself a dragon knight now."
He nodded firmly with his right hand tightening around the scabbard.
"I won't disappoint."
"That's the spirit."
All the pleasantries were cut short with Robert clapping his hand.
"Now, since you've said your goodbyes—are you two ready?"
Both of them nodded without saying a word. Sylphia on the other hand looked at the sage with frowned brows.
"Take care of them for me."
"Yeah, I will."
He smirked confidently before snapping his fingers. In a blink of an eye, they were gone. Ascalon came outside of the house and saw Sylphia looking up at the clear sunny sky.
"Are you alright?"
The dragon maid asked with worry clear in her eyes. The towering dragon knight clenched her gauntlet clad hands above her chest before taking a slow, deep breath.
"Yes. I'm alright." She turned around with a smile on her face as her tightened hand softened. "I'm glad that I got to see Ravness' child. That girl's legacy will live on in Leona."
"And to think you didn't want to meet her in person." The maid chuckled softly. There was a long pause where she stared at the footprints left on the snow in front of their house before looking up at Sylphia again. "Was it worth it?"
"Yes… definitely so."
About half a nation away, Leona stumbled forward as the teleportation spell had brought them back to the familiar training grounds amidst the woods.
"Ugh…" She grunted as she leaned on Avalon to keep herself from falling over. "No matter how many times I get teleported around—this dizziness doesn't get any better…"
The world felt like it was spinning as she took deep breaths to alleviate the symptoms.
"Are you alright, Leona?"
Krieg stood beside her, slightly leaning with his arms towards her back in case he needed to catch her back in case she fell.
"Y-yeah, I'll get better soon…" She forced a smile while still clinging to Avalon. "Say, don't you get sick from these sudden movements?"
"Hm? Not really. Flying and seafaring were far worse by comparison."
After a few minutes, she was back steady on her feet. Though there was a lingering headache, Leona was able to walk without fearing falling down. She straightened her back and looked around the empty training ground.
"Where is everyone?"
She asked while looking at Robert who was in the middle of stretching his arms.
"They are in the city. Speaking of which, I should go to work. Can't have my daughters bring more money to the house when I'm still around."
He started to walk towards the trail that led down the mountain. An unorthodox method of traveling in Leona's mind as he could simply snap his fingers and reach his destination instantly.
"..." She stared at the sage's back before turning briefly to Krieg. "Shall we walk for a bit as well?"
He nodded without saying anything. As Leona took the lead walking a few meters behind Robert—Krieg followed closely behind her. His faded green military uniform was tattered at the sleeves. Faint blade cuts could be seen across the fabric near his hands as if he had been nicked by blades countless times during his training.
"Were you able to learn what you needed, Krieg?"
Looking at her eyes it was clear as day that something bothered her, but the knight decided to refrain from prying and instead simply nodded with a confident look on his face.
"Yes. For someone unable to even sense magic, it has been quite enlightening."
"I see…" She reached for her left shoulder. Her limb wasn't there but her wound would occasionally throb and pulsate as if her arm was still there. "Krieg, can I ask you something?"
Without any sign of hesitation, he glanced at her and with a firm nod, said.
"Of course."
"Will you remain by my side even if I make the wrong decisions?"
"Wrong decisions? What do you speak of? There was never once I regarded your decisions as wrong."
"No but… we will go back to Arcadia soon and even if we prevail against Alexander—there is still an entire kingdom to rebuild. Not only that but there will be difficult times ahead. I may be a tactician but matters of ruleship still confounds me to no end." Her right hand tightened around Avalon's shaft. "I… I may make mistakes along the way, so that is why I'm asking you now. Will you stay by my side even if I fail?"
He shook his head while smiling softly as he stopped and bowed his head down.
"It goes without saying, my princess. I am your sword and your shield—always has been and always will be."
She hesitated for a brief moment before turning around to hide the smile curling on her face.
"Thank you, Krieg."
The gentle breeze of the ocean blew against her shoulder length blonde hair as they continued on through the dirt trail down the mountain. She felt strangely at ease after speaking shortly with him, maybe all she needed was acknowledgement—words from a person that would stand tall beside her even through rough times.
They kept walking through the narrow path between the trees until it finally opened up on the left side. The previous forest gave place to a vast staircase of rice paddies built against the hill. Many workers were removing weeds and other pests from their fields, some were still tilling the soil, but one particular farmer stood out from the rest with her large rice straw hat and distinctive silky long black hair. Her work clothes were stained from dirt and mud but she seemed to be doing okay for the arduous work that was farming.
Leona squinted her eyes as she stopped in her tracks upon seeing the familiar figure.
"Is that…?"
"Hm?" Robert looked over his shoulder and followed her gaze to the farmer in question. "Ah, that is Kaeli."
"Kaeli?" She turned to him with a raised eyebrow and an expression that could only be described as utter confusion. "Why is she here?"
"Why? Why wouldn't she be? She needs to work to feed herself and her sister."
Her confusion soon turned into something closer to indignation as her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You… you don't help them at all?"
"No."
He answered bluntly before continuing on walking. Leona shook her head slightly.
'Former king or no, you should at least lend a helping hand to those you crossed paths with.'
She then glanced back at Kaeli—who was in the middle of removing the straw hat to dry off the sweat on her forehead. The high elf noticed Leona from the corner of her eyes which prompted her to turn around and smile while giving a modest wave with her hand.
The tactician returned the gesture while Krieg bowed his head slightly alongside his liege before they continued on the trail to the city.
With Robert reasonably further away from them, Leona tilted her head slightly back and locked eyes with her knight that noticed her inquisitive gaze.
"Krieg. Do you like Kaeli?"
The usually composed knight flinched at her question and even stuttered his feet, almost dragging them along the ground as he recovered from the mild shock.
"Why are you asking such a question, my liege?"
"I don't particularly have anything against her, if that is what has been weighing on your mind."
"No, I mean why do you think that I like a woman like her?"
Obviously flustered, the knight decided to deflect the question with another question but it did little to someone so inquisitive as Leona.
"I wouldn't say 'like her' and more… her specifically." She smiled warmly with a tinge of expectation. "She fought against us, that much is true, but I'd like to believe you don't hold a grudge against her to the point it would stop you from… getting to know her."
There was a brief pause where only the blowing wind and distant chirping of birds filled the air around them. Krieg knew exactly what Leona meant, but deep down he wanted to hide those feelings. Love, it was a foreign feeling for him. Even working under someone as beautiful as Leona herself, he couldn't bring himself to grow any attraction towards her as a woman. No, his liege was the personification of the ideals he strove to achieve in his time serving the former Queen Eleonora.
"...pardon my words but where exactly are you heading with this conversation, my liege?"
She started to chuckle.
"As I said before, I want you to experience more than just being my knight. My father often said that strength to protect was born out of love, but he never said what kind of love." She then turned to him with a confident smile. One of many to come. "I admire and thank you for your unwavering loyalty to someone such as me, but you also must follow your own heart."
She tapped his chest with the edge of her staff. His gaze trailed down to her staff as she pulled it back to her and kept moving while he remained there with a fixed, yet longing, gaze.
"My own heart… huh?"
He recalled the moment where he saw Kaeli as a woman rather than an individual. It was brief, a mere exchange of glances during bathing, but recalling that much was enough to send his heart into a painful beating ache that wouldn't subside. The more he thought about it the less sense it made. For someone as disciplined and driven by duty such as him to be smitten by looks alone made him feel guilty.
'This… infatuation of mine, is no better than a savage beast yearning for carnal release…' He took a deep breath and glanced up at Leona's back. She had a confident stride that was usual for the young tactician. 'Leona… how could I seek love when you have been shouldering the world all by yourself?'
The death of her father, the lives lost of those who devoted themselves to her name, securing victory while also sacrificing herself. As her knight, he felt responsible for not being able to protect her—his only duty.
His hands slowly tightened in painful closed fists, he felt the weight of Arondight on his back not as a prize for becoming strong, but as a way to finally fulfill his duty, even if it meant using his life.
He glanced briefly at Kaeli, who was smiling while tilling the soil despite the blazing heat and arduous work. He brought his closed right fist to his chest before finally letting go and turning around to follow behind Leona, who was far ahead of him.
The rest of the way to the city was calm and uneventful. The salty sea breeze alongside the faint wet earthly scent made the journey a pleasant experience. A nice break from all the training that they have been doing for the last month.
The city gates were guarded by two heavily armored soldiers with large bamboo pikes as their main weapons with sheathed curved swords on their hips as a sidearm. Their armor was made of layering wooden sheets atop of one another, a technique vastly different to the plate armor found in Arcadia.
Robert passed by them with a discreet head nod which they answered in kind. Leona and Krieg did the same and had similar reactions—though the knight could notice they were slightly taken aback by his build since he towered about three palms above both guards.
Leona hastened her pace to match Robert's and after she was by his side, she bluntly asked.
"You didn't tell my grandmother about Avalon, did you?"
"Hm? Where did this come from?"
"The way she spoke about her. It was like…"
"As if she suspected something?" He gave a disinterested nod and shook his hand dismissively. "She probably already had an idea of something. The Avalon that you're holding right now is the same one that existed in this world—their souls however were fused into one."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning her soul is far denser than her siblings. Hence why Sylphia was able to tell something was off to begin with."
"Hmm…"
"You don't seem to get it, do you?"
"Frankly, no."
At that point they stopped by Robert's shop. As he opened the sliding door, a bell rang and prompted a familiar maid to appear before them.
"Oh, welcome back, master Robert." The half oni maid Tomoe wore her uniform with grace as she bowed politely before them. "Miss Leona, lord Krieg, it is a pleasure to see you again."
"Cut the formalities Tomoe." Robert patted her head as he took off his straw sandals and tucked them in the corner of the low entrance. "Where is Ren?"
"In the kitchen."
Robert glanced inside and noticed there were a few patrons drinking in the far corner of the establishment. He then turned to her with a raised eyebrow.
"Cooking?"
"Yes." She showed a faint smile before continuing. "Or rather, attempting to do so."
"This kid…" He stepped on the raised wooden floor and looked behind him at Leona and Krieg. "Take a seat, we'll take more after I check on my hopeless disciple."
Leona let out a nervous chuckle as she started to remove her shoes. Krieg did the same while not uttering a word.
"I'm glad to see you in good health, Miss Leona."
"Hm?" Tomoe's words caught the tactician a bit off guard as she raised her head to meet her gaze. Leona smiled briefly as she spoke. "Thank you, Tomoe."
"Forgive my forwardness, but do you require a steward or another like-minded tactician to aid in your rule?"
"Pardon?"
"You see, my young master does not have a place to call his own and while I'm forever thankful for Master Robert for taking him under his wing, I believe it would be best for the young master to carve a path of his own."
"Carve a path of his own, eh?" Leona smiled to herself for a brief moment before turning to Tomoe again. "Is this his wish? Or are you speaking out of concern?"
"It's out of concern, my fair lady."
"I see." Once the tactician set foot on the wooden floor of the shop, she turned to the maid and smiled. "While I can't say for sure when I'll become queen of Arcadia, I will certainly want to know more about Ren's abilities. My father used to complain a lot about the other nobles and having more skilled personnel will surely make my ruling much easier."
"I'm glad that you have taken this one's humble request into consideration."
She bowed politely which made Leona chuckle to herself as she went to take her seat by the window closer to the entrance. After removing his shoes, Krieg also climbed the raised wooden floor before giving a short nod to the maid, who responded with another short bow.
After they both were seated, the maid went to the kitchen leaving them by themselves. Idle chatter filled the room as other customers began to leave one by one.
"So, Krieg." Leona started to speak to her knight across the table. "What do you think of what you just heard?"
"As long as he is competent and not out to harm your rule, I see no reason not to accept it."
"You and I both. Father used to often say that nobility made those in power less capable."
"'Contempt breeds neglect, neglect breeds incompetence.'" He recalled his former Lord's words. "Master Jean would be proud to see you now, Leona."
"Nonsense. I haven't done anything to earn his praise, yet." She settled Avalon against the wall right beside her seat, she looked at its prismatic jewel entrapped in dragon talons. "Besides, there is still one loose end to tie."
"Alexander."
She nodded with a bitter expression on her face.
"No doubt he'll prove a difficult opponent to deal with." She looked out the window and watched the people peacefully walking on the street with a lonely gaze. "But what worries me is the current state of the kingdom. Tensions were high with demonkind even in Eleonora's reign—Alexander only needs to create a spark to ignite a war all over again."
As Krieg was about to offer words to alleviate her worries—Robert appeared from the kitchen wearing an apron and placed one large bowl of ramen in front of each of them.
"On the house. As thanks for completing your training and not dying."
"Oh?" The tactician looked at the bowl then at him, with a faint smile she said. "Thank you, Robert."
"Yeah, no problem." He nonchalantly pulled the chair closest to Krieg and sat down before letting out a long exasperated sigh. "So Leona, do you have any plans for when you get back to Arcadia?"
"Not pulling any punches with this question huh?" She said as she finished one forkfull of noodles. She set her fork on the side and turned her whole attention to the conversation. "What I need is reliable information. I'm planning to capture or kill Alexander the first moment I get."
"Capture or kill… interesting, what will you do then?"
"I'll have him confess his crimes then execute him."
"Hmm… you have a very simplistic way of doing things, don't you?"
"There is barely any point in keeping someone like him around." Her eyes narrowed with hate. Though she didn't show anywhere else on her expression, Robert and Krieg could feel her rage through the violent fluctuation in her mana. "Besides, it's not like I can control him."
"I see… but let's say you execute him, do you think it'll be over then?"
"Of course not. But it'll be far more manageable than it." Her jaw tightened for a split second before she continued. "I… I rather not kill more people than I have to."
Robert lifted both hands and sighed quietly.
"Do it as you will, Leona. Just know that politics are more morally gray than you think."
She picked the fork again and looked away with a tinge of bitterness in her eyes.
"I know."
They remained eating in silence until Krieg settled his empty bowl on the table and looked at Robert, his sharp gaze felt unusual to the sage who turned to face him.
"Sir Robert."
"Just Robert is enough, Krieg."
"Then, Robert. Can you tell me what is, or rather, was—your relationship with my father? He told me you were something close to savior but, with all due respect, you don't seem the altruistic type."
"And you'd be right to think that of me." He chuckled sourly. "Me and your father became acquaintances when the death angels destroyed the capital city of Nara. He was desperate, having lost his wife and son—he at least wanted to preserve what was left of his homeland."
"So he had forsaken his own flesh to house your soul instead…"
"Our deal was that he would serve as my sentinel while I had control of his body."
He could feel Leona's glare from the corner of his vision. Krieg kept looking at the empty bowl in front of him as he muttered.
"The black knight…"
"Yes, although I wasn't expecting him to fuse his soul with Leona's." He had a bitter grin on his face. "He had fulfilled his job by then, but he refused to die."
"It was thanks to him that we managed to get here." Leona interjected. Although merely speaking of it made her left shoulder throb. "Though I wasn't expecting blade energy to have such an effect on my body."
Robert sighed as he shook his head.
"If you were to unleash the same attack as you are now, your body would be able to withstand the large amounts of mana required thanks to your training. But then again, the lack of a mana gate…"
Robert continued muttering to himself until the door bell rang which prompted Tomoe to pass by their table in order to greet the new customers.
"Dad!"
A familiar female voice came from the entrance—making the sage lift his head up. A young woman clad in a white and red appeared around the corner of the entrance. It was Yuna. She seemed a bit sharper from the time Leona had last seen her.
"Yuna." Robert stood up and asked with raised eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard Miss Leona was back.
She quickly got rid of her sandals and stepped into the shop, walking past her father while looking around. On the other hand, Robert asked confusedly.
"Heard? From who?"
"Miss Kaeli."
"Oh…"
The tactician peeked out of the corner and waved her hand as she met eyes with the shrine maiden. The girl quickly walked past her father and sat on the chair directly beside Leona.
"Welcome back, Miss Leona." She bowed politely. Aside from her age, she seemed the splitting image of her older sister, until she continued. "Did Lady Sylphia agree to meet with you? How was it being in front of a dragon? Did she truly have platinum scales?"
The gatling questions caught the tactician off guard as she made a repeated motion with her hand to urge the shrine maiden to slow down.
"One question at a time, Yuna."
"Hehe, sorry…"
She smiled awkwardly before adjusting herself on her seat as if trying to appear more dignified. In the meantime, Robert returned to his own seat beside Krieg—who had his arms crossed, seemingly pondering something.
Just looking at his daughter enjoying a conversation with someone else made Robert feel at ease. He leaned back and looked up at the wooden ceiling while letting out a long, quiet sigh of relief.
'You changed it, Xenovia…' He closed his eyes and smiled quietly to himself. 'That future didn't come to pass.'