Chapter 10
“……May I ask you just one question?”
Time passed quickly.
It had already been two weeks since I came to the North.
Although the number of magical beasts we had stopped during that time had already surpassed tens of thousands, their numbers showed no sign of decreasing at all.
Of course, the number of magical beasts would gradually increase.
They would keep growing until they exceeded what the North could handle.
In the short—or perhaps not so short—span of two weeks, the North had suffered a fair number of casualties and wounded soldiers as we dealt with so many magical beasts.
Ascal was also growing steadily.
He still hadn’t managed to land a direct hit on me, but the number of times he could hold out had increased considerably.
Even Ascal himself could feel his stamina improving, and he now followed my training without a single complaint.
“What is it?”
“Why do you work so hard?”
“……”
At Ascal’s sudden question, I frowned and looked at him.
Did he really think it was appropriate to ask why I worked so hard on a battlefield?
“If it’s only magical beasts coming at us, aren’t we strong enough even as we are now?”
“That’s true.”
If magical beasts really were the only things attacking the North.
We could hold them back even in our current state.
No matter how many there were, the Great Wall of the North would not fall, and my own martial power would be more than enough to deal with them.
“But when I look at you, you seem to be driving yourself as though something were chasing you.”
The problem was.
The things rushing toward the North were not merely magical beasts.
No, if they began a war with humanity, the magical beasts would be nothing more than the cannon-fodder mobs that appeared in novels, like goblins.
The main forces of the war would be beings far stronger, more cunning, and more difficult to deal with than them.
That was why I couldn’t be satisfied with my current level.
I would ascend to the lofty, ever-higher realm that my old master had spoken of, stop the world’s destruction, and fulfill my wish without fail.
“You.”
Since I had no intention of telling him about such things, I calmly opened my mouth while looking at Ascal running.
“You must be feeling pretty comfortable now, huh? You even have enough stamina to talk while running.”
“Yes……?”
“Fifty more laps around the parade ground.”
“Then when are we supposed to eat?”
“You’re not going to run?”
Then he’d have to take a beating.
Ascal glanced at the hand moving toward my waist, knitted his brows fiercely, and started running.
“I’m running! I’m running!”
I watched his back as he ran off the moment he saw signs that I was about to draw my sword and let out a small sigh.
“Argh, that temper of his!!”
“Are you comfortable with me now?”
“No!”
I frowned and ran a hand through my hair as Ascal ran off, huffing and puffing.
Why did I work so hard?
‘……Because.’
From the moment I fell into this world.
There had been only one thing I wanted.
[Stop the world’s destruction!]
[Failure results in death!]
[Reward : ]
The empty reward slot.
Filling that slot.
In other words.
‘All I wanted was to return to “our home.”’
To return to my original world.
I had run for that alone all this time, devoting my whole life to this second life without taking even a moment’s rest.
Besides.
I had a family I needed to protect.
I’m not trying to say something embarrassingly chuunibyou-like, that the family here isn’t my family.
My family here.
Zeke and Father could live on their own just fine as long as they successfully stopped the world’s destruction.
But my family back home couldn’t.
[Minhyuk, now it’s your turn…….]
So I absolutely had to.
Return.
@
"Ah, Sir Allen!"
This was after I finished training as usual and was dragging the passed-out Ascal toward the dining hall.
One of the northern knights, with whom I had become fairly familiar by now, approached me and spoke.
"Yes, what is it?"
I lightly smacked Ascal on the head to wake him from his half-conscious state, then asked the approaching knight.
"The commander is looking for you."
"……The commander?"
Asilie was looking for me?
Hearing that, I realized something must have happened.
Over the past two weeks.
I had helped fend off the magical beasts in the North, continued training, and gradually earned the trust of the northern knights, Asilie among them.
I still hadn’t blended into the North as perfectly as I had hoped, but they at least recognized me as one of their 'comrades.'
And this incident.
It would probably be a good opportunity to move on to the next level.
"I’ll go."
"……Huh?! We haven’t even eaten breakfast yet!"
"Does this guy only wake up when food is mentioned?"
Ascal, whom I had thought unconscious, sprang to his feet at those words and started looking for food, but.
Unfortunately, that was something that would have to be put off a little longer.
"If you’re awake, hurry up and let’s go."
"Am I going too?"
"Of course."
Ascal was still far too lacking by my standards.
If that old man had seen him, he would definitely have called him a newborn baby; that was the level of his skill.
But that was precisely why it was right to take Ascal along on this mission.
Training was important, but actual combat was the best opportunity to draw out his abilities to the fullest.
"Food is more important to me, though……."
"Then go eat."
"Really?"
Of course, I understood that he was hungry after finishing his training.
But when Ascal’s face lit up with joy just because I had told him to go eat, I smiled brightly and nodded.
"But you’ll run ten thousand laps around the parade ground before bed tonight."
"……Let’s get going."
Ten thousand laps around the parade ground before going to sleep.
Since that was essentially the same as telling him not to sleep unless he completed ten thousand laps, Ascal promptly got to his feet and began guiding me.
He was going anyway, so why was he complaining?
This was all because he hadn’t trained enough. He still had enough energy left to complain.
Anyway.
I followed behind Ascal and started walking.
I didn’t know what the matter was, but if possible, it would be nice if I could go outside the Great Wall.
Since it wasn’t easy to get outside the Great Wall, it wouldn’t be so bad to take care of some business out there while I had the chance.
With those thoughts, Ascal and I arrived at the commander’s quarters and quietly entered.
"Ah, you’re here."
Asilie was seated at a desk set up like an office, reviewing documents, when she noticed us and spoke.
"Allen Debert, Ascal Delphion. There is something I need you two to help with."
"What kind of……."
"Understood."
Cutting off Ascal as he tried to ask about the mission, I nodded.
Ordinarily.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been right to ask about the mission, but.
"No, you can’t just say that without even asking for my opinion……."
"This is the army, Ascal Delphion. Even if you don’t understand a superior’s order, you obey first. That is what the army is."
I smacked the complaining Ascal on the head again and continued speaking calmly.
This is why guys who haven’t served are no good.
Back in my day, you know? If they told us to do something, we did it, you know? We did everything, kid.
At my words, Ascal stared at me with his mouth hanging open. His expression was oddly surprised, so I frowned and looked back at him.
"Do you actually say sensible things sometimes?"
"……I don’t want to hear that kind of thing from you."
A sensible guy wouldn’t think of leaping outside the Great Wall, you idiot.
@
"……I-Is that really true? A-Are you sure, Father?"
Elina returned to her family estate and continued making inquiries about Allen.
She already knew that he would move somewhere.
Allen was always moving forward toward some goal.
"Yes, Allen is currently……"
"……To the North?"
But the answer was surprisingly close at hand.
It came in the form of a letter from House Debert.
[I’ll apologize for Allen Debert’s rudeness. Allen has now headed to the North. He said himself that he deliberately spoke harshly because he couldn’t take Elina to such a dangerous place.]
After reading through the letter for a long while, Elina let out a small breath and clenched her fist tightly.
"……That’s a lie."
There was no way Elina could have been unaware of Allen’s personality.
The words written in the letter were nothing more than an excuse to avoid giving Count Debert anything to nitpick.
If Allen had truly thought Elina could be of help, he would have taken her to the North regardless of whether it was dangerous.
Allen Debert was that kind of person.
Because he was always moving forward and looking farther ahead, he didn’t care much whether the process was dangerous or hopeless.
He simply used every means available if it helped him move forward.
That didn’t mean he would actually put Elina in danger.
He was the type to throw himself into harm’s way before anyone around him.
Therefore.
"I have to follow him."
If she had done something wrong, if there was something Allen truly disliked,
she could apologize and change herself.
But what if.
If Allen were to die in the North.
If that happened.
"There’d be no chance to turn things back."
Having made up her mind, Elina abruptly rose from her seat and began packing her things.
It was time to move, and she had to do it without delay.
And in the North.
Just as Elina had expected.
"Go on ahead. I’ll hold them off."
Allen said that as he gripped his sword.