Return (9)

“Are we going already?”

“This is the king’s order, so we must hurry.”

Gilbert nodded, though he was disappointed but seemed to understand.

Who would ignore the king’s orders?

However, I also thought that it might be too hasty to just eat and then go back.

Of course, I also want to take a day off and then go back.

“Hurry up. “There is a long way to go.”

I had no choice but to take a step back due to Julia’s continued urging.

It seems a bit too rushed, but it can’t be helped.

“We’ll see you later. “I’m planning to return to the central battlefield anyway.”

I definitely had to return to the central battlefield to defeat the Demon King, but I didn’t know when that day would come.

It will probably take some time to convince both Julia and the King.

“Then we will take responsibility for protecting this place. Rest assured.”

“Then please don’t fight.”

Since I had already heard this from Eileen, I asked her once more.

But Gilbert gave an awkward answer with a sheepish smile.

It seems difficult to resolve the conflict because it is caused by conflicts of interest and interests.

However, this cannot be overlooked from the commander-in-chief’s perspective.

I briefly thought about reporting it to the king, but quickly gave up my thought.

‘Because he made me sit down as commander-in-chief after saying just one word.’

To exaggerate a bit, it might disband all three knights.

Because Gilbert knew that fact, he couldn’t say anything in front of me.

“Anyway, I’ll just go.”

“Okay. “I’ll see you later.”

After a short greeting, we boarded the carriage.

That’s how the boring time began until we arrived in the capital.

***

Inside the rattling carriage. There was a quiet atmosphere.

Everyone must have been tired and fell asleep as soon as the carriage departed.

Even Erina was dozing off, leaning on my shoulder.

“Erina. If you’re tired, you can sleep.”

“…No.”

Erina’s eyes tightened again at my words.

Before long, my eyes started twitching.

Erina, who usually never shows signs of being tired, has once been like this.

It looks like you were really tired during this expedition.

He carefully hugged Erina and placed her head on his lap.

“Ugh…”

“Get some rest now. “Understand, right?”

When I gently adjusted her hair and stroked her head, she stopped resisting and became quiet.

I immediately closed my eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.

The sight of him curled up and sleeping like a child made me smile.

“Truly, how can a person be so duplicative?”

Yulia shook her head as she looked at Erina sleeping.

Erina, who always showed a blunt and cold appearance, seemed shocked to see her calmly in my arms.

“Be quiet. Erina is sleeping.”

“It’s not like that anymore because you keep protecting me. When I get angry, I get angry. “When you have to scold someone, scold them.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Julia’s words.

I guess I have never scolded Erina.

Even though I got angry, irritated, and admonished, Erina did not change.

I knew from experience that the best option was to simply embrace her without provoking her.

“Go back to the capital and take care of the King. Because I was extremely agitated because of you.”

“…I guess things went well with the king.”

“Okay. Thanks to someone, it worked out very well.”

An indecipherable tone of voice, as if resentment or complaint.

I knew that the two people talked, but I couldn’t tell what was exchanged.

Obviously, neither the king nor Julia wanted to be at odds with each other, so they hoped that the agreement would be concluded safely.

“The King is very angry. No, rather than being angry, I was almost crying. “He made a fuss saying he had to see you right away.”

“…”

“It’s really amazing. “How many women are you making cry?”

I wanted to refute Julia’s words, but I couldn’t open my mouth.

Because this time it was my fault.

It wasn’t something I did accidentally, it was planned.

But I never imagined that the king would overreact like that.

I thought they would just trust me and wait for me, but my thoughts were short-lived.

How can I get an apology from the king?

While I continued to worry, Yulia quietly smiled, as if she had read my thoughts.

“Don’t worry too much. The King doesn’t seem to have any intention of scolding or reprimanding you.”

“…I see.”

“Okay. At least you won’t get slapped like I did.”

Instead, wouldn’t they order him to be deprived of his position or severely punished?

I was anxious because I thought it would end with just a slap.

Desperate Julia had a calm expression on her face as if it was no big deal.

Is there something you believe in? Perhaps Julia may have appeased the king well.

‘Because I’m still a child.’

Before he was the king, he was just a minor child.

Contrary to the world’s perception, to my eyes, she only appeared to be an extremely delicate girl.

“Anyway, how are Colin and the kids? “

“Don’t worry. “I’m doing surprisingly well.”

It is said that Colin originally made a fuss, saying he wanted to follow him to the demon world, but Schnella was unable to stop him.

“Thank goodness. Colin wouldn’t have been able to endure the fog of the Demon World.”

“Okay. “I heard it too, but I didn’t know it would be like this.”

Even for Julia, it was difficult to ignore the effects of the fog.

It would have been even worse, especially since she was not physically strong.

Looking at it that way, I could understand to some extent why Julia burst into tears.

What would have happened if Colin had come to the central battlefield?

If you were not careful, you could faint or become weak due to the fog.

In fact, it is said that there were cases of fainting among the knights, so it was a wise choice.

“Anyway, Colin is waiting to welcome you in the capital.”

“Okay. I’ll be able to meet you soon.”

“I’m sure they will meet us at the gate. “He’s a cute kid.”

According to Julia’s words, Colin seems to be doing a pretty good job.

It is said that he is actually learning from Schnella about the federation’s income and settlement.

He is said to be a pleading player who will later become a key member of the federation.

“Thank goodness. “I was a little worried when I first brought Colin in.”

“Well. I wasn’t really worried. “Unlike other kids, his eyes were earnest.”

Julia was confident that she had an excellent eye for people, so she must have been confident.

As if repaying him, Colin was also doing his part.

I hoped to continue working at the request center and achieve my dream.

“By the way, Seohyun. There is one thing I want to ask.”

“Huh?”

“It means that if you defeat the devil, you will lay down your sword. “Really?”

I immediately nodded in response to Julia’s question.

“Okay. “I don’t want to fight anymore.”

“If you’re at your level, it wouldn’t be a problem to become the general of the kingdom. No, if it’s not you, there’s no one else to take charge.”

The highest position among the kingdom’s knights. General.

A higher position than the commander-in-chief of the central battlefield and superior to all knight commanders.

In fact, it could be said to be the highest position one could attain in the kingdom.

The main mission is to protect the capital and the king. In a word, he could be said to be the king’s closest associate.

“There’s Max.”

“Don’t be humble. Even Max is worse than you.”

What would happen if you were given the opportunity to spar with Max?

Having watched him fight several times, I think he had a good chance of winning.

But does that mean it is right for the strongest to become the general?

Max was able to command a large number of people due to his long experience as a knight commander.

There was a clear reason why the knight commanders in the central battlefield followed Max.

“With my achievements so far, moving up to a higher position will be a piece of cake. Maybe I can aim for a higher position than the general.”

A peculiarity flashed in Julia’s eyes.

I had forgotten for a moment that her greed for power was enormous.

Julia and I were definitely helping each other, but our destinations were different.

Julia was hoping for a higher position and success in the kingdom.

I hoped to live with my colleagues in a peaceful world without the devil.

“Julia. “What do you plan to do when you defeat the Demon King?”

“Well, first we have to reorganize the request office. Even if the Demon King dies, the threat of monsters will probably continue.”

She was right. Even if the Demon King dies, ferocious monsters will continue to threaten the world.

The monster’s vitality was so persistent that it was impossible to expect it to disappear in a short period of time.

In addition, there were still many threatening beings, such as the monsters of the Demon King’s army as well as the monsters of the snowy mountains.

Therefore, adventurers are a necessary profession, and the same goes for request offices.

“And I plan to increase the size of the federation. Thanks to you, the awareness and reputation of the federation have increased significantly.”

The Knights were poorly treated and had a bad reputation due to all kinds of interference and restrictions.

Because the federation was created under the supervision of Julia, the treatment was quite different.

Of course, from the adventurer’s perspective, he had no choice but to focus his attention on the alliance.

“And you can’t stop at being a count. “I will rise to a higher position.”

Are you trying to move up from count to higher in the request? It was a goal worthy of Julia.

But I was the exact opposite of her. If I could give up power, I wanted to quit right away.

That’s why Julia and I cannot coexist.

Even though she knew that fact, Julia asked me again.

“It will be easier if you help me. It wouldn’t be a bad offer for you either.”

High status and power. And even more wealth.

I was definitely able to achieve a lot with Julia.

But I flatly rejected her offer.

“Sorry. “I don’t want to fight anymore.”

“Hmm. Okay… ?”

Julia licked her lips as if she was disappointed by my assertion, but there was still a trace of regret in her eyes.

“Well, you can say that now. But thoughts can always change.”

The way he spoke as if he was saying he wouldn’t be able to let go of the knife.

I was hoping that her prediction would be wrong.