< Chapter 73 - Merit Ceremony #7 (Revised) >
&
The damage suffered by the royal capital was truly enormous.
There were more than five hundred deaths among the royal guards responsible for security in the capital alone, and the number of civilian deaths is estimated to have been between two thousand and three thousand.
The number of those who were injured or disabled, although not killed, was also in the thousands, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that there were more than ten thousand casualties.
There were two main reasons why such enormous damage was inflicted in such a short period of time.
One is that the numerous demon followers entered the capital too easily due to the Guardian King and his forces, and the other is that most of the capital’s residents were gathered outdoors due to the celebration of the nation’s founding.
‘It would have been different if it had been the usual royal road.’
In the first place, most of the devil’s followers would not have been able to get over the wall.
The number of people who became zombies would have been much smaller than now.
‘In the end, he is a patriot.’
The result of the national hero who had the absolute trust of the king turning away.
‘Still, I guess I managed to block it pretty well. I guess you could say it’s the king’s way.’
Jeilgeom, who was sitting on his horse and reading a news article about the events in the royal capital, snickered.
That would be the case, because to this extent, it was really well blocked.
‘If the patriotic campaign had succeeded, the royal road would have been destroyed.’
Because Solusia and Koros were planning to summon the gates of Hell in the royal capital.
If everything had gone according to plan, the content of the newsletter itself would have been different.
‘I wanted to see it at least once, you know.’
The wide open gates of hell and the consequences that come with it.
I wonder what kind of hell this world has become.
The blackest man, who had been snickering, folded the newsletter and took a bite of the apple he was holding.
In fact, even if the Patriotic War had been successful, there was a possibility that things might not have worked out as well as expected.
There was a real reason why the damage to the royal road was ‘only limited to this extent’.
‘The Five Heroes of Paragon.’
Among them, Belkian, a shaman specializing in large-scale battles.
If it weren’t for him, the royal capital would have suffered several times more damage than it did now, regardless of whether or not there were guardians.
‘You said it was a monster.’
A powerful death magic that can cover the skies of the capital city, and a transcendent power that can control an army of over a thousand deaths.
A being so powerful that it makes even the highest level mines say the word monster.
‘Two people standing shoulder to shoulder with that Belkian.’
Iron Man Landius and Sword Demon Kamael.
Just how strong are these two?
Could it be stronger than the Imperial Sword?
I want to compete.
I want to cross swords.
I want to defeat them with my own sword.
The blackest apple, whose body trembled, took another bite and turned its horse’s head toward the direction of the royal road.
“Congratulations from afar.”
The center of the royal road.
A large square that is also connected to part of the royal palace.
Jeilgeom smiled broadly as he recalled the service being held there and then lightly clapped his hands.
He did not spare his praise for Uder and Cordelia, who could be said to be the main characters of this contribution ceremony.
The two are now heroes of the kingdom.
Two people who will shine brighter than before.
How much fun it would be to trample on two people like that.
How much fun would it be to dirty Cordelia, who is as clear and beautiful as pure white snow, and Uther, who shines like a jewel?
“See you next time.”
Until then, stay healthy, both of you.
And give my regards to the Wind Sword Saint.
Perhaps it was because he had taken off his mask as the Sword Saint of Light, but Jeilgeom turned around, feeling much more relieved than before.
He turned his back on the royal road and advanced forward.
&
A large number of people were gathered in the main square located in the center of the royal capital.
Thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of people.
They all looked at one place: King Henry II, standing on a tall, large balcony connecting to the Great Square.
Henry II appeared before the people, looking extremely tired and worn out.
Even from a distance, you could tell that half of the face was gone.
But he never deferred his work to others. He stood before the people and spoke what needed to be said.
Betrayal of the Guardian King and the First Sword.
The overthrow of the royal family they were aiming for.
The death of the royal family, the attacks of demon followers, and the resulting damage.
“But we are not lost. We will overcome this crisis too.”
Henry II’s voice was heard throughout the plaza through amplification magic.
He told stories of heroes to encourage the people who were sad and afraid.
“There are those who have achieved great things.”
The Seven-Slaughter Sword Seryu that blocked the upper-level mine at the South Gate.
Gale and Adelia fighting at the west gate.
Count Chase, who saved countless lives by preventing the collapse of the palace, and Count Bayer, who single-handedly blocked the First Sword.
And they weren’t the only ones.
From royal guards and knights who distinguished themselves in battles on the royal capital to civilian heroes who fought to protect those around them despite not having any special positions.
Henry II named each of the lesser princes, promising them appropriate rewards, and promised considerable assistance to the inhabitants of the royal capital who had suffered great losses.
[Wow… You’re shooting so fiercely.]
Cordelia, who was waiting behind the balcony, blinked and sent a message magic.
That’s understandable, because even the roughly calculated amount was enormous.
As a royal family that rules over one of the two continents, the Seilun royal family’s wealth was certainly great, but wouldn’t the royal family itself be shaken if they threw that much money at it?
Uther smiled and answered Cordelia’s question.
[I will confiscate the property of the Duke of Hoguk. It also includes that of his subordinate nobles.]
[Still, you are so cheerful.]
[That’s true. It’s just money that can be swallowed up as royal wealth.]
Certainly, looking at that aspect, Henry II was a good person.
There is also a hidden driving force.
[It seems like you have a big emotional wound?]
[You will overcome it. There are many good people around you.]
Jude looked at the backs of Queen Justia and Crown Princess Daphne, who were sitting next to Henry II, and then quickly turned his gaze back to Cordelia.
He stared at her in a dress as white as snow, then impulsively kissed her head.
“uh?”
When Cordelia flinched in surprise and turned around, Uther smiled brightly and this time he pressed his lips to her round, white forehead.
Really lightly, as if brushing past.
[Mr. Black Cloak? What are you doing now?]
But instead of answering, Uther kissed her forehead again and kissed her lips, and Cordelia, startled, quickly looked around.
Because there were quite a lot of people gathered, including those waiting to receive their awards.
Who might have seen it?
What if I saw it?
And why is he suddenly like this-
That was the moment.
Cordelia, who had been standing blankly against the wall, made eye contact with the Seven-Sword Sword Seryu, and quickly turned her head away, blushing.
It wasn’t just a coincidence that we ran into each other, but our eyes met as Seryu was looking at me.
‘You saw it, right? You saw it, right? I thought you smiled a little?’
But that was just then.
Again, side.
This time, it’s the head. To be exact, the hair.
Cordelia quickly looked back at Uther, and Uther kissed her forehead again, revealing her lips.
‘Hey! What are you going to do if other people see you?’
No, Seryu is already watching?
In fact, it wasn’t just Seryu. There were several other people looking this way, but Cordelia was so flustered that she didn’t even notice.
But despite that, Uther seemed not to care and pressed his lips to Cordelia’s forehead again.
Kiss kiss.
Kiss kiss kiss.
Knock knock knock.
‘Hey! Kang Yoo-der! Your makeup is ruined?!’
No, that’s not the point.
Cordelia glared at Uther in anger, but she couldn’t fight back.
Because the height difference between Yuder and I was almost 20cm, it was not enough to just stand on tiptoe to touch our lips, whether it was on our chins or cheeks.
What’s needed is more action.
Whether it was hugging her neck, or leaning in as if Cordelia herself was hanging on – some big gesture that was sure to draw attention from those around her.
‘Mr. Woo.’
The medicine worked better than I expected.
How can a deal be this one-sided?
It’s an open pre-deal.
And in the meantime, here we go again.
Finally, Cordelia, unable to bear it any longer, glared at Uther and said.
[Hey, you go back and wait. Huh? You wait and see!]
[Oh, okay. I’ll be looking forward to it.]
This way, you are welcome.
As Uther spoke with a sly smile, Cordelia felt offended and narrowed her eyes again, but it was not the time to argue. A voice called out to them.
[Let’s go, princess.]
[Oh my, really.]
I hate you so much I could die.
Cordelia suppressed the urge to pound her chest and took Yuder’s hand. She looked straight ahead and took slow steps forward.
A balcony open to the outside.
And the countless people who lie beyond.
My heart started pounding on its own.
As I crossed the line and entered the balcony, I felt like I had entered a completely different world.
“Judy Bayer, Cordelia Chase.”
Cordelia came to her senses with a start at Henry II’s call. She followed the hand of Uther, who was annoying but reliable, and stood in front of Henry II, slowly bowing.
“You guys are really great. If it weren’t for you guys, not only me, but my family would have lost their lives.”
Henry II spoke somewhat casually, as if to calm the nervous Cordelia, and then turned around and looked at the people of the royal capital again. He explained the story of Uther and Cordelia to the many people looking up.
‘I can’t hear a thing.’
I was so nervous that I couldn’t understand a single thing that was being said.
It felt like tens of thousands of gazes were turning into tens of thousands of arrows piercing my entire body.
Cordelia continued to swallow dry saliva. Unable to control her increasingly ragged breathing, she shook her feet and smiled stiffly.
And again the voice of Henry II came.
“You are hereby bestowed with the titles and titles of Counts, and you are henceforth known as Jude A. Bayer and Cordelia A. Chase.”
Newly added middle name.
To be exact, it is a title given directly by the royal family.
Jude August Bayer and Cordelia August Chase.
There was also a way to give her a completely new surname, but this was a consideration prepared by Princess Daphne for Cordelia, who was attached to the surname ‘Chase’.
“Count August Bayer, and Count August Chase. Go forward and face the people of the kingdom.”
Cordelia was unable to respond immediately despite Henry II’s order, but fortunately, Uther was by her side.
Cordelia, who had been dazed, suddenly came to her senses as he led her lightly.
And a few more steps.
Cordelia, who had passed Henry II and reached just in front of the balcony railing, looked down at the plaza with great tension.
And then Uther whispered in Cordelia’s ear.
“These are the people we saved.”
If we hadn’t been able to stop the patriotic movement.
If the Guardian was destroyed because of that, and the Devil’s Hand committed the same atrocities as in the original.
“You were able to protect so many people. So you can be proud.”
Don’t beat yourself up and say you could have gotten a little more.
At least for this moment, let us rejoice together in front of those we have protected.
Uther tightened his grip on her hand, and Cordelia took a deep breath. She faced everyone in the plaza once more.
People were rejoicing.
They were waving their hands and cheering loudly.
Whether it was because of Henry II’s encouraging speech, or because they were grateful to Uther and Cordelia for saving them, as Uther had said.
I couldn’t figure it out.
It was difficult to distinguish between such things.
And actually, it wasn’t that important.
‘I’m so scared. I think I’m going to cry.’
When I first heard that the royal capital was under attack.
I remembered my mistake.
I was afraid that I had done something wrong.
If I hadn’t interfered with the Black Moon. If I had just let them commit terrorism.
If that were the case, wouldn’t the damage have been reduced?
Could it be that the damage was actually greater because of Uther and Cordelia themselves?
No it wasn’t.
It wasn’t like that.
We were able to stop the Patriotic War because we tried desperately.
By twisting history as they had done in the wild lands, they were able to prevent the promised catastrophe.
But still, I felt uneasy.
Because the lives of innocent people were at stake.
My chest has been heavy for the past five days.
It felt like I was hugging a huge rock.
But at this moment, I felt better. It felt like my stuffy chest had been cleared.
People were rejoicing.
They were cheering while looking this way.
There are so many people, thousands, tens of thousands.
The people Cordelia and Uther protected.
Cordelia laughed while crying, and Uther held her hand a little tighter. He found Emma Pikus and the Blue Moon people cheering among the crowd and told Cordelia about them.
‘Yuder, Yuuder.’
‘Oh, Cordelia.’
‘Let’s work harder.’
Let’s prevent all the original tragedy and create a perfect happy ending.
Let’s save more people.
Uther smiled brightly at Cordelia’s innocent eyes, which were as pure as a child. He kissed Cordelia’s forehead as she looked up at him, and this time Cordelia was not left to chance. She raised her hooves and kissed Uther’s cheek.
“Ohhh!”
“Ohhhhh!”
The crowd erupted in cheers. Laughter spread throughout the plaza.
Maximilian, who was looking out the balcony among the people, smiled, and Belkian chuckled behind his mask.
And Uther and Cordelia looked back at the people.
He raised his clasped hands and smiled brightly with a red face.
&
Time passed.
The First Sword, having left the capital, reached the Devil’s Hand’s stronghold on the border with the Argon Empire, and faced the leader of the Devil’s Hand again for the first time in nearly ten years.
A mysterious woman with long blue hair.
No matter how much I caught, I felt a slight thrill at the sight of her face, which looked like it was in its early twenties.
Even when I first saw her ten years ago, her face was exactly the same as it is now.
‘Immortal life.’
The wind of the First Sword was similar to the wind of the Guardian King, but different.
The Guardian King was afraid of death. He did not want to die, so he longed for union with the devil.
But the first sword was different.
I couldn’t stand the fact that I was growing old, much less dying.
Because I didn’t want to be weak.
Because I wanted to keep getting stronger.
Because I wanted to walk the path of the sword forever, forever.
“Rune Proud.”
The commander called the first swordsman’s name, and at that soft voice, the first swordsman knelt down without realizing it.
I paid tribute to the being before my eyes.
“Your original fate was different from what it is now.”
It should have been later that Jeilgeom joined.
He should have stood before her not in his present state of sound mind and body, but in a state of ruin.
But fate changed.
Because of this, the foresight of the great monarch Asmodeus was also distorted.
“Your original destiny was the devil Carthage.”
A demon with powerful poison.
But not anymore. For the First Sword – for that Sword of Light, Rune Proud – a new destiny was given.
“Fortissimo.”
Sword Demon.
A powerful being, one of the seven swords of the overlord Asmodeus.
What will be the outcome of this twisted fate?
The commander did not judge.
I simply raised the First Sword and led it to the Chamber of Consciousness, following the will of the Overlord Asmodeus.
New advanced mine-
No, for the birth of a true swordsman who will not stop at that level.
The commander took a step forward, awakening the demon’s soul.
< Chapter 73 - Merit Ceremony #7 (Revised) > End
