#249
249. Princess of the Sun (2)
The interior of the tent was austere, incongruous with its fancy exterior.
There was a carpet made of the hides of wild animals, and on the carpet were only round tables and bare wooden chairs.
Freea stood by the chair.
with your back to me
‘It’s changed.’
could be recognized at a glance.
Her silver hair, which had been short enough to reach her shoulders, had grown to her waist, and her body, which had been similar to a block of wood, had become rounder, giving her the appearance of a dignified lady.
She was wearing the same silver dress as when we first met on the 15th floor.
‘When I was a kid, I thought it was a pearl necklace around a pig’s neck.’
All I can say now is that it suits me.
I slowly approached Freea.
“Sorry. I’m a little late due to circumstances.”
“……I see.”
“I wanted to come as soon as possible, but I didn’t expect it to take three years.”
Freea turned to me.
She had a soft smile.
“If you’re busy with work, you can’t help it. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“…”
“While you were gone, I tried my best to do my part. How about it, doesn’t this amount quite suit the status of a princess?”
Freea lifted the skirt of her dress and spun around.
‘He doesn’t say anything.’
I thought I would spit out a word or two of resentment or, at least, a complaint.
The appearance has changed, but the atmosphere is similar to that of the 50th floor.
I can’t believe Yoshu’s words that he spent his days waiting for me with tears.
“For three years…”
“It’s okay. I know you’re alive, so it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize anymore. This is a battlefield. Isn’t it time to exchange greetings and greetings? Even at this moment, the warriors are fighting for us.”
Fria spoke in a low voice.
Then he laughed lightly.
“Hehe, if you’re a human from the imperial family, you should be able to distinguish between public and private.”
“You’ve grown a lot.”
“I’m ashamed to see you if you’re the same as before. You had to change. For me and for you. And for the sake of Taoni. Anyway, Han, well back. We welcome you.”
Freea lightly wiped the tears from her eyes and hardened her expression.
I took a deep breath.
‘Three years is… … It changes people.’
I think I’ve learned to control my emotions.
Was it forced rather than learned?
If it had been, I would not have been able to lead the organization.
“How’s the situation outside? If there’s a dangerous place, I’ll help you.”
I opened my mouth.
As long as I am given a mission, I must do my part.
Freea pointed to the map lying on the table.
The map made of thick leather was marked with the battlefield situation.
As if it had been treated with magic, the picture engraved on the map was constantly moving.
‘Is this an advantage?’
The blue arrow on the left side of the map was pushing out the red arrow.
“Yoshu, explain the situation to Han.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Josh came into the tent.
He bowed his head to me and put his scabbard on the map.
“The current situation is overwhelmingly in our favor. The ratio of forces is 1 to 10 or more. The church forces are fleeing, and the battle will end within 30 minutes at the latest.”
“There must be a wall.”
“Even there, the elite troops have completed infiltrating. When the main force arrives, we plan to open the gate from the inside.”
“in other words…….”
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like it’s my brother’s turn to step out in this battle. Please have a private conversation with the princess here. This battle is almost over.”
“Can I not go out?”
Yoshu nodded.
I crossed my arms. Occasionally, there were missions that could be automatically cleared without the hero doing anything. It’s a mission to eat raw, I never thought a stage like this would appear in Taoneer.
“Are you really okay? There’s a guy that’s hard to handle, or something like that?”
“The church’s elite troops fled early. What remains now are the remnants.”
“……her.”
It was just disconcerting.
The missions I’ve performed so far have been a series of extreme situations, but now I can clear them just by looking at them.
‘Was the influence of the 50th floor so great?’
Although monsters appeared in tens of thousands.
Still, it was a surprise.
The awkward feeling that if you don’t run away right away, a mission failure message will pop up.
“Yosh, I want to go out and encourage the soldiers. Can you entertain Han in the meantime?”
“Let’s do it according to your command.”
“Let’s talk about the unfinished story later.”
Freea smiled at me and left the tent.
Hearing the footsteps of vengeance, it seemed that another escort had followed.
The only ones left in the tent were Yoshu and me.
“This is true.”
Things have changed so much.
I’ve always fought under unfavorable conditions.
“So, you said that there was a civil war with the prince? How is the overall situation?”
“The Imperial Capital where the prince is located and the Chengdu, the stronghold of the Order. If you capture just two areas, the prince’s army will disappear from Taonier. And this… is the last fortress located right in front of the Chengdu. .”
“…”
“You could say we almost won.”
I scratched the back of my head.
It seems that it was not only Freea who changed.
Yoshu explained what happened after the battle in the forest.
After the 50th floor, the mercenaries who were scattered in different forces gathered as one under the name of the princess.
It must have been natural. Then, Pria erased her eggs, exuding her dazzling brilliance from all over her body. They were directly witnessing a scene that could only come out of mythology.
“Even though the empire and the church put a wanted order on the princess, everyone who knew it knew. Those bastards didn’t do anything while the monsters were attacking the people of the empire.”
“…”
“Well, the first thing I made up my mind about was a gold coin, but as time passed, I gradually realized that he was the only one who could save Taoni. At first, I thought I didn’t need an emperor, but I got into trouble.”
Yoshu shrugged.
And he looked at me with serious eyes.
“When this civil war is over, I intend to appoint the princess as the king of a new country. Until now, there have been a lot of troublesome people in Taoni who say that they are from the four great families or religious groups. Shouldn’t you have it?”
Yoshu’s eyes did not waver.
You could tell just by looking at this guy that he was sincere.
“I don’t know where my older brother came from or what his true identity is, but… I feel grateful for connecting with the princess.”
“The talk went too far. The fight isn’t over yet, is it?”
“That’s right. I’m a little overwhelmed by myself, but from now on, won’t my older brother help me? This puts my mind at ease. What a relief!”
Yoshu laughed out loud.
Being sly was the same as when he was a kid.
Yoshu laid out another map on the table.
It is none other than Taoni’s evangelism. From there, he was able to look at the areas currently occupied by the princess’ army.
In the middle of the imperial castle, all areas except for the eastern part where the church is located are painted blue.
‘here is… … The last fortress on the way to the Chengdu.’
I rested my chin on the wooden chair.
More than I expected, the civil war had progressed a lot.
It was the stage where the war was almost over.
‘Are the remaining boss level monsters the saintess and the prince?’
The two seemed to be isolated.
Fortunately, I don’t think you will have to deal with them all at once.
Since this place was said to be close to the headquarters of the church, it was like meeting the saintess for the first time.
‘What if I kill those two?’
Will Taoneer’s scenario come to an end?
It can’t be.
For now, the main dish remains.
Even if you dealt with all the monsters, if you couldn’t beat the prince, you would be rude.
He was a monster who could twist the laws of physics by himself. Just like El Cid.
The reason I accepted Gugukon’s contract was to beat him.
According to Yoshu’s explanation, the prince shut himself up in the capital after the battle on the 50th floor and did not show his nose.
Had he intervened, the landscape of the civil war would have been different. He couldn’t understand English.
Yoshu continued his trivial chatter.
About how he was able to rise to the position called the mercenary king with just one gold coin.
At first glance, it seemed that he had started a management business by taking care of famous mercenaries exploring dungeons.
‘I wasn’t particularly interested in the story, but.’
Wow!
A sudden shout shook the tent.
Yoshu muttered.
“Looks like the occupation is over.”
“already?”
I saw the entrance to the tent blocked by a curtain.
[Stage cleared!]
[‘Han(★★★★★)’, ‘Jenna(★★★★★)’, ‘Belquist(★★★★★)’, ‘Kishasha(★★★★★)’, ‘Katio (★★★★★)’ Level up!]
[Reward – 100,000G]
[MVP – ‘Belquist (★★★★★)’]
There was no longer any doubt.
Just as Yoshu said, this mission could have been cleared without us doing anything.
Judging from the fact that Belquist was selected as the MVP, it seems that they ran rampant when I wasn’t there.
What is the boss stage like?
On the contrary, I even felt a little regretful.
‘… … .’
Long live Her Highness the Princess. Hooray.
There was cheering outside.
Then, the curtain at the entrance was pulled back, and Fria walked in.
“Are you done?”
“This battle is over. But…”
“This menu remains.”
Yoshu muttered.
“The elites of the Church are standing in the castle. Not only soldiers, but also various monsters will be included. From here on out, we must be prepared to sacrifice.”
“……The saintess will appear.”
“That woman… is quite troublesome.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
I put my back on the chair.
Even ‘mystic eyes’, which were annoying, can now be dealt with.
All that was left was to pluck the woman’s head.
I examined the body.
A pure white light was slowly engulfing her whole body.
It was a sign of return.
“Now, wait! I still have something to say…”
Freea strode toward me.
I shook my head.
“It’s okay. I’ll see you soon.”
“but……!”
“Have you been fooled once or twice?”
“Didn’t you leave me behind for three years after saying that? You’re leaving me behind again!”
Yoshu cleared his throat and left the tent.
Freea approached me with a clinging expression.
‘It must have been a long wait.’
I grinned.
I finally feel like I’m back to being the kid I know.
“This time it’s for real. I’ll be back in a week.”
“Really?”
“okay.”
If the next mission is the castle attack battle,
You will be able to meet Freea in the near future.
“I… have something to tell you. For that, I must come back.”
“Didn’t I tell you to distinguish between public and private life?”
“We’ll take a short break after attacking the Saints.”
“At that time, it doesn’t matter.”
“It’s a promise.”
Freea held out her little finger to me.
‘Should I even do something like this?’
I immediately crossed fingers with her.
Even if it wasn’t my intention, I made this guy wait for over 3 years.
“I’ll wait, Han. See you again.”
The light completely swallowed me, ending with Freea’s smiling face.
“Wow, my God. It gave me goosebumps.”
space-time gap.
Jenna was making a fuss with her shoulders wrapped around her.
“Isn’t it a dream? It’s ridiculous that it ends like this.”
“If there are difficult missions, shouldn’t there also be easy ones? This time it was easy, but from now on, we’ll have to work hard too. Don’t neglect training.”
“Yes. Oppa, I’ll go first. Good job everyone!”
Jenna gave me a vigorous salute and passed through the time-space gap first.
Katio and Kishasha followed suit.
But Belquist did not leave and stood silently next to me.
“Senior, I think I met that woman.”
“The woman?”
“You mean the handsome princess.”
“It’s not what you think. I just figured out the situation.”
“You may think so, but that woman may have a different opinion. I’ve hardly spoken to her, but I can tell from a distance. Keep your distance. It will only bother you later.”
After speaking, Belquist slowly exited.
I closed my eyes.
‘Later gets annoying.’
It hasn’t even been a year for me.
But those years were 10 years for Freea.
‘ha.’
The axes of space-time are different.
Above all I When you finish climbing… … .
‘It’s embarrassing.’
can’t fix it now
You should start thinking about the task in front of you.
I clicked my tongue and moved on.
