Chapter 240 – Technique (3)

The next day.

It was only late in the afternoon that Alon’s group arrived at the alliance.

“Who is it!”

“Open the gate!”

At first, the soldiers, who showed a bit of wariness at Langban’s shout.

“Eh?”

“I-Is that… isn’t that Sir Langban?”

Soon after confirming Langban’s face.

“T-That’s impossible!”

“Inform the top! Sir Langban has returned alive!”

They moved busily.

Crrrruuuumble!

Not long after, the massive castle gate opened.

“Let’s go.”

Following Langban’s guidance, Alon entered the castle gate.

“Ah…Aaa, Lianna!! You were alive…!!”

“Father…!”

“You crazy bastard! I knew you’d be alive!!”

“Don’t talk nonsense! You wailed that I was dead!!”

“I told you I was alive!!”

He could see a scene of passionate reunions.

Soldiers, every single one of them, threw down their weapons and ran toward familiar faces to embrace each other.

In an instant, the atmosphere became noisy.

At that time.

A beastman male wearing very elegant clothes even at a glance ran from afar.

The middle-aged beastman approached in front of Langban and opened his mouth as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Langban…! You really were alive!”

He embraced him vigorously.

“Father, who do you think I am?”

Langban embraced the male back, calling him father.

How much time had passed since they shared such a warm reunion?

After briefly unfolding the stories that had piled up, Langban’s father turned his gaze back.

“…Human?”

Upon discovering Alon, he showed a clear hostile air, but.

“Father, they saved me.”

“What? Is that true? Humans saved you?”

“Yes, though it’s specifically those people.”

His eyes widened as if he were dazed by his son’s explanation.

After not saying anything for a while, he approached Alon.

“Truly, thank you.”

He bowed his head deeply.

────

Suddenly, silence arrived.

“…I only did what had to be done.”

Alon felt doubt about the surroundings becoming quiet instantaneously, but.

Alon nodded with courtesy.

“First, let’s go inside and talk.”

Watching the two, Langban smiled awkwardly and led Alon’s group inside.

The place they headed to was a massive city located in the middle of the alliance city.

Alon could not help but hesitate unconsciously as soon as he first saw this place.

Because he felt a sensation of having seen it somewhere.

He tried to trace his memory, but he could not keep looking at the city while standing in one place.

Subsequently, after moving his steps and arriving at the kingdom.

Alon’s group came to know a surprising fact during a light break of about two hours.

That was…

“…A prince?”

“That’s right.”

That Langban, who had moved with Alon until now, was the prince of the Eastern Country.

“Ack…”

“…”

Penia’s eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe it, and Rine tilted her head as if something was strange.

Langban, who had changed from grimy armor to the noble clothes worn by royalty before he knew it.

“I will introduce myself again. My name is Arangira.”

He bowed his head with a formal attitude.

“…Ah.”

At that, Rine, whose brow had been distorted until just a moment ago, let out an exclamation as if she understood now.

“So that’s why you weren’t in the library…”

She muttered in a voice so small that only Alon, who was right next to her, could hear.

Alon looked at Arangira.

“Why did you specifically hide your name?”

“Strictly speaking, I didn’t necessarily hide it. In fact, I worked as a warrior of the Blue Mist Corps, and I didn’t inform others of the fact that I was royalty.”

“Did the other beastfolk also not know your identity?”

“Most of them did.”

Arangira’s answer was unhesitating.

“What is the reason for hiding your identity and working as a warrior despite being royalty?”

“It’s a tradition that a prince of the Eastern Country must go through unconditionally.”

“Tradition?”

“Yes, in order to succeed the throne, we must live for more than five years while hiding our identity.”

“You managed to keep it even in a crisis situation.”

Arangira shook his head.

“It was a choice made not so much to keep tradition, but because I didn’t want to cause unnecessary conflict. If there are two people to become leaders in one group, unnecessary conflict arises.”

“I see…”

Alon nodded as if he understood and then hesitated.

“But, for that being the case, the soldiers made a fuss as soon as they saw you at the castle gate earlier.”

“Ah…that’s because I’ve raised quite a bit of merit even as Langban.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, though I say so myself, I rose to the highest rank among the Blue Mist Corps…that is, the warriors…on my own.”

Penia, who was listening to his words together, scanned Arangira with a strange expression.

“It’s true, but…”

“Yes.”

“It’s somewhat annoying.”

“…”

Arangira’s mouth stiffened awkwardly.

However, that was only for a moment.

“…Ahem, anyway, would you follow me? First, I’ve heard the rough circumstances of the alliance, but I think Alon also needs to hear the story. Oh, and you can keep calling me Langban.”

“I will.”

Following Arangira…no, Langban, Alon’s group began to move again.

####

“…Welcome, God from a foreign land.”

Immediately after entering through a massive door inside the palace.

Alon faced three people sitting at a round table.

They were an elf, a lizardman, and the middle-aged beastman he saw earlier, respectively.

On the round table, there was a brilliantly decorated throne.

After confirming that, Alon entered and greeted them.

“I am Alon.”

Subsequently, he sat at one side of the round table according to Langban’s guidance.

Penia and Rine stood behind his back as if guarding him.

Watching that, the three figures gazed at each other.

“First, let us introduce ourselves too.”

A brief introduction followed.

‘Are they the kings of each kingdom?’

As Alon expected, they were the leaders of each race and also those who led the alliance.

Surang, the King of the beastfolk country, the ‘East.’

Kalanda, the King of the elves’ country, ‘Fildegrin.’

Liosh, the Great Chieftain who led the lizardmen.

Once the self-introductions were finished.

The first to speak was Surang.

“I offered my greetings earlier, but I am truly grateful for saving my son.”

Surang bowed his head deeply.

Even if it was the past, he knew the weight and value of a king’s head.

Alon could fully feel Surang’s heart, which cherished Langban very much.

“First, I’ve heard somewhat from my son, but you are looking for Sir Yongrin?”

“That’s right.”

Surang brought up the main point immediately, and when Alon agreed, Kalanda, who had been silent by his side, spoke with a sorrowful expression.

“We are truly grateful that you took our precious compatriots out of that hell… but unfortunately, it seems that request will be difficult to grant.”

“May I ask the reason?”

At Alon’s question, the atmosphere became solemn in an instant.

“Unfortunately… Sir Yongrin sacrificed himself for us.”

The one who answered while breaking that atmosphere was Liosh, who had been silent until now.

“…What does that…”

The first to react to it was Langban.

He wore a bewildered expression as if he had heard nothing about it.

“I shall explain the current situation of the alliance to you.”

At this, the Beast King showed a troubled air and began to tell the current situation of the alliance.

####

Thirty minutes later.

“…This is the current situation so far.”

The state of the alliance, which he heard while sitting at the round table, was much more serious than Alon had thought.

After scanning the silent kings once.

Alon let out a light sigh invisibly and organized the contents he just heard.

Not long after dealing with the ‘black ones’ through the sacrifice of dragons, magi, and numerous people, the followers of Baarma invaded from the human side’s camp.

The non-human races urgently allied and opposed them, but due to the aftermath of the previous battle, the alliance had been fighting difficultly in an inferior position from the moment the war started until now.

In the total war that took place a month ago, at the moment the war was about to end in defeat.

It was said that Yongrin sacrificed himself to buy two months of time.

‘Is that why they pulled back the front line? To prepare something?’

While he was organizing his thoughts in his head, Surang muttered with a frown.

“…If only those damn human bastards hadn’t run away…”

Surang gritted his teeth as if he were very frustrated.

At that appearance, Alon asked.

“As I was coming here, I heard from Langban that there is a Human Alliance, but did they flee?”

“No. They didn’t even give any help in the first place.”

“…They didn’t even give help?”

“Yes, those damn bastards backed out after realizing that Baarma was attacking us and not them. In addition, knowing that the Baarma are related to the black ones, they have been pretending not to know all along… those sons of bitches.”

Alon realized only now why Langban had shown a blatant antipathy at the mention of the Human Alliance.

He continued his questions.

“What do you mean by the black ones and Baarma being related?”

This time, Kalanda answered.

“It is exactly as it sounds. From the Apostles of Baarma onward, they use power similar to the black ones.”

“Power similar to the black ones?”

“Yes.”

“…First, I’ve understood the rough situation, but is the alliance currently preparing for a decisive battle in preparation for the war that will take place in a month?”

Kalanda let out a groan that was a bit deeper than before.

“We are preparing for a decisive battle, but it is not a very good situation.”

“…Is there a problem?”

The moment Kalanda was about to say something at Alon’s question.

“…?”

There was a bit of a commotion outside the door for a moment, and soon a knocking sound was heard.

Subsequently, a soldier hurriedly entered and began to whisper something to Surang.

“What…?”

Surang, who was listening to the report, frowned immediately.

“…It seems I must get up.”

“What is the matter?”

“A problem occurred in the task we are preparing. I am sorry, but let’s postpone the talk until tomorrow.”

He stood up from his seat immediately and headed out.

The atmosphere became busy in an instant, and while the remaining people were bewildered for a moment.

“I suppose I should follow.”

Liosh, who had also become serious, followed Surang.

Just as Alon was about to stand up from his seat as if he had no choice…

“Wait.”

Kalanda, who remained, suddenly looked up at Alon.

“Thank you.”

He bowed his head deeply.

“…?”

Alon was briefly flustered by the sudden greeting.

“Because if it weren’t for you, my daughter would have died.”

“Your daughter, you say?”

“Yes, here she comes.”

Following Kalanda’s hand and moving his gaze.

A human girl was entering as if she had been waiting.

A girl who looked familiar somehow.

While tilting his head for a moment.

“…You were the one from then?”

Alon recalled his memory.

The child he rescued during the last escape from the front line, the human girl who was the first to give Alon a greeting of gratitude.

While Alon was staring blankly, the girl smiled and soon took off the bracelet she was wearing on her wrist.

Along with that, the girl’s appearance began to change.

The hair that was a bob cut changed to long hair.

Her brown eyes changed to the blue eyes characteristic of elves.

And.

“I’ll greet you again, God.”

Following the introduction.

“I am the Princess of Fildegrin, Magrina.”

“…Ah.”

Alon, unconsciously, let out a sigh.