Chapter 45

"Magic Arrow, Magic Arrow, Magic Ar――"

"Albert, that's enough!"

Shaken by Laura, I snapped back to my senses. I myself didn't feel like myself. I had become nothing more than a cannon firing Magic Arrows non-stop.

"Ah, how long have I been firing?"

"About an hour."

"I see..."

The place where I had been firing Magic Arrows was now a sheer cliff face with a massive horizontal cave carved into it. It must have been the result of my Magic Arrows.

...When I hit the goblin cave, I had deflected the arrows, but I could choose whether to do so or not.

"Where is the emblem mage...?"

All that was there was a hole. There was no sign of the emblem mage's body.

Laura tilted her head in confusion.

"He must be dead... if you think about it logically."

It was Filbus who answered.

"If the emblem mage's 99% defense had won, he would be here. Since he's not, he must be dead. With that firepower, it wouldn't be strange if there wasn't even a body left."

"I see..."

"The surrounding lizardmen have also gone. They probably sensed their leader's death and retreated."

"...Wow... as expected, Albert..."

Rihurt, who was leaning on one of his subordinates, called out to me.

"To actually take out an emblem mage too..."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm tough, that's my strong point."

Rihurt smiled, but it was a bit forced.

Filbus spoke up.

"Well, the battle is over. With both of our commanders dead—take a good rest, Rihurt."

Then Filbus turned to me.

"...Are you going to take that?"

That—the broken sword the emblem mage had brought. It was probably Allenzia's sword.

"...Yes."

I said, and picked up the sword from the ground. The crest engraved on it was undoubtedly the Lumines family's.

A whirlwind of emotions swirled in my chest.

It was so complex and overwhelming that it couldn't be expressed in a single word—I closed my eyes.

Then I took a slow, deep breath. With each exhale, I struggled to contain it in my heart.

Finally, I let out a long sigh—

and contained it all.

I turned around.

My eyes met Laura's worried gaze. I smiled at her and said,

"Let's go home."

"Yes!"

And thus, the battle at the Grizia Marshes came to an end.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Some time later—

A ceremony was held in the audience chamber of the royal palace.

"We have won! Thanks to the brave command and actions of Allenzia Lumines, the lizardmen's unrest in the Grizia Marshes has been completely quelled! However, as a result, the young commander Allenzia, who was expected to have a bright future, has lost his life! We mourn his sacrifice and wish to honor him with glory as a consolation!"

An elderly man—sitting next to the king—read from a paper.

The audience chamber was lined with the country's nobles. Rihurt and I stood at the end of the line, listening to the speech.

"Lumines Duke, step forward!"

At the official's words, a middle-aged man stepped forward from the line.

It was my father.

From our position, we could only see his back, but it seemed smaller somehow.

Father knelt before the king. The king spoke.

"Truly, it is a great loss, Duke Lumines."

"His contribution to the country's victory is undeniable. While it is regrettable, I am proud."

"I had hoped Allenzia would take on a significant role in the kingdom. It is very sad to lose such great talent here."

"Your words are much appreciated. ...I believe Allenzia would be pleased."

"Duke Lumines. The outcome of the battle is attributed to the supreme commander. Therefore, the glory of this victory belongs to Allenzia Lumines. Would you accept it on his behalf?"

"On Allenzia's behalf, I gratefully accept."

The official read out the honors to be bestowed, and the Duke of Lumines nodded silently to each one.

After the reading, the king stood from his throne and placed his hand on the kneeling Duke of Lumines' shoulder.

"Duke Lumines. It is a bit lonely, but it is too early for you to retire. Continue to support me."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Father bowed and then left the audience chamber, citing poor health.

After the room settled, the official raised his voice again.

"Next, we will honor the first merit of this battle!"

And the one called was—

"Baron Rihurt Strum, and team member Albert! Step forward!"

Rihurt turned his head toward me, a stiff smile on his face.

"Y-Yes, it's finally here, Albert! Don't be nervous, don't be nervous! Ah, ahaha! Smile, smile!"

"...I'm not as nervous as you are... go on."

I gave him a gentle push, and Rihurt walked down the red carpet, stiff and red-faced. I followed him slowly.

Rihurt was chosen as the first merit of this battle.

He had fought valiantly in the first and second battles as a separate unit, defeated a large number of lizardmen in the third battle, and defeated the emblem mage in the fourth battle, and his role in reporting the death of the supreme commander Allenzia was highly evaluated.

It was indeed a worthy achievement.

But—there was always a catch.

Before the ceremony, Rihurt had told me,

"I heard from my noble friends that I was chosen by elimination."

"Elimination?"

"Yeah, you know, a baron being chosen for the first merit is not common, right?"

"...Indeed, that's true..."

It was a noble's common sense.

The glory of a distinguished battle achievement also took into account the 'family background.'

"But this time, it seems to be special. There were no prominent figures from the kingdom who could be chosen, and choosing someone would cause friction. So, I was chosen because I'm not part of the mainstream and don't have any enemies—plus, with a lower rank, the rewards are less."

"...That doesn't feel good..."

"No, no! It's plenty! An opportunity is an opportunity! It means I'm recognized! I believe the tide will turn. After all, I'm a duke in the end!"

He laughed and then bowed to me, saying,

"But, I'm really sorry. I'm being recognized just for being the team leader. It's mostly Albert's achievement."

I shook my head.

"Don't worry about it. It's the team's achievement. You, as the team leader, should receive it."

"Wouldn't mentioning the Lumines name ensure that Albert is recognized regardless of being the team leader? Shouldn't we do that?"

"I asked you not to mention it."

I had asked Rihurt to keep my background a secret. It was natural, as I was someone who had been cast out of the Lumines family.

Just Albert.

That's all I needed.

I didn't even want to attend this ceremony, but because Rihurt, as the team leader, strongly recommended me, I was forced to attend and receive the medal.

The reason I didn't want to attend was because of the nobles present.

The nobles watched us as we walked down the red carpet.

"...Who is that man? A commoner?"

"For a commoner, he walks with a steady gait..."

Whispers like these could be heard.

The nobles were keen on court information. Someone might take an interest in me, and someone might remember the old me.

In other words, there was a high possibility that my true identity would be recognized.

I didn't want to get involved... I walked down the carpet, hoping it wouldn't happen.

Rihurt and I knelt before the king.

The official spoke.

"Baron Rihurt Strum! In recognition of your efforts, we grant you the Gabels region, a direct territory of the king, and elevate you from baron to viscount!"

"Thank you!"

Rihurt's voice was genuinely joyful.

From a landless baron to a land-owning viscount—a great promotion. I was happy for Rihurt, who had worked hard and had a good personality.

"Next, team member Albert! We award you a medal for your achievements!"

"Thank you."

A lady-in-waiting pinned the medal to my chest.

Well, now I just needed to return to the line and keep a low profile. People's memories fade in time. Eventually, everyone would forget about me.

But—

The king spoke.

"...Albert. Would you show your face?"

My face?

I didn't understand the intention, but it was the king's command. I couldn't refuse, so I turned to face him.

The king looked at me intently and muttered,

"...You do look similar..."

At that moment, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Then I remembered.

The fact that Allenzia had been the king's favorite.

The king must have spent a lot of time with Allenzia and cared about him deeply.

If that was the case—

The king spoke.

"Albert. I apologize if I am mistaken, but—are you related to the Lumines family?"

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