Chapter 271 : Tundra Does Not Forget Grudges Carved in Ice

In front of the south gate of Tundra.

Duke Elsbears and the ministers of the Elsbears family came out to see off Duke Selisman, who had visited Tundra as a representative of the royal family, and his party.

In fact, there were many other people who had come out of the gate besides them.

The knights of Tundra, and the soldiers and residents.

The expressions of the northerners looking at the royal delegation of Maia were not very good.

Because they had come only after the monster wave had passed, and the sight of them swaggering around and ordering them around did not look good.

Tundra, even within the Maia Kingdom, was a place that was very far from other places, so it had a strong independent tendency.

They were not the type to bother hiding their expressions.

And Duke Elsbears did not scold them for it.

At their cold expressions, some of the delegation frowned, but Duke Selisman did not care.

"Well, I'll be going."

"Go safely."

After the two dukes' brief farewell, Duke Selisman got into the carriage.

However, Duke Elsbears exchanged a short but meaningful glance with Duke Selisman as he got into the carriage.

Not many people noticed that glance.

Duke Selisman disappeared into the carriage.

The third princess of the Maia Kingdom, Princess Lilia Adrian Maia, remained and bid farewell to Duke Elsbears.

"Then I'll be going, Your Grace. I've been a great burden."

Princess Lilia held her skirt slightly and performed the noble's courtesy.

The duke also returned the courtesy with a simple gesture.

"Go safely, Princess."

"Yes."

Lilia lowered her head for a moment and looked at the white, snowy plains.

It seemed she would miss this white, snowy plain that she had seen so much of.

Duke Elsbears, who had been watching the princess for a moment, said.

"Princess."

Princess Lilia raised her head.

The duke, still with an expressionless face, said.

"Tundra does not forget grudges carved in ice."

Princess Lilia's eyes widened.

"Tundra is behind you, Princess."

At the duke's gesture, the adjutant's thunderous voice echoed over the snowy plains.

"Troops, attention!!"

Thump! Thump!

"To the princess, salute!!"

"Go safely!!!!!"

A thunderous farewell poured out.

The sound was so loud that it was deafening.

In fact, they had all come out not to see off Duke Selisman, but to see off Princess Lilia.

"Everyone..."

Princess Lilia's eyes welled up with tears.

The princess bowed her waist to the soldiers who were sincerely seeing her off.

A certain voice seeped into her ear.

"What's a princess to do, crying like that."

Princess Lilia quickly raised her head.

There, a man with eyes as red as blood was smiling fiercely.

"Hero!"

"We're here too!"

Dofang, Hudmilla, Shushuruta, Linda, and the other Sherwood Mercenary Corps members smiled brightly and waved from behind Ashuban.

"Everyone...!"

Lilia smiled brightly with teary eyes.

Ashuban knelt on one knee and gently wiped her eyes.

"Princess. We'll meet again someday, right?"

Lilia blinked.

"Why are you suddenly using honorifics?"

Ashuban grinned.

"How could I not, to the one who will ascend to the throne?"

Princess Lilia's eyes widened.

Her emerald eyes and Ashuban's blood-red eyes looked at each other.

In a brief moment, the two exchanged many words with their eyes.

Ashuban brushed the snow from her hair and whispered softly.

"Sherwood is behind you, Princess. Don't be scared."

Lilia gave a gentle smile.

"...Thank you, Sir Ashuban."

Ashuban smiled back.

"Go safely."

"Yes. You too, hero."

Sir Monde, Princess Lilia's guardian knight who had been waiting, held out his hand.

"Let's go."

Princess Lilia got into the carriage with Sir Monde's guidance.

And Sir Monde exchanged a glance with Ashuban and then followed her in.

"Giddy-up!"

Neigh!

The carriage left with the sound of a horse's neigh.

Ashuban thought as he watched the receding carriage.

That Princess Lilia had gained a lot from this perilous journey.

Tundra had fallen in love with Princess Lilia's unadorned appearance and sincere heart.

And they would do anything for her.

Also, behind her was the king of the north, Duke Elsbears, who had more power than any other powerful person.

And our Sherwood would also be standing somewhere there.

Since Tundra would be quite free in the summer, if they aimed for that time, it might be possible.

Well, of course, that's just looking at it in terms of power.

The smart princess would take care of the noble politics and such.

Ashuban, feeling a strange sense of pride, watched the back of the receding carriage...

He turned around and said to Duke Elsbears.

"Well, we'll be going too."

"Stay a little longer."

"We've already rested enough."

The captain of the Sherwood Mercenary Corps and the king of the north shook hands.

The guardian of the wall looked at Ashuban with a lingering expression as they shook hands.

"Do you really have no intention of becoming the master of the Turquoise Sword, Aurora, and succeeding me?"

"...!"

At the duke's bombshell statement, the ministers and knights around him widened their eyes.

"Y-Your Grace...!"

Even if the succession of the Elsbears family was not by blood.

To give the succession to someone who was not from Tundra?

Regardless.

Ashuban frowned and replied.

"Ah, I'm not interested."

"...!"

At that, the ministers and knights were even more surprised.

To refuse such an honorable position so casually?

For any northerner, it was a position that held a lifelong wish, like the sparkling stars in the sky.

It was like kicking away the greatest honor.

And seeing his tone, it seemed he had refused once before, which was even more surprising.

Duke Elsbears sighed.

He was genuinely disappointed.

"Regret."

"Regret, my ass."

"..."

Next, Ashuban also shook hands with the black mage, Adrian.

"So, are you refusing the offer to come to Sherwood?"

Adrian smiled brightly.

"Yes. I think this is where I belong."

"I see."

Adrian looked at the red-eyed swordsman blankly for a moment, then bowed his head deeply.

"It's all thanks to you, Sir Ashuban. Thank you."

"What did I do? It was all you."

Starting with that, the northerners came one after another and began to bid farewell to the Sherwood Mercenary Corps.

The Sherwood Mercenary Corps exchanged greetings with them in a comfortable and boisterous atmosphere.

It was a completely different atmosphere from when they were seeing off Duke Selisman and Princess Lilia.

Ashuban also mixed in with the flow and exchanged greetings.

"Sir Ashuban. Go safely."

"Ah, Guard Ted. You too, stay well. Keep the gates of Tundra tightly guarded."

Soon, after a round of farewells.

"Well, we'll be going."

The Sherwood Mercenary Corps got on the carriages in groups.

It was a top-class carriage provided by Duke Elsbears.

"Come again!"

"You're always welcome!"

"Go safely!"

Duke Elsbears saw them off with his eyes without a word.

And the other northerners shouted loudly to see them off.

The Sherwood members waved their hands out of the carriage until they were out of sight.

* * *

Rattle, rattle, rattle

In the carriage rolling toward the south.

Dofang, looking out the window, fiddled with his butterfly knife and then looked at me.

"So, where does our captain intend to go?"

"For now..."

Since there was nothing urgent, I planned to go down slowly.

From city to city.

Since there was no need to camp out, we would spend the night comfortably in an inn.

A captain should also take care of the members' back health.

'And.'

Hud and Schmidt had not yet fully recovered.

Because of that damn snowman, our members had suffered a lot.

Even though Linda had been diligently making and taking the antidote, they were still not fully recovered.

Poison was this scary.

I explained my plan to Dofang.

"What's the hurry? This time, let's go comfortably, as if we're traveling."

"Oh, that's great."

"If there's a place you want to go, tell me. This might be the last time we all travel together like this."

"Ah, little brother. Then how about we go and see the Uchellia Falls? I heard it's a magnificent sight."

"What? To go there, we have to go in a circle. Rejected."

"..."

This time, Shushuruta asked.

"So, what's the final destination?"

"Of course, it's Milestone. What are you asking?"

They nodded as if they had expected it.

Shushuruta gave a slight smile.

"Mary must be waiting."

"I'm a little worried. What if some bad guys hurt her while we're gone?"

Shushuruta snorted.

"If they want to leave this world, they will."

I looked at the sneering Shushuruta blankly.

"I've already talked to the guild, so there's nothing to worry about."

"You talked to them?"

"I told them that if Mary is hurt by someone while we're away, the guild will be smashed, so they must have understood."

...This girl.

The clumsy girl who used to look at the map upside down was now smiling a vile smile like a Sherwood member.

Had she completely assimilated into Sherwood?

"Good job, cat burglar. You've finally become a complete member of Sherwood."

"Ugh! Get your hands off me!"

As I was being hit on the shoulder by Shushuruta, I added, as if I had forgotten.

"Ah, and let's stop by Honeygrove before that."

Dofang, who had been laughing and watching me and Shushuruta, said.

"Honeygrove? Why there?"

"Why do you think?"

Honeygrove.

That was where I had beaten up the A-rank special individual, Hydra-kun.

The fields outside the wall were full of flowers, so flower petals would fly every time we fought.

"It's spring now, so let's go and see the flowers."

Dofang, whose suggestion to see the Uchellia Falls had been rejected earlier, grumbled.

"He's so selfish."

Just then, Sorrow, who had been listening quietly, chimed in.

"Go!!"

"Oh, you scared me."

Sorrow scolded Dofang.

"If the captain says we're going, we're going! How dare you talk back!"

Dofang blinked.

"What's wrong with this madman?"

I said with a pleased expression.

"Hehe. Sorrow has become my loyal servant."

Sorrow, with his cold, blue eyes flashing, said to me.

"If there's anyone who doesn't listen, tell me. I'll freeze them all."

"I'll do that. I feel so reassured thanks to our Sorrow-kun."

Dofang, across from me, and Shushuruta, who was sitting next to me, looked at me with a blank face.

"What did you do?"

I shrugged.

"It was nothing."

I recalled that day when the sentence was carried out.

When everyone was busy tormenting Sorrow, who was tied to a chair.

I had secretly set aside some of the 30-year-old Zilentyn, pretending to drink it.

And at dawn, when everyone was asleep.

I had stealthily approached Sorrow, who was staring blankly at the empty bottle with empty eyes after everything was over, and had given him the Zilentyn I had stashed away.

At that time, I still can't forget the look in Sorrow's eyes as he looked at me.

At that moment, I was Sorrow's savior, his only god.

With such a simple measure, I had turned a rebellious element with a grudge, who could have started a rebellion at any moment, into a loyal servant.

The Heavenly Demon said, as if in disbelief.

[You're particularly brilliant in this kind of thing.]

"That's my strength."

I was proud of myself.

"Hahahaha! Don't mess with me from now on. Unless you want a taste of Sorrow's ice."

"What in the world did that madman do..."

Under the cold surveillance of the loyal servant, Sorrow.

The carriage rolled peacefully.

* * *

A city we arrived at before sunset.

"Ah, the moonlight is as beautiful as a lady's eyes."

At the somehow familiar voice, I turned my head.

"There are mysteries in the world that cannot be understood by human reason. I wonder if a lady's eyes are one of them. I want to explore the lady's sparkling eyes to find out why they are so beautiful. Do you have time?"

I found a perverted knight hitting on a woman.

(End of Chapter)