side story 01. [after story] ash

    and they all lived happily ever after.

    ...if only life could be summarized that easily.

    reality, however, is never that simple.

    “your grace! this is an emergency!”

    in the 657th year of the empire.

    five years after the final battle against the monster.

    at the duchy of bringar, in the office of the duke of bringar.

    “there’s flooding along the iris river basin...!”

    “a wildfire has broken out in the dried-up forests from the winter!”

    “the western desert region is requesting the agreed-upon food aid!”

    “the steam engineering research facility we were constructing with other races has exploded again!”

    “an envoy from the everblack empire is requesting an audience! they’ll be arriving this afternoon!”

    “...”

    as urgent reports and letters poured in, piling up into a mountain on my desk, i—the duke of bringar—could only stare blankly with my mouth agape.

    “...”

    what... is this?

    i was certain we won the final battle and reached a happy ending.

    why am i here, stuck in an endless paperwork defense game? why? this isn’t even a new game plus mode!

    “when is this damn endless paperwork and stamp-signing defense going to end?!”

    bang!

    unable to hold back any longer, i slammed my desk and shouted furiously.

    “hey! sunflower seed-loving assistant!”

    “you gave me a new name, daram, remember? daram! please start calling me properly!”

    as soon as i called out sunflower seed-loving... no, bodybag... no, my aide, ‘daram,’ corrected me while darting out from the side.

    almost on the verge of tears, i yelled at daram.

    “why is there so much work to do?! my subordinates are competent, aren’t they? why does every single approval need to go through me?!”

    “you must be suffering from short-term memory loss due to overwork, your grace! since you’ve forgotten again, i’ll explain it to you once more!”

    matching my shouting with her own, daram retorted without backing down.

    “because of you, who brought a whirlwind of reforms to the duchy, tasks requiring your direct approval have piled up like a mountain!”

    “oh, uh... did i...?”

    “yes, all of it! every single bit of it! it’s all because of you, your grace!”

    she seemed genuinely upset, having been dragged into this paperwork defense with me. tears welled up in daram’s eyes... i’m sorry.

    unable to withstand her sharp glare, i reached out my right hand and used a skill to summon reinforcements. damn it, i need backup!

    “summon ally!”

    i called out the name of my most loyal subordinate.

    “lucas! get here immediately!”

    ...

    but only silence followed.

    “huh?”

    despite my desperate call, lucas didn’t appear. awkwardly, i stared at my empty hand.

    “wait, what’s wrong with my summoning skill...?”

    i hesitated and called again, this time more timidly.

    “lucas? where are you?!”

    “you’re really not in a good state today, your grace! don’t you remember?!”

    instead of the large golden retriever-like knight who used to appear instantly, my squirrel-cheeked aide placed a new file on my desk and reminded me.

    “sir lucas just went on leave yesterday! he rushed off to crossroad to see his wife as soon as he got his vacation!”

    oh.

    right.

    lucas finally got a break yesterday after months of work. and the moment he did, he bolted to crossroad...

    “that damned henpecked husband! he used to say that loyalty to his lord came first as a knight! and now his wife is his top priority?!”

    naturally, the person lucas married was evangeline.

    one year after the war ended—four years ago—they got married.

    by the way, it was a joint wedding. serenade and i also got married on that day... man, what a crazy day that was...

    ‘ack!’

    i quickly dragged my thoughts back to reality before i got lost in memories. sweet yet bitter wedding memories can wait for later; the present matters now!

    “anyway, i can’t lose to him!”

    lucas isn’t the only one who got married! i did too!

    if that’s how it is, i’ll go see my wife too!

    “summon ally!”

    no, my wife will come to me!

    “honey!”

    the moment i cried out, the office door burst open with a bang.

    “did you call for me, my dear husband?”

    “the events your grace abolished last year as excessive formalities were actually part of our traditions and honor! please reconsider!”

    “your reform efforts are admirable, but you mustn’t damage the traditional values of the duchy of bringar!”

    “while you’ve assured us that we won’t be annexed into the everblack empire, please formalize this with a clear declaration!”

    “even if you someday return to the empire, ensure the autonomy of the duchy of bringar, your grace!”

    i nodded solemnly.

    “i’ll take all of your concerns to heart. if there’s anything else you wish to share, don’t hesitate to send a letter to the duke’s manor!”

    listening to words of gratitude, casual greetings, and sharp criticisms alike, i toured the city.

    “...”

    i observed the faces of the people, those i now bore the responsibility of protecting.

    though i’m doing my best as a duke, i’m still clumsy as a politician. and my ambitions often exceed my abilities, leaving the duchy of bringar in a state of chaotic progress.

    still, with five years of experience under my belt, i’m slowly getting the hang of things.

    though my ideals are high, and i’m far from perfect...

    if i keep pushing forward, perhaps someday i can become a decent ruler.

    “so many people have placed their fate in my hands.”

    reaching a quieter area of the city, i murmured to myself.

    “i’ll have to work even harder.”

    hearing this, elize chuckled softly.

    “you grumble about hating work, but aren’t you the one digging your own grave, your grace...?”

    “q-quiet.”

    “working hard is admirable, but don’t overdo it. everyone’s worried about your heavy workload as it is.”

    “work-life balance isn’t easy to achieve...”

    still, it’s an unchanging truth: the harder a leader works, the smoother their country runs.

    moreover, serenade has been managing my health with military precision... from sleep schedules to exercise, meals, and even snacks. she keeps an exceptionally close eye on everything.

    ‘ack.’

    the dish serenade had shoved in front of me earlier suddenly came to mind, and i flinched.

    a shiver of apprehension ran through me for a moment, but i soon steadied my breathing and slapped my cheeks lightly to refocus.

    then, i spoke to elize.

    “let’s head back.”

    once again, i gazed out the carriage window—at my country, the land i govern.

    “i’ve had my breath of fresh air. now it’s time to face what i have to do.”

    to handle the piled-up tasks.

    to spend quality time with my lovely wife.

    for everything and everyone i love, i resolved to work hard again.

    elize smiled softly and turned the carriage around.

    “understood. let’s head back. yah!”

    as the carriage carried me back to the duke’s manor, i gazed blankly at the passing scenery and found myself reflecting.

    on the final battle we fought five years ago.

    on the comrades with whom i laughed and cried as we parted ways afterward.

    ‘i wonder how everyone is doing.’

    some were easy to keep in touch with, but there were others i hadn’t heard from in a long time.

    i could only hope they were all living happily somewhere in this world.

    and i wished that, whenever and wherever we might meet again, we’d be able to greet each other with smiles.

    as the faces of my old comrades—now distant memories—came to mind, i murmured to myself.

    “i miss everyone...”

    i wanted to see them all again, but among them, there was one i especially thought of.

    “our sid... he must’ve grown so much by now.”

    as his godfather, i found myself thinking of sid often.

    he must be six years old by now. i’d been so busy that i hadn’t been able to visit him as often as i’d like.

    ‘i should invite them to the duchy sometime soon.’

    crossroad wasn’t too far away. it would be nice to invite lilly and sid, show them around the duchy, and let them experience the sights.

    with these thoughts in mind, the carriage carried me swiftly toward the duke’s manor.

    at the same time.

    in the southern region of the empire, in crossroad.

    at lilly and sid’s home.

    “mom.”

    six-year-old sid asked with a curious innocence.

    “why don’t i have a dad?”

    “...”

    faced with the sudden question, lilly froze.

    –tl notes–

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