Chapter 138

‘……Is he still looking at me?’

Yoanna.

Embarrassed that her eyes had met Leonardo's, she had lifted her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

She peeked open one eye to check on Leonardo.

‘Ah…… thank goodness. He’s looking at his book again.’

Then again, there was no reason for Leonardo to keep looking at her.

‘But His Highness’s expression is a little different from usual.’

Leonardo always had either a blank expression or a faint smile.

But now, he looked like he was having a hard time holding back a smile, to the point that his lips were twitching.

‘……Is the book that funny? The Commander instructed me to read a few books, but I didn't find them that interesting.’

As Yoanna was watching Leonardo.

Leonardo suddenly flipped to the very last page of the book. It seemed like he was in the middle of reading.

‘Is the book so interesting that he’s checking the ending first?’

So this is what avid readers are like. As expected, he’s amazing—

As Yoanna was subtly praising Leonardo.

“……ck.”

Leonardo's expression hardened, and she heard him mutter.

His voice was so low that Yoanna couldn't tell exactly what he had said.

She couldn't hear what Leonardo had said.

But one thing was certain, Leonardo's expression had become very serious.

He had been smiling just a moment ago.

‘Does he not like the ending of the book……?’

Yoanna reacted sensitively to every one of Leonardo's reactions.

She was like a puppy watching its owner's mood.

Thud—.

“Hoo…….”

Leonardo closed the book and let out a deep sigh. His expression returned to the usual Leonardo.

To that blank expression of someone in thought.

“Y-Your Highness. Is something wrong?”

“Hm?”

Leonardo, who had been making a serious face, erased that expression and shook his head with a faint smile.

“No, why?”

“Your expression was serious just now.”

“Ah……. Uhm, no. It's fine.”

“……”

“It's late, so you go to bed first. I'll take the first watch.”

As if it were truly nothing.

Leonardo started reading the book again with a serious expression.

He had said, 'It's nothing,' but his expression was anything but trivial.

Naturally, Yoanna continued to be concerned about Leonardo.

‘But…… it should be alright. Seeing him react like that while reading a book, it must be because he doesn't like the content of the book.’

It couldn't be a problem related to this kingdom.

Yoanna thought so and tried to force herself to sleep. She needed to rest well to endure another forced march tomorrow.

***

The next morning.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump—!

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump—!

As we headed for the Foothill's Rest again today, I recalled the contents of the Future Diary I had read yesterday.

‘Thanks to the Elves' help, we win the war against the monster army…… but we are destroyed by an invasion from the ‘Jerpan Archipelago’.’

“Damn it…….”

My heart felt heavy. I just want to live, and furthermore, I want to bring peace to this kingdom, but I don't know why so many obstacles are thrown my way.

I don't believe in God, but at this point, it feels like a god exists.

A mischievous god who enjoys burning ants with a magnifying glass, an absolute being who governs fate.

Otherwise, my ending couldn't be so fucked up every time.

‘I have to prepare for the war with the Jerpan Archipelago right after the war with the monster army ends. But can we stop them even if we do? If we fight two major wars that could destroy the kingdom in a row…… can this kingdom withstand it?’

Hoo—.

A sigh escaped me on its own.

‘A war with a foreign country that occurs shortly after the war with the monster army ends. To prepare for that…… what’s most important is to minimize the damage in the war against the monster army.’

That's right. That was the most important thing.

I had to save my troops, and I had to save my supplies.

‘The problem is that the war with the monster army is not an easy war where you can afford to save anything.’

Jereuth had said it before. ‘The war with the demons was not an easy war where you could pay attention to trivial things.’

The current situation was similar to that. The war with the monster army was not a war that could be fought while trying to save something.

It was a great war on which the existence of the kingdom depended.

That being said.

‘Still…… I have to save troops and resources somehow.’

The only problem was.

I didn't know how to do that.

How could I save troops and resources?

After thinking for a long time, I shook my head again and cleared my thoughts.

Now was not the time to worry about the Jerpan Archipelago's invasion. For now, I should focus only on the war with the monster army—.

‘……Fuck, how can I do that? The diary clearly said the kingdom would be destroyed and I would die because of the Jerpan Archipelago.’

Did Kartum understand my complicated and frustrating feelings?

It ran even more wildly, moving forward as if to break the earth.

Just then, I heard Yoanna's voice from behind.

“Y-Your Highness!”

She'll probably ask to take a short break and eat.

‘Yes, we should.’

Neigh—!

Before I could pull Kartum's reins to stop, Kartum stopped on its own. It had read my thoughts and stopped on its own.

“You want to take a break? Alright, let’s rest.”

My voice was a bit on edge because my mind was complicated and full of frustration.

Perhaps sensing my mood, Yoanna looked at me cautiously and asked back.

“Ah…… no! We can go a little further!”

I didn't mean to take out my frustration on Yoanna.

“No, let's take a break.”

“Th-thank you.”

Yoanna immediately got off her horse. She took off the pack on her back and rested, catching her breath.

It seemed it was indeed hard for her to keep up with me and Kartum.

I let Yoanna rest on her own and put my backpack on the ground and drew my sword.

‘What I can do now is…… improve my own skills. My swordsmanship skills. There's no time to rest.’

If I polish my swordsmanship further and kill even one more monster in the war.

Then the knights and soldiers will have one less monster to deal with.

‘That way, the damage from the war will be minimized.’

My ending was not to die in the war with the monster army.

It was to be killed in action in the ‘war with the Jerpan Archipelago’ after that.

In other words, I was invincible in this war with the monster army.

‘As such, I’ll have to fight more fiercely and better than anyone else. Since I won’t die.’

Shing—.

The pure white sword that now felt like a part of my body, more than just familiar.

I didn't know if it was just my imagination, but it seemed to have gotten a little longer compared to when I first received it from the King three years ago. As I grew taller.

I got into my stance and began my basic swordsmanship training.

Swoosh—!!

My feelings were directly reflected in my sword strike.

The emotions of worry and responsibility.

‘Damn it…… damn it.’

Inevitably, my sword gradually began to be swung randomly in the air.

It was because my mind was anxious and complicated.

***

As soon as Leonardo got off his horse, he began to swing his sword.

Yoanna could only stare blankly at Leonardo.

‘His Highness…… is truly an amazing person. To have the stamina to swing a sword like that even after such a forced march.’

Yoanna had also undergone arduous training since she was a knight squire until now.

So she was confident in her stamina, to some extent.

But Leonardo's stamina was something she couldn't dare to match.

Truly, he was a reliable man who could only be worshipped.

‘……No, he is the King. But His Highness always read a book when he rested, but today he's training with his sword.’

Yoanna didn't read many books, so she didn't have much to talk about with Leonardo regarding books.

It wasn't something to be proud of, but Yoanna knew well that she was uneducated.

But when it came to swordsmanship, she had quite a few things to talk about with Leonardo.

‘I've seen His Highness use a sword from a distance a few times. I thought he was pretty good then…… but seeing it up close, I don't know, he seems to have surprisingly many openings.’

Yoanna had received swordsmanship instruction from mid- and high-ranking knights since she first held a sword.

This meant her basics were solid.

To her, Leonardo's swordsmanship was bound to be somewhat clumsy.

Leonardo's basic swordsmanship was all he had learned from Jereuth for a few weeks, and his actual swordsmanship was the 'King's Swordsmanship' he had learned from King Philip.

‘I've always wanted to be of help to His Highness. Maybe this is my chance!’

After watching Leonardo for a moment, Yoanna spoke carefully.

“Your Highness. If you don't mind, may I correct your posture?”

At Yoanna's suggestion, Leonardo, who had been swinging his sword randomly, stopped and turned around.

“You’ll check my posture?”

“Ah…… I'm sorry if that was presumptuous!”

“No, that's not it—.”

Leonardo trailed off slightly—.

He gestured for Yoanna to stand up and continued.

“Then, since we're bored, shall we have a spar? A light one.”

“A-a spar? Me, with Your Highness?”

“Yeah. Don't you want to?”

“No! It’s not that I don't want to, it’s an honor!”

To spar with the King.

That was something only someone of the rank of a Knight Commander could do.

Yoanna felt the fatigue of the arduous march completely disappear. She immediately stood up, drew her sword, and went in front of Leonardo.

“I'll be in your care!”

“Me too.”

Leonardo answered briefly.

And got into his stance.

Then—.

‘……Huh?’

Something was different.

‘……W-what is it?’

Just a moment ago, he was full of openings.

‘Now…….’

I can't see it. Anything.

‘It looks like there are many openings, but they don't seem to be openings. It's like he's intentionally leaving them open…… or is he?’

It was as if a 3-dimensional being could not understand a 4-dimensional being.

Yoanna felt such a sense of incongruity.

Of course, Yoanna did not understand such a concept.

‘Still…… should I go in? If I go in deeper, I might see the openings again.’

“Then, I will begin.”

Nod.

As Leonardo nodded his head, Yoanna nodded back.

Then she went in deep towards Leonardo—but with no intention of hurting him in the slightest.

However.

Clack— Thud.

“……Huh?”

Leonardo casually deflected her sword.

And simply tripped her.

‘……Did I trip on a stone?’

Yoanna was so bewildered that she could have made such a mistake.

But Yoanna knew that wasn't it.

‘His Highness Leonardo definitely tripped me. ……What just happened to me?’

It was as if she had been put under a spell.

Yoanna hurriedly got up again and took her stance. This time, Leonardo spoke.

“I'll go this time.”

“Yes!”

As soon as she answered, Leonardo slowly approached. He didn't seem particularly threatening.

He was walking at a normal pace.

‘But…… why?’

The closer Leonardo got, the more Yoanna felt the space allowed to her was narrowing. It was becoming hard to breathe.

‘This feeling is…… the same as when I met that huge snake monster three years ago-.’

Swoosh—!

From a little far away, at a distance where the sword couldn't reach, Leonardo lightly swung his sword. It was an attack that could only be called foolish, to swing a sword from such a distance.

But this time too, the feeling was strange. It was like, a warning that said, 「“Next time, I’ll cut you down.”」

Yoanna felt as if Leonardo was cutting through her space.

‘But now, I see an opening!’

Yoanna's body, which had been through countless spars, reacted instinctively.

She aimed for Leonardo's opening.

But—.

Tap.

Before she knew it, the tip of Leonardo's sword was touching her throat. A faint trickle of blood flowed.

At that stinging pain, Yoanna's body froze.

‘I-if His Highness hadn't pulled his sword back just now, my throat would have been deeply pierced.’

That's right. Leonardo was so overwhelming that he could even compensate for his own mistakes.

When she realized that.

A thrill ran through Yoanna's body. For some reason, her chest and stomach felt warm.

“Shall we stop? You seem very tired.”

At Leonardo's calm words, Yoanna nodded her head blankly.

‘My god…… was a perfect being in every way.’

“Yes…….”

***

The Foothill's Rest.

A place known to the outside world as the land of the Elves, their paradise.

It was where all the Elves gathered, except for the very few Elves who traveled the continent.

In the southern part of that Foothill's Rest, a certain Elf was waiting for someone with sparkling eyes and a beaming expression.

It was Paras.

‘He's coming soon! My nephew!’

The trees and animals had told Paras that information.

‘But they said he's coming with a human woman, is it his wife? This uncle hasn't even gotten married yet, but my nephew is already getting married. I’ll have to give him a piece of my mind when he comes!’

In such a cheerful mood, as Paras was thinking of pranks and jokes to play on his beloved nephew.

Thump, thump, thump, thump…….

He saw two people riding horses coming from not too far away.

Since Paras had good eyesight, he immediately recognized who they were.

“Nephew!”

Paras, waving his arms widely in greeting.

As Leonardo came within close range, he smiled even wider and approached Leonardo.

“You've……!”

He was about to say, ‘You’ve come!’—

“……Why the face?”

At Leonardo's serious expression, Paras suddenly became worried and uncomfortable.

Was something wrong with his nephew's kingdom? Or was someone precious to him hurt?

Because Elves valued family above all else, Leonardo's expression was extremely concerning.

At Paras's worried words, Leonardo bowed his head slightly in greeting and answered.

“Hello, uncle. My expression is…… well, it’s because I have some worries.”

“Worries? What worries! Tell this uncle everything!!”

Paras spoke as if he would pluck the stars from the sky for him. At that, Leonardo smiled slightly and introduced Yoanna, who was next to him.

“First, let me introduce the knight who came with me. This is Yoanna.”

“Ah, yes. Your knight-.”

“And she is my family.”

“Family?!”

Completely forgetting his worries about Leonardo just a moment ago.

Paras was truly surprised, thinking that Leonardo had brought his wife.

Paras was not the only one surprised.

“Y-Your Highness? F-f-family, what do you mean by that?!”

As Yoanna raised her voice like a young girl for a rare moment.

Leonardo shook his head at both of them and said.

“We are not married. But we are family.”

“……”

“……”

“We can become family even without being married, even without a single drop of blood mixed.”

Leonardo spoke calmly, as if it were no big deal. Yoanna did not understand those words.

But of course, Paras understood.

And he smiled broadly and stroked Leonardo's head.

“You rascal! You've not only grown taller, but your heart has matured so much! Yes, you're right! You can become family even without a single drop of blood mixed!”

“Haha, yes.”

“Good! Very good! Ah, where is my mind. Let’s go inside quickly! I'll guide you to the village!”

As Paras was about to pull Leonardo's arm and lead him inside.

Leonardo resisted slightly with his strength, and in turn, grabbed Paras's arm and spoke.

“Uncle. I have something to tell you before we go to the village. A favor…… you could call it that.”

Leonardo's atmosphere became serious again.

At that atmosphere, Paras asked Leonardo seriously.

“Yes, what do you wish from me? Hmm…… is it perhaps about the war with the monster army you mentioned before?”

‘The war with the monster army’.

At those words, Yoanna was just as surprised as when Leonardo had called her ‘family’ a moment ago.

“……?!”

But she couldn't dare to interrupt the conversation between a king and his uncle, so she just listened quietly.

“That is correct. But that is not all.”

“Not all, you say?”

“Yes. After the war with the monster army, I would like our Elf family to help me as well.”

“……”

“Just like the Giants, I would like the Elves to migrate to my kingdom as well.”

Leonardo had thrown the dice.

To have the entire Elf race fight directly in this war with the monster army, and to receive their help in the subsequent war with the Jerpan Archipelago.

The king preparing for two wars had to obtain the best with the best he had.

Even if it wasn't the method his future self had shown him.