Five days had passed since the gods took to the skies above the royal capital and the truth of the myths began to unravel before the world.
That morning, a mountain of rolled-up letters lay piled upon the desk of Pauline, Commander of the Raven Warriors.
Princess Pauline sorted through them one by one, dividing them into those she would answer personally, those to be handled by scribes, and those to be set aside for later—her thoughts drifting back over the past few days.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips. Revealing the truth behind a thousand years of myth had proven, as expected, to be an immense undertaking. In ancient times, the gods had not achieved an absolute victory. Powerful monsters still remained. And the leader of the resurrected beasts—the primordial titan, Ymir—would one day march upon the royal capital.
These were the truths now revealed to the people: the past, and the future yet to come.
From the very next day after the battle, both in the capital and in the distant frontiers, the temples of Odis had begun preaching the true history of the myths.
Pauline paused her sorting, her hand coming to a stop.
“…This is…”
Protests had already begun to arrive from certain nobles.
The truth, once revealed, had struck too deeply and such reactions were only natural. If anything, Pauline found the situation to be proceeding rather smoothly.
It had been a stroke of fortune that the gods themselves had fought in the royal capital. The sight of ancient deities clashing with monsters stood as undeniable proof—that the battles of myth were not yet over. The same held true in the frontier lands. There, too, awakened gods had driven back the monsters emerging from the dungeon.
Though the gods seemed to have returned once more to their icy slumber after defending each region, the fact that they had saved the people would remain etched in countless memories.
As if cutting away hesitation, Pauline sorted the protest letters into the “No Reply Needed” box.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Luisia, clad in her priestess robes, stepped inside.
“Your Highness!”
The door had opened so abruptly that a gust of wind swept into the room. The stack of letters Luisia carried was caught by it, scattering into the air.
“Ah—! I-I’m so sorry!”
Flustered, Luisia dropped to her knees, hurriedly gathering the papers. Pauline joined her. One sheet slipped free again, blown straight into Luisia’s face, sticking there.
When Pauline peeled it off, it revealed a perfectly apologetic expression, her brows drooping in dismay.
“…There’s no need to worry about it.”
“But…”
Luisia had been training relentlessly to adapt to the new power she had awakened. And in the brief moments between, she still came to help Pauline like this. In other words, things were so busy that their current manpower simply wasn’t enough.
“I want to be of help too…”
Pauline let out a small, wry smile at the sight of the overzealous twelve-year-old.
“Truly, there is no need to worry. Your help has already been more than enough. …Oh?”
Her gaze fell to the letter she had just peeled from Luisia’s face.
It was from the Adventurers’ Guild.
They had already received notices from several branches that adventurers were being dispatched to the royal capital. Among them were cities Rion and the others had passed through—Flocia, Alvis, and more.
This letter was a follow-up report.
“…I see.”
To be honest, it was a relief. Because there was no doubt—the decisive battle would take place in the royal capital.
Before she realized it, Pauline had lowered herself slightly, meeting Luisia at eye level.
“Luisia.”
“Yes!”
“…Are you afraid?”
Those sky-blue eyes wavered, just a little.
Several days had passed since the battle. While she might not open up the way she would to her older brother, perhaps she would share her thoughts with someone closer to her age—another girl.
“There is the option of sheltering you deeper within the capital… for instance, within the castle, where the defenses are strongest. Are you truly certain you wish to remain here, in this temple?”
Placing a hand over her chest, the girl nodded.
“I…I am a little scared to be honest. But… I’ll be okay.”
A soft smile formed on Luisia’s lips.
“We also have the great Frost Orb here. If that’s the case, then I’ll stay too. It’s better if the things we need to protect are gathered in one place.”
Her words came without hesitation. She must have thought this through many times. The princess felt that her resolve was firm.
“And I’ll be fine with the work too! My big brother is doing his best… so I have to do something as well!”
Luisia stood, quickly organizing the scattered documents.
Her energy brought a small smile to Pauline’s lips.
“Fufu. Indeed, he’s been training in the dungeon for quite some time now.”
The boy with the horn, Rion, was honing his strength through rigorous training in the dungeon. His party members, Mia and Felix, were surely there alongside him.
Luisia added softly, almost to herself,
“…I wish he could progress further with Solana like this too…”
Pauline almost froze at the remark, but chose to let it pass.
“My apologies. That… was an unusual thing to say.”
“No, no!”
Luisia bowed politely, her chestnut-colored braids swaying like tails as she withdrew. Once the door closed quietly behind her, the princess took a breather.
In the final battle, the Raven warriors will have many roles to fulfill. Both the Frost Orb and Luisia herself were stationed at this stronghold. There was no doubt that Ymir and the others would focus their assault here.
The Raven Warriors were tasked with coordinating adventurers, soldiers, and countless others—an immense responsibility. However—Luisia’s power of creation remained hidden, it was not revealed to the populace or even to the king. Its potential danger was such that even humans might become a threat if they learned of it.
Pauline stepped closer to the window. When she opened it, a spring breeze swept in, rustling her silver hair.
“The end times…”
The Raven Warriors’ headquarters lay outside the walls of the royal capital, but its defenses were formidable. Rolling hills stretched endlessly under the sun, each rise and fall repeating in perfect rhythm.
Luisia’s encouragement resonated in Pauline’s heart.
“Yes… we’ll be fine. If it’s us…!”
A sudden boom froze her once more.
—Lord Thor! Please go easy in training!
The thunder god Thor was, as always, pushing both the Raven Warriors and the city’s adventurers—sometimes a little too hard—in rigorous drills.
And just as silence returned, a sharp, high-pitched voice cut through.
—Hey, Loki! Don’t touch that magical device!
Squinting down from the window, Pauline saw the God of Hunting, Uru, perched on the city wall, conversing with a flock of birds. From a tower room, thin tendrils of purple smoke occasionally curled into the sky—perhaps the Medicine Goddess, Sigris, was brewing some sort of elixir.
…I-it’s okay, right?
Right?
With a decisive slam, Pauline closed the window. At the very least, it seemed the gods would keep the city lively right up until the end. She returned to her desk and picked up her quill. “Now, as for the hero of the horn…” she thought, her mind drifting to the boy training deep within the dungeon.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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