Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Charles Cross had spent his entire existence battling something.

He was born in a fortress whose purpose was to keep monsters at bay.

Even before he could grasp much, he trailed his father to the front lines and matured amidst the gore of monsters attempting to breach the fortress walls.

When his father passed on, when he inherited the Margraves position, when he became the fortress lord at a tender age.

Every day, he fought monsters.

In truth, this was all he needed. Fighting monsters was his forte and the only thing he could genuinely comprehend.

Eliminate the foe trying to kill me.

The world was that straightforward and lucid.

Greetings, my lord!

Until she arrived in town.

What are you intending to sell in this place?

Flowers, my lord.

The female merchant who had applied for a business permit in the town center.

In her presence, Margrave Cross was stupefied.

This is a monster frontline. We need swords and spears, arrows and shells here. What purpose do flowers serve? Theyll just wilt promptly.

Exactly because theyre futile, precisely for that reason! Humans require flowers, my lord.

...?

This transient beauty that fades so swiftly, thats why flowers are beautiful!

He couldnt comprehend it.

So, initially, he was skeptical of her. He suspected she might be a spy from a rival nation.

Margrave Cross frequented her shop, brimming with flowers and grass, daily, seeking evidence of her espionage.

Each time he visited, she would beam and educate him about flowers.

She detailed their language and familiarized him with their fragrances and hues.

Margrave Cross learned to differentiate the colors and scents of flowers and memorized every kind of flower.

Yet, he still couldnt quite understand their beauty.

A year later, Charles Cross proposed to her.

And she accepted.

***

Clippity-clop, clippity-clop, clippity-clop-!

Margrave Cross, dressed in armor and brandishing a spear and shield, spurred his horse towards the fortress wall.

A lone rider.

Solo, without any escorts.

"What the hell... is he up to?"

He was atop a shabby horse, encased in armor that had not been maintained and had rusted, carrying a massive shield and cavalry spear that seemed incongruous with his lean physique.

And in that state, he was galloping solo towards the rats, still numbering in the thousands.

This wasnt some Don Quixote charging at a windmill.

"What are you thinking, Margrave! Youre inviting death-!"

As if my cries fell on deaf ears, Margrave Cross continued his relentless charge.

"Aaaaaah-!"

A raspy battle cry erupted from behind the helmet donned by the old man.

One by one, the rats that were zealously trying to breach or burrow under the wall turned to look back.

The behavior of the monsters, as I had explained dozens of times, was straightforward.

- Eliminate the nearest human.

Squeak!

Squeak, squeak!

As the Margrave advanced, the rats glowered, their red eyes ablaze, their hostility palpable.

Yet, Margrave Cross didnt decelerate; he charged headlong.

With a resounding bellow, a giant lance plunged into the core of the rat horde.

And then,

"Turn your gaze on me, you rat bastards!"

He activated his Taunt, a wide-spread skill famously associated with Shield Knights.

He was unsure of the precise level of his taunt skill, honed through endless front-line battles.

But the sight of nearly a thousand rats, formerly attacking the walls, spinning around as one... It was too uncanny, too otherworldly.

"..."

I stood there, speechless, observing Margrave Cross.

What the?

What was he up to?

Our eyes locked - mine and Margrave Crosss.

From beneath the shadow of his helmet, his deep, mature green eyes glimmered faintly.

Even though his armor was worn out, it was top-notch gear. His personal skills also focused on boosting defense.

Despite all this, damage piled up relentlessly.

Even amidst the torment of being chewed all over, Margrave continued his outcry, brandishing his cavalry lance.

I cant grasp it.

Margrave Cross failed to understand why he was in this predicament.

Why he had chosen the city again when he had resolved to meet his end beside his wife.

Lured by something about this damned city... Why he was battling again.

I just cant fathom.

Even at his advanced age, the world remained an enigma.

The fleeting beauty of flowers, the warmth of existence, the allure of the world.

Even his own heart.

Despite devoting his entire life to understanding, Margrave simply remained clueless.

...But, there was one thing he understood too well.

"Ugh, Aaaaaah-!"

Flowers, his daughter.

Those frail and fleeting entities- He had to shield them from these beasts.

And he excelled at slaughtering monsters.

"My daughter resides behind those walls."

Thats why he waged this war.

"A world where my daughter exists."

Because he knew nothing else but to fight, he had to endure this foolish existence, this desperate struggle.

"Not one will breach, not a single one...!"

Margrave howled again, striving to fend off one more beast from the wall.

Dozens, possibly hundreds of rats simultaneously lunged at Margrave.

Unable to resist, Margrave staggered back.

His helmet, smeared with monster blood, hindered his vision.

His aged arms could no longer muster strength. His legs, which had long since pushed past their limits, refused to budge.

Argh...!

I knew it.

Regardless of how fiercely I battled alone in the orchard.

Regardless of how many monsters I vanquished here.

Those days would never come back.

The wife, now gone, the daughter had left, the happiness lost, all of it was beyond recovery.

Ah, ah, ah!

But the man who knew no other way to exist but to battle, stubbornly hoisted himself up, brandishing his spear again.

And that marked the end.

The moment he rose, swung his spear, and thrust his shield forward.

Snap.

Something within Margrave Cross gave way.

He felt nothing in his body, swallowed up with the armor. The pain that had exceeded its limits no longer registered in his brain.

His sight was fading.

Margrave Cross sensed his demise.

Just one more...!

To escort his last comrade on his final journey, Margrave Cross clenched his teeth and held on.

...

...

...But, it was tranquil.

No more rats assailed him.

Margrave Cross was perplexed.

Why had the monsters stopped attacking him?

Could it be, was he already deceased?

Margrave Cross.

Then, a clear voice rang out.

It was the voice of the youthful knight who had been trailing the new lord.

We have vanquished all the monsters. The battle is over.

...

You can... rest now.

At those words, the cavalry spear clutched in his hand tumbled to the ground.

Then, like a puppet whose strings had been severed, Margrave Cross collapsed forward.