Chapter 269

Chapter 269

Ugh...

Evangeline looked quite pale. Perhaps it was due to her injuries and the strain of overseeing the funeral ceremony.

"Evangeline, are you okay?"

I approached her with a look of concern. She responded with a small, serene smile.

"Of course, Im fine. Whos the toughest person on this front? Isnt it me?"

With a hint of bravado, Evangeline lightly slapped the injured part of her body.

"Aaargh!"

She immediately let out a horrifying scream and crumpled to the ground. What the...?

"Whyd you have to show off like that?"

"I... I... thought I was going to die just now... I swear I saw my fathers face..."

"You shouldve rested at the temple..."

She had been strongly advised to rest in the temple, but Evangeline insisted on taking charge of the funeral.

"But with Sir Lucas in that state, I had to step up."

Evangeline quickly got back up, her lips trembling as she tried to muster a smile. Beads of sweat poured down her face.

It seemed she felt a heavy sense of responsibility for the outcome of the recent defense battle.

Thats probably why she, despite her severe injuries, continued to push forward.

"...I was confident."

She muttered while looking at the newly dug graves.

"I had awakened, learned new skills, and I believed. I believed that our allies wouldnt get hurt anymore."

"..."

"If I had a shield. If I had a spear. I was sure I wouldnt lose anyone else. That was my confidence."

Evangeline bit her lower lip.

"I was wrong. I was complacent. I wasnt enough. I still have a long way to go."

"You did your best."

"I rushed forward despite being a shield knight. Instead of protecting our allies, I focused on annihilating the enemy. Yet, I couldnt even kill their leader, and hence couldnt protect our allies properly."

Evangeline was reflecting on her battle with Lunared.

"If I had done my job, I couldve stopped the enemys general at the northern wall, and naturally, the damage elsewhere wouldve been minimized."

"..."

"I am clearly at fault."

"Evangeline."

I softly reassured the young knight.

"You dont need to harbor such thoughts. Im the commander here. If I had properly understood the enemys intentions, we wouldnt have been scattered like this in the first place."

It was true.

Lucas, Evangeline, Damien.

The three, having awakened their ultimate skills, were immensely powerful. But this time, they couldnt unite. They had to fight separately.

Their combined synergy couldnt manifest.

If the three of them had complemented each other on the same battlefield, the defense battle would have played out differently.

"The fault is mine as the commander. The responsibility for the deaths during this defense lies with me."

But Evangeline shot me a sharp look.

"Please, senior! Dont try to shoulder it all by yourself."

"What?"

"Do you already forget our conversation when I decided to stay on this front?"

Was she referring to when she decided to stay during Stage 3?

...At that time, Evangeline had clearly said,

"Ive told you Ill shoulder the resentment and responsibilities of the people youre trying to bear."

"..."

Yes.

She had said that.

"Im the heir to the Crossroad Margrave. Someday, I will govern this city."

"..."

"You dont have to give me everything. But senior, please share a bit with me."

With her large emerald eyes wide open, showing her pronounced canine teeth, Evangeline flashed a radiant smile.

"Its too heavy for you to bear alone, isnt it?"

"...Evangeline."

"Im here, and were by your side. Dont forget that."

It was then I realized.

She knew I was struggling alone and took the initiative to oversee the funeral to be by my side.

Her thoughtfulness and kindness left me speechless.

Evangeline is growing up so fast.

While its hard to imagine what could console the dead, after all, funerals are more for the living than for the deceased.

"Im grateful for the wonderful funeral and for treating us like humans despite our current state."

Then, Kuilan hesitated before saying,

"But we probably cannot stay in this city."

"..."

I was at a loss for words.

Crossroad had been attacked by werewolves. Many had died.

In such circumstances, it was unlikely that the Danpunglang tribe, which shares the same wolf blood, could live peacefully in the city. While they look quite different, they still share many similarities with werewolves. And those who had suffered the werewolf attack would definitely not be welcoming.

"Every two weeks following a full moon, well look like this...half-human, half-beast."

Kuilan gestured to his reddish, fur-covered hand.

"We may look like dogs shedding fur every season, but well turn into these wolf forms bi-weekly. The locals might find it terribly uncomfortable, dont you think?"

"..."

"But, it doesnt seem right to leave the front lines entirely, especially after what Your Majesty and the others have done for us."

Kuilan glanced at me, deep in thought.

"What do you think we should do? I want to hear Your Majestys opinion."

"...There is one option."

I began slowly.

"It might be a bit strenuous for you all."

"Weve camped in rugged mountains and marshlands, survived while being pursued by the Imperial Army."

Kuilan grinned.

"Just tell us. Well follow."

The other members of the Penal Squad nodded in agreement.

I took a brief breath and said,

"Were going to establish a forward base. How about you guys stay on-site there?"

***

Forward Base.

It was situated near the lake, the very place where we had fought the Black Spider Legion during the tutorial.

Originally, this was the primary defensive line of the monster front here. Only those monsters that couldnt be stopped here flowed and struck Crossroad.

If we could only restore this damaged place, we could significantly reduce the monsters reaching the Lords Castle at Crossroad.

But, of course, the problem was its maintenance difficulty.

Right on the enemys doorstep, it was tasked with withstanding the enemys first wave head-on. If it ever fell, the stationed troops would be decimated.

Because it was so close to the enemy waves starting point, just sending materials for reconstruction was a tough job.

Given this, we had been preparing the required materials for a long while now, but the actual reconstruction work had been at a standstill.

Moreover, since the defenses had been successful for so long, there had even been thoughts like, Do we really need to pour money and manpower into restoring the forward base?

But the situation had changed.

In the recent defensive battle, the monsters had broken into the city. Civilians had been harmed.

In protecting the civilians, soldiers had also fallen. I felt it deep in my bones.

The battlefield shouldnt be in the city. We must keep it as far from the city as possible.

We start constructing the forward base.

No matter how long it took, or how much money and materials were wasted. Human lives were more important than time, money, or resources.

Kuilan, hearing my words, nodded in agreement.

"Sounds good! Since we have excess strength, we can certainly help with the base restoration."

"That would be truly appreciated."

"However, in return, build us a space in the forward base that only we can use. Thats reasonable, right?"

"Of course. Live in it like kings."

"Hahaha! Did you know my moniker was once the Bandit King? I already had plans to decorate it like a fortress!"

Kuilan, with a hearty laugh, tilted his head.

"So, how exactly does this restoration process work?"

"Normally, laborers would load the construction materials on carts, and then, members from the Merchant Guild would begin the reconstruction."

Thus, in the game, between stages and during times without monster invasions, only then could you send laborers for the restoration.

Moreover, with travel taking three days each way, the actual time for reconstruction work got even shorter. It was a long-term task.

"Lets use a shortcut."

I smirked devilishly, causing Kuilan to shiver.

"Youre generally such a good person, but sometimes you laugh like a real villain, you know?"

"Lets skip discussing my grin, and just listen up."

It might not have been an option in the game, but I believed it was entirely possible in this reality.

Planning a victory from outside the rules. And the first step was...

"Teleport Gates!"