Chapter 658

Chapter 658

Dusk Bringar, who had been staring blankly at me, suddenly sat up.

"Ash! Are you hurt anywhere?!"

"No, it's the Duchess who's injured, the Duchess! You have serious injuries, so please lie down."

"What? What are you... Ugh!"

As she tried to get up, Dusk Bringar moaned in pain and fell back onto the bed. Only then did she notice the bandages wrapped around her entire body.

"Uh. So, this is... what is this...?"

"Do you not remember wrapping me up and taking the breath attack in my stead?"

"Ah..."

It seemed she recalled the final moments of the battle against the eyes of the Black Dragon, and Dusk Bringar's voice faded weakly.

"Right, I remember now... I was about to do something dangerous again, and without thinking..."

"I at least had the minimum protective gear when I did that."

I was a bit sheepish but still spoke sternly.

"The Duchess even put her armor on me, and then took the breath attack bare-bodied. If you were going to do that, you might as well have worn the armor."

"Your safety was my top priority."

Dusk Bringar murmured in a voice still heavy with sleep.

"The life of the Commander of the Front here is at stake; how could I spare my armor?"

"..."

I clamped my mouth shut.

My recklessness in not taking care of myself is ultimately causing my heroes to get injured.

If I don't change this, more heroes will die trying to protect me.

'But what can I do if the difficulty itself is screwing with me...'

I scratched my head with a sigh and then explained what happened next.

"Thankfully, right after that, Nameless beheaded Ipian, stopping the breath attack in its tracks. A few seconds longer and you could have suffered much more severe injuries."

"That's typical sister Nameless for you... hehe."

This sister fixation... How did the ranks here at the front get so twisted.

Anyway, to finish explaining the situation... Nameless had shaken Ipian's head, and the battle ended.

But the last few seconds of the breath that Ipian unleashed with all his dying strength scorched Dusk Bringar's body.

Even though I deployed a shield with the rampaging power of the Red Dragon, it melted instantly, and even the heroes standing behind suffered minor burns.

Afterwards, returned to Crossroad. Spent a few days recovering from injuries and repairing equipment, waiting for Dusk Bringar to regain consciousness.

Just today, Dusk Bringar finally opened her eyes. I was honestly scared she wouldn't wake up at all, so I'm relieved.

I picked an apple from the basket beside her bed and peeled it myself. My skills aren't great, so it wasn't peeled very nicely, but still, this Dragon Lady needs to eat something.

"It's strange, the elders here at the front keep dramatically throwing their lives away. Shouldn't they be aiming for retirement? I do not permit it!"

"Right, as long as no one is seriously hurt, that's what matters."

"No, you were the one seriously hurt..."

As I handed her the apple I had peeled, Dusk Bringar took it without complaining and nibbled away.

"So, what day is it today? And what time is it about? It looks dark, so it must be night..."

"..."

I stopped peeling the apple.

I looked Dusk Bringar in the eye. Unaware of what was happening, she blinked her pumpkin-colored eyes.

"Phew..."

I wasn't keen on spilling everything to a patient, but I had to tell her the truth.

"The current time is noon, Duchess."

"...What?"

Dusk Bringar, startled, gestured towards the window.

"What are you talking about, it's this dark... Ah, is this some kind of joke? The jokes these young people make nowadays are so hard to understand..."

"It's no joke, Duchess."

With a sigh, I stood up and drew the curtains aside.

"...!"

Dusk Bringar widened her eyes and suddenly sat up from the bed.

Together, we looked up at the sky.

"It has been getting darker over the past few days... And now, even at what should be the brightest time, it has come to this."

"..."

"The day has disappeared from this world."

Outside, the sky stretched out, pitch black.

It was as if covered by an artificial veil, stiflingly dark, with the sun shimmering faintly and distantly in the center like a full moon.

I swept my fingers across my forehead.

It wasn't a time to deny reality, whether scientific or magical. There was a real situation unfolding right before my eyes.

The sky was covered in darkness, the temperature was dropping sharply, and an early winter was approaching.

Right now, it might only be over Crossroad, but a week from now when Night Bringar makes his move... the day might truly disappear from the entire world.

If we fail to subdue Night Bringar, that night will continue forever.

The world will freeze over and ultimately drown in an unending darkness.

"...The soldiers are anxious, my lord."

Lucas, noticing the mood, cautiously spoke up. Evangeline followed suit.

"Not to mention the citizens. The whole city is in chaos."

"I see. Both the soldiers and the citizens..."

The next moment, we looked as if by agreement at the last member of our main party.

Click, clack, clank...

Damian was quietly maintaining and checking the condition of his magun.

His expression was calm, and his hands steady, but the problem was that we had never seen Damian do this in the office before.

He was anxious. Even the heroes who fought monsters at the forefront.

'It would be stranger if they weren't anxious.'

If they woke up to a world that was still dark, what could be more terrifying than that?

Up until now, the word 'doom' had hovered around us like an invisible atmosphere, a blurred air. Although unsettling, it had been a dull sensation.

But now, with the day erased, doom had become a clear reality hanging over our heads.

No one could be unafraid.

The end of the world was, truly, just around the corner.

"Prepare winter clothing that we had ready for the season, and distribute the stockpiled firewood. Start distributing it to the citizens as well."

That's why I directed practical measures.

To keep the minds of those floating in anxiety grounded.

"As instructed beforehand, continue doing what we can, as we have been doing."

The magic cores from Ipian we had reclaimed, as well as the stockpiled high-quality cores and materials, were all put into equipment production.

People worked day and night, and the southern wall was nearing the end of its construction. Everyone was putting in a death-defying effort in preparation for the final battle against the Black Dragon Legion.

From Plan A for the Black Dragon subjugation to Plan F in reserve in case of failure, all were prepared just for Crossroad.

Military advisors from various countries gathered worldwide brainstormed and devised strategies.

Under the directives of my father, Emperor Traha, Crossroad too was nearing the end of its preparations for the final battle.

'Of course, if Plan A... direct subjugation fails, then any subsequent measures from that point are merely desperate floundering...'

But it's better to try than not to. Those struggles might just work.

"I've said it many times, but the heroes who will go directly into Black Dragon subjugation... take some more rest."

I looked around at the main party members and smiled gently.

Tactics against the Black Dragon had been briefly briefed beforehand. Detailed tactical orders would be given again soon...

But still, I wanted to give the heroes a proper rest.

To fully recover from injuries sustained in previous battles and to muster all their strength for the last confrontation with the Black Dragon.

And, perhaps...

This might be the last peaceful time we could spend together.

"Until I call for assembly, take time to rest. You can ponder alone, spend time with loved ones, or even just lie down and sleep."

I grinned.

"Let's each endure this long night in our own way."

As soon as I finished speaking, the four exchanged glances...

"My lord, then I'll take a nap here for a bit... I stayed up all night and am tired."

"Ah! Me too, me too! I want to nap! Move over, uncle. Let me use your knee as a pillow!"

"Then, Your Highness, I'll just finish up the memo I was writing."

"This room is so warm and easy to breathe... I'll stay a little longer too, Prince."

Thus, all four naturally took their places on my office sofa and lay down. Oh well, thats how it is, huh?

I dragged my chair from behind the desk and placed it between the sofas, then sat down on it like lying down.

After that, there was no further conversation.

We spent the time quietly in front of the dying fireplace, listening to each other's breathing.

Looking into the flickering little flames, I hoped.

I hoped that this long night, before the final battle, would be peaceful for everyone.

--TL Notes--

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