CH 62

Chapter 62: At the battlefield

It happened just as he was about to give the command for artillery fire. The Leutravia military commander saw something strange within his field of vision while on horseback.

A werewolf appeared from within the walls of the castle built in the Bajant territory of Shenka.

The fur visible through the gaps in the armor was gray, perhaps. While dozens of werewolves had come out in the past, why was only one standing on the battlefield now?

He felt cold sweat streaming down his temple. That was why he had opposed invading Shenka. Had his lord forgotten how much damage they had caused nine years ago?

The man told himself that he would be all right. Reflecting on the failure nine years ago, he had gathered all his forces in front of this castle wall. With such a massive military force to use, they would surely be unbeatable this time.

He swung his command sword with determination and gave the order with a cry of fierce determination. The cannons fired, closing in on the werewolf standing alone without any weapons.

They would make him realize the folly of standing on the battlefield without even pulling out his prey, facing the Leutravia military.

However, the man’s intentions were betrayed by an unbelievable sight.

For some reason, a shell was split in two right before the werewolf’s eyes and struck the ground, raising a cloud of dust. Amid the warriors quickly being obscured from view, he felt his right hand, which held the command sword, start to tremble.

That’s right, that werewolf had sliced the shell out of the air. He couldn’t keep up with the distance and speed, but he remembered the otherworldly technique as if by an act of God.

Nine years ago, there was a certain werewolf called a monster among monsters. A warrior who fought on the battlefield with only one swing of his sword.

“General Kudera…!”

The object of his fear leaped out of the cloud of dust with sharp movements. Kudera continued to flash his large sword at an inconceivable speed, striking down every single shell that should have been smashed.

Before this ghostly spectacle, unease spread among the soldiers. This was bad. It was clear from the scene in front of them that, even with their numbers, they had to be prepared to face that terrifying man.

According to the prior report, Kudera was supposed to be assigned to the royal castle, so his arrival was too early. It seemed that they had underestimated the werewolves’ mobility, and the realization chilled them even more.

“On the walls!”

Someone shouted loudly, and all the soldiers turned their attention to the top of the walls. There were werewolves there, wielding huge guns that humans couldn’t handle, telling them that reinforcements had finally arrived.

In the middle of the line of werewolves stood a figure recognizable to them all. He was a man who had caused Leutravia bitter defeat when he was still inexperienced. With his golden fur and extraordinary strength, he was now the king and warrior.

It was King Ivan who had come with the reinforcements, and waves of fear began to spread among the soldiers. They knew it was already too late, and the range and power of those muskets were——.

“Retreat! Retreat!”

The commander let out a loud voice. As his subordinates started to retreat without understanding what was happening, he pulled the reins of his horse.

Bullets rained down in the chaos of the battlefield, not long after that. 

❂❂❂

Lately, Ivan’s daily routine was to contemplate while eating apricot candy in the evening. It’s a shame that he finally ran out of candy today.

Standing alone on the castle wall dyed in the sunset, he gazed at the war-torn plain. First, he thought about the battle. And then, he spent most of his time thinking about the person who made the candy.

How is she doing now? Although the weather was getting increasingly autumn-like, he hoped she wasn’t caught with a cold or anything. Nevertheless, with her cuteness, Ivan couldn’t help but wonder if she had any men confessing their love to her. Even though she was a human and the queen’s presence was somewhat restraining, fearlessness was a characteristic of the werewolf tribe.

[Hey, Ivan. What are you eating there?]

Suddenly, Mikolash appeared beside him, flicking his silver fur in the evening breeze. Ivan hadn’t noticed his partner approaching, too absorbed in his thoughts.

[It was the last one, so you don’t need to know.]

[Oh? What’s up with that? You’re such a cheapskate.]

While he had shared some candy with a farmer’s child on the way, Ivan had no intention of giving any to the wolves that were well-fed. Even if it was his partner who had fulfilled the role of delivering messages during battles.

Ivan crushed the now much smaller piece of candy with his sharp teeth and looked out at the ravaged plain after days of fighting.

[Listen, Mikola. We’re going to end this war as quickly as possible.]

[I know. I’ll make sure to send you back to Ellie as soon as possible, so look forward to that.]

Ivan was visibly shaken by Mikolash’s words, despite his attempt to convey his serious determination. Why was he bringing up something like that?

[What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense.]

“Really? The reason you showed incredible strength like a demon is because you’re worried about Ellie.]

——How did he find out? Did I say anything? No, I shouldn’t have.

Mikolash glanced behind the king as if mocking the turmoil in Ivan’s heart. Feeling the presence of someone, Ivan turned around as well.

There was the figure of a hero who had shown great feats even during the day. The werewolf with gray fur had a calm demeanor, and his eyes held a color of compassion as usual.

［Your Majesty, Mikola too. I see you’re here.]

[Yo, boss! You came too!]

Silvestor also stands next to Mikolash, who wags his tail happily and strokes his head.

Although he had surpassed the hero in height in time, there was little difference in the fact that his existence was significant. However, the fact that Ivan was forcing his senior, who was of an age where retiring wouldn’t be odd, to push himself to the limit created waves of unrest in Ivan’s heart.

“Silvestor, I’m sorry for always burdening you with such unreasonable things.”

“Not at all. If this old body can be of use to you, it would be an unexpected joy.”

Silvestor had a soft smile on his face. With shining eyes filled with courage, he gazed out at the plain and began to mutter to himself.

“My lord has always been someone who enjoys taking in the good with the bad, and has suffered for it. That’s why all of us, his vassals, want everyone to be happy.”

Ivan was reminded of a conversation he had with him one night. Yes, this was a continuation of the words he had almost said last.

Did Silvestor come to suggest that he should talk with the queen at that time? He now feels embarrassed about having easily turned him away.

“… I think about it again, ruling this country has been a blessing for me.”

Because he loved this country, it wasn’t much trouble to kill. He swore to himself that he would work hard every time he saw the people becoming more prosperous.

Ivan thought while licking his candy. Who was responsible for him realizing that? When he arrived at the answer, he wanted to quit his job as king for the first time.

A little bit of longing and guilt. Even so, he couldn’t help but want to see that smile again.

“You have changed in a desirable direction… Now, Your Majesty, let me ask again. Have you been speaking properly with My Queen?”

“I guess not. Maybe I didn’t spend enough time talking with her.”

Although he thought they had increased their conversation time from before, it seemed it wasn’t enough. After all, she hadn’t even confided in him about any of her worries.

However, these thoughts were quickly denied by the wise old man.

“Talking is important, but it’s not just about speaking. What I’m asking is if you’re properly conveying your feelings with your words.”

“Conveying my feelings with words?”

At that moment, the King’s expression became extremely vulnerable in the eyes of one man and one animal.

Unaware of this, Ivan was stunned and couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the huge shock.

“I see. Conveying my feelings… Yes, that’s right. I never thought about it.”

For Ivan, that act was nothing less than the pursuit of happiness.

He had never been able to express his feelings to his loved ones before, so he had never even had the idea of wanting to convey his emotions or have them returned. The natural actions that all living creatures perform had completely slipped his mind.

It was too pathetic of a dullness to think that he had not pursued such things until now…

[What should we do, Mikola? I have an inexplicable pain in my heart.]

[I feel the same way, boss. It’s like, no matter how stoic we have lived, we end up like this.]

The teacher and his partner exchanged conversation with helpless looks, but Ivan’s pointed ears did not pick up on the content.

It seemed that there were heaps of things they had to do. When faced with that fact, his desire to see her grew even stronger.

It was a situation that his former self could never have imagined. He was only thinking about one woman in the midst of a war that would determine the fate of his country.