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After the royal support arrived at the Count’s House, the situation swiftly stabilized.

The wizards’ magic swept across the battlefield, and the surviving minions were dealt with by the brave soldiers. The remaining demons were handled by Adelhaite’s knight.

Ainel, who had just reached the master level. In contrast, her black knight, who had attained this level long ago, effortlessly tore apart mid-level demons.

The monsters, left without a focal point, were completely eradicated by skilled soldiers over the span of a few days.

On the day the last extermination team returned from sweeping the monsters in broad daylight, Shione and I were leisurely resting in the barracks after hearing the news of their successful eradication.

“Hmm~”

Shione hummed a tune.

While everyone else was hoarse from shouting on top of the castle walls, Shione, who always quietly shot her bow at my side, hadn’t lost her cute voice at all.

Then she sighed with a chuckle.

“Phew… We finally made it through. When I first saw those nasty monsters swarm, it felt hopeless.”

I nodded at Shione’s words.

To be honest, I thought one of the sections of the castle wall would crumble under their numbers.

Though there were significant cracks in the castle gates and outer walls, the wall held up until the end, allowing us to secure the victory.

“Finally, I won’t have to sleep on this hard cot anymore.”

“Yeah, I want to get some real rest in my room soon.”

Shione, who expressed her desire to head to her room quickly, sparkled with enthusiasm in her blue eyes.

It seemed she was dreaming of a daily life filled with cookies in the comfort of the Count’s house.

That much was obvious without needing to see.

“It’s nice to hurry back to the Count’s house, but you know there are still the victory ceremony and memorial service, right?”

“Ah.”

However, I regrettably suspected that heading straight back to the Count’s house would be difficult.

*

The victory ceremony and memorial service went off without a hitch.

After the war finished, the victory ceremony was held first. Due to the many sacrifices made, it wasn’t an extravagant occasion, but it was celebrated enough to allow for a good day of rest and enjoyment.

The memorial service that followed was literally a ceremony to soothe the souls of the deceased. The solemn event was conducted by the clergy in a respectful atmosphere.

And after the victory ceremony, the world surrounding me changed.

This change persisted even after returning to daily life.

“The mage of the castle walls.”

No, rather than the world, it would be more accurate to say that the gazes of those around me had changed.

“The falling wind and… Ah! A bow piercing through a demon!”

“……”

As proof, even my master started murmuring words that made me squirm.

Sigh.

Reacting to such trickery is amateurish.

Since I remained silent, now she began poking my cheek and side.

“Our lord of the wind seems to be quite popular…”

Shione narrowed her eyes and looked at my profile.

“Ugh, ugh.”

When there was no response from me once again, she now openly poked my cheek with her index finger.

“……”

This was all due to what happened on the day of the victory ceremony.

From the moment Ainel publicly declared that she and Shianella were behind me, the rumors surrounding me exploded uncontrollably.

Be it the woman on the castle walls or those who witnessed me diving off the walls to cut down that half-demon. They all kindly gathered at the territory’s tavern to chatter endlessly about my feats.

Thanks to this, the nickname they coined for me reached even the Count’s house.

And here I was—

“Truly, being the unwavering male knight isn’t just for show, huh…!”

Even Shione was now teasing me with my nickname.

“Ha…”

Eventually, I grasped Shione’s hand that was repeatedly poking my side.

Her small, white hand. Originally, it was a soft hand without any calluses, typical of a young lady raised gently. But thanks to her daily practice of drawing her bowstring back intensely every night, calluses had formed on each of her finger joints.

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

Just as Shione waited for my reply, she pointed at the empty plate.

“Brother, I want more cookies!”

“You’ve already eaten two plates all by yourself.”

“Are you bringing it? Wow, just like you, brother!”

Shione pretended to beam with excitement and hugged me.

She quickly gave me a peck on the cheek and then pushed me away from her.

In an instant, Shione opened the door to her room and playfully smiled at me as she stood inside.

With her right hand waving softly, she bade me farewell.

“Well then, I’ll be waiting in my room.”

Bang!

“What the…?”

I stood there, momentarily stunned, staring at the firmly shut door.

‘What on earth just happened?’

Today, she gorged herself on cookies for two plates straight. How could she still not be full and ask for more? After stuffing her face with sweets, doesn’t she feel nauseous at all?

If she were to demand a third plate, I could easily predict I’d have to tell her to stop.

“Truly remarkable…”

I moved on, sending praises for Shione’s audacious actions in fluent Korean.

While heading to fetch some snacks, I almost bumped into the women I had briefly caught a glimpse of beside Shione in the hallway.

‘That woman…’

She was one of those who entered the Count’s lands with the royal army.

The princess with purple hair. One of Adelhaite Aisiliah’s loyal knights and the master who had torn apart the demons.

Perhaps because I had once witnessed her rampaging on the castle walls, I distinctly remembered her face.

Her name was… Irene, if I recall correctly?

‘While not a complete novice, she had nearly achieved a master level.’

Her efficient swordsmanship and precise movements showed she didn’t mix unnecessary actions into her fighting style.

The enemies cut down by her swift strikes were so many they could make a mountain.

Even those unfamiliar with swordsmanship could tell her skill was on a different level from ordinary knights.

In truth, she seemed to have fought without exerting herself among the scores of monsters.

She was one of the few masters I encountered since arriving in this world.

‘Now that I think about it, knights or wizards under Adelhaite were exceptionally outstanding.’

Though small in number, those who accompanied her—whether knights or wizards—were merely capable of recognizing their strength and applying it appropriately to their situation.

Moreover, besides that knight, I also remembered a wizard who had come with them, who bore equally monstrous skills.

‘Still… with such skills, why did they fail to show their faces during Adelhaite’s coming-of-age ceremony when it turned chaotic?’

Did the purple-haired princess perhaps have some instruction for them?

If only that wizard or that knight had remained by Adelhaite’s side, I wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.

‘Well, that’s all in the past now.’

I shook off my complaints while withdrawing my gaze from one of Adelhaite’s living weapons.

It was just as I was about to pass by her when Irene, walking silently, suddenly halted, her gaze locking onto mine.

“Are you Ray?”

Her face, visible between her dark brown hair, was like a sword.

Cold and devoid of any emotion, only drawn to her master’s presence.

Such a person was calling my name.

“Yes, if it’s Ray, that would be me… may I ask what you want?”

“It was fortunate to run into you on my way. Your Highness, the Princess, commanded me to deliver a letter to you.”

“Her Highness, the Princess?”

“Yes, here it is.”

Irene pulled a letter from her possession and handed it to me.

“Her Highness, the Princess, mentioned that it would be best to read the contents of this letter carefully and ponder over them.”

“…Understood.”

“Then I shall take my leave.”

With her business concluded, Irene turned without hesitation and vanished somewhere.

‘Adelhaite sent me a letter.’

I stood for a while, quietly staring at the letter before finally resuming my steps.

Since Adelhaite suggested it would be best to contemplate her words carefully, there must be a reason she said so.

I decided to read the letter in private before bed and prioritized going to fetch some cookies for our glutton.

*

As the sun set, I finally returned to my room to rest.

Every time I passed through the hallway, I could feel a piercing gaze. If I entered Shione’s room to evade those stares, I ended up getting caught in a game of tag with her again, and I was rather tired.

Under normal circumstances, I would have collapsed onto my bed without delay, but I sat before a small desk.

I took out the letter I received from Irene, a handwritten letter from Adelhaite.

I tore open the seal and pulled out the stationary.

“A fine hand.”

I had no idea she could write the common tongue of the continent so neatly.

Adelhaite’s penmanship could easily be described as exquisite.

However, the contents written in that fine script weren’t as lengthy as I expected.

Quietly, I began to read the words she left behind.

“…This incident has greatly altered the fate of all. My eyes have pierced through all destinies related to the west.”

This must have been a reference to the recent war.

I checked the completed quest from earlier.

The name of the quest was ‘The First War.’

It stated I was to prevent the march of demons and monsters, altering the course of history through my intervention.

This war seemed to have refracted the changing fates within Adelhaite’s vision from the very start.

“The axis of fate visible now tilts towards defeat in this war, so I shall send my knights and wizards. With this, I can surely turn the tide towards victory.”

The writing then abruptly stopped. An array of meaningless words crossed out in black or struck through, rendering them unreadable.

However, two lines down, a coherent sentence reappeared.

“…Victory will create a torrent of history. In an instant, countless events will converge. And those who will ride that torrent will be none other than the Count’s House of Shianella.”

That wasn’t particularly reassuring to hear.

It seemed rather premature to mention riding the torrent of history right after the war had just ended.

Admittedly, I did not have high expectations for this world anyway, but isn’t this a little excessive?

My shoulders felt heavy, and I wondered if I could still live as I am.

Yet, one thing came to mind because of her urging for me to ‘develop my own strength’ from her earlier words.

The quest, ‘The First War.’

The clear reward was the granting of new potentials to oneself and the weakening of demons.

The quest indicated that the overall influence of the demons had been decreased because of this war.

‘New potentials to oneself.’ This opened up the unique powers that the men of this world held, which I had forgotten up to now.

[You will be granted power according to your achievements and journey.]

Just like what the demon had told Ainel before, while on the castle wall.

It may be impossible for me to naturally absorb mana, but according to the achievements made throughout my life, I was now able to elevate my standing.

And as a result of my past actions of battling cultists and safeguarding the princess, the possibility I had finally begun to shine brightly.

[The anti-magic resistance awakening per your life path.]

At last, I had means to strike demons with greater resolution.

 

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