The Legendary Spearman Returns

Side Story Chapter 325

Cain waited idly on top of Iruca’s palace. She came out over four hours later, visibly fatigued.

“The Imperial Knights seem to have a lot of free time on their hands—in contrast to you, Your Highness,” Cain grumbled.

Iruca looked up at the roof and Cain jumped down.

Iruca massaged her temples. “Why haven’t you returned to your accommodations, Sir Cain?”

“I happened to witness an Imperial Knight neglecting his duty up there, actually.”

Iruca was already tired, so this made her particularly annoyed.

“Ah, fuck...” she cussed. “Dereliction of duty? I’m glad you were there. Did you teach him a lesson?”

“I can’t do that. I’m just a random old man now, so I have no right to reprimand the Imperial Knights.”

“Pah. What’s his rank and battalion? I’ll kick his ass myself.”

“I had a feeling you would say that, so I’ve been keeping the culprit right here.” Cain gestured to Valmont on the roof.

“Wow.” Left with no choice, Valmont came down. “I can’t believe you actually snitched on me.”

“Wait a minute. You were talking about Sir Valmont?” Iruca became surprisingly calm in contrast to how she had been huffing and puffing with anger a moment ago.

‘Huh? This isn’t how I thought this would go,’ Cain thought, bewildered.

“You must have a lot of free time to waste, too, Sir Cain. You know Sir Valmont always loafs around.”

“That’s what I’m talking about, Your Highness.” Valmont nodded fervently.

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

“Hahaha.” Valmont immediately stood at attention. “I’ll be quiet now.”

“Huh? You’re going to leave him be?” Cain asked disbelievingly. “You hate people loafing around.”

“He’s done a lot for Avalon and the empire can’t afford to lose him. If I reproach him, he might decide to leave the empire one day, like you did.”

“But still...”

“It’s better this way. Besides, he gets the job done when he needs to. It’s not like he’s going to sit around while an assassin roams the palace.”

“You seem to be the only person in the palace who understands my dedication to the job, Your Highness,” Valmont chimed in.

Cain clicked his tongue in disgust.

Iruca looked into his eyes. “Sir Cain. Stop bullying Sir Valmont and be honest with me.”

“Huh?”

“Are you trying to make me want to date him? He’s someone I have to worry about, so caring for him might make me want to try dating other people.[1] Something along those lines?”

Although he didn’t show it, Cain was surprised at how close Iruca was to the answer. However, maybe because of their age gap, Iruca didn’t seem to consider the possibility that Cain actually wanted her and Valmont to be together.

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t have brought Sir Valmont after your talk about blind dates.” Iruca shrugged.

“Blind dates? Hold on—what is going on?” Valmont interrupted.

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Iruca shook her head. “It’s nothing. Sir Valmont.”

The one thing that Cain had overlooked was Valmont’s strong competitive spirit—and their conversation was bringing it on in full force.

“No, it sounds like you had a very interesting conversation without me. I’m going to be very sad if you keep leaving me out of it, Your Highness,” Valmont grumbled.

“It’s a boring story. Besides, you aren’t interested in dating, are you? You prefer loafing around,” Iruca responded.

“Who said I’m not interested in dating?”

“You’re interested? Hmm... But women don’t like lazy men...” Iruca looked away.

“Come on! You said that I get the job done when I need to!” Valmont refuted.

“Women care more about how men usually act. You may be romantic on anniversaries, but you would sleep away most days.”

“I, Valmont dun Brown, am as warm as a bonfire, but my love can be hotter than magma!”

“Well, let’s just say you are. I’m tired, so can you two leave me?” Iruca waved her hand to dismiss them.

“What kind of an answer is that?!”

Cain looked blankly between Valmont and Iruca. Maybe because they were both geniuses in their fields, they were the most prideful people in Avalon.

“...You two are similar after all, huh?” Cain murmured.

Iruca and Valmont both turned to look at Cain.

“She and I are alike...?”

“How am I like that lazy man?!” Iruca shrieked.

The veins on Valmont’s forehead bulged. “Shouldn’t I be the one offended here, Your Highness?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Do you not know what your reputation is like? You’re a cold-blooded workaholic who never let your staff rest—”

“My, my. You do realize you’re insulting a member of the Imperial Family, don’t you?”

“You two are definitely similar,” Cain interrupted. “And someone told me that all bickerings between a woman and a man eventually end with them calling each other honey or sweetie.”

A suffocating silence fell upon the area as Valmont and Iruca stared at Cain.

“...Sir Valmont.” Iruca narrowed her eyes dangerously. “Sir Cain’s joke was extremely insulting.”

“I agree.”

“You’re an Imperial Knight, so please tell me you’re going to do something about it.”

“I’ll execute him right now.” Valmont immediately drew his sword.

Cain giggled. “You’re denying it a little too hard...”

“Sir Cain!”

Cain turned around and ran. His job here was done.

“Stop right there!”

“Hahahaha!” Cain burst into laughter. He had a feeling that Iruca and Valmont would make a great couple.

*

“Hello, everyone,” Iceline said.

A week after the ball, Cain was at the Magic Tower, joined by highly renowned figures in utmost secrecy. Selim, Kireua, Charles, Icarus, Iruca, Valmont... People who were close with Joshua gathered today. All other matters had been pushed aside.

“Mother!”

“Your Majesty!”

Iceline looked a little thinner than before. Selim and Iruca approached her worriedly. Everyone also expected Theta, and he was haggard like Iceline as expected, but no one anticipated a the teenage-looking boy.

“Y-You’re...”

No one actually took him as a teenager.

Iceline gestured for the boy to come forward. “Everyone, please welcome Mr. Creshua. He helped me a great deal with my research.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you!”

Everyone in the lab bowed regardless of their status because all of them sincerely hoped that this research would go well.

“Shall we, then?” Iceline took the lead, feeling no need to wait around any longer.

Cain raised his hand to ask, “Are we teleporting there?”

“No, we’re going to walk there. Our destination is right around here.”

“Right here, you say? You mean...”

Although she looked a little fatigued, Iceline expression was bright.

“We’re first going to where the world begins and ends.”

*

In less than an hour, Cain and the others arrived at an endlessly tall tree: Yggdrasil, which was also called the World Tree.

Cain nodded to himself. ‘So that’s why she answered my question with a riddle.’

“...I’ve pondered this for over a decade. Even if I find a way to bring Joshua back here, he’s already a god, so it would ruin the world’s balance again after all that hard work.”

Iceline was right. After the Angel and Demon Spirits’ Fragments had arrived in the Human Realm, their land had been driven to the precipice of annihilation. Even though Iceline and the others were Joshua’s family, they couldn’t risk the entire world for their personal wishes.

“...But...”

Iceline trailed off. In the silence, the sound of someone swallowing was easily heard.

“...I thought that a descent may be different.”

Iceline’s audience was wide-eyed.

“I’m going to make Joshua’s soul descend, just like how the popes and saints from Hubalt embraced Hermes’s soul...”

“H-Hold on, Your Majesty. That would need a vessel to embrace his soul... we don’t have one.”

“You have one right here. In fact, I’ve already done it before,” Creshua answered on Iceline’s behalf. He immediately had everyone’s full attention.

‘Indeed. Dragons are supreme creatures, so...!’

Contrary to Cain, Charles raised a concern.

“Although I’m extremely grateful for the offer, it would still be immensely taxing for you to embrace a god’s soul even if you are a dragon—”

“I don’t mind it. And he has a debt to settle with me.”

“A debt...?”

“He promised to find me a reason to live on, but that arrogant human ran away. Even if he’s a god right now, I’ll drag him back down here. No one escapes an oath made with a dragon.”

Charles’s jaw hit the ground.

“The last ingredient we need for this is faith,” Iceline continued, chuckling. “For a god to be in the Human Realm, they need the faith of many followers.”

“Ah...” Cain nodded in realization.

“The greater our faith is in Joshua, the higher our chances of success will be.”

Cain instantly went down on his knees. “I’m ready!”

He was far from religious, but he was a devout follower at this moment and prayed as sincerely as he could. It was actually rather easy because he was praying to the Martial God. His faith in his master would never waver even after thousands of years.

Everyone around Cain did the same.

After who knew how long, Cain’s faith was suddenly tested.

Lightning bolts suddenly struck down from the clear sky. Cain gasped and retreated with cold sweat running down his back, still on his knees.

One of those lightning bolts had almost turned him into a lump of charcoal—but his brush with death was quickly forgotten. The extreme danger put the people around him in as much danger as him, but they were still praying with their eyes firmly closed. Iceline, Charles, and Icarus didn’t even budge even as the ground next to them burned from the lightning strikes.

“This isn’t right!” Ircua sprang to her feet to put out the fire. “All of this isn’t worth it if one of us dies! Sir Valmont, help me out here!”

“Huh? Ah, yes!” Valmont answered a little later.

Iruca was right, so Cain also stood up to help her.

“Huh...?”

Just then, Iceline, Charles, and Icarus began to emit a radiance which seeped into Yggdrasil.

The dark clouds that had hurled lightning bolts retreated, and the sky slowly cleared up.

“Oh...” Cain dumbly mumbled as he a path of pure white open in the sky. Was a god actually descending?

Something flashed down from the path, landing right on top of Creshua’s head. And... And...

“Master...? Cain whispered.

Creshua floated, enveloped in white light. His eyes gradually gained focus, and Cain could feel that the air around Creshua had changed, becoming an entirely different person...

“M-Master!” Cain went down on his knees, tears welling in his eyes. He would always recognize his master.

Cain could say anything else, Icarus, Charles, and Iceline were already in Joshua’s arms, crying. Yes, the man whom they had been desperately waiting for was standing in front of him.

As if he’d just come back from a short trip, Joshua calmly said, “Long time no see, everyone.”

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The end.

1. The raw is ? ???? ????? ??. It’s about how mothering someone can lead to love. ☜