Leading Fay by the hand, I went back over to the pile of pillows where Kari and Lin lay, completely oblivious to our conversation as they slept on.
Chapter 12
Jealousy Burns Bright
We marched through Hovebrann. Judging by how we slept ten times during our journey, the trip must have taken around ten days, or so I assumed. It was still hard to judge time thanks to the neve- changing blood-red sky and its single moon.
Much of the terrain looked the same everywhere we went; a desolate wasteland—a space filled with cracked ground and jutting rocks—of skeletal remains. There were a few areas that also looked like they had once been forests. However, the trees had long since withered, their branches broken, their leaves gone. This land was dead. According to Hreidmar, it was like this because the Sekbeists devoured the natural resources of this world faster than the world could replenish them. Now nature could no longer replenish.
Our group did run into a few Sekbeist patrols. It seemed the Sekbeists had people roaming the land in search of surviving Dweorgs. We took care of them easily enough. Our group might not be large, barely several hundred in total, but the patrols we ran into only consisted of about a dozen Sekbeists—and most of them were Grunts with a few Elites. We only encountered one Beast during our journey and there weren’t any Warlords.
On the tenth day, we ended up in a land full of rolling hills. Our group stopped and set up camp, pitching tents that were more elaborate than anything we humans had. All of them were decorated and intricate. They weren’t shaped like squares or triangles either. Most of them used geometric shapes like pentagons, octagons, and one was even like a six-pointed star.
Kari, Erica, Tungsten, and myself were given one tent, which was all the Dweorgs could afford to give us. It was at least large enough that we could sleep without being squashed together. That said, I wished we had our own tent. Ten days without sex sucked.
After pitching up the tents, everyone used a strange device called a heating pad—which could emit heat without fire—to cook. I didn’t know how it worked. It looked just like a flat disc with runes etched into the surface to me.
“I wonder how much longer it will be before we can return home,” Erica mused out loud.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to return sometime tomorrow,” Kari said. “This has been an interesting experience, but I would like to go back home now.”
“Yeah, exploring a new place is fun, but it gets exhausting if the journey lasts too long,” I agreed.
We were sitting around one of those heating pads, which we used to both warm-up and cook—or rather, Tungsten was cooking since it was his turn. I wasn’t sure what he was making. It looked like a stew.
Kari and I were sitting on a rock. Since it was small, we sat with our thighs pressed together. Kari was using my shoulder as her pillow as she leaned into me, and I had wrapped my arm around her waist. The heat from her body comforted my nerves, which had begun fraying after spending so much time in this realm.
Erica sat several meters away and gave us an envious look.
“Food is ready,” Tungsten grunted as he ladled several spoonfuls into a set of bowls, handing one to each of us.
We ate quietly, keeping our thoughts to ourselves. The food was bland but at least edible. One of the things I couldn’t wait for upon returning home was eating an actual decent meal. Even the food in that Dweorg tavern hadn’t been that great, though the mead was good.
As we ate, footsteps reached us, causing our group to look up as a Dweorg in mythril armor sauntered up to our group. He tapped the butt of his poleaxe against the ground once.
“King Hreidmar has requested yer presence. We’re about te begin the war council.”
We had been expecting him to request us, though we assumed he’d give us a little more time to relax. It seemed that wouldn’t be the case.
Since time appeared to be of the essence, the four of us quickly polished off our relatively tasteless meal, set our bowls aside, and stood up.
“Lead the way,” I said with a gesture toward the Dweorg. The small man nodded and turned around, walking back the way he’d come, but now with us following behind him. He led us to a tent, one about four times larger than our own, and shaped like a trapezoid. The Dweorg opened the flaps and beckoned us inside.
It wasn’t just Hreidmar inside of the tent. Six other Dweorgs were standing before him. Each wore mythril armor and carried a weapon. I was still getting used to picking up the distinctions between individuals so I couldn’t tell the differences between them yet. I judged each person by their hair color. There was a blond, a brunette, a pair of redheads, someone with black hair, and an older Dweorg with white hair. At the head of this assembly was Hreidmar, and situated between him and the other six was a table with a map spread across it and a compass sitting on the map.
“Ye’ve arrived,” Hreidmar said. “Sorry fer interruptin’ yer meal. Given the situation, I thought it would be best if we came up with a plan now rather than later.”
“It is no trouble,” Kari responded with a light smile. “You are correct. We have little time left and should focus on creating a solid plan for our upcoming battle.”
Hreidmar nodded before gesturing to the map. “This is a map o’ our city. Even if the Sekbeists have made their own adjustments, it should be good enough te use as a reference guide. Hovebrann is built against a mountain. The surrounding buildings outside of the mountain are where the townspeople lived. Inside o’ the mountain is where our forges and castle lie. That castle is where the Warp Gate is located. Te reach it, we have no choice but te storm in through the front.”
A rather straightforward plan, but I realized we didn’t have much choice here. On the other hand…
“Is that the only way in?” I asked. “Are there no secret passages we can use?”
Hreidmar shifted. “There be a few, but they aren’t large enough te let our people enter that way.”
“But if we took a small detachment to sneak in through the secret passage, we could take out their forces from the inside,” I explained. “I’m assuming the castle entrance has a gate to guard against intrusion, correct? That being the case, a frontal assault would take a long time and result in the loss of many of our forces.”
While the six Dweorgs looked aghast that I was lecturing their king, Hreidmar merely stroked his beard before nodding several times.
“Ye bring up a good point,” he mumbled. “It is a viable option, but first, we need a plan te free the Dweorgs that have been enslaved.” Pointing his left index finger at a section of buildings that looked like housing units or maybe barracks, he spoke again. “Our scouts have reported that the survivors who were enslaved are bein’ held here. They’re bein’ used fer manual labor right now. Accordin’ te the information we’ve received, the enslaved Dweorgs are being guarded by four squadrons of thirteen Sekbeists. Most o’ them are just small-fry, but each squadron is led by an Elite. The entire battalion is further commanded by a Beast.”
“So we’ll have te divide our forces once we get inside,” one of the other Dweorgs, the blond one, mused with a frown. “The main force will attack the castle gate, and the other force will free our enslaved brethren.”
“It sounds like we’ll be stretched thin,” the brunette said.
“Our forces number two hundred,” Hreidmar said. “This is not includin’ non-combatants, which increases our numbers to one thousand. We’ll send fifty o’ our men over te free the slaves, while the rest clear out the city and make their way te the castle gates.” He glanced over at us. “Ye four are gonna sneak in through the secret passage. I’ll be goin’ with ye.”
“Yer Highness,” one of the redheads suddenly interrupted, “are ye sure that’s wise? Should ye not be at the head o’ our battalion? We need you te lead us.”
“More importantly than leadin’, what we need is someone who knows where te secret passage is and can get us inside,” Hreidmar refuted. “Someone has te lead these four
so they don’t get lost. I’m te only one who knows how te navigate that passage, which means no one else can do it.”
“That… is true,” one of the men mumbled. “But still…”
“No ‘buts,’” Hreidmar admonished, a stern look on his gruff face. “It’s more important te get those gates open than it is fer me te lead ye into battle. We’re not fightin’ te beat back an enemy. We’re fightin’ te survive.”
None of the six Dweorgs could say anything to refute his words. They hung their heads silently, conceding defeat to their king, who then turned his gaze toward us.
“This battle will be hardest on ye four,” he said. “I am sorry fer putting most of the burden on ye.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Erica said with a breezy wave of her hand. “If anything, we are grateful to you. We would never have figured out a way to get home without your help. That’s why we don’t mind helping out and giving your people a chance to escape this realm and lead a new life in ours.”
“We thank ye,” Hreidmar said.
The battle planning continued, but most of it involved how the Dweorg forces would be divided, which forces would attack which installations. It sounded like there were new fortifications that had been built around Hovebrann, including several watchtowers and a massive rampart. Before we could even think of sneaking through the secret passage, we needed to enter the city by busting through the battlement.
“That rampart is goin’ te be a real problem,” the black-haired Dweorg said. “It’s crudely built, but it’s still sturdy enough that we can’t just bust it down.”
“What if we destroyed the gate?” asked Erica. “I have an A-rank Spiritual Fire Technique called Ascending Phoenix, which surrounds my body with fire hot enough to melt even steel.”
“That won’t work here,” Hreidmar announced. “Those gates are made of mythril. Unless yer flames are hot enough te match the temperatures of a volcano, ye won’t be able te melt through it, and even if ye did have flames that hot, it would take several hours te melt it all the way through.”
“What about the wall itself?” I asked. “What’s that made of?”
“Just standard stone,” the redhead said.
“Are there any weak points in the rampart?” asked Kari. “Maybe if there’s a section that is weaker than the others, we can somehow break through it.”
Hreidmar and the other Dweorgs looked at each other, but it seemed none of them knew whether there was a section like that or not. That being the case, we couldn’t count on a plan that relied on breaking down the rampart by attacking its weak point, which meant…
“What if we have a small group climb up the wall?” suggested Tungsten. “We can have a small group of two or three people scale the rampart and then open the gates from the inside. That will be our moment to charge in. Of course, we’ll need to keep the Sekbeists distracted so the group we send in can do their job. If we launch a frontal assault to make it look like we’re charging the gate, it will divert the Sekbeists’ attention to us, giving this small group a chance to scale the wall without being spotted.”
Hreidmar and the other Dweorgs acknowledged that it was a good plan, and even I was slightly impressed, though the plan itself was quite simple. That said, while everyone agreed that it was the most viable plan available, there was one problem.
“Who is going to be in the group that goes in and opens the gate?” asked Erica.
No one spoke for a while. I looked at Hreidmar and the six Dweorg commanders. All of them seemed uncertain over who to send on this nearly suicidal task. When I saw the expressions they wore, I looked over to Kari. She was looking at me. More than likely, she had been staring at me ever since Erica asked her question. I knew what that look meant.
I nodded at her.
“We will do it,” Kari said, gesturing to herself and me.
“Are you sure?” asked Tungsten. “This is going to be a dangerous task.”
“I’m sure,” she said. “Eryk and I have experience scaling walls and cliffs anyway, so I’m confident we can pull it off, and you two have already seen how good we are in a fight.”
“That is true.” Erica was nodding along with Kari’s words. “In that case, we shall leave this matter to you.”
With the decision made, the war council was dismissed. It was late, or so Hreidmar said, and he told everyone to get some sleep. Our group of four traveled back to our tent and slipped inside. The tent was small and didn’t have anything except several sleeping bags.
After the four of us removed our armor, leaving ourselves in the clothes we wore underneath it, we slipped into our sleeping bags. Tungsten and Erica had their own, but Kari and I were sharing one. We lay on our side, facing each other. Our feet were entangled and our foreheads were touching as we stared into the other person’s eyes.
“So it all ends tomorrow, huh?” I said softly.
“Seems that way,” Kari murmured, eyelids fluttering.
“I can’t wait to get home.”
“Me neither.”
Pausing for a moment to admire the woman who looked ready to fall asleep, I asked, “What do you want to do when we return?”
“Meet up with everyone from the Explorer’s Guild and celebrate,” Kari said with a yawn. “And then… I think… after that… I want to have… a baby.”
I nodded along with her. “Yeah. I think we deserve to celebrate after all this and—wait. What?”
I tacked on my question at the end and focused completely on Kari, expecting an explanation for her last statement, but I received none. Her eyes were closed, her breathing deep and even, making me sigh.
Kari had already fallen asleep.
The next morning, I woke up entangled in the arms, legs, and tail of three women. Fortunately, this was how we had gone to bed, so none of them were angry with me upon waking. That said, I was kicked out of the room so they could get dressed. That was natural since Kari and Fay were still against letting me see them naked. I didn’t let it bother me as I went to my own bedroom and changed as well.
What I changed into was the same clothing I usually wore, the outfit that Fay had first bought me. I had others now, but this one had sentimental value. It was the first gift I had received after going back in time.
Grabbing my pack, which contained the tent, futon, and other supplies, I made it back to Kari’s room.
Kari, Fay, and Lin were dressed by the time I returned. Lin was wearing the simple and skimpy outfit she’d bought with Kari during their first shopping trip. I had to admit, the simple red fabric that wrapped around her chest in an X-pattern, the red skirt tied off to the side, and the bits of golden jewelry dangling from her wrist, neck, and waist, fit her well. Kari, meanwhile, was wearing a white and blue blouse, black stockings, and brown boots that went up to the middle of her thighs. Over it was light leather armor: a breastplate and vambraces. On the other hand, Fay was wearing an outfit that looked very much like the female version of my clothes. She also had her gauntlets on.
“Looks like everyone is ready,” I said.
“This princess is prepared.”
“I’ve been ready since yesterday.”
“I’m still a little nervous, but I’m also ready.”
The three of them announced their readiness in their own way, which caused me to nod.
Of course, we didn’t go off to the meeting point right away. While we did have to meet Catalyna and her group early in the morning, we could afford to have breakfast first. That was why we ate a quick meal in the kitchen instead of the dining room. The chef prepared us some porridge with dried fruits and nuts—except for Lin, who got skewered meat. Once we finished breakfast, we exited the Imperial Royal Palace via the front door.
Several people were waiting for us.
I eyed Empress Hilda as she stood with her three husbands and three sons behind her. Each father was standing beside the son they had helped sire. Valence stood beside Earland, Rainer was next to Mykkel, and Dante was yawning as he
stood beside an exhausted Geirolf. That made me wonder how long the boy had stayed up training last night. He’d still been training when I wandered back to Kari’s bedroom.
Empress Hilda stepped up to us, dressed in a white gown that looked simple at first glance, but I could tell it was made from the finest material. She stopped in front of Kari and placed a hand on her daughter’s cheek. The look in her eyes was… resigned. It was the look of a parent who finally realized their child had flown from the nest.
“You’ve grown up so much in the last month,” Empress Hilda said.
“M-Mother?” Kari seemed confused as she stuttered, blinking several times.
Empress Hilda’s smile seemed both proud and melancholy. “My only desire as your mother was to make sure you were safe. I thought it was for the best, which was why I didn’t allow you to leave Nevaria after you were attacked by Demon Beasts back then, but seeing how happy you are as you prepare to head off on an adventure, I can now recognize that I made a mistake. I’m sorry for not realizing this sooner.”
“Oh… no, it’s… okay.” Kari, unable to figure out what to say, grasped at straws as she sought the words that wouldn’t come. All she could do was mumble.
“I hope you enjoy this trip.” Empress Hilda paused and took a deep breath. “But also, I hope you do not overexert yourself. Please remain safe and come back.”
It took her a while to respond, but Kari eventually nodded several times, sniffling just a little as she sucked up some suspicious moisture around her eyes. She presented her mom with a brilliant smile as she said, “Don’t worry. I will.”
That seemed to satisfy Empress Hilda, who took a step back. She glanced in my direction. “I expect you to watch after my daughter.”
“You can count on me,” I said.
“You can count on us,” Fay corrected.
“This princess will make sure everyone comes home safely,” Lin added, thumping her chest with a fist.
Wearing an expression of satisfaction, Empress Hilda allowed our group to leave after saying her goodbyes. The people behind her offered their own words of goodbye. They were simple platitudes, but I believed they made Kari happy. The only one who didn’t say goodbye to us was Geirolf, whose baleful stare as he drilled a hole into my head with his eyes made me remember my conversation with Mykkel yesterday.
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