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“I apologize for the delay in contacting you.”

[Why else would I have heard rumors of your death from this far away? It’s all because the situation on the front lines was so urgent.]

Seon-Hyeok sweated profusely. Even though she said she understood, this, in turn, was even more terrifying.

“It’s difficult to tell you everything given our communication method, but there have been some unavoidable circumstances.”

“Don’t worry if you’re worried about communication stones. Our kingdom has provided us with enough to last the entire night.”

[I see.]

The tactless mage tried to notify Seon-Hyeok quietly, but his comment was unfortunately passed on to the other party as well.

In the end, Seon-Hyeok was forced to lay everything down and explain all that had transpired.

[You really do not listen to commands.]

And when she heard his full report, Ophelia’s voice grew even lower than before.

[I am certain I told you not to shoulder too many burdens given that you are not the only one in the central kingdoms.]

Seon-Hyeok was left speechless at Ophelia’s reprimanding remark.

[Your actions to save the refugees, complete strangers I might add, put Adenburg’s precious knights and mages at risk - the very people you are responsible for. Do you have any excuses to offer?]

“I do not.”

There was no possible excuse. It was not what he intended, but he was indubitably to blame for the predicament of the Adenburg expedition force.

“I will rescue them all.”

[You still do not understand what I am trying to say.]

Seon-Hyeok could hear Ophelia’s sigh from all the way in the Astoria Kingdom. His heart grew heavier at the sound.

[I am not trying to place blame on you. You must be more aware of your position, and your safety is not just for you.]

Ophelia almost sounded stern.

[If you are placed in danger, those who follow you will likewise follow suit. Just as I do, you, my partner, must be cognizant of the many ensuring your own safety.]

In other words, she was saying the others were placed in danger because he acted selfishly of his own volition. He was keenly aware of this fact.

[If you return to the west and the same series of events come to pass, I assure you I will pressure the Holy Kingdom to dispatch a major army to locate you. Do you really want Astoria, or me, to shoulder such a burden?]

Ophelia was not bluffing. As the leader of the Eastern Alliance supporting the central kingdoms, she was indeed capable of such a demand.

“But if I don’t find them, the expedition…”

[My dear Indomitable Duke.]

Seon-Hyeok could not even sleep when he thought about the expedition force struggling alone in enemy territory. He was sure Ophelia would feel the same, given her consideration towards those with talent.

However, given Ophelia’s current attitude, it did not seem she was at all concerned about the missing people.

[Was the expedition force you saw that weak? Do you think I would handle matters so poorly?]

Seon-Hyeok belatedly realized the incompatibility in those viewpoints.

[Choi Min-Young, the Illusion Beast Master with the force, is by no means weak. In a battlefield with allies to protect, she is even stronger than you.]

King Theodore Tiberius Ro Adenstein had once told him, “It would’ve been an interesting sight had that torgos creature been summoned in the middle of an enemy kingdom.”

The western territories, teeming with demonic beings, were the perfect place for the summoner to run wild.

“Ah…”

Ophelia continued as he exclaimed.

[Wait. They will certainly return.]

Her tone was full of conviction.

[You may only delay your return until the expedition returns.]

***

“Will that be alright? The mage in charge of communications is a figure of the Holy Kingdom, and anything you say will surely be relayed to them.”

Marquis Reinhardt, after standing by Ophelia’s side throughout the communications, expressed his concerns.

It was clear he was concerned about the potential ramifications of suggesting she would personally pressure the Holy Kingdom in the event that the Indomitable Duke fell into danger.

“I said it so they knew.”

But Ophelia remained nonchalant.

“The Indomitable Duke is like a blade without equal. From Astoria’s perspective, it would be beneficial to hold onto him for as long as possible, and he is the perfect substitute for their treasured Templar Knights and priests.”

“So you wanted them not to be frivolous…”

Marquis Reinhardt expressed his admiration.

“The Indomitable Duke seems to believe he is selfish, but in reality, he is selfless and self-sacrificing.”

Seon-Hyeok repeatedly conducted business under the facade of a mutually beneficial deal, but he was a stereotypical hero willing to devote himself to others if given an appropriate excuse.

“For the conniving priests of the Holy Kingdom, it would not take much to coax such a warrior into doing what they want.”

And naturally, of someone with such a personality, he was politically challenged and prone to being exploited.

“The Indomitable Duke’s talents shine brightest on the battlefield. I hope that he is able to demonstrate that in the most appropriate of arenas.”

Ophelia had vowed to compensate for his lacking political acumen, and this was a moment in which she would hold true to her words.

“That’s wise.”

Marquis Reinhardt had a refreshed look on his face, as though his concerns were completely assuaged.

“The Indomitable Duke is a straightforward knight - if given a target, he doesn’t take the time to look around.”

Ophelia hesitated before changing her expression.

“Of course, that does not mean that he’s an ignorant person only capable of combat. He’s incredibly considerate and thoughtful given his position as a knight, and he is almost too pure in nature.”

Marquis Reinhardt smirked at Ophelia’s unprompted defense of her husband.

“I did not say anything.”

Hearing his response, Ophelia let out a fake cough.

“Even so, it would have been nice if you exchanged some lighter conversation as well. After all, hasn’t he just returned from the dead?”

If anyone else dared to say this, he would have been punished dearly for daring to give presumptuous advice into the royal family’s private matters.

However, Marquis Reinhardt was Ophelia’s closest confidante since childhood, as well as a distant blood relative of the royal family.

“I learned that he was safe and made sure he would not take any unnecessary risks. That’s enough.”

“Even so, the Indomitable Duke is never one to turn away from danger…”

The marquis unknowingly began to retort before shutting himself up.

“It seems the marquis has too much time on his hands these days.”

This time, even the respected, old knight of the royal family could not avoid his rebuke.

*** 

Just as Ophelia intended, her warning was conveyed directly to the leaders of the Holy Kingdom.

After learning just how much Adenburg, the powerhouse of the eastern kingdoms and leader of their alliance, cared for the Indomitable Duke, Astoria was forced to fully reconsider its plans to utilize the nearly 40,000 Northern riders and Seon-Hyeok in battle.

It was because the potential risk they would bear in the event that something went wrong on a particularly fierce battlefield was too much of a burden.

“I am thinking of heading to the Panthea base. If there is an emergency situation on the way, I will take a detour to help.”

Because of this, the leaders of Astoria strangely felt additional pressure when Seon-Hyeok offered his assistance.

“Thank you for your consideration, but the front lines of our kingdom are like an impenetrable fortress. You should focus on recovering from your accumulated fatigue.”

The priest’s words were highly political, but they were based in fact. It was true that the front maintained by the Holy Kingdom was excelling at holding off the demonic hordes, unlike those of the neighboring kingdoms.

“Is that so?”

Seon-Hyeok questioned the priest’s attitude in rejecting his offer, but he had no intention of forcing Astoria to accept his support.

In addition to Ophelia’s request, he himself had grown explosively since feeling the sense of crisis while fighting the Dark Lord, and he no longer felt the need to move from battlefield to battlefield like a rabid dog.

He had dealt with countless demonic beings since reaching level 39, and it likely would not be long before he reached level 40.

If there was such a thing as a 5th class advancement, he was not far away.

“That’s perfect. I didn’t want to make excuses, but it’s about time the horses got some rest.”

Darun welcomed the update, saying that it was time for both the horses and their riders to recover.

And after taking 3 days to sleep and eat their fill, Seon-Hyeok and the Northern riders felt fully recovered and resumed their journey. Their pace was a relaxed march that was almost yawn-inducing compared to the breakneck speed they traveled at earlier.

Of course, this did not mean that the bizarrely fast speed of travel was no longer present. Even while maintaining a leisurely pace, the Northern riders boasted their dignity by maintaining a speed of 50 kilometers per day, an average wartime march of wartime cavalry.

“Riding like this reminds me of the old days.”

For him, after only riding on the dragon subspecies after acquiring Goldrake and Redvern, this march with the northerners was quite enjoyable.

Those memories of the past felt so distant, despite being only a few years removed.

“I hope Clark’s party arrived safely?”

Seon-Hyeok recalled the faces of the dedicated subordinates crossing half the continent to protect his drake. He had been forced to send them back because they lacked the capacity to deal with the vicious demonic horde in the west, but he nonetheless judged them to be more reliable than anyone else.

“Come to think of it, I never contacted Rheinperle.”

He frowned, belatedly realizing he had not informed his own territory of his safe return.

The others would have endured as always, but his young squire would have been quite shocked by the news of her lord’s demise.

He could envision her causing a scene in her desire to return to the central kingdoms.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

Darun called out, seemingly bored by the relatively slow pace of their march.

“I just remembered some people I want to see.”

Likewise bored, Seon-Hyeok shared some stories about the battles he fought with the former Drake Cavalry.

“Sasteins? Yes, I am sure I’ve heard of them.”

Unexpectedly, the Northern chief, generally ignorant of news outside his domain, was aware of the name used by the elite Noctein riders.

“I’ve heard there were those among the kingdoms trying to imitate the riders of the north. Those were the Sasteins.”

Come to think of it, Seon-Hyeok had found the fighting style of the Northern riders oddly familiar. It was because he had previous experience with the Sasteins.

“Well, of course, I’m sure they were little more than copycats. All things aside, it’s ridiculous to think the people of the kingdoms could imitate our riders on their large horses.”

“That’s true, but the Sasteins were pretty excellent cavalry in their own right. Their horsemanship and marksmanship lagged behind the Northern riders, but they were all apprentice knights with excellent swordsmanship.”

Darun snorted.

“You haven’t seen the true power of us Northern riders yet.”

What’s he saying after all the battles we’ve been through?

“Those demonic beings were pretty wild and ferocious, but all we’ve done up to this point is hunt. We have not had a single ‘battle’ since we left the north.”

Darun’s confidence was too great to say that this was a bluff made from hurt pride.

“If the day comes when we fight against other humans, you’ll see the true power of the North.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Realizing he inadvertently hurt the pride of a proud man, Seon-Hyeok gently nodded and concluded the conversation.

***

And how many days did we travel at that leisurely pace?

Seon-Hyeok and the riders reached Panthea before long.

“Is that person you spoke of here?”

Hearing Darun’s question as he looked at the walls of the Panthea base, stained yellow with the blood of the demonic horde, Seon-Hyeok nodded.

“He is.”

At that moment, the gates of Panthea opened, and a group of people rushed out.

“They’re coming this way.”

As expected of a northerner with unusually keen eyesight, Darun was the first to notice and narrowed his eyes.

“Are they coming to greet us?”

“Well, it’s not strange considering all the dust we kicked up riding here.”

Seeing the knights dressed in pure white armor that did not get dirty even in the midst of a fierce battle, Seon-Hyeok noticed a welcome face among them and gave a faint smile.

“Ah, there he is. He’s the one I mentioned.”

“Oh?”

The man in front, with a huge sword strapped to his back, was particularly noticeable.

“So he’s the individual at the heart of our deal.”

At the receiving end of Darun’s sharp gaze was the warrior, Park Joon-Min, who was running towards them with tear-filled eyes.