"L-Lescia?"
I was rather surprised to see her, but from her expression, it seemed like things had gone quite awkward between us.
Oh, right… I fought with her father.
"C-Can I enter?"
Lescia asked shyly, and I gestured for her to enter. She noticed that I was cleaning up from the broom and dust pan, and she didn't mind it. She sat down on the sofa, but noticed that it's still quite dusty.
She also didn't mind it, but I do mind. For a princess sitting on that dusty sofa… I feel bad.
"Ah, sorry. Things are still quite dusty."
"Please, I don't mind! Also uhm… Sorry for my father earlier… he can be quite stubborn sometimes."
She said shyly, and as I expected, she is quite worried about this topic.
"It's fine. I understood his reason anyway. It was also my fault for underestimating the Axelons."
"You also seemed very full of yourself."
"I… guess I was being very cocky..."
The air immediately became lighter. Now that we are joking around again, the pure smile returned to both of our faces. We immediately forgot about what just happened at the throne room.
I continued cleaning up while Lescia moved and sat silently on the clean chair in the dining room, instead of the dusty sofa. I went to the kitchen and made us two cups of tea after everything was clean.
"Does… your mother know? She seemed to be laughing seeing us."
"Well, she knows how I looked up to you, but she didn't know how close."
"I see."
I drank the tea in one go and placed it on the glass table. Just from that act alone, she noticed that I was being overly worried about something, and she quickly asked about it.
"Melv… How are you feeling?"
"… Terrible.
Last night, when I saved those bastards from the southern base, everyone was losing. It was a one-sided battle, I'm sure you remembered my story."
Lescia nodded, and I continued with the same grim tone.
"The only reason we won that battle… was because I arrived.
A lot of the combatants were already dying. I healed them just in time before they bleed to death. The Axelons, Jonus, arch-mage, Cane, and Arfius, all were also wounded and could have died. But I healed their wounds and returned to their fighting spirit.
And now they are asking me to sit down at the base and heal people…? I don't get it, I just don't understand. It's not just your father, but how can these people still have that kind of mindset?"
I kept on mumbling, despite knowing that Lescia probably wouldn't know about the answer. I felt bad for lashing what is on my mind out to her.
But to my surprise, she replies anyway.
"It's because they believed in you."
I turned to Lescia, and she wore the same cheeky grin every time she wanted to eat me. The same smile that charms me every single time.
"Remember what the arch-mage said? That they can fight confidently if they know that you got their backs?
For them to fight behind enemy lines like that, means that they will be leaving the battlefield. And if they leave the battlefield, it means that they are risking the front line combatants to die in battle, as they can't fight alongside them.
But with you there, you can just heal anyone whenever they get hurt. Don't you get it? They left you because they believed that their main battlefield would be okay in your hands. Meanwhile, they can go as loud as they can fighting the demon king.
Am I wrong?"
Lescia explained her point of view, and I immediately understood everything that was happening. Why the king chose this option, to leash me into the base. Why everyone also supported his decision to have me stay back.
I am… their final defense. Their last hope, the anchor who will make sure everything goes right when things turn bad.
They didn't leave me alone because they didn't like me or whatever.
It's because they believed in me.
I chuckled at how stupid I am for hating my own friends like that. My friends trusted me with the back lines, that way the demons won't be able to do anything stupid while my friends go and assassinate their king.
But, I still can't accept this point of view.
The king used me as a form of reassurance, for the Axelons to be even more confident in defeating the demon king. Even though the upcoming battle could have been very difficult, he used the fact that I am staying back to make the others forget about all of that and just go dead straight to face the demon king.
I still… don't support it.
"Thank you… for your insight."
I turned my smile to her, and noticed her grinning back at me softly as well.
"Glad to hear that you are in this. But, the battlefield can be horrible, Melv…"
"I know. I am ready."
Lescia is still worried even after I said that, I can tell. And I was lying too when I said that, because the truth is, no one can ever be ready for a war. No one, not even me.
But, worrying about it is pointless.
The only thing to do… is to keep moving forward.
I placed my hands above hers and immediately kissed her in the forehead. She accepted it just calmly, not retaliating like how she used to act in the past.
Usually she would riot every time I kissed her on the cheek. But now, she is accepting it faithfully.
She… still turned red from it, though.
"Stop stealing kisses from me…"
"I just feel like I need one."
I reasoned, and she nodded shyly. She is so cute.
I finished cleaning up for the next ten minutes. After that, the two of us exited the house and I locked the door.
I grabbed Lescia in a princess carry and flew back to the middle castle with my large shadow wings. We spent some time above the skies just watching the kingdom from above, and she hugged my neck tighter.
Not because she is afraid of heights.
She is afraid of the future.
"Promise me… you will be careful."
She whispered while placing her face really close to my ears. Thanks to that, I was able to hear her whisper very clearly despite the strong wind.
I turned my face to her, and answered…
"I promise."
After about a minute, I turned and flew towards the middle castle. The knights who guarded the front gate were startled seeing us flying inside, but they couldn't do anything since we were so high up.
We landed on the top floor of the castle, and I let Lescia down. She still didn't release her hand from my neck, and I realize that she probably didn't want to.
I also… don't want to let go of her hips.
"Well… Looks like this is the time."
She said to me awkwardly, and she began letting go of me. I also began releasing her hips, and took a single step back.
But before I was able to get far, Lescia shook her head hard and rushed towards me.
In slow motion, I can see a vision that I don't ever want to see if it wasn't for this situation.
Her tears… heavily dropped and got swept by the air as she rushed to my face.
Immediately, I prepared for her to embrace me.
Her lips arrived at mine, and it felt like time had slowed down once more.
It felt like the world had completely stopped, and that everything else was meaningless.
The longer we kissed… the more all these feelings inside me grew.
Nothing… I will let nothing happen to her.
No matter what, I will never let go of her.
I will do whatever it takes to make her happy.
I will burn the world for her.
She will be loved.
Because she is mine.
After what felt like only five milliseconds, I began to let go of the kiss, and Lescia also pulled back.
After that, I began taking a few steps backwards again. Lescia knows that I can't stay here forever as well, so she can only wave her hand.
"Good luck over there."
She said while wiping her tears with one hand and waving with the other. Meanwhile, I also lifted one hand as two giant shadow wings began to burst open like flames behind me.
"Keep praying for me!"
I said as I happily turned around and began flying towards the battlefield at the east. I didn't want to see her off without a smile, and I didn't want her to see my next expression.
I flew very quickly above the skies, and quickly, tears began to fall as well.
I let the fast wind wiped them from my face, and turned on my focus once more.
… Let's just get this dumb war over with.
.
.
.
After spending only a single day of preparations in the middle base, the Axelons began moving out.
Based on the plan, they will be moving hiddenly and sneaking into the demon king's palace, where they will straight up challenge the demon king in a one against many. Against that many powerful individuals, there's no way the demon king will go out unscathed.
But even as an Axelon, I wasn't invited.
I stayed behind, on the base, while my friends were going out to slay the demon king. I will be the one responsible with mass healing the soldiers, so these soldiers can go all out without minding getting wounded or losing a limb. I am also the one to be the last line of defense, just in case the demons did something behind our backs and sent a large-scale attack.
The Axelons departed in the middle of the night from the middle base. I hugged Fran and Cane before sending them off, and gave them my prayers.
The two, to my surprise, synchronically gave me a thumbs up right before they left for the carriage.
It was then that I remembered, when these two are working together to achieve a goal, they can achieve anything. Even I won't be able to face them easily when they are together.
I just hope that the two of them coordinating is enough to beat the demon king.
From the middle base, the Axelons will first visit the northern base, then traverse towards the east through a secret hidden path that is on the northern part of the desert, right by the sea. The generals want the Axelons to conserve their energy as much as possible, so the trip will be using carriages.
It will be a calm trip without rushing, so it will take a long time until they reach it. They departed during the evening, one day after the meeting, and will most likely arrive in two days.
It is also possible that they will have to face the demon squadrons. But now that three squadrons are down, there are only seven of them now. And I believe that they will be able to take on the squadrons and their leaders when they work together, but I can't help but doubt they will be able to win against the demon king.
My worries came into view as I gripped the paper in my hand harder, and it got crushed instantly.
"Rize! That is the list of all the healers!"
A healer who is a nun from the church shouted at me when she saw me crushing the paper, and I immediately snapped back to reality.