Chapter 72 - Bye (Thank you, Jon.)

Liry smiled while showing a bit of sadness in her face, but soon she recomposed herself and tried to hide that when the others appeared. Irlan, Edea and Heirina were walking while supporting each other with their shoulders. If one falls, the others would fall too, and it didn’t look like it would take much for that to happen.

While Zelos watched that, he was thinking about the future and what he could do to change that fucked up country… perhaps the whole world was that fucked up and trying to change anything was a massive waste of time, but accepting the status quo was out of the question. Even if he couldn’t reach such a grand goal, Zelos could at least do his best to improve his life as much as possible with his actions.

When morning came, everyone woke up with the sunlight on their faces since few people went to sleep in their tents. At the same time, they felt the worst hangover of their lives 

 Still, they forced themselves to get moving, since all of them had to return home that day. As the camp was dismantled and the soldiers prepared to march home, a continuous stream of people approached Liry, expressing their heartfelt gratitude for her leadership and bravery on the battlefield. Many of them owed their lives to her quick thinking and strategic prowess. Her voice, with its power to invigorate, had literally saved them from death, and their gratitude was genuine.

Soldiers came forward to offer their thanks, their voices filled with sincerity and respect. They spoke of the hope she had inspired, the courage she had instilled, and the lives she had touched with her actions. Liry accepted their thanks with humility, knowing that she had simply done what was necessary to protect her people.

Once the farewells were exchanged and the last remnants of the camp were packed away, the group began their march back to the capital. Despite the hardships they had faced and the losses they had endured, there was a sense of relief and accomplishment among them.

“Oh, gather ‘round and hear the story, Of Zelos’s triumph, a bolt tale, In the war, he fought so grand, With a sword in hand, he took a stand. I’m Zelos the Brave, and I never cave. In battle, I’m as mighty as a bear,” Zelos sang. “With armor gleaming and muscles bulging, I’ll tell you how I made them start screaming! I charged into the fray, oh yes I did, With my trusty sword, I made them flee. The enemies trembled, they couldn’t run. When they saw my might, they all went to weep.”

Zelos looked in high spirits while he was riding Nightstorm. His allies, on the other hand, looked like they were about to beg to be relieved from that hell that was hearing him sing. Their headaches were killing him, and his song only made it worse for them. That was a bit of punishment, since Zelos had to look after all the horses by himself while those idiots were nursing their hangovers.

The first day of the trip had been like that, Zelos singing, showing his poor singing skills, the whole Liry showed an awkward smile and the others held their heads. On the second day, Zelos got tired of hearing his own singing and the others got better as well. 

The following days had been quite relaxing since they knew that they weren’t going to see people die or risk their necks. Heirina even decided to advance slowly to give Liry some extra time to relax. After eight days, though, they returned to the capital and learned that the emperor had died.

Heirina didn’t know what they should do in that situation… from what they had heard, the emperor had died two weeks ago. It was when they were still fighting the enemies… perhaps even on the night of the last battle. Their mission would only be over once they returned and reported to Reina, so they still had some work to do, but leaving Liry now felt very wrong.

“It is all right, everyone. Remember, we receive the blessings of our ancestors when they die. I already knew about this.” 

Liry was trying to look strong since she didn't know what would cause more problems for the group. They had been away from home for quite a while, after all.

“The journey through the mountains will be difficult, and we should give the horses a few days to rest.”

Everyone looked at Zelos with eyes full of shock. It was unusual for him to act so like that. The reactions from his comrades annoyed him, even though his words were logical.

Feeling the weight of their stares, Zelos realized he had done something he normally. It was clear his attempt to improve the mood only annoyed him.. Though he believed his words were justified, the awkwardness of the moment made him vow silently to himself. He decided never to do that kind of thing again, no matter how logical his words might seem.

“We will stay for three more days in order to prepare for the next part of our trip.”

Liry forced a smile, but she also made a mental note not to let that kind of thing happen again. Bothering the few friends that she had wasn’t something that she wanted to do.

In the end, the groups didn’t have many things to do. The girls just stayed in Liry room while Zelos and Irlan stayed in their room relaxing… Zelos relaxed by training, but then all of a sudden, he stopped and then left the room.

“What is wrong, Zelos?” 

“Someone is coming,” 

Irlan quickly grabbed his spear and then followed him, but soon he opened his eyes widely when he saw a group of the Imperial Guard following a certain man… It was the prime minister. The prime minister stepped into the area, his attire marking him as a man of high status and authority in the court. His clothing, while elegant, reflected the practicality and style of the era.

He wore a long tunic of rich, deep colors, a royal blue, and a deep burgundy, embellished with intricate embroidery along the edges. The tunic reached down to his knees, giving him an air of regal dignity as he walked.

Over the tunic, he wore a heavy cloak, its fabric thick and warm, a sign of his importance and wealth. The cloak was fastened at his shoulders with a brooch adorned with a crest, proclaiming his noble lineage.

Before long, the girls also left the room and soon came to receive the prime minister. He didn’t look like a bad person at first glance, but appearances truly are deceiving. He actually bowed deeply in front of Liry.

“Your Highness, forgive me for not being around to receive you upon your return. We are all glad by seeing you completely unharmed. The whole capital cried when your father died, but they soon celebrate your accomplishments when they heard about it. You truly are the one who will carry the future of our country on your shoulders.”

“Thank you, prime minister.”

“I am also thankful for this young group of warriors who protected Her Majesty without fail. You are all the pride of our people. I wish that words could be enough to express that. Regardless, I wish you all a safe journey home.”

Before long, the prime minister bowed and soon left. His last sentence was a bit worrisome, but would he say something so suspicious if he was planning to do something like that and in front of the Imperial Guard? Most likely not. Heirina studied him the whole time and eventually voiced her thoughts.

“So, that is the prime minister, huh? While you are the current leader of the country, you can’t truly rule until you become twenty, right? In five years.”

“Yes, that is the case. I don’t think that he will do anything hasty now or until the end of the period. He will try to gain the favor of the population and eventually make me be forgotten by them. That will be easy if we win some more battles and make the country grow despite these endless conflicts.”

That would be difficult… even more so considering that the country had been average or mediocre for many years. Zelos didn’t know much about the prime minister, but he will need to be one hell of a strategy and plan to make things change that much in the foreseeable future.

While the group was thinking about that, the group also heard that a bunch of people from the capital fled from the country and joined other countries when they realized that they couldn’t do a single thing against the faction of the prime minister. 

They saw him a bunch of times in the next few days, and while he looked pretty arrogant, but he also looked like a wise man that has an aura that is almost impossible to understand. He is also the richest man in the country. So he won’t have a hard time finding people to cover the roles of those who escaped.

“The people that escaped didn’t support me or the prime minister, so they won’t be missed. Still, I will have to work hard with what I get to obtain some influence. My best guess is that I will have to rely on Lux and then find a way to join the next battle, at least as an advisor.”

“You can call for us at any moment and will come running.”

Heirina declaration made Liry show a warm smile. Those weren’t empty words, but even so, Heirina looked at Zelos to prevent him from saying anything unnecessary. That had been useless, though.

“For a price. We work for the clan. We can’t stop working for the clan without a good reason.”

“In any case, I will be waiting for our next encounter. Hopefully, it won’t be on a battlefield.”

In the end, Liry approached and then hugged all of them. Irlan didn’t know if he should return the hug, that could have been weird. As for Zelos, he didn’t try at all.

“Thank you once again, everyone. You guys are the best.”

After that, the group began to leave the palace and Liry went with them until the entrance. The girls had a hard time holding back their tears. Even Kaitrine looked a bit troubled.

Zelos was starting to think that Liry had some sort of trait that improved her charisma. It made sense since even Irlan said that he wished that his little sister was sweet like the princess.