The festival didn't end until two days had passed.
To be precise, some were still passed out drunk from the night before, while others quietly rebuilt the crumbled walls.
The people of the North had begun postwar reconstruction.
It was the same old routine, yet somehow different from before.
Despair no longer dominated their faces.
They were simply survivors taking their first step toward living on.
The world doesn't end like in novels.
You can't just slay the demon king and live happily ever after with the princess.
If someone claimed they'd lived their whole life in nothing but happiness, could you even call that a human life?
I was a bit skeptical.
Rie waved her hand, her empty sleeve flapping in the breeze.
"Did you enjoy the festival, Captain? I looked for you, but you were nowhere to be found. Any progress with your sword?"
"..."
"...? No way, for real?"
Rie asked, sounding utterly baffled.
Her playful expression twisted into one of shock.
"You went all the way in those two days? Talk about playing with fire... Nah, no way. Not you, Captain. That can't be... But why aren't you denying it even once?"
It was awkward to say nothing happened, but calling it major progress felt off too.
I tried to gloss over the topic by asking Rie a question.
Rie fixed me with a cold stare.
"Me? Eh, whatever. And Captain, don't try to dodge it."
"What? Something did happen, but..."
"Who was it? The Captain? The Lady? Wow, looking at it now, you've got quite the selection. You weren't aiming for this, were you? Revenge on your fiancée turning into polygamy ambitions?"
"Nothing like that. Pure coincidence."
"Sure, I believe you. Your reaction says it wasn't both, at least. So, the Captain then?"
I nodded slightly.
"I thought you were some emotionless human weapon, Captain. In five years, you never complained about hardship or cried in front of me, not once. But seeing you blush like this..."
Rie made a disgusted face.
"It's kinda gross."
"...For real?"
"Heh, half joking. But if it works out, that's good."
Rie wore a complicated expression.
For a fleeting moment, emotions even I couldn't grasp swirled within her, then vanished as quickly as they'd come.
Soon, she looked refreshed and continued with a smile.
"They've both been through hell. That should be enough, right?"
Silence stretched between Rie and me for a while.
After the long quiet, it was Rie who broke it.
"Captain, are you retiring? Now that you've slain the first Great Beast and monster appearances have died down... I get the feeling you're thinking about it."
I was debating whether to retire and move freely or keep my position and stir things up in the capital.
With the North's crisis resolved, it was time to change stages.
Doom would soon begin in the South, East, and center.
To stop the Southern Kingdom Alliance and the Eastern cult, I might need this identity, but if the Emperor tied me down, I wouldn't be ready for the next crisis.
Whichever way, I'd choose what suited me best.
"Not sure yet. Still got things to do."
"Like what?"
"I'm heading back to the capital."
I remember those who died in the North.
I know what they sacrificed their lives to protect: the Empire.
To keep their meaning from fading, I had to go to the capital.
Rie stared at me, dumbfounded.
"...Wait, was the fiancée thing real?"
"No. Don't even know who she is."
Rie burst out laughing.
"Obviously a joke. Makes sense—you never mentioned your fiancée or even family once in five years."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Before returning to the capital, I stayed on the frontline to teach the Wave technique.
Not to just anyone, though.
The conditions were to swear to teach the Wave to others in turn and to refrain from using Aura Energy as much as possible.
Word spread that I—the one who finished off the first Great Beast—was teaching my technique, and people flocked to me.
Not just knights and soldiers, but even children among them.
"For realz? Mister's gonna teach us his technique?"
"He said yes, dummy! But Mister, you won't teach this dummy, right?"
"Whoa! Bearded Mister's super cool!"
Of course, I decided not to teach kids.
They could learn from others when they grew up.
I began teaching the Wave alongside the surviving special forces members.
It took quite a bit of time for others, including Rie, to pick it up.
Still, with some structure in place, it went faster than the first time.
And when I taught, it was three times quicker than anyone else.
Ever since reaching the fourth stage—Non-Resonance—the infusion of Waves became incredibly easy.
In a way, no infusion was even needed.
From the fourth stage on, I could assimilate with the Waves myself, so just placing my hand transmitted it effortlessly.
"Ooh...! I see it!"
"I heard it was hard to learn..."
As I diligently taught, familiar faces from the frontline started showing up one by one.
"Sir Ian. Could I... learn it too?"
Freya Nordelheim came seeking to learn the Wave.
I'd heard she had no talent for Aura Energy, so she'd focused on strategy instead.
I welcomed Freya with a smile.
"Of course. Please have a seat here, Lady."
"Then, if you don't mind."
Following her was Irena Krauze.
We'd met sporadically since the festival, but not lately.
The moment Irena entered, a strange tension filled the air between us.
"Ian, can I learn it too?"
"I was about to suggest it myself. Please sit here."
"I always end up owing you."
"I'm more than happy about that."
Irena sat right in front of me.
I hadn't noticed before, but for some reason, her scent felt stronger now.
Had she put on perfume? I shook off the stray thought.
"Then let's begin. If I place my hand on your back... Ah, no weird intentions."
"From you? Always welcome."
From me...?
I gave Irena a puzzled look, and she turned away, face flushed.
"..."
"..."
I silently placed my hand on her back.
She'd always had exceptional talent for physical techniques, so she learned fast.
In less than a day, she reached the first stage.
"This is the Wave you talked about? Red and blue colors?"
"Swing your sword along those colors, and the power amplifies."
"Oh... So this is the world you see."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
As I focused on teaching the Wave, a letter arrived for me.
Ornate wrapping with golden emblems.
Anyone could tell it wasn't ordinary.
"This is?"
"A letter from a noble sender."
From the Emperor, perhaps.
I opened it and read.
"To the Honorable War Hero, Sir Ian" The Imperial House shall never forget your feats in raising the Empire's banner high once more on the blood-soaked Northern Front. Your valor and command, a light in the darkness, opened paths of hope and survival for all the Empire's people. This surpasses mere military merit—it is a great victory for humanity itself. Thus, the Imperial House humbly wishes to share the joy of this triumph with the nation and hereby invites you as follows. We shall add rightful glory to your achievements and express our gratitude for your labors. Please recover your health and grace us with your presence.
A letter from the Imperial House.
In short, they were holding a victory banquet.
"From a noble sender" likely meant a personal invitation from the Emperor.
I wanted to ask more, but the messenger melted into the shadows.
Eastern sorcery.
Besides Aura Energy techniques and Aura, the Empire experimented to bolster its forces.
This sorcery was one such attempt.
Not deployed in actual combat due to efficiency issues.
Next, I sought out Irena.
"The letter? I got one too. If you're okay with it... want to go together?"
"We'd depart around the same time anyway, right?"
"No, I mean..."
Before Irena could finish, she closed her eyes briefly.
After what felt like a long deliberation, she spoke cautiously.
"I meant riding in the same carriage."
That was when it happened.
"Oh, Sir Ian?"
Freya approached, raising her hand.
"I was just about to make the same proposal. Perfect timing."
Irena's expression wavered ever so slightly.
I shrugged.
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