Chapter: 22
The moment he heard that song with bizarre lyrics he could not understand, strength drained from his body and sleep poured over him.
The knees of the elite squad he had brought buckled one by one, and they began to collapse.
Alpheus, too, was just about to drift off without realizing it.
“When you must not sleep but feel unbearably drowsy, use this. Always carry it with you.”
Suddenly, Brisa’s voice came to mind.
He forced strength into his head, which was growing heavy like cotton, and searched inside his shirt pocket.
Just as Brisa had given it to him, the thoroughly dried Awakening Herb touched his fingers.
With trembling hands he grabbed the herb and swallowed it. His eyes snapped open. At the same time, far out at sea, he saw the shape of a monster singing.
‘……Hm?’
Alpheus fired consecutive waves of sword energy toward the faint figure.
‘It’s a monster…… right?’
Was that glimmering thing scales, or a person’s silver hair…….
“They say an extremely unusual monster has appeared there as well.”
Just as the attendant had said, it truly was a very unusual monster.
He narrowed his eyes, and the monster that had been grazed by his sword energy slipped beneath the sea. At the same time, the song that had been making people drowsy stopped.
“Wake up, wake up.”
He hurriedly shook the sleeping knights and the Second Prince.
“Please wake up, everyone wake up.”
When they would not wake easily, he eventually had to give them some physical shock.
The sleeping knights and the Second Prince rose, rubbing their bodies that had turned bluish with bruises.
“Ah…… what happened?”
“I fell asleep the moment I heard that strange song…… and after that I don’t remember anything.”
“It must have happened during that time. My goodness, we nearly died. Isn’t that right, Sir Alpheus?”
At the Imperial Knight’s question as he examined his bruise, Alpheus nodded.
“That’s not wrong.”
Then he quickly spoke to the Second Prince.
“I failed to kill the monster in question. I have no more Awakening Herb given by my younger sister, so we must leave this island at once.”
Now that he had come, it seemed less like a massive monster wave and more like the survival rate of those who came here had dropped because of a single monster with a peculiar ability.
“Yes, let us return at once.”
The Second Prince agreed as he looked around.
After that, before Alpheus could even speak, he said:
“Let us all go to the Imperial Palace together. If you do not need a baron title, I shall tell His Majesty the Emperor to grant you generous war compensation instead.”
Looking at Alpheus’s clothes, he added in a slightly choked voice:
“Moreover, did you not come all the way here out of friendship and even save my life? Surely my mother will also reward you privately. In that case, you must absolutely not refuse.”
Alpheus thought it was fortunate he did not have to say, ‘I came because I was begging, not out of friendship.’
When they all left the island and stepped onto the continent—
“Huh?”
The warp had stopped operating.
“The Mage Tower has suspended all warps. They say it can only be activated in midsummer.”
The Imperial Knight who had investigated the matter spoke in a dark voice.
The Second Prince let out a deep sigh.
“Then we will have to stay here for now.”
He narrowed his eyes and muttered:
“Where nearby is there a noble estate large enough for a knight order of this size to stay…….”
Alpheus cheerfully shook his head.
“Ah, I will ride a horse and go.”
“What?”
“If the warp is broken, I’ll ride a horse.”
The Second Prince stared blankly at his face and asked,
“Are you in your right mind?”
And understandably so—crossing that vast land on horseback was no easy task.
Moreover, the Empire was extremely wide.
“Ah, of course only my knights and I will move. I’m not saying we all ride to the Imperial Palace together.”
Alpheus quickly explained.
“There is only my young little sister left in our territory. I cannot wait until midsummer.”
At that, the Second Prince was even more shocked.
“Even so, my reaction does not change. Are you truly in your right mind?”
Wondering if the bruises on his own body had instead gone to Alpheus’s head, he kindly explained:
“You intend to ride from the East to the Central region? Do you know how long that will take? Moreover, they say monsters are appearing along every border of the territories right now.”
“Still, our Bribri is waiting.”
The Second Prince blinked and asked back,
“Briburi? Are you perhaps raising a bad-tempered pet?”
“No! That is the name of my newly gained younger sister, who gave me the Awakening Herb as a token!”
In truth, Alpheus had survived thanks to Brisa, but more than that, he could not forget the moment he received the Awakening Herb.
“Do you know? When I fought every day in the North, risking my life in battle…….”
He muttered with eyes filled with melancholy.
“Every night, everyone looked at something. A photograph of their mother, a relic of their father, letters from siblings, things like that. Something left to them by beloved family, the last thing they wanted to see before risking their lives in battle, traces of the people they had to return to somehow…….”
Alpheus’s voice gradually sank.
“I had none of that. So I read youthful hero novels instead.”
If Brisa had heard this, she would have said, ‘So those youthful hero novels are the cause of the protagonist disease infection.’
Alpheus continued, his face pressing down his emotion.
“But at last, I too have received a family token given by Bribri. I now have a place to return to. So I must hurry back to that child.”
The first family of a righteous young man who had grown up lonely as a commoner orphan.
Alpheus wanted to treat her unconditionally well.
“I matured far too young. Because I had to take responsibility for myself. I know very well how sad that is…… I do not want to raise my younger sister that way. Absolutely not.”
Having said this much, the Second Prince could not stop Alpheus.
In the end, the Second Prince searched his clothes and took out the jewels he carried for emergencies.
“Here, at least take this.”
“No, how could I take such things…….”
“With the warp stopped, distribution must also be halted, so ingredient prices will not be cheap. You must eat while traveling, must you not?”
The Second Prince, who had even carefully removed his own brooch and handed it over, smiled faintly.
Once he had taken off all his ornaments, the man with brown hair and green eyes looked almost like a simple knight.
“My elder brother sent me here, but thanks to you, Alpheus, I have survived again. I will never forget this favor. Once the warp functions, let us meet at the Imperial Palace.”
Alpheus laughed heartily and said,
“To be precise, Your Highness’s life was saved by our Bribri. I was able to regain my senses thanks to the Awakening Herb she gave me. We nearly all perished.”
“That child…… hm.”
The Second Prince started to say something, then closed his mouth.
Alpheus tilted his head.
“What about our Bribri? Have you perhaps met her?”
“……I have.”
The Second Prince rolled his eyes as he spoke.
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager favors that child, so when she was enrolled at the Capital Academy, she summoned her to the Imperial Palace several times. I saw her a few times in passing.”
“I see! As expected, even Her Majesty the Empress Dowager must have recognized our Bribri’s cuteness!”
“Personally, I think it was not her cuteness…… but her usefulness that was recognized.”
The Second Prince’s expression darkened slightly. But he soon smiled again and lightly patted Alpheus on the shoulder.
“You always longed for family.”
With gentle eyes, he wished good fortune upon his comrade.
“I sincerely hope that child becomes a good family to you.”
“Of course.”
Alpheus said brightly.
“Of course I must become a good family first. She is a child, after all.”
