Dad approached the podium and said in his usual calm voice, “I’ve had the utmost pleasure of serving under three Demon Lords, but today, I can finally free myself from the burden of being vice-commander. I’d like to thank Ryuunie and everyone for allowing me to retire. I am truly grateful.”
My dad had loved being a vice-commander, but I also knew he was tired from working so hard for so long.
He turned to me and said, “As you all know, the new Demon Lord’s Vice-Commander will be my daughter, Friede Aindorf. I realize she’s still inexperienced...very inexperienced, but I have faith that she will become a great vice-commander in time. It is my hope that if I go down in history, it will not be as Veight the Black Werewolf King, but as the father of the greatest vice-commander Meraldia has ever known, Friede.”
Hold on, that’s way too much pressure! Dad smiled at me and raised a hand to quiet the cheering.
“Thank you. Meraldia is a nation of differences. We have humans, demons, people from Rolmund and Kuwol, old veterans who’ve survived countless wars, and youth who’ve never seen battle. The peace we enjoy is more tenuous than anyone realizes, but at the same time, more powerful than you can imagine.”
Dad turned back to the crowd.
“I’m truly glad that I was able to help steer this nation towards lasting peace during my tenure as vice-commander. But I could not have done it alone. It was thanks to the efforts of each and every one of you here, as well as so many who aren’t, that we made it this far. I ask that you offer Demon Lord Ryuunie the same support you gave me and Airia. He’s the light of hope for Meraldia that I risked my life to save. I promise you he will guide you all towards a brighter future.” As he said this, dad wiped a tear from his eye. “Finally...at long last...I can see a Meraldia that doesn’t need me. This sight means more to me than anything else. Thank you, everyone.”
There were probably many people in the audience who didn’t understand what dad was trying to say. His main concern was creating a nation that could function effectively without relying on a single exceptional leader. After all, if that leader fell, the country would falter. A truly strong nation can thrive regardless of who leads it. That’s what dad spent decades building a foundation for. It was also why he established Meraldia University; he knew we needed many educated people to run things effectively. Good for you, Dad. You finally did it.
I stared at dad’s back as he walked off the stage, and he glanced over his shoulder at me.
“He’s smiling...” I murmured.
It was the kind of satisfied smile that said, “I’ve done everything I wanted to.” I’d never seen him smile like that before. Mom was also smiling brighter than ever.
Dad then walked over to me, took my hand, and bowed quietly. It was the ceremonial passing of the vice-commander position from one person to another. At least I think that’s what this is. Dad finally recognized me as a fully fledged adult. I was so that happy tears started pouring down my cheeks, and I bowed back to dad as he left.
“Well, even after retiring, it’s not like I’ll be completely free,” dad said to me in the Doneiks manor after the ceremony was over.
He wasn’t wrong. Even though he wasn’t the Demon Lord’s Vice-Commander anymore, he was still the legendary Black Werewolf King. Everyone loved and respected him, and now that he didn’t have official duties, they could more freely seek his help. There was already a line of people waiting to see him for advice on all sorts of matters. He’d had to weave his way past them to get to this room and take a break. But still, he’d be less busy than before.
“Dad, what are you gonna do now?”
As he played with Othilie, he said, “Once your mom recovers, I was thinking of surveying the forest with her. Not only is it a vital source of lumber, but it’s also crucial to our national defense strategy. We need to determine how far it stretches and map out the entire region. There’s also the investigation of the area south of Kuwol that we need to conduct, but since we’ll be busy looking after Othilie, I can’t go that far for a while.”
“You were planning on doing that yourself?” I asked. No wonder mom keeps trying to tie him down. He heads off whenever he feels like it.
Dad scratched his graying beard and smiled. “All of the famous heroes in my past life failed to raise competent successors, and that’s why their empires fell. I’m not a hero, but I at least managed to ensure there would be capable people to take over after I’m gone. So in that sense, I accomplished more than the heroes of the past.”
“By competent successor...do you mean me?”
Dad gave me a pensive look and said, “Who else? Othilie’s still in diapers. Of course, many of my other students are skilled at what they do, but you’re the only one who could be the Demon Lord’s Vice-Commander.”
“Ehehe, thank you.” Blushing, I bowed my head. I knew dad finally felt free since his greatest worry had been addressed. He no longer had to fear what would happen once he was gone. “I know I’m inexperienced, but I’ll do my best to help Ryuunie. So don’t worry and go enjoy the rest of your life, Dad.”
“You sure have become reliable. Thanks. But you know, there’s so much I want to do, I don’t even know where to start. I want to spend as much time with Othilie as I did with you, so I might be even busier these next fifteen years than I was before. Hahahaha.”
I straightened my back and said, “Really, thank you so much for everything, Dad. I know you don’t think you’re a hero, but you’re the greatest hero in the world to me.”
“Oh...” Dad smiled, blushing, and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Thank you, Friede. Can I leave the rest in your capable hands?”
“Of course!”
I needed to do my best so that Meraldia’s future continued to be bright and prosperous.
Thank you for everything, our beloved Black Werewolf King. You can finally rest now.
✦ ✦ ✦
