Al and his vagabond army set up camp in the same plains where the battle with the Freiyan army had taken place only hours before. Everyone was deathly tired, but the shocking events at the castle had shaken them to the core. People were chatting and drinking to relax and eventually catch some elusive sleep.
How did it come to this?
Al was drinking in his tent while trying to reorganize his thoughts. He had access to four of the seven strongest individuals in the world. Not only that, but his army contained Eshantel’s elite warriors, which allowed him to rival the Empire’s and Freiya’s most elite and savage units. Furthermore, he now housed five hundred Freiyan troops. He was well on his way to creating a happy, lively country without any slaves, yet he found himself camping in a tent on some empty fields. Meanwhile, his country was occupied by the enemy and his sister Cecilia was taken as a prisoner.
“What am I doing with my life?” He buried his head into his arms, desperately trying to figure out his next move.
“Al. Can I come in?”
Sharon stepped inside the tent.
“What do you want? Go to sleep, I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
He was so preoccupied with himself that his genuine concern had come off rather rude. Deep down, he was prepared to face the impending hell Sharon would rain down on him.
“I was wondering if you were okay.”
Instead of cursing at him, Sharon was trying her best to stay kind and warm.
Is she here to console me?
It was a nice gesture on the surface, but it rubbed him the wrong way.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just—”
“I’m not going anywhere!” Sharon lashed out at him. She was fidgeting around a little before starting to talk again. “Al, I don’t want to pretend that I know what you’re going through. I’m dumb, terrible with words, and nothing like Cecilia, but I want you to depend on me more! I don’t know how to help you, but what I do know is that I can stay by your side! I can share your pain.”
She stared at Al with tears in her eyes. Unable to bear it any longer, Al averted his gaze with a deep sigh. He realized how stupid and self-contained he was. By the time he glanced back, Sharon was already crying.
“Hey, hey, what kind of offer is it to cry together, only to start bawling your eyes out moments later!? You’ll make me cry too!”
“But, like... you wouldn’t cry anyway because you’re the king! So I’m crying for you!”
It was a rather selfish reason, but Al walked up to the sobbing Sharon and hugged her tightly.
“Jeez, why you always have to make me worry about you!?”
As Al said that, he realized that his own cheeks were getting moist. His tears could have been from frustration, grief, or genuine concern. Even Al didn’t understand the feelings whirling inside him, but at the very least, he was sorry for getting Sharon’s crimson hair wet.
“Hehehe, but you’re crying too!”
She slowly looked up at Al and smiled, tears running down her face.
“Hey, come on now! It’s common courtesy not to mention that. Jeez, you really don’t like to act cute, even at times like this.” The last part of his sentence was filled with all the gratitude he had for Sharon. Hearing that, she quickly wiped her face and put on a powerful grin.
“Of course! Hearing you call me cute would be—hic—so creepy!”
“Isn’t that going a bit too far!? Is that what you say to a man who’s weeping!?”
“Why, I thought I was being considerate! If I were to...”
“Okay, shut up! You don’t have to shout right into my ear!”
“No, you shut up!”
His tears stopped, and they were back to their usual banter, but his arms were still wrapped around Sharon’s body. He wouldn’t let go for anything in the world.
Sharon also made herself comfortable in Al’s arms, and as such, their bickering continued in a small corner of the quiet tent.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Now then, what should we do?”
People were getting up the next morning, stretching out and cracking their necks in the tent. Yesterday’s shock had subsided, leaving Al with sour feelings over his first lost battle and the entrapment of his sister, but he didn’t have time to mope over it. He couldn’t let his four thousand soldiers or the five hundred Lost Children starve to death on his watch.
“We bought all the supplies we could get our hands on from the surrounding villages, but they won’t last longer than three days. Even if we attack, they’d win as long as they stay holed up in the castle.”
We also burnt all of Freiya’s supplies... Mulling over such matters didn’t help his situation, but in retrospect, that move felt like a mistake for him.
“Labona in its current state can’t house all of our troops, our relationship with Freiya is in turmoil, and the Empire... They’re out of the question.”
Someone raised their hand to help the desperate king.
“Then come to Subdera.” The blue-haired Diva’s suggestion reminded Al of his last remaining ally.
“Feena, I’m really thankful for your proposal, but are you sure?”
He remembered when Feena told him about her relationship with her father, the king of Subdera. Althos hadn’t completely fallen out of Subdera’s graces yet, but the relationship was definitely rocky, which made her proposal all the more respectable.
“Don’t worry! It’s a wife’s job to help her husband in times of need!”
Feena excitedly slammed her hands on the desk and looked straight into Al’s eyes. She didn’t look like someone who would give up on the idea.
“All right. We’ll ask for Subdera’s help!”
With Feena’s determination giving him the final push he needed, Al decided to visit her birthplace, Subdera, in search of help.
End.