Gravis met Auriano’s gaze, then looked around at the men and said in a calm voice, “For the sake of peace in this country and on this continent, the Zwelf royal family must be destroyed.”
Lucas and Auriano agreed.
The officers groaned. Many of them were familiar with the tragedy at Zweilink eighteen years ago. This time, they were able to retake the fort without ever being assaulted by flames. But their feelings regarding the operation had not taken shape just yet.
“If we choose wrong, the same thing will happen all over again,” Gravis said. “Who can guarantee that a third tragedy will not take place at Zweilink? We are the only ones who can prevent similar things from happening in the future. Think about it.”
The officers made up their minds.
Gravis, Lucas, and the Cassieux family had already settled on which path they should take.
Not to mention, they all lived to fight. It didn’t take much to ignite the flames of their fighting spirits.
The men saluted Gravis.
“We will do as you wish, Your Excellency.”
“Good. We will dismantle Zwelf so thoroughly that they will never dare to turn their fangs against us again. Until we force them to withdraw from the forest, we will engage in all-out warfare. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
Gravis looked at the lieutenant general with somber eyes.
“Lucas, make sure that Gdaniraque is thoroughly disciplined so that they will never again think of interfering in our affairs with Zwelf.”
Lucas responded with a ferocious smile. “Disciplining those barbaric mercenaries, huh…? Very well. Leave it to me.”
“Now, we have one month. Within a month, we will tie up all loose ends on the front in the forest. If we can beat them here, the next major battleground will be the mountains in the northwest.”
The men responded with something of a war cry.
“Dirk,” Gravis called.
“Sir?”
“You should go back to the royal capital for now. When my Power returns, I will take you there. You’ll work with Ginter once you’re back. I will come for you again in two days.”
Dirk did not object, but couldn’t help tilting his head at his superior’s order. Why should he leave his side now of all times?
“I entrust you with the evidence that Leorino risked his life to bring us.”
Dirk looked up with a start.
“Hand him over to Ginter. But until then…I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Leorino remained unconscious even ten days after he had been brought to Brungwurt.
Just when his body temperature had returned to normal, he developed an intense fever from his wounds.
The fever lasted for several days. Leorino’s small face became gaunter by the day.
His life was poised on the edge of a cliff.
Sasha and Willy worked day and night tending to him. No one knew when Leorino might tumble into eternal sleep.
Maia was also gaunt and worn out, but every day she used her Power for as long as she could, rested, and returned to Leorino once more.
It was on the tenth day after Leorino was brought to Brungwurt that his fever began to break.
But Leorino still did not awaken.
On the twelfth day, Maia’s body finally gave out. She could no longer get up and needed several days of bed rest.
From this point on, her son would have to heal on his own. Leorino’s battle had begun.
When Josef returned from Zweilink, he went back to his original role as Leorino’s guard.
Josef burst into tears when he saw the sleeping, emaciated face of his master.
“Master Leorino, we have recaptured Zweilink. It didn’t burn, and…we protected the border. It was all thanks to the general and lieutenant general.”
He reported to Leorino at his bedside, tears spilling down his cheeks. But Leorino did not react at all.
“Right now, they went further, they’re fighting in the forest… Lord Auriano is with them. They’re all protecting the kingdom. So wake up already…Master Leorino.”
Josef did not leave Leorino’s side, as if fearing he might be deprived of his master again.
Many times during those long days he would look at Leorino’s sleeping face and talk to him, relieved that his breathing was steady, praying for his recovery.
Just like after the incident six years earlier, it was a dark and stifling time.
On the fifteenth day, Hundert, Leorino’s full-time attendant, returned to Brungwurt by carriage from the royal capital.
“Mr. Hundert!”
Josef welcomed Hundert, feeling as if he had gained a heartening ally.
Despite looking tired from the long journey, the attendant rushed to Leorino’s bedside in his travel attire. With tears welling in eyes faded from old age, Hundert gently placed his hand on Leorino’s dirty hair.
“…Master Leorino,” Hundert addressed him as usual. “Hundert is here. I hope you have been well taken care of in my absence.”
Josef stood next to Hundert, watching Leorino, desperately praying for him to wake up.
“…We are all waiting for you to wake up, my lord.”
“Mr. Hundert…”
Hundert lifted Leorino’s hand.
Seeing his bandaged fingertips, his wrinkled face crumpled further.
“Please wake up, my lord, and let Hundert see your lovely smile again. Please…please.”
Hundert’s thin body trembled. Josef was also crying.
Eventually, the faithful attendant composed himself and said he would take care of Leorino to ease the burden of his recovery.
He donned his servant’s uniform and began to tirelessly tend to Leorino.
Trusting that his master would wake up, Hundert carefully washed Leorino’s sleeping body, looking out for his broken ribs, and exercised his limbs in the manner Hundert had learned six years prior to keep them from wasting away. He continued to take care of Leorino, never leaving him for a moment, so that he would be as comfortable as possible when he finally woke up.
Josef also helped. They talked to Leorino as he slept, waiting for their master to wake.
Leorino had a long dream.
It was not the dream of the flames. In the dream, the plains of Zweilink were not on fire. On the contrary, they did not appear to have been invaded by the enemy at all.
He was standing on the walls of the outer fortress. On the Zwelf side of the border, a forest extended as far as the eye could see.
For some reason, he kept watching this forest in this dream. He found himself watching it all day and all night.
He felt bored sometimes, but somehow he still felt that there was something beyond the deep, dark wood. He always found himself looking at the vast forest from the top of the fortress walls.
He felt like he had to watch over it. He was waiting for someone.
But the dream was different from how it had been before. He realized that he was dreaming. The texture of the stone walls of the fortress felt strangely real.
Leorino looked at his hand.
It was different from his usual dream, a helpless hand for a man.
Huh? This is my hand.
Leorino found himself thinking the obvious.
Once again, he looked down at the forest. The forest leading into Zwelf would be even colder than Zweilink. Were they freezing? Was anyone injured?
He didn’t know why he thought that. He only kept watching the entrance to the forest from the top of the fortress.
He was waiting, hoping and praying for someone to come back soon. And for some reason, he felt that today was the day they would really return.
As proof, he could see figures among the trees. One by one, they stepped out of the forest.
Ah, see? I knew it.
Leorino smiled. He had been right to wait here. He was so excited that he tried to wave to them, but that was when he realized he was holding someone’s hand.
A large hand. Before he knew it, someone was standing next to him.