The morning of my wedding anniversary, I did battle with mana-beasts, but as nobly as I acquitted myself, all the while I fought the urge to abandon my post and return to the capital.
I slashed through goblin after goblin, my blade cutting a path of destruction as I advanced towards their den. Once I had drawn close enough, I incinerated the forest cave that was their home in a gout of flame. Black smoke billowed. Screaming goblins, their bodies engulfed in a magical inferno, fled their refuge. They collapsed on the dirt, rolled frantically, tried everything they could to douse the flames, but they found no relief. This was a fire not easily extinguished—it would burn until I willed it to stop, or until the goblins found a body of water deep enough to submerge themselves.
“Knights, stand back,” I bellowed, warning my men of what was to come. “I’m going to end this!” I cast the remaining goblins a scornful look. Loathsome creatures, how dare you keep me from my Lina! In the next moment, I conjured another torrent of crimson flame. It erupted from my hands and engulfed everything before me. The wall of fire swept forward, consuming all in its path, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.
“Commander!” Collett’s voice cut through the roar of the flames. “What you’re doing is risky! Far too risky! What if you burn down the whole forest?!”
I glanced back at him, noting the deep furrow of concern in his brow. His pale face reflected the gravity of the situation—This isn’t something a letter of apology can rectify! his expression seemed to say.
“Good,” I replied without hesitation. “If the forest burns, the goblins will have no place to hide.”
Who would miss a goblin-infested forest anyway? I wondered, and without a second thought, I poured even more magic into my palms, fueling the flames. But then, abruptly, my magic fizzled out. It was almost as if somebody had countered it. The exasperated sigh of the somebody in question soon reached my ear.
“What in the emperor’s name do you think you’re doing, Your Highness?” a familiar voice called out from somewhere above me.
I looked up, searching the skies, and there he was—Teo, floating on one of his wind currents, his expression decidedly unamused. With a shake of his head, he landed gracefully beside me. As he surveyed the blackened landscape before him, another sigh escaped his lips.
“How will you explain your way out of this one, I wonder?” he mused, his tone dripping with disapproval.
“I could have turned the entire forest into charcoal if I’d desired to do so,” I pointed out, seeking acknowledgment that I had at least held back a little. With a forceful swing of my greatsword, I cut through the thick black smoke that obscured our vision, revealing what had become of the goblins—their charred, motionless husks strewn across the ground.
But goblins were wily creatures. I wouldn’t have put it past them to play dead. Better to be safe than sorry. “We don’t have time to confirm every single one of these kills. Another gout of flame should do it,” I said.
“No, it will most certainly not,” Teo snapped. “Just how much natural splendor must you destroy before you’re satisfied?”
Normally, I would’ve relented, but not today. “Lina is more important to me than some trees. My anniversary is on the line. Now, are you going to help me, or will you continue to stand against me?”
My hand brushed against the small box hidden beneath my breastplate. I even had a present prepared for today—nothing was going to come between me and Lina.
Teo studied my stubborn determination for a moment longer, then sighed and pulled a folded piece of parchment from his pocket. “I had planned, in light of the occasion, to teleport you directly back to the capital—but that is only if you focus on the task at hand, Your Highness.” He adjusted his glasses, waving what did indeed appear to be coordinate calculations in front of my face. The intricate scrawl of numbers and equations gave me pause, and I felt myself starting to calm down. I had assumed we’d be returning to the capital by conventional means, which meant that even if we left at this very second, it would be evening before I saw even a glimpse of the imperial castle. But if Teo was willing to teleport me, travel time would no longer prove an issue. These pesky goblins, however...
“All right,” I said after taking a moment to collect myself. “I’ll focus on sparing the damn trees, so long as you focus on weaving that magic circle—”
“It’s already done,” Teo interrupted smoothly. “Securely tucked away in my storage pocket, untouched and unassailable. So let us end this properly—and together—Your Highness.”
Emphasizing that we were supposed to be working as a team, Teo conjured a windblade with a swift motion. He then addressed the men with authority. “As always, we’ll be taking the heads of these goblins as irrefutable assurance of their deaths. If that means severing them one at a time from the corpses, so be it. Goblins are too damn good at feigning death for us to risk leaving them behind. No mistakes—execute your task with the precision befitting the Pyreborn.”
At once, the knights rushed out, confirming each kill. Perhaps sensing my urgency to return, they moved with even greater swiftness than usual. I felt my expression soften at the sight. “They’re good men,” I murmured.
“If you truly believe that,” Teo replied, his tone firm, “then perhaps you’ll rely on them and think twice before attempting such shortsighted and wholesale destruction ever again. Need I remind you that you are a commander, Your Highness? I do not understand what compels you to periodically forget such a self-evident fact.”
Teo was right. Every man here shared a single cause—my cause. To push them aside, to attempt to do everything myself, as if I thought I could do it better... This was not only foolishness but also a disservice to the competence and loyalty of my men.
I gave him a nod. “Yes, you’re right. And I’m sorry about that. It won’t happen again,” I promised, lifting my greatsword once more. Together, Teo and I moved towards the grisly pile of blackened bodies, dispatching any remaining goblins—me with my greatsword and he with his conjured blade.
A short while later, thanks to the combined efforts of my soldiers, Teo, and myself, the task was complete, and more quickly than I had anticipated.
“I will finish up here so that you can leave,” Teo said.
“What? Are you sure?” I asked, taken aback by his offer.
“This particular occasion only comes around once per year. I can make an exception to the prescribed procedures,” he replied. With a casual shrug, he summoned his storage pocket and pulled out the prepared magic circle. He placed it on the ground and reached for my hand. The sensation of the rising energy was immediate, the circle resonating with his power, growing brighter with each passing second. We both shut our eyes as the light intensified.
“Teleporting now!” Teo announced, and then everything went silent. A heartbeat later, we found ourselves within a chamber in the Emerald Palace.
I stood there for a moment, taking in the familiar furnishings. Teo abruptly released my hand. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. Our men are waiting for me,” he said.
“Right,” I replied, snapping out of my reverie. “Good luck, Teo.”
“I don’t need luck,” he said matter-of-factly, summoning his storage pocket once more and retrieving another piece of inscribed parchment—clearly another pre-prepared magic circle for his return to the field. Catching my gaze, he added, “Please, I’ll be fine. Go see Her Highness. I’m sure she’s been missing you terribly.” He glanced towards the stairwell leading up to the second floor as if to say Go.
My eyes widened, touched again by the thoughtfulness of my old friend. “Thanks Teo, I owe you one.”
“You can repay me by spending some lovely quality time with Her Highness,” he replied with a softer expression of a kind that I rarely saw on his face, then dipped his head respectfully.
Without wasting another second, I rushed for the staircase. As I reached the bottom step, he called after me, “Do give my salutations to the princess for me.” I turned back, gave him a nod of acknowledgment, and then I was off again. There was no time for changing or freshening up—I dashed straight to Lina’s room, my heart pounding with anticipation.
Finally, I stood in front of the imposing emerald-inlaid doors. This is it. I’m finally here!
Joy swelled, and with it came the vivid image of my darling wife’s face. The loneliness I had felt during our time apart surged, and for a brief moment, a slightly ridiculous urge to kick the door down rose within me. But I managed to restrain myself. What kind of reunion would it be if I tarnished it with violence? I reminded myself, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves.
With my excitement bubbling just beneath the surface, I knocked firmly three times.