Leave a comment

“You’re here,” General Aubance declared as he watched Seletina push open the cathedral doors near the west gate. Inside, numerous armored soldiers with stern expressions awaited Seletina and Imitia.

All chairs had been removed, and a detailed map of Ulbdor, accompanied by wooden pieces, covered a large round table at the cathedral’s center. Despite the relocation of the headquarters from the guesthouse to this cathedral, the imminent threat of the Demon invasion cast a peculiar mood over everyone present.

Seletina bowed deeply to the people gathered inside before going to the round table and waiting for an invite to sit. Imitia, on the other hand, carelessly slumped into a chair without a care in the world.

“This is the Angel I was telling you about.” General Aubance said, gesturing for Seletina to sit down as he introduced her.

The burly-looking warriors gasped in surprise and appreciation and bowed slightly towards Seletina.

“I heard the rumors of the Angel, but I never imagined that he’d be a young boy.”
“Color me impressed.”
“To think that you can stand toe to toe with an Upper Rank at that age and with those slender arms…”
“We’ve been hearing rumors about you for some time now. It’s reassuring that we have a warrior such as you here with us.”

Despite their words, everyone looked at Seletina with respect. It seemed as if her descent at the south gate and her battle with the Upper Rank had earned her a good amount of acknowledgment.

Seletina was humbled by the soldiers’ words and politely thanked them.

“Thank you for the kind words. However, I am no more than a novice adventurer. It’s an honor to be invited here with you. You have my gratitude.”

Seletina’s angel-like voice, dignified yet easily penetrating the hearts of those who heard it, resonated within the cathedral. No one had expected to receive such a graceful greeting from a rugged adventurer. The empire’s soldiers were left completely stunned by Seletina’s dignified and reserved demeanor.

“I’ve never met an adventurer as gracious as you. I’m looking forward to fighting together.” remarked the man sitting directly across the round table where Seletina sat.

The old man, his head bald from the passage of years, smiled, deepening the already prominent wrinkles on his face.

“My name’s Gugugan. I was entrusted with the command of the Crusade in place of General Aubance, who’s been assigned to the Ark.” Gugugan spoke softly, explaining his position in an attempt to erase the doubtful look he noticed on Seletina’s face.

Hearing the man’s introduction, Seletina straightened her back. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Sir Gugugan. I’m Tieck, an adventurer. Thank you very much for having me in the Crusade.”

“You don’t need to be so stiff. We need every warrior we can get. It’s us who should be thankful for being able to fight alongside a warrior like you, Tieck. Isn’t that right, General?” Gugugan said, shifting his gaze over to General Aubance.

“Stop it, Gugugan. I’m one of those who’ll leave the city aboard the Ark. While it’s certainly reassuring to have Tieck here, I still have gripes about it. Even now, I’d love to get Tieck with me aboard the Ark and have him enlist as one of the Empire’s knights.”

“Fufufu… If a warrior of your status praises him this much, then perhaps we can expect a miracle in this Crusade.”

“Gugugan…” General Aubance muttered, looking at Gugugan’s bright smile. It was hard to believe that this was the smile of someone who was about to face his doom.

There would be no victory in this war dubbed as a Crusade. It was merely a means to buy time for the Ark to escape. Not a single soldier here could hope to survive, except for General Aubance, who would leave with the Ark.

Despite this, the soldiers led by Gugugan had brave expressions on their faces. They were way calmer than the volunteer army gathered outside. Or maybe they were simply this calm because they’d already accepted their fate.

“With this, my duty here is over. Gugugan, I leave the rest to you.”
“Sure thing. I’ve got it covered, General Aubance. Go and don’t look back.”
“Certainly…”

General Aubance stood up from the round table and turned to Seletina and Imitia.

“If you happen to survive, let’s meet again… Young hero.” General Aubance said and swiftly left the cathedral.

General Aubance found it impossible to envision Seletina’s death. Unbeknownst to him, this stemmed from a deeply ingrained belief that Seletina was actually the reincarnation of Orthus.

“……”

Seletina sent off General Aubance with a deep bow. She decided that if they got to meet again, she’d meet him as Seletina, not Tieck.

“Well then, now that the Angel is here, let’s get to business. We’ll go over all of our information and summarize the plan for this Crusade. Let’s discuss everything there is about this war, which will most likely be our last.” Gugugan announced with a cheerful smile, breaking the short silence.