Ch 32

It was mid-April of the year 1532.

A white-haired man stepped into the frontline base of Warrant at the Demon’s Territory. Drachen Draconium, a giant old man with an eyepatch on one of his ‘eyes’, welcomed him.

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"Hahahaha! Look who it is! If it isn’t our beloved warrior?" Drachen said as he embraced the gray-haired man with his 'two arms' open.

"Ugh! Let me go. Argh! Don't tighten more! You ignorant old fool!"

"Oh, my! Oh, my! Our little boy! Are you mad?”

The white-haired man, Arpen Fendria struggled as the hug tightened around his whole body.

Crack!

Then, a cracking sound rang out from Arpen’s left arm, like something had broken. Drachen put down Arpen and apologized.

"Ah! Khmm! Sorry about that. It was just because I'm glad to see you after such a long time. Everyone gets together occasionally, but you haven't shown your face since the Demon King subjugation. I know you're now in a pretty high position in the Butterfly tribe, but you should still take time to meet your friends and relax...”

"If you're going to apologize, why don't you just apologize? Stop nagging."

Arpen cut off Drachen and rolled up his left sleeve up to his shoulder, revealing an alchemic artificial arm.

"Hmm, fortunately, there's only a slight crack on the exterior. If it’s just this, I won’t have to say anything regretful to that rude cursing woman."

His arm had been cut off in the battle with the Demon King, and it had turned to powder before it could be reattached. After that, he used an alchemic artificial arm made by Mirpa Ainsmall. Although he was a member of the Butterfly tribe, who were proud of being superior to all others in magic, no one could match Mirpa in magic tool skills. She had the ability to create an artificial arm that was close to the real thing. It was so sophisticated that even an artificial mana circuit was built in, so there were no inconveniences in using magic. No matter what anyone said, Mirpa was a powerful figure who was recognized as a great madosa.

"I'm amazed every time I see this artificial arm. How did she make this with the dexterity of the Crows?" said Drachen curiously.

Wayne, the Witch of Pride, who was welcoming guests from afar, approached them and answered Drachen's question. "It was not made directly by hand, but set to be made according to how the subject’s soul remembered their arm. Long time no see, Arpen boy."

Arpen frowned at Wayne's greeting. "I'm over fifty now, and you and I are less than ten years apart. How long are you going to keep calling me boy?"

Drachen and Wayne were the only ones who treated him like a boy, despite him being the "warrior" who defeated the Demon King.

"Ohohoho! You still have a long way to go, Warrior-nim! A man is still a child until he starts a family." said Wayne.

Drachen chuckled. "Wayne is right about that. A man is supposed to become an adult by starting a family and protecting it, but you always seem to have a thorn in your side...”

Arpen frowned. Drachen's nagging was starting to go on for too long.

"Why did that propaganda book describe this old man as ‘silent and wise’’?" Arpen complained.

"Because it wouldn’t be cool to call him a chatterbox with his large physique." Wayne answered straightforwardly.

"What?! Are you saying I'm not cool?! Isn't that a bit harsh to say when I’m right in front of you?!" Drachen asked Arpen, dramatically pretending to be sad.

Arpen and Wayne ignored him.

"By the way, thanks for attending the wedding, Loner Boy."

"Don't call me Loner Boy just because I don't participate in gatherings often! How could I not come when you've been sending invitations once a week since ten months ago?”

After being bombarded with invitations, the Butterfly tribe elders had given Arpen strange looks whenever they saw him. Even if he didn’t want to come, he had no choice.

"If I didn’t do that, you wouldn’t come.” Wayne pointed out.

Arpen shut up, because what she said was true. Wayne smiled as if to say ‘I knew it’.

Arpen replied tearfully, "I was going to come to the gathering anyway!"

"Really? Then everyone will be happy. The meeting will happen in two months. I hope you’ll be there, since you said you will be.”

Arpen thought he might have been momentarily tricked by Wayne. But soon he sighed quietly and said, "By the way, this Warrant City was also a small colony base, but it’s grown a lot."

"That's right. I heard that we're going to make this place a bastion city, and we're going to build an additional frontline base as a foothold to restore the Demon’s Territory."

Arpen nodded, he thought it was a good decision. Since the Alps and Olympus Forest served as breakwater, it was good to use Warrant as a base to protect from the Demon’s Territory.

"Since I'm here, I'll say my greetings first."

Arpen headed for the memorial monument in the center of Warrant. Standing in front of the monument, Arpen looked at the name engraved at the top. It honored the heroes who had saved the world then fell asleep. The strongest chief, Galak Blade, Mercenary King Marco Farhan, Great Warrior Jeffrey German Tri, and Benevolent Saint Oryana. It had already been nearly thirty years, but Arpen still remembered being with them. Perhaps the reason why he didn’t participate often in the gatherings was because he missed the sense of comradery he once felt, those who had allowed him to laugh during his painful days until his stomach hurt.

"Forgive me for not being able to visit your graves separately, you are all so far away. Especially Olympus Forest, that place is a very annoying place for me as a magician."

Arpen took out a white chrysanthemum from his pocket space and placed it on the memorial altar. After a moment of silence, a young man in a suit approached Arpen's side.

"Long time no see, sir."

The voice of the young man with dark hair and thick lines was familiar to Arpen.

"Galak…?"

Arpen's murmur made the young man grin.

"That would be my father."

"Oh! It's Zendia! Oh my, I didn't know a child who used to be only as tall as my knee would grow up like this."

At the sight of the grown-up Zendia, Arpen reflected on himself, thinking he had been too dull. After Galak died in the final battle with the Demon King, Wayne had kept his essence in her bracelet, which was used to give birth to Zendia. Zendia was born three years after the last battle, so it could be said that he was a posthumous child.

"You haven’t changed at all, sir." said Zendia.

"Ahahaha, thanks. Congratulations on your wedding, by the way. According to your mother, you're an adult now."

Zendia blushed. "No, I am still very lacking."

"What do you mean lacking! Your mother always brags about you in her letters. If even half of what she says is true, you aren’t lacking at all. Your mother is a braggart, and looks down on people, but she's not a bluffer. So be confident.”

Zendia smiled awkwardly because he couldn’t tell whether he was being praised, or if his mother was being cursed. Suddenly, a beautiful woman in a white dress approached and clicked her tongue.

"Tsk tsk, of course an antisocial person like you, who’s attached to your magic workshop, would praise someone like that. Rude bastard."

Arpen was dumbfounded for a moment, but quickly retorted back, "Who's rude, you thief marrying someone that could be your son’s age."

Mirpa raised his middle finger. "Damn old man, what is the old bachelor over fifty who smells sour saying? If you're jealous of me having a young husband, say you're jealous."

"D-dear..." stammered Zendia, flustered by Mirpa’s sharp retort that did not suit her beautiful appearance.

Arpen smiled cheerfully at the sight. "Hahahaha! You're going to have a hard time in the future!"

"Shut your trap, if you don't want our wedding day to be your funeral."

"Puhut! Try it if you want… is what I want to say, but I give up. I'm afraid of what kind of retaliation I might face if the spinster has to throw ashes on the day of her wedding."

Mirpa clenched her fists. "You’re very talkative for someone who’s surrendering."

"Not only do I have a lot to say, but the congratulatory money list is also long. Take it."

Arpen took out a paper scroll from his pocket space and handed it to Zendia, who looked over the gift items.

"A-are you giving away all of these?"

The gift items written on the scroll were various gold and silver treasures, as well as all kinds of rare magic tools made by the Butterfly tribe.

"Yes. In fact, it’s more a gift between tribes rather than congratulatory money. No matter how bad the forest environment is, with the barrier in your village, most of it should be able to operate without difficulty. With your mother and... your new spouse Mirpa Ainsmall reinforcing it, the stability will be certain."

Wayne and Mirpa’s pocket spaces would be large enough to transport all the gifts.

"Relay my greetings to the chief, Caron Blade. Also, this is also a personal gift from me."

Arpen took a sword out of his pocket space.

Zendia swallowed dryly at the energy he felt from the sword. "This is…!"

"They say it’s one of the four god swords, the Spirit Sword. It was excavated from Golgoda Hill, the site of the old holy land." explained Arpen.

The spirit sword had been buried for hundreds of years, but had a dark blue sharpness as if it had just been refined.

"Is it okay for me to receive such a precious thing?" asked Zendia.

He spoke with humility, but he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Of course it's fine. Since I've already finished my research, it's better that it goes to someone who can make good use of it, rather than a magician like me."

"Thank you!"

Arpen smiled contentedly. Then suddenly, he remembered something. “Come to think of it, why is the wedding being held here? Both of you are Crows, did you have to come all the way out here?"

Mirpa answered Arpen's question instead. "You stuffy old bachelor. That old man Fraham wouldn’t be able to make it. Still, he is the hidden top contributor to the Demon King subjugation, so we need to invite him."

Fraham had formerly been the captain of the emperor’s imperial guard, which represented the Empire in the Demon King subjugation. He had not been a combatant, but a good face to receive support from the empire and neighboring countries. No matter how trained you were, there was a limit to how well you could fight the Demon King as an ordinary person. Marco, who had fought against the Demon King with an ordinary body, was the odd one out. However, what Mirpa meant by ‘top contributor’ wasn’t just about his role as a supply officer.

"Right, he was injured due to Galak's mistake just before the final battle, but thanks to that, he accidentally found and eliminated the Demon King’s core. So if this happens, he should definitely be invited first."

The Imperial Knight Fraham should have been called the warrior, but it was Arpen who was known as the warrior who killed the Demon King. That was the result of Wayne's propaganda strategy, to more easily receive support from each country.

"That old man will soon be seventy.”

"He’s lived a long life with that speck of mana he has. What a smug old man."

Arpen and Mirpa both found common ground cursing someone behind their back, while Zendia smiled awkwardly.

"Now, now, the ceremony will begin soon, so let's get going." Zendia suggested.

Arpen and Mirpa nodded, and they all headed to the wedding hall.

"Oh, that's right. If you two are going to raise your children as wizards, send them to study in my village. I could even give them special guidance."

Mirpa raised her middle finger at Arpen. "Don’t f**k around..."

As the three grew apart, the world began to get darker. Once the light returned, the world had already been destroyed.