The last military unit belonging to the 1st banner that had remained in the wasteland retreated.
The carts and wagons that had come loaded with supplies left carrying soldiers and patients.
They were scheduled to scatter to nearby villages and cities to proceed with full-scale treatment of the patients,
And the soldiers were scheduled to escort the patients and then move to separately designated garrisons to wait.
"Adjutant, no, Brother Dardin! Please return safely!"
"We'll be waiting at the garrison! Take care of yourself!"
"We hope the Supreme Commander will also return safely without injury!"
Meanwhile, the soldiers who had developed deep friendship and respect for Dardin and the 3rd Prince grabbed Dardin's hands and made a fuss, crying and wailing.
Dardin, who saw them off as they climbed onto the wagons and couldn't let go of his hands until the end, only erased the smile from his face when the wagons became small dots.
Those people were small seeds.
No matter how much Yurik and his group traveled around the country, the eyewitness accounts they could spread were limited.
So it was good to have people who would talk a lot on their behalf.
After driving out the demons from the wasteland, the conscripts would become good kingdom citizens again,
Returning to their villages to spread word about 'the 3rd Prince who was a model of a sage king.'
Dardin returned to Yurik's tent and approached the desk that had been pushed to one side.
On it were messy documents tangled together. Most were useless documents scheduled for disposal.
Dardin slightly lifted the map underneath and pulled out a hidden paper.
As soon as he folded it well and combined it into one,
The sound of vigorous hoofbeats began to be faintly heard from somewhere in the now-quiet command post.
He had arrived right on time.
As soon as he stepped outside, what he saw was a large horse even more imposing than a war horse.
On the horse that had settled in the command post camp with its mane flowing like the night was a temporary master.
"Your Highness."
"Not Your Highness, Supreme Commander."
"I belong to Your Highness, not the military. How was the wasteland? You stayed there for over a week, so you must have gotten used to it."
"Not particularly."
Yurik looked at Eva tucked under his side.
She was completely asleep and drooping.
And behind Yurik, Valter and Cellinne were piled up neatly.
They too showed no movement whatsoever.
Well, it was obvious they had been running around without sleep for the week since they left the command post.
Dardin supported Eva as Yurik helped her down and asked.
"What about the bugs?"
"They'll be quiet since we drove away anything that could serve as food."
"When do you think 'that thing' will awaken?"
"Tonight. Or tomorrow."
Dardin looked at the three completely unconscious people. These people, if left alone, wouldn't wake up until the day after tomorrow.
"I'll take care of the three. Your Highness should also rest even a little. Aren't you tired?"
"A little."
Saying this, Yurik jumped down from the horse.
Except for his eyes being slightly reddish, he looked completely untired.
Yurik, who was entering his tent, paused briefly and turned his head.
"Any news from the royal castle?"
It was probably words thinking of Yesung he had left behind.
Dardin shook his head.
"I already asked those delivering supplies, but there seems to be nothing special. Of course, they might be pretending."
"Then that's fine."
"Are you resting now?"
"I'll close my eyes briefly. And."
Yurik pointed to the three people sprawled out.
"Feed them well."
Leaving those words, Yurik completely disappeared.
Watching the cloth covering the tent entrance flutter, Dardin thought.
No, His Highness was now worrying about others too. Just how much had he worked them in the wasteland?
Dardin took care of the three people devotedly anyway. It wasn't just because of Yurik's orders.
Seeing the state of the three people actually made him feel guilty for staying comfortably at the command post,
And he pitied people who had to roll around unable to say whether they liked or disliked His Highness's orders.
He rolled those who had been sleeping on the dusty floor and put them in the nearest tent,
Roughly wiped off slime and blood,
And made some soup for the three to eat when they woke up.
But even until the soup he made cooled, the three people didn't wake up.
Wondering if they were dead, when he put his hand under their noses, he could feel their breath. Valter even snored.
Since he couldn't wake them carelessly, he kept delaying bit by bit until the moon hung low in the early evening sky.
Dardin, sitting beside the three, began to worry a little.
Ah, if he woke them now, they'd want to die from tiredness. Should he suggest postponing the great deed?
Just as Dardin, having finally made up his mind, was about to stand up,
There was a fluttering sound from the tent entrance and distinctive footsteps could be heard.
"Still lying down?"
"Ah, I was just about to wake them. But what are you holding?"
"Propaganda to spread in the capital when we return."
No, you worked on such a thing yourself? Didn't you say you were going to close your eyes briefly?
Dardin noticed Yurik, who had entered the tent, staring at the sleeping people and quickly opened his mouth.
"Your Highness, if it's not extremely urgent, how about we plan for tomorrow?"
"Do you think that makes sense? Who was it that insisted we must complete the task a day earlier?"
"First, it wasn't me. It would be Eva."
"The person making such claims is sleeping? Shouldn't she wake up even more so?"
"Your Highness, to be honest, I don't think the three people's stamina can hold out."
Yurik clicked his tongue.
"At this rate, they won't be usable even if a real war breaks out. They need to work harder."
"Isn't it that Your Highness, who says such things, should actually rest more too?"
"You should be able to endure about nine days if you can just close your eyes."
That's just you! My limit is two days too!
Dardin barely held back from shouting that.
He couldn't possibly argue with someone who looked at them with the gaze of 'why are you all so weak?'
When Dardin finally stepped aside, Yurik skipped over Eva and approached Cellinne.
Looking at her sleeping soundly while breathing softly, Yurik grabbed her head with both hands and lifted it up.
And then.
-Craaaack.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Aaaaah! Your Highness! Your Highness!"
Cellinne, who opened her eyes wide while screaming the highest pitch she had ever made,
And Dardin, who caught the 'crack' sound from her head, screamed.
As soon as Cellinne opened her eyes, Yurik unceremoniously threw her aside.
Behind Cellinne, who was rolling around shedding tears, Yurik was lifting bear-like Valter in the same way.
And,
"Uooooooooooooooooh!"
A thunderous roar that could shake the tent was heard.
Yurik grabbed the necks of the two people rolling on the ground in pain and made them sit properly.
Then he roughly ladled the already cold soup and handed it to the two while saying briefly.
"Know that you'll die if you spill it. You'll also die if you don't finish it all."
He even watched the two people drink the soup reluctantly while crying.
Dardin watched the entire process speechlessly.
"Your Highness."
"State your business."
"Could you... either cherish them if you're going to cherish them, or abuse them completely if you're going to torment them? I'm a bit confused watching from the side."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
When those who couldn't even remove their sleep from their eyes finished emptying their soup bowls while sniffling, Yurik coldly refilled their bowls.
After forcing Valter and Cellinne to eat three bowls of soup each, Yurik stood before them and explained in a monotone.
"Everyone will have time to wash and attend to personal maintenance. After hearing explanations about the demons in the wasteland's depths from Dardin, assemble in front. We'll settle this by tonight. Any questions?"
"Your Highness. I'm so sleepy. I feel like I'm going to die."
"You'll wake up when you meet the demons. Next."
"Don't you think this is elder abuse?"
"I'm more... Never mind. Next."
"I'm not combat personnel, but I'm curious. Your Highness, don't you have any compassion?"
"I left it with Yesung. If there are no more questions, you may go."
Yurik who came like the wind and disappeared like the wind.
And the people who could only watch him made wailing sounds in unison as soon as he left.
"I'm sleepy and tired... Please let me sleep just a little more... Waaah."
"I don't know why such things happen in my old age. Did I get cursed with bad luck... Oh my, my joints! Oh my! My knees!"
Though he looked pitifully at the two people who were going crazy with misery, even Dardin couldn't do much.
Except thoroughly teach the two about the other demons in the wasteland.
* * *
Dardin planned to remain at the command post with Eva to watch over her.
Since the two were not combat personnel, the only people going to the wasteland were Valter, Cellinne, and Yurik.
Valter and Cellinne still looked like they were dying from fatigue,
But having slept a bit and washed, at least their outward appearance looked reasonably decent.
When they left the tent, Yurik was already waiting in front.
The same armament and clean clothing as when he first came to the command post. And his unchanged magnificent beauty.
It was unbelievable that he had been in the wasteland with Cellinne and Valter.
At this point, it seemed better to believe Yurik was something other than human.
If they were called the same person, wouldn't that be... too rude to people?
Whether they had such impious thoughts or not, Yurik spoke dryly.
"From now on, we'll break through the wasteland's outskirts and enter the depths. There were only bugs at the boundary, but the deeper we go, the higher the probability of encountering new demons. Our goal is to reach the impact crater where the ominous star fell and eliminate what sleeps within."
New demons.
The black bugs they had encountered so far, commonly called 'darkness bugs,' were those targeting the garrisons at the wasteland boundary.
But now that all the soldiers had retreated, the factor that concentrated the bugs at the boundary had essentially disappeared.
According to Dardin's explanation, the deeper they went toward the depths, the higher the possibility of encountering more bizarre scenery,
And the closer they got to 'that thing' sleeping in the ominous star's impact crater, the more they would encounter demons of a different dimension from the darkness bugs.
"You all heard sufficient explanations from Dardin, but even though Yesung selected non-threatening ones, we still can't completely deny the existence of some variant individuals, so be careful."
"Your Highness, may I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
"Are we all riding the black horse?"
Ordinary horses were reluctant to approach the wasteland.
After going to a certain range, they would just stop on the road,
So Cellinne and Eva had been walking or using the horse Yurik lent them.
She wasn't doubting the black horse's power. She was just simply curious whether they would walk to the wasteland or could ride horses.
Yurik shook his head.
"No. We'll procure transportation from the wasteland."
"What?"
"Huh?"
Procure transportation from the wasteland?
The current wasteland was a place where demons were rampaging, and no matter how much they thought about it, there was no way they could obtain proper horses there.
Cellinne and Valter looked at each other, but that didn't make answers appear.
But His Highness wouldn't lie or joke with them...
The growing doubts of the two people,
Were cleanly resolved after they crossed into the wasteland's depths and saw Yurik subdue a 'Dimensional Vagrant.'
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter