<h4>Chapter 288: Confronting the Hero (Yuusha) (3/3)</h4>


    Going back in time a little.


    Before the Goblin King could finish his duel with Gund Rifenin, clouds of thunder suddenly appeared in the northern skies of the Kingdom of the ck Sun’s(Alrodena Kingdom’s)The City Where the King Sits(Revea Su), and the elves all grew wary and red at the sky.


    “What a disquieting wind.”


    Barrui, one of the renowned warriors of the Fire Elves(Smander), looked up at the sky and frowned. Even though there was almost no wind, the thunderclouds overhead continued to extend from the northern sky.


    The Goblin King should be fighting onest battle in the far ends of the east to im supremacy over the continent, and yet, this sky…


    Normally, these thunderclouds would be apanied by lukewarm winds, but these winds were chilling, pratingly cold as though it were a rainy day, and the fire elves couldn’t help but be reminded of an old tale passed down since long ago.


    ──Amidst the thunderclouds slithers a great being. He who rules the hammers of thunder and scours the sky to contest the king of the skies.


    “Gawain… The Wingless Sky Snake, the Ruler of the Heavens.”


    When a thunderp stronger than the others resounded, another thunderp echoed.


    But the powerful rain that should have apanied it did note.


    Instead, a voice full of wrath spoke.


    “Where goes the king of the small ones!?”


    With voice loud enough to break the heavens, that question resounded throughout all of Revea Su.


    Any and all who heard that voice and the anger imbued in it, looked up at the heavens and screamed. Up there in the thunderclouds had appeared the giant face of a ryuu. That which looked down at them sharply from above was none other than that being spoken of in legends and myths.


    Some did not scream, but the size of the ryuu filled them with surprise, and theymented just how unreliable the weapon in their hands were. Despite that they red at the ryuu up high.


    “There will not be a second time. Where goes the king of the small ones!?”


    But no one knew whether it would be wise to answer the ryuu.


    “And what will you do upon learning of that, Ruler of the Heavens?”


    But among all those people looking up was just one human who could answer.


    “It’s Reshia-dono.”


    The people in the streets stirred, and they pointed up to that spire up high, upon which stood a maiden dressed in the clothes of a priest – it was the saint.


    “Adherent of the Goddess of Healing(Zenobia)?”


    As Gawain revealed his whole body, the people gathered below began to raise voices of awe and fear, but at the same time, they looked at Reshia with expectant gazes of worship and respect.


    “Let it be known, the time for the storm hase: for this great one to take the heavens and for your king to devour the earth!”


    “Our king has already began the war and is waging it in the east as we speak.”


    “…Oh? Commendable.”


    When Reshia said that, a huge grin surfaced on Gawain.


    “Then out of respect for his spirit, encouragement ought to be given. We are, after all, brethren; the few that serve our god.”


    “If it does not displease you, then take me along as well.”


    “Oh? …I see, that too ismendable spirit.”


    As if having seen through her heart, Gawain approached Reshia. So vast was Gawain’s body that it seemed he could wrap the entire imperial castle, that was under construction, with his body. When Gawain was close enough, Reshia made her resolve and got on.


    “Who would’ve thought the day woulde when an adherent of Zenobia would ride on my back? At the very least, I could’ve never imagined it during thest battle.”


    As the Ruler of the Heavens advanced through the thunderclouds, he muttered to himself and immediately headed for the eastern battlefield.


    ◇◆◆


    “Have Gi Ga-dono push up the front line… How are the preparations of Gi Be y-dono and Gi Ga Rax-dono?”


    After disrupting the duel of the king with the ck-haired hero, she started giving out one precisemand after another.


    “Your Majesty, hate me as much as you want, I will not mind, but any more than this is…”


    As Pale quietly apologized, she mobilized the entire army of Kingdom of the ck Sun(Alrodena Kingdom).


    “Have the special unit prepare to charge out.”


    If one were to look at the entire battlefield, one would see that Alrodena was pushing on all fronts. But that was only a given. After all, it was not the expensive equipment or the amazing war steeds but the organic coordination that allowed an army to show its worth.


    And Alrodena’s army, which has traveled all over the continent, were unified in their one goal of saving the king, Once the generals and the objectives were set, what came next was to tackle the issue of coordinating everything tactically.


    But even in that regard, Prime Minister Pale could bring together the whole army; so naturally, they would be at an advantagepared to the hero’s army that could only push straight ahead. However, Pale could not afford to let her guard down with the battlefield before her.


    Because standing at the head of the hero’s army were heavy footmen. There, in the front lines, stood young men. They still looked like proper soldierspared to the boys and girls in the middle, but the way they lined up their spears at exactly the same height as though they were meant to be like that without the slightest deviation was just too unnatural.


    “No cheers, no war cries, no messengers either. It’s so creepy…”


    But they had no choice but to do this.


    Besides, as far as creepiness went, nothing was creepier than the hero in charge of that army, or at least, that’s what Pale believed. And it was precisely because the enemy was like that that Pale couldn’t stand to leave the king exposed.


    Moreover, the king looked to be in a predicament.


    If they were to lose the king here, the only thing waiting for them would be annihtion in the hands of the humans. At the very least, with the key stone missing, Alrodena would fall apart, and Revea Su, which was constructed to be a symbol of solidarity of the various races, would be burned to the ground. The demihumans that have finally gotten back their home will be driven away, and the now peaceful western region will be plundered from once more.


    After all the lives she’d taken, that was not something she could allow to happen.


    “We can’t afford to lose you here, Your Majesty…”


    Pale shot her arrow into the sky, and all their forces attacked simultaneously.