After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 85
Chapter 85: Always Together
“I am Beatrice’s fiancé, so don’t worry, I’ll be with her.”
“That’s an engagement ordered by my mother, and I don’t want that. I want to marry Lutz myself. Lutz, will you fulfill my wish?”
Beatrice’s emerald eyes looked straight at me. Her fair cheeks, now beyond cherry blossom pink and tinged with crimson, must have mustered all the courage to say such words.
Uh-oh. Beatrice suddenly seemed so adorable. Her occasional bouts of affection were always powerful, but today’s seemed particularly potent.
Yeah, if a girl says something like this, you have to make a firm decision. And my feelings for Beatrice have been decided even before she proposed to me.
“Yeah. Let’s be together forever. Until one of us is called to the heavens.”
Beatrice’s already large eyes widened even further, and soon transparent tears overflowed from them endlessly. Then she rested her head softly on my chest… which gradually became warm and damp.
Suddenly, I noticed that soldiers and residents who had apparently been staring at us in astonishment were now all applauding and smiling towards us. Wait, there’s no way our proposal commotion could be heard by them, right?
“Oh, sorry Lutz. I was trying to give instructions to harvest the wheat and accidentally left the ‘Amplification’ wind magic on…”
Liese scratched her head sheepishly. Hey, wait, does that mean everything earlier was broadcasted to ten thousand people?
“I was quite jealous, but seeing Lady Beatrice like that made my heart skip a beat.”
“Yeah, everyone was moved, so it’s okay, right?”
There’s no way it’s okay! What kind of public embarrassment is this?!
—
Despite the unexpected extra drama, enough wheat was harvested for the war-torn areas to survive the winter. With the harvest done, it felt like a harvest festival. After enduring a long battle, it was necessary to reward the soldiers who even participated in agricultural work. With no need to conserve supplies anymore, we provided generous offerings of valuable wine and smoked meat from the supplies, and it turned into a lively celebration. Both the joy of the people who could now survive the winter without worry and the soldiers who could safely return home to their hometowns erupted as they mingled, drank, and enjoyed themselves. Many men and women disappeared into the darkness, but in such an open mood, such developments were to be expected.
Originally, Beatrice, who had made great contributions, should have been the star of the banquet. However, she was now completely exhausted and sleeping in her tent as if she had lost consciousness. Well, she did use an abnormal amount of magical power… Let’s just hope there are no lasting damages.
So, Gretel and I were sipping wine together in a corner. Well, we’re still minors, so we have to avoid drinking openly.
Watching Liese sister enthusiastically discussing magic in the center of the banquet with her subordinates, Gretel muttered softly.
“It’s finally over…”
“Yeah, finally.”
“Thanks to Lady Liese and Lady Beatrice.”
Her tone was different from usual, so I was a little surprised. Normally, she would definitely say something like, “My bravery decided the battle!” But this time, she didn’t.
“Gretel, you did great too. Your brave actions of single-handedly tearing through the Royal Army were impressive.”
She relaxed a little at my follow-up compliment. It seems she genuinely feels happy when praised.
“Thank you. I did my best, but Lady Liese’s water magic was what determined the outcome of the battle. Without her tearing the enemies apart with ice spears, I wouldn’t have been able to charge into a force of over ten thousand soldiers. The Imperial Army’s main force was annihilated by Lady Hilda’s flame magic, and Lady Beatrice’s power captured the remaining besieged soldiers. And Lady Beatrice also revived the devastated northern territories…”
“Gretel…”
“I guess in the end, I’m just a battle maniac. I don’t feel like I’m really contributing much, whether it’s driving away enemies that harm the people or healing the wounded land.”
Her lowered eyelashes cast a shadow on her pale cheeks. I see… Certainly, with the first half dominated by Sister Lise and the latter half by Mother and Beatrice’s actions, it’s understandable that Gretel, having witnessed all that, might feel lost in her direction as a mage. But there’s something I need to say.
“Gretel, it’s good that you’re struggling to aim higher. With your magical ability, with enough training, you might even be able to master large-scale area magic.”
Gretel loosens her lips at my words, but her smile lacks strength. Perhaps my encouragement isn’t what she’s seeking.
“But there’s one thing I want you to remember. I love the Gretel who fights. Your determined expression, your dripping sweat, your aura shining platinum – I think they’re all beautiful, and I love them.”