The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 56

Chapter 56: A Brief Rest

I instinctively paid my respects to Shion’s remains. After a while, Zen and several soldiers from the Ozuma army approached.

Zen and the others kept their mouths tightly shut and knelt before me, with Hilko and Fudou also kneeling in submission.

“Black Storm Knight Berg, we have no objections to following you, who have defeated Lord Shion… But if permitted, we would like to request the return of Lord Shion’s remains.”

“To mourn him, I assume?”

“Yes, we wish to bury Lord Shion in his homeland, Ozuma.”

“Understood. However, I will keep the Thunder Fang Blaze Claw here.”

“Please wait.”

As I was about to return to the Gomon army with the Thunder Fang Blaze Claw, Zen spoke up.

“What is it?”

“…Was Lord Shion strong?”

I paused in surprise at the sudden question, recalling the intense heat in my chest as I spoke.

“He was strong. A man worthy of respect both as a general and as a warrior.”

“…I see.”

My words seemed to affect not only Zen but also Hilko and Fudou, as I could sense them trying to stifle their tears.

After leaving that place, I was met by Aria and the others. Holding up the Thunder Fang Blaze Claw in front of the Gomon army, I announced:

“Raise the victory cry! This battle is ours!”

Cheers erupted from the Gomon army. Raigou and Irma were especially jubilant, smiling widely for once.

—

After taking care of the post-battle matters and returning to Gomon with the 5,000 former Ozuma soldiers, I initially thought it was too risky to immediately merge the armies, so I decided to oversee it. However, Raigou and Irma insisted I rest for now.

“The neighboring countries will have to move as a result of this battle… But first, we must care for our troops.”

“Indeed… For that, we need the greatest contributors. It would be best to rest today for the sake of future preparations.”

With that, a feast was held in Gomon before sunset. Not only the soldiers but also the citizens were celebrating, their voices filled with joy.

I also attended the feast but left midway. I tried to drink a bit and then rest, but the heat in my body persisted, so I went out to catch the night breeze.

Looking up at the moon and drinking a local sake known as doburoku, I thought about what lay ahead. It had a unique taste but was quite good.

(The news of our victory over Shion will spread quickly.)

The fact that we defeated the strongest warrior of Hizuchi would surely shake Ozuma’s vast influence. By engaging with the neighboring countries that had remained silent until now, we could potentially gain their support and make an invasion of Ozuma possible.

(I need to reorganize the army as quickly as possible and head toward Ozuma… The issue is the enemy’s strength. If I could determine how many Yomi soldiers there are…)

Just thinking about it gave me a headache. My older brother and Serena were better at this sort of thing, but I couldn’t leave it all to them this time.

(First, I’ll negotiate with the neighboring countries with Amane… Then, coordinate with Zen and the others for basic training and alignment…)

“Who’s there?”

As I sighed, I sensed a presence and turned toward it.

“E-excuse me.”

The one who appeared, apologizing, was Hinowa.