Epilogue

During his life, my adoptive father often told me that war is and will always be a complex business. Troops, supplies, politics, none of them should be absent from every battle-plannings. But he also told me that once I found a winning pattern, everyone would become much simpler.

Like in this battle of defending Regalion, I was just really, really lucky to find out that the spiders are fond of sounds, or explosions. I tested that hypothesis during evacuating Mr. Blake, my second adoptive father, and the method really worked. I secretly told Master Spledorf about that and then he told Charles; of course, with omitting my credit.

Then, the cycle continued. Charles used that method to lure the spiders out in order to make safe corridors. It was kind of unfortunate for him that he suspected me for those failed explosions. Killing him really left a bad taste in my mouth but I have to endure it for Amalia’s safety too.

Then the cycle continued. Yes, it is a bit repetitive because we are just exploiting the same thing again and again. That’s the demon army for you; they are adapting to our tactics but their adaptation pace is still far behind us. Back to the topic. Voran exploited the opening written in Charles’s unit’s reports and we just simulated that to save Amalia’s garrison, along with Mr. Blake there.

And yes, we’ve completed our objectives with ease. Mr. Elnar and Big Sis really competed until the end and Kyle could finally collapse after running to six more locations to write his explosion formulas, hahahaa! Oh, someone is coming?! Anyway, I believe that Regalion could be liberated even without the presence of that bastard hero or that bitch priestess.

***

“Welcome back, Lieutenant. Well, since we are alone, I will just call you Amalia though.”

“Are you waiting for me that bad?”

Amalia came to Vaska’s location after she had done with her evacuation sortie. It was almost midnight and both of them were on the castle’s balcony. The crescent moon was smiling in the sky above them.

Amalia slowly opened her mask; revealing her beautiful blue eyes to Vaska. Her face was still the Amalia’s face that Vaska knew very well, not the burned or the swollen one. Nevertheless, she already colored her hair grayish-white to become her second identity, Lieutenant Ray.

“Kind of. I have put my Big Sis into the Hero’s Company. You just brought Mr. Blake, my second adoptive father, to the castle. Well, by elimination process—”

“I am the last one to make you worry, huh?”

“Right.”

Vaska and Amalia chuckled.

Vaska then asked Amalia,

“So, Amalia, what’s your plan from now since you accidentally joined the Hero’s Company too?”

“Wanna get married?”

“Later, after the war.”

“HUH?!”

“HUH?!”

Amalia was surprised by Vaska’s answer while Vaska was surprised that Amalia was surprised by his answer. Amalia fidgeted and casted her eyes down.

‘HAHAHAA! SO, YOU ARE EMBARRASSED WITH THAT?!’

“Bastard, I know what you are thinking about!” Amalia cursed at Vaska.

After she calmed herself down, Amalia continued her answer,

“But for now, I don’t think that I want to do something. I’ve already found a place to become ‘Amalia’ again so I will not be greedy.”

“Well, I cannot argue with that. But if you need anything, just tell me.”

“Kiss me. You know, the ending of war stories that we often read together in the past had always ended up with the protagonist or their lovers dying without any single kiss?”

“Hahahaa, I remember. You were always crying for that.”

“Bastard!”

They moved closer and briefly kissed each other on the lips.

‘Why? Why won’t Rita’s tears just stop?!’ Someone from the inside quietly sobbed at the scene.