Chapter 176: Those who Fight Together

"Hokuto and I don't belong to any unit . We will move around the battlefield ourselves and continue to disrupt the entire enemy . " (Sirius)

I picked up a suitable piece on the map and continued the explanation while moving the piece from end to end to the position where the enemy would be . To put it simply, it was a hit-and-run unit . The disruption done by Reus and Julia, who were leading the troops at the frontline base, would be done only by me and Hokuto, but many people were reluctant when hearing it .

"As long as Julia-sama and Strongest Sword-dono are devoted to attacking, I understand that such a role is necessary, but... isn't too dangerous?" (??)

"Hmm . You should at least bring troops . Even if you disrupt the enemy's movement, will a small number produce a big impact?" (??)

"That opinion is valid, but it is a way that is possible because of the small number, and we can create openings . " (Sirius)

No matter how overwhelming the number was, to imitate people was... in a word, there was a way if the formation was formed and it attacked . Nonetheless, there was no way that it would be possible to deal against a horde that would exceed 10000 enemies with only one person and Hokuto . Most people tried to stop me, but then, Cayenne interjected with a calm tone .

"We should let Sirius-dono to do whatever he wants . I don't think he has done anything meaningless to us so far . " (Cayenne)

"I agree . And no one can keep up with their movements if we send troops, right?" (Julia)

The people who could follow me were responsible for the main unit or other units . So even if I gathered suitable people, it would be a stumbling block . Cayenne and Julia explained the complicated contents from here on, so I wasn't asked about it any further . It might be because the words of the two people, who were the key players to the force, and the story of the Strongest Sword-jiisan that was spread while I was away .

—

After that, the meeting was dismissed . They told that the meeting would be called up again after doing an accurate calculation of the force . Then, we immediately returned to our room and reported the meeting information to everyone . Everyone was somewhat upset by the details because Hokuto and I moved independently, but thanks to the explanation I gave to a certain extent before returning from the frontline base, they were convinced without much objection . I told them that I was waiting for instructions over there, so I switched to a topic that I couldn't help but be concerned about earlier .

"So? How's the situation?" (Sirius)

"We're still not sure . We had a discussion before Sirius-san returned a while ago, but we couldn't come out with a decision, so we waited for you for a while . " (Reese)

Upon returning to the room, all the Dragonkins, including Zenodora, were now looking seriously at Karen and HIna who were sleeping in bed . Before returning to Sando, I told a little bit about Hina, and at that time, he didn't seem to believe much that she would be like that, but the Dragonkins might have noticed something when they looked at her closer . Well, it didn't seem that they would do any harm to her, so we were watching the situation quietly, but I would like to explain it soon .

"At first, they were smiling at Karen's sleeping face, but as soon as they saw Hina, the mood suddenly changed . " (??)

"Yeah . Especially Mejia-san's appearance that may seem strange . " (??)

While they were talking about such a thing, they might have arrived at that conclusion . Zenodora replied with a look that seemed to be somewhat complicated and explained it .

"I'm sorry, I can't really explain . I had to talk to everyone to get confirmation . " (Zenodora)

"It looks very serious . Did something happen?" (Sirius)

"As you might expect, that little girl called Hina seems to have the blood of a Dragonkin . I would like to say that it's impossible, but she is at least already in front of us . " (Zenodora)

They didn't even touch the little girl, but it seemed that when they got close to her, they could understand it in the sense of Dragonkin . Apparently, the Dragonkin had difficulties to have children, and the child who seemed to be a human and had the blood of the Dragonkin sounded like a miracle . Even Zenodora, who was normally calm, couldn't hide his shock . I was sorry when Zenodora tried to calm himself while exhaling deeply, but I wanted to get rid of my concerns as soon as possible, so I asked him a question .

"Please tell me one thing first . Is there any Dragonkin similar to Hina?" (Sirius)

"No... there's none . No matter how different they look, if our blood is flowing, they are like our companion . " (Zeonodora)

"That's good . I was thinking I should entrust her to you guys once this crisis ends . " (Sirius)

"Hmm . The power of Dragonkin doesn't come out indiscriminately, and that's probably the most correct decision . " (Zenodora)

I didn't know whether he agreed yet, but at least, he didn't object to the idea . While feeling relieved that this would give the girl a chance, the three Dragonkins came back to our side, but I noticed that only Mejia didn't move away from the bed . Even though the children slept deeply, they could wake them up if they were too close . When I tried to speak to him, Zenodora quietly shook his head to stop me .

"It's fine to let him stay there for a bit . Let's leave him alone . " (Zenodora)

"What happened to him? He looks very serious . " (Sirius)

"He felt a familiar sign from that girl . Even I felt that as well, so he probably thought of her as a close relative . " (Zenodora)

"!? Mejia's close relative... is that why?" (Sirius)

To begin with, why was there a child with dragonkin blood outside of their community? I thought it was like a hereditary matter such as unexpected coincidence or mutations related to the Dragonkin that went back many generations, but... looking at Mejia's expression, I could be convinced with that idea . A few years ago, Mejia's older brother, Goraon, died by my hands after a huge disturbance at Elysion's school . Due to complicated circumstances, I found out that Goraon was a Dragonkin, but he didn't only go out to the outside world, but also going on rampage across continents . In that case, there was a good chance that he would have a child somewhere . Well, it might be because of his brutal personality that I didn't think he wanted to leave a child . Based on his youthful indiscretion, I felt that she was born without him knowing it . Such a speculation came into mind, but there was no point in worrying about the origin of this girl anymore . Even so, I thought it was enough to see Mejia's appearance that looked complicated but kind toward his relative .

"It looks like he's going to take care of her . " (Sirius)

"Yes . Although he has an indescribable look, I don't think there's a better person for that besides him . " (Zenodora)

The remaining problem depends on her feelings, but I would think about it after she woke up . I couldn't say for sure that this matter was resolved while I was at the frontline base . Then, I asked something that had already been resolved .

"That reminds me . Fia . How is she?" (Sirius)

"Aah . I'll bring her right away . " (Fia)

She was the female Elf, who was used in Lambda's experiments . Her mind was broken, and she became a living doll . This girl was left to be thrown away when Lambda's treachery was discovered . However, she was an important reference . Unfortunately, she couldn't communicate at all, so she was put in a dungeon for safety when we headed to the frontline base . For the time being, the Sandor King promised me that he would take care of her, so while we were fighting, Fia tried various ways to reach her, but she didn't respond . But she seemed to have found only one thing . By using the power of Archerion, the bow made from the branches of the sacred tree that she received from Shishou, and me using [Call], we managed to inform each other .

[Anger... no, should I say regret? Anyhow, I felt something like regret for Lambda . ] (Fia)

Apparently, Fia felt something like that kind of residual thought, thinking that those people were her family . Of course, I consulted with Shishou through the knife between battles, but I was told that even if she could take in the body and create an Elf with the same appearance, she couldn't reproduce individual memories that the girl had accumulated . I knew that my [Scan] wouldn't help, and I was aware that Fia continued to worry about such a cruel reality for a few days . However, she made a decision, and I accepted it . So, I entrusted her to take care of everything . As for the result...

"This is her now . At the very most, I wanted to know her name . " (Fia)

A short branch extending from the bow brought by Fia . It was... and the appearance of an unknown Elf . Although I had heard it in advance, I felt complicated to actually see one life assimilated with the branch of the sacred tree . It couldn't be helped though . In order to stop the hesitation, Fia began to tell Emilia and others, who had a sad expression as if asking was this alright and if there was some other way .

"She said that she wouldn't want to expose such a defenseless figure forever, so she thought that she would fight with her thoughts . She added... it's a great honor for an Elf to be with the Sacred Tree . " (Fia)

She couldn't even say anything anymore, so this was just complacency and self-satisfaction . Still, Fia wanted to get rid of the only regret that the girl had, so the girl chose to stay in her weapon and fight together with Fia . With those thoughts on her back, Fia turned her eyes to me with determination .

"That's why I'll be in the next battle . Would it be alright if I only supported magic and bows from a distance?" (Fia)

"It can't be helped . I won't say no to you . However, don't overdo it, alright . " (Sirius)

According to the [Scan] I did earlier, Fia's physical condition, which was slightly disturbed in the early stages of pregnancy, had improved considerably . She seemed to be alright as long as she didn't act recklessly on the front line . I couldn't say that I wanted her to stop . At least, I should give her permission to support only from the rear .

"I can leave the support to you . Aah... what about Karen and Hina-chan?" (Sirius)

"Alright . I'll take care of them . But this is just a favor . " (Liefell)

Princess Liefell said that she would watch over Reese, so it was really helpful to have her . Well, the last thing she said was a bit scary though, but anyhow, it seemed that we could concentrate on the battle .

"Alright . I'm going to tell you the details before they call me . So, for tomorrow's battle..." (Sirius)

"Wait, Aniki . I'll wake up Lior-jiichan first . " (Reus)

"Just leave him alone . If it's that Jii-san, it would be best to let him do what he likes rather than saying this and that . " (Sirius)

"You understand him well, Sirius-san . " (Beowulf)

Only Beowulf nodded deeply since I noticed that I would be troublesome to tell the Jii-san complicated details and it would be better to leave him snoring on the bed in the back room . After that, we continued discussions while taking a break, and we went to sleep once the meeting ended .

—

In the morning, a soldier came to deliver the instructions from Cayenne for us as we were preparing in the room . Since he was gathering adventurers and mercenaries, who remained in Sandor to earn money in the war, for a while, he would like to borrow Strongest Sword's might .

"Some of them have already left, but there are still a lot of outsiders in this country . However, they know that there is a huge group of monsters that can break the frontline base, many will leave the country . " (??)

"I see . So, you want to borrow the Strongest Sword Lior's name to bring in those people?" (Sirius)

"Yes . If people know that they can fight with the Strongest Sword, many will say that they want to join the battle . However, we don't think that they can trust the existence of the Strongest Sword verbally, so we would like him to show his power in front of everyone . " (??)

Unless Sandor was their hometown, the people wouldn't become an adventurer or a mercenary simply because they believe the sweet promise of another country . It wouldn't be wrong to say to rely on a Jii-san who was powerful enough, but Beowulf interjected to speak to our concerns, knowing his true nature .

"Uhm, are you sure? I think if you ask that person to show his strength, I think you will lose more people instead of gathering them, is that alright?" (Beowulf)

"Eh? That is..." (??)

"In other words, a lot of people will be injured . " (Beowulf)

He would say something like... 'Challenge me!' or something, and asked for mock combat repeatedly . If it went poorly, he might beat everyone who gathered . Therefore, Beowulf's concern might be plausible, but there was no problem unless we left that Jii-san alone .

"Alright . I will leave Jii-san to you, Emilia . " (Sirius)

"Please leave it to me . " (Emilia)

"Go with Reus and Beowulf . Depending on the situation, you may need to fight with a sword lightly . " (Sirius)

"Ouh!" (Reus)

"Understand . It is a relief if there are two of you there . " (Beowulf)

These three people would be able to completely stop Jii-san from acting without restraint . Anyhow, I tried to wake up Jii-san in the bed and explain it, but he was awake before I called out .

"Oh my, have you woke up, Jii-chan?" (Emilia)

"Of course . If I sleep forever, I will spend less time swinging . " (Lior)

Jii-san snorted his nose, literally trying to bring out his favorite sword, so I asked the three of them to accompany him for the explanation . There would be a lot of complaints, but if I entrusted Emilia, he couldn't refuse .

(Thank you for reading at )

—

A few hours later... adventurers and mercenaries with various equipment and appearances were gathered in the square in front of the walls of Sandor . There was a small platform prepared in front of them . There was a commander, who would give the explanation, and the Strongest Sword Jii-san up there . In addition, the siblings and Beowulf were there as well . I was looking at the scene from the top of the wall . In one glance, I thought it should be around 500 people . Even in such a situation, the reason why there were so many people remaining was that the country was so big that they thought they would get rewards .

Regardless of individual circumstances, it seemed there would be a lot of war potentials could be secure with this . However,it was a commotion that was unlikely fit as there were people who were scared because they knew the scale of the monsters, and people who were shocked or surprised when the name of Strongest Sword got out .

"Oi oi . Not just a horde of monsters, but Strongest Sword as well?" (??)

"Could he be that Jii-san? He certainly doesn't look like a mercenary..." (??)

"But haven't you heard that Strongest Sword is dead? That guy is probably fake . " (??)

While the conversation of suspecting Jii-san heard conspicuously, the action took by him, who stopped folding his hand, was extremely simple

"Nuooh!" (Lior)

He swung down the pull out sword... In other words, it was just a swing . However, that single swing gave off a tremendous wind pressure, blowing away not only small stuff at the surrounding, but also some people gathered .

"Tomorrow, I'm going to slash the monsters! It's up to you if you want to follow me!" (Lior)

Then, he released a tremendous war cry from the bottom of his belly . He put off his sword and folded his arms again . He didn't think he was asking for help because explaining was troublesome, but...

"""Oooohh!""" (??)

It seemed that it was enough because they were the people who wanted to go for the war . The cheers were as strong as Jii-san's war cry, and almost everyone, who gathered, was motivated while getting excited like a child .

"Alright! I'm going to follow you!" (??)

"W-wow! I didn't think that I could fight together with Strongest Sword!" (??)

"Getting money and fighting together with Strongest Sword... huh? It's not a bad thing . " (??)

I thought it was too easy, but it seemed that his swordsmanship was amazing to the point his name of Strongest Sword was well known . At any rate, I was impressed that it was a good thing to take advantage of Jii-san's strength . This must be Emilia's plan . In fact, he looked back at Emilia as if he wanted her to praise him . However, there were some people who moved because of self-interest, so I believed he should be careful when incorporating them into the unit . Suddenly, Jii-san started talking to the adventurers .

"Alright, you guys! As long as you move with me, listen to Emilia here!" (Lior)

"What? Is Emilia that woman? Why do we have to listen to..." (??)

"You! Don't you dare to call her name easily!" (Lior)

"""HiiI!?""" (??)

"Ojii-chan, I don't mind . Or rather, you don't have to force them . " (Emilia)

"No! I should tell those people who want to follow me!" (Lior)

In tomorrow's battle, he was told that he should fight according to Emilia's instruction, so it seemed that he was thinking in his own way . Certainly, it didn't feel wrong when considering the control, but the way he said it might be a bit too much . When thinking normally, if I were asked to listen to the instructions of a young man I met for the first time, I would raise one or two complaints, but for some reason such a counterargument didn't happen .

"Could it!? Is that woman the granddaughter of Strongest Sword!?" (??)

"No, I've never heard he has a child to begin with, you know!?" (??)

"If anyone cares so much about that..." (??)

"Hey, you're so noisy . Anyhow, Emilia's words are my words . Keep that in mind!" (Lior)

Apparently, from the conversation earlier, they thought that Emilia was Jii-san's granddaughter . That said, Emilia remained silent because there was no advantage to correct it, but he seemed to still have something to say .

"I should say this, if you try to touch Emilia, I will slice you before the monsters! Not just one swing, but I'll take your limbs!" (Lior)

"""...""" (??)

"Well, I think before you slice them, you need Aniki's permission first . " (Reus)

"I'll do it!" (Lior)

"Why are you angry? Beowulf, help me . " (Reus)

"He will be like that anyway..." (Beowulf)

As Reus and Beowulf started having a mock combat to calm Jii-san, the murderous air caused by Jii-san was somehow eased . Although the commotion was louder than before, it was planned from the beginning for Jii-san's to show his ability in a mock battle, so this was probably the result . Emilia understood that too and she didn't try to stop them .

When I was looking at the scene that had already become an exhibition, Sanger approached me together with his escorts .

"Hey . You're here too . " (Sanger)

"Yes, Sanger-sama . Is there anything?" (Sirius)

"No, I just came to see Strongest Sword while having a short break . It's strangely noisy, but we manage to reel them in smoothly, right?" (Sanger)

"I hope so . As long as he doesn't fall, I think they will do their best . " (Sirius)

There was no doubt that Jii-san would lead the army at the front to scatter the enemies, so the morale of those who followed him wouldn't be demoralized . Still, as I wouldn't expect too much, I found Sanger's expression looking down there was strangely tense . He looked like he didn't have a room to relax, but it might be natural .

"Even if they are struggling so hard, their eyes are still beaming . I wish I could do that much..." (Sanger)

Tomorrow, he would stand on the battlefield as the supreme commander of all the units and issued the command to initiate the war . However, since detailed instructions were given by Cayenne and each unit commander, Sanger was just a symbol . Even if he did poorly, it was only at the beginning of the war . Still, the pressure would be considerable as his command could be injured and lose their lives .

"As expected, is the position of supreme commander heavy?" (Sirius)

"...Yeah . No matter what I do, it doesn't change much . I wanted to fight in front of Father, but I suddenly became the supreme commander . " (Sanger)

"That would be a natural reaction . However..." (Sirius)

"I know . I'll do my best until I hit that guy . Right?" (Sanger)

He couldn't keep his emotion because of Zilart... or Lambda, who he thought was his best friend, betrayed him . So, I told him before that he should concentrate on just hitting Lambda now . Perhaps, he remembered the words at that time . When I nodded with a smile to Sanger, he replied with a smile while complaining .

"That's how it's going to be . What you need most now is confidence, and you have to show everyone that confidence . That would be the behavior of a king . " (Sirius)

Sanger was swayed by the enemy and gave an unreliable impression, but that was because he was just unlucky and it was a bad match . I thought it would be fine for him to grow up as a king if he had other great people nearby instead of Lambda . In fact, even in the adversity that had continued since his father collapsed, he continued to maintain his will without yielding . He also had excellent people by his side such as Fort and Cayenne, so if he could survive in this war, he would grow greatly .

"Confidence, is it? I can see that by looking at Father, but this time, the opponent is too unknown, and Cayenne is also at wits' end . Didn't he say that he wasn't sure whether we could win or not?" (Sanger)

"It's true that we won't know this war unless we actually fight . However, what I can say for sure at this point is that everyone who fights with you is strong . " (Sirius)

"I know that too . It's enough that you guys are strong..." (Sanger)

"No, these people are stronger than you can imagine . And the army they joined would be just right to call it the strongest . " (Sirius)

I might be a bit over-self-conscious, but it couldn't be said that it was a mistake . That was because this army included Strongest Sword, Dragonkins in addition to the army of one country . With my overflowing self confidence, Sanger was surprised with his eyes wide open, but I also told him to push him .

"The strongest army will fight with you . You can't be afraid of how tremendous your enemy is . " (Sirius)

"..." (Sanger)

"So, give the command in the grandiose way tomorrow . Bring all the resentment you've had in a grand way . " (Sirius)

Did this encourage him enough? After finishing talking about everything I wanted to convey, he said 'That's right...' . He began to look up to the sky, and after a while, he muttered .

"...Thanks . I'm motivated again . " (Sanger)

"That's good . But don't let your guard down because everyone is counting on you . Please be careful about the arrows shot by the enemy . " (Sirius)

"Understood . So, you also must survive . I don't plan to be a disciple, but I want to learn more from you . Well, that's when having a drink of victory... alright . " (Sanger)

"At that time, I'll be happy to associate with you . " (Sirius)

After seeing off Sanger leaving after showing a cheerful smile, I closed my eyes as I remembered what he had told me .

"Survive... huh? There's no need to say that . " (Sirius)

I was proud of my disciples to the point I could leave them alone, but I wanted to keep watching over them . Above all, I had to work hard for the happiness of my family .

"Even so, this is strange . Could this be called a fruitful meeting?" (Sirius)

At the end of the previous life, I died in satisfaction after completing my task, but in the end, I didn't only leave the woman who supported me like a wife, but also the baby inside of her belly . When I thought about it now, it was a really pathetic story . I couldn't survive . In other words, it was a wall that I couldn't overcome .

And now... Not only do I had a wife who had a child like in my previous life, but in many ways, I was heading to an unknown battlefield . I wasn't worried about my ability that I had trained myself so far, but from the situation that was strangely similar to this previous life, I couldn't stand it because I had a bad feeling . It might be far worse than expected and there was a good chance that an unexpected accident would occur .

However, there were many more differences . Unlike the previous life, where I had no support and I went on rampage alone in the enemy territory, I had disciples and companions who I could rely on . That was why I decided to refrain from working as a Sensei for a while this time, and had them fight with me like the old days . I would never step on the similar path again . No matter what happened, I would definitely survive . With such a determination, I was preparing for tomorrow .

—

Extra/Bonus - When Strongest Sword returns

This was the part where people were recruited for the war by using the name of Strongest Sword . The siblings and Beowulf explained the situation to Lior and he began to swing his sword in the morning .

"Hmm... In short, do you want me to use the name of Strongest Sword? But I've already abandoned that name . " (Lior)

"Yeah, I would be grateful if they call you Strongest Sword . " (Emilia)

"I see . Let's bring that name back . " (Beowulf)

"Wait a sec . Aren't we deciding that too easily?" (Reus)

"Of course . I only know about a year after I met him, but he has been denying it for at least a few years now, right?" (Beowulf)

Every time he was called Strongest Sword, he corrected, saying that he was Tousen . The exchanges between Reus and Beowulf were natural regarding that . Suddenly, Lior began to shake his head, wondering if those two exchanges should be accepted .

"No, I want you to excuse me from using the name of Strongest Sword . As a swordsman, I want to at least beat my rival first, then I can use that name . " (Lior)

"Pride as a swordsman... isn't it? I guess the name Tousen-san means so much, right?" (Beowulf)

"Understand . We won't force you, but at least, please show your strength in front of everyone . " (Emilia)

"Leave it to me!" (Lior)

"But you know, the more people gather, the more protection Nee-chan will have, right? Wouldn't more people gather if the name of Strongest Sword is used?" (Reus)

"Nuooh!? That's true! The more meat shields, the better, and I'll be back as Strongest Sword starting from today!" (Lior)

"Stop calling them meat shields! Is that what you call the pride of a swordsman!?" (Beowulf)

Basically, Reus prioritized (aka being trained by) his sister, so in the end, it was only Beowulf who was in the sitcom .