He Became the Only Ally of the Abandoned Warrior-Chapter 61

“The porter of the Hero’s party is not permitted to attend the assembly.”

“…What did you say?”

The captain of the guard, who had arrived at Lin and Lucy’s room, was tense at the coldness in Lucy’s voice. Three soldiers had already died from mishandling the porter.

He tried his best to appear as respectful as possible.

“The assembly is only open to nobles, rulers, and scholars related to the topics being discussed.”

Neither Ravin nor Lucy liked this. Not only did Lucy dislike being separated from Lin, but Ravin, with his keen instincts, also glared at the guard captain, making his life miserable.

Lucy kept arguing.

“How does it make sense that the members of the Hero’s party can’t attend, especially when this concerns our actions?”

“It’s the same for the nobles; not all are allowed to participate, only the major lords. The leaders of each faction must consolidate their internal opinions before attending the assembly.”

“So, in the end, only the high-ranking folks get to decide everything?”

“Archer Naidrion is also not eligible to participate. This rule is applied fairly, so please understand.”

Since other members of the Hero’s party, not just the porter, were barred from entering, Lucy and Ravin had no grounds to continue arguing. If they insisted, they would have to challenge the very rules that restricted participation, but Lucy knew that causing a scene right before the assembly would ruin their reputation.

“Be careful,” Lin said, waving his hand as they were escorted to the assembly hall by the guards. However, Lucy felt uneasy, glancing back at the door where Lin remained. As she fiddled with the red string around her pinky, Ravin whispered to her.

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

“Never let your guard down. We’re surrounded by enemies.”

“…Understood.”

It sounded less like encouragement and more like a warning of what was to come.

The Grand Assembly.

The term "grand" made it sound important, but it was just a meeting of the higher-ups.

“The Hero’s party must come to our territory first. It’s the most crucial strategic point after the capital, and we need to ensure there’s no demonic threat here!”

“What do you mean the Empire is the only one under protection? The Elf Forest is also an allied nation that sent Archer Naidrion!”

The decision for the Hero’s party to embark on a new expedition was agreed upon surprisingly quickly. However, the problem lay in where they should go first.

Everyone was clamoring for the party to visit their territory first for safety.

If the Demon King were still alive, they would have headed straight for the demon realm and the Demon King’s castle. But the Demon King was dead. If the demon army had moved, they would have gone to the front lines. But the demon army had withdrawn without making any significant moves.

So only one task remained: hunting down the demons who were conducting guerrilla warfare within the Empire, appearing and disappearing in the cities.

The nobles and rulers, eager to rid themselves of the demonic threat as soon as possible, spent several hours arguing over this issue.

“Silence! The Hero’s party will eventually travel throughout the entire land.”

Lina, as the Crown Princess, presided over the meeting, but those blinded by their own self-interest didn’t listen properly. Surprisingly, Reinhold didn’t care where they went first, so he remained a spectator.

Lina glanced at him for help several times, but Reinhold had already resolved several issues earlier that morning. He believed that she needed to handle this final task on her own to grow.

Boom!

“It seems we won’t reach a conclusion at this rate. Since time is of the essence, our Hero’s party will first regroup in the Holy Nation.”

But it was Arsil who ended the chaos. She slammed her fist on the table where she was seated, causing a surge of holy power that crackled like electricity around the room. Everyone else was busy watching her nervously, as she was the only one who could use holy power aside from the Pope.

“Saintess Arsil, isn’t it rather selfish to suggest the Holy Nation?”

“Your Highness.”

Arsil, without even glancing at her, suppressed her holy power.

“Since the defeat of the Demon King, our Hero’s party has been dragged around for post-war commendations without a single health check. I’m aching all over, and I’m not confident I can maintain my condition against the demons.”

Her attitude was brash, but her point was valid. Lina decided not to criticize Arsil’s aggressive behavior and instead handled it with grace. She had learned from Reinhold that it was better to let things flow for now and later strike back with a consolidated plan.

“Very well. The Hero’s party will focus on regrouping in the Holy Nation, and during that time, we will reevaluate the priorities.”

The representatives of the Holy Nation were secretly pleased, but the other nobles were dissatisfied. Still, they had no grounds for rebuttal and had to back down for now.

As some began to leave their seats, Lina hurriedly stopped them.

“Wait. There’s still an important matter to discuss.”

Everyone looked at her with curiosity. Even Reinhold, who had heard nothing of this, was bewildered. Lina took a deep breath and straightened her posture.

“I, Lina Sien Carlon, hereby announce my engagement to Sir Morgan Reinhold.”

“…?!”

Everyone in the room was stunned.

To use a meeting meant to discuss the world's crisis as a stage for a personal announcement? Even though the engagement of the Imperial heir was a significant event, it had nothing to do with the agenda of this assembly.

“Congratulations!”

The first to respond were the Elven Elders from the Elf Forest. It made sense now why they had been summoned that morning with promises of land. As the non-human race began clapping, the other nobles followed suit, not wanting to be outdone.

As she received the shower of congratulations, Lina smiled with immense satisfaction. And at that moment—

Clang!

Lucy heard the sound of weapons clashing, accompanied by a tremor from the red string.

“Your Highness, you never mentioned this to me.”

“It was only a matter of time. Was I supposed to just watch as other ladies flirted with you? Just as you helped me this morning, this is all to help you.”

“This? You mean there’s more?”

Reinhold, as if embracing her, adopted a posture that caused the cheers to grow even louder. Taking advantage of the moment, he questioned her, and Lina revealed something even more shocking.

“To tame that insolent Hero, we need the porter.”

“Your Highness…!”

“How foolish must she be to believe in herself so much that she left the porter alone?”

“Don’t tell me?”

“I sent the guards. They should have secured him by now.”

All of this conversation was overheard by the Hero, who had heightened her senses to the extreme.

She jumped up from her seat.

Her sudden, violent movement silenced everyone.

“He’s in danger.”

Reinhold noticed how even through her skirt, the Hero’s muscular legs were bulging.

“Everyone, step back!”

BOOM!

He quickly raised his shield, but the impact from the Hero’s charge sent the shield knight flying. Fortunately, he had blocked the attack just in front of everyone else, so they only stumbled.

“What is happening…?”

While everyone was still trying to grasp the situation, Ravin shouted.

“An attack! There’s an intruder inside the palace! The Hero sensed it first and rushed out! Follow her!”

Lina was caught off guard by this unexpected development.

And the guests, stirred up by Ravin, were quickly getting agitated.

Reinhold, who had just gotten back up, discarded his battered shield and dashed in the direction the Hero had taken. Despite being a shield knight, his leg strength far exceeded that of an ordinary person, and he quickly outpaced the others.

“Reinhold, the porter is clashing with the guards.”

How do you know that?

It was curious, but this was no time to ask. Reinhold gave instructions to the only one following him, the mage.

“Make sure the porter doesn’t get hurt! If he does, the Hero will go berserk!”

“Understood.”

“But.”

If things had already escalated, it was best to make the most of the situation.

“If the Hero shows an opening, take the porter and teleport him somewhere safe. I’ll leave the rest to your judgment.”

“Understood.”

Following Lucy’s magical trail, the two of them quickly reached the scene.

“Who ordered this?”

The situation was already over.

Lin sat on the ground, looking exhausted.

There were no injuries on him.

But the guards nearby were all cut into at least two pieces.

“…The Crown Princess.”

Lucy had the captain of the guards, who had come to fetch Lin, by the throat.

Facing death, the captain begged for mercy as he answered Lucy’s question.

“I-I only did as I was ordered, please spare—”

Crack!

But Lucy twisted his neck without hesitation.

“I’ve already given you two chances.”

She pulled out the temporary holy sword from her waist.

“I’m sure I said there wouldn’t be a third.”

A violent, crimson-gold energy erupted from her.

[Should I add a little extra topping?]

Along with the playful murmur from the abyss, a bit of dark energy seeped into her power, slowly altering it.

“Luciena, wait! Let’s talk…!”

Reinhold prepared for battle as he spoke.

He was ready.

Once that holy sword was fully charged, she would try to slice him in half without hesitation.

He couldn’t let that happen.

He was destined to be the one who balanced this world.

“Finally, I get to kill you!”

Lin must have known this would happen.

He had already told Lucy.

If anything went wrong and Reinhold appeared, she was to tear him apart first.

Lucy intended to follow through.

Boom!

“It’s a misunderstanding!”

“Die!!!”

[Estel Style Secret Art: Sky Cleave]

The temporary holy sword, wrapped in a black and crimson aura, was drawn with the speed of a quick-draw technique.

Blocking a sword strike like that without a shield was impossible.

“Arghhh!!”

“Ugh! What kind of muscles…!”

She had definitely cut him.

But Reinhold’s abnormally tough muscles had kept him from being sliced in two.

Lucy flicked the blood off her sword and assumed an attacking stance again.

This man was dangerous.

She had to kill him now, once and for all…

Just as she was getting excited at the thought of ridding herself of the foolish past version of herself, a sly grin on her face,

“Porter, secured.”

Tigrea, who had teleported behind Lucy, had already picked up Lin in her arms.

“You…!”

Not yet.

If she acted immediately, she could neutralize the mage before she even finished chanting a spell.

But Lucy saw Lin’s lips move.

‘It’s okay.’

A moment of hesitation.

Tigrea didn’t miss that hesitation.

“Set, teleport, stabilize.”

In her rush, she didn’t even bother to check her incantation. She had no idea where they would end up.

But what mattered was getting Lin out of there as quickly as possible.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

“Teleport!”

The Hero’s sword sliced through empty air.

At the same time, a deep silence enveloped Lucy.

No.

It wasn’t silence.

The nightmares and hallucinations she had been able to ward off by staying by his side began to creep back in.

‘You were too arrogant.’

The voices from the time when her limbs were being torn apart echoed in her ears.

‘Is it precious because it’s gone?’

Words she had once heard in a nightmare floated around her mind.

‘Treat it well before it’s really gone.’

“Aaaaaaa….”

She couldn’t breathe.

‘He’s the only one on your side.’

“Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!!!!!!!!!”

Her heart-wrenching scream shook the palace.

When Ravin arrived with the others, all they found was Reinhold barely clinging to life in a pool of blood and Lucy, screaming incessantly.