Ashes and Kingdoms

By nightfall that day, Finn had dissolved the three groups.

It was the collapse of the legion soldiers that dominated every group, and the figure was that neighboring farmers and pastoralists would follow it, and the amount of blood flowed varied depending on the executives. but the ambush generally responded, and it didn't turn out to be as troublesome as I feared at the beginning.

Finn sent the former farmers home and made the former legion soldiers who abandoned their weapons promise to help rebuild, flying one around the perimeter just in case, before returning to the first village he visited to see how it was going. Now we go down to the immediate vicinity of the village, not away.

Dusk was imminent, and the villagers were in a state of anxiety and impatience, restoring a building in total in an attempt to secure a place to sneak out the night. Because now that the men are back, we can't all hide in that hole.

Finn looked up into the sky to make sure there were no clouds, and walked over to you. The villagers who noticed stopped working and stared at him, but no one was welcome. I hold my breath frightened of what will be done next, waiting for Finn to say something.

"You don't have to panic, it's going to be sunny tonight. The moon is bright, and you don't have to worry about the Dark Beast."

Finn said in a very routine tone, wondering if it wasn't the word they expected.

"Assuming you come around here, I won't let you near the village. Please calm down and work slowly. Don't get hurt."

The signs of tension and excitement that were straining among the villagers soothe with confusion. Finn returned the knob to each and every one of us looking here and nodded.

When Finn noticed that the meal had been prepared and left on the way, he walked over and started a fire. Of course, I used only a little of Lena's power, but I gave in and messed with the firewood so they wouldn't notice. The kids sneak in from behind with half the fear and half the interest. Conscious of his young curiosity, Finn now began to look for ingredients to see what he could make for dinner.

The villagers also moved progressively more aggressively as Finn did so and did various chores himself. I can't say I'm still lively, and I watched the dragon marquis constantly, but there was.

After all this time, Finn surrounded the villagers with fire and a small evening meal with them. It was only boiled with water and salt, along with the little wheat that the men had brought home, the corresponding vegetables that remained in the field. Wheat is a grinding of barley for livestock, not wheat, but no one complained or anything.

Or down on the ground, or on stone or waste material, silent in the shadows and soaking juice. Even the kids who really care about Finn don't say anything.

Somewhat, one woman cut out "Dragon Marquis". When Finn looked up, the woman hesitated, but she had turned her back firmly. The power of will, which was not seen during the day, is returning to its face.

"Um... what do we do now? Will you serve the Dragon Marquis?"

I'm guessing you're asking if it's the dragon marquis who will rule this area in the future. Finn shook his head.

"I'm not a lord. The Legion is collapsing, and there's no one to rule it, but it's still around here, part of the Empire. For the time being, you guys just have to manage to rebuild your lives on your own. That's how we've rebuilt Nanais, little by little."

On their own, they said, the villagers looked anxiously at each other. Some women turn their hateful eyes to the man who's back. Finn put down the empty bowl and looked around with him.

"There will be a lot of obsession. But now instead of blaming or regretting the past, we need to look at the future and join forces. Think of the children. Do you want to keep the kids in this state? Or will you eat well every day and leave a fruitful life to cultivate?"

"Even we want to," the woman responded in a strong tone. "I want to go back to a life where food and what I wear are not crippled. But after all this messing up, what can we do alone? Years ago His Majesty the Emperor abandoned us. Dragon Marquis must take care of us, we will all starve to death."

(Can't you just keep running away?)

Not only women's, but villagers' emotions tangle like sticky algae.

Help me, don't abandon me, you must be rich, give me your share...

Finn said patiently and calmly as he tried to ignore them.

"With all this number of people, I think farming will go on, too. But surely, you need grooming food until the next harvest. Aid from nanice, including seeds and beans. I'll also report to my home country and ask them to deliver supplies, but don't expect too much from that one. Because the finances seem tight, and many councillors don't care if people suffer on the north side of the mountains"

In his explanation, the villagers did not hide their disappointment. He who becomes a rugged face and nags, he who sighs, he who covers his face as if he were exhausted.

"... I knew my country was in the north. You wouldn't think about it."

There was one man, he snapped pompously. When Finn gave him a sympathetic look, he turned his hungry obsession and honestly mouthed the voice of his heart.

"If you're really Dragon Marquis, please don't abandon us."

"I won't abandon you. But there are things I can and cannot do, too. The beast of darkness can be kept away, food can also be assisted for a while. All groups likely to attack this village will be crushed. But I can't stay here and take good care of you."

…………

The villagers shut up. I guess I should just be thankful that I was able to regain my safety, but it's hard to even run away and hide for a long time, endure, and then have to walk away from here again on my own. As much as I don't want to move anymore until I die sitting around, I'm out of energy.

Neither Finn nor their bitterness was well understood, so I couldn't even say bad consolation and kept quiet.

And one child came beside him with a snack. Pinch Finn's sleeve slightly and ask in a whisper.

"The princess...?

Finn accidentally spilled a grin. At the same time, the light swirls around and Lena shows up. For the first time, the men I saw fell back a little bit.

Several children surround Lena with adult vigilance elsewhere, clean, warm. The children who were hiding behind their parents also recently joined them as strangers.

The obsessed Lena was perplexed as to how she had dealt with him, but she smiled all the time when she immediately thought so. Wait a minute, put it down and get away from the fire and get to a point where there's nothing in the way around you. And then, during one blink, I went back to who I was.

To the boulder, the children who were crouched also moistened, frightened and stunned. Finn laughed small, standing up and inviting the children.

"It's okay, I'm not scared. It's fluffy and warm, come on."

Say, it brings to Lena's soft fur like an example. The fearful children also approached, and at first they were frightened, and then quickly became full of happiness, and buried so much in the white fluff.

It tickles.

Lena narrows her eyes like a full moon and squeezes. Finn laughed and slapped him around the neck with a pound.

I'm sorry. Will you be patient for a moment?

It's not bad. Kind of weird. "

Signs that he is enjoying a dull laugh are transmitted to Finn's heart. Even Lena, still a young dragon, seems to have been inspired by her maternal instincts. Finn stepped aside and raised his eyebrows, but did not tease him, leaving the children's opponents to go back by the fire.

By that time, finally, the previous woman said in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I hadn't thanked you yet. … thank you"

The woman bowed her head deeply so that her voice hid shaking with tears. To the smile of a child I haven't seen in a long time, I guess the tension has eased. By the time I raised my face, there were already tears in my cheeks.

Finn responded with a caring smile.

"You can't be thankful. I just did what I could. Lena seems to be enjoying herself."

Say it, turn around the white dragon. The woman also followed that gaze, bringing an exclamation exhale.

"That's... really, you're a dragon"

"Yeah. I couldn't believe it at first either, but he said it was a Tenryu"

"I heard a dragon appeared in the south..."

A woman crushes vaguely. Finn looked around together remembering that he was.

"Have you heard anything about Nornicom's Dragon Horse Elesia?"

Ask no one. I haven't heard back from you anytime soon, and everyone just looks at you for lack of confidence. Somewhat and one man replied, blurry.

"Almost there. Before the village became so...... hey, I heard rumors like the lord of Nornicom had dragons on his side or burned army barracks into the field. Is that true?

"I think the burning field is exaggerated, but it is true that Dragon Hou showed up. I just lost to the Empire General once three years ago and I don't know where he's going...... nothing like that around here?

"I didn't get any news at all," he replied, a man who looked like a former legion soldier. "Three - four years ago, or when the barracks were still there, rumors of an Eresian rebellion arrived, but then it was refreshing to see what happened"

"Sell me food or be asked to procure something..."

"No. There was no one coming or buying or selling things. If we go all the way east, there might be a group like that."

You had nothing to do with us, and the man closed and looked vaguely east. The sun is already completely down, and it's dark there.

Finn thought Hmm and stared east. But I don't see any more groups with the power of sight. A group as weak as this village is just floundering around.

(Can't you afford to go that far...)

I have a desire to be sure, but I can't put my support for this area behind me. If you just crush the usurper and leave him unknown afterwards, the farmland will eventually be devastated again and people will be scattered.

(For the time being, if this neighborhood isn't in battle, we'll just have to be good)

Concluding, Finn nodded.

"Okay. At least you don't seem to have to worry about the noisy guys pushing you again soon. Tomorrow, I'll be back in Nanais, ready for support. I'll hurry as much as I can, but just know it'll take a while."

Hope returns slightly to the faces of the villagers, either because the story has become concrete or because a sense of reality has finally emerged. Food is available, you can take a step forward into your previous life, such expectations.

"In the meantime, I'll be sleeping tonight, so please rest. The kids will be fine... just like that."

Finn looks back at Lena and laughs bitterly when he sees the children buried at will, already well asleep. The villagers also laughed like they were stuck.

He finally relieved his last nervousness, and the villagers, who had finished cleaning up, each look at the beds and get to sleep. The collapse of legion soldiers, who are not inherently residents of this place, is now equally situated.

Finn lowered his back so that he could see Lena while keeping the flame of the fire small. Place your sword on your knees so you can pull it out at any time. Though I don't think I'll need it tonight, my vigilance is staining me.

And, to the point where I thought they'd all been completely asleep already, one woman came sneaking her footsteps. She hasn't spoken a word yet. I perceived that there seemed to be something I wanted to say in confidence, and although Finn looked back, he just leaned back and waited without speaking.

The woman stood a few steps away, but slightly, blurred and thanked her.

"Thank you for your mercy"

……

"My man... my husband told me. Dragon Marquis said, with just one swing, he jumped his head in the neck. Without a scratch, he said he returned the attackers without leaving them behind. Thank you for missing my husband."

kneel on the ground, along with a humble tribute. Finn sharply controlled the woman's attempts.

"Please stop. I'm not a murderer."

The woman doesn't move. He stifles himself more and more and crawls to the ground. Finn sighed. Continue painstakingly not to frighten you any more so that you don't sound fed up.

"Please raise your face. I went to help the villagers in the first place. Killing is not the goal. Besides, what you hear is a little too much."

A fearful woman looks up. Finn wondered what face to show, turned away and gently slapped the sword on his lap.

"It wasn't my power that jumped my neck in one swing. This sword is special. They say it was used by Dragon Marquis, who was once in the north, and it's a loan from His Majesty the Emperor. It just so happens that I didn't get a hand wound, and where I headed after that, I was a little bit of a jerk."

Not even slight marks anymore, but a shallow wound to the back of his left hand. Finn rubbed there before staring at the woman again.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding, so please tell others. I'm definitely a dragon marquis, but I'm not an invincible hero, like the one in the story. I will fail, and I will be wounded. As it looks, it's just... a kid."

Say it yourself, clasp your shoulders. The woman stared at Finn still with a complicated expression, but slightly, her eyes lay down, and again, she bowed her head silently. And as it is, I leave the place quietly, without accepting or denying Finn's words.

The leftover fin caught fire in an unspeakable mood. Pah, the firepowder rises.

Don't worry about it.

Lena's voice sounded gently to my heart.

Finn is Finn. It hasn't changed since we first met.

Thank you. I'm gonna do that, too, but I don't think you're gonna see me around.

Want to go somewhere far?

Gently, ask him to whisper. Cut off the glitch, like no one cares what it is or what it is, that's on the continent beyond the sea - or whatever it is, even to heaven. He said he'd take you anywhere.

Finn smiled bitterly and shook his head.

No. Not yet.

Lena knows we're not going anywhere. The inquiry included, once everything was cleared up, when the time came to think it was okay to leave here.

But someday I might feel that way. Someday, in the future.

Finn thought of that in a lonely mood. Looking casually into the sky, the moon was glowing white. I didn't even take the stars, just one, at a far height.

In my consciousness, I can see that Lena's light envelops me. There were no more words, and the two of them were clearing their ears at the squiggle of night, feeling each other's warmth.

- Slowly, the moon leans west. Thin clouds block the light, and the night increases the depth.

When I noticed, there was dark darkness standing around.

Finn grabbed the pattern of the sword and stood up carefully. But Lena keeps the kids in her nostalgia, and she doesn't move. Apparently there is no danger, but Finn looked around feeling signs of restlessness.

That's weird. Even though it doesn't seem like you have a family of darkness, this sign... >

I don't feel right. It's not Master Narug's power. Starch, it's cloudy. It doesn't feel like it's going to hurt anytime soon.

Lena also anxiously stretches her neck and peeks behind the darkness. Vague, then there were intense signs.

- Come yi...

It's not a clear word, it's not a voice, it's not a clear call. But I do feel the power to attract.

The source of that power, far away, was perceived to be intense malice. With bottomless hunger, I gradually swallow all things allowances.

What the hell is that?

Neither do I. It's so deep and scary... it's like...

Finn also figured out what Lena was aware of when she called me to stop.

It's like, Naruto.

Finn has never seen Natsuo directly in his eyes. The same would apply to young Lena. But still, it was felt that Nara was what it was.

If it's like this every night that Lena reviews the area and says, "It's empty," she nods. I guess everything was indiscriminately devoured by that vain hunger, not only by the Dark Families. spirits, little creatures, or even human vitality.

A chill runs. Finn circled the light in his consciousness, surrounding himself and Lena, and the whole village, with a fence. I didn't mean to, I just instinctively tried to defend myself.

And, as if I could see it, I weakened my pulling power.

Then the signs fade, and just as the shadow retreats at the same speed as light, it disappears without resistance.

Finn stood still for a while, even as the clouds ran out and the moonlight lit up on the ground.

(Is that the cause? Drawn by that power, the Dark Families left the North?

If so, what is the purpose? No, is there a purpose or something in the first place? In that dreadful abyss of Naruto.

(Doesn't look like it's time to relax.)

A disastrous anomaly is about to occur in the south. Finn slowly lowered his sword to his sheath and shook his head.

Walk quietly out of the village to avoid disturbing the villagers' sleep. Step-by-step, he drew the boundaries of his footprint as he circled the village, staining the power of Lena little by little. I'm not sure I can protect people from that starving hand of Nara in the same way that keeps the beast of darkness away. But it's better than nothing.

(As soon as the night breaks, let's head back to Nanais to clean up our errands and go to the country)

Preparing for hurry support supplies and then…

(Oh yeah, shit)

Mac and Nellis wedding. And mine too.

Remembering that he could not postpone, but that the hassle was withheld, Finn flashed his face. It's a pleasure, but now I'm in a hurry.

(Calm down, don't rush)

Finn took a deep breath trying to contain his frustration.

I don't think it's going to hurt you right now, Lena said. Sure, that was an unpleasant sign, but it didn't look like it was making a sudden change. It would be on the other hand worse if left unattended, but that's why it wouldn't change fast enough for a normal human to notice. Ten days, for example, or there.

Ever since I bonded with Lena, Finn had also begun to understand the time for the uninhabited again. Human living time, from their point of view, is not terribly busy and short. The power of the gods that make this world is moving more slowly and slowly over time.

If that Nara is one of those events, there is no need to rush it with a human sensation.

Compared to that, support for this village is much more sudden. No one or he has been eaten satisfactorily for a long time, the mother's milk has not come out and the child is thin and a few days late can be lifesaving.

(One at a time, I need to get it right)

If you are blinded by a big thing and overlook the disappearance of your little life, it is the end of the line.

Leave it to Mac and Nellis to prepare for the wedding, and Finn can have support supplies in parallel. If it's about a bag of wheat and salt, you can carry it back and forth with Lena first. Do what you have to do - go to your home country, then.

Finn took another slow breath and looked at the southern sky.