Author's Note: Hello everyone! First off, I would like to apologize for the massive gaps in the between chapters as of late, especially this one. Life has become a lot busier for me, so I haven't had much time to properly keep up with my weekly schedule. As for the story overall, well, don't worry, because I'm officially back! Now that September is rolling in, uploads should be returning to a weekly schedule here soon, so stay tuned for the next chapter!
Without further adieu, chapter 19!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, only my own.
"Dialogue."
"Writing."
Thoughts.
Raphtalia had a questionable look on her face as she made her way back to the dining room. Leo had already made his way back after allowing Keel to join the team while Rifana had taken Keel outside a few minutes ago to begin his training. Why did he let Keel join? He knows that he needs more rest after everything he's been through. I'll have to ask him when I get the chance.
Bringing herself back to reality, Raphtalia pushed open the door separating her and the dining room. Walking in, she saw Leo, Ren, and Itsuki in the midst of planning as Leo continued to point at different areas of the map.
"We'll have to cut through the forest here if we want to keep on the move. Going north seems like the best option since Faubrey's in that direction. If the Queen is heading this way, then there's a chance that we could meet her halfway. If not, then we can always come back here at a later date." Leo said as he looked up. Seeing Raphtalia, he smiled and waved her over to the table. "If that's everything, I'll let you two go inform your parties about the plan. Remember, one hour." Leo said. With that, the two teenage hero's took their leave.
Turning to Raphtalia, Leo knew she had questions. "I know that look on your face, and let me guess, it's about Keel, isn't it?"
Raphtalia nodded as she crossed her arms and leaned against the table. "Why would you let him join the team? You know the condition he and the others were in. You should have let him stay and rest."
To Leo, her concern was justified. Keel wasn't in the best of conditions right now, and he was her friend, so she had every right to be worried about him. After a moment of silence, Leo gave her an answer. "Remember when I took you in?" Leo asked, to which Raphtalia nodded. "You were just as sick and small as Keel is, but you had enthusiasm. You were willing to try your best, and now look at you, you're one of the strongest people I know. If you and Rifana can pull that off, then Keel won't have a problem with you two around. If anything he may progress even faster than Rifana did when she first began her training."
Raphtalia let out a quick sigh. "You're right, I'm overstressing myself about this. Keel has us, and we have you." Raphtalia said with a smile. "Now, about that one hour…"
Leo turned his attention back to the map when Raphtalia said that. "Right. I gave Ren and Itsuki one hour to prepare to move out, and that extends to us as well, which means you, Rifana, and Keel have one hour to pack and meet in the main lobby. I'll be waiting for you there." Leo said as he put on his backpack.
Raphtalia gave Leo a quick but crisp salute. "Sir!" Turning on her heel, she left the room to do as ordered.
Leo and his party sat patiently for the other heroes and their parties to arrive. Melty and Filo were deep into a conversation regarding different foods that Melty had eaten throughout her life. Rifana was off to the side doing her best to teach Keel as much as possible without any physical interpretation. As for Raphtalia, she was sketching the schematics for a project on behalf of Leo's orders, which turned out to be a good decision due to her inclusion of every tiny detail.
While the rest of his party was busy occupying themselves, Leo was glancing at the clock in anticipation for everyone else's arrival. Another five minutes went by before the other heroes and their parties arrived, Ren and Itsuki taking the lead. After everyone trickled into the foyer, Leo cleared his throat catching everyone's attention.
"So, I assume you all know what is happening with the church and monarchy. Since I am not a man for speeches, I will keep this brief. We have a few days before the Queen returns to clean up this mess, but until then, we are all in this together. Whether we like it or not, we must work as a team if we plan on making it through this nightmare! The church has chosen to call me a devil, yet all I've done is help those who need it most in this country! We have been labeled as criminals for doing what is right for the safety of everyone! If they choose to push against us, then we will push right back! We will not submit! They chose to start this war, so in turn, we'll end it!" Leo shouted, the large room carrying his voice.
The small crowd cheered as their moral boosted, well, all except for one. A larger man in heavy knight armor spoke up as the cheers died down. "And why should we follow you, the Shield Hero and his pet? Only the Sword or Bow Hero are worthy of leading us! I mean, it was you who got us into this mess in the first place, so I ask once more, why follow him?!"
The knights outburst caused some of the other adventurers to look over at the three cardinal heroes. Leo seemed to be holding Raphtalia back while attempting to calm her down. Rifana looked as if she were ready to kill. Even Melty appeared to be angry at the man. It was Itsuki who made the first move however.
The blonde teenager quickly stormed up to the prideful knight. "Mald, need I remind you that if it weren't for Leo, then Melty would be dead. If it weren't for him, we would have lost to the Waves of Catastrophe a long time ago. If it weren't for him, we would have never seen just how truly corrupt this country is. He's helped just as many people as the church has hurt. We are following him. It's just as he said, whether you like it or not." Itsuki said as he grit his teeth.
Mald grumbled as he gave in to the Bow Hero's orders, his pride dwindling as angry embarrassment set in. Itsuki turned back to Leo and gave him a quick nod. With Leo's fireteam slowly calming down after the insulting remark, he cleared his throat to regain everyone's attention. "Lord Reichnott has been kind enough to provide us with our own carts, one per each party. Load up, sit back, and relax. It's going to be a long way to Faubrey's border."
With his speech done, Leo turned around and waved for his team to follow him out the door, Ren and Itsuki doing the same with their own parties. Reaching the carts, everyone climbed into the cart of their heroes' choosing before taking off, Leo cart taking the lead.
Filo's Hussar Wings blew with the light wind as the convoy continued onward down the road. Rifana had taken up the reins for the time being while Raphtalia put her schematics on pause in order to further teach Keel. In order to finish the nearly completed schematic, Leo took up his pencil and was in the midst of drawing the finishing touches of what he had dubbed 'Project Ranger.' Once the final line was drawn, he folded the paper and stashed it in his pack, ready for Erhard to use. The rest of the journey remained the same except for when Leo traded with Rifana so she could help Raphtalia with Keel.
As the convoy broke through the forest, they could see Faubrey's border alongside one of the checkpoints. "Filo, take a right and head up to that plateau. We'll scout it out before we do anything." Raising his arm, Leo motioned for the carts behind him to turn right just as he did. When they reached the top, Leo took Ren and Itsuki to the cliff edge and, taking out his binoculars, began to look over the checkpoint.
"This one doesn't seem as fortified in comparison to Shieldfreeden's, although it could be due to that fort - like structure on the hill. If we're lucky enough, we may be able to sneak through when night falls. Either that, or take that detour we mark- wait a minute, what the hell?" Leo said as he suddenly changed the topic.
"What is it? What do you see?" Itsuki asked. Leo simply handed the blonde his binoculars before pointing towards the gate of the checkpoint itself. "Motoyasu? What's he doing here?" Itsuki asked in a surprised state.
Ren then took the binoculars out of Itsuki's hand before looking as well. "Either he's been camping there for the last few days, or someone tipped off the army and he so happened to be in the area. I'm willing to bet the ladder." Ren said as he lowered the binoculars. "What do you guys think we should do?"
Itsuki rubbed his chin for a moment. "Well, one option is that we could go down there and talk to him, maybe even convince him to join us. That, or we could take that detour. With his current track record of listening to people, I'd prefer the detour." Itsuki stated with slight annoyance.
"I'm unsure about that. I mean, he was willing to listen to us up to the point when we confronted Leo, although we do know that he'll agree with Myne almost no matter what. What do you think Leo? Should we go down or go around?" Ren asked the soldier.
Even with his face covered, the two heroes could tell that Leo was thinking heavily about the situation. On one hand, Itsuki and Ren COULD talk some sense into him, although Malty may cause him to ignore them entirely. One the other hand, we take the detour and bypass him and the knights, but that could cost us time, and if someone did tip off the military about our arrival, then we have less of it than we originally thought. Leo sighed, knowing he would regret the decision he had come to. "Time isn't something we have on our side sadly and the detour could cost us heavily. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't think we have too much of a choice except to try and talk to him. Hopefully he'll listen to you two, because God knows he won't listen to a single word I have to say." Leo said as he stood up from his position on the ground.
Ren and Itsuki looked at each other for a moment before getting up and walking back to their carts. They quickly mounted up and made their way down the plateau and towards the checkpoint. As the convoy of hero's neared, the sound of a horn blared from the fortress, alerting the knights as well as Motoyasu and his party about the oncoming wagons causing the checkpoint to become quickly swarmed by a platoon of knights.
Leo had Filo slow down as she neared the wall. "Rifana, stay here with Keel. Stay out of sight but have your rifle ready just in case. Raphtalia, on me, let's go." Leo said as the cart came to a full stop. Behind them, Ren and Itsuki climbed down and stepped up next to Leo and Raphtalia.
The group of four slowly proceeded to walk towards Motoyasu, while keeping an eye on the soldiers behind him. You never know when someone could instantaneously attack. Leo thought as he and the others came to a stop only a few feet away.
"Motoyasu," Leo began to say, "we're not here to fight or anything. All we ask is that you hear us out."
Motoyasu seemed to be seething with anger at that statement. "Oh, and why should I do that, huh? You've done nothing but cause trouble ever since you came to this world Leo, and it's up to me to stop it!" He exclaimed as he looked back and forth at Itsuki and Ren. "Ren, Itsuki, can't you two see? You've been brainwashed by that evil shield of his. Please, listen to reason and help me get rid of him!"
The two teenagers stood their ground, unfazed by Motoyasu's words. "Motoyasu, we're not brainwashed! You've been lied to this whole time, same as us! Myne and the church have been using you in order to try and kill Leo. You're a pawn in their game!" Itsuki said in an attempt to persuade him.
Motoyasu clenched his spear before using his other hand to point at Leo specifically. "How dare you accuse Myne of lying! She's been nothing but helpful ever since we were summoned to this world. Leo's the one who's lied, the one who betrayed her and her family! And if you two truly aren't brainwashed as you say you are, then I'll have to consider you traitors as well for siding with the Devil of the Shield. Meteor thrust!"
At that moment, a blue beam of energy was launched at the four person group. Without a second thought, Leo pushed Raphtalia back before taking a step forward and changing to his ballistic shield. "Argh!" Leo grunted as his shield took the impact. While Motoyasu was in the midst of his attack, Itsuki charged around to Leo's side and readied his bow.
"Meteor shot!" Itsuki shouted as he pulled back on his bow. Releasing the arrow, a similar blue beam of energy shot forward. Motoyasu jumped back to avoid the attack which in turn canceled his own, giving Leo a much needed moment to breathe.
Shit that was a rough block. Felt like I was hit by a freight train. Leo knew that the fight needed to end quickly lest the news get out about his location causing the entire country to fall right on top of him, his team, and fellow heroes. "Ren, get your team and distract Motoyasu's party! Itsuki, pull back and give him some covering fire! Raphtalia, on me! Use your speed and knock him down!" Leo ordered before turning towards his cart. "Rifana, get the mages ready to heal!" With that, Leo turned back to the fight just in time to block another attack from Motoyasu.
Taking advantage of Motoyasu's locked state, Leo kicked at the side of his knee, causing him to fall and clutch it. With this opening, Leo swung his shield at the Spear Hero with as much force as he could muster, sending his flying backwards a few feet. The blonde hero was not out however, as he quickly got back up and sent a chaos spear skill directly at Leo who stood his ground and took the attack.
Since Motoyasu was distracted, Raphtalia took this opportunity to strike. Taking out her boot knife, Raphtalia rushed forward to meet the enemy head on. Motoyasu saw her charge and decided to release his attack in preparation for Raphtalia. Noting how she was holding a knife, he readied his spear for a stab, confident in his blade's length. In a turn of events, Raphtalia threw her knife towards Motoyasu's head causing him to use his spear and block the projectile. While he was stunned, she took out her sword and made it appear as if she would swing from the side which caused her blonde opponent to get into a defensive stance. However, Raphtalia feinted the attack and swung from below, catching him off guard. Taking this chance, she used her momentum, jumped into the air, and tornado kicked Motoyasu in the face, sending him to the ground.
After regaining his breath, Motoyasu made a desperate attempt to raise his spear and cast another spell attack. Leo gave him no time as he quickly kicked the downed hero in the face before slamming his left foot onto Motoyasu's hand which held the spear, keeping it pinned on the ground. Motoyasu let out a pitiful wail as he attempted to use his free hand and repeatedly punch Leo in the foot to try and get him off. Before he could continue however, Raphtalia aimed the tip of her sword at his throat with one hand, the other slowly putting her knife back into it's appropriate holster.
"You lost again Motoyasu, so listen here and listen good. You need to realize that you're nothing but a pawn that's stuck in the palm the hands of Malty and the Church. You may think you're a hero, but you're nothing more than a hypocritical, gullible dumbass who thinks they know right from wrong. So get it through your thick fucking skull that we are NOT your enemy, those closest to you are!" Leo exclaimed as he let his foot off from Motoyasu's hand.
The blonde hero grunted as he slowly stood up using his spear as a crutch of sorts. Looking around, he saw that his party was defeated due to the fact that they laid on the ground tired and hurt. "N- no, you're wrong. My friends wouldn't lie to me! You're just trying to make me turn on them! You truly are the Shield Devi-."
"Leo!" Rifana suddenly called out as she ran towards him and Raphtalia. The tone of her voice told Leo that she was truly panicking over something. "Something really big is on its way!"
Looking around, Leo saw nothing out of the ordinary. When he looked up, he could barely see a bright light that was quickly increasing in size. "Everyone! Gather the injured then regroup on me, right fucking now!" Leo commanded. Within seconds of giving the order, Ren and Itsuki's parties picked up and carried Motoyasu's party over to Leo. Once everyone was crowded around, he activated the skills that would ultimately save them from an untimely demise.
"Emerald bunker! Airstrike shield! Second Shield!" As Leo called out the skill, the crowd of heroes, adventurers, and princesses found themselves encased in an early twentieth century style bunker. Outside, two large shields with the Polish Coat of Arms hung overhead, ready to block whatever large magical attack was coming.
As the wave of energy smashed into Leo's defenses, the remaining blast began to incinerate the area. As the magical attack continued to slam towards the ground, it eventually broke through the first and second shield, leaving only Leo's bunker as the four heroes' last line of safety and defense.
Shit, this isn't going to hold for much longer! God help us! Leo thought as fear continued to course through his body. As the ground continued to shake from the force of the spell, a crack eventually found its way into the roof. Everyone began to panic louder than before, many clutching themselves or their friends in case this truly was the way they would die.
Leo fell to his knees next to Raphtalia and pulled her into a tight hug with Rifana and Keel quickly joining. Leo squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the beam to consume him and everyone he knew. However, he, just like everyone else, was taken aback when the shaking gradually lessened before coming to a complete stop.
"I- is it over? It's gotta be over, right?" One of Itsuki's party members asked in a shaken state.
As the bunker disappeared, everyone slowly but shakily stood up and were immediately frightened by the carnage that surrounded them. All around them, magma and superheated rock blanketed the pit that the hero's found themselves in.
Not even a million shells of artillery could cause this much destruction. This… what the hell was that?! Leo thought as checked over his party for any wounds. "Is everyone ok? Is anyone injured from the attack?" Leo asked aloud to those around him. A series of "no's" and "we're fine" flooded the ears of the soldier.
While Leo was in the middle of checking over Keel, a slow, almost sarcastic clapping sound could be heard from above. Taking a look, the Pope could be seen looking down on the hero's and their parties.
Pope Balmus smirked as he began to speak, his tone giving off the impression of surprise and mockery. "My my, that was quite impressive Shield Hero. You went up and held out against the full might of Judgement, one of the strongest group rituals in existence. Bravo, I say."
Leo squinted behind his goggles as he took a deep breath. "So, we meet once more you corrupt bastard. If you're here to get the pleasure out of killing me, you're going to have to try harder than that you overconfident, cocky son-of-a-bitch." Leo responded insultingly. He already knew of what the Pope planned on doing, so there was no point in holding back, both verbally and physically.
"Now now, do not use that kind of language, young one. After all, you are in the presence of God now, and he would not appreciate such words." The Pope subtly insulted back at Leo, remembering the conversation between him and the Shield Hero back in the church.
Damn he's good. "I doubt you're "god" would appreciate you killing the four hero's that, mind you, YOU summoned to save YOUR world." Leo shot back.
Knowing that he managed to get under Leo's skin, Balmus' smirk grew. "And now, as the Pope, it is my duty to cleanse this world of the evil that has been brought upon it. The world shall return to its once rightful state, just as God intended."
Silence overtook the hero's and their parties for a moment. "You're out of your damn mind you psychopath!" Rifana shouted.
"What you see as insanity my dear, I see as God's will. I live to serve him and him alone. And once the Shield Hero is gone, you demi - humans will have nobody left to help you. After all, you are nothing but mere slaves that plague God's world. Abominations, if you will."
Those final statements left anger and resentment in the hearts of the demi - humans that accompanied Leo and Ren, as well as Leo himself. With all of that anger building up, Leo found a spark lighting within him. "Well, you, Pope Bastard of the Church of Shit On My Day, are nothing more but a fanatic, genocidal lunatic who uses God as an excuse to do whatever he wants! Which is why it is my duty to rid the world of people like you, just as those before me did! Ren, Itsuki… Motoyasu, we work as one! Do zwycięstwa! Za wolność! Dla Polski!" Raising a fist into the air, Leo took a page from his eastern European brethren." Uraaa!"
Raphtalia grinned at Leo's enthusiasm to fight and went on to immediately copy Leo. Soon enough, the rest of his party, as well as Ren and Itsuki followed in with the battle - cry, leaving some of the Pope's followers surprised at the noise.
Suddenly, one of the followers handed Pope Balmus a golden sword similar to that of Ren's. "So be it."
"Hit him with everything you got!"
Not even a second later, Raphtalia and Rifana began to shoot at the Pope while Itsuki, Ren, and Motoyasu, who had finally decided to recover from his shock, used their meteor attacks which seemed to hit the man head on. The area around the Pope became covered with mounds of dirt and dust that were blown from the ground. As the dust cleared, the Pope appeared unharmed as a golden diamond stood in front of him.
"Did he just do what I think he did?" Ren shockingly asked nobody in particular.
Leo shook his head and blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "How the hell did he take all of that and not even get a scratch?!"
"It must be the amount of mana that's being flowed to the weapon." Melty said as she stood up. "That weapon takes a lot of mana, so the amount of mages he must have has to be in the hundreds! Hero's you must cut off the mana if you wish to beat him!"
With that knowledge, Leo quickly came up with a simple yet bloody plan. "Then if we can't kill him, we'll have to kill his followers instead. Everyone, keep the Pope busy! Give me a minute and I'll have his mana supply gone in the blink of an eye!" Taking a few steps back, Leo began to search through his shield's menu. Come on shield, come on, get through the menus faster! We need some support if we're gonna win this!
Finally finding the new skill he needed, Leo took a deep breath as he cleared his mind and began to recite the incantation required. "For the sake of all mankind, the echoes of war and sounds of thunder shall cloud your judgement. Your destructive nature shall rain down on you like a savage storm. Hell's Strike!" A familiar white aura surrounded Leo for a moment, similar to that of the skill he utilized against Glass.
Without warning, a bright green flare lit up above the crowd of followers catching their attention. Many were confused about the sudden appearance of a floating light, but they did not have much time to think about it before the first shell fell from the sky and made contact with the ground. The resulting explosion caught a cluster of the followers in the initial blast with a few more gaining injuries from the shrapnel and fire. Mere seconds passed before more shell's began to crash down onto the sea of robed individuals.
The black and white robes immediately became covered in dirt, sweat, and blood as the Pope's source of mana either scattered or were consumed in the chaos. Those that ran away didn't make it far before they were caught in separate blasts while those that remained prayed to be spared by the attack, only to be killed as well. The echoes of the blast's and panicked screaming could be heard by the Queen's forces who were still over a mile away.
While the Pope was distracted with the complete destruction of his force, Leo had Filo fly him to Balmus' position, catching him off guard. Using his shield, he jumped off Filo and flew towards the Pope, slamming him in the face and sending him to the ground, his weapon being released from his hand. With his weapon gone, Pope Balmus barely got to react before the first punch found its way onto his face.
From there, Leo began to repeatedly punch the robed man over and over again. Blood poured from his broken nose and the cuts in his skin that were made from the broken glass of his glasses. After nearly a minute, Leo finally stopped and stood over his work. The Pope was left as an absolute mess as blood and bruises covered the man's face. Even then, Leo couldn't help but let out all the anger and frustration onto the one man who caused Leo's entire downfall to begin with. Raising his foot, Leo sent one hard stomp to Pope Balmus' broken face, shattering his skull and damaging his brain, killing him.
Shaking himself out of his rage filled state, Leo stumbled and fell backwards while breathing heavily. Looking at the corpse, he did one final insult in the form of lifting his balaclava enough to spit at the dead man before lowering it again. Leo closed his eyes and took in deep breaths once more, calming himself down. Bastard finally got what he deserved.
Eventually, the rest of Leo's party alongside the other three heroes and their parties regroup with Leo above the pit of magma. Some of the younger adventurers vomited at the sight of the Pope's face being bashed in, while others appeared surprised or, in the matter of Raphtalia and Rifana, grateful.
"Oh my gosh, did you really have to do this Leo? I mean, I know he was trying to kill us, but this is..." Itsuki trailed off, unable to finish speaking as he looked away. His face was slightly green as if he was also going to be sick as well.
Leo took a sip from his canteen before replying. "Lunatic gave me no choice. He's been trying to have me and my team killed for nearly a month now. I was just returning the favor, albeit successfully."
Ren slowly nodded at Leo's answer. "He did have it coming to him. I mean, what do you expect to happen when you try to kill the very person you call a devil? Personally, I would have probably done much worse if I got to him before Leo." Around them, some of the veteran adventurers nodded in agreement.
"Well, at least we beat him. I mean, we worked really well as a team out there, right guys?" Motoyasu asked the two teenagers and soldier. They simply gave him annoyed stares in response, unwilling to overlook the fact that he had tried to kill them only an hour ago. Grumbling at the looks, Motoyasu took a few steps back and sat with his party on a nearby rock.
Blood, dirt, bodies, mud, and holes in the ground covered the field that the followers once stood. While Leo and his party were in the midst of resting, the sounds of horses and marching could be heard coming from the west. Those that looked in that direction were met with the sight of a female sitting atop a horse with a countless number of knights standing behind her.
"...And that must be the Queen. Great timing your majesty." Leo muttered sarcastically as he stood up and began to walk over towards the now dismounting woman. The two individuals in power met halfway, a small pool of red liquid forcing them to keep a foot or two of distance. The Queen seemed shocked as she observed her surroundings, her wide eyes at having never seen so much destruction in one small area.
When the Queen faced Leo, she cleared her throat before speaking with a formal tone only attributed to royalty. "Hello there, Sir Shield Hero. I am Queen Mirellia Q. Melromarc, ruler of this country. It is a pleasure to finally meet you and your party, alongside the other three heroes of legend. I must say, I did not expect to meet under such circumstances." The Queen said as she looked around.
Leo gave Mirellia a quick salute before reaching out for a handshake, one that she immediately took up. "The pleasure is all mine, your majesty. As for all the bloodshed, that was simply us doing what we had to do in order to survive. If they want us dead, then we'll simply return the favor." Leo said as he looked back at the Pope's corpse for a second. "Permission to speak freely, your majesty?"
"No need to ask, Sir Shield Hero. We are all in the same situation, are we not? What is it you have to say?"
"First off, I would like to report that your daughter's are safe. My team and I made sure to keep Melty out of harm's way as much as possible. As for Malty… I suggest you do something about her and fast. She's been trying to make our lives a living hell for God knows how long, even going about lighting a forest on fire and blaming it on us! No disrespect your majesty, but you need to keep that girl on a very tight leash from now on. As for your husband? He's threatened my friends and girlfriend with death and has been hindering my progress since day one. He even barred us from using the Dragon Hourglass for our class upgrades. Again, I mean no disrespect, but your family is full of greedy, selfish, conniving bastards save for Melty." Leo said with a huff.
Queen Mirellia took everything Leo said as fact due to the reports from her shadows matching the details in his rant. "I understand your frustration, Sir Leopold. However, you no longer need to worry about my daughter and husband. I shall take care of them both once we all return to the castle. Speaking of which, you all must be incredibly tired after the fight. I will arrange some carriages for you and the other heroes, as well as your parties. We may talk more when we arrive, as I'm sure you have many questions. Until then, please, go be with your companions and rest." With a bow, Mirellia turns and makes her way back to her horse while Leo jogged back to the others.
"So, what'd she say?" Raphtalia asked Leo as he took a seat next to her.
Leo shrugged. "Not much. It was mainly introductions and me giving some details about what her family's been up to since she left. She was a bit surprised at the sights on the battlefield, although I can't say I blame her. If I suddenly found myself in a muddy wasteland covered in bodies, I would be shocked too. She wants us to come to the castle with her, said she'll explain more there." No sooner than when Leo spoke, a small convoy of carts and carriages pulled up nearby. "Guess those our rides. Come on everyone, let's not keep the Queen waiting." Leo said as he and his group got up and went to one of the four carts. His fellow heroes followed suit, taking seats in separate carts with their respective parties. With a command from the Queen, she, her army, and the four cardinal heroes were off to Castle Town, leaving one of the longest days of their lives behind them.
Do zwycięstwa! Za wolność! Dla Polski! - To victory! To freedom! For Poland