THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

"But…how?"

"What happened to you, man?" Willhem comes over and grabs my arm as I was falling. I didn't even notice I was that exhausted.

"Hey!! We are moving!! The soldiers are here!!"

"Kriekk!!"

Out of nowhere, the scenery comes back to me. I see soldiers from the eternal army fighting the Longinus, weren't they supposed to leave us? Willhem puts me on K'nor's back and they all start running among the Longinus and the soldiers.

"Kevin!!" I also hear Farner's voice.

"Don't worry, he will be okay!!" Willhem reassures her and we continue. But continue to where? This is the place where I have to be. If you guys are alive, then I can fight with hope. With the hope that there will still be people to greet me when I come back..

"Damn body…" I move and fall from K'nor.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

The mercenaries come back to me. My vision is still a bit blurred. Maybe because of the tears or the fatigue. In any case, my Angas has replenished enough. I heal myself and everything returns to normal. I can see properly now. Was it from the loss of blood maybe?

In front of me now are all the mercenaries who I left. Willhem, Hendrick, K'nor…Everyone is here. Even the old Davy.

"Kriekk!!"

As Longinus attacks us, they all turn around and start defending. Right, this isn't over yet.

"Sigh…Can't even enjoy a single moment of peace and quiet here."

I stand up then fly above the battlefield. There aren't that many Longinus left nor are there many soldiers as well. Did they get killed while waiting for us? Then it is only right to avenge them, right?

I take another crystal but as I put it in my mouth.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Excia comes flying to me. I almost I am not the only one able to fly.

"What am I doing?" I fire a bullet at a prator.

"You guys have done enough. You can retreat. We will cover you." She fires three arrows and pierces through a sloin completely, shattering him even.

"Kriekk!!" A kirsurk appears and we both aim at it but before we can act.

"Orah!!" Gnoll number 1 slices it in half. Farner actually just sliced a kirsurk in two. With a single stroke of her sword which is shining brightly.

"See?"

Excia looks at me from the corner of her eye.

"I will fight."

"Sigh…You." She kills a vanguard with her eyes closed like it is no big deal. "Then you better watch out."

"I will."

***

Finally, after about an hour, we have cleared out all the Longinus. There is nothing Longinus-like anywhere anymore.

I sit on the ground and wipes the sweat from my face. I can't say I am tired or anything but fighting while thinking K'nor was dead made me feel really empty.

"Woof!!" And here comes the winner. K'nor jumps on me and starts licking my face like we haven't seen each other in years. Now that I think about it, this was the second time he saw me this wound, right?

"Okay, okay. I got it. I am sorry." He seems really happy. Maybe there is something else.

"Are you okay?" The heroes then arrive, together with Samson and Lanuvel. Not just them, Rebecca and doggy are here as well.

Farner first comes then gives me a piece of cloth. I take it then wipe my face off with it.

"As okay as I can be, I guess. Where is the commander?" Their faces change to a darker expression when I ask that. So he is dead, huh? Well, that's what he gets, I guess.

"He went back to the camp." Eh?

"That fucking bastard." Hm…Miss Lanuvel, you shouldn't curse, you know. Roxcia will certainly smack your head now.

"He certainly is one despicable man." Miss Roxcia? What happened to the no swearing rules?

"Don't worry. I will handle it once we go back to the camp. For now, help me tend to the wounded." No, no, no Saintess. First thing first, what happened to the no swearing rule? Shouldn't Lanuvel receive a good smack on the head right now?

"Yes, Saintess."

"Hey-"

"As for you, I guess you don't need to be healed, correct?" Rebecca cuts me off before I can speak. So that's it? Just like that, Lanuvel gets away after swearing? This is unfair!

"If it is by you then yeah, I don't need it."

"Good. We can proceed with the others then."

"Bring those who have been heavily wounded first! I want a team to find the remains of those who have died!! Now, move it!" In a matter of seconds, doggy organize the after-war procedures and the soldiers move like ants.

Rapidly, wounded people are assembled before the saintess and the heroes. There are people with missing limbs, punctured eyes…I even see a guy with two missing arms. He seems to have fainted and is breathing heavily as well.

"I will take those with the most severe injuries. Please, you guys will handle the rest."

"Yes, Saintess!" The heroes all answer then start healing people one by one.

Rebecca goes to the guy with missing arms first and starts healing him. She is sweating a lot, proof that the battle was a hard one on her as well. But still, she goes on. Seeing Farner struggling with her healing, I walk to her and help.

"What?! What are you doing?!"

"Don't you help?"

"No, I can handle this! You go and rest! You were wounded as well."

"Don't worry about me." I pat her head and she goes beet red.

"Hm, excuse me." Can't you read the mood? You fucking soldier.

I look at him and he is already alright. Though, his arm didn't come back.

"I-I am okay so…"

"Right."

Just like that, I find myself helping with the healing of the people. There is no more need for crystals and I don't think it would be a very good idea to put one in my mouth right now.

After twenty minutes, we are done and everybody who was wounded is now looking more or less alright. It depends on what you would call alright.

"Since when did you become an altruist person?" Roxcia comes to me with a frowned face.

"A what?"

"Sigh…Altruist. It means somebody who loves other people without interest. Which is the very opposite of you."

"Huh…" Am I supposed to answer or?...

"She just meant to say thank you." Farner comes and places her hand on Roxcia's head. But her sister shakes it off rapidly.

"I didn't."

"Can't you just tell him you are happy he did it?"

"I wasn't."

"Liar. I saw you glancing at him." Roxcia turns red as well.

"I-I never!! Are you stupid?" Before she can run away, Farner embraces her sister and sticks her cheek to hers.

"Ahaha!! You are so cute when you blush like that."

"Leave me alone, you dimwit!" Roxcia tries to act all bashful but it is true that she looks happy for once. It would seem I have done some good to change.

***

"Huh…The fuck?" Yep, couldn't have phrased it better, muscular woman.

Once we arrive at the camp, the group of soldiers encircles us. The soldiers who fought with us don't look surprised nor do the heroes or Rebecca. Do they know what is happening?

"I see that mercenaries are as stupid as I thought." The commander finally appears, he walks past the soldiers and stands in front of us.

"Hm…So those are the survivors. There is an awful lot of them. How did you guys do?"

"We have found the item you were looking for." Davy brings out a black book. Wait. Wait, wait, wait.

That's…That's my book. This worn-out cover, I am sure of it. That is the book I used back then. I lost it with my bracelet, right? So Tatiana's lackeys found it? But what were they doing with it? I don't recall that it had anything about Regas, though.

"Oh…I see." The commander advances to Davy and takes the book. I read his mind and then use Disperse to reach the old man. The next moment, a sword passes right before his neck as I yank him backward.

"Wha!!" The commander seems surprised by the quickness of my actions. So do the soldiers who almost shudder.

Davy falls on his butt next to me while I look at the commander with curiosity. I didn't think he would have such a plan. To eliminate us right after we bring the book back. That's a rather bold move considering the Saintess and the heroes are there. Well, I can understand since it is the pope's order. I wonder what that old fart has in mind.

"What are you doing?!" Farner's voice resounds like thunder as she lands before the commander. Rebecca and doggy come as well.

All the mercenaries behind me are silent. I can feel their desire to fight though. If a fight breaks here. I wonder if I can kill all the soldiers present right now.

"Heroes, it would be better for you not to interfere." He calmly sheathes back his weapon. Meanwhile, Davy stands back up and touches my shoulder. When I look at him, he simply does a thumb up.

"It's nothing."

"Soldiers!! To arms!" At the commander's voice, even more soldiers come out and round up. Yup, we are having a fight.