Arifureta: From Whelp to Dragonlord (ON Hiatus)

Part 46: Respite

After Keiji and the others departed from the plaza, Shizuku administered the holy water to Kouki, and remarkably, he recovered in no time.

The puppet soldiers under Eri's control, numbering up to 500 individuals, were reduced to ashes. Subsequent investigations unveiled the existence of magic formations crafted from colossal magic stones buried on the Kingdom's outskirts, which seemed to be the clandestine method allowing Freed to transfer his military might.

In a grim revelation, it became apparent that Eri's puppet soldiers had successfully eliminated the King and other influential leaders. Consequently, the throne of the Heiligh Kingdom now lay vacant. During the tumultuous aftermath, Liliana and the secure Queen Luluaria took charge of the Kingdom's reconstruction. Once the dust settled, it was anticipated that Prince Randell, also confirmed safe, would ascend to the throne.

A primary source of the widespread confusion stemmed from the conspicuous absence of communication with the church. Despite the astonishing turn of events in the Kingdom, unease and mistrust permeated the populace due to the church's conspicuous silence during and after the war. Unbeknownst to the citizens, the entire church hierarchy had been obliterated in the explosion at the head temple. The new king grappled with questions about how the citizens would react if this truth came to light.

Rumors circulated that the pillar of light that annihilated the Majinzoku's army was a manifestation of "Ehitto-sama's" condemnation, further strengthening the followers' faith. Hajime contemplated spreading rumors attributing the miraculous event to the "Goddess of Fertility," but Keiji suggested an alternative to keep their sensei out of the rumors.

Amidst the chaos, people grew curious about the church's absence and contemplated ascending to Kamiyama for answers. However, the pressing demands of the Kingdom's reconstruction left little room for such inquiries. The only means of reaching the head temple, the lift, had been halted, and the sole option left was flying on Keiji's back.

As events unfolded, five days elapsed since the betrayal and the tragic deaths of their friends during the Majin invasion. Suzu, having been close to Eri, faced less scrutiny, but those ensnared in Eri's madness, especially Nakano and Saito after Hiyama and Kondo's demise, grappled with profound emotional wounds.

In light of the traumatic events, Liliana implored Kouki and the others to contribute their strengths to the Kingdom's reconstruction as a means of recuperation. However, with Keiji's party yet to reappear, their minds frequently drifted back to that fateful day.

All members of the front lines and Ai-chan bodyguards should have known of the sinful powers but they still didn't know of the overwhelming power of the pillar of light which annihilated the large army, once again, they were forced to feel their difference in power.

Because Kouki and their classmates knew of that, they took on less shock than the stay-behind group. Although they heard of their combined power from the returning members, they now knew that they had only understood 1% of it all. Anyone and everyone could do nothing but be concerned about Hajime, Keiji, their comrades, and Kaori whom they took with them.

And the remarkable one was Shizuku. Although she's doing exactly what needs to be done, once in a while she'll stare off into the distance with eyes that seem to be looking for something in her heart. It was clear to everyone that she was thinking of Kaori, the classmates who witnessed Kaori's death were unsure of what to say about it

From the talk that Keiji had with Shizuku, it seemed to have been something about Kaori coming back but, they were skeptical as the task of reviving a dead person was likely impossible and because of that they weren't able to comfort themselves.

They suspected that it was probably something just like how Eri did, she'll be brought back as a doll, in that case, it was easy to imagine that Shizuku would become further damaged because of that, especially Kouki who had always cautioned himself as he watched Hajime and especially Keiji.