They had done it.
The White Whale was no more.
The beast that had laid waste to the world for centuries had been slain.
But although all of then wished to go back and rest and celebrate, they could not do so now.
The reason was the same man who had done the most contribution in the battle.
Hedin Haverill, the 'End of the Night,' 'Beloved of Spirits' and 'The Unstoppable Spirit Current.' They still needed to take care of the witch cult lurking in the Mathers Domain, as per his request.
That's right. Hedin had already gained titles from the mouths of the people present. His power that turned the night into day and made it seem as if a new sun was rising was particularly striking - earning him the title, 'End of the Night.'
But more than that, his power to draw out the spirits and use them like an insurmountable ocean of colours to weigh down the whale had earned him not one, but two titles - 'Beloved by Spirits' and 'The Unstoppable Spirit Current.'
'Unstoppable Spirit Current' was more to his personal tastes.
Aside from the Names Generals and Three Pillars, no one else had any titles in the Order of the Hunt. Part of it was because in the influence of glory, the power of a title was not only in words. It could be maginified to the extreme, turning into a legitimate true name that symbolized a part of their 'authority' that they could then 'share' or even 'gift' to others as part of the glory of humanity.
The people under them could then, as if they were borrowing power from history, present or the future, could similarly use the 'shared authority' and exercise greater power than individually probable.
'Probable' as a hunter theoretically could climb through the power ladder indefinitely so long as glory was kept in use.
And so, he allowed himself a moment of pride, even though this feat amounted to nothing in his own history as a hunter.
He could count 2 missions where he had almost died if not for his dozens of colleagues helping up. In comparison, the White Whale was easy.
Of course, it might also be because I've gotten so much stronger here. If I can keep growing like this, I don't doubt that I'll be able to go back to my world and significantly impact the battle against the great ones.
Regardless of how he had received the title, glory would still be unable to magnify it unless he himself willed it so. And with his current capabilities with glory; he was quite a long way off still.
Thinking of the almost unreachable goal of the 'Three Pillars of the Order,' Hedin could not help but sigh in his heart.
He looked towards the army.
Just now, they had had a small regrouping and strategy meeting.
Wilhelm was going to come with them as one of the main combatants.
Aside from him, Crusch would be sending one hundred other soldiers while the rest would travel to the capital instead of the Karsten Ducal Estate to proclaim victory over the whale. They would later send another group along the Lifaus Highway to take the body of the white whale and bring it around as a showcase of glory and victory in battle and to solidify their claim as a candidate.
Of course, Emilia was supposed to be present during this as the face of her camp who aided in the defeat of the whale.
Hedin saw through his ravens' eyes.
The village had not completely been evacuated yet. Considering the short notice, it was good that Roswaal had already took care of more than half of the village population, which actually included the children and the elderly in majority.
They had been taken to the sanctuary, or whatever that place was. It was situated some distance off from the mansion; that was all Hedin knew.
The rest; a group that was about 75 in number were to be transferred along the Lifaus Highway to Hanumas - a village that was in the dead centre of the entire kingdom and conveniently laid between the Mathers' Domain and the Royal Capital. Or at least that was the plan. The carriages had certainly been prepared.
The cult, strangely enough, although began to move, had not prowled too close to the village or the mansion. For now, they were watching with intent. It was quite clear they had seen the villagers beginning to evacuate and had become vigilant.
But 8 of them, as the ravens noted, had infiltrated the village as travelling merchants.
And so, with all of that information travelling through his head, Hedin looked at Rem and smiled softly.
Rem mimicked his smile.
Although she had been quite scared, her hero had pulled through in the end. And she held no doubt in her heart that he would do so again.
"Shall we depart?" Hedin asked offering her a hand. The sun rose behind his figure, shining light into Rem's eyes.
The maid squinted and tried to block the light with her hand. A small smirk was kept atop her lips.
"Hn!" With a nod of confirmation, she took his hand and they both hopped atop Patrasche and led everyone along.
...
Crusch watched Hedin's retreating back and couldn't help but feel at a loss.
It's a pity... She thought. A pity that a man like you have joined another camp. If possible, I'd have liked to have you all to myself.
Just then, she shook her head.
Stop having weird thoughts. She berated herself. Her head turned to the corpse of the White Whale and suddenly, her feeling of loss was instantly alleviated.
Indeed. She had gotten the best possible result.
The Whale was slain. There were minimal casualties and she had successfully gotten a step before the other candidates.
What was there to feel at a loss for?
Sir Hedin is truly mighty.
Thinking back to the ocean of all possible colours and the whale falling to the ground or simply disappearing into plumes of fog in the air, she suddenly felt a shiver go down her spine. The titles that her soldiers had begun to call him rang in her mind unbidden.
Unknowingly, her head turned back to the direction Hedin had gone in.
They were still visible over the horizon.
Some camps are naturally advantageous over other camps. But for Emilia camp, their public image will only improve to be on par with the others. Their natural reputation was not high in the first place. But the moment this strange variable was introduced, the odds have evened out.
Looking at it from another perspective, the gap between the camps with surely continue to grow... But I can't find myself believing that my own camp will be the one to lead in the end.
My initial judgement of you was correct.
"Let us hope everything turns out well. May the best camp win." Crusch closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Nya! Lady Crusch, let's head off as well!" Felix's voice broke her out of her thoughts. And soon, they too were on the road.
...
The sound of the carriage wheel and the ground dragons' padded feet mingled with Crusch's thoughts. The highway blitzed past them and the Flugel Tree had already disappeared into the horizon.
Felix sat beside her in the carriage. They weren't talking anything political. For the moment, Crusch was satisfied with merely celebrating her victory.
But then, an alarmed voice reached her ears.
"Lady Karsten!" The man controlling the ground dragon spoke. Crusch looked to the front.
"What is it?"
"A man's blocking the way!"
Crusch's eyes instantly narrowed and she sprang to her feet.
Sure enough, a man was standing far ahead in the distance.
His face couldn't be properly seen but he was wearing a white coat and had white hair.
"Who is that?" Crusch's eyes narrowed.
The ground dragons closed the distance in the matter of seconds and seeing as how the man had no intention of getting out of the way, Crusch swiped her hand and exclaimed.
"Run him over!"
The man flicked the ground dragon and the impact happened.
And then, Crusch found herself feeling a profound weightlessness.
"...w...hat..?"
Confusion began to fill her mind as her thoughts flickered in and out of focus like the morning mist. Crimson began to fill her eyes and instantly, she felt the earth rush up to meet her.
Booom!
The sound of explosions rang in the air.
Crusch looked up as she laid on the ground bleeding all over, eyes bloodied, right leg missing and her torso impaled by various wooden splinters.
High above, a black bird floated silently in the sky.
...