Dad is now Daddy â someone pointed this out, and âdaddyâ does make more sense than âdadâ in the context of this chapter (because of its childish and sexual connotations).
Northern Barbariansâ Great Attack â I changed âAttackâ to âInvasionâ as it was an invasion and not just an attack.
After defeating Sisioth, the story went as Jude had expected.
First was the reason why the Guardians of the Holy Cross and Count HrĂŠsvelgrâs knights were here.
The Guardians of the Holy Cross had detected the awakening of the demon and thus dispatched some of their troops. As for Count HrĂŠsvelgrâs troops, they were the second unit dispatched after the annihilation of the first unit that was dispatched first, as Jude had predicted.
âWe entered Frost Anvil to obtain the Sunflower and were attacked by the Devilâs Hand. But we were able to get the demonâs real name and the restriction technique from them. These were the things they used to control the demon.â
It was Judeâs smooth response to Joanâs question on how he knew the real name and the restriction technique. He did not forget Count HrĂŠsvelgrâs knight either.
âI apologize that weâve caused a lot of trouble to Count HrĂŠsvelgr. We obtained the Sunflower and my illness has improved, so weâll be going to Count HrĂŠsvelgr ourselves to talk about what had happened and ask for his forgiveness.â
Phil Reiner just nodded his head at Judeâs words that he said effortlessly again.
Because he had nothing else to say to Jude.
âAfter all, they were not the knights who were looking for me and Cordelia.â
From Philâs standpoint, Jude and Cordelia were their benefactors who suddenly popped out and saved them. He was just grateful and had no such dissatisfaction towards them.
So he was just thinking of finishing things up and going back to Thunderdoom, as he really didnât have any idea on what to do with Jude.
But Joan seemed to have different thoughts.
âMr. Bayer, would you like to come with us?â
It was an invitation to the Guardians of the Holy Cross.
In the original story, it was an event that occurred after being involved with the Guardians of the Holy Cross several times, but Jude shook his head for the time being.
âGoing to the Guardians of the Holy Cross is good, but we have to do something about the Northern Barbarians event first.â
They also had to save Lena.
âI think we should visit Count HrĂŠsvelgr first. I would be handing over the restriction technique that we got, so Iâd like to postpone our visit to the Guardians of the Holy Cross for now.â
ââŠI see. Our side will contact you again then.â
Joan said with a look of regret, and with that, their talks were over.
âYes, thatâs the plan. Although youâve already told us some thingsâŠwe still need to do some investigation ourselves.â
âI understand. Then Iâll be going back. Have a good night.â
After finishing his words with a smile, Jude left Philâs tent.
âHmmâŠthe morning on the day after tomorrow.â
It wasnât bad. Rather, it was even a perfect time.
Jude nodded alone as he looked inside the tent.
There was a new tent added to the several existing large tents set up here.
âBut Iâm glad.â
Because none of the soldiers were dead.
Although there were some victims from the Guardians of the Holy Cross, it was good to say that they did quite nicely in fighting against the enemy.
Of course, listening to their story, the sacrifices were already significant.
Particularly in the case of the Guardians of the Holy Cross, six out of nine died, and only three survived, as many people died while trying to seal the movement of Sisioth.
However, it could be said that they were still fortunate.
When Sisioth went on a rampage in the original story, dozens of people from the Guardians of the Holy Cross and nearly a hundred soldiers died.
âHuuu.â
But counting people by number also made him feel bitter.
Jude thought of the old days for a while, sighing before he headed to the tent where Cordelia was waiting.
âIs that you, Daddy?â
As soon as he entered the tent, he heard Cordeliaâs cute voice.
She was lying down on a camp bed, with a bandage around her eyes.
Jude reflexively looked around, before saying in a small voice.
âHey, hey, what are you going to do if itâs not me?â
âUhâŠwouldnât that be bad for both of our reputations?â
âIâm kidding, Iâm kidding. I knew that it was you.â
âHow?â
âUmmâŠjust by feeling?â
âThatâs quite consoling.â
As Jude spoke with a sour face, Cordelia burst into a giggle.
âAnyway, did you have a good conversation?â
âYes, I did well. Rather, are you all right?â
âIâm all right. Iâll be all right. The Guardians of the Holy Cross also took a look at me earlier, and they said itâs just a little strain.â
The White Snakeâs Evil Eye.
It was Cordeliaâs newly acquired power in Frost Anvil.
Even though it was a low-ranking demon, it was powerful enough to overpower the demon who was at its peak and running wild.
âBut stillâŠâ
Later on, if Cordeliaâs mana becomes stronger, she could use it without difficulty, but for now, it was too much for her.
Moreover, it was a skill that causes strain not only to her eyes but in other parts of her body too, so he couldnât help but get worried.
âDonât overuse it.â
âOh my goodness, are you worried about me?â
âYes, Iâm worried.â
As Judeâs voice became serious, Cordeliaâs lips cringed for a moment before she snorted.
âHmph, the sun will rise in the west tomorrow.â
âHey, isnât your face red now?â
âNo, itâs not red at all.â
While saying that, Cordelia lightly touched her cheeks.
Jude smiled a little again before he approached Cordeliaâs side. Then Cordelia, who felt his presence, suddenly sat up and fumbled in the air as she said.
âUm, Jude.â
âYes?â
âCome over here and hold my hand.â
âHand?â
âYes, my hand.â
Jude wondered on what was going on all of a sudden.
However, Cordeliaâs expression was quite serious, so Jude approached without complaint and grasped Cordeliaâs hand.
âIâm holding it.â
âYes, I caught it, you bastard.â
Cordelia suddenly raised her voice, pulled Judeâs hand, and she began randomly hitting Jude with her empty left hand.
âHey! Hey! It hurts! It hurts!â
âIt hurts when I hit you? Hey, did you think I wouldnât know? Youâre the one who got the last hit, right? Right?â
âN-no!â
âNo sh*t!â
Even though she couldnât see, her combat sense remained, so Cordelia hit him exactly where it hurts.
âH-how?â
âBecause the feeling was vague.â
âFeeling?â
âYes, thereâs a unique feeling when I get the last hit, but it wasnât there.â
At Cordeliaâs words, Judeâs face became blank.
Feeling.
He couldnât believe she noticed it just because she didnât have that unique feeling she usually got when she dealt the last hit.
âCordelia, youâŠâ
âWhat about me?â
âAre you an animal? Are you not a human?â
âWoof! Woof!â
Cordelia barked like a dog and hit Jude more, and Jude was convinced. He didnât know if there was anything else different, but he was sure that Cordeliaâs feeling (instinct) was on the level of an animal.
âHaa, moving on. There is one more thing I wanted to say.â
Cordelia said, having been tired of hitting him for some time, so she lightly stretched her shoulders and let go of Judeâs hand.
Jude quickly removed his hand in reflex before he asked.
âWhat is it?â
âDonât do that from now on. And donât even think about giving up the last hit.â
âCordelia?â
âBecause itâs a real fight at stake. Defeating the enemy is definitely more important than anything else. Do you understand?â
ââŠokay, I understand.â
Jude nodded at her unthinkable maturity, and Cordelia laughed again.
âOf course, that doesnât mean that I will give up aiming for the last hit. I will gain it with my own hands.â
The way she grinned and clenched her fist was very charming.
As Jude unknowingly stared at her blankly, Cordelia pretended to notice something with her unique feeling again.
âWhy? Did you think that you fell in love again?â
âNo, I never fell in love in the first place though?â
âYes, Daddy. If you insist.â
Cordelia laughed as she lied down before continuing her words.
âWhat happened to your talks anyway?â
âThey said we would be leaving in the morning the day after tomorrow.â
âThen weâll have to run away tomorrow night at the latest?â
âThatâs correct.â
They couldnât go back to Count HrĂŠsvelgr now, even though he had sweet-talked in front of Phil.
âThe great invasion of the Northern barbariansâŠâ
There were still a couple of months left until the start of Judeâs main scenario, but it would be too late to wait until then.
Jude and Cordelia were going to twist Judeâs main scenario, âThe Northern Barbariansâ Great Invasion,â from its very roots.
âWe can do it.â
At this point, intervention was still possible.
The development of the main scenario was as follows.
A land of barbarians existed across the border guarded by the Jackdaws.
The barbarians who lived there werenât actually one.
They were divided into dozens of large and small tribes, among which there was a tribe called Angry Bull.
A tribe that is neither weak nor strong, and whose power is just in the middle.
On a blizzard day, a prophet covered in rags visited the Angry Bull tribe and said.
âA great king will come from the Angry Bull. He who will be king, receive the power of the great one and sweep the world.â
The chieftain of the Angry Bull tribe accepted the words of the prophet with a mysterious power as correct and prepared the requested ritual to receive the power of the great one.
âIt was a story where the Angry Bull tribe that had grown so strong, unified the barbarians under one leadership and moved southwards, right?â
âYes, the prophet was a demonic follower, and starting from the Angry Bull tribe, all of the northern barbarians were corrupted by the power of the demonâŠit was such a story.â
Even in the whole Legend of Heroes 2, it was a very important event.
Not only did the invasion brought down the northern borders of the SĂ€len Kingdom and killed countless people, but it also sprawled demonic followers in every corner of the world.
âThe Devilâs Eye.â
They were the group of demon followers who were behind the prophet.
If the Devilâs Hand served Asmodeus, the great monarch of lust, the Devilâs Eye served Belial, the great monarch of corruption.
âIâve been thinking about it in the past, but donât you think the names of their organizations are too roughly named?â
âYouâre not the only one who feels that way.â
Because it wasnât just the hands and eyes of the devil.
Among the groups of demon followers that will appear in the future, there was also the Devilâs Mouth and the Devilâs Horns.
âRegardless, the best way is to prevent the invasion itself. In other wordsâŠâ
âWe prevent the unification of the barbarians itself?â
âYes, thatâs correct.â
The barbarians had to be unified first before they could invade.
And the way to prevent the barbarian invasion was simple.
âWe need to create an opposing force that can compete against the Angry Bull tribe.â
âItâs quite simple.â
âWell, if you start from zero, attempting it would honestly be difficult, but you also about know that, right? The fact about the unfortunate hero.â
âRed Windâs father.â
Red Wind was the only barbarian among the playable characters.
Red Storm, her father and the chieftain of the Great Storm tribe, was an outstanding hero who was not corrupted and resisted the demonâs temptation to the very end.
In the original story, he faced a tragic death when he was still alive.
So they needed to keep him alive.
They would make him stand tall as the hero of the barbarians who would confront the corrupted barbarians.
âIf we succeed, we will be able to drastically change the flow of the original story.â
âThatâs exciting.â
Just imagining it was quite satisfying.
Moreover, they also had a very desperate reason this time.
âBecause if it followed the original story, my father and her father will die in the great invasion too.â
Count Bayer and Count Chase.
Jude recalled the two people for a while, especially Count Chaseâs face, and he clenched his fist.
âWe must save them.â
âYes, we have to save them. We will be able to save them.â
When Cordelia nodded with a bright face, Jude suddenly grasped Cordeliaâs hand again.
âIn order to do that, there is something that is absolutely necessary.â
âWh-what is it? Is it something that we can do by holding hands?â
âNo, itâs not that.â
Jude withdrew his hand and brought his face closer instead as he said.
âTo save Red Storm, we must cross the border and head to the land of the barbarians.â
âI know, in order to do that, we must meet Red Wind who had secretly went south in search of a drug to cure Red Stormâs illness.â
Cordelia answered as she slightly moved her head away from Jude, while Jude immediately continued.
âYes, so in order to do that, we have to get out of here first.â
At this point, Cordelia had no choice but to notice it.
What Jude was trying to say to her.
Or rather, what Jude was claiming to be necessary now.
âWait, wait, wait, wait.â
âYes, wait.â
âYou need a letter now, donât you?â
âWe canât just vanish into thin air, right? We have to leave a story about being healthy after eating the Sunflower.â
âOkay, good. Up to there, I can understand. But this time, I donât necessarily have to be the one to leave it, right?â
âWell, thatâŠâ
âBesides, Iâve already left a record, right?â
âAhem, ahem, itâs just as you say.â
As Cordelia had said, it was not necessary for her to leave a letter.
âActually, your reputation is almost established and irreversible already.â
âHmm? What?â
âNo, itâs nothing.â
With a shameless smile, Jude said to Cordelia who tilted her head.
âWell then, shall I write it this time?â
âYes, you write it. You must write it. Okay?â
âWellâŠthen. Iâll write it this time.â
âHehe, how exciting.â
He should try it too.
Cordelia smiled so brightly, and Jude shrugged with a poker face.
And the day after tomorrow.
As planned, the two had escaped from Count HrĂŠsvelgrâs camp and stopped for a moment on a snowfield devoid of other humans.
âGood, good. In a little while, people will find the letter, right?â
âYes, they will.â
It was a letter from Jude.
The contents were as follows.
âDear Lord Lucas,
I will further continue my honeymoon trip with Lady Cordelia, whom I dearly love more than my life. Please do not worry too much, because Iâve gotten healthier from eating the Sunflower.
We are also very sorry to have troubled Count HrĂŠsvelgr because of our reckless behavior.
P.S. I am really happy now.â
As Jude recited the contents of the letter with a wretched face, Cordelia excitedly jumped from her spot.
âSo good, itâs so much good.â
âIs it so much good?â
âItâs so much good!â
âWell, I didnât know that you love me so muchâŠâ
âWhat is this crazy bastard saying?â
T/N: Pun again. Jo-ta (ìąë€) can both mean âgood/niceâ and âin love with/fond of.â
âWell, moving on. If the Madam is satisfied, this Dolswe is simply happy. There is a long way to go, so let us hurry up.â
Jude who had spoken so far in a splendid acting like that in a play, began to take the lead afterwards.
And Cordelia thought as she looked at the back of such a Jude.
âSomething isnât right.â
It was what Cordelia herself had expected.
âArenât you coming?â
âIâm coming!â
Cordelia yelled at Jude who was already far ahead, as she pouted her lips before hurriedly stepping forward.