I honestly didn’t know too much about camaraderie, but if there was one thing that I learned, it was that it made my ass sore as hell.

I’d been stuck on this damn four-legged devil of a horse’s back ever since five hours ago and all I can say is that it’s been the most hellish experience of my life.

Even when I was traveling with Lucrezia and Antenora during our journey to rescue Aurelia, I had seldom actually ridden on horseback. Instead, I simply walked.

I mean, I was already way faster than a horse, so there really hadn’t been much of a point in mounting up. That is, until now.

For some reason, the concept of “camaraderie” was quite important in the Ardene Kingdom. Rather than something that was seen as more of a formality, it was a rule that had to be rigidly adhered to even if it would be more inefficient to do so.

It wasn’t as if the people of the eastern tribes had no sense of morale or bond between the troops. Far from it, in fact. 

Although this war had undoubtedly claimed many lives and was a violent affair altogether, it also allowed me to bear witness to a great number of friendships that were forged not only on the battlefield, but also in the camps as we rested our battle-weary bodies before the next encounter.

What was foreign to the eastern tribes was unity. While they understood it as a concept, they really only experienced the feeling of working as one nation when fighting under the banner of the Demon Lord.

However, the people of the Ardene Kingdom had always been united under a central figure and government, working together to enrich the country and stave off the attacks from the east. To them, unity was something that was ingrained deeply into the culture, and perhaps even the core of their beings.

It was only through the strength of their unity and collective hatred of the eastern tribes that they managed to overcome the massive gap between their inborn combat capabilities and potential for war.

But unlike the unity of the eastern tribes that existed only during wartime, this unity of the humans lasted through times of trouble and times of peace. Like a collective soul, it bound them and allowed the Ardene Kingdom to reach greater heights.

In fact, this feeling of camaraderie that insisted on moving forward as a combined entity instead of a mass of individuals was what kept Liandra from simply teleporting to where I was when we reunited.

In short, there was nothing that ranked greater than that unity amongst the people of the kingdom. That was why King Alexei had insisted on this mounted excursion with the army that we had been fighting against only just hours ago.

If we were to win the hearts of the kingdom’s people, we’d need more than just the king’s word. We’d need to show them that we were willing to treat them as allies.

And so, I found myself being forced to ride with the rest of the kingdom’s forces despite my impatience that was steadily growing.

“How much longer ‘til we’re there?” I asked, probably for the thousandth time that day. The Sun was already starting to dip below the horizon which seriously put a damper in my plans.

I’d been hoping to simply dash over to the shrine that Alesia had told me about and rendezvous with Radeca there. We’d make our preparations as we waited for Alesia and Antenora to arrive, and then we’d face that damned “God” and see this journey to a close.

I could feel that I was nearing the end of this chapter. A new beginning was close, whether that involved my eternal oblivion or whether I managed to save this world, I knew for a fact that things were about to change drastically.

And so, with this feeling that was eating at me from the inside far worse than a swarm of butterflies in my stomach, I certainly wasn’t imagining that I’d be wasting time here and plodding along on horseback.

Plus, it wasn’t like the unpaved roads and uneven movements of the creature were doing me any favors. With every second that passed by, my irritation only heightened.

“How many times must you ask that insufferable question, Ryuuko?” Alexei raised an eyebrow as he turned his head in my direction. As expected of someone well-versed in politics and appearances, his horse trod alongside mine to emphasize the nature of our newfound alliance.

“As many times as I need to, I guess.”

The king heaved an exasperated sigh, shooting me a withering gaze. “Truly, I wonder what happened to the fierce warrior who managed to defeat me despite Eisenwight being within my hands.”

“She got stuck on the back of a horse for five hours when she could’ve been doing somethin’ way more important.”

Again, the king sighed.

“It’s ‘boutta be six.” I quipped, causing King Alexei’s right eye to twitch in annoyance. He clearly wasn’t sharing the same mirth that I was, but who cares?

He deserved to experience some misery after pretty much keeping me glued to this damn saddle. We only had about two rest stops since we started marching and the next rest wasn’t due until an hour later.

“U-Um! Maybe we could play some kind of game together while we ride! I-It would help relax the tension b-between the soldiers if they saw too, right? Ahahaha...” Priya interjected just as the king drew breath to respond to my quip.

Normally, interrupting the king would’ve been a gross mistake, especially for someone like Priya who wasn’t even an officer and only rode with such close proximity to us because of her friendship with me, but the king didn’t seem to mind at all.

In fact, he was actually pretty receptive toward the idea and we spent the rest of the trip playing a bunch of card game variations using the set that Priya had brought along.

The silver-dusted moon dangled high in the sky by the time I saw the beginnings of the shrine appear over the horizon.

Cast in moonlight, its pointed roof and gothic-style exterior gave it something of a sinister look in the surrounding darkness. The area around the shrine was empty, containing only flat land peppered with perfectly cut grass.

There, standing before the shrine’s arched gates was Radeca. Beside her stood a familiar figure whose brilliantly blonde hair flowed beyond her shoulders like liquid gold.

At that very moment, I knew that this was it.

This was the point of no return.