Chapter 377: Return and Departure Preparations

Valda lay on the bed without a single thread of clothing covering her. Like a surrendering soldier, she pressed the backs of her hands to the sheet above her head.

Years had passed since they began married life, but the concept of familiarity didn’t seem to exist for her. Even now, her spread fingertips tingled as if electricity flowed through them.

The golden eyes gazing up at her husband were, as always, filled with trust—the greatest motivation that made him strive to become a better person.

Moreover, Valda’s body was… how to put it? It seemed to physically manifest elements that her gentle spirit couldn’t express.

For instance, there was regal haughtiness. Her full bosom, impossible to conceal even while lying down, seemed forged from all the pride in the world gathered together.

“Thank you.”

“What for, all of a sudden?”

“Ever since you vowed to become my knight, you’ve always presented me with brilliant glory. The feat of slaying the dragon this time shines brighter than any jewel. I don’t think I’ve ever received so many envious looks.”

In truth, quite a few reactions were regretful. Though they had worked so hard to bring it down, only bones and hide remained.

-They say a famous feast has no food. The dragon is exactly like that.

-I’m fine with it. We can display dragon bones that leave everyone speechless, and Valda’s smooth ascension as elven queen was partly thanks to this creature.

-True, but materially speaking…

Compared to the Hydra hunt, where they had extracted everything from head to toe, the comparison was stark.

But for Eugene, who had also gained a portion of the dragon’s power, he felt no sense of loss at all.

One of the acquired abilities—thermal vision. This alone justified pouring a small kingdom’s annual budget.

It had been invaluable when rescuing Lasrandir, and useful now, spending pleasant time with his wife.

“Enough talk about work. More importantly, this muscle here seems knotted.”

“Mmm!”

“And here too.”

“H-how?!”

“Now I can see everything.”

Eugene’s fingers found the exact points of tension. He had always been meticulous in this regard, but now he had become a master masseur, a wizard of his craft.

‘My wife is a fascinating woman.’

But the one truly amazed was Eugene.

As a forest magician skilled in flower and herb extracts, perhaps that was why? In their countless nights together since marriage, Valda always brought new fragrances to her husband.

Like playing a new song on her body as an instrument. So no matter how many times he held her, fresh sensations always greeted Eugene.

“I feel my mind settling.”

“Running deep into the forest to rescue Lasrandir and Ostyre must have been taxing. I gathered herbs to release that tension.”

Eugene seemed to be leading, but upon coming to his senses, he would find himself acting spoiled in his wife’s arms—just like now.

Another characteristic of Valda on the bed was that her desire for physical contact intensified.

Squeeze.

Valda’s legs had already wrapped around her husband’s waist. Savoring his body temperature and weight in this position possible only on the bed—this was Valda’s favorite thing.

What made it even more peculiar was that all of this stemmed not from lust but from affection.

The dragon’s eyes already showed the red heat blazing in Eugene’s lower abdomen. But Valda only revealed the faint heat spreading from her left heart throughout her body.

Eugene felt the temperature conveyed from his wife’s inner thighs through his waist. It didn’t take long for his patience to run out.

*

That night, after spending hours in ecstasy.

Eugene walked through Vana’s realm in a dream. Proportional to the goddess’s growing power, paradise was transforming too.

The space that had felt beautiful but somehow empty was now filled with an indescribable substance.

The fragrance in a bouquet holding someone’s simple love.

The warmth of a mother embracing one who returned failed and exhausted.

The scent of a wheat field greeting a prosperous farmer through the wind.

The comfort of a sleeping bag welcoming an exhausted soldier after a long march and bath.

Those who desperately hoped for peace and rest—their desires filled this paradise.

This was truly divine power. Eugene, who prided himself on fearing nothing in the world, felt genuine awe at this moment.

“No matter how much poppy, mandrake, or magical potion one drinks. Last night’s sweet sleep can never be yours again.”

Eugene recited a line Shakespeare had written. A sentence that no amount of money or power could resist.

But here, it seemed possible. Happiness lost through wrong judgments, consigned to the past. This was a land of serenity that could hand it back.

“The name ‘paradise’ seems insufficient to describe this place. No word fits better than ‘heaven.’ I bow to you who cultivated this.”

Eugene offered a formal bow, and Vana responded with a lady’s etiquette. A golden skirt, composed of matter that didn’t exist in the mortal world, spread gently to both sides.

“What brings you here?”

This wasn’t the first time Eugene had been invited by Vana. Before major battles with warnings, or when valuable tributes arrived and she wished to share joy with her knight.

“You said you had questions?”

Vana’s expression mixed joy with confusion. Like receiving a gift that was shipped without being ordered, with herself as the recipient.

“This is also a token of gratitude toward you. Why not simply enjoy it?”

It was the faith offered by knights and retainers who had enjoyed board games in the Moving Castle.

-This card has a golden front? What does it say?

-Goddess Vana blesses your journey. No matter what curse, trap, or ambush you face, you may safely avoid it once.

-Ooh!

The Moving Castle’s board games included lucky cards of this type. Eugene had designed them all as divine grace, and the embodiment was naturally Goddess Vana.

The Moving Castle was a place where spiritual power easily materialized, and also Vana’s first temple.

-Thanks be to the Goddess!

Though close to an exclamation during play, it contained 100% sincere emotion.

It became both prayer and offering that truly reached the goddess. Vana was wide-eyed at the high-quality faith sent by those who weren’t even believers.

“I didn’t expect this either, but it’s wonderful.”

Knight and goddess crouched side by side, watching the first resident of heaven. It was a baby black eagle, flapping and hopping cutely.

Born from the faith of believers combined with the knights’ strong passion, it had been forged as a divine beast.

-My warriors will support you.

The divine beast support troops Carlach had sent at Oncalo Monastery.

-Worship! Our god, pleased with the offering, has sent his knight!

The hellish giant summoned by heathen priests at Laira Monastery.

Powerful gods each had their own messengers and guardians. This baby black eagle was likely a similar concept. For now, freshly born, it seemed it would lose in a fight with sparrows—but still.

“Since ancient times, birds have often served as divine messengers. But using the king of birds, the black eagle, is surprisingly rare. Everyone will be pleased. A messenger befitting the goddess’s dignity.”

This divine beast, being from another dimension, would face many restrictions manifesting in the mortal world. For now, its main task was growing rapidly—alongside this paradise, just past the crawling stage.

Vana, moved, held out both hands, and the baby black eagle hopped into them.

Even this young, it seemed to know its mission well. Perching on Vana’s shoulder, it wore a solemn expression. Threatening? Not at all—just cute.

“Goddess, I’m counting on you. You’re the final line of defense.”

Pip!

Vana was delighted. It was the first divine beast she had welcomed since her birth as a sacred being.

War, victory, harvest, alcohol, courage, revenge, anguish.

Look at these illustrious domains. From the ancient era of barbarism to the present, where minimal morality had been established, they had always been loved and desired.

For those who once fought to the death over a single meal’s worth of food, tolerance was a virtue beyond consideration.

Vana remembered the despair of drifting between oblivion and forgetting, losing all her believers. She never imagined fate would turn so dramatically from that turning point.

Filled with satisfaction, Vana introduced the ripening fruits.

“They’ve grown so much. Last time I visited, they couldn’t even compare to flower buds.”

A god’s garden without an orchard would be lacking. Walking with Vana on the soft soil, Eugene’s consciousness gradually blurred. It was time to return to the mortal world.

The last scene Eugene remembered was Vana placing grapes in a basket. Perhaps on his next visit, he might taste the divine drink.

*

By the time spring arrived, all matters in the Great Forest were concluded.

Monsters displaced from their original habitats by the dragon simply wanted to return. They had no intention of confronting Eugene’s mighty suppression army head-on.

Thus, wherever the army marched, victory followed, and relief supplies arrived in villages through restored routes.

“There were several attacks, but not a single one breached the village walls.”

“Glad to be of help. But these creatures’ mission ends here.”

Eugene released all the watchtower plants guarding the Mushroom Village’s courtyard.

“With the summoner leaving, relying on a single control artifact is too dangerous.”

The Mushroom Village elves were sorry to see their sturdy guardian go but accepted quietly.

No matter how useful, they were fundamentally otherworldly creatures—creatures that craved the flesh and blood of the living. Becoming dependent on them might bring unforeseen disasters.

“Have you been lonely all this time? From now on, we’ll serve Her Majesty the Queen.”

“They’ve all treated us like family, so I wasn’t lonely. But your sentiment pleases me.”

Open-faction elves from the Avarim and several chief families joined those departing together.

The primary purpose was to serve Valda, but also to learn about the changes in the outside world. There was no safer, more comfortable opportunity to gain dense information than the Moving Castle.

Now, all that remained for everyone was the return home. Everyone’s faces looked joyful.

Visiting elven territories where humans had never been permitted, being honored, slaying a dragon, exploring the legendary mithril mines.

Whether children or friends, they had stories to tell with pride for the rest of their lives.

“Who knew not having to pack could feel this good.”

“Just being free from seasickness is enough.”

Moreover, there was no exhausting return march as there would have been normally.

“Returning to Britainia from here. How terrible it would have been by the normal route.”

At a knight’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.

As for luggage, they simply threw it into their assigned quarters from the start. Packing heavy loads, loading them, dealing with conflicts, sometimes luggage getting swapped or stolen.

All elements that could ruin an expedition’s conclusion were omitted as they set foot on homeland soil. This was also why knights participated in high numbers under Eugene’s mobilization order.

“Did you stock up enough goods?”

“Of course. Iron was scarce here, so they traded quite generously.”

Everyone had stockpiled elven goods that commanded premium prices outside. What profits they would fetch when sold to Britannian or Gord merchants was beyond imagination.

“I even sold my sword to squeeze everything in.”

“No, as a knight, that’s a bit…”

“What’s the problem? There’s no chance of encountering pirates on the return voyage. As soon as we reach Britainia, we can buy swords in Haven. Look at this color.”

The disarmed knight displayed a blue-green ceramic piece. Even to an art novice, this intricately inlaid ceramic was a treasure worthy of admiration.

“If I sell this, I could buy twenty swords and still have change.”

“…What if it breaks?”

“We’re not sailing on a ship—we’re flying on this castle. No worries.”

Those who had thought, ‘As a knight, I can’t dispose of my sword,’ began showing regretful expressions one by one.

With iron scarce in elven lands, if they had offered their swords, they could have received rare treasures. Knights who went all-in during investments awaited their return laden with honor and wealth.

*

After the Moving Castle returned to Haven, a proclamation was announced that would shake the world.

The long-isolated elven nation had a new queen crowned, forming a royal alliance with Britainia. In some ways, it was even more shocking than Rome’s civil war.

“When I became king, they didn’t put in nearly this much effort?”

“It must mean they covet elven trade goods that much. Until now, ‘mysterious treasures’ referred to items from the Eastern Empire, but they can’t compare to elven goods.”

Eugene seemed tired of the congratulatory letters and gift offensive sent to Valda. Even families who had suffered at his hands during the battlefield were no exception.

The elven nation was that attractive a trading partner, and everyone strained to open channels.

In some ways, Eugene was in a similar situation. Just as others sought new trade partners, he desired routes to new worlds. The crystallization of that dream stood here.

“Ships turn out to be quicker to build than expected.”

“We’re nearly complete. With Your Majesty’s support in material and financial matters, we’ll be done soon.”

Otto spoke with a proud expression.

Before them stood a majestic sailing ship. The unknown land beyond the western ocean—the time to send an expedition there was approaching.

The unknown world, cut off by storms, serpents, and mermaid temptations—what lay beyond?

Otto and his subordinates, along with the Vargian warriors who had joined Eugene, their eyes sparkled with the desire to etch their names in the glory of a lifetime.