Conclusion of the War

Ellie sat up in a hurry. She didn't know what happened to her, or why she was lying down. All she could think about was how her body felt sore all over. Then, as if she was drawn by a force, she turned her head to the side. To where Aaushi was. Ellie's hands rushed to pick up the non-moving body, but her hands were too weak to support it, making the both of them fall back down. Eric rushed in to stop Ellie and to explain to her what had transpired.

"Eric?! What happened? I killed Gazef and I fell asleep, so what happened to lady Aaushi?! Did you kill her?!" Ellie was rather frantic and didn't even allow Eric to answer her. Eric was in no hurry, so he allowed her to calm down before he started to speak. Once she stopped talking, he said, "You didn't fall asleep. You died back then."

His words came as a shock to Ellie. The feeling of death. Perhaps the only one that knew about it in this world was Ed, and even he wasn't able to explain it. Ellie could only open her eyes and stare at Eric as if he was a madman.

"You blew your own legs away with your attack and ended up exhausting your QI. The Dragon's poison surged through your body with no QI around to stop it. Your heart stopped, and your body turned cold. I…I couldn't do anything." Eric explained to her the situation, but as it was an incomplete explanation, Ellie hurriedly asked, "Then how am I alive right now?! And why is Lady Aaushi dead?!"

Eric stopped talking for a while. He was thinking about the best way to let her know about how she was saved. He didn't want her to blame herself.

"You call her Lady Aaushi, why? Don't you hate the royal family?" Eric deviated from the subject by his question.

"Lady Aaushi was always a king queen. I hate the unjust Gazef, who pushed this kingdom to ruin. Also, my father used to mention how she was 'pitiful'. I've never understood why. What does this have to do with the situation?!"

"It has everything to do with the current situation. It was Lady Aaushi herself that saved you." Eric stopped after two sentences alone, trying to see how Ellie would react.

"She saved me? Why would she do that? And how could she save me when she's weaker than me?!" Ellie couldn't process what Eric was saying. Or she didn't want to believe it.

"It was her unique technique. She was able to take the damage that was done to you, and inflict it upon herself. She said this was her way of feeling alive for the first time since she was born." Eric noticed how Ellie looked at the dead Aaushi next to her. The smile on her face, which Ellie had never seen before, was brighter than the sun itself.

"Now I'll tell you her exact words to you." Eric then proceeded to let her know of what Aaushi had to tell her. How she wished for Ellie to watch over the kingdom, and how her parents' end was. Ellie didn't say anything. She simply allowed her tears to flow. If her parents were the one that gave her the gift of life, then Aaushi was the one that allowed her to keep it.

Ellie withdrew a potion that Ed had made and sprayed it all over Aaushi's body. The wounds on her body healed, turning her back into her normal figure. However, her legs, and the blood on her body didn't disappear. Ellie stood up, her legs still wobbly and unstable. She stored Aaushi's body in her spatial ring and waited there. Eric went back to the battlefield, announcing the news concerning the death of Gazef.

The soldiers of both sides stopped, as the winner was clear. Audun and Becky met up with Eric, and he told them of what had happened. Becky rushed to the castle, as she knew Ellie needed a shoulder to lean on.

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As Audun expected, reinforcements came from the other cities. They were greeted by their own kin and stopped at the gates of the capital. They were told of the situation, and while not many believed it, they had no choice but to follow the orders of Audun and those that won in the war.

Ellie and the leaders of her army met up with the leaders of the beastmen. Most of them recognized her as the daughter of Duke, and couldn't help but shy away from her eyes. Ellie seemed to be doing much better. She could walk normally and didn't seem as tired as before.

Ellie said, "I've done what I came here to do. I killed the tyrant, and now I'll leave this kingdom. You, and the people can choose who to lead you next." Her words broke the silence in that room, and that silence never returned.

"But, we'd like for you to become the queen!"

"That's right! You're the daughter of the duke, and no one from the royal family is fit to lead the kingdom! The people would love for you to take the throne!"

Many tried to convince Ellie, but all words fell on deaf ears.

"I won't do it." Ellie only had this to say to them.

"What do you mean by that?! It is your duty! How can you be so selfish?!"

"I am selfish, so what are you going to do about it? Where did this courage of yours come out from? In which hole was buried when Gazef was the ruler?! You dare to call me selfish when your stomach is bigger than this table?!" Ellie banged on the table where they were surrounding. "Where was your duty when you left people to starve?! You dare to talk to me about duty when you've done nothing about this kingdom?!"

The generals standing there all looked down at their feet. They couldn't refute her words.

"I will say this only this time. I will not rule the kingdom, but I will watch over it. So make sure you don't mess up, or I will appear before you…"

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Ellie and the others spent a month before returning to Avalon. During that month, they managed to kingdom while the people chose their king. Many tried to vote for Ellie but were bummed out when they found out that she was leaving. She left the kingdom along with the others after making sure that the people understood that they could look for her if the new king, a previous general, made any wrong choices.

Just as she returned to Avalon, in the south-western continent, a certain group reached a certain city, know for a certain sect that protected it.

"Stop! No visitors are allowed inside, please return." The guard said. However, he was astonished once the man leading the group showed him an insignia.