Strictly speaking, Ellen had no official rank.
Although she occasionally commanded a special unit tasked with handling the Gate crisis and was under the jurisdiction of the Allied Forces' headquarters, Ellen was not a member of the imperial army.
While she held the honorary title of the princess's guardian knight, that title held little meaning now that the princess had vanished along with the Demon King.
Emperor Bertus de Gardias of the empire had not granted Ellen any rank or affiliation.
“The Hero has arrived!”
“The Hero has returned!”
Despite her lack of rank, every soldier who encountered Ellen saluted her from a distance.
This applied to everyone, regardless of their position in the hierarchy.
Every single soldier, squad leaders, company commanders, and even those who held the rank equivalent to a general saluted Ellen with respect and admiration.
The fact that Ellen had no rank was inconsequential, as it would only have caused her inconvenience.
If she were given a mediocre rank, superiors would appear above her.
If a rank equivalent to a military authority was given, Ellen, a powerful combatant, would be called to attend various meetings.
While an honorary rank could have been granted, Bertus chose not to.
Without any affiliation or rank, Ellen had access to all military resources, could requisition supplies, and even conscript soldiers.
At that time, she had just returned from clearing out monsters near the marching routes and the areas surrounding the stationed troops.
Originally, Ellen did not wear the Holy Swords Lament and Holy Cloak Lapelt at all times.
However, since she began living in the military base where people could see her anywhere and anytime, Ellen started wearing Lament's scabbard on her waist.
Partially, this was to prevent soldiers from becoming overly excited upon seeing Ellen in person and rudely requesting to see the Lament and Lapelt.
But more precisely, she did it so that people could see her everywhere.
Just a glimpse of Ellen from a distance would significantly raise morale.
Understanding the implicit desire of the military commanders for Ellen to always wear and display the Holy Relics, even in non-combat situations, she wore them.
Those who reached the Master Class often preferred being lightly armed or unarmed, wearing only simple armor or carrying a weapon. With Aura Armor that was stronger than steel for defense, there was no need to wear restrictive plate armor.
Wearing the elaborate plate armor was in the same vein as proudly displaying the Holy Relics.
Of course, that did not mean the plate armor was entirely useless.
Although it wasn't frequently used, this was a ceremonial armor designed for Ellen to wear during official occasions by Adelia and her researchers.
An armor created solely for the Hero.
However, being ceremonial did not mean it lacked practicality.
The armor itself possessed tremendous magic resistance and numerous enchantments, including lightening its weight. It was a national treasure-grade artifact.
Nevertheless, it was still meant for show.
Ellen did not enjoy the attention she received.
The more people projected their hopes onto her, the more she understood the ultimate goal they desired.
The death of the Demon King.
Each time she sensed their hopes, Ellen felt as though someone was tightening a noose around her neck.
Everywhere she went, there were only soldiers and an army bearing the heavy responsibility of humanity's salvation. Among all these soldiers, Ellen carried the heaviest burden. Perhaps even more so than Saviolin Turner.
And so, Ellen was suffering from even more intense gazes and pressure than usual.
Fools, regardless of age, were ever-present.
It wasn't just the soldiers who loitered around her personal tent, wanting to catch a glimpse of Ellen's face whenever she rested.
Not only were there imperial soldiers, but elite troops and commanders from other regions and countries, including the vassal states, were all gathered as well.
In the early days of the campaign, there were even more commanders and knights who would come to greet her, boasting of who they were and from where, than there were tactless soldiers.
Ellen couldn't turn them away, so hearing of this situation, Saviolin Turner moved Ellen's quarters and issued strict orders not to let any outsiders in.
From then on, Ellen was not disturbed during her rest in the tent, unless it was for important matters.
In such a garrison, where Ellen's quarters were located.
Ellen handed the reins of her horse to a soldier, received a salute from the soldiers guarding the area to prevent outsiders from entering, and went inside.
A fairly unique and special area within the garrison's quarters.
Ellen thought this garrison area was better than others.
"Ah, Ellen. You're back?"
"Yeah. Adelia."
"You've worked hard, Ellen."
"Thanks, Louis."
Ellen nodded her head in response to the greetings of Adelia and Louis Ancton, who were carrying a pile of magical items.
This was the residence of the troops borrowed from the temple.
And further in, there was a garrison area for the troops of royal class origin.
Here, nobody called Ellen a hero.
That's why, sometimes, Ellen felt as if she had returned to a moment in the past that she could never go back to.
Not all the temple students were conscripted into the army, as not all of them had majors related to combat.
However, nearly all the students of the temple's royal class were conscripted, and except for the few who disappeared with Reinhardt during the gate incident, all of the royal class second-year students at the time were conscripted.
All of them had their own duties and roles, even if they weren't as prominent as Ellen.
"Cayer! I told you to charge the Arc Crystal!"
"I'm doing it! Can't I eat first?!"
"How many times do I have to tell you to prepare it in advance, since we don't know when we'll need it?!"
"Ugh, this tiny thing is always making a fuss."
"What? Tiny? Did you just talk back to your senior?"
"You don't even attend temple classes anymore, so what senior? Can't I call you my older sister?"
"Why would you call me your older sister, you brat!"
Ellen watched from a distance as Redina and Cayer, who had grown quite a bit in two years but were still like children, bickered with each other.
Redina, who possessed the talent of No Casting.
And Cayer, with the massive magical power talent.
These two had inevitably become battle partners for quite some time.
On one hand, Redina could cast magic without casting, but had a tiny amount of magical power, while on the other hand, Cayer had an enormous amount of magical power but couldn't cast magic.
So, ever since Adelia created a giant version of the Power Cartridge called the Arc Crystal, Cayer charged it whenever he had time, and Redina drew out the charged magical power to use magic. They had been maintaining this method for a long time.
The Arc Crystal was designed to extract mana from Cayer, who was inept at handling magical powers.
It was an artifact that only Cayer could use, and the inherent magical power within it was designed to be easily used by Redina. Adelia had originally created the massive artifact for that purpose.
Although it was too large to be carried around by hand, there was nothing better for defending the base against large-scale monster attacks.
Only those who had witnessed it firsthand could truly appreciate the spectacle of thousands of fireballs raining down from the sky and sweeping away waves of monsters.
No matter how much magical power the Arc Crystal held, Redina could deplete it in a short amount of time.
As a result, the Arc Crystal was always in a state of insufficient power.
In terms of compatibility of abilities, there were none better than the two of them, but their relationship grew worse the more they spent time together.
"Oh? Ellen's here?"
"Yes, senior."
Upon seeing Ellen watching from a distance, Redina hurried over and pointed at Cayer.
"Could you say something to that guy? I've told him countless times to charge up in advance, but he never seems to do it properly!"
"Hey, come on!"
Cayer glanced at Ellen in the distance, then angrily shouted back at Redina.
"I'm human too, you know! Stop treating me like some sort of magic battery charger!"
"Well, if you're not a magic charger, what are you? What else do you do besides embracing the Arc Crystal for a few hours? Is it so hard to contribute to battles like Ellen, or research, or anything else?"
Redina wasn't just teasing or scolding for fun.
She was genuinely angry.
"Do you know how many people died last time our defenses were breached? Is that so hard? What on earth are you doing? If you had charged up just a bit more, none of this would have happened!"
Cayer wasn't simply defending himself half-heartedly.
He was genuinely angry as well.
"I almost died several times during the last battle because of mana depletion. Are you even aware of that? You think I'm lazy? That I have nothing to do? Do you think you'd be able to do anything without me?"
This was a war against monsters.
People were actually dying, and Redina had to witness the deaths of people who couldn't be saved due to the insufficient power of the Arc Crystal.
Cayer, a prodigy of immense magical power, was not an endless source of power either. He had to wait for his depleted mana to recover before he could recharge the Arc Crystal.
Both were doing their best.
However, they couldn't help but be upset by the incidents that occurred due to their circumstances.
Their relationship was deteriorating.
And it was getting worse.
Finally, as harsh words began to fly, Ellen cautiously placed her hand on Redina's shoulder.
"Stop it, both of you."
"..."
"Cayer, let's go eat. Take a break for now."
"...Tsk."
With Ellen's intervention, the two stopped arguing.
Redina clenched her teeth and stared at the dirt floor of the garrison.
If only they could do a little more.
A little bit more.
They could have saved those who didn't have to die.
Because of such thoughts, Redina lashed out at Cayer, who could be considered her most crucial supporter.
Even though she knew it was foolish.
Redina eventually covered her face with both hands and let out a stifled sob.
"I'm such... an idiot..."
They both knew they were doing their best.
Yet they hurt each other with words they didn't need to say, due to regret
In the wake of someone's death, they exchange unnecessary words, wounded by regret and self-blame.
"…Redina?"
From afar, someone wearing the emblem of a Holy Knight approaches Ellen and Redina.
"Adriana…"
Having left the temple, Adriana had returned to the Order of Tu’an after the Gate incident and was now carrying out her duties as a Holy Knight.
Despite facing several issues, including allegations of collusion with the Demon King, Adriana had received a pardon, albeit reluctantly.
The truth behind all that had happened remained unknown, and it was both frustrating and saddening. Like everyone else, Adriana had sought a role she alone could fulfill and joined the war effort.
"What's wrong? Did you argue with Cayer again?"
"…"
Embracing Redina, who was suppressing her tears, Adriana looks at Ellen.
"Rest, Ellen. You must be the most exhausted."
"…Yes, senior."
Ellen watches silently as Adriana takes Redina to a tent.
Ellen knows that there is an indelible shadow on Adriana's face.
A person Adriana cherished, Irene's hound.
Ellen played a direct role in Loyar's death, and Adriana had been there.
Though she thought she deserved the blame, Adriana never held a grudge against Ellen.
War.
The war against monsters was breaking people.
This was no exception for the students of the Royal Class.
And Ellen herself was no exception.
Every Royal Class graduate had a role, even those who majored in non-combat studies. For example, Adelia, who had a non-combat major, designed the crucial power cartridges for this war using her unique talent. She continually produced improved versions of her invention.
In Kono Lint's case, though lacking combat skills, he teleported critically injured soldiers to the rear or moved troops onto the battlefield using spatial teleportation.
Even Ranian Sesor, with her musical talent, was tirelessly engaged in morale-boosting activities, such as conducting military band performances and providing comfort within the garrison.
Everyone had a role in the Gate incident, and each performed their duties in this final campaign.
Ellen had her meal at the public dining tent in the Royal Class garrison.
Though she could have eaten in her private tent, Ellen did not desire any special treatment.
As Ellen sat quietly eating, someone sat across from her.
"You're back, I see. Ellen."
"Ah... Yes."
It was Ludwig.
Thanks to Moonshine's effect, all of the Royal Class close combat students now knew how to do Magic Body Strengthening.
However, only Ellen had reached the Master Class.
Ludwig was also one of the four who had awakened their Magic Body Strengthening abilities on their own during their first year.
Ellen, Reinhardt, Cliffman, and Ludwig.
Each had their roles and, although Ellen's level was so high she usually undertook solo missions, Royal Class students typically formed teams based on the required personnel for their assignments.
Being from the temple and possessing exceptional skills, the Royal Class students usually worked together, creating a bond among them.
Though there were cases like Redina and Cayer, the students generally had a positive effect on one another when working together.
In such student-led combat strategies, two stood out among the close combat specialists.
Cliffman, who possessed combat talent, and Ludwig, who possessed physical talent.
The soldiers knew that Ellen's level had become exceedingly high, but they also recognized the incredible skills of the other two.
"When do you think we'll advance next?"
In response to Ludwig's question, Ellen ponders for a moment while chewing on a piece of bread.
"Perhaps about four days from now… I think."
"Four days… I see."
Ellen doesn't know Ludwig very well.
However, she knows him as someone with a cheerful demeanor and a pure innocence that could be somewhat infuriating at times.
But at some point, Ludwig stopped smiling altogether.
The horrors of war.
And the fact that the Demon King had been by their side all this time, unbeknownst to them.
Because of this, Ludwig lost his smile. He not only lost his smile, but his expression and eyes were filled with anger and hatred.
Not long after the start of their march.
During the defense of the garrison, Asher of B-4, a talent in holy power, died.
Since then, the light of hatred and anger in Ludwig's eyes never seemed to fade.
