In these times, where the grand magic of mass teleportation is essential for supplies, letters are considered somewhat of a luxury item.
Still, letters arrive at regular intervals.
For the soldiers on the battlefield, receiving letters inquiring about the well-being of their families can provide a significant boost to morale, as it allows them to remember those they are fighting for.
Of course, considering the size of the army, the number of letters inquiring about loved ones could be so large that it might disrupt the delivery of other crucial supplies.
Under normal circumstances, that would be the case.
Regrettably, a significant number of soldiers have lost the families with whom they would have exchanged letters.
Therefore, the number of arriving letters is small, and ironically, due to their limited volume, the high command can occasionally deliver them.
After Ranian Sesor's performance had ended, Heinrich headed to Lint's barracks.
The letters had already been sorted by recipient.
In the barracks were Kono Lint, Heinrich, Cliffman, and Erich de Lafaeri.
As usual, Cliffman was coldly tearing open his letters one by one.
"Where's Cayer?"
At Lint's question, Erich shrugged.
"He's probably hugging the Ark Crystal. He said he can't come and that he'll sleep there tonight."
The Ark Crystal – a large-scale magical energy storage artifact.
Although Redina nagged him daily, Cayer felt responsible for the only task he could do.
Although they missed each other, neither shirked their duties.
However, they couldn't help but resent each other, even though they knew that it wasn't the answer to blame one another in unavoidable circumstances.
The best duo, yet they can't stand each other.
"Then I'll just deliver these to him."
Kono Lint picked up a few letters for Cayer, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Whoosh!
Reappearing from thin air, Kono Lint no longer held the letters in his hand.
He had teleported to the Ark Crystal, handed the letters to Cayer, and returned.
"Wow, you've really grown."
At Erich's words, Kono Lint grinned.
"Indeed, I have. Even I can see that."
At Kono Lint's words, both Erich and Heinrich laughed.
Gone were the days of the weakling.
Having moved beyond the era when only naked teleportation was possible, Kono Lint's abilities were now free of penalties.
"Anyway, you've got the most letters this time."
At Lint's words, Heinrich took a seat.
Heinrich had received the most letters.
An almost suspiciously large number.
Most of the letters on the table were not from their families.
Neither Kono Lint, Erich, nor Cliffman had any letters from their families.
Their hometowns had disappeared due to the Gate incident, so there were no letters from family members.
Although they hadn't all witnessed their families' deaths, at some point, they had to accept that their families were gone from this world.
Their grief and anger were buried deep within their hearts, but they didn't bring it up.
Yet, there were letters in front of Erich, Kono Lint, and Cliffman.
Among them, Heinrich had received the most.
Erich grinned, arms crossed.
"It's only natural that the guy who saved the most people gets the most letters."
These were letters from the people they had saved.
"No, if you really want to compare, I've saved a lot too! Killing monsters is difficult, but nobody can match me in rescue missions."
At Kono Lint's words, Erich chuckled.
"Well, I know that, but it's natural to be more shocked by the sight of a monster horde being burned to death right before your eyes. You move so quickly that people don't even realize they've been rescued. Wouldn't Heinrich be the more impressive one?"
Kono Lint sighed deeply, picking up an envelope.
"...You're right. Darn."
At the Royal Class garrison, Heinrich was the officer who received the most letters.
Not Ellen.
The number of letters addressed to Ellen was so overwhelming that they weren't even delivered.
Even if Ellen were to receive them, she couldn't possibly read them all, and if they started delivering the letters, it would cause disruptions in the transportation of other supplies. The letter delivery office even had warnings posted that letters addressed to Ellen could not be sent.
That's why Heinrich, who was next in line in terms of fame after Ellen, inevitably received the most letters.
[Hello, Heinrich. You may not remember me, but I'm Seria. You saved me in Aristol last year. I sent a letter before, but I'm not sure if you received it.]
To be honest, Heinrich couldn't remember the faces of those he had saved.
There were just too many.
However, when they mentioned the region, Heinrich could vaguely recall what he had done there, how many people had died, and how many he had saved.
Those who sent letters were children, adults, and even soldiers who had once fought alongside Heinrich.
Most of the letters from soldiers were from those who could no longer participate in battle. They had suffered life-threatening injuries and had become disabled due to not receiving timely treatment.
They would send letters wishing Heinrich well.
Some would send letters periodically, not just a single greeting.
Although Heinrich didn't know their faces, he would remember their names.
There were times when he couldn't spare the time, but when he was based in the Empire, he would occasionally make time to send replies.
The contents of the letters varied, but ultimately, they were all expressions of gratitude and well-wishes for Heinrich.
Heinrich usually tried to read all the letters that arrived in front of him.
Having witnessed so much death, he sometimes felt despair, wondering what the meaning of it all was. These letters would remind Heinrich that what he had done was not meaningless.
So, just as they found hope in Heinrich, he found hope in these letters.
That they could somehow continue to live.
That they could somehow survive.
And so, Heinrich would read the letters with a solemn expression.
Kono Lint and Erich read all the letters that had arrived.
Erich, too, had been someone who was just a little stronger than others at the beginning of his admission, not particularly pulling his weight.
But talent.
Only a very few people with talent could be admitted to the Royal Class.
Talent was rare.
Erich had no choice but to accumulate a vast amount of practical experience, in addition to a growth enhancer called Moonshine.
As a result, Erich de Lafaeri acquired combat abilities and divine power comparable to those of a high-ranking knight of the Holy Knight Order.
They were the chosen talents from across the continent.
It might have been natural for such talent to grow so quickly. It was perhaps inevitable for someone to achieve a level that would take decades of bone-crushing effort in a short period.
Furthermore, Erich's growth rate to reach the level of a high-ranking knight in just a few years was actually average within the Royal Class.
Compared to Ellen and Reinhardt, everyone else's growth rate seems painfully slow. After all, these two are beings of a different dimension, incomparable to anyone else.
One is a hero, the other a demon king.
Excluding those two, there are a few individuals within the Royal Class who have exceptionally fast growth rates.
A prime example would be Cliffman, who received the most letters after Heinrich, or B-11 Ludwig.
Both of them had awakened their Magic Body Strengthenings on their own before the Gate Incident. With the assistance of Moonshine, they have both reached the cusp of the Master Class.
Their refined power and magical abilities indicated that they might reach the Master Class before the year's end.
There are others, like Delphin Izzard, who awakened a completely new power: the Spirit Arts.
Scarlett, for example, was highly regarded as a top-level power, although not quite on the same level as Ludwig or Cliffman.
With a stern expression, Cliffman read all the letters and carefully tucked them away.
"I'll be going."
As Cliffman tried to leave the barracks, Lint called out from behind him.
"Hey, how long are you going to keep going solo? It used to work, but now we move with the army. There are limits to acting alone."
"..."
At Lint's call, Cliffman remained silent in his place.
After a moment, Cliffman spoke tersely.
"Alone is better."
"No matter how confident you are, that's not wise. You might really die."
"Maybe..."
Cliffman murmured quietly.
"It's always worked out somehow. It'll work out in the future, too."
Leaving those strange words behind, Cliffman left the barracks. Kono Lint stared at the entrance and laughed bitterly.
"I'm worried he'll really die in some tough situation like that..."
"Leave him be. In my opinion, his talent is supernatural."
Erich sighed deeply at Kono Lint's words.
"I do think that, but..."
Cliffman, a combat genius.
The purpose of his talent is victory.
Achieving victory somehow is the function of his combat talent.
"I would be scared to lead a unit, too, if I experienced returning alone after all my comrades died several times."
"Well, yeah, but..."
Combat is always unpredictable.
Unforeseen situations may arise, and there are experiences of facing far too many enemies, or encountering extremely unfair opponents.
During the long, arduous time dealing with the Gate Incident, countless units were annihilated, unable to cope with these variables.
Cliffman killed numerous monsters and saved many people in response to the Gate Incident.
And countless times, he faced unexpected situations.
His comrades were wiped out, whether they were with him or led by him. There were even operations where he had been with Master Class members.
There were times when he faced a large number of enemies and times when he encountered extremely powerful foes.
Cliffman faced life-or-death situations numerous times.
But each time, he somehow survived.
Even when people much stronger than him were slaughtered, Cliffman managed to kill the monsters, crushing, tearing, and annihilating them, emerging alive on his own.
As for who killed the most monsters, opinions vary.
It could be Ellen, or maybe Saviolin Turner, or even Redina.
But when asked who performed the most miracles, the answer was always Cliffman, not Ellen.
Both Ellen and Cliffman always achieved victory.
However, the process was different.
Ellen was always stronger than her enemies.
The enemies' attacks couldn't penetrate Ellen, and her Void Sword easily tore through the monsters' flesh.
But Clifman was different.
Clifman had often faced foes who were stronger than him and beyond his abilities.
Yet, he still emerged victorious.
He always returned, grasping the gruesome results of victory.
But many times, his comrades did not return with him.
Thus, Clifman started to move alone at some point.
If somehow winning was his talent, and if that talent only protected his own life,
there was no need to be with someone else, he argued.
If some supernatural power beyond talent dictated this ability to fight and always emerge victorious, he would stand alone on any battlefield.
He would somehow bring victory.
So, he didn't need comrades.
That was Clifman's claim.
Of course, the royal family and the high command didn't blindly throw Clifman into any battle, relying on his supernatural power. They wouldn't risk their certain resources on an uncertain force that might lead to death.
Therefore, Clifman moved alone.
It was important that he always accomplished what he could with his abilities, but Clifman also managed to accomplish the impossible.
In the battlefield where even those far stronger than himself perished, Clifman would somehow resolve the situation and return.
Everyone agreed that among the Royal Class, Clifman had an extraordinary talent.
Of course, everyone watching Clifman felt the depression and despair that seemed to carry death on his shoulders.
Clifman returned to his quarters, and Heinrich read the remaining letters he had received.
Kono Lint and Erich chatted together, as they had already read all the letters sent to them.
"What should I name the kid?"
"...What nonsense are you talking about?"
"No, there's a girl who sends me letters every month. She must like me. I don't remember her face, but she must be a girl."
"...What do you expect me to say?"
"Should I say, 'Let's meet after the war'? If I reply, 'Let's meet,' she'll agree, right?"
"She might agree... But why don't you change?"
"People die when they change carelessly."
Kono Lint still had some of his old habits.
Heinrich chuckled as he read the letters, overhearing their conversation.
Wasn't it a good thing in this situation that they still had their immature, old selves?
Before he knew it, Heinrich had only one letter left.
It was a strange letter.
Most letters had the sender's name on them, usually names that Heinrich couldn't remember.
The recipient was Heinrich von Schwartz.
But the sender:
[From a friend.]
It simply said, "friend."
Heinrich didn't have any friends outside the garrison.
Puzzled, Heinrich tore open the envelope.
Curious about the contents, he thought it was sent by someone claiming to be his friend.
But upon reading it, Heinrich's eyes widened.
It wasn't a message of gratitude for the rescue.
Nor did it explain who the friend was.
[Your siblings will kill you.]
The letter contained only that single line.
