Beyond a vast plain in the Land of Weaponry, the sun was setting and covering the land in dusk.
Birds flew about in the orange sky, singing their beautiful song.
Amano: “This is the best place to come after a hard day of training.”
Amano took in a deep breath as he brushed back his hair, still dripping with water.
Caliburn: “Yes… it feels great.”
The princes had been on a joint training expedition and now paused to rest at the river on their way home.
Amano: “It’s a little out of the way, but it’s better than going home caked in mud.”
Caliburn: “Even warriors can find it difficult spending all that time stuffed in armor. And anyway… now we get to see this beautiful view.”
Amano and Caliburn turned their attention towards the sky as the sun set.
Thor: “…the sky is too open.”
Prytwen: “Come on, don’t say that. We’re keeping watch, and besides, it’s important to take a break when you can, right?”
Thor: “…”
Even as Thor roughly took the wet towel that Prytwen offered him, he still obediently wiped off his own hair.
Amano: “You know, those two kind of look like siblings.”
Caliburn: “My older brother is good at taking care of others. He just can’t leave people like Thor alone.”
Amano: “I kind of get that. When I look at Thor, I always get this feeling of wanting to meddle too much.”
Caliburn: “Then wouldn’t you be more like his mother than a sibling?”
There was a teasing note to Caliburn’s words, and Amano frowned and looked troubled.
Amano: “Hmph… I’m pretty sure I’ve been told that before. That I’m too stubborn and I’m bothersome, so I’ve been a little worried about it since then.”
Amano meekly dropped his gaze, to which Caliburn shrugged his shoulders in defeat.
Caliburn: “I don’t see that as a bad thing though. When you compare my behavior and my brother’s, I feel like you’re just a bit more gentle than us Amano.”
Amano: “I’m a little relieved then if that’s how you see things Caliburn.”
Caliburn: “Apart from getting an honest answer, I think in situations like that it’s most important to listen to the person in question.”
Wringing out their soaked clothes, Caliburn and Amano smiled at each other…
Prytwen: “Heeey! It’s about time to head back to town!”
Prytwen, who’d already gotten out of the river, called out to the others as he adjusted his armor.
Thor: “Hurry up. If you all aren’t around, the soldiers tend to argue. We should discuss the results of our joint training when we get back.”
Caliburn and Amano lifted their hands in acknowledgment even as Thor glared at them, slightly petulant.
Caliburn: “Let’s go. Like Thor said, there’s a pile of things waiting for us that only we can do.”
Amano: “…yes, you’re right. We must protect our people from the threat of the monsters. And to do that, we have to continue to get stronger.”
The princes all carried different weapons but held the same belief in their hearts.
With the Monsteet Mountains dyed red in the evening sun at their backs, they continued forward with conviction.
END