Vol 5 Chapter 54.1 – Final Chapter: A Journey of Love and Youth【Vol 5 – What Happened After】

And so, on departure day.

Koshion and I, dressed in traveling gear, were walking toward the capital’s outer gate.

The capital gates opened at sunrise, so we planned to depart accordingly.

“No one’s seeing us off.”

“Yeah. I told everyone beforehand that seeing us off wasn’t necessary.”

“I see.”

Still, I thought at least Shion would come to see us off. And Yuna-san too.

Well, they were both busy people after all.

When we reached the outer gate separating the capital from the outside world, unexpected people were waiting.

Not Shion or Yuna-san as I’d anticipated, nor anyone from the Succubus Knight Order or First Knight Order.

Standing there were the king and prime minister.

“…Huh…?”

That alone was unbelievable, but something even more outrageous happened.

When the king and his companion recognized us approaching, they performed a full dogeza right there on the spot!

“Wh-what the…!?”

This was the third time the king had bowed to me.

But the previous two times were at most deep bows with bent waists.

Well, even that was plenty abnormal.

But oh no.

This time, both of them were pressing their foreheads into the ground, grinding them in—a full-force dogeza!

“What are you two doing!?”

“…We have absolutely no right to ask this of you… We understand that completely…!”

“Huh?”

“But still, we dare to beg you! Please, please remain in this country!”

“What do you mean!?”

They’d asked something I never expected, and I reflexively questioned them.

Then the king, his forehead still pressed to the ground, said:

“If you leave this country, our military will collapse!”

“What are you talking about!? You’re overestimating me way too much, and besides, you have Shion and Yuna-san. The Succubus Knight Order members have all grown splendidly, and the First Knight Order is—”

“I see… You haven’t heard anything yet.”

“Huh? Heard what—”

Just as I tried to press further, gong, gong—the gate-opening bell rang.

The bell that rang at sunrise, announcing morning.

At that signal, the capital’s outer gate slowly began to open.

“What!?”

Outside stood a fully armed knight order, lined up on both sides of the street.

Both sides were filled with faces I recognized.

On the right stood the Succubus Knight Order members.

And on the left, the First Knight Order members stood in perfect salute.

Leading them with beaming smiles were Shion and Yuna-san.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Master! Let’s get fired up and go!”

“I don’t understand what you mean, Shion!? Where exactly are we going!?”

“What are you talking about? Obviously it’s the ‘Ultimate Training Journey with the Strongest Master.’ Right, Yuna-san?”

“As Senior Disciple says. When Master declared in the castle that he’d take his disciples on a training journey, I nearly collapsed from joy.”

“That logic makes no sense!?”

“No, no, Master, nothing’s illogical about it.”

Given that I’d said I was leaving the country for training, it should be obvious I couldn’t take Shion and Yuna-san, who were the nation’s most important figures.

So obviously “disciple” meant only Koshion—anyone should understand that.

But apparently, such common sense didn’t apply to these two disciples.

“In fact, as Master’s first disciple, I must receive thorough, intimate guidance from Master while supporting him and showing the other disciples the difference in our levels—working as Master’s right hand!”

“Think rationally! People with knight order duties can’t just go on training journeys!”

“That point is perfectly fine. Right, Yuna-san?”

“Indeed. Master’s concern is understandable, but Senior Disciple and I slammed down our resignation letters last night, so there’s no problem.”

“What did you slam down!?”

“We initially tried submitting them properly, but the king refused to accept our resignations, so we had no choice. Oh, and I told the knights behind us, ‘Only those with the strong resolve to receive Master’s guidance even if it means getting fired should submit their resignations and follow.’ Well, the entire knight order ended up slamming down their resignations.”

“The First Knight Order has collapsed without me noticing!?”

“So, Master! We’re no longer knights, just your disciples!”

“Which means we can train wherever and however much we want, with no problems!”

“That’s not okay at all!?”

Not okay at all—in fact, it was massively problematic.

No wonder the king had come pleading.

If I left the capital like this, Succubish Kingdom’s military power would certainly be halved—maybe even reduced by eighty percent.

After all, the two pillar female knights Shion and Yuna-san, plus the previous Imperial Tournament champions the Succubus Knight Order, and the elite First Knight Order would all completely disappear.

More than that, if word got out that Princess Shion, the Demonbane Princess Knight and symbol of this nation’s protection, had vanished, panicked citizens might even riot.

“Um, well, you see…”

As I desperately searched for words to convince these idiots, Shion and Yuna-san nodded at each other with obvious delight.

“Master, didn’t you know? Succubi are very devoted. Right, Yuna-san?”

“As Senior Disciple says. Once we decide to devote ourselves to a man, we maintain that vow for life. That also applies to master-disciple relationships.”

“So, Master, we’ll never let you go, so please give up. Master can train wherever and however you want, but I’ll always be by your side.”

“Unlike Senior Disciple, I have more dark elf blood than succubus, but I swear here and now with Senior Disciple: As Master’s disciple, I will train with him for life!”

As the two disciples pressed closer and closer, I could only look up at the sky and shout:

“Succubi are terrifying!”

A Certain Military Analyst’s Recollections

In modern military science, it goes without saying that knight orders composed of succubi are the strongest.

However, looking back through history, this fact was never common knowledge.

Rather, the many characteristics of succubi now considered advantages were seen as flaws, and for a long time succubi were labeled an inferior race unsuited for military service.

What overturned that historical perception was a single knight order.

The world’s first Succubus Knight Order, later called the “Shion Knight Order” after its commander’s name, won victory after victory with unmatched strength, laying the foundation for what would become the thousand-year empire known as the Succubish United Kingdom.

However, the circumstances behind the Succubus Knight Order’s creation remain shrouded in mystery, considered the greatest historical mystery, continuing to perplex historians and provide daily sustenance to creators even now.

Recently, one academic paper gained attention.

The paper claimed that the famous knight order advisor known as Commander Shion’s master was the catalyst for its founding.

Incidentally, “Commander Shion’s Master” is synonymous with invincibility, omnipotence, and the ideal superior—a historical figure known to everyone in our nation. Because he’s far too great, recent research suggests he either didn’t historically exist or represents a composite of multiple historical figures’ episodes.

According to that theory, he knew an Eastern tale called “Manju Scary.”

And when he told Shion “Succubi are scary,” that became the catalyst for everything…