Normally, if he heard his older brother teasingly call him A-Qiang, Lor'themar would have jumped up and protested.
But right now, his attention, along with Vereesa's and Lirath's, was fixed on the conspicuous, hideous scar on Charlemagne's face.
"Big brother, what happened to you..."
Only when he saw the shock and uncertainty on their faces as they stared at his right cheek did Charlemagne realize his scar had frightened them.
"Huh? You mean this? Consider it an imperfect by-product of our victory on this campaign. It's already scabbed over. It's nothing serious."
But Charlemagne's affected nonchalance did nothing to reassure the worried trio. Lor'themar's concern for his brother went without saying, but even Vereesa, who usually treated him coldly, and the mischievous Lirath actually cared a great deal about this older brother.
After all, they had all grown up together. Although Charlemagne had regained his senses only ten short years ago, he had always looked after them as an older brother during those years.
Lirath, the youngest Windrunner, had even sworn to himself that he would become an upstanding ranger like his big brother Charlemagne and support the Windrunner family.
Yet the older brother they had played with since childhood had come back from his very first campaign with a hideous scar. How could they accept that all at once?
Uh... something feels a little off. Someone, please lighten the mood!
Clearly sensing that the looks the three were giving him were becoming increasingly... strange, Charlemagne sincerely hoped someone would come along and break up this awkward atmosphere.
But when he glanced around out of the corner of his eye, Lianda had already said goodbye to Lireesa and vanished with a small group of mages in a dazzling glow of arcane magic using Teleport.
Meanwhile, that brat Xiao'en had already eagerly taken the wine offered by a ranger beside the road and begun gulping it down, while Liadrin was bestowing blessings on the elven children along the roadside in the name of the Holy Light.
Just as Charlemagne was despairingly about to resign himself to his fate, Sylvanas, who had been avoiding him all this time, spoke up and came to his rescue.
"...Charlemagne was injured trying to save me. If you want to blame someone, blame me."
"Second sister?!"
Under their astonished gazes, Sylvanas rattled off the whole story of how Charlemagne had been injured without so much as looking at him.
Looking at Lirath, whose gaze had turned admiring again, and Vereesa, whose expression was complicated, Charlemagne scratched his head helplessly.
"So don't look like that. I was only keeping my promise to you and Alleria. I couldn't let her precious second sister come to harm on her very first campaign. It's just a scar. For a male elf, it's nothing."
"Besides, I captured Halazzi alive myself and successfully avenged my humiliation. To me, this scar is a mark of honor instead. Don't dwell on it."
Lor'themar was the first to recover, giving his older brother a firm pat on the shoulder.
"I understand, big brother. In that case, I won't say anything more. You kept your promise, and that's something you should be proud of. I'm proud of you!"
Just as Charlemagne had said, Lor'themar also felt that the scar had become a symbol of honor, just like the scar their father had once had on his face.
Sigma had received that cut while rescuing a comrade, too. No one had ever mocked him afterward; instead, everyone had given him a thumbs-up and praised him.
While Lirath excitedly tugged at Charlemagne and asked him about the details of the war, the observant Vereesa noticed that something was off about her second sister's mood. She quietly pulled her aside and began asking after her.
"Second sister, what's wrong? You're not hurt, are you?"
Watching Vereesa feel her up and down, Sylvanas finally showed a hint of a smile and gently stroked her little sister's hair to stop her.
"I'm fine. I just feel I've really let Charlemagne and Alleria down..."
Vereesa pursed her lips. "What have you got to feel sorry for? Just like that guy said, this was him keeping the promise he made to us. It's an honorable scar. You don't need to feel guilty. I don't think our eldest sister will blame you, either. She'll be proud that her lover kept his promise."
The youngest Windrunner sister still somewhat resented Charlemagne for stealing her sister away, but deep down, she had also developed a little admiration for big brother Charlemagne, who had risked his life to keep his promise... just a tiny little bit, of course.
After returning from the battlefield to her family, Sylvanas finally let go of much of the complicated emotion in her heart and soon fell into conversation with her younger sister and brother.
Charlemagne, meanwhile, dragged Lor'themar off to find Xiao'en for a drinking contest. Their mentor would handle the subsequent handover and reports anyway. For now, they would follow the high elves' tradition of victory and celebrate properly!
At the lively victory banquet that night, even the normally dutiful rangers indulged themselves for once, just like their compatriots in Silvermoon City who lived in a drunken haze.
Tranquillien even ran short of wine for a time, forcing them to bring in special supplies from nearby Goldenmist Village, Suncrown Village, Windrunner Village, and other places.
Fortunately, with the rangers' triumphant return, the nearby residents had learned that their army had once again won a great victory over the trolls, and they all contributed their own fine wines without reservation.
Already thoroughly drunk, Xiao'en clung to a pillar and spoke to it in all seriousness.
"Let me... tell you, hic!"
"Your big brother... Charlemagne, he's this!"
As he spoke, he gave the pillar a thumbs-up.
"You brat... hic! You'd better make something of yourself, too. Don't disgrace your family, hic!"
His sorry spectacle made Charlemagne, who was still sober at the bar, cover his face helplessly. The tavern keeper, however, had seen it all before and merely laughed as he patted Charlemagne on the shoulder.
Meanwhile, Lor'themar, the intended recipient of that conversation, had unsurprisingly hit it off with Liadrin. As though they were destined for each other, the two had stared at one another in a daze from their very first meeting.
Charlemagne watched with interest as the two sat with a young priestess between them. That air of unspoken understanding made him see his wooden, inconspicuous younger brother in a new light.
Not bad, A-Qiang. When did you learn the ultimate skill of picking up girls without saying a word? Your big brother is very pleased!
Unfortunately, nothing ended up happening between them, much to the disappointment of Charlemagne, who had been sipping his wine and enjoying the show nearby.
It was not until the next day, after Liadrin had returned to Silvermoon City through a Portal opened by the mages, that the brat hesitantly approached Charlemagne to ask about her.
"Big brother... who was that female elf?"
The teasing grin on Charlemagne's face made Lor'themar squirm, but fortunately, his older brother with the mischievous sense of humor eventually gave him the details.
"Priestess Liadrin. She's the Earl's daughter. If you want to court her... you'll have to work hard!"
(End of chapter)