Chapter 116 – Female Knight
“I am. What the hell is this?”
Thanks to Netoru, Asuna had to work diligently to prepare weapons for training in the morning. Asuna had a lot to prepare for because of the operation that was due in a few days, so it was a nuisance to Asuna.
To put it bluntly, the current Asuna was busier than Rien. Once she crosses the border, it is difficult for her to expect proper supply. So from the beginning she had to be thoroughly prepared and go. But in the midst of that, she had to prepare for some unexpected sparring.
Anyway···.
When Netoru suddenly said that she was sparring with Ki, she wanted this to be something. The day of the operation is not far from now, so why are you suddenly fighting with the knight?
Now, I have no intention of doubting Netoru’s ability. She must have accepted because there was a chance. But the problem is that regardless of winning or losing, winning is a problem and losing is a problem.
Most of the knights Asuna knew were arrogant.
Well, since she’s a noble, it’s not strange to be honest, but she said that it wouldn’t do any good to create conflict for nothing. Besides, in a few days, she will be carrying out the operation together…
‘…Rien has a lot of hardships too.’
Recalling Rien, who should have been breathing heavily by now, Asuna smiled bitterly at her.
In fact, Lien, as her commander, tried to reject this couple. But she couldn’t. It was because Berléans, the representative of the knights who were to carry out the operation together, actively agreed to this sparring.
Although he is said to have returned from retirement, he was once the leader of the Knights. That’s why Rien couldn’t be easily ignored.
In the end, it was Rien who got into trouble in this situation.
Asuna, who was scratching the nape of her neck at the sight of her pitiful, unmatched friend, sighed and turned around. She intended to continue doing what she was doing. She still has a lot of work to do when she thinks of the operation she will be in in a few days.
But that was then. Suddenly, someone caught Asuna’s attention. It was Ceres who had been waiting in the hangar since earlier.
And next to her was a middle-aged man with gray hair.
Although it was the first time seeing her face, Asuna could easily recognize it. That middle-aged man was Berléans.
And he was the man who expelled Ceres from the Knights.
2.
Since Netoru said it was okay, she doesn’t doubt whether she won or lost. She’ll definitely come out victorious somehow.
However, I felt sorry for Karen. Because she suddenly, out of nowhere, got caught up in someone else’s fight.
Even if she was fine, Ceres couldn’t be at ease.
I wish I had a few more days. It was a moment when Ceres felt great regret about that fact.
“Long time no see. Ceres.”
…A familiar voice. Hearing it for the first time in years, Ceres was taken aback by the unchanging voice, then slowly looked back.
Then I saw a middle-aged man with gray hair coming this way. It was not much different from what Ceres remembered from years ago.
“How have you been?”
“···Yes. I was doing well.”
Ceres nodded his head. It was an honest answer without lies. So Berléans let out a big laugh.
“Is it? Good luck then.”
For some reason, Berléans seemed in a good mood.
But it wouldn’t be because he was happy to see an old member he hadn’t seen in a while. Keeping his eyes drawn in an arc, Berléans stared blankly at Ceres.
“By the way, I heard you have a good coupling partner here. When I met him briefly in the morning, my first impression wasn’t too bad. There aren’t many friends who train diligently from early morning.”
“·······”
. . . Train hard.
Ceres smiled bitterly at the thought of Netoru, who must have been sweating at the training ground early in the morning. He was a man I really couldn’t understand.
I wonder if Ceres had the stamina left to train from early morning after holding Ceres down like that at night until he was exhausted?
. . . The thought ended there.
During a conversation with another person, Ceres felt that his face was heating up because he wondered what he was thinking.
“…Is Lord Berléans all right?”
It was a dangerous injury to the extent that it could be said that it was God’s luck that he did not become paralyzed.
Thanks to this, it was Berléans who quickly completed the takeover and stepped down from the position of general manager.
…At least, that was the situation a few days before Ceres was expelled from the Knights. So when the name Berléans came out of Netoru’s mouth, I was very surprised.
“Haha. To be honest, I didn’t come back because I liked it. With a body like this, would you want to keep fighting? Right now, sitting in the cockpit for a long time makes my back ache. Even looking at it in a good way, I can’t say that my body is fine.”
“…But why?”
“What···. I couldn’t help it. Like the Queen who settled in District 7, and the situation with Prasionon this time around, even one more person needs to lend a hand.
“In other words···. He said he came back because things weren’t going well.”
“That’s it.”
No matter how positively you look at it, the situation in the kingdom of Phrangia was not very good. Even a knight who retired due to an injury several years ago has to come back.
In that respect, in fact, there was a lot of opposition from the headquarters for the exploration of Elflandia planned this time.
The situation inside the kingdom is not good, so why is it necessary to send troops to Elflandia?
But in the end, the plan worked. It was because Berléans insisted so vigorously that he urged the command’s lukewarm response.
No matter how bad the internal situation was, Berléans’ judgment was that one should not take one’s eyes off the overall movement of the bugs.
This was a life and death war.
So, it was necessary to take a broader view. Even if it’s fine for now, we need to thoroughly investigate what the bugs are doing outside our borders.
Unfortunately, however, support for this operation was low as opinions were only accepted.
In fact, the number of knights mobilized for this operation was barely enough to form two platoons.
Even this would not have been possible if Berléans had not stepped forward.
“Ceres. You are very lucky.”
“···Yes?”
Was it a sudden story? Ceres tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand the meaning.
“Originally, it wasn’t something that would end with ‘exit’.”
“·······”
“Your partner, Zaansersen, was an aristocrat. It was an article that was expected to become a great force in the near future. If it wasn’t for me, you could have been ‘dispossessed’ within the Knights.”
Made nobles into obsolete people. That’s what an insignificant female knight is. Of course, this was not something to be taken lightly. First of all, it’s related to the discipline of the Knights.
The knight must obey the knight. A heroine who violated it has no value. So originally, Ceres wasn’t just going to end with the exit.
But Berléans saved Ceres. Is it simply out of pity? No, it wasn’t like that.
It was just a rational decision.
It’s still the same now, but at that time, it was time for even one more person to fight.
Of course, I couldn’t reuse the female knight who made the knight useless, so I abandoned it in the 39th area…
“I am really grateful for that.”
Ceres, who had not forgotten what had happened that day, slightly lowered his head. Whatever the reason, it is clear that his life was saved thanks to Berléans.
Ceres was well aware that it would not have been possible to stay as normal if it had not been for the leader’s authority.
But.
“…But what is the story you really want to tell me? Lord Berléans.”
Ceres was no fool. If he’s aware, he can’t be ignorant. That Berléans didn’t just come here to bring up things from the past with a nice face.
“It’s a story I want to tell…”
Berléans brushed his unkempt beard.
In such an action, the soft expression that had been friendly until just now was nowhere to be found, only the cold face that had been the leader of a group.
“Aren’t you thinking of returning to your knights?”
“…Return?”
Ceres’ eyes widened at the unexpected proposal. Of course, it was not a very welcome proposal. He has no reason to go back there.
So he was about to answer without hesitation.
“I am···.”
Coo woo…
The characteristic heavy footsteps were heard.
As if ignoring Ceres, who was about to say something, Berléans quietly raised his head.
“Congratulations. It looks like your partner won.”
He watched the two holy troopers return to the hangar. Contrary to the red holy cavalry who returns in a tattered state with one arm cut off, the pure white holy cavalry is perfectly fine.
Therefore, Berléans smiled contentedly.
Truly, no matter how many times he was seen, he was a coveted talent.
3.
It was when the holy cavalry safely landed in the hangar after returning to the unit.
Karen couldn’t get up from her cockpit.
It was because the sensation of Netoru forcibly activating his magical nervous system was still lingering in his body.
What should I say about this Should I say that it doesn’t look like my body? Amid the throbbing pain in the lower abdomen, probably because of the forced maneuver, even now, at this very moment, the mana nervous system was trembling.
‘Eww.’
She wasn’t sick, but Karen rubbed her thighs across her cockpit, blushing at her.
It was difficult for me to keep my body still from a while ago, probably because my whole body became so sensitive. In addition, as if the waist is missing, the strength in the legs is not working.
However, it’s a bit better now.
Karen had no memory of the moment in the battle where her victory or defeat was decided.
An unfamiliar sensation flooded her body, and when she belatedly came to her senses, she was lying on her cockpit, shaking her body.
If Netoru hadn’t ended the fight by cutting off her opponent’s arm, she would have been dangerous. Maybe she, on the contrary, she may have been immobilized.
“How do you feel? Are you okay?”
Asked by Netoru, who was watching from behind her, Karen grumbled as she rubbed her own belly.
“I think it’s fine for now… This is really not a problem with the body, right?”
“Don’t worry. There will be no problem.”
Again It was a familiar pattern that I was tired of. Thanks to that, Karen got grumpy for some reason. How could she be so unchangingly confident?
“What will you do if there is a problem…?”
“Then I’ll take care of it somehow.”
“···Responsibility?”
In response, Karen blinked her eyes in bewilderment. What does being responsible mean?
She thought she’d hear something embarrassing if she asked that question, so Karen managed to straighten herself up in her cockpit and stretched out her hand to look at the four mounds.
“What is the responsibility? Okay, hold my hand so I can get up.”
“Okay.”
Nodding her head, Netoru pulled Karen’s hand, which had reached out to him. However, when she realized how strong that power was, she was half hugging her.
Knock, and his forehead touched his chest.
“Now, wait a minute… Do you want me to just hold your hand?”
“Don’t pretend to be strong when you can’t even walk properly. Just wait.”
“… Ugh.”
As he said, Karen was really weak in her legs.
“… Uhh. Okay.”
So Karen decided to just relax and lean on him. As Karen gently put her arms around Netoru’s shoulder and neck, Netoru naturally hugged her around Karen’s waist.
I wonder if it was like this the last time Ceres leaned against Netoru. My body is hard, but the feeling of being warmer than I thought was not a very bad experience.
That was when the two came out of the cockpit.
The cockpit was also opening in the red holy cavalry that was seated opposite.
