Chapter 141 – Episode 141. The Silent Escort Knight (1)
Verdia’s joining went much smoother than expected.
Their suspicions about each other were also resolved, and her hesitancy was gone, and her party members weren’t just hostile to her.
“Has Celica always eaten something like this?”
But is it because she also has no one to be at the party?
At Verdia’s bitter mutter while eating the stew, the hands of the three people, including mine, stopped for a moment.
“… Yes, Celica liked Dave’s cooking.”
Heira muttered pitifully.
Yumir didn’t want to show it either, but bitterness was drawn on her face as she held her spoon in her mouth.
“When her little boy was around, every day was noisy. There was no time for her to be bored every day.”
“… Most of it is because you got into a fight.”
“That’s because it’s so much fun to tease. Well, in your case, it’s a lot easier to deal with now than when you were hiding your dark insides.”
Shiik, Ymir looked at me with a smile.
It was a bar that I realized desperately while we were together so far that it was not just a polite thing to say.
In fact, the attitude towards me has changed much more actively than in the past.
“… You must have been doing well while I was gone.”
But did even such a nasty Simbo look good?
Verdia draws a faint smile as she looks down at her empty stew bowl. Two emotions were vaguely felt in her outward expression.
She is a relief for Celica, who does well even in her absence.
And she regrets not being able to see him.
“Let’s eat some rice.”
Ymir urges him to eat as if he can’t stand the uncomfortable atmosphere any longer. The three of us, including myself, quietly sympathized with it and continued to eat.
The meal of a warrior party without a hero was so quiet.
“… Dave, can I get another bowl of stew?”
Just as I was finishing my meal, Verdia asked me insinuatingly.
I wondered if it was because of her lack of sheep, but her eyes were on the rear of the large wagon leading her party.
A place equipped with facilities to detain criminals.
“Because there’s one more guy to fill the stomach.”
Oh yeah. That guy was there too.
When I accepted it uncomfortably and handed over a bowl, Verdia immediately grasped my feelings and asked bitterly.
“I guess you don’t like it.”
“I can’t help but like it. When I think of what that guy did to Celica…”
Bardos.
A person who can’t even expect morality and ethics as the nickname of a defector.
Of course, he is only a mercenary and his ringleader is separate, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t do anything to us.
He abducted Celica, which allowed Baltanstein to interfere with Celica’s psyche.
As a result, until three days later, Celica was still asleep without regaining her consciousness.
“I understand how you feel, but I want you to be patient with me a little longer. Wouldn’t His Highness leave him alone without thinking?”
But Verdia couldn’t overlook that either.
The trembling of her hands holding the stew taught her that it took a great deal of patience to keep her composure.
“I won’t ask for forgiveness, but won’t you bear with me for a little while longer, just by looking at my face?”
Even she has to keep her cool, especially in this situation.
Because he disliked the situation to the extent that his emotions were exposed.
“… Huh.”
After Verdia left, I returned to my original seat and had time to catch my breath to alleviate the frustration.
But how can I calm my mind in the yard with the enemy next to me?
“I don’t like that weedy bastard.”
Looking at me like that, Ymir spit out.
Her attitude, which was so relaxed, made me look back at her in a fit of heat without even realizing it.
“You say that? Ymir, you…”
“I don’t really like holding on to his lifeline either.”
I almost died from him in the first place, but it must be strange that I like him.
She stroked her neck as if recalling her cool sensation, she immediately glanced back at me and said quietly.
“Still, depending on the reason, if I have to keep it alive, I’ll keep it alive.”
“I mean that…”
“We shouldn’t make exceptions, because we’ve decided to accept the villains who have already done bad things to us.”
“…”
The moment I shut my mouth without even realizing it.
Ymir didn’t say anything further, just patting the almost burnt bonfire with a kindling stick.
In that way, it seems to be trying to alleviate the uncertainty in the mind.
“I am…”
When she turned her gaze away from Ymir, Heira was also staring at the bonfire that Ymir was setting with a complicated state of mind.
“I, I don’t know much about this stuff, so I’ll just follow everyone’s opinion.”
As always, a neutral attitude.
Realizing that this was the only thing she could do to cope with her ignorance of human society, I finally calmed her down and quietly left the seat.
“… I’ll ask you to clean up.”
Yes, after all, Verdia is a servant of the royal family, and Heira and Ymir have nothing to do with this in the first place.
They shouldn’t be held responsible for this incident.
Even more so because there is a separate party who actually committed the work.
***
-In the case of Baltanstein, he was secretly restrained for now. As soon as the situation calms down, it will be handed over to trial.
After leaving the carriage for a while, I stood in a remote area of the forest and had a conversation with the annoying guy through my lens.
To hear how to deal with what happened three days ago.
Fortunately, it seemed that the adventurers were diligently subjugating the disintegrated group of beastmen, but the case involving Celica was not handled so well.
“… Didn’t they announce it extensively?”
-The Stein family has an influence that cannot be ignored even within the Human Union. Still, there are many parts where the current family head is intertwined with criminal organizations and corruption, so there is enough justification for arrest.
That’s part of what I know.
In fact, his pervert nature is notorious even in the shadows.
The Wang family also did things secretly and coolly revealed the part that was difficult to dig up, so you should be welcoming the fact that you caught the case and brought him down this time.
-However, in the case of the vision managed by the family, it cannot be left unattended, so I wonder if ownership will be handed over to the Mage Tower depending on whether or not there is a trial. Brukenstein, the essence of the vision, will also be managed by the Mage Tower from now on…
“I like that part, so just answer the questions.”
Even if the aftereffects of that linger remain on Celica, she will never be seen again.
So, I thought that if I could never come out again, either in the sun or in the dark, there was no need to worry about this side either.
There’s one guy you need to pay attention to.
“Why did you send that criminal with us instead of arresting him?”
Even if the ringleader is dealt with, the executioner still remains.
By the judgment made by none other than the leader of the coalition.
-… Didn’t you like having Bardos with you?
“I’m asking for something obvious. Do you know what he did?”
-I did all sorts of bad things in the dark to the point of being nicknamed a defector. Even if he has changed his mind to some extent after the fight with Verdia, it is also to satisfy individual desires… It’s understandable that I don’t like being with him, who is like a bomb that doesn’t know when it will explode.
If you know that well but see that you are proudly fighting, it must be that there is a corner to believe in something.
This fucking keut guy.
“… He said he fled from the capital, but he seems to be in danger in many ways, even needing the power of a criminal.”
-Rather than being at risk, I should say that we are drawing the big picture.
“Heh heh, the big picture, is it that he will at least accomplish a great feat by borrowing the power of a criminal?”
-I can’t help but say I’m sorry about this. If the negotiations with you had gone smoothly, I wouldn’t have had to borrow the power of Bardos.
Trembling. The moment the hand holding the crystal shakes.
However, Archen did not stop there and continued his opinion.
– Dave. Do you think it is possible for a leader of a country to pursue only morality?
“… Nobility is only possible on the surface.”
-I think so too. I want the inside to be noble, to the point where I wonder if the same thing happened now.
To right the wrongs of the past.
As a result of focusing only on that one thing, those who had previously held power stood up and the monarchy itself was in danger of collapsing.
“So, are you saying you’re going to reflect on yourself and eat a bitter heart?”
-Originally, it should be like that, but if it was a problem that could be solved that much, I probably wouldn’t be able to afford to talk to you on the phone right now and would be frantic about purging the rebels.
Nevertheless, he tried to minimize political disputes by avoiding large-scale engagement with the rebels and secretly hiding himself in the castle.
It wasn’t just to protect my body, but as if it was also a plan that came from the inside.
– Dave.
Soon he said my name and asked a question in a serious voice.
-Do you think it is possible for an upright servant like Verdia to follow my orders and pioneer unknown lands untouched by civilization?
“…”
-… I think this should give you a rough idea of what I’m trying to do.
Oh yeah. I got it right away.
Why did this guy try to drag me in? And why did he try to reach out to the damn villain named Bardos when the negotiations with me broke down immediately?
“… I guess I should revise my evaluation of you.”
Argentina Alencia.
He’s a lot more insane than I thought.
To the extent that he boldly tries to do something that is unprecedented in history and impossible to achieve with just the spirit of being young.
– I accept it with pleasure.
But did I say that there is a paper difference between a madman and a pioneer?
As if he had confidence in the big picture he wanted to draw, he was accepting even the negative evaluation I gave him unimportantly.
In the end, this is also a problem that time will solve, as if you think.
– Still, Dave. I will praise your heart for thinking of my hero, and I will affirm one thing.
After finishing the topic of Bardos, he spoke to me in a serious voice.
-No matter what I plan or accomplish in the future, at least it won’t harm their journey. Because their journey is more necessary to this world than preserving my own body.
“…”
-… Only the desire to protect them is the same. Won’t you move on to that now?
Added with sincerity.
That it came from sincerity, not pretense, I could feel deeply, even through the noise in my voice.
“… Be sure to follow those words.”
Yes, this should be enough between me and him.
Because we don’t have trust in each other yet.
As much as integrated cooperation itself is impossible, we are in a position where we cannot force something like this towards each other.
So keeping a distance while keeping the line in this way would be the most ideal relationship right now.
At least the feeling of protecting them is sincere, by building such a consensus.
-… Good luck. Because you are a person who knows how to distinguish between public and private.
Archen, who finds such an attitude desirable and expresses satisfaction.
After that, I wanted to end the call, but his words showed no signs of ending.
-Then, since I answered your question, is it my turn this time?
“… What do you have to say?”
-Oh yeah. It’s not very important, but it’s a question that stems from personal old age…
Oh yeah. Is this a personal curiosity?
Well, I answered my question, but if it’s a personal question, there’s nothing I can’t answer.
-What do you think of Darkan?
But what came out was far beyond my expectations.
“… What?”
-My escort driver who is still with you. Do you think you are a good woman of the opposite sex?
“…”
This son of a bitch.
What are you up to again this time?
