Chapter 338 – Duties.
“Ugh, ugh.”
Usher suppressed the pain seeping through his teeth. The more I applied strength to the sharp, cool feel of the iron that dug into my limbs, the more I felt the pain, so I wanted to sit down any moment, but I stood up nonetheless. Still, it didn’t lose its power. Even so, he couldn’t let go of the sword. It seemed like if I let go of the sword like this, I would lose something precious again. What would he become if he turned away from Jacob’s family? If you ignore the wizard as scary, what is the difference between running away again? That’s why I couldn’t give up.
I didn’t want to remain a weak and pathetic kid anymore.
-Kiik
Usher saw Gideon’s weapon touching his own sword. Ya Karp said that the way to deal with him was very different depending on his weapon. His sword looked similar to a kitchen knife, but it was a bizarrely shaped knife with the back part stretched out horizontally. It was the first time I had seen it, but I could tell from its appearance that it was a knife that focused more on slashing than stabbing. Yakaf said that the single-edged, curved sword increased the contact area with the opponent’s body when the blade was swung. Instead, it was because he said that there was a part that he sacrificed with the sword.
– Kaak!
Usher twisted his hand and slid the rapier under his sword. Although Gideon’s sword was a little different, it was closer to the shape of a cleaver anyway, so I couldn’t see the cross guard protecting his hand. The moment he pushes through, thinking he has to cut off even his fingers.
“Excellent.”
As soon as he heard Gideon’s voice, Usher realized that his sword was under the rapier and was holding his hand. Even when he bit his lip, already knowing that the blade was aiming for his throat.
“You can join the rescue team.”
“Ah.”
At his words, Usher suddenly raised his head. His eyes met and Gideon let go of his hand, and Usher almost dropped the rapier, but managed to hold on to his handle.
“You have fully proven your skills and qualifications.”
Usher then felt his tension release and slumped back in his seat.
“Usher!”
At the same time, as if she had waited, she kicked off the sandy ground and called out to him with the sound of a running man. Erica came closer to him and realized that she had hugged him. It’s just that she hugged her so tightly that it feels like her wounds from fighting Gideon are being squeezed open.
“Ugh, Erika. I’m sick.”
“Oooh, it’s strange that it doesn’t hurt.”
The sound of her crying and bruising him caused Usher to burst into laughter. As if his energy had been exhausted, his head was spinning and his touch was fuzzy, but he was as clear as the voice of a girl who was worried about him. He was still relieved that all was not lost.
“I never thought I could use magic…”
Usher heard Diana’s voice near her and realized that she was also approaching. It was because Erica had hugged him who had collapsed and couldn’t see. That said, when he moves to look ahead, your body doesn’t have any strength.
“Get some rest for now.”
He was troubled by the sound of her voice. Diana was obviously the one who was trying to annoy Belka and do suspicious things, but she was also Yakaf’s apprentice. Remembering how she fixed Belka’s ankle, Usher still didn’t know what to do with Diana. Even so, she closed her eyes, putting off her complex thoughts, because the arms of the girl who embraced her were so warm and cozy.
“I never thought I’d really get Gideon’s approval.”
Kayaba, who had come to their side, marveled at Usher sleeping in Erica’s arms.
“No matter how much he is Master’s disciple, I never thought he would be a paladin.”
Diana also couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Such a child has the power of a paladin…”
“Real magic?! Are you sure?”
“I can’t believe it. Abner-sama isn’t the kind of person who would lie about something like that.”
The knights who saw it together were also busy whispering. Becoming a paladin was not enough with simple determination or skill. The knights of the Holy Land knew that to become a paladin, they had to be tested by the Holy Grail by drinking the water contained in the Holy Grail. No one knows what the standard is and what the contents are, and you cannot even tell someone about the test because you cannot remember the contents when you wake up. Therefore, drinking the water from the Holy Grail was literally a gamble with one’s life on the line.
Even in the long history of the Holy Land, many knights died while drinking the water of the Holy Grail to become Holy Knights, and those who survived were a small number compared to the number of those who died. Only by overcoming the fear of dying and drinking the water of the Holy Grail could one obtain the qualification to use magic, but even if they survived, they only obtained the qualification, and there were numerous people who died without being able to use magic for the rest of their lives. It meant a lot to use magic that much.
“What kind of kid did that?”
“A kid like that broke Gideon-nim’s power?”
“What the hell have you been doing?”
Even those who don’t know much about the power of the paladin, watching Usher get out of Gideon’s magic and aim his sword until the end, are silent and confirm that what they saw is true.
“Anyway, these swords…”
As Diana examined Usher’s wounds, the weapon Gideon had forged was still there, so she looked back at him. He quietly closed his eyes pretending not to know, but she noticed that it was consideration. It was a problem with a weapon made using iron sand by magic to get hurt, but if the shape collapsed in that state and iron sand soaked into the wound, it would cause a bigger problem. Also, the reason why he didn’t take it out was probably considering the bleeding.
‘He seems to like you more than I thought.’
She whispered to Usher, who was asleep, and before it got a little more tumultuous, she and Erica took him and moved away.
“Uh, uh?”
Usher opened his eyes to the cold touch of a tapping on his face. Then, what he encounters is the gray color of a girl full of water.
“Erika?”
Her Erica puffed out her cheeks as he called her.
“Bout, you were too overbearing on the subject of crap.”
“What a waste.”
Are you angry? Erica’s words, which were a little different from Belka’s but always had the same goodwill, stabbed him sharply today.
“I’ll call Usher a crap because he’s a crap ♪ If he stayed still like a crap, he wouldn’t have been seriously hurt.”
Even so, the worry about him still doesn’t change, so he gets stabbed even more. Then, suddenly, I couldn’t feel the cold touch that pierced his limbs, so I raised his hand, and there was no trace of the arm where the iron sword had been embedded. Erica said, puzzled by the feeling that her body, which had been very heavy with all her energy, had become lighter.
“Diana cured me. If it wasn’t for her, they said that a poor rescue party like Usher wouldn’t have recovered until the day they left.”
“Stop saying that crap.”
“No. Uh ♪ If you don’t want to be called sloppy, then Usher doesn’t have to be sloppy ♪”
She poked Usher on the cheek and raised the dose. Still, because she had done something wrong, she couldn’t bear to resist, so she leaned her head on his chest.
“…I was worried. The knife sticks out through his arm and his legs keep moving, causing blood to flow, but Usher doesn’t seem to want to stop.”
“I didn’t expect it to be like that…”
Earlier, she had no time to care about what kind of wound she had suffered because she was just thinking about defeating Gideon. No matter how hard she tried, the power didn’t go in properly, so it was natural for her to do so.
“Chii, I was afraid that Usher would fight to the death. I think I know why Verdi was so anxious about not being able to protect Usher.”
“Ugh, sorry.”
She had nothing to say since Belka’s story came up. Because she was always the one who cared about him and told him. She smiled and whispered as he patted Erica’s back, who was lying on her own chest, feeling sorry for her.
“Hee hee, Usher is a crap as expected. A weak crap ♪”
“Ugh, really.”
It was when I tried to tell him to stop because he knew that kind of thing all too well.
“I still like it. I hate being lame, but Usher’s efforts aren’t lame at all.”
Usher turned his head at the girl’s words. It was because he could tell without looking at his own face that somehow became hot.
“…”
Reuben watched the scene secretly through the crack in the door of his chariot and then slowly turned away. Because I couldn’t see him anymore because his heart ached. And he remembered the scene from earlier.
“Nonsense.”
He had muttered that when he saw Usher sword to sword with Gideon. That’s because he was so unbelievable. How on earth could a boy his age suddenly use the powers of a paladin to escape Gideon’s skill and wield swords with him, even for a moment? Most of the knights are also saying that if it were them, they would have been helpless. Isn’t it a story that won’t come out of cheap children’s books? Reuben now wondered if Usher was really his age.
If he was really the same age, how pitiful and miserable would he be? Comparing Reuben to Usher, he felt so lowly himself. With what qualifications did he covet Erica from him? Wasn’t he too pathetic for trying to plant his own seeds in her using the mermaid’s advice as an excuse, and then committing a clumsy job on her clumsy conscience?
“…Still have a chance.”
As he was walking behind Usher and Erica, he looked up at the voice he heard and saw Luboshi, who had been watching him with a sad face for some reason, holding the same sleeping pills as yesterday in his hand. Even though Reuben hesitated for a moment, he hesitated again and laughed at himself.
“I do not need.”
Because he was already endlessly disappointed in himself.
