Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: One Day's Grace
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<―>
She had a nightmare.
The master she believed she'd follow and serve until her dying breath had abandoned her.
He said her sullied body was a disgrace, that the world was pointing fingers at them.
The king was ranting about never forgetting the humiliation her family had brought upon him.
And his command to her had been, "Go die."
"I lived for you, killed for you.
And now you're telling me to die for you?"
Everything she had done felt utterly denied.
She wanted to cry, but she'd forgotten how.
All she knew was how to hold back tears, how to grit her teeth and endure.
She'd trained her body that way for her esteemed master.
To make enduring everything for him second nature.
"But it was just a dream... Thank goodness, thank goodness..."
When she opened her eyes, everything would be as it always was.
She'd greet him, and he'd smile back at her.
Everything would carry on just like always.
"Fucking hell of a dream."
Feeling pressure on her forehead, Risikida slowly opened her eyes.
"This place..."
This wasn't her quarters.
It was far larger, far more opulent, and above all, not in the style of the Nudia Kingdom.
With a sinking heart, Risikida pushed herself upright.
"So... it wasn't a dream."
No, none of it had been a dream.
Being abandoned by her master, receiving the order to die, being captured by the enemy—none of it.
Not even the young man who had tossed a sword at her feet.
"Quit screwing around and get your ass up already.
I can't even step out because of you—what the hell is this?"
At the curt voice, Risikida slowly turned her head.
Beside her sat a man with a sullen expression.
"Just so you know, I didn't lay a finger on you.
I asked a lady I know to carry you to my room.
Thanks to that, she beat the crap out of me—I nearly checked out of this world for real.
It hurt like hell, damn it..."
No joke—Sion had almost died after getting pummeled by Lilite.
After pulling off something close to suicide, he'd shown up asking for two things: first, to cuddle up to the knights like some cat in heat; then, to have this lady knight moved to his room.
'Yeah.
Sure.
You wanna die?
I'll kill you.
Looks like you don't get succubus possessiveness. I'm already stressed out over that Lucia or whatever her name is!
You bastard!'
He'd taken a solid hour-long beating for it.
Sion could kind of understand now why his father had muttered while lighting a cigarette, "Marry as late as possible if you can. Dating's fine anytime, but marriage? Never the right time."
Of course, he'd immediately been smashed by his mother's backhand and groveled on the floor.
"What... what are you talking about, Young Lord Sion?
Why did you bring me to your room...?"
"You just keeled over and passed out cold.
A healer I know said it looked like you came straight here after that first battle yesterday, without any rest."
"..."
"And that you'd been beaten black and blue."
Even though he'd prodded at her sensitive spots on purpose, Risikida said nothing.
Shrugging as if it didn't matter, Sion fixed his gaze on her and continued.
"Why'd I bring a collapsed wreck like you to my room?
Call it giving you till the end of the day."
"Till the end of the day...?"
"You said you wanted to die.
But you couldn't bring yourself to slit your own throat.
No way a knight's scared of a sword or squeamish about blood, right?
So there's only one answer.
You don't actually know if you really need to die—or if you even want to."
Risikida seemed about to say something in response to Sion's words, then closed her mouth.
"Starting now till midnight sharp.
If you make up your mind before then, let me know.
I'll hand you your sword right away.
Hell, jump into the moat if you want.
Nah, that'd just tire out our soldiers fishing your corpse.
I'll pick a spot for you—just go die there.
We'll cremate you clean and tidy.
If you can't decide by midnight?
I'll kick you out.
Go drop dead somewhere.
The House of Claussen saves those who wanna live, but we don't kill those begging for death."
It was ice-cold, no—brutally merciless words.
Risikida nodded.
The outcome was set either way.
Whether she resolved herself or not, she'd die.
She had to.
A knight without a master had no reason left to exist in this world.
"Anyway, I've got places to be."
With that, Sion stood up.
"What?"
"Hm?"
"Aren't you coming?"
"What do you mean?
I..."
"I gave you till the end of the day, so until then, you're not a reserved corpse—you're a war prisoner.
And I'm on prisoner-watch duty.
So like it or not, you're sticking with me today.
Got it, knight?"
The logic felt off, but no one would leave a prisoner alone in a place like this.
More than that, realizing this one day—her potential last—might slip away sitting idle, Risikida found herself standing before she knew it.
Wasting her final day before death just sitting there would drive her mad with loneliness and sorrow.
Better to distract herself somewhere else; it might clear her mind a bit.
"Shall we go, then?"
Sion opened the door.
The knight on guard duty bowed his head.
He said nothing even seeing Risikida follow behind.
Sion had given him strict instructions beforehand.
"...Where are we headed?"
Sion just kept walking without a word.
Risikida blurted out the question unthinkingly.
She couldn't fathom why she'd spoken first.
"Why's a war prisoner curious about that?
Wait, wrong question.
Why's a guy about to die soon curious?"
"That's..."
Risikida stammered, unable to find an answer.
Just like Sion said, she'd be dead by midnight anyway—why ask something like that now?
"The infirmary."
"...Pardon?"
"You forget that brutal battle yesterday already?
Gonna check on the soldiers with wounds body and soul.
We shoved all those lives into the war meat grinder, made 'em die and get maimed. If some high-and-mighty bastard doesn't even show his face, is he even human?"
Sion's casual words made his face look terribly grim.
At least, that's how it appeared in Risikida's eyes.
'Spur, it hurts so much, sis.'
Even calling her the Succubus Queen—goddess material—she was still a demon.
And demons were stupidly strong by nature.
Sion, half-seriously thrashed by that powerhouse demon, woke up groaning like a recruit after 124 PRI drills.
If only he'd had mana, he might've taken the hits softer.
No defensive spells, not even body enhancement—he could only curl up like a pillbug yelling, "Just don't kill me!"
Truth be told, if Sion could handle mana, Lilite would've hit him even harder.
"Ah, Young Lord Sion!"
Someone tending the wounded spotted him and bowed hastily.
The nurses and even the patients in their beds reflexively started rising.
"Hey!
Don't get up and burst your wounds into a fountain show—lie down!
Damn it, lie down!"
No exaggeration—yesterday when Sion entered the ward, one soldier had shot up too fast, spraying blood from his wound.
Seeing that movie-style geyser, Sion had freaked, gone dead serious, and chewed out the guy to stay down like a proper invalid.
"Ah, y-yes!
S-sorry!"
"Jeez, you hopeless idiots.
If you're hurt, act hurt, damn it!
Is being injured a crime?
Is wrecking your body defending the country a crime?
The real criminal's me, fit as a fiddle—why're you lot freaking out!"
Awkward laughs and groans of "Aw, man!" rippled through the room.
Truth was, Sion had minor burns here and there from his stunt rescuing Jimmy Faker.
Compared to them, it was nothing, so he kept quiet.
"Hey, Jimmy Faker."
"Y-Young Lord."
Sion approached one soldier.
The man tried to stand despite Sion's orders, to greet him properly.
Sion stopped him immediately, of course.
"How's the body?"
"Fine, sir.
I was prepared for this."
"Prepared my ass.
Prepare to live, not to die—preparing to die's just meaningless suicide, not resolve.
Got it?"
"Y-Yes, sir. I'll remember."
Sion casually slipped in his real goal.
He hadn't pulled that stunt to save this guy out of fondness, but for his little sister.
The Trisha Faker who'd go pitch-black later and wreck everything.
"When you head home, swing by and let me know.
I'll go with you, tell your villagers not to give this guy I saved any grief."
"N-No need for that, sir!"
There was every need.
Hell yeah, absolutely.
Otherwise, your sister goes "Hwah!" and flips the whole place.
"No backtalk. Do as I say.
Got it, Jimmy Faker?"
"Y-Yes, Young Lord Sion."
Sion patted Jimmy Faker's shoulder, then continued touring the ward.
All the while, Risikida watched him quietly.
The House of Claussen was one of Hispania Kingdom's true noble houses.
Margrave was a heavy post overseeing a border, with marquis-level power and private forces.
The royals wouldn't entrust it to just any mutt.
Meaning the Claussens had the royal family's backing.
'And Sion Claussen is the firstborn of that House of Claussen.
Sure, weird rumors floated around...
But those were just rumors, it seems.'
Risikida herself was a knight, a soldier fighting for her nation.
In her eyes, she'd never seen an heir to such a mighty house casually mingle with common troops, cracking jokes and laughing with them.
Watching him, Sion Claussen didn't seem like a noble at all.
More like one of those soldiers—like he'd been treated as battlefield fodder himself.
"What're you spacing out staring at?"
"...Ah."
"Come on.
Busy day ahead."
And so Risikida followed Sion once more.
After that, he met various people, handled various duties.
Nothing grand—just praising some, consoling others.
Attending funerals for the departed, sincerely honoring their souls.
"..."
It was all so new.
At least to Risikida's eyes, none of it seemed noble behavior.
Mingling so freely with people, bowing to bereaved families.
Things the nobles she'd known would never do.
'Just what kind of man is he...?'
She couldn't figure it out.
Rumors painted him as a fool rotten with arrogance, not even worthy of the name noble.
But facing him for real... yeah.
Hard to call him a noble.
Sion Claussen wasn't nobility.
He was closer to the 'master' she'd truly dreamed of.
"...Shell."
"..."
"Risikida Amstel!"
At Sion's shout calling her name, she jumped, blurting out "Y-Yes! Senior Knight Risikida Amstel!" before collapsing in embarrassment.
"...What was that?"
"Ah.
S-Sorry, Young Lord."
"Whatever. I'm heading to see my father briefly—go to the room and wait."
"Yes, sir."
"Decided yet?"
"Pardon?"
Risikida's puzzled reply drew a sigh from Sion.
"Haa?
Did the busy day make you lose track, or are you playing dumb?
It's already past dinner.
Time to decide."
Only then did Risikida realize the day he'd granted her was nearly over.
So absorbed in this new side of Sion Claussen, she'd barely eaten, time slipping away unnoticed.
"Don't wanna rush you, but you seem out of it.
You're a prisoner, not one of my men, after all."
Not one of my men.
The words made Risikida flinch involuntarily.
Why it startled her, why it suddenly felt disappointing and lonely—she didn't know.
She mumbled some vague reply and headed off.
'Stupid... what nonsense am I thinking?'
With a self-mocking smile, Risikida entered Sion's room.
Better for pondering than a cell, Sion had reasoned.
She sat on a chair.
She'd thought one day enough to erase lingering regrets from yesterday.
But looking back, they felt even thicker.
'Why do I keep thinking like this?'
Hadn't she told herself she'd die?
Hadn't her so-called master ordered it?
'You're abandoned, Risikida Amstel.
Utterly, without a doubt.'
Sion Claussen's words echoed in her mind.
You're abandoned—so abandon that so-called master and find a new one.
Maybe one's right nearby.
Clunk!
She must've knocked something over turning.
She picked up what fell: someone's notebook.
And inside, a short poem.
With a heart singing to the stars
I must love all dying things
And the path given to me
I must walk.
―
"Why you keep giggling like that?"
Lilite tilted her head at Sion.
He'd dropped by briefly, grinning like he was bursting with anticipation.
"Ah, the trap card's activated."
[Author's Note]
Until the day I die, looking up to the heavens
May I have not one shred of shame
:
Poet / Yun Dong-ju
Sorry. Trap card.