Chapter 26
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 26. Sprouting
Refreshing air. Chirping birds. Sunlight shining through the window.
And a heroine shyly greeting, 'Did you sleep well?'
This is the morning of Romance Fantasy I rightly deserve.
But reality was very regrettable today as well.
Kuaaaaaang!
Instead of birds chirping, the death throes of a Frost Bear echo. Instead of refreshing air, the fishy smell of blood brushes the tip of my nose.
Sunlight?
I can't distinguish if that thing faintly visible beyond the blizzard is the sun, or the remains of a demonic beast whose eyeball I just plucked out.
I shook off the bear's blood on my greatsword.
At my feet, wolves and bears were piled up like a mountain.
All are excellent resources.
Leather becomes clothes, meat becomes food, and bones become weapon materials.
A devoted leader who goes out for morning exercise and wealth acquisition for the territory people.
'For the nest of love… no, I must make a safe territory for Lucia.'
"Long live Black Knight-nim!" "Black Knight-nim looked at me!!!" "Black Knight-nim is the best! Black Knight-nim is the best!"
Warriors cheer.
Not bad.
No, honestly speaking, I feel quite good.
So this is what hero treatment feels like.
Now, shall we get to the main topic?
Territory management is important, but I have a more urgent task.
It is networking.
A precious guest is staying in the castle right now.
Hero of the Holy Sword, Leona.
'She said she is Lucia's childhood friend.'
A major character in the original novel. Existence chosen by the Goddess.
And above all, a comrade who will fight together to reclaim the Empire in the future.
In other words, she is fully qualified to become my best friend.
Think about it. Black Knight and Hero.
Darkness and Light. Walking different paths, but eventually rivals and friends fighting back to back.
Isn't this exactly the cliché and romance of fantasy?
Besides, since she is Lucia's friend, making her my ally will surely be a great help in progressing my relationship with Lucia.
If you want to catch the general, shoot the horse first.
Basics of military strategy.
Good.
'Operation Get Close to the Hero.'
Starting today, I will definitely become Leona's soulmate.
Where does a man's friendship sprout?
Drinking party? Cliché. Bathhouse? That’s a bit dangerous. Since the opponent is a cross-dressing woman. Fist fight? Already did it yesterday. Effect was minimal.
At least in the North, the most certain place is the training ground.
Checking each other's skills while sweating, and sharing silent recognition.
In the land of barbarians where axes precede words, sparring is the best social activity.
Of course, Leona is a woman, but since she is pretending to be a man for now, I should treat her accordingly.
Because a gentleman keeps a lady's secret.
Headed to the training ground.
As expected, a silver-haired swordswoman was there.
Swish. Swish.
The Holy Sword cut through the air.
Movements without superfluity. Clean trajectory. Indeed worthy of being called a Hero.
It is just amazing how such explosive sword strikes come from those slender arms.
Approached her slowly.
Sensing a presence, Leona stopped her sword and looked back. Wary blue eyes shot at me.
"What business do you have?"
So prickly. But it’s okay.
Because such prickly types are the ones who give everything once they open their hearts.
I attempted conversation naturally.
'Is this the Holy Sword. The phrase "fame is not empty" comes out naturally. Of course, the skill of you, the master, was also impressive. Because a famous sword shines only when it meets a good master.'
Praise makes even whales dance and Heroes dance.
For a martial artist, there is no favorability building as certain as praising their weapon.
However.
My mouth had a completely different frequency from my heart today as well.
"Imitating a Hero with such a toy, the Goddess would wail."
……
No, wait a minute.
This is too much. It’s blasphemy!
"Wh, What…?"
Wooooong-
An ominous vibration sound came from the Holy Sword.
What is that?
Is the sword crying?
Can swords cry too?
"Say it one more time."
Leona ground her teeth.
The 'toy' I just mentioned seemed ready to fly over and stab my neck.
'Ah, screwed.'
Need to fix this.
I have to say it’s a misunderstanding, it was a joke, no actually it was irony.
It was that moment.
"B, Black Knight nim!!"
A blonde girl popping out from somewhere blocked between me and Leona.
Fluster fluster.
It was Lucia.
"Y, You have business with me, right!? Right!?"
"Mm?"
"You do! Surely you do! No, you must have! Excuse me, that, right! Merchants! Merchants are causing trouble again! You must go with me!"
I tilted my head.
Merchants? Didn't we handle them all yesterday?
"Th, This time it’s different. They brought a lot of bulky guards. Like, mercenaries holding axes, or assassins… Anyway if Knight-nim isn't by my side, they might ignore me and attack!"
She opened her eyes roundly and looked at me pleadingly.
Sparkle sparkle.
"Please? Yes? Go with me, right now!"
Oho.
Need my protection, is it?
Threat of rough men difficult for that frail body to handle.
That the only place to rely on in front of that is me, the Black Knight.
"Lead the way."
"Thank you! Really thank you!"
Lucia grabbed my arm and practically dragged me away.
I felt the Hero looking at us with a dumbfounded expression from behind, but well, friendship building can be done next time.
Main Castle Conference Room.
I sat arrogantly on the chair with my arms crossed.
And opposite me.
"……."
Three skinny middle-aged merchants were burying their heads like prisoners awaiting death sentence.
Bulky guards? None.
Mercenaries? Not even a nose hair visible.
Assassins? That middle-aged man with a belly?
I glanced sideways at Lucia sitting next to me.
"Guards?"
Lucia fiddled with the quill pen and avoided my gaze.
"Ah, that is… I must have heard wrong. Rumors exaggerated? Hehe…"
Lucia changed the subject.
"Now, start negotiation!"
"We will do as Your Highness says!!" "We will accept whatever you give!! Just please save us!!" "This is all we have!! Children's tuition and rent are here too!!"
Clink clink.
Gold coins poured onto the desk.
Negotiation end. Time taken 58 seconds.
'Did she call me to see this?'
Something is strange.
But since there is no way Lucia would lie to me, probably the merchants sensed my presence and hid the guards in advance or they ran away.
Anyway, since I helped Lucia's work, favorability must have definitely gone up, right?
A few days passed after that incident.
I decided to approach Leona again.
The first attempt slipped a bit, but they say failure is the mother of success.
Of course, it seems there are a bit too many mothers…
It’s a big family.
Anyway.
Let's do it properly this time.
Lunch time.
I headed to the cafeteria.
The cafeteria of the North is rugged.
Wooden tables and wooden chairs.
Decoration is only a stuffed deer head on the wall.
Menu is simple too.
Meat. Meat. And meat.
Vegetables? What is that?
Northerners call vegetables 'Rabbit Food'.
It means it’s not for humans to eat.
Barbaric, but honestly not bad.
Because meat is delicious.
I saw Leona tearing bread alone in a corner seat.
No one around.
Good opportunity.
Just need to eat together like this and converse naturally.
'Want to hear stories about Lucia's childhood too.'
Things like past episodes that didn't appear in the original work.
Memories from the Imperial Palace, or daily life in the temple.
This time for sure, I will resolve the misunderstanding and have a true man's conversation.
I piled meat like a mountain on the tray and headed to the seat next to Leona.
'If it is not rude, may I eat together? Meals taste better when eaten together. I heard you have been close with Her Highness the Princess since childhood. If it is okay, could you tell me a little about those days.'
Simple and affectionate conversation attempt. Forming a bond through past reminiscence.
However.
"A rat wasting food without permission was here."
Stop.
"Childhood friend?"
Stop it!
"At best, it’s nothing more than the past. Lucia is mine now."
…Crazy. Does a demon live in my tongue?
Leona dropped the bread she was eating.
"Y, You bastard… What did you do to Lucia…!"
The moment she bolted up trying to put her hand on her sword hilt.
Bang!
The cafeteria door opened.
"Black Knight nim!!! It’s an emergency!!!"
You again.
Lucia ran and blocked my front.
"Emergency?"
"N, North outpost contacted! Demonic beast! A demonic beast appeared!"
She spread her arms wide.
"Th, This big! No, bigger! Mountain range size! Breathes fire from mouth and shoots beams from eyes! Territory people are terrified and hiding under the bridge! You must go right now!"
…Mountain-sized demonic beast? Beams from eyes?
Was there such an existence in the North?
Is it perhaps a hidden boss? Or an event I don't know?
"……Understood."
Feeling boiling curiosity and sense of mission, I stood up from my seat.
North outpost.
Cedar forest boundary.
And what I witnessed there was.
Squeak?Squeak squeak.
Three rats the size of rabbits.
They were chewing on bread crumbs thrown by soldiers munch munch.
When I approached, the bastards ran away into the forest scurry scurry.
"……."
This is… 'This big' monster?
It is certain that there is a serious distortion in Lucia's measurement system.
Looking back, Lucia was looking at the sky and feigning ignorance.
"Lucia."
"Y, Yes?"
"The monster?"
"Ah, that is…"
She rolled her eyes.
"Th, That cloud over there looks exactly like a monster. Hehe. I must have been surprised and seen an illusion. Anyway, since it’s resolved, it’s a relief, right? Right?"
Something is strange.
The sun set.
Evening in the North is always a banquet.
Especially after we settled in the North, even more so.
Warriors put down axes and lift glasses when night comes.
Today too, Frostgard's banquet hall was full of heat.
"Drink! Pour!" "Let's drink and die today too!" "Drink more before dying!"
Bonfires burning. Smell of roasting meat vibrating. Sound of clinking glasses echoing.
I decided to use this atmosphere.
Alcohol.
If we can't get close at a drinking party, where on earth would we get close.
Alcohol is indeed the social lubricant that breaks down awkward relationships.
I picked up a huge beer mug and approached Leona.
'Would you like a drink? The night of the North is long, and alcohol is plentiful. Northern alcohol is quite rough, but I believe Hero-nim can handle it.'
Intended to hand over the glass saying such a line.
"You didn't come to drink such plain water, right? If you lack confidence, go suck more of your mom's milk."
Flinch.
Leona's expression stiffened for a moment.
'……Ah.'
Only then did I recall.
Original setting.
Hero of the Holy Sword Leona.
[Origin: Orphan raised in the temple]
Aaaaaack!
Why! Why on earth of all things!
Leona accepted the bottle.
"……Good. I'll drink as much as you want."
Surrounding warriors gathered with interest.
"Ohh, it’s a drinking battle between Hero-nim and Black Knight-nim!" "Competing who is the real man!" "Place bets! Ten silver coins on Black Knight-nim winning!" "I'm on Hero-nim! There is Holy Sword's blessing!" "Does blessing work on alcohol too?"
Atmosphere heats up.
Good, if it goes like this──
"Leon!"
Again.
It’s Lucia again.
Snatched the bottle from Leona's hand.
"Lucia? What’s wrong?"
"Th… That is… Let’s go to the room together!"
Lucia rolls her eyes.
"The wind sound is scary! Windows are rattling!"
"……Wind sound?"
"Yeah! S, Scary! Feels like a ghost will come out! You have the Holy Sword! You stay by my side! Please!"
Dragging Leona's arm and exiting.
Tatadada.
Footsteps getting farther.
I stopped holding the bottle.
The banquet hall murmured.
"……What was that just now?" "Her Highness going to the bedroom with the Hero……?" "Leaving the Black Knight?" "Oi oi, don't tell me……"
Northern warriors' gazes turned to me all at once.
Why?
Two girls just want to chat a bit.
Girls' talk. Pajama party. Something like that.
"……."
But I shouldn't explain.
Because I have to keep Leona's secret.
A gentleman does not divulge a lady's secret.
Let's just pass it over broadly.
'Do not worry. Must want to chat all night with a friend. Isn't it a heartwarming sight.'
"Nothing to worry about."
I spat out shortly.
"Both are in my grasp anyway."
……
Murmur murmur.
The banquet hall murmured more.
"Both……?" "So the Hero too…?"
No, what is this.
Why is the atmosphere getting weirder?
Nuance was 'Anyway no problem'!
Buzz buzz.Murmur murmur.
Northern warriors' gazes became increasingly strange.
Some with eyes of awe. Some with admiring eyes saying 'Lots to learn'. And some with eyes saying 'As expected of Black Knight'.
Feels like misunderstanding is birthing misunderstanding.
"Quiet."
"……!"
Warriors shut their mouths all at once.
Good. Calmed down for now.
Awkward silence settled.
"Hey, Black Knight! Are you not drinking that alcohol? Then I will drink it!"
Then Elder Brynjolf snatched the bottle from my hand and guzzled it.
Following that, looked around and shouted loudly.
"What are you just staring at! Bring more alcohol! Tonight is long!"
Warriors started moving hurriedly.
Atmosphere loosened.
Glasses went back and forth, shouts burst out, and the night of the North became noisy again.
"Black Knight-nim, have a drink!" "This is Northern specialty strong liquor! Makes even Frost Bears drunk!" "Drink and you see the sky!"
Brynjolf shrugged.
"Let young ones play among young ones. We just need to drink among ourselves."
"……."
Eventually drank alcohol only with men today too.
Somehow the alcohol is bitter.
Like that, a few days passed.
A pattern started to be seen.
Whenever I approach Leona, Lucia appears.
Urgent documents. Monster appearance. Sudden meeting. Appeal of feeling unwell. Merchant problem.
Even nightmares or astrology.
Repertoire of excuses is gradually depleting.
Yesterday was 'My toe is numb'.
'Strange.'
Why does Lucia appear every time I try to approach the Hero?
Why?
Why is she so desperately blocking me from getting close to the Hero?
I just tried to promote friendship.
Friendship between comrades. Trust between brothers in arms.
Just tried to build such beautiful things.
'……!'
Flash.
Suddenly realization came.
'Don't tell me.'
Puzzle pieces fit together.
Lucia knows the Hero is a woman.
Because childhood friends.
And I keep approaching the Hero.
From Lucia's perspective?
Her man showing interest in another woman.
Then.
'Jealousy!'
So that was it!
Lucia is jealous!
Because I show interest in another woman!
'Look only at me. Black Knight-nim.''Don't play with other women.''Stay only by my side.'
So she keeps interfering!
'Ehehe…'
Corners of mouth went up.
Relief that it is inside the helmet.
Because my expression right now must be hideous.
'As expected, sincerity works.'
Heart is opening slowly.
Worth cooking every day, catching monsters, and making the territory safe.
Trying to go patrol here and there with me constantly must be to secure time for just the two of us.
She expressed those inner feelings with such cute obstruction operations, unable to say it directly.
Because the Princess's pride wouldn't allow saying 'I am jealous' directly.
Good. Friendship with the Hero is postponed for the time being.
Friendship with Leona? Such thing can be built slowly.
Now is the time to enjoy this cute jealousy.
So that Lucia can be relieved, I should focus more on her tomorrow.
Of course.
Reality was different.
Different by a long shot.
'Must protect Leona!'
Lucia felt her heart shrinking every time the Black Knight approached Leona.
'That pervert at Leona again!'
Omnidirectional predator regardless of gender, age, or species.
Egalitarian to whom gender is not an obstacle.
Such a sadistic demon is eyeing her precious friend.
'Absolutely not!'
She is already too late. She has already become a target. Body already abandoned(?).
But Leona must be protected.
Must not become like her!
So she intervened every time.
Making any excuse.
'Fortunately blocking well.'
The Black Knight is responding obediently to her interference.
Don't know why.
'Maybe that man has his own rules too.'
Rule like managing existing members is priority over increasing harem?
……Why does she naturally think of such terrible situations.
Seems Black Knight's way of thinking contaminated her.
'I protect Leona!'
While she wags her tail, Leona will be safe.
Lucia's struggle for survival continued today too.
"Here, come in."
Lucia's room.
Space full of bear skins and deer antlers like the North.
Firewood was crackling in the fireplace.
"Sleeping together here?"
Leona looked around and asked.
"Yeah. Like old times."
Click.
Lucia put the latch on the door.
One, two, three.
"……Three?"
Leona's eyes widened.
"Why, insufficient?"
"No, isn't it too many?"
"Because Black Knight."
Next is window.
Lucia approached the window and checked the window frame meticulously.
Locking device. Check.
Gap. None.
Structure openable from outside? No.
"Window too? Here is 5th floor?"
"Because Black Knight."
Lastly.
Lucia kneeled in front of the bed.
Lifted the blanket hem.
Checked under the bed.
"……Even under the bed?"
Embarrassment was embedded in Leona's voice.
Scene of an adult woman checking if a monster is hiding under the bed.
Not a child either.
But Lucia was serious.
"Because Black Knight."
That word was omnipotent.
Not strange even if hiding under the bed. Not strange even if hanging on the ceiling. Not strange even if popping out from the closet.
"That guy called Black Knight. Not bullying you, right?"
Leona asked sitting opposite.
Bullying.
Answer changes depending on what the definition of that word is.
Well.
Seems so.
And seems not.
"Just…… he’s a bit peculiar."
"Not peculiar but seems like a crazy guy."
"……I won't deny it."
Lucia admitted honestly.
Crazy.
That man is definitely crazy.
Just unclear in which direction he is crazy.
"Tell me anytime. If dangerous, I'll take you out immediately."
"……Yeah."
Handed a blanket to Leona.
North's blanket is thick.
Heavy blanket made of bear skin and wolf fur.
"……Heavy."
"If you get used to it, it’s okay."
Lay down side by side.
Looked at the ceiling.
Momentary silence.
"Reminds me of old times."
Leona muttered.
"……Yeah."
Night of the Imperial Palace.
Those days chatting all night going back and forth between each other's rooms secretly from maids.
'It was good back then.'
No monster like Black Knight. No traitor. Didn't imagine the Empire would collapse.
Just an ordinary Princess and an ordinary aspiring Hero.
"Good night."
"……Yeah. Good night."
Lucia closed her eyes.
Sleep didn't come.
Zzz.
Regular breathing sound heard from the side.
Leona fell asleep quickly.
It was like that in the past too.
Suggesting to chat all night, the one falling asleep first was always Leona.
'……Hasn't changed.'
Lucia opened her eyes slightly.
Turned her head.
Sleeping Leona's face.
Sharp eyes were relaxed softly.
Defenseless appearance putting down both sense of mission and justice.
Wiggle.
Lucia held Leona's hand.
'Cold…'
Leona's hands were always cold.
Squeeze.
So she squeezed tighter.