Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Triumphant Return
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The recent atmosphere in the Silver Dawn Knights was in utter turmoil.
Even during the three daily mealtimes, only the bare minimum of conversation took place, and the former liveliness and clamor were nowhere to be found.
The cause was, of course, the newbie who had joined recently.
The monster that had thwarted Claudia's subjugation attempt and left her gravely wounded had been tackled single-handedly by the newbie, who had dashed off on his own. Everyone was fretting over his safety, and the mood had sunk completely.
Rize, who usually brought energy and atmosphere out of thin air, had gone quiet first, and Erika, influenced by her sister, had grown even more reserved in her already calm demeanor.
Iris occasionally clutched her head, blaming herself. With three out of the four members in the castle in such a state, the overall vibe was naturally a mess.
Everyone except Claudia, that is.
Claudia carried on as usual. She had no particular bond with the newbie and barely knew him.
Naturally, she worried he might not return, but that was simply the concern of a knight captain for a subordinate.
The other three, especially Rize, didn't seem to view him as just any newbie.
Above all, she had refused to go herself, and no one had pushed her—it was he who had stubbornly insisted on going alone despite everyone's opposition, forcing their reluctant permission before leaving.
If he charged out on bravado, failed the subjugation, and died, then that was the end of him. She'd seen the sorry ends of half-baked bravado plenty of times before.
Unless he succeeded by some miracle.
Thanks to such thoughts, Claudia remained her normal self, but since she hadn't stirred from her bed all day, it did nothing to lift the mood.
"Claudia, do you think the newbie can come back alive?"
"That question again? Do you even know how many times that's made the rounds?"
Claudia recoiled at Iris's somber query.
"...Right now, none of us can assess the situation objectively. The other two are the same. You're the only one who can stay calm here."
Claudia shook her head inwardly.
She couldn't fathom how, in just a few days, the newbie had embedded himself so deeply that his absence alone left everyone on edge.
"I have no certainty, but if that newbie can unleash destructive power far beyond my greatsword, maybe he can subjugate it and return alive?"
"That's no different from saying he'll die for sure."
"I say that, but who knows? Like you said, Iris, he might find an opening I couldn't even imagine using that insane skill of his. Me, I nearly died panicking because my greatsword bounced right off."
For someone who had barely survived death, her tone was remarkably nonchalant.
Of course, people didn't die easily. Minor scratches vanished in minutes, and even severe wounds—shattered bones, twisted limbs, torn flesh—could heal as long as life clung on.
Even severed arms or legs could be reattached with timely potions and magic, making human life remarkably tenacious.
Claudia was exceptional even among them.
In fact, she could have discharged herself right now instead of lingering in the sickbed, but Erika had forbidden her from stepping out until treatment was complete, so she obediently stayed put.
From the start, the body that had endured wounds lethal enough to kill her on the spot—roughly bandaged, then ridden at full gallop for two days—wouldn't fail to recover here.
"He left with such a confident face, so let's trust him. He must have some plan. Besides, worrying like this is more insulting to the newbie. You know that, right? What you're all doing treats him like someone utterly unreliable."
"...."
"You can read faces well enough, Iris, so you must have noticed already. Did he show any hesitation or fear?"
Iris shook her head side to side. No. Absolutely not. Far from fear or hesitation, he had even seemed a bit excited. She couldn't begin to guess why.
An incomprehensible man. What on earth gave him such confidence—enough to face solo the monster that had casually routed even Claudia—and feel thrilled about it?
"I'm still not sure if I should have let the newbie go alone. Couldn't we have trailed him from a distance?"
"He explicitly told us not to follow. What would we have done if he caught on?"
"Do you think the newbie could detect our presence, Claudia?"
"Ah, right. He's cursed with level 1, after all."
"That's not why I'm anxious. You've heard about that newbie too, haven't you?"
Claudia sighed in exasperation.
"Yeah, I've heard it all a million times. The witch's curse, beating monsters barehanded with a crude prison steel sword, what he showed in Rize's initiation exam—everything. My ears are callused."
"If he at least had stats on par with a regular knight, I wouldn't worry at all. You know what a witch's curse means, Claudia."
"I do. But, Iris."
Leaning against the bed's headboard, her pale pink eyes fixed on Iris.
"It's his choice. If he subjugates that monster and returns, he's talent we must nurture. If not, he's a fool who bit off more than he could chew. That's not for us to meddle in, and we shouldn't. Suppose he overreaches, nearly dies, but we save him. Think that'll fix his personality? Not a chance."
"...."
"And honestly, I don't get you, Iris. Why the overprotectiveness? He took down human butchers with a single sword, read Rize's feints, passed the initiation exam—what's there to worry about? I'm not expecting much, but I'm not fretting either. He left so confidently, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt once."
"...Is that so."
"It's not 'is that so.' It is. What you're doing is pointless worrying. Jeez, what did that newbie do to get Rize and you all in such a frenzy? Got some pheromone that enchants women or what?"
His face and body were pretty decent-looking. Claudia stretched languidly, itching unbearably from all the bed rest.
"No way! That's not it! I'm just worried about the newbie—"
"Rookie!!!!!!"
In an instant, Rize's booming voice cut Iris off from outside the window.
Iris and Claudia stared at each other, momentarily stunned, then sprang up in unison.
"...What's with the atmosphere, Rize? Did I do something wrong?"
"Wrong? You did something hugely wrong. Do you have any idea how worried we were while you were gone?"
Returning with the horse head as proof of subjugation and the monster's massive spear, I was greeted by an overall awkward vibe. For a split second, I thought I'd messed up right upon arrival.
"No, I promised I'd come back."
"You think promises like that get kept just because?!"
Rize gawked at me in disbelief. Fair enough— in stories, vows to return were usually death flags.
"I kept it, though?"
Of course, that's that, and this is this. As I stated matter-of-factly, Rize stared with a face full of incredulity, seemingly at a loss to retort.
"Seriously...."
Rize's expression turned complicated, then she beamed and pulled me into a tight frontal hug. Her soft chest pressed against my abdomen. I barely reined in my lower half's unruly reaction.
Struggling not to respond to the sensation of her breasts through my thin sleeveless top, Erika approached from the side with a smile.
"Rookie."
"Ah, Erika."
"Really, you have a knack for startling people."
Her tone carried a hint of weariness, but her expression mingled relief. No negativity tainted her smile.
"Congratulations on the successful subjugation. Taking down a major monster solo in your first week— that's a new record. Probably one that'll never be broken."
"Thanks. Yeah, it'd take some serious talent to break a record I set."
"Some serious? Isn't that too modest a word?"
While Erika and I chatted, Iris and Claudia rose after seriously inspecting the massive horse head I'd set on the floor.
"...It's real."
"My god, you actually caught it."
Iris gaped at the horse head in shock, while Claudia let out a hollow chuckle.
"I told you. I'd bring it back. Believe me now?"
"Seriously.... You're...."
As Iris stared blankly, speechless, Claudia strode over and slung an arm around my shoulder. Our similar heights made it feel perfectly natural.
"Congrats, rookie. Truly impressive. I had to say it: Iris, where'd you pick up a guy like this?"
"Thank you, Captain Claudia."
"You drink well?"
"Pardon?"
Right after thanking her for the congrats, she abruptly asked about my drinking. I blinked in confusion.
Claudia laughed heartily, tightening her arm around my shoulder. Still locked in Rize's hug, the added shoulder-clasp irked her, and her grip on me strengthened.
"I asked if you drink well. This calls for a celebratory round. No refusing—follow me later. Tonight, I'll pour for you."
"Uh.... Not tonight."
"Not tonight? Why?"
Her androgynous face shifted to puzzlement. I glanced down at the pouch securely fastened to my waist, containing the book possessed by the devil.
"I've still got work to do."
At my words about unfinished business, all four knight captains voiced their confusion in unison.
"Unfinished work? What does that mean?"
I grinned and replied.
"You'll find out soon enough."