Chapter 66: Behemoth (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 66: Behemoth (8)
The smile vanished from Frillite’s face.
“And why would I do that?”
“Hm…?”
“I asked, why would I do that? Don’t make me ask twice.”
Her voice was glacial. Her expression was blank, but her eyes were colder than ice.
Lorian was taken aback.
Given what he’d said, he had expected some resistance, but not a reaction this strong.
Has she already formed such a close bond with him?
He was right not to have delayed any longer.
“My apologies. I spoke too bluntly.”
Lorian cleared his throat and carefully chose his next words.
Then, in the softest voice he could manage, he said, “Cloud is a hero. However, he is fundamentally different from us.”
“Different, you say?”
“His origins. In short, he comes from a different world than we do.”
A commoner with no standing.
Of lowly birth.
He avoided such direct terms. Regardless of his own opinions, he knew Frillite would not appreciate such words.
“Look over there.”
Lorian pointed to Cloud, who was surrounded by citizens. The square was still filled with a warm, cheerful atmosphere.
“It’s a heartwarming sight. The hero is comforting the citizens harmed by the monster, one by one, is he not? Those people will likely find great solace in that alone. I won’t deny that he is an excellent hero. However.”
Lorian’s eyes narrowed.
All his earlier praise for Cloud had been a prelude to this.
“He is unfit to be a ruler.”
“…”
Frillite, her arms crossed, tilted her chin.
Taking it as a signal to continue, Lorian gained confidence and pressed on, his voice swelling with self-importance.
“Think about it. What is a ruler? They are, by definition, one who reigns. Not someone who concerns themselves with every single commoner, but a sovereign who stands tall above them.”
Lorian lowered the hand that had been pointing at Cloud.
“Of course, even a ruler can pay attention to individual commoners. They might be called a good ruler for it. But they will never become a great one.”
A ruler is one who reigns and governs.
A governor must be able to see the future.
To fear minor sacrifices and forsake the future is to be buried by the present.
“Frillite. You and I were born to be rulers. We are different from men like Cloud or Gis from birth. I only said what I did because I was concerned that associating with Cloud would compromise your identity as a ruler.”
After Lorian finished, Frillite remained silent. He grew triumphant, assuming she was taking his words to heart.
But he was mistaken.
A moment later, Frillite’s brow furrowed in a deep scowl.
“Lorian, do you take me for a fool?”
“Pardon…?”
Lorian let out a dumbfounded sound.
How could she possibly interpret his words to reach such a conclusion?
Had she misunderstood something?
But Lorian was given no time to explain.
Frillite continued without pause.
“I, Frillite de Ferdiac, as a hero and as the next head of the Ferdiac family, fully understand my position, my role, and my responsibilities. Yet you seem to think I would ruin all of that over some personal feelings. If that isn’t taking me for a fool, then what is it?”
“N-No. That’s not what I meant…”
“Spare me your excuses!”
Frillite’s furious shout echoed through the square.
The nearby citizens flinched in surprise and turned to look at her, but she paid them no mind, her glare fixed on Lorian.
“Listen well. I, Frillite de Ferdiac, as a hero, will gladly lay down my life if it is required for the peace of the continent. And as the next head of the Ferdiac family, I will naturally accept certain sacrifices for the sake of my domain. If you understand, then get lost.”
I can’t even stand the sight of you.
As Frillite raged, Lorian was deeply shaken.
It was the first time he had ever seen her so openly furious. How was he supposed to handle this? The thought alone made his head feel like it would explode.
“Frillite, I had no intention of insulting you. I was merely concerned, so please, calm your anger. I offer you my sincerest apologies.”
Lorian apologized with all the courtesy he could muster.
But naturally, a single apology was not nearly enough to quell Frillite’s anger.
Her fury was a complex mixture of emotions—insult to herself, insult to Cloud, and irritation at a third party trying to take away the first friend she had ever made.
However, contrary to her inner feelings, Frillite let out a deep sigh and accepted his apology.
Part of it was to maintain a civil relationship with another hero, but the larger reason was that she didn’t want to waste any more mental energy arguing with him.
“Thank you for accepting my apology. However, I do hope you will reconsider what I said earlier.”
“You dare…!”
“It’s not for the same reason as before!”
Frillite’s face twisted in fury as if she could take no more, her hand reaching for her sword. At that, Lorian lost all composure and frantically waved his hands.
“When a man and a woman of marriageable age spend time together so freely, wouldn’t it cause a scandal? That would create problems for your marriage prospects, Frillite…”
“I don’t see why you’re so concerned about my marriage. But let me assure you, you need not worry about any scandals.”
Frillite cut him off curtly. In response, Lorian chuckled and threw out a joke.
“‘Don’t worry about scandals’… You sound strangely confident. Surely you’re not thinking of marrying Cloud, are you?”
“…”
Frillite did not answer.
Her silence made Lorian’s eyes tremble.
Wh-What? Why did she suddenly go quiet? Especially in response to that joke?
Could it be?
Just as Lorian was about to open his trembling lips, a voice cut in.
“What are you doing?”
Cloud had approached without them noticing and stepped between the two.
Closer to Frillite, to be precise.
What? Why did that guy from the square suddenly show up?
How did he know? More importantly, why now of all times?
Now he couldn’t press Frillite for an answer to his question. As Lorian’s face crumpled in annoyance, he saw it.
He saw Frillite’s eyes widen in surprise at the sight of Cloud, then soften into a gentle smile.
It was a stark contrast to the cold expression she had worn while speaking to him.
“Why would you appear so suddenly? You startled me.”
“What do you mean, suddenly? I walked right up to you. You’re the one who didn’t notice. What were you two talking about that you couldn’t even sense my presence?”
“It’s nothing you need to know.”
Her voice, too, was no longer the frigid tone she had used with Lorian.
“What? What is it? What are you hiding?”
“Like I said, it was nothing important.”
“Ha… So you’re going to hide it to the end? You may not know this, but it’s little things like this that pile up and destroy friendships. You’ve just planted a seed of distrust between us.”
“Why must you be so dramatic? Stop nagging. Is there a reason you have to press the issue?”
“Because I’m jealous, of course!”
“J-Jealousy?!”
…He had never seen her so flustered before.
Flustered, of all things.
Wasn’t that the word least suited to Frillite?
A small seed of anxiety grew, churning in Lorian’s chest.
—Surely you’re not thinking of marrying Cloud, are you?
A single joke, meant to lighten the mood.
It was just a joke, but it suddenly began to feel like a real possibility.
Marriage…? With that thing?
With that lout who had nothing but his pretty face?
Why?
Lorian simply could not understand.
In every aspect except for looks, Lorian was superior to Cloud. And even if his looks were slightly inferior to Cloud’s, was Lorian ugly?
Not at all.
He was handsome enough that if he walked down the street, 90 out of 100 women would turn their heads.
Could it be that Frillite cares more about looks than I thought?
If so, that would explain this bizarre situation. But in exchange for that explanation, Lorian had to endure a sensation like an awl stabbing at his chest. It was the first time in his life that Lorian had ever felt a sense of inferiority.
Just as Lorian clenched his fists to control his burning heart, his eyes met Cloud’s.
Cloud looked at Lorian for a moment, then casually placed a hand on Frillite’s shoulder.
Lorian’s eyes flew wide open.
He stared so hard it felt as if his eyeballs would pop out.
How dare that lowly commoner touch her!
Just like last time, and now this time.
That bastard didn’t know his place.
Just as Lorian was about to give him a sharp reprimand, Cloud spoke.
“Alright, alright. I’ll stop asking. Let’s go get a drink instead.”
Cloud said to Frillite with a bright smile.
For a moment, Lorian couldn’t believe his ears.
Had he heard correctly? Did that commoner whelp just dare to ask the daughter of the Ferdiac family to go drinking with him?
The absurdity of it all made him let out a humorless laugh.
Building a friendship as fellow heroes was one thing; a man and a woman going for drinks alone was another matter entirely. An act like that would inevitably lead to a scandal.
And for an unmarried daughter of a noble house, such a scandal was one of the worst things that could happen.
Of course, some young ladies secretly went drinking with handsome men.
But.
…Frillite is not one of those common, loose women.
She was qualitatively different from the women who flocked around Lorian.
It didn’t matter if they were nobles or commoners.
That was one of the reasons Lorian admired her.
Therefore, no matter how close they were, she would firmly reject that offer…
“Fine. I get it, so stop rushing me. But where do you plan on drinking? As you can see, the city’s pubs are in no state to be open.”
Lorian’s face twisted in despair.
It was such a shocking expression that even Cloud flinched for a second, but Frillite didn’t notice.
She wasn’t even looking at him.
Ever since Cloud had arrived, she hadn’t spared Lorian a single glance.
And she had no intention of doing so.
“We can drink at the castle. If the ducal family has any conscience, they’ll break out the expensive stuff they have stashed away, don’t you think?”
“Oho, now that’s something to look forward to.”
“If it’s decided, let’s go.”
With his hand still on Frillite’s shoulder, Cloud turned toward the ducal estate.
The two of them started walking, leaving Lorian behind.
He had to say something.
He had to stop them, for any reason, but his lips wouldn’t move.
As Lorian stood there, staring blankly at their retreating backs, Cloud turned his head. He looked at Lorian, saw his miserable state, and…
Smirked.
Having witnessed Gis’s pranks a few times in the past, Lorian knew what that smirk meant. And with that, he finally snapped.
His face contorted with rage as he reached for his sword.
Cloud’s eyes sharpened.
<Pattern of the Behemoth>
[Fear]
The moment he met Cloud’s gaze, Lorian’s entire body froze.
The paralysis broke after only half a second. Because of Lorian’s high resistance to status effects, the impact of [Fear] was minimal.
Normally, he would have been pleased with his high resistance, but…
I was afraid? Me?
Lorian knew nothing about the Pattern of the Behemoth that Cloud possessed. It was only natural that he would interpret the momentary paralysis differently.
Thud—
Lorian collapsed weakly to the ground.
His trademark arrogance was gone from his trembling eyes, replaced by a profound sense of defeat.