Chapter 68: Behemoth (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68: Behemoth (10)
Frillite, who had been holding hands with Cloud for a while, decided it was time to call it a night.
There was no sign of him waking up from his drunken slumber.
She helped him up and left the room.
Where is Cloud’s room?
The moment they were out, she faced a problem. Frillite had no idea which room Cloud was staying in. She was contemplating just putting him in a spare room when she saw someone.
A woman with short blue hair was walking down the dark corridor, guided by the faint light of a candle.
Frillite knew who she was.
One of Cloud’s companions.
Her name was Neria, I believe.
Neria was looking around anxiously. There was a reason she was up at this hour.
Earlier in the day, she had overheard Cloud and Frillite making a bet over drinks. That meant the two of them would be drinking together, and just in case, Neria had gone to check Cloud’s room.
Cloud wasn’t there.
That was why she was now wandering the halls, searching for him anxiously.
“You are?”
Startled by Frillite’s voice, Neria spun around. She was surprised again to see Frillite with Cloud leaning against her. Neria rushed over to check on him.
“Cloud, are you okay?”
“Hnngh…? Yeah…”
Cloud cracked his eyes open slightly, recognized Neria, and then closed them again. He was more drunk than she’d thought. Thank goodness I found him quickly, Neria thought.
“You’re Cloud’s companion, Neria, correct?”
Frillite spoke to her. Neria finally came to her senses and turned her attention to Frillite.
Unlike when she was outside in her silver armor, Frillite was now wearing a white shirt and long black trousers. It was a simple outfit, but on her, it looked strangely beautiful.
The saying “clothes make the man” didn’t apply here.
In her case, the person made the clothes.
Neria’s eyes narrowed slightly.
It wasn’t out of jealousy for Frillite’s beauty. She was displeased by how casually Frillite was dressed.
“…Yes, that’s right.”
Frillite looked at Neria’s expression with a hint of confusion before continuing.
“Perfect timing. Could you tell me where Cloud’s room is? I managed to get him out, but I’m afraid I don’t know where his room is.”
“Is that so? I understand.”
Neria moved to support Cloud’s other shoulder.
“I’ll take Cloud from here. Lady Frillite, you should go and rest.”
“Hm? No, I’m fine. It’s my fault he got this drunk, so I can’t burden you. Just tell me where his room is, and I’ll take him.”
Neria shook her head.
“If you take him, Lady Frillite, he’ll wake up tomorrow and be mortified, wondering if he made a fool of himself.”
Cloud, mortified?
Frillite’s expression turned peculiar.
“I doubt that…”
“He will.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because Cloud and I are old friends. We grew up together.”
“Hm?”
Frillite’s eyebrow twitched.
She didn’t know why, but Neria’s words felt unpleasant. Unaware of Frillite’s feelings, Neria continued.
“And Cloud is the Hero of our party. It’s my duty to look after him.”
Ah.
Frillite began to understand the source of her displeasure.
She recalled the words Cloud had mumbled when he was drunk in a pub in a border town west of the Empire.
—I’m sorry.
—If I had just been a little better, you all…
At the time, Cloud had been crying, missing the companions who had left him.
He blamed everything on his own shortcomings.
That’s right. These people, Neria included, had abandoned Cloud because he was incompetent. And now she was pretending to care for him.
Frillite found Neria’s hypocrisy detestable.
She wanted to scold her harshly, but she couldn’t.
Regardless of what Frillite thought, Cloud had taken Neria back. Neria was his companion, and what she was doing now—looking after a teammate—was a perfectly normal thing to do.
Frillite had no place to interfere. So, she held her tongue.
“Where is Cloud’s room?”
“As I said, I’ll take Cloud…”
“I asked where Cloud’s room is.”
But she couldn’t hide the anger that laced her voice.
Neria flinched at the sharp tone.
“…I thank you again for your kindness, Lady Frillite. But Cloud is…”
“Neria. What is your family name?”
“…I have not been granted one.”
A quasi-baron.
It was a title Neria received when she was recognized as a knight. It was a title in name only; it wasn’t hereditary, so she had no family name.
Perhaps if she defeated the Demon King and was recognized for her achievements, she might receive a true title. But for now, Neria was just Neria.
“I see. Sir Neria, I will not ask again. Where is Cloud’s room?”
She added ‘Sir’ after Neria’s name.
Unlike before, she was now asserting her authority. In other words, this was not a request, but an order.
An order from the next head of the Ferdiac ducal family.
How many on the continent could refuse it? Within this kingdom, you could count them on one hand.
And Neria was not one of them. She told Frillite the location of Cloud’s room.
“I will take him. I have no intention of doing anything untoward, so don’t worry and return to your room, Sir Neria.”
“…Understood.”
Frillite led Cloud toward his room. Watching their retreating backs, Neria bit her lip hard.
*
Several days had passed since the Behemoth was defeated. The three Hero parties, excluding Frillite’s, had not left the Oller estate. Duke Oller, desperate to forge connections, was clinging to them relentlessly.
Since the treatment wasn’t bad, my party had also stayed.
Still, we should probably get going soon.
The Behemoth had been slain.
The implications of this were quite significant.
After the Behemoth’s death, the demons would begin to move in earnest.
Starting with the descent of Creas, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, followed by a Lich commanding an army of the undead, and even the Succubus Queen.
One major incident after another.
I needed to find and recruit Shedia, Katarina, and Leslie before all that began.
In other words, I had to move fast.
“So I really shouldn’t be getting interested in something like this.”
It was a letter that had been slipped under my door while I slept.
A challenge to a duel, written in the name of Lorian’s sister, Lorraine. The letter instructed me to come to the training grounds alone tonight.
“I really shouldn’t…”
My body, however, was more honest than my mind.
When I came to my senses, the sun had set, and I was already crossing the dark garden toward the training grounds.
But it sounds so fun.
A duel challenge from Lorian’s sister.
How could I possibly resist?
By the time I finished justifying my actions, I had arrived. On the dark training grounds, illuminated only by the moonlight, stood a slender figure.
A woman with long, curly brown hair.
It was Lorraine.
Dressed for mobility with metal plates covering only her vital points, she had a thin, sharp broadsword sheathed at her waist.
“What did you do to my brother?” Lorraine said, glaring at me fiercely the moment I arrived.
“What are you talking about, coming at me like that? Anyway, you really were waiting alone? I thought you’d have some guys hidden to jump me.”
I couldn’t sense any other presence around the training grounds. It was possible she had hidden an expert capable of deceiving my senses, but the chances were low.
Why would someone that incredible follow a mere princess of the Carta Kingdom?
They could live a much better life serving the Emperor.
Which meant Lorraine was genuinely planning to duel me one-on-one.
“Just answer my question!” Lorraine shouted, drawing her broadsword.
The sharp edge of her sword was impressive. I quietly compared her sword to mine.
…It’s about time I got a new sword.
I’d been using this one out of respect for the old merchant I met in the Alitia Kingdom, but I guess it’s time to let it go.
“Are you refusing to answer? Fine, let’s see how long you can keep your mouth shut!”
Lorraine started running toward me.
Spouting nonsense out of the blue wasn’t enough, now she was throwing a fit.
She really is Lorian’s sister.
I drew my sword and used the pattern.
<Behemoth’s Pattern>
[King’s Senses]
My senses expanded.
The first thing I noticed was my hearing.
From the sound of Lorraine’s footsteps to her breathing, and even her heartbeat, I could hear it all.
Next was sight.
My previously dark vision cleared into a grayscale world. The darkness was no longer an obstacle. Squinting, I could clearly see a tiny scratch etched into Lorraine’s sword.
Smell.
My own scent, Lorraine’s scent, the smell of the earth, the flowers in the garden… A variety of smells rushed in at once, but I could distinguish each one.
Touch.
I could feel the flow of air changing against my skin as Lorraine charged.
“Die!”
The broadsword came down in a diagonal slash.
I twisted my body to dodge. Pivoting on her right foot, Lorraine spun and swung her sword horizontally.
That, too, failed to reach me.
I had already put distance between us.
My enhanced senses allowed me to read her every move.
“How dare a lowly commoner dodge?!”
Deciding that simple attacks wouldn’t work, Lorraine started mixing in feints.
But I could read those, too.
Her feints were too obvious to deceive senses enhanced by the pattern.
After about two minutes, my expanded senses gradually returned to normal.
The effect was powerful, but it didn’t seem to last long.
Even without the sensory boost, her attacks weren’t impossible to dodge. I calmly evaded or parried Lorraine’s strikes. After playing with her for a while, as if in a sword dance, she grew exhausted and bent over, hands on her knees.
“No… way… This can’t be happening… To a mere commoner Hero…” Lorraine muttered, her face a mask of disbelief. Soon, her eyes blazed as she glared at me.
“What kind of trick did you use?!”
“Huh?”
“Don’t play dumb! Your movements changed partway through! I definitely felt it!”
With the difference in my perception, a slight change in my movements was inevitable.
There’s a huge difference between reading something and simply seeing and predicting it.
But the change in my movements hadn’t been that significant.
The fact that she noticed meant she had some talent…
I thought she was just another royal brat throwing her weight around. I’m surprised.
“Ha! Your silence is an admission. Using tricks in a sacred duel. As expected, one should never associate with the lowly.”
She took my silence as a confession and started spouting shameless nonsense.
Oh, really?
“Hey, let me ask you something. Do you hate commoners that much? They’re your people, in the end.” I asked, walking toward her.
As I moved, she flinched, then spoke in a voice filled with malice.
“Yes! It’s only natural to hate uneducated, ill-mannered, shabby things! I especially loathe lowly creatures like you who don’t know their place. It’s beyond dislike, it’s repulsive!”
“I sincerely hope that repulsion is on the same level as your feelings for cockroaches.”
“What? What’s that supposed to—Mmph?!”
Lorraine’s eyes widened.
Of course they did.
I had just smashed my lips against hers without any warning. Stunned by the sudden kiss, Lorraine was disoriented for a moment before she grasped the situation and immediately swung her sword.
I leaned my head back and dodged.
Lorraine’s eyes trembled as if she couldn’t believe what had just happened.
I looked at her and declared boldly.
“Been dreaming of a romantic first kiss with a handsome noble? Too bad! Your first kiss was with me, the commoner Cloud!”
“N-no… Nooooo!!!”
Lorraine shrieked.