Chapter 37
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Do You Know Why I'm Strong? It's Because I Escaped! (6)
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I had a dream.
It looked like some kind of stage. She was always sitting in the audience, watching the scene unfold. And after a moment, the curtain rose, revealing the actors.
Every one of the actors had familiar faces. The lizardman wielding a greatsword clashed with the ratkin boy until they killed each other in mutual destruction. The dwarf woman and the veteran elf took each other's throats.
And the play always ended the same way—with a massive dragon appearing to devour all the actors. At the same moment, Bayard woke from her sleep. The nightmare repeated relentlessly.
"......Where is this?"
Bayard blankly looked around. This wasn't some crude shelter made of broken trees and vines. Sturdy stone walls and a comfortable bed supported her.
Was that just a dream?
Or...... something else.
She didn't know. In her current state, she couldn't tell. If only someone could just bluntly tell her the answer. But for some reason, she couldn't voice it.
It was like a heavy boulder was blocking her mouth. That suffocating feeling made her avert her gaze without realizing it. Ever since that day—the day she barely returned from that hell.
It hurt. Her head throbbed. It felt like shards of a knife were scraping through her brain. Would dying free her from this pain? What was the point of someone like me—who couldn't protect anyone—staying alive?
[It's okay. Prove it with your own strength.]
[Captain......]
[Prove yourself, and everyone will see you differently.]
[......Thank you, Captain. I'll do my best.]
The captain who had told her it was okay was gone now. All that remained was trash who couldn't prove her worth. The guilt of failing to protect her comrades boiled up hot inside her.
[First, the Dwarven Principality will officially sponsor the Royal Knights.]
[We'll provide the highest-grade equipment prepared by the Dwarven Principality. And we'll reinforce this fortress to make it even stronger.]
[In exchange, hand over Bayard?]
[Yes. Just one person. Only her.]
Beastkin hearing was far superior to other races. Especially Bayard's—it was exceptionally sharp even among beastkin. That's why she could hear the conversation upstairs.
Dwarven Principality, come to think of it. She'd heard rumors before the expedition that things were off with the Dwarven Principality. But she never imagined they'd scheme like this.
She couldn't run away. If she fled again, it would definitely bring harm to the Royal Knights this time. If this could help everyone instead...
[Of course, we refuse.]
[A wise choice... What?]
"......Huh?"
Even she thought it was a great offer. Unless you were someone like Captain Yuren, who valued comrades above all else. Yes, any normal captain would have no choice but to accept.
The Royal Knights were in dire straits right now. There were many problems, but the biggest was that most of their supporting factions had turned their backs.
But if the Dwarven Principality officially sponsored them? Not only would their situation improve dramatically, but other factions would move to counterbalance it.
Even Captain Yuren probably would have had no choice in this situation. That's what being a captain meant. You had to know when to cut off even your most precious finger.
"Because over the long years, people who act like you always had some scheme brewing behind the scenes."
The elf was right. Anyone showing excessive goodwill beyond reason had ulterior motives. That's why Bayard had even doubted the current captain at first.
"But how could I sell family for money?"
"Family......"
It hit her like a bolt of lightning. And in that shock, she remembered what she'd forgotten. The time before coming here, when she'd gone berserk and attacked.
Even though he could have easily subdued her. He chose to embrace her instead. Despite the risk of his fragile body being torn apart. How could he do that?
That question was finally answered now.
He truly saw them as family. Everyone gathered here. Could she reach out to that warmth? Even someone like her, abandoned by her own blood kin?
[It's okay. It's okay now.]
[No more enemies to torment you.]
[I can take all those feelings.]
[Let it out. Cry as much as you want.]
She'd already heard that answer directly from the captain himself.
And Bayard did as he said. She poured it all out.
The suffering she'd bottled up until now.
The guilt and sorrow of losing her comrades.
I couldn't help but have a chilling thought.
Anything but this—I swore I'd never act like the Time Stop Breeding Uncle. Yet here I was, thinking I could just steal what I wanted. This absolutely wouldn't do.
One misstep, and I might end up corrupted like the Time Stop Breeding Uncle. Just imagining it was horrifying. I punched my head several times.
The helmet kept it from hurting. But the shock snapped me back to my senses. Anything but becoming like the Time Stop Breeding Uncle.
I clicked my tongue. I'd refused without even listening properly. But chewing it over, the Dwarven Principality's offer was way better than I'd thought.
"Refusing the Dwarven Principality's proposal will complicate diplomatic relations between the kingdom and the principality quite a bit."
"Not our problem. We're knights, not politicians."
"You're a unique captain, sir."
"Am I?"
"Yes. Even Captain Yuren prioritized his own race."
"Of course arms bend inward."
In this world where races banded together under their banners, favoring your own kind wasn't hard to understand. Right now, we were allied somehow.
But originally, different races checked each other and even went to war. That was only possible with leeway, though. Not in this utter mess.
Bringing politics into it now would be pure insanity. In a way, this was an opportunity. Everything had fallen apart, giving us a chance to build from the ground up.
But that was the limit of what I could do. Exclude politics entirely and create a knight order where everyone relied on each other. A true family of knights.
"But there's no place for me here."
"Teacher?"
Ah, shit, you scared me.
"......Helia? When did you get here?"
"Just now, but what you said just now..."
"Nothing. Let's get to training."
I brushed it off naturally. After sending the Dwarven Principality's delegation packing, I jumped straight into the next training session. But with my current skills, I couldn't teach the Royal Knights.
So I left all their training to Cluna. She had the years of experience. And above all, as an original hero party member, her skills and knowledge were trustworthy.
In fact, Cluna was teaching even better than I'd expected. Clara and Ruby were grinding their teeth and keeping up well. The problem was Helia, as usual.
"Sh-She's blocking all my attacks?!"
"Even I struggle to block that dwarf's strikes."
"......"
Helia was only 13 years old. Yet she was holding her own against Ruby in sparring. Of course, Ruby would win in the end.
But for a 13-year-old to even contend with a full Royal Knight member already proved Helia's talent. And that was the issue. Helia came running to me with a smile.
"Teacher! Teacher! I did my best! I did well, right?"
"Y-Yeah. You worked hard. Great job."
"Then praise me! Pet my head!"
Yes, that was the problem. She kept coming to me for praise. Naturally, the knights started mistaking Helia for my disciple. I couldn't let that slide.
"Let me make this clear. It's because Helia is exceptional. I didn't do a thing."
"No, it's all thanks to Teacher's great instruction."
"A fine master and fine disciple. No wonder the sprout grows so well."
"I want to train under the captain someday too."
"No, that's not..."
I couldn't let the misunderstanding spread further. Swallowing my embarrassment, I spoke up unprompted. And just like that, I became the humble master hyping up his disciple.
But I couldn't finish my words. Someone had stepped into the fortress's inner courtyard training ground. I turned my head. There stood a familiar face.
Atop her reddish-brown hair were beast ears like a bear's. She wore the Royal Knights' red armor, and her height was around two meters—immensely tall.
"Captain, c-can I join the training too?"
"Of course."
This was an unexpected windfall. For whatever reason, she'd overcome her trauma enough to join training. Maybe Ruby had encouraged her separately?
Eh, who cared about the reason?
In the end, good things were good.