Chapter 39
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Comprachicos (1)
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The Captain had left alone to resolve the request by himself.
The members learned of this fact right after Captain Hans departed from Lionheart Fortress at dawn. No sooner had Hans left than Helia immediately sensed it.
Of course, the other members all found out as well. Thanks to that, Cluna was left holding the bag all by herself. That was the reason for the impromptu hearing that began at the crack of dawn.
The attendee was, naturally, Cluna. Clara had tried to defend her, but Cluna refused. There was a reason for it. Cluna said with a smile,
"I told you, didn't I? That you shouldn't follow him."
"Why would we listen to you when you're not even the Captain?"
Her mouth was smiling, but those crimson eyes blazed with fury. Helia's ferocious aura was enough to startle even Cluna. But she could understand it.
Over the past two months working here, she'd naturally come to realize just how precious Captain Hans was to Helia. Family... no, perhaps even more than that.
It was a form of obsession bordering on love that had twisted from the affection of a child orphaned by war. For now, she was somehow suppressing those feelings...
But if the day came when those emotions erupted like a volcano, who could possibly handle them? Cluna shook her head. This wasn't the time to get sentimental.
"This is also the Captain's order."
"The Captain's order...?"
"Yes. The Captain clearly said he'd handle it himself alone."
"That's nonsense! For Royal Knights, the basic rule is at least pairs of two!"
"Ruby, don't you already know why the Captain made that choice?"
"......"
In truth, everyone here already knew. Why had the Captain chosen to go alone? No matter the political issues, was he really going to take on demons by himself?
There was no way that was possible. Even if two people handled the request, forcing more than that would be suicidal even for the Dwarven Principality. That's how serious the matter was.
Yet the Captain had still chosen to go alone. Was the reason really just what's written in the request? Or was the problem with us? The answer was already clear.
"Clara, Ruby—you get it without me spelling it out, right?"
"Th-that's... but..."
"......"
They had each witnessed Captain Hans's prowess once before. Clara in the forest, Ruby in the duel with Bayard. Naturally, it wasn't a level they could intervene in.
Helia, of course, couldn't say anything either. She was already aware she was the weakest here. Even after receiving direct instruction from her teacher, she'd never once won.
Of course, compared to her age, Helia's achievements were not just impressive but excessive. But she herself was far from satisfied. After all, she couldn't help her teacher at all.
"Um... what about me...?"
"Oh, of course, Mr. Bayard—you're plenty strong. In close combat, you're on par with me."
"Th-thank you."
Bayard's voice grew even smaller at the unexpectedly generous assessment. But it wasn't flattery. Limited to close-quarters combat, she was indeed on his level.
"But you're still in an unstable state. Your old wounds haven't fully healed, have they?"
"......Embarrassingly, yes......"
"If you were at full strength, maybe. But as you are now, you'd only be a liability to the Captain."
"......"
"Well, anyone else have anything to say?"
Cluna spoke softly while clapping lightly, but no one dared respond. Those words had brutally driven home their own positions.
You'd just get in the way.
That's what she was saying. Indirectly, of course. The first to move was Helia. Her red hair whipped into a wild arc.
"I understand what you mean."
"Good, if you get it."
"In exchange, I have one request."
"A request?"
"I want to spar with you."
Helia was definitely smiling. Not just with her mouth, but a smile so radiant it hurt the eyes. And her tone was perfectly polite.
Yet to Cluna, it sounded like this:
What makes you so great that you can flap your mouth like that?
"Shall I teach a human a lesson for the first time in a while?"
Cluna accepted the bold challenge from the impudent young girl.
Lionheart Fortress was positioned on the front lines.
And the closest nation to the fortress? That would have to be the human kingdom and the Dwarven Principality. Next was the elven forest, and so on—listing them all would take forever.
In any case, by distance alone, the Dwarven Principality was closer than the human kingdom. From the start, both the kingdom and the principality served as shields on the front lines.
Naturally, the damage they suffered was incomparable to other nations or races. While the kingdom remained silent due to its weakness, unable to do otherwise,
the Dwarven Principality always voiced its complaints aggressively. That cranky temperament was actually helpful in such times. Plus, their technological prowess was immense.
The other nations couldn't just sit idly by. Strictly speaking, humans had suffered the greatest losses, but in the end, the loudest voice reaps the most benefits.
"Finally made it."
The request from the Dwarven Principality was to investigate a village on the outskirts of the principality. Dwarves had been disappearing from that village one after another.
Of course, the principality had sent investigation teams multiple times. They even dispatched the military. Unfortunately, not a single one returned alive.
And that was why I was observing the village from a distance. Because it was scary. A village where people go missing if they enter? Of course it was terrifying.
"Maybe I should've brought someone after all. Damn it."
Honestly, I hadn't thought much of it. If it was just me, I could cover anything with time stop. The principality even said to come alone. That's all there was to it.
I hadn't expected to chicken out at the entrance like this. I rubbed my eyes and slowly scanned the village again. No matter how many times I looked, it just seemed like an ordinary village.
Still, I couldn't judge by appearances alone. So, reluctantly, I turned my mount toward the village and entered. The village streets were just as ordinary, nothing special.
Dwarves who looked like boys and girls were going about their work on the streets. Was there a festival? I could hear flute music, and the smell of roasting meat filled the air.
"It's been a long time since a human visited our village! Are you here to enjoy the festival too?"
He was a dwarf man with green hair and quite a few wrinkles. His height was still elementary-school level, but aside from the wrinkles, he could pass for a young man.
"Ah, yes. Something like that."
"Perfect timing! Our dwarven meat is grilled to perfection right now! Care to try some?"
The elder handed me a skewer. I took it. It looked completely ordinary. Even loaded with sauce, appetizing.
"Then I'll gratefully dig in, sir."
"That's the spirit! Eat your fill, don't hold back!"
But right as I was about to pop the skewer into my mouth without a second thought, the scenery around me suddenly turned gray. Time had stopped. What? Why did it stop all of a sudden?
At first, I didn't know why. But soon, I realized. It was because of the skewer in my hand. Just moments ago, it had looked like perfectly ordinary grilled skewer.
But now, with time stopped, looking at it again—it was something horrific, not skewered meat. You wouldn't call grilling severed fingers on a stick "skewer," after all.
"Wh-what the hell...?!"
I dropped the finger skewer in shock. It had looked like normal grilled meat until just now. Only then could I properly take in the village's true state.
The dwarf man who'd handed me the skewer had his body grotesquely twisted in places. Especially where arms should be—there was a dwarf leg and another head.
And at the leg parts, countless arms were attached. Nor was he the only one. Every dwarf here was the same. Like mannequins grotesquely pieced together.
Calm down. Stay calm.
Cognitive dissonance hit from the sudden change, but I desperately pulled myself together. Thank goodness for time stop guaranteeing absolute safety.
If not, I'd have panicked and botched everything. Anyway, confirming this village was far from normal, I bolted out without looking back.
The current situation is too disadvantageous for me.
So, let's retreat, regroup, and come back later.