Chapter 63
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Bullying, Stop! (5)
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In the remaining time, I had a deep conversation with Helia. I recalled hearing somewhere that the most important part of education is sitting face-to-face and talking with the child.
It was just secondhand knowledge I'd picked up, but it was still better than doing nothing at all. In fact, Helia had improved to the point where comparing her to her old self was embarrassing.
Back in the dining hall, she'd drawn her sword and lunged right away. Compared to then, she truly seemed human now. Recently, Helia had started reading books. I asked her why.
"Was there a book you wanted to read?"
"Don't you read a lot of books, Teacher?"
"When there's something I need to look into."
"I started reading to be of help to you, too."
She was still showing signs of dependency on me, but that would fade little by little with time. Even now, Helia was spending her time hanging out with Clara and Ruby.
It felt refreshing yet a bit bittersweet. But this must be natural growth for a child. I just hoped she wouldn't end up twisted by an obsession with power like in the original story.
I closed the book I was reading. Right now, I was researching dimensional travel in the Royal Knights' library. Of course, there was no convenient book on it.
For now, I was delving slowly into magic. As the saying goes, the longer the road, the more you should go around. By building it up step by step, I'd eventually reach a clue.
"It's about time for our guest to arrive."
"I'll prepare right away."
"Prepare? You?"
"I can at least brew some tea."
"True, but..."
Helia flashed a bright smile and slipped out of the office. Left alone suddenly, I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling. No, this was a good thing, wasn't it?
Why did it feel so off? The thought crossed my mind briefly, but I pulled myself together. Either way, it was great that the child was growing up right.
So I should focus on my own tasks. I checked my appearance in the mirror prepared in the office. The helmet Helia had given me had shattered during the fight with the Complicacos.
Thanks to that, she'd glared at me with a scary intensity for a moment, but hadn't done anything more. Plus, the other knights hadn't reacted as strongly as I'd expected.
[Hey, the captain's not wearing his helmet anymore?]
[When did he take it off?]
[S-Since the day you brought Captain Yuren here, he's b-been without it.]
[He wasn't wearing it when I met him. Was he originally wearing a helmet?]
[Captain, do you need a new helmet, by any chance?]
Never mind all that—Clara and Ruby were hugely disappointed when they finally noticed I'd ditched the helmet. Come on, I'm your captain. How could you be so oblivious?
No, whatever. It's fine.
I'm leaving someday anyway. The more attached we get, the more it'll hurt then. This distance might be just right. That's when I heard a thud.
I wasn't startled anymore. Sure enough, looking out the window, Yuren was landing in the courtyard as expected. But she wasn't alone. Something was strapped to her back.
Looking closer, there was a girl with gray hair and round beast ears. And behind her, beastkin warriors were tied up with ropes, dangling like livestock. Wait, what the hell??
The sight made my neck tense up. I'd clearly told her to bring them politely. Did "politely" mean something else to a dragon?
No, no, this wasn't the time. I had to clean up this mess somehow. Making a snap decision, I turned and rushed out. Helia followed me.
"She really made a spectacle of it."
"......"
As Helia said, up close, it was a total disaster. Every beastkin was foaming at the mouth. No way they were conscious.
"Captain's here?"
"Yeah! Captain! I carried out your orders!!"
"......"
After causing such a huge incident, how could she say it so proudly? My blood pressure spiked, but I swallowed my anger. What good would yelling do?
She'd crush them head-on without breaking a sweat. And if I pissed her off and soured relations? I'd be the one bowing in the end.
Water under the bridge already. Scolding her could wait. Fixing this mess came first. I quickly ordered them moved to the infirmary.
Cluna and Yuren followed my orders without complaint. That made it even weirder. What? They didn't look defiant at all. So why do this?
"Cluna, didn't I say to bring them politely?"
"Yes, Captain. I carried out that order."
"Yeah! She was impressive. Holding out so well against numbers."
"You're too kind."
"......??"
At first, I had no idea what they meant. But hearing the details, the beastkin delegation had some scheme, and Cluna had sniffed it out and confronted them herself.
"But it was a bit dangerous. They figured out my weakness and targeted it relentlessly."
"You didn't use killing blows. Was there a reason?"
"A promise with an old friend."
"I see. Can't be helped then."
"If Yuren hadn't shown up just in time..."
"I did nothing. Just obeyed the captain's orders."
It was more complicated than I thought, giving me a headache. I'd put this aside for now. The priority was getting the beastkin delegation conscious. Yeah, that was key.
But since they'd come with bad intentions, I needed to prepare accordingly. Luckily, the Royal Knights would return soon.
Until then, I'd talk carefully.
The power to see the future.
To put it simply, foresight wasn't invincible. Of course, realizing that had come a bit late. Take the war with the elves 200 years ago. The reason they'd pushed so recklessly into war.
She'd overly trusted the foresight she'd seen: driving out the elves and claiming their forest. So they'd thrown every ounce of force in without thought.
Because they'd win anyway.
That was the future she'd seen.
But it shattered.
The forest guardians. Those hateful elf protectors had formed a detachment and ambushed them. If it leaked inside, it would outside too. They'd panicked.
In the end, they couldn't even resist properly and routed. As the elves counterattacked, Yuyeong had no choice but to swallow her humiliation and sign a peace treaty with them.
She still hadn't forgotten that humiliation. How could she? Losing 1,000 to fewer than 20 elves. It had rained heavily that day.
Mud and puddles soaked her knees. Kneeling, she glared at the enemy before her. An elf.
[Cluna, wouldn't it be better to kill her here?]
[Agreed. Cutting the root is the right thing.]
[......Bind her for now.]
[Our soft-hearted Cluna~ Trying to keep another empty promise?]
The sword had grazed her throat but been withdrawn. That sensation lingered even now. As if it would sever her neck any second. But the true unbearableness was the humiliation she'd felt then.
"Ah."
Yuyeong's closed eyes opened. A plain ceiling and the sour smell of herbs greeted her. She silently raised her upper body. An unfamiliar place.
A bed with white blankets and sheets. She and her accompanying warriors were all lying on beds. It looked like a treatment room. Which meant this was Lionheart Fortress.
Easily deducing that, Yuyeong mulled over recent events. The unexpected appearance of former captain Yuren. Her warriors had panicked and been pushed back.
She couldn't blame them. Beastkin blood ran strong with beast instincts. They naturally sensed and feared predators. But they hadn't lost yet.
The round rat ears atop her head twitched. Footsteps approaching. As expected, the door opened, and someone entered.
"You're awake."
He had black hair. Beneath it, iron armor. Ordinary by beastkin standards. Probably by human ones too.
But she couldn't let her guard down.
He commanded a dragon and the forest guardians under him.
"Pleased to meet you, Sir Hans. I am Yuyeong, leader of the rat tribe."
Inside her slithered cunning like tens of thousands of serpents.