Chapter 66
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Stop the Bullying! (8)
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I was left alone in the cabin with Yoo-young. Yoo-ren had insisted on staying, but I sent her out anyway. After all, this was about hearing one person's story from another person's mouth.
So, it was best to hear as little as possible of this kind of thing. Of course, Yoo-ren had been involved as the former captain. But given her personality, I figured it was better if I heard it alone.
Even approaching the situation with the utmost delicacy wouldn't be enough. With her temperament, she might just charge in and slap Yoo-young on the back with what she thought was encouragement. I turned my gaze to Yoo-young.
"If she was a friend... does that mean she's not anymore?"
"No, that's not it."
"It's not?"
"...I don't know how to put it."
Yoo-young's lips seemed parched, so she gulped down the water from her cup. Her eyes flickered with anxiety, plain as day. It was a little different from before.
During the negotiations earlier, she'd kept a smile on her face. Now, though, her expressions were all over the place. If anything, she seemed more human like this, which made me feel even more fondness for her.
"Being friends means having a deep bond, right? I don't know about that, but she didn't feel that close to me. So we just kept things cordial on the surface, you know?"
"So, you used to be close, but now things are awkward?"
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
"Am I wrong?"
"...No, that's spot on."
Yoo-young glared at me for a moment before letting out a sigh and agreeing. From my perspective, it seemed like Yoo-young still harbored lingering feelings for Bayard. Had Bayard cut ties first?
If Bayard, of all people, had done the cutting, then—if that was true—Yoo-young must be a hopeless case. I shook my head. It wasn't time for a final judgment yet.
Hearing more of the story and deciding afterward wouldn't be too late. Of course, rooting out any lies in the process was my job.
"What made you two drift apart?"
"Why should I tell you that?"
"I might be able to help."
"Fair enough."
Yoo-young gave in far more easily than I'd expected. Was she really hoping to reconcile with Bayard? Or was there something else on her mind? I still couldn't tell for sure.
"About three hundred years ago—back when we were kids—we happened to run into each other."
"Three hundred years ago?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"No, nothing."
I clicked my tongue inwardly. If Yoo-young had met her three hundred years ago, that meant Bayard was over three hundred years old too. Well, Cluna was even older, so it wasn't that surprising.
Yoo-young continued without pause, spilling her story. The Twelve Tribes sent their young to a single academy for camaraderie among the races, starting from childhood.
Yoo-young had followed tradition and attended, but she'd been bullied there. The Rat Tribe had the weakest physical strength, after all. It was inevitable.
"But aren't the Rat Tribe the pinnacle of the Twelve Tribes?"
"You know how it is, Captain. People at the top always breed jealousy."
"..."
"Not everyone, of course."
Thinking about the future inevitably stirred resentment. But how could kids understand that? These days, they cracked down hard on bullying.
Back in her time, though, violence and hatred had been rampant and ignored.
Bayard had been the only one to help her through those tough days.
It wasn't surprising. Bayard might be timid, but she stepped up when it mattered. She had backbone. I'd expected as much.
"You look surprisingly calm about it."
"I figured Bayard would do something like that."
"I see. You really trust her, Captain."
"If a captain doesn't trust her squad members, who will?"
"Simple words, but hard to live up to."
Back then—in their childhood—Bayard had been like a hero from a fairy tale. She never tolerated injustice and always put bullying kids in their place.
Made sense, coming from the Bear Tribe. Physically, she could stand toe-to-toe with most beasts. Naturally, Yoo-young and Bayard became friends.
"We were both struggling back then, but I think we got through it together."
"Rain makes the earth firmer."
"Oh? That's a Rat Tribe proverb. You know it?"
"Heard it somewhere."
"Yeah. I thought our bond would only get stronger."
I still don't know what started it. Somehow, things soured between us. What was it? No matter how much I think about it, I can't figure it out. And just like that, we drifted apart.
Years later, when we crossed paths again, Bayard had changed. The girl I'd known was gone. Why? We'd already grown distant.
Even so, she kept nagging at me. Afterward, Yoo-young had secretly supported Bayard. It was her recommendation that got Bayard into the Royal Knights.
"Not because she was my friend, though. That was when the Six Tribes betrayed us, shaking the Twelve Tribes' blood alliance to its core."
"So you picked the Bear Tribe as one of the new Six Tribes?"
"Yes. It had nothing to do with Bayard. We needed the Bear Tribe's sturdy bodies, so we added them as one of the Twelve."
"I see."
What was this? She seemed a bit tsundere. Yoo-young was blushing and denying it more vehemently than necessary. I nearly laughed.
Instead, I swallowed a forced smile, crossed my arms, and sank into thought. If this was true, then Bayard and Yoo-young had been close friends since childhood.
But I couldn't confirm it yet. I hadn't heard Bayard's side. Guess I'd have to ask her directly.
"I've heard your story."
"If it's not too much trouble, could you give me a chance to talk with Bayard?"
"Sorry, I can't promise that."
"Why not?"
"I can't fully trust your story yet."
I need to hear both sides.
She might be a friend to one.
But a nightmare best forgotten to the other.
When I visited Bayard's room, she was chatting with Ruby and Clara. Or rather, trying to break up their fight—that was more accurate.
Put them together, and they bickered nonstop. Keep them apart, and they'd get lonely. It was maddening, but helpful.
At least until I arrived, it kept Bayard from brooding. Sure, confusion had replaced the gloom, but that was better.
Thinking that, I finally pried apart Ruby and Clara, who were still going at it, and helped Bayard out.
"Finally broke it up."
"Yeah... I'm exhausted..."
"Anyway, you got time now?"
"P-Pardon? Y-Yes! If it's me, that's fine!"
What was she imagining? A flush crept across Bayard's face. Surely not what I thought? I forced a smile.
"I just met with Yoo-young briefly."
"Yoo-young..."
"You know her?"
You can't fill up on the first sip, so I couldn't ask outright. Better to ease into it. Less chance of hurt feelings.
"Y-Yes. A f-friend from when we were kids."
So Bayard saw her as a friend too. Yoo-young's story wasn't total nonsense. I nodded.
"Close friends?"
"At least, I thought so..."
"What do you mean?"
"W-Well, at some point, things went sour between us..."
This surprised me. They both felt the same way? That meant they really had been best friends.
"Doesn't seem great now."
"Sh-She got tired of me and left first..."
"She left first? Yoo-young?"
"Yes..."
Bayard answered with a gloomy look. My head started to ache. If Yoo-young wasn't lying, they both saw each other as friends.
Something had just gotten in the way and twisted things. Come to think of it, the Twelve Tribes were next after the Dwarven Principalities in falling, right?
If that was true, it probably involved Yoo-young, leader of the Twelve Tribes, and Bayard. Since Yoo-young thought of her as a friend.
But in the original story, the entire Royal Knights perished. Who knew how Yoo-young might snap after losing her close friend?