Something unexpected happened again.
I couldn’t bear to tell everyone this fact, so I quietly summoned Commander Yuren, Cluna, and Bayard. I asked Clara and Helia to take care of Ruby’s mark.
I turned my head away from the sight of Ruby and Clara sparring hard in the courtyard. The sight of the three who arrived at my call caught my eye.
Of course, there was no need to mention Commander Yuren and Cluna. Bayard was also a high-ranking member of the Royal Knights. That’s why I called these three. I looked at them and said.
“You’ve finally arrived.”
“What is the unexpected problem?”
“Is it possible that the Beastmen are involved again…?”
“No, it’s not that.”
The Twelve Tribes have been very quiet recently. Rather, they were managing peace with other races, including Elves and Beastmen. However, the problem arose elsewhere.
“I thought everything was resolved. But… it seems there was an unresolved knot.”
“If it’s an unresolved knot… what on earth does that mean?”
“I’ll explain that.”
Commander Yuren, who had been quietly listening by my side, stepped in. Cluna and Bayard’s gazes were fixed on her. She took out a parchment from her chest.
“This letter has come from the Dwarf Republic.”
“The Dwarf Republic?”
“I thought… the problem was resolved…”
“It was until this letter arrived.”
“What kind of letter could cause such a stir?”
“Balak Ruby has escaped from prison.”
Balak Ruby. The owner of the Ruby, one of the four jewels supporting the Dwarf Republic, and Ruby’s father who belongs to the Royal Knights. Thinking back, it did feel a bit strange.
Ruby is one of the four jewels supporting the Dwarf Republic. In other words, it’s a family name. That means Ruby now only has a title, but no true identity. What on earth could that mean?
It could be one of two things. Either she was never given a name from the start or she has cast it aside. But her name couldn’t be “Ruby Ruby,” right? I crossed my arms and clicked my tongue.
“So, it seems he broke through the Dwarf Republic’s strong borders.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Impossible for a regular Dwarf, certainly.”
“Then, does that mean…?”
“Yes, as of now… Balak Ruby has become a monster.”
Monsters, beings who have been corrupted and transformed into beasts by the power of demons. Though there are rare cases like the Doppelganger we met before where one becomes a demon, usually, they fall into becoming a monster.
“How on earth did he come into contact with the demons? They say it’s being investigated by the Republic.”
“It’s highly likely he was in contact with the demons from the start.”
“That seems to be the case.”
“If that’s true, it means he was hiding the contract…”
“……”
With Yuren and Cluna not to mention, Bayard was more than an experienced individual. With such smart and experienced people brainstorming, it wouldn’t be hard to deduce conclusions.
So what was I doing? Just watching for the time being. With these clever and seasoned folks having a discussion, it’d be a relief if I just didn’t mess things up by interrupting.
“What does the Commander think?”
“Um! I want to hear what the Commander thinks too.”
“I think it’s important.”
And at the same time, I was paying the cost for that. Damn it, I didn’t catch a single thing from start to finish. I was racking my brain to the point I could feel smoke rising from it.
“Whatever the plan may be, we first need to find out what Balak Ruby is after.”
“That’s right. And I suspect that’s… Ruby.”
“Why do you think that?”
“It’s a hunch. A dragon’s intuition.”
“Now that you mention it, it’s hard to ignore.”
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to break the flow of the conversation. They naturally accepted my input. Thanks to that, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Why do they care about me?
Just do your thing, please. I don’t help at all! While I was thinking that, I casually glanced outside. That’s when I spotted something in the sky.
At first, I thought it was an eagle. But that was way too big to be an eagle. It was almost the size of a small airship from another game. Definitely not an ordinary creature.
It descended from the sky at an incredible speed. Its target was singular, Ruby, who was training in the courtyard. The moment I recognized this, I instinctively stopped time.
As my index and middle fingers met, all the colors around me turned gray, and motion ceased. And I could see Ruby being snatched by its claws.
If I left it like that, it would fly away beyond the heavens. In that case, there would be no way to chase it. Yuren was the only option left, but that would be a burden for her.
After all, I had heard that even returning to her true form after being hurt is a strain on her. So, unless absolutely necessary, I had been avoiding forcing her into her true form.
Anyway, I didn’t want to use her true form for something like this, so I decided to handle it myself. I quickly grabbed my sword and ran down the stairs to the courtyard.
“I wish I could’ve jumped out of the window…!!!”
If I did that and broke my leg, it would be all for nothing! So I took the safe route down the stairs. That was the normal thing to do. Upon arriving at the courtyard, I swiftly drew my sword and brought it down with all my might.
Naturally.
The claw of the monster that caught my sword did not slice cleanly. Judging by how barely it was affected, it seemed to be much better than the beast I had faced before. If that’s the case, there’s only one way left.
“At least it’s good that I’m on home ground.”
Just as I was about to begin another difficult battle, this place is the Lionheart Fortress, and naturally, the means at my disposal now are far greater than before. What does that even mean?
I retrieved tools from the storage located in a corner of the courtyard. Among them was a saw used for cutting wood. Using that saw, I should be able to easily cut off its ankle.
Of course, I’ll have to put it back in storage when I am done.
That way, it would look like I cut it down with my own skills.
*
“Speaking of which, Ruby often follows Clara around.”
That was just a casual remark to divert attention. But it was half-serious too. Helia could definitely see that Ruby had a strong tendency to follow the person she liked closely.
“What are you talking about?!”
“Yeah! I’m really angry?!”
“Isn’t that the case?”
Under normal circumstances, she would have backed down. But Helia had already gotten a request from the teacher. To ensure Ruby doesn’t take interest in this matter. Therefore, she used all means necessary to accomplish that.
However, that was also genuine. While Ruby and Clara often fought, they always seemed to stick together. The reason being Ruby often followed Clara around.
It seemed Ruby had gotten a bit too much of the aggro. She desperately denied the fact. Fiery denial from Clara was happening next to her. Is it really that distasteful? Just then.
“…What?!”
Among them, only Helia sensed its presence. Suddenly, at some moment, it descended from the sky and grabbed Ruby. Thanks to that, her reaction was slight delayed.
Whether it was an eagle or not, I still didn’t know. But I definitely couldn’t just leave it like that. Otherwise, the teacher would be sad. So, just as I was about to draw my sword.
Suddenly, the talon that firmly grasped Ruby bled and was severed. Thus, Ruby was finally freed from its grip. Clara hurried over to Ruby.
“Ruby! Are you okay?!”
“I’m f-fine.”
“What on earth is that?!”
“Focus. It’s not over yet.”
With Helia’s cold remark, Clara and Ruby snapped back to reality and drew their weapons. In front of them stood a man. Upon seeing his solid back, Helia smiled.
Indeed, it has to be the teacher.
Among everyone gathered here, he was the only one to respond. That means the teacher’s skills were the most exceptional. It may seem like Helia was just dreaming, but Clara and Ruby were having similar thoughts.
They saw Yuren, Cluna, and Bayard hurriedly coming out to the courtyard. Ruby held her trembling heart with her hands.
‘Didn’t I notice until I was directly caught?!’
It wasn’t that fast. As evidence, Helia was able to react. However, what was most terrifying was the presence itself. Right now, it exists right before them, but.
It felt like a ghost, with no presence whatsoever. If you take your eyes off it, it feels like nothing was there at all. That crazy sense of discomfort continued to plague their minds.
Perhaps that’s why those three didn’t react. But how did the Commander manage to react? For a moment, such questions popped into Ruby’s mind, but she quickly dismissed them with a smirk.
That’s just the Commander being the Commander.
It no longer surprised her, no matter what he did.
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