Though it might have appeared that no preparations had been made on the surface, Lionheart Fortress was under strict protection by Cluna’s barrier. What does that mean?
Any ordinary monster would turn to ashes upon contact. Even if it didn’t, it would be immediately detected and intercepted. But this guy didn’t do that.
The barrier didn’t react. That means one of two things: either it tricked the barrier or it’s not a monster. From my perspective, the former seems more likely than the latter.
Anyway, thanks to the Soul-infused Sawing, I somehow managed to rescue Ruby. I desperately hid my aching arm and glared fiercely at Balak flying in the sky.
“That’s my precious comrade. Mind not taking her away?”
It felt a bit too simple just to glare, so I spoke as elegantly as a commander would. Balak, however, just continued to soar high in the sky. Damn… I’m being ignored.
“Ruby! Are you okay?!”
“Uh, you’re not hurt anywhere, right?!”
“I’m fine, I said.”
“Well… looks like I have to explain everything.”
Before I knew it, with Commander Yuren approaching from the side, I weakly nodded. I wanted to keep it a secret and handle it quietly, but now it was unavoidable.
However, before conveying the facts, I had Cluna check Ruby’s condition. I wondered if Ruby was just pretending to be strong, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
“I’m glad it’s just a minor injury.”
“That’s right. Why can’t you trust what people say?”
“It’s better to be sure.”
Rather than hiding wounds and having them worsen later, it was better to confirm and treat them accurately. Anyway, after checking her condition, we were currently gathered at the Table of Equality.
The Table of Equality.
A round table established for fair dialogue without discrimination among all races. But right now, it felt more like a meeting room. And there, I was the first to speak.
“Let’s cut to the chase. Ruby, your father has become a monster.”
“…….”
“You don’t seem too surprised.”
“No, I kind of thought it might be possible.”
Seeing Ruby’s nonchalant reaction, I found myself more flustered. Just how much garbage must her father had done for her to think that way?
As I silently mourned for Ruby, who grew up under such a trashy figure, I revealed the request that came from the Dwarf Republic to everyone. The request was to deal with Balak.
“Already, the Dwarf Republic has classified Balak as a monster. So, it seems they’re leaving his treatment in our hands.”
“Then there’s no need to hesitate.”
“You don’t have to pretend to be strong…”
“It’s not pretending to be strong! I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
Was it just my feeling? In that moment, I thought I saw a vivid pink light flowing from her reddish-brown hair. But at the very least, there was no deceit in her words. Thank goodness… maybe?
“One thing, I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“I will kill him with my own hands.”
“…….”
There was no tremble in her voice. Instead, it was composed and settled. A daughter swearing to kill her own father. I don’t know the context, but I can say this:
No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t seem like a good thing.
*
Hans brushed it aside, but Balak’s invasion left more tasks than expected. First, Cluna realized that there was a loophole in the barrier due to Balak’s entry. But she couldn’t understand it.
If it were a monster or a demon, it should’ve been completely blocked. Yet, it entered the barrier without any issues and even tried to kidnap Ruby, despite her barrier being there.
The stranger thing was, even with that right in front of her, she strangely couldn’t sense anything at all. It felt like being faced with an incorporeal ghost right out of a fairy tale.
“There must be some kind of secret.”
Those filthy tricks from the monsters were nothing new. That guy named Balak surely used some kind of deceit. But that wouldn’t create an escape route.
The barrier had been breached. That fact didn’t change. It left a massive wound on Cluna’s self-esteem. She had already shown a lot of disgrace to the commander from the previous incident.
She couldn’t disappoint the commander even more here. So Cluna immediately began improving her magic. Not just the barrier that protects Lionheart Fortress, but all the magic she held.
“Let’s make sure to catch the commander’s enemy… more decisively.”
The atmosphere was oddly dangerous, but it hasn’t blossomed yet. Now, let’s shift our gaze somewhere else. Yuren was alone in the courtyard, throwing punches by herself.
That was a shock to Commander Yuren as well. In fact, dragons don’t get easily shaken. They typically brush off most things without being overly stimulated.
But this was an exception. The presence that even a dragon like herself couldn’t notice. That thing, closer to an insect, slipped right into the skies of Lionheart Fortress without any effort whatsoever.
Thanks to that, her response was delayed. If the commander hadn’t acted, Ruby would have been abducted by that thing. Thinking about that made her unable to forgive her own inattention.
“I can’t forgive this! To nearly lose another comrade…!!”
Whipping her ignorance and weakness with a lash, Yuren kept throwing punches. It had been the same before. She believed that as long as she was there, everything would go well, but the result was the annihilation of the Royal Knights.
“I’m powerless. Powerlessness is a sin. Sin leads to wrongdoings.”
At that moment, she stopped swinging her fists. Her face, illuminated by the moonlight, flushed. Her previously strong legs trembled. Yuren covered her mouth with her palm.
“…If I did something wrong, I should be punished.”
What if the commander decides not to punish her?
Huh, that’s a bit scary. With that done, let’s check on someone else. Clara was blankly staring at the ceiling. Because the commander hadn’t played with her, she was bored.
In contrast, Helia, who was right in front of her, wore a smile. But the meaning contained in that smile was something no one could grasp. That day, the day Clara and Cluna returned to the fortress.
Helia instinctively realized the truth. They had begun to crave the commander’s affection. In that moment, an unbearable urge to kill surged within her, but Helia desperately suppressed her murderous intent.
The reason she suppressed her murderous intent was simple. Cluna and Hans thought they had corrected what was wrong with continued education, but Helia wasn’t someone who would change that easily.
‘The teacher will surely be sad.’
She loved her teacher. Therefore, she didn’t want to lose. She wanted to kill those thieving girls right then and there. But if that happened, her teacher would surely hate her. Absolutely, that would happen.
Her teacher was a kind person. She would definitely feel pity for such pitiful beings. So, as a student of the teacher, she too needed to embrace them. That was Helia’s conclusion.
That was her reason for sticking close to Clara, all while swallowing her anger. At the very least, if she acted friendly, her teacher would be satisfied. Then, Clara said.
“Hey, Helia?”
“What is it?”
“Remember when I talked about that strange libido thing?”
“Yeah, why? Did you change your mind?”
“I was thinking, isn’t love between Elves and Humans a bit rare?”
“…….”
Veins popped on Helia’s forehead, but Clara, unperceptively, blushed and chatted away. Well, hang in there, Helia. And… now only two people remain.
Bayard and Ruby were preparing for the showdown. The person Ruby could trust, aside from the commander, was Bayard. Bayard willingly responded to Ruby’s words.
‘Uh, what should I do? D-do I need to encourage her or something?’
Unfortunately for Bayard, this kind of situation was quite unfamiliar to him. Due to his shy personality, he had never properly interacted with others, and most of his experiences were limited to spars.
But to talk to Ruby, who resolved to kill her father? And to say it in a way that wouldn’t irk her? There’s no way that could happen. But staying quiet like this didn’t feel right either…
However, contrary to everyone else’s assumptions, Ruby had remained completely calm. Of course, she immediately recognized what was happening. She noticed it the moment she laid eyes on it. She couldn’t help but notice.
[That’s my precious comrade. Mind not taking her away?]
She thought Balak would explode with fury when they met again. However, the commander’s single word calmed her fury. She obviously had no intention of forgiving her father. But she also didn’t feel like flying into a rage.
“Emotions and reason must be separated.”
That’s right. Regardless of the garbage her father had done in the past, he had fallen into a monster now. To the monster that had strayed from the path of humanity, in the name of the Royal Knights, she would bring down the sword of punishment.
That’s what she must do.
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