Did I just say that the penalty for Time Deceleration was weak?
I take that back right now. It’s not a lie, I seriously felt like I could drop dead at any moment. A pain like an axe smashing into my head had been gnawing at me ever since.
But if I were to cancel Time Deceleration, it was a fact that that crazy red storm would crush us. So, I gritted my teeth and endured it. But the headache only got worse.
The pain like an axe smashing into my head transformed into a pain that felt like my head was being ground away by a chainsaw. Because of that, I couldn’t even muster a proper word. Eventually, I screamed.
The red storm, with the momentum to swallow everything, slowly began to dissipate. Thankfully, it ended before I completely lost my mind. I collapsed onto the ground.
It felt as if my muscles had been severed. I couldn’t move my legs at all. The headache still lingered. I wanted nothing more than to lay flat on the ground, but I couldn’t even do that.
“…Damn it.”
I felt nothing. My vision blurred as if I would tip over any moment. How long had it been? I couldn’t tell. But in the midst of all this, someone approached me.
“Are you okay? Teacher.”
“Helia, is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
Hearing Helia’s voice brought me some relief. Maybe it was because my body was losing strength, but I began to lose my balance and crumble. On that day, Helia embraced me.
“Teacher, your arm…!!!”
“This is nothing.”
“…I see, as expected of you, Teacher.”
“But what about the others?”
At Helia’s heavy response, I felt puzzled. Just then, a jingling sound caught my attention. Thanks to that, I could see it. The pendant in her hand.
“Indeed, I think it should be like this for you, Teacher.”
It was an object from my memory. The item that the Comprachico used for mind manipulation before. But why is that here? Helia was definitely not around back then…
“All of this is for you, Teacher.”
Light began to flow from the pendant that Helia held. Dangerous, I had to look away immediately… But my questions were greater than my fear. No, why?
But I had no suitable answer to seek.
My consciousness was slowly consumed by the light.
*
The Commander’s explosive declaration was enough to stir everyone. After all, in a situation where most depended on the Commander, stepping down from the commander position felt like…
It meant the Commander was leaving us. Of course, Hans didn’t go that far in his thoughts. At least until peace was restored, he planned to stay with the Royal Knights and help.
But they weren’t in a leisurely situation enough to realize that fact. Among the chaotic environment, Helia brought it up in front of everyone.
The silver pendant sparkled on the desk. Yuren’s expression froze as she looked at the pendant. However, Helia spoke calmly.
“It’s an artifact of the Comprachico. It probably allowed that demon to manipulate minds.”
“But didn’t we report that it had been destroyed back then?”
“I was the one who made that report.”
“You lied to the Commander. To all of us.”
The hostile gaze from Cluna was directed at Helia. The same went for the other members. But Helia remained unfazed. She opened her mouth.
“What’s important right now isn’t that, right?”
“Not important? You could have brainwashed our Commander using this power! You mean that’s not important?!”
“Yuren, I know what you’re trying to say. But if we analyze this, you wouldn’t be able to say such things.”
“…”
“No, you might already know.”
Helia’s words struck home. Yuren, among us, was the only one who had genuinely fallen victim to the Comprachico’s mind manipulation. From her perspective, the power contained in the pendant was visibly weak now.
[You can’t manipulate unless you break the opponent’s mind! Or seize on their very weakened state!]
“Damn, useless thoughts…”
“I initially wanted to make you my own teacher. But there were too many risks involved in doing that.”
“What specific risks are there?”
“For example, the demon’s magical power may mix in, and affect you negatively.”
Cluna nodded at Helia’s words. Indeed, this was an object used by the demons. Just because a human uses it doesn’t guarantee it’s safe.
Simultaneously, everyone, including Cluna, realized what Helia was trying to express. Surprisingly, it was Clara who objected first. Her hands slammed down on the desk.
“Are you kidding me?! You want to brainwash the Commander right now?!”
“Is there any other way?”
“Even so, that shouldn’t be allowed!!”
That’s right. It was an incredibly valid point. Anyone manipulating someone else’s mind is a bad thing. However, surprisingly few agreed with her. Even Cluna.
Most maintained a neutral stance. After all, cooperation was necessary. Helia also didn’t strongly voice her opinion. Instead, the analysis of the pendant was entrusted to Cluna.
Could it really be okay like this? With that thought in mind, Cluna spent that time perfectly interpreting the pendant and thoroughly rooting out all residual demon influences.
And finally, today arrived. The sudden attack by the blood demons was indeed shocking. But that was manageable. However, the biggest problem was the Commander.
Everyone who returned after dealing with the blood demons saw the Commander missing an arm. The first thing that crossed my mind was self-condemnation. I tried to become stronger. Only for the Commander.
‘Can one truly go that far for someone else?’
‘As if my body wasn’t my own… how could you do that?’
‘Surely, there must have been something crucial in the past.’
Cluna thought. Those who act like that often lost something precious in their past. Thus, unable to forgive themselves, they cast away their own bodies.
Even if the result led to death. With that thought, Cluna clutched her aching chest. Why was she feeling like this all of a sudden?
No, she already knew. That image of sacrificing oneself, throwing their body into the flames of hell for others. It was just like the first hero she had admired!
‘I thought this wasn’t right.’
‘Right, the Commander would never abandon us.’
‘But… seeing that figure makes me feel like I might crumble.’
Clara believed in the Commander. She believed in the Commander’s strength and integrity. She had fiercely opposed it then. But seeing the current Commander, Clara suddenly felt fear.
One day, it felt like the Commander would disappear without warning. That fear consumed her mind. The Commander disappearing? No, that shouldn’t happen. She shouldn’t leave, my Commander!
‘I’ve given up everything.’
‘Revenge, the Glory of the Royal Knights.’
‘For the Commander who restored that… I want to dedicate everything.’
The girl who lost her family found a new family here. And she couldn’t control her pounding heart, as if caught in some illness. But it wasn’t a bad feeling.
At first, she was too embarrassed to admit it. But now, she had come to terms with it. She wanted to love. Even if it meant burning this body. That heart awakened at the near-catastrophe of losing something precious.
“Cluna, you have it, right?”
“Yes, here it is.”
“Is there anyone against this?”
There was not a single objection. After all, look at the Commander’s state right in front of you. Doesn’t it feel like she could vanish at any moment? Just the thought of her disappearing was unbearable.
“What? I guess I’ll take the punishment then. And I’ll take it all on myself.”
As Yuren’s words rang out, Helia stepped forward. In her hand was the pendant she had received from Cluna. In that moment, Helia caught the crumbling body of the Commander.
Initially, she wanted to monopolize it. Not wanting to share her teacher with anyone. But as time passed, she found important friends. Friends who felt like family.
Of course, what remained most precious to Helia was still her teacher. But she didn’t want to lose them. What should she do then? There was only one method left.
As long as everyone is together, it’s okay.
No one left out.
No one hurt or discarded.
If it were the teacher, would she do that?
Finally, the pendant in Helia’s hand glowed. It seemed Hans’s spirit had weakened. The moment he saw the pendant, he went into a trance. Seeing that teacher, Helia spoke.
“What we want from you, Teacher, is just one thing.”
“The punishment….”
“Y-Yuren! We can do that later, right?!”
Beyard jumped in to cut off the unnecessary words coming from the back. Thinking it was a relief, Helia spoke with her heart. My, no, our sincerity…
“That you become our Commander forever.”
And that you embrace us warmly.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.