A situation that has rewritten the most embarrassing chapter of my life.
I was trembling with shame, my face buried in my hands, turning bright red.
The gentle pat on my shoulder from Sir Veloren made it even more embarrassing.
I thought to myself, I could really die of embarrassment here.
“Uh… I’m so sorry. I’ll just head back now.”
“Okay. Go in and take a rest. There’s still about an hour left until lunch.”
…Anyway, I couldn’t stay like that any longer, so I politely bowed to Sir Veloren and dashed out of her bedroom like I was escaping.
◆◆
Sir Veloren and I woke up around 11 o’clock—pretty much like modern times.
Since it was a bit late for morning training, today’s session was postponed until after lunch, giving me and Friede about an hour of free time.
To be honest, doesn’t that mean Friede has been snoozing for a full seven hours since breakfast?
I mean, technically, yes…
“Ughh….”
When I returned to my bedroom, there was Friede, blissfully unaware and fast asleep.
I guess no one was around to wake her up? Usually, Sir Veloren wakes me early in the morning, and I wake Friede.
With those two completely drunk and snoring away, it was pretty natural that Friede hadn’t woken up yet.
Well, it’s probably for the best. Honestly, I was a little worried about what I’d say when I went back in.
I had no idea how to explain sleeping somewhere else—like, in Sir Veloren’s bedroom.
If Sir Veloren and I were like a real mother and daughter, I could just say I slept with my mom, but we aren’t really that close.
At least, not before I started stumbling around drunk last night.
“…….”
Ugh, just thinking about it makes me embarrassed again. Why did I even do that?
Feeling the urge to dig a hole and hide, I had to cool down my flushed face with a fan for a bit before waking Friede.
“Friede, come on, wake up.”
“Ugh… just five more minutes, mom…”
Friede mumbled, wrapping herself in the blanket like a burrito, half-asleep.
“…….”
I was momentarily speechless. I mean, I’ve heard some weird stuff in my life, but this is next level. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You have to get up even if you’re tired. It’s almost lunchtime; how long do you plan to sleep?”
I lightly pinched Friede’s cheek to wake her again, and only then did she seem to come to her senses, yawning widely and slowly blinking her big eyes.
“Yawn… Uh, Hilde…?”
Friede looked up at me with a dazed expression and broke into a cheerful smile, as if smiling was a reflex.
“Yeah. Did you sleep well?”
I smiled back and gently ruffled her hair.
“It looks like you were pretty tired. You’ve turned into quite the late sleeper, our Friede.”
“Uh… what time is it…?”
“Well, I guess there’s a little over half an hour left until noon?”
“Whoa…!”
Friede jumped up as if she’d seen a ghost. She had the face of a junior employee who woke up six hours late for work.
“No way…! What about training, training?!”
“We decided to take it easy this morning. It’s not like there was much time left anyway.”
“Oh… thank goodness, I didn’t miss it…”
Friede sighed with relief, looking flabbergasted.
Did she think Sir Veloren would punish her for skipping training?
“What? Did you really like morning training that much? You’ve been complaining about dying every day.”
I chuckled and said it lightly, as though skipping one day wouldn’t be a big deal.
“Like it? Not really… it’s just… well, I need it.”
However, Friday responded seriously and with determination, not catching the joke.
“Need it? Well, yeah. It’s tough, but if I’m going to be recognized as a hero again, I have to get stronger.”
“That’s not enough. I need to be stronger. Stronger than anyone.”
She shook her head, stating she had to be strong enough to win against anyone, even if they were her enemies.
“Uh… is that so?”
Has she suddenly awakened to her sense of duty as a hero? The intensity and determination in her eyes were striking and fresh.
“Speaking of which, back when we first met, didn’t you say you wanted to be a hero who protects everyone? Is that promise coming back to you? That’s admirable. Very reliable.”
I smiled at Friede, ruffling her hair. Her cute face, all fired up and making a fist, looked really endearing.
“…I did say that.”
Friede blushed a bit and looked directly at me. Her golden eyes sparkled with an unrecognizable emotion.
“What I want to protect now… isn’t everyone anymore. Now it’s just one person.”
The gentle smile on her lips and my hand ruffling her hair froze like stone.
It was clear who she was talking about.
“I will protect you, Hilde. I want to. From everyone who threatens you in this world. If that means I must get stronger than anyone else, then I will.”
Friede was telling me her true feelings. Her heartfelt wish to protect me, that protecting me was enough for her.
“I swear. I won’t be a hero for the world, or like the hero of the line… I will be a hero just for you.”
Friede clasped my right hand— the one I had been ruffling her hair with— with both of hers, bringing it to her chest and whispering her vow.
A hero for me, protecting me, her very own hero.
Brunhilde’s hero.
“…Thank you.”
I felt a wave of self-loathing crash over me.
I wasn’t the one deserving of that vow. And yet, I found myself once again clutching onto falsehoods instead of revealing truth.
Trying to hide the guilt clouding my expression, I tightly hugged Friede, burying my face in her warmth with sly and sneaky behavior.
Even so, I still couldn’t bring myself to reveal the truth to her.
I was scared. I couldn’t open my mouth, concerned about the backlash I would receive for confessing all the lies I had told, and the struggles I would face alone if Friede were to abandon me.
And the immense emotional shock that Friede would get upon realizing that the Brunhilde she had known was gone.
It was a tragedy for me.
For Friede, too. Perhaps even for Brunhilde herself.
And I was the one who created that tragedy.
It was already too late to explain, a tragedy written with ink made from piled-up lies.
There was no way to turn back, and there was only one way to take responsibility.
Yeah, I had to be Brunhilde.
I had to live as Friede’s Brunhilde.
I had to keep deceiving her for my entire life and act as Brunhilde for her forever.
Even as the guilt grew stronger with every display of her pure affection, and I floundered like now.
Maybe the alcohol was still affecting me. I felt a heat rising in my eyes, so I squeezed them shut and hugged Friede tightly.
With an awkward touch, I thanked her and mumbled about counting on her in the future, hiding my true feelings.
◆◆
After finishing a tasteless lunch, afternoon training began.
Time had passed a bit, and thankfully my mind had calmed down, so I was able to face the two of them more leisurely than before.
What a relief. If I had kept looking grim, Sir Veloren and Friede would’ve asked what was wrong with concern.
I had no answer for that; it would have been more awkward for me.
“Starting today… instead of mundane training, we’ll be going into a more advanced process. This is important, so pay attention.”
Unlike the usual abrupt start with physical training, when we reached the training grounds, Sir Veloren stood with a training sword and began an unexpected theoretical lecture.
“The strength of a warrior can be divided into three major elements. Do you know what those elements are?”
The three elements of a warrior. It was a random question, but I did know the answer since it was mentioned in the original novel.
“Um… it’s ability, skill, and… fate?”
The pure physical capability referred to as ability.
The skill from practicing weapon techniques and combat experience combined into skill.
And the last one—
The intangible power that transforms a human into a superhuman.
Fate.
“Looks like you know. The abilities and skills of both of you are almost complete thanks to your training. At this point, you’ve definitely surpassed the level you can improve through training.”
“Uh… does that mean…?”
“Yes. So today, I’m going to teach you the last element. The particularly critical power of those three— fate.”
Sir Veloren was saying she would teach us how to wield the power of fate.
Though we weren’t at the appropriate level yet, understanding the theory would definitely be helpful.
My eyes lit up at the thought.
Learning how to wield the power of fate was no different from being taught the foundation of high-level knights.
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