When I was betrayed by a friend I trusted.
I felt my world shattering. All the values I had believed in until now. Honor, pride, everything felt like it was falling apart. I guess that was when I completely crumbled.
I chose to hide, afraid of forming relationships with others. My father scolded me for it. How could I possibly become the sole successor of the tribe’s chief if I was so weak?
Perhaps that was when my father’s sense of justice and my own began to diverge. My decision to join the Royal Knights was largely motivated by a desire to escape from my father.
The Royal Knights weren’t as bad as I expected. Fighting with enemies meant no one could just sit idle. However, forming relationships with others in the Royal Knights was even harder for me.
Still, there were a few people I could be close with, including Ruby. I thought that maybe, given time, I could improve. At least, until that day came.
Pffft! This is quite the item!!
Y-you bastard!!!
Wait! Bayard! Don’t go off on your own!!!
The Hell General was a demon with strength worthy of that title. But Bayard, losing all sense of reason in battle, couldn’t contain himself at the Hell General’s provocation and rushed forward.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that the Hell General had cut down one of his few close comrades. But Bayard was driven not just by blind rage; he had his reasons.
At the time, the Royal Knights had been ambushed by Blood Demons. As a result, a significant number of elite knights had fallen, and the remaining personnel were surrounded by the Blood Demons. What mattered there was the momentum.
We couldn’t afford to panic at being trapped; we had to break through with sheer strength. If we didn’t, we would all die. That judgment wasn’t wrong, except for the fact that our opponent was the Blood Demons.
In the end, Bayard was thoroughly defeated by the Hell General, and the momentum of the Royal Knights crumbled, suffering near-total annihilation. If it hadn’t been for the teleport scroll provided by the Commander…
The few survivors, including Bayard, might not have existed at all. Naturally, Bayard’s guilt for opening fire was unimaginably heavy. He just hated everything.
What right did I have to return to the Royal Knights? I thought maybe if I just died here, it would be a form of atonement to my comrades. Someone reached out to my hand then.
Someone who reassured me it would be okay.
Someone who embraced me when I was alone.
Some might say that such a thing wouldn’t solve everything. They wouldn’t be wrong. But a person’s heart can certainly feel that way. From then on, I started relying on that person little by little.
Behind that person, I swore. I would protect this person with everything I had. So, what happened next? I slowly opened my eyes. The world was still hollow and gray.
Three years.
A painful and tough time, like chewing sand.
It wasn’t like I wanted to be like this from the start. Still, I held onto hope until the very end. Just as the Commander had believed in me. I wanted to believe in them, no, in all of us.
“The Commander isn’t dead yet.”
“Of course not. The Commander isn’t someone who just dies!”
“That’s right!”
At first, everyone insisted that we hadn’t all died. Before long, they believed the Commander would return to us, just as a matter of course. Everyone believed it. But as time passed, we grew weary.
Waiting was a problem, but the biggest issue was the cracks in the Racial Alliance and the resulting pressure. The barrier of the Vatican Kingdom, which had maintained a balance until now, shattered…
As the Blood Demons began their invasion anew, the nations that had vowed to wait and believe suddenly changed their attitudes. I understood. After all, damage was beginning to rise right before their eyes.
They must have judged that waiting for the Commander to return was nonsense. However, my heart didn’t agree. I tried exceptionally hard to persuade Yuyoung.
To fill the gap left by the Commander’s absence, we did our best. But when a year passed without the Commander’s return, the Racial Alliance ultimately chose to disband the Royal Knights.
[Those damn Royal Knights. I’m so sick of them.]
[In the end, is it really the Royal Knights that are the problem?]
[Looks like it. Then shouldn’t we just disband the Royal Knights?]
As the Blood Demons’ invasion began, countless lives were lost. The fear that had been somewhat quelled started to spread again. The result was the moderates being ousted, and the hardliners rising to power.
The newly empowered hardliners chose nothing less than the disbandment of the Royal Knights. They had made similar claims in the past but were shoved aside back then because they lacked power.
However, with their newfound power, the narrative changed. People no longer believed in the Royal Knights. They were angry. How could they so easily change everything after all we had done until now?
[There’s no choice. We’re about to die.]
[…….].
[The living must survive, Bayard.]
Of course, Yuyoung and others said the same. Even someone scolded us not to be intoxicated by past glories. Is that so? Would everything we had done with the Commander fade away?
“No, I won’t let it be forgotten.”
The memories I shared with the Commander, and the glorious banner we had raised together, would continue to wave forever. By any means necessary, that was. By killing every last one of the Blood Demons.
At first, I thought just that. Not listening to those around me, I pressed on ahead. But at some point, I realized the truth. I had merely closed my eyes and surrendered…
Perhaps I just wanted to unleash this rage on the world. However, I didn’t care anymore. I turned my head and saw an old friend standing before me.
*
“Bayard, let’s stop now.”
Unlike usual, Yuyoung appealed to Bayard with a genuinely sincere expression. Knowing what she wanted. As a friend, that’s why she was trying to stop him.
However, to Bayard now, Yuyoung’s voice mattered not. Instead, he openly looked at Yuyoung and smirked. Who was telling whom to stop?
“How ridiculous, Yuyoung. You of all people are saying that?”
“Bayard, I….”
“You’ve cooperated with this plan without question all along, haven’t you?”
Yuyoung couldn’t deny that statement. At first, she felt more remorseful. Remorse for not being able to protect the Royal Knights and her friend’s heart. So she did her best to help.
At least until she truly figured out Bayard’s plan. Bayard had kept the dangers of the lightning a secret from everyone. Only a select few who participated in the plan knew about this secret.
And those revenge-seekers thought little of anything else but that they could kill demons. Bayard used those revenge-seekers to create Steel Lightning.
Realizing that too late, Yuyoung tried to stop it, but it was already far too late. The hardline Bear Clan gained power while the Rat Clan replaced them in the Twelve Tribes.
Of course, there were traditions and customs. But the unprecedented crisis made that possible. What was important to the Beastmen now was a strong leader and warriors who could protect them from the demons at this very moment.
“No one can stop it now. We must burn them all and complete our great work. Yes, to ensure it is never forgotten.”
Bayard’s eyes blazed like flames. It felt as if he would find satisfaction only by burning everything in this world. How did it come to this? No matter how much Hans thought about it, he couldn’t understand the reason.
This won’t do.
Hans, watching from afar as Yuyoung tried to persuade him, clicked his tongue and decided to step in. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed unlikely it could be resolved with words. Was it because he sensed something from afar?
Bayard’s gaze shifted from Yuyoung to Hans, who had shown himself behind him. For a brief moment, neither said a word. But for Hans, that moment stretched far too long.
Cluna and Clara had said that if they met in person, things would resolve quickly. But surely it couldn’t be that easy, could it? After contemplating, Hans slowly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Stop what you’re about to do right now. If not…”
Of course, he had no intention to draw his sword for real. He only meant to threaten. Suddenly, Bayard moved first. Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, he reacted a bit late.
When Hans collected himself, he found Bayard had suddenly pulled him into an embrace as if he were a doll. With his eyes wide open, Hans blinked silently, watching Bayard.
Wasn’t the situation a bit off for an emotional reunion? Well, since they hadn’t seen each other in three years, it was somewhat understandable. But if he let it be, it might keep going like this, so Hans pulled her away.
“Answer me first before hugging me.”
“I-I’ll stop! I mean… please hug me…!!”
“…Is that so.”
The woman of wrath, who had just moments ago wished to burn the world, vanished in an instant, returning to the timid Bayard from three years ago. Hans bitterly smiled at that sight.
Is this really how it should be?
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