Inside the cathedral, there were chairs carved from wood and symbols made of grass and flowers. Shortly after, Bayard returned with a teacup in hand.
It was a completely different impression from what Ruby had told me. Especially since he couldn’t even make eye contact with me right now. Of course, having survived from Hell, his skills would be solid.
Or maybe, the experience in Hell changed his personality. It could totally happen. Watching many comrades die before his eyes and nearly dying himself—it’s only natural to change.
I swallowed hard. From my position now, I had to persuade Bayard to join us no matter what. But could I really say that was the right thing to do?
Bayard had his head completely down. It was a pitiful sight, but I had to say something. Just then, Ruby, lounging with her legs propped on the table, spoke up.
“Enough with the pretense. Let’s hurry and go back.”
“S-sorry. I’m just a useless body…”
“Ruby, just stay quiet.”
It was a situation where I should be gently coaxing him, but Ruby was just digging at Bayard’s feelings instead. Thanks to that, I was the only one in a tough spot. I glanced at Bayard.
Surprisingly, he was only smiling bitterly. In contrast, her reddish-brown hair and the beast ears on her head trembled slightly. It was an awkward situation.
Dragging him forcibly would only be a minus to our power. It wouldn’t help at all. Plus, there was no time to slowly persuade him. Damn, what should I do?
“I-I’m really sorry. I’m not helpful at all…”
“No, that’s not true. Just being there is enough.”
“Y-yes?!”
“Commander? Are you proposing to me right now?”
“Cut the nonsense.”
I was speaking strictly as a Royal Knight. Survivors like Bayard are especially helpful to us. Not to mention her skills. Most importantly, she had experience.
The experience of having survived Hell would surely become our lifeblood. And she’s part of the golden generation, so she could definitely take over as Commander of the Royal Knights.
Of course, considering her personality, it might be tough. But let’s put that issue aside for now. With the way things are, debating whether to return or not is already burdensome, and adding a commander’s title would make her run away instantly.
I understood Bayard’s situation well enough. The depth of the pain she harbored was something I couldn’t even fathom. But still, I had to make a request.
“Bayard, I need your strength. Please, can you help me?”
“Th-that…”
“Wait, Commander. There’s a problem we need to address first.”
“A problem we need to solve?”
I expressed confusion. I heard Bayard and she were close. Did they have some issues? Just then, Ruby, who had been quietly sitting, suddenly pulled out her weapon.
“It seems we have uninvited guests.”
“Yeah, they’re not demons… but they look like monsters.”
“Monsters…?”
“Exactly. There were monsters following us.”
“…….”
Is that so? I wasn’t aware. Why hadn’t I been informed? I looked at Ruby with a feeling of, “Why didn’t you report this to me?” Ruby shrugged her shoulders and replied.
“The Commander probably didn’t know either. But since he was quiet, I kept quiet too.”
“…….”
Can you not act as if it’s obvious just because you’re the Commander? I’m not even a real Commander! I sighed. Anyway, it meant that while we were here, someone had been tailing us.
Wait, hold on. This could actually be an opportunity. The fact that monsters came here means our location has been exposed. I looked at Bayard and said.
“First, let’s move to Lionheart Fortress.”
“Huh? B-but that’s too sudden…!!”
“We have no choice since our position has been compromised.”
“Y-yeah, I guess that’s true. It could be dangerous to stay here….”
“Right, that’s how it is.”
Internally, I cheered. I successfully managed to get us to Lionheart Fortress somehow. After all, when bodies are closer, hearts naturally move closer too. That was my intention.
And right now, Cluna was at Lionheart Fortress. With her warm maternal love, she would undoubtedly be able to soothe some of the pain Bayard was carrying.
However, before that, we needed to take care of the monsters that followed us. But just then, Bayard suddenly burst out of the cathedral doors. What the heck? Why’s she doing that?
“Looks like she’s already revved up.”
“Revved up?”
“That’s right. The timid bear has taken on the role of vanguard.”
“…….”
“That’s because her personality flips when she enters battle!”
Ruby, with a calm face, was carelessly dropping bombs. So, to put it simply, she’s got a split personality? And her character changes completely when a fight starts?
I shook my head. So what? What does it matter if she’s got a split personality? As long as her skills are solid, even drifting leaves can be used in my current situation.
Boom! Bang!
It seems Ruby wasn’t just talking nonsense. Already, loud explosions were echoing from outside. I rushed out of the cathedral just a moment too late. And then I could barely see it.
“Die, die, die!!!”
With bloodshot eyes and a huge grin, Bayard was literally obliterating the monsters. She looked like a madwoman. I silently surveyed the surroundings.
The monsters that attacked us were the Blade Wolf and skeletons clad in armor—the types that were all treated as fodder. But the problem was their numbers. There was a massive army surrounding the cathedral.
No matter how much I tried, facing such a force was impossible. I thought.
“Is that why she was made vanguard?”
“That’s right.”
“Is there any chance she’ll go on a rampage and kill us?”
“If that were the case, she wouldn’t have even made it into the Royal Knights.”
“That’s true.”
I nodded at Ruby’s point. If she had such a serious flaw, she wouldn’t have qualified to be a Royal Knight. It was undoubtedly terrifying to see her drenched in blood and slaughtering monsters.
But she was on our side, after all. I crossed my arms and continued to observe. Soon, the monsters surrounding the cathedral were shredded to pieces by Bayard in an instant.
“Bayard! That’s enough!”
“Grraaaagh….”
“Huh?”
“Woah? What’s wrong with her condition?”
“……!!!”
I jumped forward in a panic. Bayard’s bloodshot gaze was fixed on us. No way. I wasn’t optimistic enough to think it wasn’t going to be a problem.
And thanks to that, I was able to save Ruby. In the moment I couldn’t even blink, everything turned gray around me. I was able to see it.
Bayard, now very close, reaching out with bloodied hands. Recognizing this, I bent my body and released the Time Stop. For less than a second, an incredibly short moment.
However, in that brief moment, the instinctive Bayard attacked me again. Damn it, I can’t dodge because of the cooldown…!! I thought at that moment.
“Uh?”
For some reason, time stopped again. Why? Wasn’t it the cooldown? But there was no time to feel perplexed. I immediately released the Time Stop and dodged Bayard’s attack.
“Commander?!”
“Get back! It’s dangerous!!”
“GRRRAAAAAAH!!”
I gritted my teeth and turned my head. I wasn’t entirely sure, but it was worth experimenting with. I dashed forward. Bayard also immediately attacked me.
Just as her powerful paws, swung like a bear, were about to hit, I activated the Time Stop to avoid a fatal hit. Then I would recognize the attack and immediately release the Time Stop to move.
A very brief time, less than a second.
However, even if I dodged the first attack, the next strike would come right away. The beast’s instinct meant attacks specialized in hunting. But those attacks wouldn’t touch me. I stuck out my tongue.
“Who knew there was such an application?”
Normally, activating Time Stop has a cooldown. Right now, it’s being used continuously, so I reduced it to about 1.8 times. But there was one fact I learned from fighting Bayard just now.
If I stopped time for less than a second…
The Time Stop cooldown wouldn’t tick.
But that didn’t mean the situation was getting any better. Since I had to release the Time Stop the moment I recognized the attack to dodge, there was no leisure to focus on the attack.
What does that mean?
Help me, damn it.
*
What is this mess!? Ruby trembled at her own foolishness. No matter how much she recognized him as the Commander, he was just a rookie in the Royal Knights. So she needed to guide him well.
In a way, Ruby had harbored thoughts close to overstepping her bounds, but this incident shattered that idea into pieces. Was she too relaxed because they were friends? No, it wasn’t that.
She simply hadn’t reacted. If the Commander hadn’t stepped forward, she might’ve been cut in half by Bayard. That was how overwhelming Bayard’s power and speed were.
It was only natural.
Bayard was one of the few Royal Knights recognized by Commander Yuren. In direct combat, she could even fight evenly against Commander Yuren.
“She’s dodging all the attacks…?!”
And what caught Ruby’s eye was the way Commander Hans was effortlessly dodging attacks thrown by Bayard. However, he wasn’t counter-attacking. Why? Why wasn’t he attacking?
If he could dodge so leisurely, it wouldn’t be hard to subdue Bayard. Ruby already knew the reason. To the Commander, we were family.
That’s why he didn’t want to hurt her.
Unlike that trash.
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