Somehow, I succeeded in bringing Bayard to the fortress.
But whether she could return with full power was still uncertain. Putting aside trauma and such, the biggest problem was that in battle, distinguishing between allies and enemies was impossible.
Moreover, Bayard was a member who had held the position of vanguard in the Royal Knights. If that immense power suddenly turned against us, it could result in, in the worst-case scenario, team kills.
As the current commander, I naturally hesitated to hire her immediately. Plus, there were too many issues like Helia’s training and Ruby’s past.
“Let’s focus on normalizing the Royal Knights for now.”
Helia and Ruby shouldn’t be a problem for the time being. But Bayard’s issue was different. To make use of her somehow, healing was the only option.
But while physical wounds could be treated, mental sickness was not something that could be easily resolved. I discussed this matter with the most trustworthy person.
“Unfortunately, there’s no choice but to let time heal.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, mental illness is like that.”
“I guess that’s the only way.”
I sighed at Cluna’s words. I thought maybe she would have a solution, but it seemed she didn’t. No, let’s think positively for now.
Just bringing Bayard back to Lionheart Fortress was something to be grateful for. For now, let’s take our time and heal slowly. With time, her symptoms would hopefully improve.
Now, what remained was training. The current Royal Knights were nothing more than defeated soldiers. To make up for that, it was necessary to build up our strength.
Especially for me, discovering new ways to use my abilities had been significant. By stopping and releasing time in less than a second, there was no cooldown. This was a real hit.
Of course, it wasn’t omnipotent. After all, stopping time for such a short time meant that I couldn’t attack with my current skills; evading the opponent’s attacks was all I could do.
Plus, since I was still stopping time, my stamina was being drained quickly. But even considering that, this technique was near broken.
In fact, I could somehow fight Bayard, who was several times stronger than me, head-on. If my basic skills improved, I would find more ways to utilize my powers.
“Everyone’s so weak.”
“Huff, huff…!!”
“What kind of monster is this?!”
In the courtyard of Lionheart Fortress, there was a sparring arena. And there, Cluna was fighting both Clara and Ruby at the same time.
Even though they were at the bottom, the two of them had played a significant role in the Royal Knights. Yet Cluna was handling them like toys. Cluna truly was strong.
As I realized Cluna’s strength anew, I swung my sword. My sparring partner was Helia. The issue with Bayard could only be resolved in time.
So, I had to focus on addressing the next challenge. Normalizing Lionheart Fortress had begun to roll with Cluna joining.
Ruby’s past was a sensitive issue I couldn’t approach carelessly. So by elimination, the remaining issue was Helia’s training. Before, I had no choice but to let it slide.
But now, I had the leeway. I needed to make sure to properly train Helia. In the original, Helia had been an extreme character obsessed with power, eventually betraying her comrades.
So, at first, I thought she was just a villain. It was simply that Helia’s illustration was pretty, and the fact that she actively pursued me once captured me.
“Helia, stop for a moment.”
“Yes, teacher.”
Thankfully, Helia listened to me very well. The problem was she refused to listen to anyone else. Either way, I needed to teach her.
“It was wrong to draw your sword against your comrades before.”
“I’m sorry, teacher.”
“Huh?”
“I deeply reflected on it. I won’t do it again, teacher.”
“Is that so? Then that’s good.”
I just let it slide without thinking. Since she was claiming to reflect on it herself, I couldn’t say much more. However, it was a fact that Helia needed education.
Regarding this point, I would have to consult with Cluna later. Anyway, I focused on sparring with Helia. It seemed she had been diligently practicing her sword skills.
The sword energy she wielded was sharper than what I had seen before. I could handle it with my current abilities, but with more time, she might become an unmanageable opponent.
Unless, of course, I included time stop. I deliberately decided to utilize time stop during our spar. The key was to stretch the time as close to one second as possible—0.8 to 0.9 seconds.
If I were even a little late, the cooldown would start ticking, putting my life in danger during actual combat. Fortunately, I didn’t need to stop it manually.
After all, if my life were at risk, time would automatically freeze. On the other hand, Helia was swinging her sword with her red eyes glowing. Watching her made me even more anxious.
“Your movements are truly impressive, teacher.”
“What?”
“Thanks to you, I’ve gained enlightenment. Thank you.”
“What are you talking about….”
“Commander? I think you need to come quickly right now.”
Before I could correct Helia’s misunderstanding, Cluna calling me was quicker. Her urgent voice made my eyes turn instantly. What could it be this time…?
“What’s going on?”
“Well, a delegation from the Dwarf Republic has arrived.”
“What? The Dwarf Republic?”
For reference, it’s not 공국 (Gong-guk) but 공공국 (Gong-gong-guk). Most dwarves are incredible craftsmen and take pride in their skills, so they take pride in being called the nation of artisans.
“Why have they suddenly come here?”
“Probably because of the recent territorial dispute.”
“Territorial dispute? Ah…!”
Only then did I understand. While they were better than the elves, whom we considered outright enemies, the Beastmen and the Dwarf Republic had a relationship strained enough to have territorial disputes.
Yet, why did the Dwarf Republic send a delegation all of a sudden? The answer was simple. It was because of the Beastman, Bayard. Regardless of the reason, she was a defector from the Royal Knights.
They sent the delegation to secure Bayard’s new recruits and gain a politically advantageous position. Realizing this, I couldn’t help but click my tongue internally.
With a common enemy right in front, internal strife?
What a sight to behold.
Well, if they had done things right, they wouldn’t have ended so badly in the original.
*
That day, she first became aware of her responsibilities.
Seeing her teacher bowing her head due to her actions, Helia felt a twisting pain in her stomach. Because of her, her teacher had to bow in front of others.
What should I do?
What must I do?
Ah, I see.
I just have to be a good child.
Once, her parents had told her that she needed to behave properly. Otherwise, it would be a disgrace to them. The meaning of that word hit her hard now.
“It was wrong to draw your sword against your comrades before.”
“I’m sorry, teacher.”
“Huh?”
“I deeply reflected on it. I won’t do it again, teacher.”
“Is that so? Then that’s good.”
Showing that she recognized her mistake and reflected on it, she decided to apologize to everyone. Even if she didn’t truly feel that way, she would show that kind of behavior.
She didn’t want to be disliked by her teacher. Thankfully, her teacher didn’t scold her further. Ah, how gentle she is. Because of that, she had to be better than anyone else.
That obsession soon turned into madness. Helia’s eyes, filled with obsession, captured everything about her teacher. And she realized that the teacher’s movements could be predicted and reacted to.
She had actually tested it several times. Mixing paints to launch attacks that could never trigger a reaction or even aiming for blind spots. But each time, her attacks were blocked.
“Your movements are truly impressive, teacher.”
“What?”
“Thanks to you, I’ve gained enlightenment. Thank you.”
The teacher didn’t teach with flowery words. She just conveyed through short phrases and actions. Of course, that was Helia’s interpretation. But the excessive obsession and admiration gave birth to fanaticism.
Filled with excessive trust in her teacher, she heard nothing else. If she had been an ordinary person, she could have simply let it go.
However, she was a prodigy unmatched by anyone when it came to swords. A genius risen to be called the future Sword Empress. In reaching another realm, she now could accurately predict her opponent’s movements.
And retaliate accordingly to take their life.
That was the second secret technique that her teacher had taught her.
Thunder Dragon Sword Technique, Second Sword: Thunder Dragon Guard.
She vowed that nobody would lay a finger on her teacher.
The very essence of her obsession was melted into the peak of her sword energy.
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.