Losing an arm was a tremendous wound.
Right now, the hallucinations were the least of my worries. The side effects were far worse than I imagined, with things like high fever and pus. So Cluna was always by my side, treating me.
If it weren’t for Cluna, I wouldn’t have been able to hold on. That’s how serious the situation was. I had gotten through a bit, but just in case, Cluna stayed close.
That part was fine, but the problem was that I always had to use a wheelchair to get around. It was a hassle compared to suffering from the injury, but I preferred it that way…
Then, an unexpected thing happened. The members, whom I thought were busy with other duties, started gathering around me as soon as I stepped out.
Sure enough, just as I left the hospital room, somehow, as if they knew, six of them had quickly surrounded me. Wait a minute, what about the guard duty?
“Guard duty? Aren’t we all doing it together right now?”
“Are you saying we’re conducting guard duty?”
“Yeah, we’re protecting the most important Commander.”
“……”
When nonsense is delivered so proudly, one tends to lose words. I looked at Yuren in disbelief. Was she joking? But Yuren’s gaze was more serious than I expected.
“The current Commander is in a weakened state. Therefore, we must protect you ourselves. We cannot afford to lose you again.”
“Are you saying you don’t have faith in me?”
“I just mean it would be best to be certain. Cluna, your skills are beyond doubt, but… you know how precious our Commander is, right?”
She couldn’t outright deny that it was a valid point. Cluna stepped back a bit. I could understand what Yuren was trying to say, but still, this was a bit much.
Before I knew it, they had formed a protective circle around me. Yuren and Bayard were in front, while Helia and Ruby covered the sides. Cluna and Clara took the rear.
Suddenly, I had to feel like a royal. Surrounded by beauties was indeed blissful, but it was more overwhelming, pressing down on my shoulders with huge responsibility.
“Everyone, it’s time to stop and return to your original positions.”
“I’m sorry, Commander, but we can’t follow that order.”
“……If you do that, you’ll take the punishment later!”
“Sorry, Commander. But we have no choice.”
“……”
They obeyed every other order without question, yet they wouldn’t listen to this one. Their logic went like this: if I died, the Royal Knights would be finished. So they had to protect me at all costs.
It was quite troublesome how highly they regarded me. True, I had done a lot up to now, but if they asked whether there was no one who could replace me, the answer was no.
Many capable people were available to take my place. Yuren would be one of them, and Cluna could manage as Commander too. They would probably do better than I did…
Thank goodness they didn’t seem to covet the Commander position.
At least it meant I wouldn’t be kicked out without a fight.
*
We all lost something precious.
Some lost family, some lost friends, and some lost comrades. Knowing all too well that sense of loss, we unconsciously sought a refuge from it.
But, their refuge had already collapsed once. They had suffered a defeat in battle, and the bonds they had built shattered in an instant. In that moment, what were they thinking?
Some wished for death instead. Some fought in a self-harming manner, inflicting wounds on themselves to forget. The pain of the body was much less than the pain of the heart.
However, there was a man who managed to stabilize those women. He used his trust in them to bring everyone together. Thanks to that, they escaped the pain of their hearts and found peace.
Yes, to them, the Commander was part of their paradise and a sanctuary. They believed they would be together for life. The Commander was strong. At least until that day came…
[After this year, I will step down from the Command position.]
Hans would step down from his role as Commander but didn’t say he would leave the Royal Knights. Yet, that’s not how they heard it. They couldn’t imagine Hans without the title of Commander.
So, for them, stepping down meant…
It meant Hans was leaving the Royal Knights.
Of course, there was no one here who would oppose that decision. Ultimately, it got shot down due to intense opposition, but the mere thought of the Commander accepting it was a huge problem.
They started having a meeting right away. It was then that Helia suggested they use hypnosis to keep him in place. Naturally, everyone initially rejected that idea.
No way would they control someone’s mind. Especially not their Commander. Such a thing was impossible! However, as time passed, everyone grew a bit anxious.
What if the Commander really left?
What if that was their fault?
What should they do then?
Anxiety gnawed at them like a pest. If their minds were even slightly healthy, they might have found a positive way to redirect those thoughts.
Yet, the current situation wasn’t so forgiving. They could be attacked by demons or monsters at any moment. Plus, after the ongoing war, they had already lost so much.
[You must protect what is precious at all costs.]
[Once it’s lost, regretting it will just be too late.]
[…Yeah, it would be bad for the Commander to just leave on his own.]
The twisted schemes began turning into obsession, stubbornly clinging to the Commander. And in an instant when they saw the Commander, it all exploded. They didn’t doubt the Commander’s victory.
However, Helia witnessed it. She saw the sight of the Commander with one arm missing. It looked as if he could vanish at any moment, and instinctively, Helia moved her body.
May you stay as our Commander forever.
Ironically, at that moment, there was no one to stop her. They all felt similar emotions. And now, the Commander was back with them. But was this truly right?
Could they treat their mentor this way? Helia deliberately turned her back on that question. After all, if they could be together, that was enough. Helia stood by her mentor.
Or rather, she tried to. That was until someone interrupted. Helia stared blankly at the scene. That woman’s alluring arms wrapped around the Commander’s chest from behind.
“Are you okay, Commander?”
“Huh? What’s suddenly going on?”
“This is just a little infringement, caused by my healing practices.”
“Oh, is that so? Then there’s no problem.”
“Glad to hear that.”
Despite being wrapped around the Commander’s shoulders and chest from behind, the lips whispered near the Commander’s ear. Yet, her gaze was distinctly on Helia. It was a provocation.
“Wha?”
Helia felt her sanity slipping away at Cluna’s surprise attack, but there was nothing she could do right now. Whether strong or not didn’t matter. Even if she was stronger than me…
I could never forgive someone for taking my seat next to the Commander. But what bothered me was her ability. Cluna, as the Guardian of the Forest, was a master of magic and knew numerous spells.
Especially, her healing magic was so excellent she could instantly reattach severed parts. Knowing that she was there meant the Commander wouldn’t suffer, and wounds would heal quickly.
Plus, didn’t she choose this path to be with everyone? She knew that herself. Helia was enduring the pain of her insides tearing apart. But next time, there may be no turning back.
‘I won’t let anyone take the Commander’s side.’
Just having other women next to the Commander fueled intense anger within her, yet she couldn’t let it overflow. Helia wasn’t as immature as before.
Her actions would influence the Commander’s reputation. So, she had to be careful. However, that aside… if anyone dared to covet her place, they would pay the price…
“Wait, Cluna? I think I can handle this.”
“Clara? What kind of language is that?”
“Oh dear, it’s Clara? You should be mindful in public situations.”
“……??”
What kind of absurd farce was this? Helia looked on in disbelief at their antics. Those two were each other’s only family, right? So why were they suddenly at odds?
Yet, Helia still didn’t know.
That, due to the Commander’s severe injury, more and more people were starting to be honest with their feelings. At least as they saw it, the Commander had nearly died in battle.
The faint obsession that began was slowly growing stronger.
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