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Chapter 43 - The Fourth and Tenth Princes
The sword I swung down from above was swiftly deflected to the side, as if sweeping away a nuisance. A sword then came at me as I lost my balance, but stopped just before making contact. A gust of wind brushed my face, and I collapsed on the spot. It wasn't so much fear as it was reaching my physical limit...
"Once again, my victory."
"Huff... huff... Gilius,-dono you're too strong..."
"Don't collapse so easily. Get up. Let's continue."
"Just... just a short break..."
We've been sparring for three hours already. Why was this person still fine?
"...Alright, take a five-minute break."
Gilius-dono released his stance and slung his greatsword onto his back. I was done for, I might die soon.
"Water... water..."
I was drenched in sweat. I wanted to drink water, but I couldn't muster the strength in my legs. I couldn't take another step...
"You're quite a bother..."
At the end of the training hall, there was a well that is reputed to be cold. Gilius-dono scooped some water up and brought it to me in a cup. He handed it to me, and I drank it noisily, gulping it down.
"Kah, cough! I... I'm sorry, thank you."
"Clean up the cup yourself."
"Of course, cough."
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...Seeing Ilyria gulp down the water reminded me of a time when an ordinary village girl was brought here as a hero. Swinging her sword to the point of exhaustion, and I then handed her a cup of water just like now. In her hands, the contents of that cup began to boil.
For the life of me, I could not make a connection between the girl I had heard about from Balge and the girl I had met that day. I only saw her once after that, on the evening when Carion was assassinated. She was surprised to see my face, that was all.
(Did she already change by then...)
"Gilius-dono? You're making a sour face, is something the matter?"
"...No, it's nothing. Shall we sit for a while? You seem to have finally calmed down too."
"Because Gilius-dono is too strict..."
"Well, sit. During breaks, rest properly. It's also part of your training."
We sit next to each other on the same bench. ...We're a bit further apart now.
"Ilyria, in your case, you need to train not only your body but also your mind. You're slow in making decisions, and you easily panic when something unexpected happens."
"I'm aware of that..."
"You also have a rigid way of thinking... Now that I think about it, the reason I entrusted you with the task of guarding Neil is because I wanted to show you the Resistance, my younger brother."
Ilyria has a tendency to believe that her own thoughts are always right. I wanted her to see that there were people with various perspectives. As a result, she ended up facing the Hero in battle, and experienced more than she expected.
"Well? Has your mind changed?"
"...My feelings toward revenge haven't changed. Even now, I still can't understand living solely for revenge."
"I see..."
It couldn't be helped. Humans weren't so easily changed. For now, just knowing that there were different ways of living is enough for her.
"Gilius-dono... Why me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why do you train me every day? There are plenty of knights who are stronger than me and anti-royalists, aren't there? Why me?"
She asked with such a serious expression, I thought she was going to ask something profound.
"Hey, didn't you answer yourself? Because you're weak."
"Huh?"
She seemed to not understand the meaning. Maybe I need to explain everything.
"Indeed, there are many strong knights. They are strong, undoubtedly strong. That's why I don't need to bother training them."
"But, there are also knights weaker than me..."
"There are many. Among them, you're the smartest. I even believe you can fully master my secret technique. That's why I'm training you."
I guessed I had to say it this explicitly. Just following me in silence would have been enough, but…
"Ah... thank you! I'm really honored to be thought of so highly!"
Was it such an awe-inspiring story? She stood up energetically and bows at a 90-degree angle towards me. Almost as if she's about to headbutt me.
"It seems like your energy has returned. Break time is over, I'll push you hard again."
"Yes, please do!"
Her response was good, it seemed like her motivation has returned. I see, this person might be the type who thrives on praise.
"Alright! First, maintain your Renki state—"
"I'll interrupt you!!"
Wha-what!?
The door to the training ground was forcefully flung open, and a big man walked in. ...Ah, I thought it was that idiot Fourth Prince—Barbario.
"Barbario-sama seems to be in good spirits..."
"Yes, my spirits are high!!"
He's easy to handle since he had no hidden agenda. Unlike the other princes, he's not a villain either. If he were invited to join the rebellion by telling him that he would fight Brutogyu, he'd be happy to do so.
However, I coudn't tell him about the plan. The reason was simple, because he's an idiot. If I give him important information, the enemy will immediately find out.
"Since I'm in a good mood, I came to practice! Gilius, be my opponent!!"
"I'll be working with Ilyria, is that okay?"
"Anything goes!"
Ilyria seemed a bit troubled. Bear with it. If I just casually spar with him, he'll be satisfied and leave.
"I was rejected by Kamil, so I had nothing else to do!!"
"...What did Kamil-sama reject you for?"
Couldn't let that go without asking. What did that foolish Tenth Prince Kamil, the strategist wannabe with a shortage of brains, reject?
"He was boasting about things like the Hero coming back and something about a trap in the western forest. I didn't really understand it. He was bragging to me that he was talking with Coda-nii! When I asked if I could join in, for some reason, he rejected me!"
The fool bragged about the scheme devised by the shrewd Second Prince, huh? The unexpected answer made Ilyria and I to exchange glances.
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One month. It felt long and short at the same time. Anyway, all four of us have safely returned. We crossed the mountains and descended into the basin, finally catching a glimpse of the distant capital.
"We've returned, the capital city Diete."
"It doesn't bring back fond or happy memories, though."
To be honest, I feel heavy-hearted. What should I say to Noah? How should I address her as the leader?
"...!"
Beato tightly hugged my arm and pressed close to me, smiling. Is she trying to encourage me? Thanks, but it's not really comforting. I appreciated the sentiment, though.
"Um, when we arrive in the capital city, what should I do from now on...?"
"Don't worry, it'll be alright. I'm going to take care of Mel-chan with the resistance from now on."
"T-Thank you very much."
Mel-chan, who had been looking anxious all along, finally regained her smile. Well, she couln't walk around outside after being involved in the assassination of the First Prince and the Fifth Prince. I don't know if this information has reached the capital city.
"...Finally, huh. Once we return, the revolution will truly begin."
"It depends on the efforts of the leaders while we were away. Assassinating the royalist generals, coordinating with Gilius-san, and how much the anti-royalist faction inside the castle has grown."
Personally, I wanted to kill Brutogyu myself. But I already know that's impossible alone. I'd use up both the Resistance and the anti-royalist faction to definitively send Brutogyu to hell.
Walking on the highway for a few hours, we're almost at the Western Forest near the capital city. It's the place where I trained with the leader, where weak monsters appear. In the middle of the road in that place, some knights are gathered.
It would be troublesome if they're royalists. I stopped and made eye contact with Joanna when, at that moment,
"Hello, hello, it's the hero's party, isn't it!"
A young knight with an overly cheerful smile ran towards us.
"We are members of the anti-royalist faction, messengers from Gilius-sama! We have been waiting here to welcome the Hero-sama."
"Uh, Gilius-san's..."
...This person seems suspicious. Mainly because of that grin on his face.
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You'd think they would use people who actually know how to act for these ruses. But no, they can't help sending people out incapable of suppressing their shit-eating grins. Although it did establish that the person who set this up is himself a dumbass, so it makes sense that the entire operation would be equally incompetent.
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